True Greatness

This really has nothing to do with New York sports but at some point you have to stop and smell the roses.

Sports are different then everyday life because you are constantly measuring success. Winning and losing is public knowledge and when something truly special comes along the world pretty much knows it.

We are fortunate enough to be seeing absolute greatness right now; two geniuses in their respective sports marching towards immortality. Roger Federer in tennis and Tiger Woods in golf.

Federer has done what many believed to be impossible just a few years ago. 15 grand slam titles and counting. His epic match with Andy Roddick this Sunday at Wimbledon just sealed the deal. After Sampras clinched his 14th no one thought it would take just a few short years for someone to come along and break it. It is really just a race against himself now, how many more can he claim?

Tiger Woods, a close friend of Federer, also took home the trophy this Sunday; although not quite the same stage. Tiger won the AT&T Invitational, aka his tournament, as a tune up for the British Open later this month. Tiger, in pursuit of his 15th major, is nipping at the heels of the immortal Jack Nickalus. Woods, pretty much the greatest golfer of all time, is just waiting till the numbers match up at this point. There is almost no doubt in any golf fans mind that he will surpass the magical number of 18. The question has really become when, not if.

Every generation has had their defining athletes. From Babe Ruth to Montana on to Jordan. Lucky enough for this generation we have been privileged enough to watch two once-in-a-lifetime athletes work their magic. While they may not be baseball or football players, the fact that they dominate the lesser-known sports almost adds to the legend. Tiger has single-handedly made golf an important global sport and Federer has given new life to the legends of Sampras and Borg.

For the rest of your life you will be able to look back and tell people that you watched two of the greatest athletes of all time at the height of their careers. Say what you will about golf and tennis but Woods and Federer’s names will live in infamy. Nike is going to love this.