Operation Doubles Tennis: What's the Tennis Buzz

Well, you know what the buzz is about - Roger Federer's loss to Argentinian Guillermo Canas yesterday at Indian Wells.

It was a shame to see the Fed stopped just 5 matches short of setting a new open-era record for the longest winning streak. Especially to someone just back after a two year suspension for cheating by doping. (Shame on me for not trusting Canas anymore!)

But I just don't see what's so stunning about the result. What did people think Roger Federer is?

Wherever they got that idea, Roger didn't give it to them.

He sees opponent after opponent "go away" at the crucial point in the match just because he's "the Fed." In their hearts they don't believe they can beat the mythological deity. All he has to do is hang tight, keep calm, and wait for it to happen...then say, "Thank you very much" as he makes off with the match that they won't win.

But here he is dealing with a guy who has discovered how tenuous life is, how quickly his dream of playing on the tour can be taken away. Like the kid who returns after flunking out of college, he is all business about it now.

He's thinking too straight and clearly to get caught up and fogged in all the hype. Federer was ripe to be beaten by someone like Canas.

But now we must view this as earth-shaking. Perhaps a sign of the End Times? Roger tries to put it in perspective:

He played very well. I missed my chances, and I'll pay the price later on. I think he played very well and I didn't think I was playing poorly at all. So it's okay.

In other words, it ain't magic and all gone.

Read more here and here, and don't miss this arresting mixed metaphor at Tennis Diary:

Speaking of running, the officials probably sprinted to administer urine tests to Canas the minute he walked off the court. Just to make sure. Maybe they made Federer cough up too....

'Er, please don't do that to our imaginations ;-)