Well, this is another one of those long-title posts, though I doubt the contents will be as long. Just for some background info though, let it make it clear to all that I'm both a Tiger Woods and a Roger Federer fan, so do not doubt me for someone who favours one over the other.
I just mean to say that Woods' shot at trying to surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major wins is a task that i difficulty, surpasses Federer's attempt at beating Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam wins. Here are the reasons why-
1) In golf, you compete not only against your opponents but also against the golf course, which in short means nature itself. After all, the conditions on the golf course may change in an instant. In tennis though, you at least have the luxury of knowing that if the conditions change, they will be equally difficult for both the players.
2) No sportsman has generated as much fear in the hearts of opponents as Tiger has done, though Federer comes a close second.
3) This one clinches it for me - Tiger's will to win. He rebuilt his swing when he was at the top of his game just to make sure that by the time the field caught up to his standards then, he would be miles ahead on his own.
Having said all this, I must acknowledge that both of this gentlemen are great sportsmen who embody the whole gamut of values that sports are supposed to generate in a sportsman. And as a sports man, I feel privileged to live in an era when we see these two giants of their sport chase sporting immortality even after they've both achieved greatness.
P.S. All said and done, today's final between Roger and Rafa was the best men's tennis match I saw since Sampras beat Agassi 6-7 7-6 7-6 7-6 in the 2001 US Open quarter finals. Kudos to both players!
4 Responses:
Man here I spose you have got your priorities wrong...How can can you just compare two legengds?? Both of these are true legends in their own legacy..its simply nnt fare to compare their games, their aims and the supremacy/immortality issues..
1.Has Federer ever said that he is playing to surpass pete sampras's record..or has tiger said similar bout nicholas? Both of these say that they are not playing for records..they are playin for the game.Records don count fer champs.
2. In golf condns can change at any istant..accepted..bt i dont find any connection as to how it makes tiger's stake at immortality bigger tahn roger's. A game is a game and u hafta play acc to its terms and condns. u cant say what is more difficult simply sitting in front of tv set..at supreme level..everything is extremely difficult.
3.Opponents are afraid of whom..that I don kno..will have to take a survey of all the oppenents.
4.I clinch this one...Federer's will to rule..u can see how much he has workd on his aces..wen he is still on top..he has gt wimbledon simply due to aces..26 against 1.
I jus say that i m nt playing down tiger's cards .. bt its simply unfare to compare these two..don feel any personal bout it..
Well...actually Federer mentioned that he was eyeing Bjorn Borg's Wimbledon haul..but about the post...yeah...its difficult to compare the 2 sports...though I cede something about Federer..he is beatable on clay(by only one man perhaps....but beatable nonetheless)
hmm. you actually follow golf :) it's not got the thrills and drama that a spectator sport should have,wonder why it's got a following. perhaps you're looking to try your hand at golf someday. golf or tennis- sport effectively serves the purpose letting us know what sublime levels achievement actually mean. It's easier for us to understand "achievement" in terms of number of test centuries/ goals than reading biographies of Gandhi and Benjamin Franklin and the like.
@saurya: too true
@ramya: I couldn't have put it better myself.
@swapnil: I have dared to compare legends cause these two legends have compared themselves to each other.
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