Length: 00:57
Rating: 4.83 / 5 (out of 65 votes)

you know that old underground saying, "the revolution will not be televised"? well, this was, for my money, absolutely the finest rally of TMF's career...and yet you can't find it anywhere. this point is rarely, if ever, shown by any other federer site, or even mentioned, and that is a TRAGEDY. well fear not, loyal fans: federermagic is here to right that wrong for you. so...HERE. YOU. GO. :) a 30-ball rally in the middle of an incredibly tight match in the fifth set between two of the most purely talented players of our generation, roger federer and an in-the-zone marat safin (itself a scary proposition), in which every single ball was hit so hard, yet struck with purpose and precision to all parts of the court. not a single shot wasted, not a single shot poorly hit, not a single thing could have been done better. i've probably seen this clip over one thousand times, and still, the depth, pace, placement, spin, and variety in this exchange just takes your breath away every single time i watch it. one thing to note is that TMF used the slice in this rally repeatedly to draw the safin forehand, and then went aggressive on his own forehand down the line. against most players this is enough to blow the point open but safin's great two-hander repeatedly allowed him not only to extend the point, but over the course of the rally regain the advantage. in other words, TMF had to use the slice almost as a necessity rather than a luxury, and that rarely, if EVER, happens to him. that's as good an indication as any as to how good safin can be. notice the beautiful changes of direction within the texture of the rally by both players (Safin on shots 7 and 11 with the backhand, TMF on shots 16, 20, 26, and 28). to be able to cover and recover the court the way these guys did while maintaining balance given the shots they were hitting is just out of this world. both players were pushed to their absolute limits in terms of pure ball-striking and court sense, and finally the break-rhythm down-the-line forehand on shot 26 that DRAWS the slice that ultimately leads to the coup de grace on shot 30...this, my friends, is power baseline tennis the way it was meant to be played. that's the beauty of watching this guy play. he actually forces and allows you to think along with him, like you yourself are a genius. you say, "yes...that's the shot." and then he pulls it off. perfect.