The Golden Age of Tennis
We have been privileged to live in an era where the three greatest men’s tennis players of all time have played for an extended period at the same time. With apologies to Laver, Borg, Emerson, Sampras, Connors, Lendl, and McEnroe, none of them could hold a racket to the collective speed, power, conditioning, and sheer will-to-win of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
To put this in perspective for other sports, it would be as if Ruth, Williams and Mays played baseball, Jordon, Jabbar and LeBron played basketball, Brown, Montana and Brady played football, or Howe, Gretsky and Orr played hockey all in the same era.
Moreover, unlike in team sports, these guys have had to play directly against the other to win a match and a championship – there is no opportunity to pitch around them, no double team to employ, and no sitting on the bench watching others attempt to stop them. They have had to play both offense and defense – attack the best defenders the tennis world has ever seen and defend against the most wicked power ever displayed.
Each player of this triumvirate is amazing in his own right but brings a unique style and repertoire of skills to the court: Federer – the beauty, grace and fluidity of every shot. Nadal – the power, speed and intensity (along with his odd butt-grabbing and superstitious water bottle positioning). Djokovic- the athleticism and shot making and flexibility (no other man can so easily perform a full split while returning a tennis ball travelling 100 miles an hour).
Federer is generally considered the greatest of all time. He has, after all, won the most Grand Slam Tournaments (17) and his longevity at the top of a sport that demands incredible speed and conditioning is mind-boggling (15 years and running). He is outstanding at every shot- forehand, backhand, serve, volley, overhead, lob, and drop shot. The man has no tennis weakness. He may also be the smoothest and coolest athlete that has ever lived – even after 5 sets and 5 hours of tennis in brutal conditions at age 36, Fed NEVER looks winded or troubled. And, he is the ultimate tactician, employing every variety of spin, pace and angle, and utilizing every piece of the 27 X 78 to dissect and exploit his opponent’s weaknesses or vulnerabilities.
And yet, despite all that, Federer has a sizable losing record to Nadal (15 wins, 23 losses). To be fair, this record is skewed by the fact that a significant percentage of their matches have occurred on clay, where Nadal is the closest thing there is to a “lock” in sports. (He leads Fed 13-2 on clay but trails him 13-10 elsewhere). He is also 4 years younger. But to give Nadal his due, no one competes harder or puts more into a match – he is a bull charging through a china shop with every stroke. No one hits a heavier and more punishing topspin ball or races around the court with more reckless abandon – Rafa never quits on any ball or any point and is as fit as any athlete on earth. He has the second most major titles at 14 and has the best record of the three in Grand Slam Finals at over 75%.
And yet, both Federer and Nadal have a losing record to Djokovic – often the most overlooked of the Big 3, perhaps because he trails the others with “only” 13 Grand Slam Titles (after his recent Wimbledon Title). Djokovic barely leads Fed 23-22 and Nadal 27-25 in head to head matches, although he has the advantage of being the youngest at 31. Djokovic has been determined by an Australian measurement system to be the fastest tennis player on the planet, reaching on-court speeds of 36.02 kph (more than 23 miles per hour). Moreover, there is no tennis player who has performed better in the clutch than the Joker. Tennis is all about winning the key points, as the total points separating the winner from the loser in the typical tennis match is remarkably close; sometimes the winner of the match actually wins fewer points. Djokovic has an unparalleled ability to focus in those key situations, which helps explain why he has the best record of the Big 3 in all tournament finals.
Aside from their amazing tennis skill, all three are among the best ambassadors of sport in the world. As competitive as they are on the court, they are all gentlemen off the court. Each is highly intelligent and very well-spoken– all speak multiple languages. (Djovokic can actually speak 10 different languages! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPGR9NPN044&vl=en ) And despite their great success, wealth and celebrity, each is remarkably humble and goes out of his way to help others – all three have large charitable foundations where they devote substantial time and money to educating disadvantaged children around the world.
Who knows how much longer they can continue to compete at the highest levels, but I am thankful that I lived to see each of them play. They make me proud to be a tennis player and a tennis fan!
P.S. I dedicate this blog to Gerry Goeke who passed away this week after a valiant battle with cancer. I was not a close friend but got to know Gerry from tennis – he was passionate about the sport, played with intensity (and a mighty forehand) and was always a sportsman – in fact, when Gerry was frustrated with his play, as we all get at times, I never heard him utter more than a “darn” or a “dang.” He was a true gentleman who will be greatly missed by many in the tennis world.
Photo copyright: The Roxborough Report at roxboroughreport.com
