A few years back, the tennis world (mostly overzealous and irritating announcers like Mary Cirillo) claimed that Roger Federer was the best player in the history of the game. This was back when he had won a few Wimbledons and the US Open.Many of my tennis pals said that he was the best ever and I reminded them that until he wins the French, my guy Andre is still the best. To win all four slams in a career had only been accomplished by Agassi, Laver, Perry, Emerson, and Budge. To understand how difficult this is, stand in your back yard and bounce a ball off of grass, a muddy patch, and your driveway. Watching how differently it bounces and you will get the idea. The French, played on clay, eluded Federer for years.
But yesterday, he fucking won it. And in convincing fashion.
So, it is NOW official. Roger Federer is the greatest player in the history of tennis. If he wins Wimbledon this year, he will have passed Pete Sampras (with whom he is currently tied at 14) with 15 Grand Slam wins. And Pete never even won the French!
Congrats, Roger. You are the man!
1 comment:
He is, most certainly, "among the greats of the game." And, lets not forget that he probably has a couple years to go. He may get to 20 major victories before he is done.
I realize people often feel the need to engage in "best ever" discussions, but, I feel it to be a bit degrading, in a way. There is simply too many factors to account for.
Aggasi? over Sampras? What about Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Landl? Don't you think today's competition is a little weak, and over-specialized? And doesn't Federer lack that certain "character" also required in the definition of greatest? - he's a bit wooden for me.
Regardless of all that, I will agree with you about Federer, with an asterisk that today's tennis doesn't compare to 80's and 90's tennis in terms of depth of competition. McEnroe, for my money, produced his victories over many more "very good" players over the course of his entire career; Borg, Connors, Becker, Lendl. I suppose my opinion only serves to show my age - like all the old Laver fans and their point about him being out of the game for a couple years in his prime. Or even Tilden, if you still have a pulse. Federer, will be the last of the dominant players on all surfaces, for sure.
Here is my ranking, just for fun.
1. Federer
2. Laver
3. McEnroe
4. Sampras
5. Lendl
6. Agassi
7. Borg
Best hair - McEnroe
Best no hair - Agassi
Best Shorts - Borg
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