tennis

You make the call: Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray in emoji storytelling

Published Jun. 12, 2015 6:55 p.m. ET

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Emoji storytelling is a relatively nascent medium, not yet developed enough to boast any time-tested masters. But the tennis world is certainly doing its part to contribute to the art's progression.

In April, we had Andy Murray delivering this account of his wedding to longtime girlfriend Kim Sears:

It was a wildly successful effort, brilliant in its simplicity and clarity. No further explanation needed. A detailed translation was easy. A wedding day summed up in 51 icons.

We were all content with that. If we had never been treated to another emoji story tweet from a tennis star, life would still have been good. But it would undeniably be better with more emoji stories.

And lo and behold, Roger Federer -- a guy not used to being outdone by other tennis players -- delivered on Friday, taking to his Twitter account to describe, uh, his journey from his home in Switzerland to Halle, Germany, where he will compete in next week's Gerry Weber Open:

A very intriguing effort indeed. Some notable highlights:

• Federer apparently went with the grapes-watermelon-coffee combo for breakfast. Bold choice.

• He is fond of using skin color swatches, for some reason.

• Creative use of the "seedling" emoji to represent a grass court.

• The hard stop with the "END" emoji provides a jarring contrast to Murray's trailing-off sleep icons.

• You can add "gets to take selfies on streets named for him" to the reasons why he has it better than you.

Which tweet is better? It is a tough call. Two prodigies of a newborn craft going toe-to-toe. Murray choosing the natural emotion and wonder of a wedding day as his muse. Federer going with the more workmanlike slice-of-life. A contrast of titanic styles suitable for any Grand Slam final. For now, we have to give the nod to Andy Murray. But like all good art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Both players have more important things to worry about with Wimbledon looming at the end of the month. But we don't. We can hash this out together. So what do you think? Who did it better?

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