At the Qatar Open yesterday, Roger Federer took the court for the first time in over a year. He was pushed to three sets by the Englishman Daniel Evans, and looked his old self – making ridiculous shots look easy while piling up the unforced errors. Though after a couple of the latter, uncharacteristically, he gave a wry smile. The weakest part of his game – his challenging of line calls – seemed to have improved until his third challenge when he questioned one of his shots that was well out. In his post-match interview, he still mixed graciousness – speaking fondly of his opponent (I wonder if Serena was watching) – with self-congratulation. Asked if he was feeling a rush of adrenaline on the match points, he said that he was feeling tired. It was a frank, human moment that reminded everyone that underneath the arrogance of the champion beats the heart of a man approaching middle age.
Checking the ESPN website in the evening, I found no mention of Federer’s return among the top news stories. I thought this was a tennis slight but when I told Hania, she said, “He’s not American.”
