Open Insider: rage in placid great

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Raging Roger ... his temper is usuall in check. Source: Mark Kolbe / AAP

Effing Stop! That's what Roger Federer shouted across the net at Andy Murray.

He dropped the F-Bomb because Murray kept pausing during rallies when one of Federer's missiles landed near the line. Federer thought Murray was trying to con an out call from the linesman, and baulk the Swiss, by pulling up as if the point was over. Or as if he was about to request a video challenge.

Australian Open: Mens Singles

Round SF, 25/01/13

Mur (3)	6	6	6	6	6
Fed (2)	4	7	3	7	2

At 6-5 to Murray in the fourth set, Federer fanned a backhand that speared the line. Murray paused ever-so-slightly, which made Federer hesitate. The rally continued, Murray hit a passing shot and Federer walked straight at him. Effing stop.

Federer's major concern was that he was unable to handle Murray's effing serve. That he had this nagging feeling of chasing his effing tail all night. That there was a sense of effing inevitability about the result. In moments like this, overpowered and becoming very effing desperate, Federer has blown up before. He's spun on his heels and told the parents of Novak Djokovic, "Shut up!". He's razzed Toni Nadal for illegal coaching of Rafael.

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His largest tempest, however, came in the 2009 US Open final against Juan Martin del Potro. Federer thought the Argentine had taken too effing long to challenge an effing call. "No, no, no!" Federer yelled at the umpire. "We have to challenge a call after, like, two seconds and this guy takes 10 - every time."

Said the umpire to the crowd: "Del Potro is challenging the call. The ball was called out." Federer marched to his seat, looked up and barked: "Do you guys have any rules in there, or what?"

The umpire motioned for Federer to be quiet. Federer: "Don't show me your hand. Don't tell me to be quiet, OK? When I want to talk I'll talk, alright? I don't give a shit. I'm just saying he waited too long. Don't f***ing tell me the rules." The umpire was aghast. "But Roger..." Federer: "Don't talk to me."

Upon further review, the effing ball was ruled out. Murray responded to Federer's advice by smirking. As if to say, you cannot beat me. Inside Rod Laver Arena, he was howled down. A video replay of the smirk was shown, but not Federer's comment. The patrons were led to believe Murray had thumbed his nose without provocation. The niggle and raw emotion was brilliant; an extraordinary little exchange given men's tennis is such a love-in at the top.

"It wasn't a big deal," Federer said afterwards. "We just looked at each other one time. That's OK, I think, in a three-and-a-half hour match. We were just checking each other out for a bit. That wasn't a big deal for me. I hope not for him."

Murray was shaken. Being admonished by Federer is akin to be dissed by Mother Theresa. The Scot lost his nerve, his serve and the fourth set before steadying his ship to rip through the fifth. "I mean, stuff like that happens daily in tennis matches," Murray said. "In sport, the stuff that some people say on football pitches and in basketball and in all sorts of sports - I mean, it was very mild in comparison to what happens in other sports. Just one of those things. I think it raised his game. That's what happens. Sometimes guys need to get emotion into the match."

Federer needs something, or he will never win another slam. Preposterous, yes, to dismiss a living legend. But that's the feeling. His five-set loss encapsulated his plight. He can still fly higher than any player ever has, but he goes missing in 10-minute patches that enable the Murray's and Djokovic's to pounce. They weather his perfect storms and slowly grind him into the dust. He's trying to read his poetry but they shout him off the stage.

Time is running out for Federer because yet another slam final is about to be held without him - it is a common occurence - and the surprise is that it no longer comes a surprise. Even when Federer snatched the second set; even when he whipped himself into enough of an effing rage to pinch the fourth set; even on the rare occasions the scoreboard had him level-pegging, there was a very effing real sense that Murray had him covered.

"I think, overall, he probably did create more chances than I did," Federer admitted. "I had difficulties getting into his service games, again and again. I think he played a bit more aggressively because he did create more opportunities, over and over again. I was down in the score from the start. Definitely it was more of a chase. He beat me fair and square tonight."

Ever gracious, and realistic. Just supposing he won. He would still need to beat Djokovic. Two tall mountains to climb. A couple of bridges too far. Of the last 12 majors, spanning three years, he has won only one.
 

What to do? Sage effing advice to Murray was followed by his most intense, passionate and untouchable tennis of a rollicking night. The obvious conclusion is that he should start whipping himself into a frenzy more effing often. We asked John Patrick McEnroe about Federer's demeanour during the French Open last year. Similar scenario, then: Federer had been in strife against del Potro on Court Suzanne Lenglen. He trailed by two sets. He netted a backhand and kaboom. He slogged the ball to the far end of the court, nearly decapitating a ball girl. If the girl was struck, Federer would have been disqualified. It missed her by millimetres. He was jeered and hissed ... after another missed  backhand, he told the French crowd what he had told Djokovic's parents: "Shut up!".

He stomped home to win in five set and afterwards, the consensus was that he should let it all hang out more often. That his on-court politeness made him too passive in the demolition era of Djokovic and Murray. Should he unleash aggro? "You don't even need to ask me that," McEnroe grinned. "One of the few times we saw him show emotion and anger was at the end of that second set against Juan Martin. And then he won the next three sets. I don't know if it was a coincidence but if I was coaching him, I'd say, 'Look what happened after that.' He won three straight sets and he won them easily."

But then McEnroe fell short of suggesting Federer should release his inner Superbrat. That he should start telling linesmen they're bumps on a log, the pits of the world. That he should turn to the crowd and scream, as McEnroe once did at Queens, "I'm disgusting! Don't watch me!". He said Federer had done alright for himself while restrained. Just as McEnroe was what he was, Federer is what he is.

"I go from here with a good feeling for the year," Federer said before packing up the caravan and leaving Melbourne. "Andy was better than I was tonight ... but I have even more time to work on my game, work on my fitness this year. It's something I'm excited about."

Which is terrific, because we need G.O.A.T to stay in the hunt. A fist pump from Federer is more electrifying than any other fist pump on Earth.

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