By: Robert Dowling
Writing a brief article about Roger Federer and why he’s the greatest tennis champion of all time is like asking someone to write an article summarizing the Israeli-Palestine conflict. To really analyze the subject matter with justice it deserves to be at least the length of War and Peace. But here it goes; I’ll give it a shot. Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player to ever play and here is why:
Let’s begin by taking a look at some notable statistics. Roger Federer has won 16 Grand Slams, breaking Pete Sampras’ record of 14 including five consecutive Wimbledon and US Open titles. He Federer reached 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals (2004 Wimbledon – 2010 Australian Open) breaking the previous record by 13 and going 450–75 (.857) in sets. He is the first man to be ranked number one in the world for at least four consecutive non-calendar years. I’ll spare you by ending there but his accomplishments are unparalleled.
What’s most impressive about those records? He achieved what he did in an era that is undeniably the strongest field of opponents. With all due respect to a Mr. Sampras, Borg, Laver and Lendl the athleticism, physical and mental conditioning, and the growth of tennis throughout the world, the competition today is better than ever. I often hear the argument regarding technology in the modern game as a reason why Roger Federer shouldn’t be considered the top of men’s tennis. If anything I would make the exact argument as to why he is the greatest of all time. The technology in the game today, including racquet technology, training equipment and perhaps most importantly, strings, serve the purpose of narrowing the gap between Federer and field. If he played in any other era, yes, even when Sampras reigned supreme, I have no doubt that his records would be even more extraordinary.
Federer is considered over the last decade to be one of the most dominant athletes in any sport among just about every knowledgeable sports fan. And he continues his dominance in a sport that is perhaps the most mentally draining. To all golfers, please see Tiger Wood’s match play record. If tennis was based on round robin format where whoever could win the most sets won the tournament (please see his 450-75 set record), and not based on beating the guy across the net from you during any given few hour span, Federer would have 40 Grand Slam’s by now. Thankfully, that isn’t the case and with a few thousand pages I may be able to scratch the surface as to why Roger Federer is undeniably the greatest tennis player to ever compete in the game.
Editor’s Note: 10sBalls.com has receieved a really good response from Roger Federer fans. If you are a Federer fan and would like to share you opinion/thoughts send us an email. Let us know what you think about Federer or any other tennis player.
Topics: Roger Federer