Twenty.
When you hear that number, what is the first thought that comes to mind?
The number of hours you study in a single class just to get a decent grade? Maybe the amount of times you’ve cursed OU’s insufficient Wi-Fi in a single day? Or is it the grade you got on your calculus midterm?
While all of those thoughts are reasonable and likely, avid tennis fans such as myself think of the ageless Swiss legend himself: Mr. Roger Federer, who just became the first man to ever win 20 Grand Slam titles, defeating Marin Cilic in a five set final.
He’s also 36 years old.
In the past two decades, a select number of athletes have been as dominant as Roger Federer. His impressive resume includes: eight Wimbledon titles, six Australian Open titles, five U.S. Open titles and one French Open title. He has also achieved a feat that will last for many more generations – popularizing the sport of tennis worldwide.
Just like Federer, Michael Jordan helped popularize the sport of basketball on an international scale through his dominance with the Chicago Bulls during the 1990s. Yet, when it comes to bringing up the top athletes of all time, Federer is a name that is often forgotten. While tennis falls behind in terms of popularity compared to other sports such as football, basketball, baseball and soccer, Roger Federer’s greatness is arguably even better to superstars in other sports.
The fact that tennis is an individual sport (unless played in a doubles format) also should be taken into consideration in just how skillful Federer truly is. For as long as how team sports have been a thing, there has always been a “but this team has this player,” or “they don’t have anyone good” culture attached to it. For example, the Golden State Warriors have been considered to be the most dominant team in the National Basketball Association within the last four years. However, critics have always pointed out that they are a “super team” with a roster consisting of NBA All-Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. In terms of succeeding in the sport of tennis, there’s only one option: be a superstar, and rely on only your mental and physical strength (yes, tennis has a huge mental aspect to it).
Yes, Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The five-time Super Bowl champion and 13-time Pro Bowler has an abundance of accomplishments to prove his case. The same statements apply to the likes of Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth and Lionel Messi. However, unlike these other athletes, Federer’s name has never once been the subject of scrutiny or controversy. No deflategate, gambling issues or anything else; just simply brilliance on and off the tennis court.
The same brilliance that inspires not just tennis players, but countless athletes worldwide.
Akash Bakshi is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Are you into tennis? Let Akash know by tweeting him @akashmbakshi.
