Keith Duggansees the great Swiss turn up the heat
THE CHINESE fans are fairly open in their adoration of Roger Federer. But the great man will probably be long retired and anointed as the greatest ever by the time they get his name right.
China's famous difficulty with the European 'r' sound extends to sports heroes. To each their own: there isn't an English speaker alive that can pronounce Zhangzizhonglu or Huixinxijiebeikou without sounding stone mad.
Yesterday, on another broiling day in the Olympic tennis arena, the excitement of getting up close to the Swiss legend was enough to cause linguists the world over to just give up.
Federer had just beaten the Czech right-hander Tomas Berdych in straight sets. Before he left the court, he threw sweatbands as parting gifts to the crowd. The enticement of this bounty proved too much for one volunteer watching from behind the cordon where photographers are stationed. Once Federer began removing his clothes - even if it was just wrist apparel, the volunteer forgot her duties in the excitement of the moment and rushed through the collection of expensive camera lenses.
"Lod-ja! Lod-ja!" she screamed.
But Federer, causing absolute pandemonium in the stands, was looking the other way and, with the trademark wry grin, he removed the towel he had around his neck and flicked it at a bunch of nearby fans.
"Oooh! Lod-ja!" the young volunteer cried, beginning to swoon with the emotion of the moment.
It was clear that if Lod-ja went as far as to remove his shirt, the paramedics would be needed.
But that would be showing off and that is not Federer's style. His quest for a gold medal has run smoothly so far, even if he did enter one of the fugue periods that have dogged him all summer, falling into a 0-3 hole against Berdych in the second set before rallying to win the match in straight sets after a gripping tie-break that gave the crowd value for money.
It was Berdych who unhinged Federer in the Athens games four years ago in the second round, and for a few moments a repeat of that shock looked possible. But afterwards, Federer reminded the public that it is not just Michael Phelps who has to perform at the top of his game day in, day out.
"I'm happy with how I played," he said. "I haven't lost to him since the Olympic Games and he is always dangerous. I know the difficulty of trying to win a medal here.
"It's a difficult forum, winning six matches in seven days plus five doubles matches if you want to win gold out there as well. They've made it very hard on us players and I wish there were extra days. But that is the way it is right now."
The Beijing arena sure isn't Wimbledon, the baking 33-degree temperatures and the swishing of oriental fans the main noise during lulls in play.
Federer, though, is box office in Beijing, and even for us casual observers, it was plain to see that watching him play in the flesh had to be one of the true privileges of these games. He moves with the lethal felicity of a jaguar and even his bad shots look good.
He had 32 unforced errors here and conceded in bafflingly quick time those three games that gave the Czech reasonable hope of an upset. Afterwards, though, he declared himself happy with his performance, answering questions for the international press in French, German and English.
"The way it is now I am happy with my performance. He had a good match with me today; he is always difficult to play against, especially with how hard he hits the ball. He didn't serve his best today, I felt, and that gave me a chance to try and play his second serves and play compact and not give him much and to scramble the ball back."
Then he disappeared down the corridor as the volunteer gazed after him longingly before returning to her post without even the consolation of a sweatband.
