Federer too shows he is only human

Some years ago, an Australian university made headlines when it offered a course in surfing, but I'm waiting to see which august seat of learning becomes the first to offer a degree in sportstalk. Yes, sportstalk.

Learn how to dribble at hockey, basketball, soccer while you learn how to conduct yourself in public. Learn how to sharpen up your putting while you learn how to push your credentials as a future commentator. Adapt your serve while you learn how to phrase your post-match dissertations.

Roger Federer seems one of the more amiable competitors. He has a sense of humour, he is occasionally beatable, he has been known to shed a tear or two in public. And most of all, he is an absolute diplomat when dealing with the press. I fear that two words will dog him for the rest of his life. Yes, indeed he said this week, Rafael Nadal was "only human". But he did not say so in a disparaging context.

What Federer said was: "He's won four straight times in Paris which shows how tough he is, but if you play him the right way there will be chances, he is only human and we wait for that moment when he is not at his best; hopefully that will be this year."

It's a fair assessment. It shows Federer's human too.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Australia.