Federer Fanatics vs Tennis Fanatics
What is a Federer Fanatic?
A Federer fanatic(or Fedfanatic) is someone who specializes in following the career of one specific player(Roger Federer) to the exclusion of everyone else. They prefer his playing style and personality above anyone else’s. They don’t care much for whether other players are also great or whether they are stronger in certain areas than Federer. For all they care Federer is the greatest in all areas and any flaw he might have could be explained away and justified somehow.
Federer is the embodiment of perfection. He truly is love and life. Nothing comes close. The head-to-head problem with Nadal is purely due to a matchup issue and, therefore, can’t be used against him in the GOAT debate. The 2004-2007 era that Federer dominated was as strong as any era and Federer only started losing to Nadal and Djokovic after that because he was in terminal decline. It is wrong to want Federer to lose. That means you have poor judgment.
Anyone with a decent set of moral values and logic will always want Federer to win. He is the ultimate in tennis and when he retires I will lose interest in tennis because anything else will be an anti-climax. In short, Federer is tennis and when he retires tennis will be dead and I will be devastated. I just hope and pray Federer wins one more slam before he retires(preferably a record 8th Wimby) so that he can go out on a high and I can have my fairy tale ending in which case his retirement will be easier for me.
It’s all about me.
- What is a Tennis Fanatic?
A tennis fanatic loves tennis first and foremost. He knows no player is bigger than the sport, no matter how great they may be. Tennis players are transient while tennis remains. This person is adaptable as far as being a tennis fan goes. He can appreciate different styles and personalities in tennis. He may like some more than others, but even if he doesn’t like some he can still appreciate their strengths. He is not beyond having favorites. After all, as long as we are human we have our likes and dislikes.
That said, he doesn’t get hung up on any given player. He knows players are transient and that there will always be someone whose game he can enjoy and who he can identify with. Don’t confuse a tennis fanatic with a ‘glory hunter’. That infamous term is reserved for fans who always want more no matter how good it gets. They want perfection, even though all logic points to the fact that there is no such thing in the manifest world. A tennis fanatic enjoys both the ups and the downs.
They know it’s part of the sport and they don’t expect perfection. They live in the moment and appreciate everything. They don’t get stuck in the past or get attached to a future outcome. They are adaptable and therefore if they don’t like the present moment they change it. They are more concerned about a player’s tennis and on-court personality than with the player’s private life away from tennis. This is something called celebrity worship and a tennis fanatic wants nothing to do with it.
It’s all about tennis.
- Which Are You?
Remember there is no judgment here. You are what you are. I just wanted to make a clear distinction between a Fedfanatic and a tennis fanatic in this post and I wanted to find out what kind of people read my blog.
Loading …The is in your court.
Posted in Uncategorized.
122 Comments
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Hi Ru-an I’m truly sorry that now you feel the need to make someone almost feel embarrassed to be a ‘Fedfan’. I started to like Fed when I saw him beat Sampras at Wimbledon….Sampras a great player but I never enjoyed his matches, Federer brought some excitement back into tennis. At this point I feel the need to add that I was a tennis fan when Roger Federer was but a twinkle in his Father’s eye! Nadal without a doubt has been a great player although it has always been win at all costs, we all know all about mind games so eloquently written about by yourself. Djokovic too another great player and deserves all the plaudits he gets, he played a blinder at Wimbledon. But for me Novak has pulled so many dodgy things in the past for me to be a fan, when Karlovic had the double bounce it was said an honest Djokovic would have owned up too bad for Andy Murray that Djo thought it was ok to hit the ball on the other side of the net at Miami I think. I know Djo plays good tennis but for me just predictable. Looking forward to the ‘new batch’ coming through!
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jason Reply: July 20th, 2015 at 6:54 am The new batch looks pretty hopeless. I guess after 2+ decades of brilliance, we must brace for a kind of mediocre time. We better enjoy the brilliance that is still with us now. Djokovic is also a large part of this brilliant era. He has always shown promise, even during his defeat at AO 2007 — the first time I saw him play. So was the case w/ Murray. The incoming batch is presenting us w/ the likes of Kyrgios, whom I suspect will be Monfils’ successor or in a more favorable case, like Tsonga — a great player, but not the champion type we have now. Not holding much hope for this.
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Hi Ruan, I think you have clearly missed something with this post. You of all people should understand that almost everyone is going to have their favorites who they will follow. So actually there needs to be a third category here because I am neither a tennis fanatic or a Federer fanatic. At the same time I am not a tennis fanatic. If Federer is not playing in a tournament still, unless its a final or Djokovic or Nadal are playing a dark horse I won’t watch it. I think clearly there is room for one more category and I think that is where most ardent tennis fans will fall on.
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Ru-an Reply: July 19th, 2015 at 2:14 pm Well done. You have passed the test of leaving a comment asking for a third option instead of blindly going for the first option. I guess you could say it was a kind of trap. Not that I am trying to trap my readers, but if you went for the first option you are obviously extremely biased and I can’t say that I consider you to be a true tennis fan. I purposely did not add a third option even though I thought about it. I wanted people to make a clear choice or alternatively leave a comment like you did. Obviously I consider myself to be a tennis fanatic and I think that is a way more balanced and healthy way to follow tennis, but each to their own.
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It’s a bare fact that 95% of Fedfans are also Fed-fanatics. The transition from Fed-fanatic to a tennis-fanatic is huge, and I’m glad that you made me realize the difference over the course of the past year after I started reading your blog. Nobody could have explained the concepts better than you did. I strongly feel that you have to particularly keep this post as a prerequisite read for any new followers so that they get a clear idea what they’re getting into in terms of content and opinions.
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Good idea about making new readers read this post, but as far as the fanatics go I don’t think they will ever get the message. I guess they are glory hunters and misery hunters 
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http://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=672625
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Nakul Reply: July 20th, 2015 at 12:04 pm Haha. I saw it when you tweeted the same. Stopped reading at-” I quit watching the sport.”. I knew the rest would be BS as well.
P.S. It might be a good idea to include the link within the post
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http://www.menstennisforums.com/showpost.php?p=30569121&postcount=9
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Charlie Reply: July 23rd, 2015 at 6:34 pm Wow, that was the most BS post I have ever seen on a tennis forum/blog and I have a lot of experience with Talk Tennis. What an idiot on MTF! I consider myself a tennis fanatic now and I list my top three favourites as Federer, Hewitt (strictly sentimental due to his age) and then Djokovic. But I don’t feel the same fanaticism I felt a few years ago. If this match had happened in 2012 or 2013 I would have felt terrible for days about it. When it happened I just thought: “Djokovic played better and deserved to win and he was very clutch, and both players played well.” I still prefer to see Federer win but I don’t let it ruin my day if he doesn’t. The only players I genuinely dislike now are Nadal and (sorry Ru-an) Kyrgios. Enjoy the US Open Series everyone regardless of who you choose to support.
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I didn’t vote because I guess I kind of fall somewhere in-between. It was because of Roger that I discovered the sport, but I will still enjoy watching tennis after he retires. But that is mostly because there are other interesting players like Stan, Nole, Murray, Nadal. When these guys are gone I will probably still watch tennis, but it just won’t be the same. Hopefully the newer generations will bring interesting players and great rivalries, but right now it looks very disappointing.
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Bjorn Eirik Reply: July 20th, 2015 at 8:14 pm I viewed results from the vote, and I’m surprised to see so many still went for the first option after you made the definition sound so extreme. I guess I’m beginning to understand what you have to deal with on this blog, and why you’ve been so hard on Fednatics.
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Ru-an, This post and the surrounding discussion is like an interesting sociology experiment. I’m surprised there are these kinds of fans (unashamed!) willing to admit this extreme loyalty. Although I suspect some readers could say you’re mocking these kinds of fans (Fedheads), there’s an almost surreal clarification here. Again, I’m surprised. And a little disappointed. There is so much more to the sport than Roger Federer. Incredible. I wrote about this a while ago, contrasting the “homer fan” with what I call a “mercenary sports fan.” The later is term I got from a radio host but I expanded upon it. My approach (perspective) is almost identical to yours. I argue that a fan who is not so invested in his/her team (or tennis player) becomes a better fan of the sport, of his/her team, too, but is less vulnerable to that inevitable misery, or, as you have said, “glory hunting.” Be more of a student of the entire sport. Granted, we do appreciate rooting for favorites. That’s important, of course. But you can’t lose the bigger picture. The more you know of the sport, the traditions, the great battles and characters of the past, the more you’ll actually appreciate your own. The Federer love is ridiculous. You nailed it. It’s more about celebrity than tennis. I’m afraid Federer would be pretty disappointed in the results of your poll, in this superficial deification.
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Ru-an, It’s the first time I post on your blog, although I read it for years already. I always liked very much your honesty, even when you seem biased. I voted for “Federer’s fanatic”, although I am a Jimmy Connors, Miloslav Mecir, Andre Agassi, Marat Safin and, finally, a Novak Djokovic fan. It looked like a good joke the way it was formulated, and I believe that most voters thought the same way. Then, I feel that you perhaps overdid it here. I write on other blogs (mostly on Tennis-x and LesAsduTennis), but I never felt that Fedfans were the most aggressive, quite the contrary. One of the reasons I read this blog (and Jonathan’s “Perfect tennis” too; thanks to you I discovered Matt’s blog, which is, for me, very interesting; a recommendation for Novak’s fans: Second Serb, with a lot of stats about Novak) is that there was always a fine balance between Federer and tennis, and a lot of respect for other players — with one exception, of course. Even after “the shot”, at the USO 2011, I never had problems with fedfans, while it was enough to state that Novak was fatigued in the fifth set of the USO 2012 final (he played three sets the day before, and we know that muscles need 48 hours to recover), to be viciously attacked. Federer is not only a player, but an industry in the world of sport. It’s not his fault, nor it is Novak’s. I think he ages well, and I just hope he will play many years more, for our delight. But as a Novak fan since 2007, I hope that Novak will win a few slams more and take his rightfully deserved place among the greats of the game.
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mat4 Reply: July 21st, 2015 at 10:19 pm Ru-an, Sorry, English is not my first language and I believe there could be some misunderstanding here. No, you didn’t offend me. I thought you made a provocative question, to trigger a discussion about the strange and exclusive world of fandom. That’s the reason I voted the way I did — I am not a Fedfan, in fact, and I never was. In the third paragraph I wanted to say that I seldom had problems with Fedfans. It’s probably because Fed had won so much, and has fulfilled the wildest dreams of his fans. I enjoyed your blog, as a Novak fan, when it was “Ru-an Federer blog”. So, I liked your writings even then. You were always balanced and your love for tennis was always obvious. That’s why I chose to finally write a few words here, just to show how much I appreciate your blog. I hope that you will continue.
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You have a fixation problem, Ru-an?! Why so concerned about Fedfanatics? Move on already….this subject is getting old…. Does seem like you are not quite comfortable in your own skin having to put the fanatics down in order to prove your point. One can be fanatical in many things, not just Fedfanatic…..Just sayin’ …..move on already….Exciting things happening in tennis, eg DC, although not many tennis fans bother about DC (me included) but the way Murray and Hewitt fought and represented their countries are worth talking and celebrating about!
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Eric Reply: July 21st, 2015 at 5:04 am I actually agree with Veronica and think this topic has gotten way too much attention and is boring. I would be much more interested to go back to hearing yours and others’ passion and insights about the players and matches rather than this never ending argument over how people should or shouldn’t enjoy and conduct themselves as they go through their tennis watching lives. I think it is abundantly clear that you don’t want FedFanatics here, and that’s your right as this is your space, but why do you care so much about what people think? It’s gotten to the point of consuming a part of almost every post and discussion. Who cares? Why waste so much of your valuable time, energy and talent on this, and be stuck in the negativity of this debate, rather than enjoying the tennis?
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Ferreira Reply: July 21st, 2015 at 10:47 pm If you don’t think it is normal a guy with 34 four years old losing to a great player in his absolute prime I think you should revise your thoughts… Actually I think it is quite extraordinary that Fed is one of a few guys who pushes Djoko to the limit. Nevertheless, I am a bit frustrated that we don’t have a more competitive field against the world number one. Fed is far away from his prime and he is n2; with Nadal absence now, it is even easier to Novak as well. Let’s hope some guys just lift his level to make things more interesting. I don’t know if you all agree, but anyway… Cheers!
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IWC2015 Reply: July 22nd, 2015 at 2:28 am Not really, we still have Wawrinka who can challenge Djokovic in every surface they play. Because of him, Djokovic could not win the FO this year and there is no guarantee he can win it next year. As for Fed, he is no longer a favourite in every GS he enters due to age (sorry he can’t turn back the clock). He is still a strong contender in master series and the smaller 500 tournaments.
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Veronica Reply: July 22nd, 2015 at 3:43 am No, Eric, you are not scandalous. I think too Djoker didn’t need to play his best and that he has another gear. Last year was a closer fight. This year…meh… He has got Roger figured…
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I am definitely comfortable in my own skin as a tennis fan. Much more comfortable than Fedfanatics I can assure you. But a post like this is entertaining to me. I had fun writing it and the discussion has been fun. I thought it was a good post too. Look at the discussion it brought forth! Pretty good for a post that is during the off time I would say. I can assure you it has resulted in a better and longer discussion than a Davis Cup post would have.
Sorry, you didn’t like it!
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But then again, I think you are better than that, Ru-an! Have fun but know when it’s time to get back to work!!
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And it’s not the time for work yet. Work starts when the next relevant tournament starts. Still not sure why you are so against this. Why bring something like enlightenment into this? I know I have a naughty streak in me but you act like this is patently wrong. Is it really? I’m just stating my views and having some fun. Maybe you should ask the judgmental fanatics to leave me alone if you want me to stop. Personally I don’t care if it goes on because I can have fun with it and make interesting posts about it that people read and comment on. Hence, I asked by you are a Fedfanatic. You sound as though this is an insult to you!
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As far as I can see from your blog, you are receiving far more balanced than fanatical comments. But if fanatics are hounding you mercilessly, and we are not aware as you maybe blocking them, then I can see where you are coming from. Actually come to think of it, I think when you were trying to be objective and give critical appraisals of Roger’s performance in the past, that was where the fanatics hounded you mercilessly, that Roger was perfect, and accusing you as a glory hunter, negative, etc. that was when I thought you “suffered” so much for being balanced, honest and objective. But now, even last couple years, it’s not as bad anymore.
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Of course you must have your fun. Remember all work and no play makes Jack (Ru-an) a dull boy!
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Maybe you should do more of these kind of posts to grow your readership
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Its very interesting post, but I am not entirely convinced this post really helps anybody though…. Here is my two cents, I totally agree you don’t need to worry about tennis players as person to enjoy sport, but its evident personalities(even off court) makes it more interesting…. Even though cricket is team sports, there are so many who follows it for single player…There were thousands of people who doesn’t follow match once Sachin got out, there were hundreds of people who do that for Sourav…they don’t really care about neither match nor result…However you can not simply outcast them as they have no business watching cricket (I think same applies to Tennis too)….Sometimes there are some personalities really make people watch sports..My Mom never really cared about India’s match result but she did worried about Sachin scoring runs…I doubt she is glory hunter, I am just glad she shown some interest in cricket because of Sachin otherwise she may never have watched it ….Similarly Roger, Nadal, Novak are such personalities in Tennis.. Some can inspire globally (like roger due to his style of play) where as some others more regionally (like Nadal and Novak)… So the point is there is always a category in-between of SpecificFan Vs TennisFan….I feel absolutely no wrong in that….which is why I am having hard time understanding this post … Also that above comment as Only Federer fan no business of watching tennis which is bit too far stretch of statement to make I think…. Lets face it, there were people reading this blog simply because it was Federer fan blog, so no wonder they still follow you….its not long ago you raised the question of continuing blog on loss on 09 AO…You grown out of it which is good, but there are many still it isn’t….may be they will one day or they wont never but why do make buzz of it? I would say ignoring those comments probably best way if you don’t want them reading your blog, but that’s just my way of thinking… About people following/replying in Twitter when Roger (or some other player) tweets, again I don’t find anything wrong in that….Basically social media made for that..everyone wants to engage it hence we do Twitter/facebook including blogging…Otherwise all we need is Reuters and AP… I hope you would agree that this site also wont be much fun if people are not commenting when you make posts… you made post saying no judgements, but calling in comments as “shameful” for those voted in first option?? You really have to re-look into this….
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sid Reply: July 21st, 2015 at 5:50 am You’ve made a good point Nambi. I feel that these discussions on ‘fed-fanatics/fed-tards’ have run their course. It is very apparent from the day that the name of this blog was changed that it will focus on tennis in general and not on Federer in particular. For all those who feel ‘betrayed’, I am sure Ru-an has put in a lot of thought on how he felt about the sport before making this change. There are blogs which focus primarily on Federer’s (or Nadal’s or Djokovic’s or Murray’s …..) career. For example you could head over to Jonathan’s at ‘peRFect Tennis’. His analysis of Federer’s matches make for an interesting read. As for this blog, the more Ru-an is hounded with ‘What-happened-to-the-days-when-you-were-a-fed-fan’ kind of questions, the more perturbed he’ll get. Allow him to focus on writing about tennis and I am sure, we’ll start having insightful discussions on matches instead of the whole ‘Fed-fanatic/Fed-tard’ debate. If the point still doesn’t come across, then let’s keep it simple
—- ‘This is Ru-an’s blog. His space on the web and he can blog about whatever or whoever he wants’ …
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Nambi Reply: July 21st, 2015 at 10:42 am Yep, I get what you saying, but its pity you understood that I made comment to defend what ‘Betrayed fan’ feeling…I am sure those have moved on already from here…. My comment is more from perspective of some one not necessarily neither “Any player Fan” nor “Idle Tennis fan”…These postings are more meaningless rather than serving any purpose is my point….
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Every top player has his or her fanatics so your post seems mean-spirited and biased, not to mention arrogant. People will support whoever they want, however they want despite your petty attempts at shaming. If you don’t like Federer or his fans, that’s your problem, not theirs.
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Instead of continuing a futile debate like Veronica and many others here including me have been telling for quite some time, why don’t we actually acknowledge what a great human being Federer actually is. Just look at this video and if some of you still feel Federer is not as genuine as they come, you are probably blind. And don’t tell its a PR act or something. Federer has no need to go to Malawi to prove he is a good guy. It is pretty clear he really wants to be there to see how the children are being taught and helped and whether his foundation is actually doing a good job. And by the looks of things it is doing an amazing job. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=100&v=pfYin92D9G8
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Ajay Reply: July 22nd, 2015 at 7:01 pm I am long past the stage where I want you to think I am not fanatic about Federer. In fact I don’t like this judgemental nonsense. I don’t try to judge you or anyone else here. All I said was to keep asking people to become tennis fanatics is futile. Instead just continue your good work by writing great articles and people would slowly realize that Federer is not the end of the world. Look Ruan I barely have any time anyway these days to worry about Federer. To say I am crazy about Federer to the point where I think Federer is the end of the world is ludicrous. I know Federer could retire any time now and I also know tennis goes on. But I have seen you tell Federer is not genuine and he is dishonest while Djokovic is the most honest guy and I disagree and showed this videos to prove it.. Do I come here every time and tell you are wrong ? In fact see my comments over the years. I have almost always admired the way you write and was one the first guys to praise you for leaving the Federer worshipping behind and make this blog even better. But you have repeatedly taken offence to anything I post which makes no sense to me. Think about it. Federer is still the number 2 player. He is still the second most relevant guy in the tennis world even now at 34. That means there are going to be lots of people who want to talk about him. If you still think I don’t care about others just take a look at my comment where I described the evolution of Djokovic’s game in detail. In fact I would challenge anybody here to know Djokovic’s game as well as me. He was by far my second favorite player till 2012 and only after he became too defensive these last few years have I felt bored by his game. And I think he has become more offensive again this year which is good to see.
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Ru-an, As a dedicated tennis fan, would you consider writing up an article about future prospects of the youngsters? I just feel that these days the subject of Djokovic v Federer has been exhausted. Also for now, if we talk about superiority and keep talking about Djokovic, personally I would feel it a bit too singular. I guess it’s time to talk about new comers who may be capable of upsetting the balance of power. A few days ago you mentioned several prospective youngsters, and I was only familiar w/ Kyrgios…whom for now I still regard more as a clown than the real deal (subject to change upon further evidence, of course). A while back you wrote about Del Potro, which was interesting but quite a pity it didnt come to fruition due to injuries. I think the topic will be richer if you include discussions of prospective new talents. FYI, I still feel beyond Djokovic we’re left with a pretty mediocre generation. Do you feel the same way?
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Check out this classy Fedfan
https://plus.google.com/115387741188765572609/posts
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27 July 2015: My Sweet Dolores: Happy birthday to the most incredible, most inspirational, most captivating, and above all, most loyal 90 year old “young girl” I have met and respected through the internet
Hoping your 90th birthday, like your lifetime, is full of love from family and friends, unbridled joy, unforgettable moments and ultimately happy memories 
Happy birthday to someone who can teach us youngsters how to be really young
Thank you to Roger and Ru-an, that I got to know your kindhearted soul. Roger would be sooooo proud and honoured to know that he has you and will always have you as a fan (no matter what 
But Sweet Dolores…. I have to WARN you….. one of these days I will demand to Ru-an that he asks you a copy of your id. There is NO WAY someone who writes like you, can be 90 !!! I mean, My God, I am soooooo many decades younger than you, but you make me feel old
Don’t forget your Dutch Dynamite alllllll the way from Holland 
Lots of love, Katyani 
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Happy birthday from me to you as well Dolores! You have been quiet recently due to all the Djokovic love around here but congrats on turning 90! A great achievement in itself. But I agree with Katyani, you may have to send us a copy of your ID so we can verify someone who is 90 years old can write like that on the internet. My mom is 70 and there is no way she can do that! She has an Ipad but doesn’t even know how to get to the home screen
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Dolores Reply: July 28th, 2015 at 4:57 pm Hi Sweet Katyani, Yes, as Ru-an mentioned on his reply to you….” You remembered, Katyani”I And so you did, Was ever so happy to receive your kind good wishes to my 90th birthday! It was a very busy day for me, celebrated with family and friends. As far as my ID goes, Katyani, you have to take my word for it….it is solid, just like being a solid, loyal tennis fan to Roger. Yes, because of Ru-an’s Blog, we have become friends across the pond, I do follow your comments, Katyani, and know of your love for Roger. I do appreciate other tennis players, enjoy watching the game of tennis even though I never played. We shall keep united and connected all for Roger and for the sport of playing tennis. Future young tennis players will take over in time to come, very exciting times ahead. Thank You so much, Katyani, my Dutch Dynamite from Holland…. Love, Dolores
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Ruan your second favorite player just won a tiile !! I think that deserves a post !! PS: I am not sure who his first favorite is anymore. Though going by what he has recently written I think it is Djokovic.
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