THE MASTER

A deeply reported and researched portrait of one of the greatest tennis players ever.

Clarey, a veteran tennis writer for the New York Times and International Herald Tribune, has interviewed Roger Federer many times in the past three decades. One of his subject’s most striking qualities is “that he will ask about you first and not in a perfunctory manner: inquiring about your own journey to this particular place, your own perceptions of the tournament, the country, the people.” That fundamental empathy and courtesy, Clarey later adds, makes Federer a born politician in the best sense—a fine attribute given that he is now deeply engaged in philanthropic work in South Africa. But Federer will be remembered foremost as a tennis player, and Clarey paints an incisive portrait of the abilities that made him a star: intentionality, focus, and attention. “Federer is widely perceived as a natural,” writes the author,” and yet he is a meticulous planner who has learned to embrace routine and self-discipline, plotting out his schedule well in advance and in considerable detail.” This is all the more remarkable because Federer is essentially his own manager, though he was well trained over the years by coaches who helped him become more analytical. The biographical rundown is by-the-numbers but cliché-free. Of more interest is Clarey’s framing of Federer’s career in the context of his competition. “When Federer emerged,” he writes, “the best players of the previous generation—Agassi and Sampras—were aging or in decline.” No such luck for Federer, for hot on his heels came Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, a triumvirate vying for the title of best tennis player of all time. “Federer versus Nadal has been the contemporary rivalry that attracted the most attention inside and outside tennis,” writes Clarey, “but Djokovic versus Nadal has been the most contested with Djokovic versus Federer close behind.” By his lights, it’s the last that’s the most meaningful.

A fine work of sports journalism, well worthy of its estimable subject.