Saturday, July 7, 2007

What's the Greatest Tennis Feat?

I just finished watching Roger Federer beat Richard Gasquet to reach the finals of Wimbledon, his ninth consecutive Grand Slam final. Surey, this is one of the greatest feats in the history of tennis. But, just where does it rank in the grand scheme of things? To figure that out, we must examine some of the other great (Open Era) tennis accomplishments (in no particular order):
1. Calendar year Grand Slams by Rod laver (1969), Margaret Court (1970), and Steffi Graf (1988, including Olympic gold medal);
2. Winning 4 or more Slam titles in a row: Martina Navratilova (6 in a row from 1983-84), and Serena Williams (4 in a row from 2002-03);
3. Winning Slams in at least 4 consecutive years: Bjorn Borg (Wimbledon from 1976-80, and the French Open from 1978-81), Martina (Wimbledon from 1982-87), Pete Sampras (Wimbledon 1997-2000), Chris Evert (U.S. Open 1975-78), and Federer (Wimbledon 2003-06);
4. The French/Wimbledon double, won by Borg in 1978, 79 and 80; Martina in 1982 and 84, Serena in 2002, Steffi in 1988, 93 and 95, Laver in 1969, Court in 1970;
5. The unlikey surface/playing style Slam: Adriano Panatta (serve-and-volley player winning the French Open in 1976);
6. The multi-surface Slammer: Jimmy Connors (U.S. Open winner on 3 different surfaces in 5 years);
7. The winning streaks: Guillermo Vilas (50 match streak in 1977),Evert (125 match multi-year clay court streak), Martina (74 match streak in 1984);
8. Longevity records: Evert (at least one Slam per year from 1974-86), Ivan Lendl (8 consecutive U.S. Open finals from 1982-89), Sampras (year-end #1 for 6 straight years), Connors (8 years between Wimbledon titles);
9. Feats of versatility: John McEnroe (76 singles titles, and 77 doubles wins), Martina (singles, doubles and mixed at all 4 Slams, along with over 100 titles in singles and doubles);
10. the career Grand Slam: Evert, Navratilova, Graf, Laver, Court, Serena, Andre Agassi, and Billie Jean King.
I think that, obviously, the calendar year Slams should be #1, followed by the French/Wimbledon doubles and consecutive year wins at the same slam. It's a tossup to me whether Federer's Slam finals streak (never before done) or the career Slam should be 4 or 5. Winning 4 Slams in a row, while a remarkable achievement, doesn't compare to the feats listed above.
That's my take; what's yours?

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