07-08-2022, 03:22 AM
There were some extenuating circumstances there, though. He was coached as a young tacker by an Australian, Peter Carter (?). Carter became a father figure for Federer. Unfortunately, Carter died in a car accident and young Roger didn’t cope well in the aftermath. Maybe this version of events owes a lot to my frail memory or to some myth-making, but the way he matured gives a lot of credence to it.
Agassi was also a tearaway as a young guy. He confessed in his autobiography to faking a note from his mum to explain away an adverse drug test. He also didn’t like playing tennis originally and did so only because of family pressure (IIRC, his father was a prominent sportsman in Iran - maybe a weightlifter at the Olympics?). He ruffled feathers at Wimbledon with his fashion choices and wore a mullet wig in the French Open against Bjorn Borg to hide his encroaching baldness (which he said was a bit of a handicap for him in that match). His career nosedived but then he turned it around and became a statesman of the sport.
It’s best to have a short memory when assessing tennis players. If they mature, forget about early missteps.
Agassi was also a tearaway as a young guy. He confessed in his autobiography to faking a note from his mum to explain away an adverse drug test. He also didn’t like playing tennis originally and did so only because of family pressure (IIRC, his father was a prominent sportsman in Iran - maybe a weightlifter at the Olympics?). He ruffled feathers at Wimbledon with his fashion choices and wore a mullet wig in the French Open against Bjorn Borg to hide his encroaching baldness (which he said was a bit of a handicap for him in that match). His career nosedived but then he turned it around and became a statesman of the sport.
It’s best to have a short memory when assessing tennis players. If they mature, forget about early missteps.