Dominance Down Under
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/698/1/Dominance-Down-Under/Dominance-Down-Under.html
Anthony Lopez
Anthony Lopez currently works in sports and entertainment television as a production assistant. He is a graduate of Rutgers University, where he saw the Scarlet Knights never achieve the glory they now claim to have. He is an aspiring actor, model, and humanitarian. His sole dreams in life are to witness a Jets Superbowl victory, date the Peruvian girl in Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift and put out a rap album produced by Dr. Dre.
By Anthony Lopez
Published on 01/29/2007
Roger Federer may not be the world's most popular athlete, but he might be the most dominant. Atomic Sports columnist Anthony Lopez writes that Federer's dominance in route to an Aussie Open victory might foreshadow a magical year in men's tennis.
Roger Federer may not be the world's most popular athlete, but he might be the most dominant. Atomic Sports columnist Anthony Lopez writes that Federer's dominance in route to an Aussie Open victory might foreshadow a magical year in men's tennis.
Dominance Down Under
After disposing of Fernando Gonzalez and winning his 10th Grand Slam title and second straight Aussie Open this weekend, it has become all but certain that Roger Federer is well on his way to amassing a legacy of dominance that is unparalleled, not only in tennis, but in the overall realm of the sporting world.
At only the tender age of 25, he is already in the conversation amongst the all-time best to have ever played, and after his dominant showing in this tournament who can argue? Federer didn’t drop a single set the entire tournament, matching a feat that hadn’t been done since Bjorn Borg walloped the competition in 1980 on his way to winning the French Open.
As far as being untouchable, you be the judge. For his career, Federer has only tasted defeat 15 times out of nearly 260 matches. After losing last year’s French to Rafael Nadal, there were a few murmurs that Federer might have put his guard down a bit and let the Andy Roddicks and James Blakes of the world taste Grand-Slam glory for a change. Those murmurs are now completely eradicated.
Following his disappointment at Roland Garros, Federer finished 2006 by running through the All-England Club and then became the king of Queens at the U.S. Open for the third straight year. This weekend, after winning his third Australian Open title, he became the first player in the Open era to capture three straight grand slams twice in a career – a feat that truly sheds light on how dominant a performer he has been on the grandest of stages. In only three-and-a-half years, he has sprinted himself past the likes of Agassi, Perry, and Lendl to be only four shy of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 slam titles.
Now, just as Sampras before him, the French becomes the only title eluding him and his shot at becoming the first man since Rod Laver to win all four majors in one season. To athletes, the pressure of getting the monkey off your back and capturing something elusive can often be detrimental. However, in Federer’s case, clay-court grandeur shouldn’t and won’t effect how he perceives his accomplishments.
“(Winning) the French might put me in another atmosphere in terms of being a legend… but I don't think that is quite right,” Federer told reporters. “I don't like comparing different Grand Slams, like is Australian Open more than Wimbledon or U.S. Open or whatever? It depends so much on how you feel at the moment itself, how was the match point played. There are so many components that play a role in a Grand Slam victory.”
Using that strong mental focus to treat each match equally is one of the reasons Federer has won 36 straight. If he plays his cards right, people may look back to this Aussie Open as the start of what could be a historic year in the sport.
Laver, who presented Federer with the Australian Open trophy this weekend, poked fun at the No.1 player’s invincible nature. “The best way to beat him would be to hit him over the head with a racket,” he said.
If only that were legal.
At only the tender age of 25, he is already in the conversation amongst the all-time best to have ever played, and after his dominant showing in this tournament who can argue? Federer didn’t drop a single set the entire tournament, matching a feat that hadn’t been done since Bjorn Borg walloped the competition in 1980 on his way to winning the French Open.
As far as being untouchable, you be the judge. For his career, Federer has only tasted defeat 15 times out of nearly 260 matches. After losing last year’s French to Rafael Nadal, there were a few murmurs that Federer might have put his guard down a bit and let the Andy Roddicks and James Blakes of the world taste Grand-Slam glory for a change. Those murmurs are now completely eradicated.
Following his disappointment at Roland Garros, Federer finished 2006 by running through the All-England Club and then became the king of Queens at the U.S. Open for the third straight year. This weekend, after winning his third Australian Open title, he became the first player in the Open era to capture three straight grand slams twice in a career – a feat that truly sheds light on how dominant a performer he has been on the grandest of stages. In only three-and-a-half years, he has sprinted himself past the likes of Agassi, Perry, and Lendl to be only four shy of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 slam titles.
Now, just as Sampras before him, the French becomes the only title eluding him and his shot at becoming the first man since Rod Laver to win all four majors in one season. To athletes, the pressure of getting the monkey off your back and capturing something elusive can often be detrimental. However, in Federer’s case, clay-court grandeur shouldn’t and won’t effect how he perceives his accomplishments.
“(Winning) the French might put me in another atmosphere in terms of being a legend… but I don't think that is quite right,” Federer told reporters. “I don't like comparing different Grand Slams, like is Australian Open more than Wimbledon or U.S. Open or whatever? It depends so much on how you feel at the moment itself, how was the match point played. There are so many components that play a role in a Grand Slam victory.”
Using that strong mental focus to treat each match equally is one of the reasons Federer has won 36 straight. If he plays his cards right, people may look back to this Aussie Open as the start of what could be a historic year in the sport.
Laver, who presented Federer with the Australian Open trophy this weekend, poked fun at the No.1 player’s invincible nature. “The best way to beat him would be to hit him over the head with a racket,” he said.
If only that were legal.