Roger Federer/Guillermo Canas - you know the result, but remember, it's only one match, in more ways than one.

So where does one begin to describe the errors that Roger Federer committed in his 7-5, 6-2 loss to Guillermo Canas?

Let's start at something that was poor generally the entire match - his volleys. Early on, the stats showed that Federer was nearly 100 percent effective at net - but as the match drew on, he looked remarkably uncomfortable at net, with an inability to convert even the simplest of volleys.
Federer's early lead in the first set was in part developed by his net play, but that effectiveness did not continue throughout the match.Most evident, however, were the many errors that sprayed from his racket on both the forehand and the backhand sides. Whether it was long or into the net, Federer's errors (39) proved extremely costly, especially when you compare it to Canas' eight mistakes. Part of this may have been due to the fact that Roger was so committed to standing his ground - he seemed a lot more immobile than is usual for him, but in large part, Federer's troubles were a result of Canas' impressive play.

The Argentine raised his game considerably, never wilting under pressure or faltering at crucial inopportune moments. He looked like a veteran out there - and by that I refer to his game, which has been on the shelf for over a year, not his age. It was amazing to see his solid defence and his shot making always kept Federer on the ropes. Canas' service was also fantastic: A combination of both Federer's missing game on this day, and Canas' solid play and confidence (note his stoicism after winning - I was expecting a far more jovial response) led to the upset of the year.

After the shock of the match wore off, I realized something - and this is what this post is about - that there is more to tennis than Roger Federer. And I'm not talking about Canas himself, although he's certainly part of it - I'm talking about all the players in the Indian Wells draw, and all the matches still to be played. I've always believed this, but I think it took a loss from the king to prove yet again how great this sport is. In fact, it's why I like tennis, and I find this reason to be a fitting one to conclude my series, which has darted in and out of many of my posts throughout the beginning of the year.

Reason #7: No matter the result, the sport is always a joy to watch.

Next up on the near-empty Stadium after the upset match had concluded were Lleyton Hewitt and Janko Tipsarevic (who played lights out in set three, by the way), and quickly, the disbelief and setback of the Federer loss were wiped away and I was excited to watch another match, even though:

- I'm not a Hewitt fan.
- I've never watched Tipsarevic, and only recently heard of him.
- My favourite player just lost in the second round of a Masters Series event to a player I loathe.

What does this say about my view of the sport itself?
Simple - the game is more important than the players. I can honestly say that I do not feel that way about any other sport I watch. Baseball and college basketball are clear as day for me - if the Yankees or Syracuse aren't playing, I'm not watching. For football, I can generally watch anything, but not in prolonged amounts. And hockey, my clear 1a/1b sport with tennis (if you can believe that), still lags behind tennis in this department - when the Rangers aren't playing, I have a very tough time watching. This is not only because the Rangers are my favourite team in all of sport, which I have quite an emotional connection with, but I because I simply don't enjoy the actual game as much as I do tennis. If the Rangers suffered a defeat like Roger's on Sunday, there's absolutely no way I'm watching hockey again until they come back on, I'll just be too mad.

Tennis? I can watch anyone, at anytime, anywhere. Roger's a treat, but so is any ATP player. I can't say that about any other league, or sport. I'm still just as excited about Indian Wells now as I was before.

And that's why I like tennis.

*** Please visit my tennis blog at www.gasquetandracquet.com ***


Federer losing, it does happen from time to time. Send your veiws on the maestro to Sportingo.