By at 2007-06-30
Roger Federer will go for his fifth straight Wimbledon title this month.
My latest Pajamas Media sports column is up. It’s about Roger Federer and his quest for a fifth straight Wimbledon tennis title. A sample:
You can’t help but feeling sorry for his opponents. There is no weakness in his game to plan on exploiting. When he powers his 125 MPH serve, you pray your racket can find the ball. His cross court forehand – “The best shot in our game,†according to John McEnroe – has opponents giving up on getting to the ball before he hits it. And in recent years his backhand has improved so much that serving to it is just asking for trouble.
But what Roger Federer has that no other player of this generation of tennis stars can boast is the Tiger Woods-like ability to rise to the occasion when the most coveted titles in his sport are on the line. In an incredible run of success, Federer has won 6 of the last 8 tennis majors (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open). He was runner up the last two years in the French Open, including a memorable 4 set loss in 2006 to his chief rival and nemesis — the number two ranked player in the world — Rafael Nadal. In fact Nadal, a clay court specialist, kept Federer from holding all four major titles at once with that victory at Roland Garros.
1:42 pm
No doubt that Federer is to tennis what Woods is to golf- perhaps the best ever. One would think this should be tennis’ golden age, standing at an apex. But it isn’t. Commercially, Federer doesn’t compare to Woods. Why? It’s not as if Woods’ personality is warm and accessible. I suppose one could chalk it up to the lack of a great rivalry in tennis, but golf doesn’t have one either. What does Tiger have that Roger doesn’t?
2:14 pm
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