In an interview to Il Giornale, the Italian writer Matteo Codignola commented on his passion for writing about tennis. Codignola loves the 20-time Grand Slam Roger Federer and his fantastic tennis game. But the Swiss worked hard mentally and physically to get all the success he got, said Codignola.
‘Roger Federer – who I believe is the most talented player that ever existed – is an amazing war machine. But he does not comes out of nowhere. He got to that point’ training for thousands of hours. In tennis, and literature, talent is not enough.
It was never enough’, he insisted. Cudignola also appreciates the 1976 French Open winner Adriano Panatta: ‘I do not love much the vintage and very slow tennis. But I recently watched The French documentary, about Roland Garros…
And I remember some unhuman things, for beauty, that he was doing.’ Judging the tennis films, Codignola concluded: ‘Borg and McEnroe and the Battle of Sexes, are two very good movies but disappointing ones. You have beautiful stories.
What misses is the game, that cannot be reproduced by no attempt of imitation. At the same time, I see that tennis books start having their public. Apart from Tennis of John McEnroe, who is an amazing writer whatever he writes, and Adelphi home, there are very nice titles of 66thand2nd, that was born to publish books of this genre.
Even in Italy now you start appreciating the sports writing. Which you always do in the United States.’ ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal: Worse players than David Ferrer won a Grand Slam title
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