Joe Soriano
O.J. LewisChanging of the guard?
August 1st 2008 21:04
It seems unlikely, but Roger Federer may soon lose his No. 1 tennis ranking.
Federer lost in the Cincinnati Masters third round meaning that if Rafael Nadal wins the tournament he overtakes Federer as the top ranked tennis player.
On the surface, that's no big deal. But it is. Rafa's win at Wimbledon finally meant in the eyes of many that he is no longer just to be considered a clay court specialist. If he wins this tournament, the rest of those eyes have to admit that he has to be considered just a great tennis player.
This is significant in realizing that Federer and Nadal have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 every week since July 25, 2005 and Federer has been No. 1 for 235 consecutive weeks. That's over four years. That's dominance. Many argue that Nadal would go down as one of the greatest players in tennis if Federer weren't playing at this same time. I argue that it shouldn't matter. These two are superb. They are two of the best ever and everyone who pays any attention to tennis recognizes these two as great tennis athletes. The shame is that because they are so good, there are plenty of others who don't get recognized as great, and yet there are plenty of great tennis players out there.
But that makes the game great.
It's like Tiger's dominance in golf. Yes he was and is far and above everyone. And yet there were plenty of great players out there. His dominance made everyone else get better to stay competitive. Let's hope for the same result in tennis.
Federer lost in the Cincinnati Masters third round meaning that if Rafael Nadal wins the tournament he overtakes Federer as the top ranked tennis player.
On the surface, that's no big deal. But it is. Rafa's win at Wimbledon finally meant in the eyes of many that he is no longer just to be considered a clay court specialist. If he wins this tournament, the rest of those eyes have to admit that he has to be considered just a great tennis player.
This is significant in realizing that Federer and Nadal have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 every week since July 25, 2005 and Federer has been No. 1 for 235 consecutive weeks. That's over four years. That's dominance. Many argue that Nadal would go down as one of the greatest players in tennis if Federer weren't playing at this same time. I argue that it shouldn't matter. These two are superb. They are two of the best ever and everyone who pays any attention to tennis recognizes these two as great tennis athletes. The shame is that because they are so good, there are plenty of others who don't get recognized as great, and yet there are plenty of great tennis players out there.
It's like Tiger's dominance in golf. Yes he was and is far and above everyone. And yet there were plenty of great players out there. His dominance made everyone else get better to stay competitive. Let's hope for the same result in tennis.
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