Ann Miller: Tennis great Roger Federer was marvelous as well as magnanimous

Am I the only one searching for a way to define Roger Federer since he announced his retirement from tennis last Thursday at 41?

Over 24 wondrous years, the man won 20 Grand Slams and 83 other tournaments with an artistic athleticism that prompted a Washington Post dance critic to write a story titled “Why Roger Federer is the Most Graceful Athlete of our Time” five years ago.

A 2011 worldwide poll by the Reputation Institute ranked Federer as the second-most-respected person in the world. Behind Nelson Mandela.

What Federer brought to sports and the arts and the world is beyond description.

Which brings me to the last tennis match I ever watched with my father.

He played in tennis tournaments up and down California before he had three children. The two older boys barely touched a racket, but his daughter hit tennis balls with him from the age of 3 until she played in high school, which was also the first time she kept score.

The last tennis match we watched together featured a young Federer, before he won the first of seven straight Grand Slam finals, at Wimbledon in 2003.

We didn’t know much about the young guy from Switzerland, but from the first point to the last we were in silent shock. That backhand. His seemingly effortless athleticism. His resilience and elegance, complemented by an obvious devotion to the game and calm connection to its fans that would only grow — massively — with time.

My dad was in awe. It was the first and last time I ever saw that.

And he didn’t even see the rest of Federer’s awesome story, which ends only on the tennis court this weekend at the Laver Cup in London.

You know the guy, who one writer said “hardly breaks a sweat, and we are left without air in our lungs” will be back, somewhere, somehow off the court.

Federer was No. 1 in the world a record 237 consecutive weeks.

Then, at 36 and a year after playing just 28 matches due to two knee injuries — the first coming at home when he stretched to draw a bath for his twin girls — he became the oldest player ever ranked No 1.

With a renovated game that included a wicked change to his still-beautiful backhand, he won the 2017 Australian Open. That year he beat 22-time Grand Slam champ, and close friend, Rafa Nadal all four times they played and added another Wimbledon title. He went 54-5 before successfully defending in Australia in January 2018.

All this in a one-on-one sport known for five-hour matches, endless sprinting, 130-mph serves and ridiculous physical challenges — for two weeks if you reach the last week of Grand Slams.

Federer, who played more than 1,500 matches, practically always did. The guy actually enjoys practice and being in the gym.

That spectacular comeback in 2017 only made his magical story more … perfect, which might be the most common description his many fans have for him. He has been the tour’s Fan Favorite, voted on by the fans, every year since 2003. That includes 2020, when more knee injuries prevented him from playing at all.

Last year, Federer also collected the ATP Tour’s Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, voted on by the players, for the 13th time.

His award monopoly also includes receiving the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award twice. In 2006, UNICEF named him a Goodwill Ambassador for his dedication “to improving the lives of children all over the world.”

He started the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to “enhance a world where children living in poverty are able to take control of their future and actively shape it.”

The highest-paid athlete in the world (Forbes 2020) has spent $52 million on education initiatives in more than 7,000 early childhood schools in Africa and Switzerland, impacting more than 1.5 million children.

On the side, his charity matches for Poverty and COVID-19 Relief raise millions, often without advertising.

My dad never saw any of this, or Federer’s patience while doing every major press conference three times — in English, German and French. He speaks six languages.

He never knew of Federer’s sense of humor and great impersonation of Bjorn Borg, or lived to see his devotion to his family, and their love for him.

He didn’t hear him say “I never fell out of love with the sport” and talk about taking so much so seriously, yet having the ability to “let go very quickly” after his rare disappointments.

My dad also didn’t get to hear Federer’s online goodbye, where he thanked his parents, wife Mirka and their two sets of twins, along with lifelong sponsors, and competitors — for their “epic matches.”

And, finally, he thanked the millions of “Fedhead” fans worldwide who follow him religiously and “give the sport its life.”

He gave it lots of life too, on and off the court, with immense class.

My late mom and dad would have celebrated their 76th anniversary yesterday. They would have loved Roger Federer’s impact on the world. They would have wanted their children to watch his magic, and learn about respect and grace and kindness.

His retirement does not make me sad. I have felt blessed since that first moment watching Roger Federer with my father.