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While much of the world is still grappling with the outcome of the US Election and a result which still seems inexplicable to some, the result is in fact, not that amazing at all. It’s quite tame really when compared to what we see in the world of sport on a daily basis.
Athletic pursuits produce storylines and fairy tales that are beyond comprehension. Whether it be glorious victories or horrific falls from grace, sport produces the unexpected.
The events of the last fortnight in the first tennis major of 2017 have enunciated this fact in spades. What has unfolded has been emotional, stunning and beyond belief.
I have vivid memories of the morning I woke and heard the news of the ‘car accident’ in which Tiger Woods had been involved in May 2010. The fallout, details and saga that ensued don’t need a going over in this setting, yet I couldn’t help but think about the unpredictability of the situation.
Time and time again I reflected on the complete insanity of the drama. As Woods dominated the world of golf in the late 90s and early 2000s, if you had suggested that the cavorting husband would be smashed in the teeth by his beautiful Norwegian bride with a nine-iron after learning of his sexual exploits with, well, just about everyone apparently, you would have been laughed off.
The soon-to-be billion dollar athlete with a gorgeous wife, great kids, trophies galore, intelligence and complete and utter respect in the game, somehow managed to do the unthinkable and destroy much of what he had built in the preceding decade. Could anyone have even imagined suggesting a downfall of such epic proportions? It was unthinkable.
Yet, to me, the sight of two young African-American women playing in the Australian Open final might just take the cake for unexpectedness. It’s not their heritage that is stunning, but the back story.
Richard Williams once said that his two girls would become number one and two in the world. He was spot on. In fact, it was probably even an understatement.
As his girls fought out six of a possible eight grand slam finals from mid-2000 to 2003, it was quite clear that number three in the world was actually daylight. Serena and Venus changed the game forever.
Despite being a rather bold prediction, the Williams sisters have actually done something far greater. Venus has battled away for years, suffered some debilitating injuries, yet has returned to play some of the best tennis of her life at the ‘ripe old age’ of 36.
Serena, on the other hand, is the greatest player the game has ever seen. It’s not ‘arguably’ anymore. It just is.
Tennis has never been more competitive, prizemoney is a logical precursor to that, and to dominate the game as a 35-year-old is absurd. Never has an athlete embodied the ‘refuse to lose’ attitude more that Serena Williams.
Attempting to convey the magnitude of the situation to non-tennis people has been tricky. They sort of get it, but probably don’t remember the two skinny, beaded hair little girls banging balls on a cement court in West Palm Beach Florida. I get tingles to this day thinking of a conversation I had with a tennis colleague at the time about the rising star of Venus Williams.
His simple statement, ‘Wait until you see her sister,’ proved very prophetic.
While their finals date was an unbelievable scenario in anyone’s book, to have something of equal magnitude happening on the men’s side of the draw is either highly coincidental or just flat out amazing.
Roger Federer is the best I have seen. Admittedly, I never saw Rod Laver play live, nor Roy Emerson, nor Donald Budge. However, I did see John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Stefan Edberg.
While all possessing something special, Roger surpasses them all statistically and in terms of longevity and flexibility. Of the retired players, the only man post-Laver to challenge Federer’s record is Agassi and that is due to his success on all surfaces across the four majors.
There is a certain Spanish guy and a Serbian chap who may, depending on the last few chapters they write in their careers, lay claim to the best of all time, yet at this stage Federer still holds court.
I’ve read and heard some criticism around some of the opponents that Federer disposed of to win some of his earlier majors as well as comments suggesting that upon the arrival of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Federer was exposed.
In my opinion, these comments come from people who have somehow forgotten the great man in his absolute prime. Federer has a few more million miles in the legs compared to Nadal and Djokovic.
Federer has six years on Djokovic and five years on Nadal and one can only guess where they will finish their storied careers in terms of majors, yet at this stage, the graceful, durable prince of the court remains number one.
One comment I read through the week suggested Federer had it a little easy with major finals won against the likes of Hewitt and Robin Soderling. Besides being an insult to Hewitt, the latter looked like being the man to threaten what was then the top three at that stage, injury cruelled his fate, yet not before he showed his true class and knocked off Nadal at Roland Garros.
Looking at Nadal’s career, it was interesting to note some of the ‘lesser’ players he had trumped in major finals. I wonder if people discredit his wins against the likes of Mariano Puerta, Tomas Berdych and, oh look, what a coincidence, Robin Soderling.
There is no need to question either of their records. Moreover, Djokovic has 23 wins against Roger and 22 losses. Not enough evidence to suggest that Federer has been outclassed by the much younger man. Indeed, it was only 14 months ago that the then 34-year-old beat Novak at the season-ending World Tour Finals.
Federer may not quite have the power and impact he once did, but it is not him that has changed, it is the game. The next generation will provide challenges for the inheritors of his mantle. Alexander Zverev has already shown signs that Nadal and Djokovic will need to be on guard in the next two to three years. That’s tennis, sport and life. Evolution is irreversible.
In the end, Venus wasn’t up to the consistency and control of Serena. The ability to match the power of her older sister is then compounded with more margin and spin used to be just that little bit more consistent.
In truth, it didn’t matter which way things panned out, the journey was, in this case, far more important than the destination. Trying to explain what happened in the ladies’ singles at Melbourne Park in 2017 to younger people in the coming years will challenge me greatly. Hopefully, I do it justice.
In much the same vein, the Federer versus Nadal clash will see one man in ecstasy and another lauded for the run. As you read this, the result will be known. Logic suggests Nadal might just have his measure, however with the strange parallels running through both the men’s and women’s draw producing the most romantic and unpredictable events, Roger might have earned one final major to add to his collection of titles.