Greetings, everyone. I'm still trying to process all that happened at this last Wimbledon - the best Wimbledon, to my mind, in a long time. For example, I'm sitting on a Venus Williams interview that took place on the day of the men's final, in an informal setting with just a few colleagues on hand. I'll turn to that tomorrow. Today, though, I have good news for Roger Federer fans.
L. Jon Wertheim, of Sports Illustrated is one of TennisWorld's favorite journalists (When I introduced him to Mrs. Santa at Wimbledon, I had that sudden feeling of turning into chopped liver); he also contributes the monthly My Point column at Tennis magazine. El Jon is a great comrade-in-arms, and he's such a good journalist that my hard-charging colleague Tom Perrotta practically breaks out in hives when he sees Jon talking to someone across the player lounge (it's called Fear of Being Scooped). I don't think there's a journalist working in our field who has better "pitch" than Jon; his writing is lucid, easy, classically-proportioned and stylish. Plus, he never gets in the way of the story, and his judgment at every level is impeccable.
So that's all the more reason for all tennis fans to welcome the news that El Jon is writing a book on and about The Mighty Fed for the major publishing house, Houghton Mifflin. That a classy, mainstream publisher would throw its weight behind the project is already great news for tennis.
Jon's kept me abreast of the project since its infancy, and after Sunday's Wimbledon final the book suddenly has a "right place, right time" feel. I think the book is probably best described as, potentially, this generation's equivalent to John McPhee's *Levels of the Game*. For those of you who haven't read that classic (and if you didn't, get thee to Amazon), it's a lengthly meditation on two contrasting players - Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner - told within the framework of a single match they played at the U.S. Open.
Can you think of a match involving Federer that might have the legs to carry a comparable exploration of the man, the game, and the overall milieu of pro tennis circa 2008? Hint, hint. . .
Jon may not employ that same structure, butI have high hopes for this book, and in many ways I'm glad it isn't Roger Federer's autobiography (Federer isn't nearly ready to write his own book, and Swiss journalist Rene Stauffer has already done a definitive "unauthorized" biography). Thus, Jon will be free to paint a unique portrait of Federer, and the game today, with great freedom and latitude. And if you think it may just end up telling you stuff you already know, couched in persuasive writing, I'd hold that thought, for these reasons: Jon is an intrepid shoeleather reporter, he's covered the game for a long time and knows it inside-out, and he has a great grasp of all the nuances surrounding Federer's past and present - everything from racket and string technology to the business of tennis. And you know how it all started? With Jon's simple question:We're looking at maybe the greatest player, ever, so how come nobody in the U.S. has ever given him the full treatment?
Anyway, I decided that the best way to disseminate this news to you hardcore tennis fans is by inviting Jon onto this blog, to communicate with y'all in a faux Mailbag setting. He'll select and answer five questions from the ones you submit below, in the Comments (maybe he'll throw in a bonus sixth, if the questions are sufficiently compelling). Feel free to be far-ranging, but try to remain relevant; I don't imagine he'll choose to weigh-in on whether or not Justine Henin will come out of retirement. On the other hand, he might want to tell you why, after earning a law degree, he chose to become a journalist (is there is a lawyer joke in there somewhere?).
The Comments will be open until Saturday, midnight, and I'll publish the questions and Jon's answers on Monday or Tuesday of next week.
Congrats, Jon - I just know this is going to be a great book.