Roger Federer's Midas Touch

Roger Federer has copped a bit of a serve for his flamboyant gold-trimmed jacket in The Sydney Morning Herald this week. Writer Alan Attwood declares, "Tennis is about swinging a racquet, not a jacket." Funny stuff.

But while I tend to agree with Attwood's assessment of Roger's Nike-loving ways, I think there's room for a little flair in tennis. Tennis is, after all, one of the few sports that hinges on personalities. The inherent drama of singles tennis, for instance, is created by our perception of the personalities at play. What are they thinking? How are they coping? What's the strategy for the next point? Does this player have the nerve to defy another match point? Do you think he turned the iron off this morning?

Tennis, while not physical like football or even basketball, calls for a gladiatorial-like spirit. It's a battle of wits, focus and courage. Even Russell Crowe seemed uneasy during Sunday's marathon battle between Federer and Andy Roddick. And he's The Gladiator!

So my point is that because of this individuality - this "internal struggle" - tennis personalities should be allowed some flexibility when it comes to personal style. Without it, we're simply looking at a couple lanky ball bashers in hospital whites. What's fun about that? Without it, would we have had Bjorg's headband, McEnroe's hair, Connor's sweatbands, Nadal's pedal pushers and everything Serena Williams wears?

Federer maybe takes the "goldness" a little further than most, what with his embroidered RF branding on everything from his shoes to probably his underpants. The guy could have played Goldmember in Austin Powers. But he's won 15 Slams, so I'm prepared to cut him some slack on this one.