Federer

I saw Roger Federer, the top player in the world, play J.C. Ferrero -- the top player until he hurt himself a couple years back -- in the quarterfinals last night. I had never seen live tennis before, and I don't expect ever to see a better match again.

Federer came out to a huge ovation but immediately started playing like crap, losing the first set decisively. The crowd, though always polite, turned against him surprisingly quickly. But Ferrero seemed to crumble in the second set, losing it even more decisively. Ferrero couldn't stop hitting the ball into the net.

The third (and final) set was a battle royale, full of botched calls, impossibly long rallies and ground strokes so fast I couldn't even see the ball. It went into a tiebreaker in which the lead changed hands at least three times. Finally, Federer won 7-5. I wouldn't have believed a one-handed backhand like that was possible.

My camera doesn't have a fast shutter speed, so these pictures are blurry as hell. But I guess you can go to ESPN.com for good sports photography. Consider these... impressionist images of the world's top player in action.