URC Awards: Feinberg-Mngomezulu wins but Louw was the real workhorse

RECENTLY, I had the privilege of meeting Roger Federer.

- MORGAN BOLTON

It was a big moment for me, as I have always admired the Swiss tennis maestro, and on a list of top sporting heroes, he surely would be among my leading considerations. For years, rather tongue-in-cheek, I have claimed him as a South African, due to his ties to this country through his mother.

Over many matches before his retirement, I watched his skills and talents in awe, and have even received a threat or two from those who supported his opponents, due to a sense of humour failure and a lack of comprehensive reading on their part.

I had known for weeks that I would get to meet the 20-time Grand Slam winner, so I had plenty of time to consider how I would approach him. I would be calm, collected, suave, and nonchalant - just another meeting with a normal human being, not the Super Saiyan tennis god that he is.

What followed, as I struck out my hand to shake his, was a jumbled, incomprehensible mess that Federer was kind enough to ignore. Yes, in that moment, I was star-struck - overwhelmed that I had finally met the man, the myth, the legend.

He was taller than I expected and extolled charisma up the wazoo. Indeed, it was almost tangible.