The last of the four major tennis Grand Slams is currently being played in Flushing Meadows, N.Y this week. The U.S Open is entering the semi-final round and will conclude this weekend. As a general sports fan I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid watching at least a portion of tournament. Instead of only catching a couple matches I have found myself watching glued to the TV watching countless hours of tennis, so much so that i regretfully only saw the final half hour of President Obama’s health care speech last night (side-note: man can he deliver a speech!). I have always had a fondness for tennis and outside of soccer if there was one sport that I would have liked to play at a high level it was definitely tennis. This despite me never taking a tennis lesson. I can still remember watching my favorite tennis player growing up Michael Chang (Strange choice I know but I always loved the smaller players) chasing balls all over the court using his speed and technique to defeat much stronger and more powerful opponents. I think this is why I like tennis. It is one individual against his or her opponent with little influence from outside influences such as referees and umpires. In some ways it reminds me of the ancient battles in the Coliseum (minus the senseless violence). The beauty of tennis lies in the contrasting styles of play that exist between players. No two players are alike. Some rely on quickness, finesse while others utilize power and strength and others still rely on their ability to anticipate and out think their opponent. The truly great players are able to combine all these attributes on route to victory.
Those who are fans are extremely lucky to be watching some of the most dominant players that the sport has ever seen on both the male and female circuit. Roger Federer and Serena Williams are two of the most dominant tennis players ever. What is even more incredible is that they have done so in completely different ways. Roger is the consummate professional, he is almost robotic in his approach, rarely showing emotion almost always in control but with a level of ability that almost makes it unfair against his opponent. Serena while not possessing the same level of success as Federer (she is not considered an automatic to win every time she is on the court) is dominant in my opinion because she has almost single handedly changed the way women’s tennis is seen. I still prefer to watch women’s tennis not solely because i’m a guy but also because women’s tennis tends to rely more on long rallies a variety of shots and utilizes the entire court, making it more appealing than the powerful and shorter rallies that men’s tennis often produces. However Serena has changed the rules and uses her superior strength, energy and athleticism to overpower her opponents. She is an extremely emotional player but when she is able to channel her emotions she is very close to unstoppable. In both cases one gets the feeling that the only person that is able to beat them is themselves. Are they the best male and female players ever? I don’t know. And I have always thought this debate is meaningless because no one will ever be able to come to conclusion. That is why I like to use the word dominant, because the only way to evaluate their abilities is against their competition. In recent year Rafael Nadal has proved a great foil for Federer, both in his style of play and his abilities. He is energetic, emotional, engaging and an equal in ability. As Roger’s career winds down(although he is yet to hit 30, i’m sure he has more grand slams to win) it appears Nadal’s is the successor.
It is not only within the tennis world where the debate about the best of all time debate is strong. Tiger Woods dominance in the golf world, Usain Bolt’s obliteration of track and Field’s sprinting records and Michael Phelps Olympic performance in Beijing are all examples of how I would argue that this is the era of the individual sport athlete. Not only are these athletes winning at the highest level but they are doing so at a level that is miles ahead of their nearest competitor.
At the same time in the North American landscape in particular as spectacular as these accomplishments are I still feel that team sports receive all the acclaim. Individual sports still have their fans but I still feel that team sports are king. Tiger Woods has been one of the few athletes that has been able to transcend the sport he plays and receive the acclaim he deserves but why not the others. If Roger Federer or Usain Bolt been American would the media machine have been more willing to promote them? Believe me I love team sports as much as anybody but I just find it strange that in North America where so much emphasis is placed on the individual that when it comes to sports the preference is for team sports. Perhaps it is the identification of teams as representing the city you live in, maybe its something else. I just think that many are missing out some the most dominant individual sports athletes of all time, and thats a shame