The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer

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Dyer's style is unusual and often engaging - he's a true raconteur, something I witnessed during a (virtual) LRB event with him to promote this book. A lot of the readers enjoyment will rest on how much one enjoys his company; at times I found it entertaining... and at times I was itching to skip whole chapters about topics I didn't care too much about (it is never, ever interesting to read someone's account of when they were on drugs. Never.). A mixed bag for me personally, but I'm sure many readers will love this book.

The second one is written by Laurent Chiambretto. It is called : “Rodgeur Forever”. A very funny novel about a Fedfan. The character tells the way he lived 2017-18 with all the emotions the Swiss Maestro gave him (and they were numerous, no ?) and what he did to try and meet him. I know your general approach, but even in terms of public policies for pandemic it makes no more sense. One of the reasons we love watching Roger is because of the way - like Dennis Bergkamp - he looks like he is moving within a different, more accommodating dimension of time.” There is certainly a lot of nature over nurture here, too. His playful personality, gregariousness, empathy and curiosity were there from the beginning. Those qualities certainly helped him thrive in the traveling tennis circus (So of course did all the millions he earned, allowing him and Mirka to voyage in style and with plenty of support staff for their growing family). But Federer has also been very intentional, understanding what he needed to remain mentally fresh: novelty, variety, genuine breaks, new cities, new projects like the Laver Cup, new influences like Bill Gates. It is as if he plans for being in the moment, which is something I think all of us can learn from him. We cannot copy his hand-eye coordination or grace on the move, but we can strive to give our full attention to whatever task we face and to find if not joy then at least satisfaction in it.

Federer – The Greatest of All Time (John Blake Publishing, 2021)

At last, I advise a very nice coffee table photo album : “Federer forever”. It is composed of images taken by Corinne Dubreuil, a famous photo-journalist who attended to 19 of his 20 Grand Slams with her comments.

Federer versus Nadal has been the contemporary rivalry that attracted the most attention inside and outside tennis, but Djokovic versus Nadal has been the most contested, with Djokovic versus Federer close behind. Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky, interviewed before he headed home to defend his country against Russia’s invasion, famously beat Federer at Wimbledon, but also explains how the Swiss was so integral to getting huge prize-money rises for players at Grand Slams. Wrestler Urs Bürgler explains the role he played in bringing Federer together with Mirka Vavrinec, the woman who played such a massive role in his career, and we meet the man who beat Federer the first eight times they played. From goofy teenager to “James Bond”Thiem got somehow “mentally ill” because of all the bubbles and needed 2 months break from tennis (knee and foot injuries were not the reason). Now he needs to restart the season And it’s again bubbles in every tournament. At least finally some crowds are there. Dyer gets off to a bad start when he writes about Dylan and has the temerity to rewrite some of his lyrics. Yeah, Geoff, you're not that good. Geoff Dyer’s latest nonfiction book is about last things - last days in a career, a life, lastness generally - that takes the form of a rambling narrative recounting experiences and cultural things that have happened to and around the author.