Roger Federer: Fashionable Bad-Ass

Let me preface this post with the admission that I know next-to-nothing about tennis. I’ve only played tennis a few times and I watch matches here and there. By no means am I an expert or really qualified to give any insight. But, I do know that every time I watch Roger Federer play (except on clay) I come away with the feeling that this guy is Superman with a tennis racket.

Federer never seems to struggle, barely breaks a sweat, hits the most amazing shots, and is rather polite. Clark Kent off the court and Superman on it. He just broke the record for number of consecutive wins on grass; he won three majors last year; and he is going for his fourth straight Wimbledon title this year. I’m not the only one in awe. Many commentators, players, former-players, and others have gushed in praise of Federer saying he not only is a great tennis player but also a class act. All of this makes his attire at Wimbledon absolutely awesome.

Federer has been wearing to and from matches a one-of-a-kind cream colored blazer over his tennis outfit. The UK Telegraph describes the jacket and his entrance in a recent match:

The jacket is classically stylish and has a special crest which incorporates a Swiss cross, a tuft of grass, his Leo star sign, an F for his surname and three rackets representing his three Wimbledon titles. After acknowledging the crowd's applause, Federer carefully put the jacket around the back of his change-over chair.

This has to be one of the greatest ways to tell the whole world that I am the greatest and there is no way anybody is going to beat me at Wimbledon. Federer, through his jacket, is saying to opponent, “I am the three-time defending champion see the rackets on my jacket; I intend to win my fourth this year; and, there is no way you are going to stop, just look at my jacket.” What a bad-ass!! But, it says “I’m a bad-ass” in a distinctly Federer way because it is not brash, arrogant, or impolite. Rather, it’s matter-of-fact, simple, and respectful to the conservative tennis club and I think it's great.