What exactly characterizes dominance? The dictionary defines it as “ruling or controlling with authority or influence”. When surveying the field of sports with this in thought, two great athletes come to mind—Tiger Woods and Roger Federer.
These two men have been able to be at the top of their fields for over four years now, in non team sports. In solo sports, it can be easier to shine as all the focus is upon the athlete; however, the level that these two men have performed at has put them in a league of their own. In every tournament they enter, they are the favorites to win against the rest of the field not to mention the fact that if Woods shoots over par or if Federer loses a set it comes as a shocker.
That itself shows how magnificent their play has been and how talented they are as well. Yet so much of golf and tennis is mental, the ability to focus on every shot and forget the mistakes on prior plays. In team sports, it is easy for a player to error and have his teammates “pick him up” but in the aforementioned sports, it is so vital to have mental fortitude.
What separates the two is small, but it is what makes one greater than the other. (And I’m not talking about who is the better actor in those Gillette commercials.) Woods has the aid of his caddy, to support him and give him advice on what club to hit. The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) tour does not allow for coaching during matches.
In fact, for the past ten months, Federer has been traveling without a coach anyways, and has still managed to pick up two Grand Slams. Moreover, Woods is not playing against his opponents; he is playing against the golf course, meaning no one can beat him but himself. Federer must face his opponents head on, stare them down across the net and defeat them one by one to capture his precious Grand Slams.
While Woods is a tremendous athlete, and quite possibly the best to ever play golf, Federer is the best and most dominant athlete in the world today, and he is on a quest to cement himself as the greatest tennis player of all time, even though, to some, he already is.
Federer, not so long ago, was merely known as a talented youth with a poor attitude and who was unable to perform at the level that he was capable of. Federer turned pro in 1998 at the age of 17, still a baby on the tour level. In his first five years on tour, Federer compiled a record of 158-93, a meager 63% winning percentage.
However, it was his win at Wimbledon in 2001 over his idol, Pete Sampras, that he says changed his perspective on the game. He had the epiphany that he could be the best since he had just beaten the best, in Sampras, on Sampras’ best surface. After a full year of playing and training after that monumental victory, Federer entered the 2003 season with two goals in mind: to win his first Grand Slam and to end the year at No. 1.
Unfortunately for him, he was only able to achieve one of those objectives, winning the Wimbledon Title in London, where he has not lost a match at since. Federer ended the year at No. 2, behind Andy Roddick, but that only fueled Federer to practice harder to claim the throne atop the tennis world.
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