After Roger Federer’s recent loss
in the fourth round of the U.S. Open, writers alike have been rapidly tackling
new headlines on this tragedy. According to the Slate, “The greatest tennis player of all time has become mortal.
Now maybe we can finally appreciate him.” Has this become the stuff that
resembles fiction? How can a man who triumphantly topped the rankings and
garnished a lifetime’s worth of accolades and Gland Slam Championships become a
scapegoat among writers? As we examine more into the life of Roger Federer and
his path to success and recent “failure”, we are conflicted whether his
fictionalized life would be the material for commercial fiction or literary
fiction. This story plays out very similarly to a hero-based novel; the
hero/protagonist rises to fame prevailing over every opponent, yet eventually
falls to obscurity. In class, analysis on commercial fiction has demonstrated
that the purpose of commercial fiction is capital gain; commercial fiction acts
a medium for escape from the stress of life. Like memorable tennis matches,
commercial fiction is full of “tricks and surprises.” Indeed, a motivating
factor for Federer is capital gain, but there is much more to his motivation.
It can be said in commercial fiction that the reader is sympathetic toward the
hero and the defined plot usually ends with a happy ending, ultimately
affirming conventional views of the world. Has the story of Roger Federer
captured the essence of commercial fiction? Are we as fans or observers
sympathetic toward his fall from the Olympus grandeur of tennis legends? I
admit that there has been a defined plot throughout the success of Federer; he
starts out as a young, ambitious tennis player who claws his way to fame.
However, does this losing chapter in his tennis career fulfill the commercial’s
attribute of suspense?
On the
other hand, we need to conduct analysis on literary fiction as well. Usually,
literary fiction’s purpose encompasses artistic demonstration to broaden or
deeper a reader’s awareness of life. Are we as spectators of one of tennis’
greatest players exposed to lessons on life? Has his persistence and success
led us to question the factors needed to craft a champion? Undeniably, tennis,
to some, and literary fiction bring pleasure and understanding. Tennis and
literary fiction both dispel illusions and provide insight into the nature of
human experience. When watching Federer, we dispel illusions that sport does
not require luck. As we watch Federer’s send a beaming backhand cross-court
shot toward his opponent, we are reminded that hard work in combination with
talent along with human experience has allowed for this perfection. Although it
may be presumptuous to say that the model of Federer may challenge world views,
I still believe that Federer has a lot more to offer to society as a whole
besides entertainment. Federer serves as a role model and can easily be
associated with the greatest heroes in fiction: Achilles, Sherlock Holmes,
Gandalf, and Leopold Bloom.
Common in
all types of fiction, a hero’s downfall is usually brought by one character
flaw. The question is, what is Federer’s?
Excellent post. I've never liked Federer, but I can't really say. I don't even follow tennis closely enough to have much of an opinion. Based on casual observation, I'd say his fatal flaw is arrogance. Either that or his eyebrows.
ReplyDelete