Dear Editor,
After yesterday, many sport conversations will be centred around how good Roger Federer really is at tennis, and whether or not he is the greatest living sportsman, let alone the best tennis player of all time. He will be held aloft by many who declare him better than Sampras, better than Laver, ahead of Bjorg, Lendl and Macenroe.
But is this man really the most talented at swinging a racket at a little yellow ball? Because, and this may sound confusing, he is NOT the leader when it comes to Grand Slams. In fact, he still has three to go before he levels with someone else I have in mind.
He also lags in terms of career titles - by 110, and he has 177 less doubles and mixed doubles titles. He is still two behind in Wimbledon titles - in fact, this other player I am thinking of won seven consecutive Wimbledon singles titles - something Borg, Sampras or Federer has NOT been able to do.
In this day and age, I find it completely absurd that the greatest player of all time doesn't leap out at you. I find it hard to believe that Roger Federer will be considered the greatest of all when someone who you absolutely do know of left a trail of Grand Slam losers in her wake.
Yes, I said "her". Because there is no way that Martina Navratilova cannot be considered one of the greats of the game she made her own.
But why, in this supposedly gender-balanced world, can the greats of tennis only be men? Why is it Laver and Sampras who are held in such reverence? What about Billie Jean King? Steffi Graf? Chrissy Evert?
Do we really disrespect women's tennis to the point where they can not be admired the way men are? That they are relegated to three sets of tennis instead of five? Why is Navratilova not held in this god-like position like Pistol Pete and Feddie? How come Borg gets to be a deity of Centre Court but Martina can't?
Some may say that it is because the men would beat the women if they played each other. But by this non-relative definition, one can then definitely say that the modern age players would destroy the chaps who played prior to the 70s, and the whole point becomes moot because no one is then the greatest which defeats the whole point of the discussion.
Navratilova is the most successful tennis player of all time - in career titles and Grand Slams - but she is not the greatest.
Certainly, we live in a man's world.
Simon Williamson
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Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.