NEW DELHI: Switzerland's Roger Federer, who earned the 'FedEx sobriquet for his lightning-quick reflexes on the tennis court, won 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles, an all-time record shared with Rafael Nadal and Noval Djokovic, was World No. 1 in the ATP rankings a total of 310 weeks -- including 237 weeks on the trot -- and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. He has won 103 ATP singles titles, the second-most of all time behind Jimmy Connors.
Based on 20 years of one-on-one interviews with Federer and with wide access to Federer's inner circle, including his coaches and key rivals, legendary sports reporter Christopher Clarey's book, "The Master", is a must-read retrospective for the loyal sports fan, and anyone interested in the inner workings of unfaltering excellence. It's the story of Federer's life and career on both an intimate and grand scale.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest ever sportsmen, Federer is a beloved as a phenomenon, a symbol of enduring greatness and yet is intensely private. But his path from temperamental, bleach-blond teenager with dubious style sense to one of the greatest, most self-possessed and elegant of competitors has been a long-running act of will, not destiny.
Christopher Clarey is the tennis correspondent for the New York Times and has covered international sports for nearly 30 years for the Times and International Herald Tribune, where he was chief sports correspondent and a long-time columnist.