"The point is that to root for Federer is to root for a Platonic ideal. It is like rooting for truth. For a few years, he won so frequently and dependably, and with such panache, that it seemed possible that perfection could exist on a tennis court. He wasn’t merely a favorite tennis player; he was a manifestation of superhumanity, transcendence, purity. Detractors who said, “Don’t you get tired of him winning all the time?” were missing the point. Every victory was a validation. No one gets bored by the sun coming up in the morning."
