Today is Day One of the U.S. Open, one of tennis’ most prestigious tournaments. Roger Federer looks to defend his title and win his third straight Grand Slam, which made me wonder--is any current athlete more dominant than Fed? The only one that could challenge him is Tiger Woods. So here we go.
Roger Federer has been winning Grand Slams with consistency since 2003, pulling down 15 in all, leaving him alone atop the leader-board of most Grand Slam titles of all-time. Tiger Woods has arguably, single-handedly redefined golf in the past 12 years, winning 14 Major Championships, leaving him four shy of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.
Tiger is 33, in a sport where it isn't too abnormal for a 40-something-year-old to win a tournament. Federer is 28, but playing in a sport that simply doesn't allow for the longevity of golf. Both will almost certainly retire holding the all-time championship records and be considered the best ever for the their respective sports. So they both dominate, we got that, the question remains however--who is more dominant?
For all you Tiger lovers out there, hate to break your hearts, but Roger Federer is the correct answer. Sorry.
Federer is one of only six players in the history of men's tennis to complete the Career Slam and win all four Grand Slams at least once--a much bigger deal than winning each of the four Major Championships in golf because it entails dominating the best of the best on three entirely different surfaces (concrete, grass and clay). Fed has been to the championship match of each of the last six Grand Slams (winning three) and 16 of the last 17! Unbelievable! Think about that, of the last 17 Slams, we’ve seen the same guy either win or be runner-up in all but one! Incredible. Oh, by the way, he won 11 of those 16. The guy is unreal.
This year he finally exorcised the French Open demons that had plagued him for so long (he’d never won, but been runner-up the last three years). That was really the only thing hanging over his head. Well, for the most part. There is that one guy they call Rafa. He’s pretty good too. Facing and defeating Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam championship match would really put the icing on the cake for Federer. Nadal is the one remaining thorn in Fed’s side.
They’ve faced each other seven times in Slam championships--Nadal has taken five of those, including each of the last three. And while Roger pulled down this year’s French and Wimbledon, everyone knows a healthy Rafa would’ve at least made things more interesting. That’s why the 2009 U.S. Open is such a big deal--both are healthy. Not only that, but Andy Murray is at the top of his game and hometown favorite, Andy Roddick is playing his best tennis in years. Those are the four to watch.
It’s no disrespect to Tiger. If you’d asked me this five years ago, I would’ve had a different answer, but not now. Not after watching Fed break records while Tiger went 0-4 in ’09 Majors.
One thing we all can agree on is, good work Gillette and Nike--you got 'em both.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
NCAA Football Preseason Top 25
Ahh, fall is nearly here. While the sunshine of summer is always missed and the back-to-school dread is upon many, there's one thing that always brightens up my post-summer days--College Football! So, to get us started, here's the 2009 STB Preseason Top 25:
Key Games to Watch in Week One:
- Florida
- Texas
- USC
- Oklahoma
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Virginia Tech
- California
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma State
- LSU
- Georgia
- TCU
- Boise State
- Penn State
- Oregon
- BYU
- Utah
- Georgia Tech
- Florida State
- Iowa
- Oregon State
- Texas Tech
- West Virginia
- Notre Dame
Key Games to Watch in Week One:
- 16 Oregon @ 14 Boise St. (Thursday, Sept. 3 @ 10:15pm ET on ESPN)
- 12 Georgia @ 10 Oklahoma St. (Saturday, Sept. 5 @ 3:30pm ET on ABC)
- 17 BYU vs. 4 Oklahoma (Saturday, Sept. 5 @ 7:00pm ET on ESPN)
- 6 Alabama vs. 7 Virginia Tech (Saturday, Sept. 5 @ 8:00pm ET on ABC)
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