myerstownherald.com

By ERIC FISHER
Roger Federer lost the first set. He trailed in the second-set tiebreaker, 2-6. Then, on tennis’ biggest stage, he reeled off six straight points to avoid dropping the second set.
That’s what champions do.
Federer won another tiebreaker to capture the third set, but dropped the fourth set. Andy Roddick, Federer’s opponent, was at the top of his game, but Federer finally broke Roddick’s serve – for the first time in the entire match – to pull out a 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 triumph.
That last set is not a misprint. There are no tiebreakers during the final set at Wimbledon. Federer endured a marathon fifth set to regain his Wimbledon crown and win his 15th major championship.
That’s what champions do.
Federer, however, is more than a champion. He’s the greatest male tennis player in history.
The 15th grand slam title broke the tie between Federer and Pete Sampras. Furthermore, Federer has won all four grand slams; Sampras never won the French Open, which is contested on clay. And while Sampras was rarely a title threat at the French, Federer has been thwarted in the French finals by Rafael Nadal, arguably the best clay-court player of all-time.
Some naysayers have pointed out that Nadal wasn’t at Wimbledon to defend his crown. Well, that’s not Federer’s fault. In fact, Nadal’s absence due to injury should make us appreciate Federer even more.
Federer has appeared in 16 of the last 17 grand slam finals. The only blip in that streak came when he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals in 2008. He has reached at least the semifinals in 21 straight grand slam events, dating back to Wimbledon in 2004. That’s an incredible record.
Some people claim that Rod Laver, whose total of 11 grand slam titles would almost certainly be higher if he hadn’t been unable to compete in grand slam events for five years after turning professional in 1963 (only “amateurs” were allowed to compete until that rule was changed), is the greatest player of all-time.
I didn’t see Laver until the latter part of his career, so I’ll clarify my position. Federer is the greatest tennis player I’ve ever seen.
The Federer-Laver discussion made me think about the best players I’ve ever seen in other sports. How does my list compare to yours?
BASKETBALL: Michael Jordan. I was fortunate enough to live in Chicago during Jordan’s first two NBA seasons, so I saw his career from the beginning. Not only was he a terrific scorer, but Jordan was also an outstanding defender. Six rings. Case closed.
HOCKEY: Wayne Gretzky. He had better vision than anyone I’ve seen in any sport. During the 1981-82 season, he compiled 212 points! The runner-up in the scoring race, New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy, had 147 points. Add in four Stanley Cups, and Gretzky truly was “The Great One.”
FOOTBALL: It’s so difficult to compare different positions. I’m too young to have seen Jim Brown, who many consider the best of all-time. The best I’ve seen were Joe Montana (quarterback), Walter Payton (running back), Reggie White (defensive end) and Lawrence Taylor (linebacker). If forced to pick one player, I’d choose Montana because of the four Super Bowl rings.
BASEBALL: This choice is made even more difficult by the steroid era. If we take steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs out of the equation, the best player I’ve seen is Barry Bonds. Not only was he a tremendous hitter – even when his head and body were “normal” size – but he was the best defensive left fielder I’ve ever seen. If we eliminate Bonds due to suspicions about performance-enhancing drugs, I’d select Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt, another power hitter who also excelled in the field.
GOLF: Tiger or Jack? Right now, I’m going to stick with Nicklaus. Not only did he win 18 major tournaments, but he finished second 19 times. He won majors over a 27-year period. Woods won the first of his 14 major championships 12 years ago. If he continues his torrid pace, Woods will soon supplant Nicklaus as the greatest golfer.
WOMEN’S TENNIS: Perhaps nobody has dominated a sport like Steffi Graf, who won at least one grand slam each year from 1987-96, including five years in which she won at least three grand slam events. Martina Navratilova is a close runner-up.
BOXING: Muhammad Ali.
WRESTLING: Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, who finished his NCAA career with a 159-0 record.
NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt. (Yes, Senior.)
BROADCASTER: Harry Kalas. Kalas, who died earlier this year, was the voice of the Phillies for nearly four decades, but he also excelled in his work for NFL Films, Notre Dame, Campbell’s Soup, etc.
SOCCER: Well, I know it wasn’t me – even though I was the captain of the first soccer team in my high school’s history. Honestly, I haven’t watched enough soccer to have an informed opinion, but I’ll pick Pele.
COACH: Scotty Bowman. He coached the Canadiens, Penguins and Red Wings to Stanley Cup championships. Different players, different eras, same result.