Spread the loveFor much of the 20th century – so, for most of the history of professional sport – art and sport were widely regarded as being almost mutually exclusive. Even more importantly, it is now widely accepted that the very greatest sport can attain the quality of art. However, with all due respect to Wenger, his greatest Arsenal team and any other particularly graceful sportspeople, the greatest sporting artist ever is undoubtedly Roger Federer. It helped, of course, that Federer played tennis, which has always been the sport for aesthetes. No-one ever did more to elevate mere sport to the level of great art, and for that those of us who love both sport and art equally will always adore and celebrate him.

Source: New York Times September 17, 2022 14:06 UTC