Why is Roger Federer a GOAT (‘Greatest of All Time’) of tennis? I argue that the correct response goes beyond statistics and style of play; instead, it is due to the fact that Federer embodies the qualities that typify sporting genius. More than merely being a developed or refined form of expertise, sporting genius relies on the notion of performative fit; that is, the capacity to express viable ways of succeeding within a given sport in virtue of one’s cultivated history of biological and socio-cultural existence. In other words, a genius such as Federer perfectly fits the requirements of his sport and, moreover, is able to safeguard and shape this fit through his unique disposition to perform in certain ways. Performative fit provides the foundations for received traits of genius such as creativity, self-belief and risk-taking.

Sports has always played a very major role in modern day societies and the story of tennis is as old as time. The sport has come a very long way from where it started to what we see today in the iconic fashions of the 21st century world. This paper aims to highlight the journey of the sport from being a very elite and non inclusive sport to being one of the most diverse and most watched sports in the world through highlighting the various themes in the sport which influenced the culture and the society and contributed to the betterment of the world in one way or another. The major impacts and implications of the sport on the world and vis-àvis and how these interactions resulted in the empowerment of the minorities throughout the course of time. This paper also aims at framing a historical narrative through the changes in the sport and emphasizes upon the alternative narratives throughout history. Another theme of the paper is to view the issues of the modern day world under one umbrella and searching for their solutions by thriving for inclusivity and using tennis as a means to look for answers in the modern day complex world. This paper aims at reconstructing the popular themes in the modern world through the lens of a legendary sport which in its own way has added to the existing historical narratives.

This article offers an extended discussion of the Spaniard’s views. It begins with an overview of his philosophy, particularly its relevance for sport philosophy. It then delves into Ortega’s quest for an active, engaged, and reflective excellence that perfects our character. Hence, Ortega further hones perfectionism as a personal perfection where the effort’s quality prevails over the result. Other salient themes are his vital philosophy, where sportspersons’ superfluous effort stimulates grander existential endeavors, his integrative mind-body stance that extends into the environment, very amenable to Dewey’s psychophysical unity and James’s naturalistic stance, and his strong emphasis on the positive emotions as key to a virtuous life.