Art of the One Handed Backhand Compliment

Ahh Roger Federer. You sir never cease to amaze me. Your prowess on the tennis court is second to none. The skills you possess have given rise to nicknames such as "Swiss Maestro." However you are the master of one stroke that has been sorely overlooked. I am referring to your mastery of the one handed backhand compliment (OHBC). Your ability to sound like you are praising somebody else or being self-depreciating while actually reminding all of us of your greatness is simply second to none. In case you are new to the art of the OHBC, allow me to translate some examples:

1. January 2013- Speaking about a possible 3rd round match with Bernard Tomic: "He will be making a mistake thinking about me in the third round because he also has to get there."

OHBC TRANSLATION: "It is a forgone conclusion that I will reach the 3rd round. It is simply impossible for me to lose prior to a quarterfinal. Losing early is for mortals like Tomic."

2. August 2012- On losing the Olympic gold medal match to Andy Murray: "Andy was better. And Andy also played the match of his life."

OHBC TRANSLATION: "I would have won if Andy had not played the single greatest match of his entire career. He would not have had a chance had I played the match of MY life."

3. August 2012- Again on Andy Murray's Olympic rebound after losing Wimbledon: "It was really nice to see his reaction after a crushing Wimbledon loss to come back and win the Olympic gold."

OHBC TRANSLATION: "I was happy to see that I had not entirely crushed his soul when I won Wimbledon. I am glad that people are able to continue playing after such crushing defeats at my hands."

4. Rotterdam- On his doubles participation: "I don't play doubles often, but when I do, I tend to win a lot."

OHBC TRANSLATION: "Normally I let those silly doubles players win their events. Sometimes though, Zeus must descend form Olympus to put the commoners in their place."

5. Undated- On whether or not Andy Roddick can be considered his rival: "For me I'm in the driver's seat; I'm no. 1 in the world. I've won the last couple of meetings and I've won the big tournaments lately. Whoever comes, I'll try to beat him. But it's almost up to me to decide who's my rival, isn't it?"

OHBC TRANSLATION: "Seriously? The application process to be my rival is lengthy and has to filled out in triplicate in each of the 4 languages I speak. To date, nobody has been approved by me as my rival. The only Rival I currently have is a crock pot that Mirka and I use for fondue."

Federer is undoubtedly an all time champion. I just hope we can all grow to appreciate his backhand both on the court and off.

"This is already my 10th grand slam in such a short period of time. I amazed myself."

                 -Roger Federer