Roger Federer & Tiger Woods: Head-to-Head

I knew I should have paid less attention to Djokovic's post-match interview. Damnit!

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/12082007/3/djokovic-stuns-federer-capture-elite-montreal-masters-tennis-crown.html

"I can't describe the feeling I have right now," Djokovic said. "It's like a dream come true, especially against Federer in the finals, to win those tiebreakers was just incredible."

Damn, caught listening to the athlete again. *sigh*

 

For the ladies:


James Blake

 

Roger wins the US Open and completes another (ho-hum) utterly dominant year, losing only the French Open of the 4 majors. He fell to Rafael Nadal in 4 sets at Roland Garros. Roger now has won 12 major championships.

Tiger Woods today won the BMW Championship and earned his 60th career tournament victory as a member of the PGA Tour. Today Woods shot an 8-under-par 63, matching the course record. Tiger stands at 13 majors.

Federer will have the opportunity to equal Tiger's 13 majors, barring injury, next January. Woods will not have the opportunity to win another major until next April's Master's.

Given that Federer is the 2-time defending champion of the Aussie Open, odds are that Tiger will have company at #13 when Roger completes his run in the 2008 major Down Under.

In the majors season just concluded, Roger won 3 out of 4 possible titles, while Tiger won 1 out of 4, 'salvaging' his season at the PGA Championship.

Federer has won 6 of the last 8 major championships he has appeared in. Tiger has won 3 of the last 8 majors he has participated in.

Given each player's current level of performance, one would assume that Federer - who is more than 5 years younger than Woods - will tie and surpass Woods' own count in majors victories during each man's 2008 season.

Federer heads into 2008 with 3 surmountable career milestones in his grasp: 1) Win his first French Open; 2) Tie and/or surpass Pete Sampras mark of winning 14 career majors titles; 3) Equal/Assume the lead in the # of majors titles won as friend and fellow Nike pitchman Woods.

Federer is the most dominant individual-sport athlete of the last 5 years (at least in a highly-visible sport, unlike, say, dart championships). His run since 2003 is nothing short of brilliant and unmatched.

If Federer were to equal and/or exceed Woods in # of majors won, any debate about who is this generation's most dominant athlete would be ended, if the debate still can be reasonably discussed at present. As mentioned, Federer is more than 5 years Woods' junior, and has had far fewer opportunities at winning majors titles than has Tiger since each man won his first major championship. Tiger first won a major at Augusta in 1997; Roger won his first major at Wimbledon in 2003.

* * * * * *

Tiger's presence and dominance helps put Federer's own, exceeding greatness into proper focus. If sports fans did not have Tiger -- destined to go down as the greatest player in his own sport -- as a 'benchmark,' if you will, they might not have any way to properly put into context the unparalleled excellence which Federer has achieved and appears to be on his way to achieving.

Partly due to the less-physically-intensive nature of the game, golf is enjoyed and discussed, in general, more than is tennis by mature members of American society. A 47-year-old sports anchor who is a scratch player, for example, can relate to Tiger Woods far more than he can to Federer. Federer still has to be able to run and react with the most gifted athletes in his sport, whereas Tiger's greatest athletic feat may consist of withstanding the draining heat in Tulsa while walking the course.

Tiger is a superbly conditioned athlete in a sport which does not require him to be, as Phil Mickelson, John Daly, or any number of other PGA major championship title holders could attest. In tennis, fitness is merely the 'cover charge' for entrance into the upper levels of the sport. Ask Serena Williams, who gassed badly and was witheringly dismissed 6-1 in the second stanza of a straight-sets loss to Justine Henin in the just-completed 2007 US Open.

* * * * *

With the 2007 majors seasons now completed in both the ATP and the PGA, sports fans now can look forward to the 2008 seasons in both tennis and golf. Will Federer catch Sampras? How much closer will Tiger inch towards Jack? Who will end the 2008 season with more career majors wins, Roger or Tiger? Will Roger finally win at Roland Garros? Can Tiger get back to the dominant form seen during his "Tiger Slam" days?, etc.

Sports fans wait for athletic history to continue to be written. In 2008, they can be sure that the Batman and Robin of the major individual sports -- Roger Federer and Tiger Woods -- will not leave them wanting. January and the Aussie Open can't come soon enough.

 

"As always, we don't care."

 

Here's the latest of the Tiger Woods-Roger Federer comparison articles (a subject which is sure to get plenty of play in the next several days). It was written before Federer won today's US Open and has a nice pic of Federer, with cap, walking on the golf course with Tiger:

http://www.golfnewsupdate.com/ShowArticle.asp?CategoryID=2&ArticleID=180

 

I've never seen anyone have less self-awareness. Ever.

 

But he has 1,150 MySpace friends :-\

 

Sheet, I have 150, and I don't even add the porn stars!

 

You forgot JDV

 

We're all trying to.

 

Oh, you're definitely missing out then. They're the best!