ABSTRACT
Roger Federer is one of the most acclaimed athletes of our times. In line with iconic sportspersons like Nadia Comaneci and Mohammed Ali, his innovative performance advances the sport he plays, inspires many, and is lauded for both its kinaesthetic beauty and its excellence. David Foster Wallace famously compares Federer’s somatic grace to a ballet, analyses his intelligence as “both flesh and not”, and defines witnessing his playing as a “religious experience”. Christopher Jackson highlights the importance of Federer to the history of tennis, sport in general, and contemporary culture, by situating his beautiful appearance in the history of art and defining Federer himself as an artist. As a figure for performance philosophy, Roger Federer’s tennis embodies contemplative action and the symbiosis between thought and practice. Federer presents a vivid example through which to consider the relationship between artistry, contemplative knowing, physical wittiness, genuineness, and transformative creativity.
