A Decade of Tiger and Roger

The Associated Press recently announced Tiger Woods was its "Player of the Decade."

Many tennis fans felt this to be a miscarriage of justice—that Roger Federer, with 15 major titles, had eclipsed Woods in the decade of the "aughts."

In this slideshow, I will examine the decade and walk through the accomplishments of both exemplary players.

The year 2000.

Federer: This would be the first year that Roger would play in all four major tournaments. His best showing would be reaching the third round of the Australian and US Opens. He would play the Sydney Olympics and meet Mirka Vavrinek

Federer Year end ranking: 29
Federer age: 18
Federer Slam count: 0
Federer Master's Series Shields: 0

Tiger: 2000 would be one of Tiger's years of excellence. He would win three consecutive majors, nine PGA Tour events, and set or tie 27 Tour records.

With the major wins, he would match golf legend Ben Hogan (1953) as the only other player to win three professional majors in one season. His six consecutive wins in 2000 would be the most since Ben Hogan in 1948. At 24, Woods would become the youngest golfer to achieve the Career Grand Slam.

His sixth consecutive victory at Pebble Beach was achieved with a comeback for the ages. Trailing by seven strokes with seven holes to play, he finished eagle-birdie-par-birdie for a two-stroke victory.

In the 2000 U.S. Open, he broke or tied a total of nine U.S. Open records with his 15-shot win, including golf legend Tom Morris's record for the largest victory margin ever in a major championship, which had stood since 1862.

He led by a record 10 strokes going into the final round, and Sports Illustrated called it "the greatest performance in golf history."

In the 2000 Open Championship at St Andrews, which he won by eight strokes, he set the record for lowest score to par (−19) in any major tournament.

His substantial stroke leads over the second, third, and fourth players on the Tour would include: (1.46 strokes (Phil Mickelson), 1.52 (Ernie Els), 1.66 (David Duval)). Tiger would not have another year like this until 2007.

Tiger's Year end ranking: one
Tiger age: 24
Tiger Slam count in the decade: three
Tiger total slam count: five

Tiger and Roger in 2001

Federer: At age 19, seeded #15, Roger Federer would face the great Pete Sampras in the fourth round at Wimbledon, the only time the two legends would ever meet on tour. Roger would defeat Pete in five thrilling sets, 7–6(7), 5–7, 6–4, 6–7(2), 7–5, but go on to lose in the quarterfinals to Tim Henman. Roger would not win his first Wimbledon Tourney until 2003. Sampras would never win the title at Wimbledon again.

Federer Year end ranking: 13
Federer age: 19
Federer Slam count: 0
Federer Master's Series Shields: 0

Tiger: The "Tiger Slam." Tiger did not achieve the Calendar Grand Slam in 2000, but in 2001, with a win at the Masters Tournament, he became the only player to hold all four major championship titles at the same time.

Tiger's Year end ranking: one
Tiger age: 25
Tiger Slam count in this decade: four
Tiger total slam count: six

Tiger and Roger in 2002

Federer: Roger would lose his first Master's Series final in Florida to Andre Agassi. He would win the next final in Hamburg (marking his emergence as a clay court power).

Federer Year end ranking: seven
Federer age: 20
Federer Slam count: 0
Federer Master's Series Shields: one

Tiger: In 2002, Tiger would start strong with another Master's Tournament win, but no other majors. He would lose the PGA tournament by one stroke.

Tiger's Year end ranking: one
Tiger age: 26
Tiger Slam count in this decade: six
Tiger total slam count: eight

Tiger and Roger in 2003 - Tiger in a slump

Federer: Roger would win his first major title, and the first of five consecutive titles at Wimbledon.

Federer Year end ranking: two
Federer age: 21
Federer Slam count: one
Federer total Master's Series Shields: two

Tiger: Slump. Tiger would not win a major, and critics would complain bitterly, blaming his marriage and split with his swing-coach for the slump. Tiger would explain that he was re-tooling his swing, the original version of which was putting strain on his left knee.

Tiger's Year end ranking: one
Tiger age: 27
Tiger Slam count: six
Tiger total slam count: eight

Tiger and Roger in 2004 - Tiger re-tooling the swing

Federer: Federer would have one of the most dominating and successful years in the open era of modern men's tennis.

He defeated Marat Safin at the Aussie Open, Roddick at Wimbledon, and Lleyton Hewitt at the US. His only loss in the majors was to Gustavo Kuertin at the French, though he won on clay at Hamburg with a defeat of clay maestro Guillermo Coria, thus continuing to demonstrate his prowess on the surface.

One of his six losses on the year was on hard courts in Miami to a 17-year old from Mallorca, who won in straight sets by attacking his backhand with persistence. "I tried to get out of it, and I sort of couldn't," Roger would explain.

Federer Year end ranking: one
Federer age: 22
Federer Slam count: four
Federer total Master's Series Shields: five

Tiger: Re-tooling the swing. Again, in 2004 Tiger would not win a major and would lose the number one ranking to competitor Vijay Singh. He was still re-working and re-tooling his technique.

Tiger's Year end ranking: eight
Tiger age: 28
Tiger Slam count for the decade: six
Tiger total slam count: eight

Tiger and Roger in 2005

Federer: Federer would continue with yet another hallmark year in the history of modern men's tennis. He lost to Marat Safin at the Australian in a 5-set thriller 5–7, 6–4, 5–7, 7–6(6), 9–7; lost to 18-year old Nadal in the semis of the French; successfully defended his title at Wimbledon, and defeated legend Andre Agassi for the title at the US.

He continued to win on clay at Hamburg and swept all three of the Master's Series hard-court events, becoming the first man to win four Master's Series Shields in the same year.

In Miami, in 2005, he faced the same teenager from Mallorca, now 18-years old, and defeated him in five-sets after being two points from defeat. At the trophy ceremony, when asked what he thought about future matchups with the talented teenager, Roger laughingly said he didn't want to think about what "this guy can do to me."

Federer Year end ranking: one
Federer age: 23
Federer Slam count: six
Federer total Master's Series Shields: nine

Tiger: 2005 would be another banner year for Tiger. His re-tooled swing was working. He would dual rival Phil Mickelson in a head to head at Doral,on the final day and win. He would trade the top position in the rankings with rival Vijay Singh through the spring and summer. He would win the 2005 Master's Series tournament in a thrilling playoff with (not really a rival, but an aging previous champion) Colin Montgomerie, and the Master's Tournament in a thrilling playoff with (not really a rival, unheralded newcomer) Chris DiMarco.

Tiger's Year end ranking: one
Tiger age: 29
Tiger Slam count for the decade: eight
Tiger total slam count: 10

Tiger and Roger in 2006

Federer: The final of three years of complete dominance of men's tennis, 2006 would see Roger win three of the four majors, his only loss coming to Nadal at the French. He would fight Nadal on clay in two other thrilling finals, in Monte Carlo, losing 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–3, 7–6(5); and in Rome, losing 6–7(0), 7–6(5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(5).

He won four Master's Series Shields again, and at the end of the year had only lost to two rivals the entire year: Nadal and Roddick.

In 2006, Tiger and Roger would meet for the first time-at tennis' US Open in New York.

Federer Year end ranking: one
Federer age: 24
Federer Slam count: nine
Federer total Master's Series Shields: nine

Tiger: Though 2006 saw the death of Tiger's dad, it was also a banner year for Tiger, with two major titles. His re-tooled swing was now allowing him to match the sorts of records (for technique and proficiency) he had established back in 2000 and 2001.

At the 2006 PGA Championship, Woods would make only three bogeys, tying the record for fewest in a major. He would finish the tournament at 18-under-par, equaling the record that he shares with Bob May from 2000. In August 2006, he won his 50th professional tournament, the youngest golfer to ever do so.

He ended the year by winning six consecutive PGA Tour events and won the three most prestigious awards given by the PGA Tour—Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Byron Nelson Awards—in the same year for a record seventh time.

At the close of his first 11 seasons, Woods's 54 wins and 12 major wins had surpassed the all time 11-season PGA Tour total win record of 51 (set by Byron Nelson) and total majors record of 11 (set by Jack Nicklaus).

Tiger's Year end ranking: one
Tiger age: 30
Tiger Slam count for the decade: 10
Tiger total slam count: 12

Tiger and Roger in 2007

Federer: The previous three years represented complete dominance of men's tennis, and 2007 would see Roger yet again win three of the four majors, the only loss coming to Nadal again at the French.

He became the only player in history to win three grand slams within a year for three years—2004, 2006, 2007. Rod Laver, one of the greatest players ever himself described him as follows: "One thing is for sure: he's the best player of his time." The number of years he had been at No. 1 began to enter new ground, as Roger became the first man to be ranked No. 1 for four consecutive years, that would stretch to a record-breaking 237 consecutive weeks.

In August of 2007 Roger won his 50th career singles title (Tiger had achieved a similar record in 2006 after 11 years on tour, Roger's achievement took place in about 7 years).

Federer Year end ranking: one
Federer age: 25
Federer Slam count: 12
Federer total Master's Series Shields: 11

Tiger: In both the Master's tournament and the US Open, Tiger would fail to successfully come from behind on the final day of the tournament and would tie for second behind winner—both times unheralded players.

But his technical prowess would continue to make records. He would lead the field in birdies, be ranked in the top five in driving accuracy, driving distance, putts per round, putts per green, and greens in regulation.

His substantial stroke leads over the second, third, and fourth players were similar to his bell-weather year of 2000: (1.50 (Els), 1.51 (Justin Rose), 1.60 (Steve Stricker))

Tiger's Year end ranking: one
Tiger age: 31
Tiger Slam count for the decade: 12
Tiger total slam count: 13

Tiger and Roger in 2008 - an Extraordinary Year of Struggles

Federer: Mono. After losing the Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic in 2008 (making Novak the first man to earn a major title whose name was not Federer or Nadal in several years), Roger announced that he'd been diagnosed with glandular fever-a disease that affects the victim's physical conditioning for months.

Roger would make the final of the French Open, but suffer his worse-ever defeat at the hands of Nadal, winning only four games. Roger would lose a hard-fought Wimbledon final, in what has been widely heralded as the best Wimbledon final of all time, and the longest at five hours and 14 minutes.

After a difficult year in which Roger would go out in early rounds in many Master's Series events, Roger would close out the year with his 13th major title at the USO.

Federer Year end ranking: two
Federer age: 26
Federer Slam count: 13
Federer total Master's Series Shields: 11

Tiger: Surgery. In 2008, the problems with the left knee would catch up to him. A second surgery on the knee would take place in April. In June he would record one of the most remarkable victories in the history of golf. At the June US Open, Tiger would be paired in head-to-heads with the two other best golfers in the world on consecutive days: Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott.

The first day, Tiger would end the round four shots off the lead. The second day, still paired with Mickelson, he managed five birdies, an eagle and four bogeys.

On the third day, trailing by five shots with six holes to play, he finished by making two eagle putts, a combined 100 feet (30 m) in length, and a chip-in birdie to take a one shot lead into the final round.

His final putt assured that he would be in the final group for the sixth time in the last eight major championships.

On Sunday, June 15, Woods began the day with another double bogey and trailed Rocco Mediate by one stroke after 71 holes. He winced after several of his tee shots and sometimes made an effort to keep weight off of his left foot. Woods was behind by one stroke when he reached the final hole.

He forced an 18-hole playoff with Mediate, a playoff that would conclude the tournament on Monday. Despite leading by as many as three strokes at one point in the playoff, Woods again dropped back and needed to birdie the 18th to force sudden death with Mediate, and did so.

Woods made par on the first sudden death hole; Mediate subsequently missed his par putt, giving Woods his 14th major championship. After the tournament, Mediate said "This guy does things that are just not normal by any stretch of the imagination," and Kenny Perry added, "He beat everybody on one leg."

Two days after winning the U.S. Open, Woods announced that he would be required to undergo reconstructive surgery on the left knee and would miss the remainder of the 2008 golf season.

Tiger's Year end ranking: two
Tiger age: 32
Tiger Slam count for the decade: 12
Tiger total slam count: 14

Tiger and Roger in 2009 - Roger at 15; Tiger slump again

Federer: Roger would win two out of four majors in 2009, while competing in all four finals. He would win the coveted French Open, as Nadal had suffered his first-ever loss at Roland Garros. Roger would surpass the all-time grand-slam leader, Pete Sampras, with his 15th major title with a win at Wimbledon. Roger would also close-in on a tie for the all-time number of Master's Series Shields, currently held by Andre Agassi.

By all measures of success, Roger Federer has had a career that surpasses all other competitors in the sport of tennis in the Open Era and is even widely regarded by his peers as the best in history.

Federer Year end ranking: one
Federer age: 27
Federer Slam count: 15
Federer total Master's Series Shields: 16 (the all-time leader is Andre Agassi with 17)

Tiger: Coming back from surgery, Tiger would not win a major in 2009 and would even not make the cut for the second time in his professional life at the 2009 Open Championships.

Tiger's Year end ranking: one
Tiger age: 33
Tiger Slam count for the decade: 12
Tiger total slam count: 14

Summary

Back to the AP's choice of Tiger over Roger as the Player of the Decade. It is obviously difficult, even fool-hardy to try and compare the sports of tennis and golf. The records these two men have amassed are too numerous to be listed in this presentation.

It's hard to present which of the two might have been the more dominant, as Tiger's rivals have not be consistent from year to year, while Roger has one who stands out.

The best I was able to do was identify the shot advantage that Tiger had over his nearest rivals in selected years. There is no equivalent to this metric in tennis. Likewise, there is no equivalent in golf for the metric of Roger making the semi-finals in 23 consecutive major tournaments.

Summary:
Roger's career didn't take off until 2003, while Tiger Woods had one of the most outstanding years in golf history to start the decade in 2000.

Then, during the years when Tiger was in a slump and re-vamping his swing, Roger was enjoying dominance of tennis' ATP tour that has never been seen in the sport, accumulating a record 237 weeks at No. 1.

2005, 2006, and 2007 represented bell-weather years in the careers of both men, with Roger earning on average three out of four majors and Tiger winning two out of four majors.

The technical excellence exhibited by both men was exemplary-making both the "best in history" even according to rivals in the sport.

2008 was perhaps the most extraordinary in the careers of both men, with both jaw-dropping performances coupled to physical suffering, as Roger was diagnosed with glandular fever, and Tiger required reconstructive surgery on his knee.

In the 10 years discussed here, Tiger was ranked No. 1 in six of them, his lowest ranking was eight. Tiger racked up 12 majors in 10 years (14 major titles overall), with 64 titles. Roger was ranked No. 1 for five of the 10 years, his lowest ranking (after achieving No. 1) was two. Roger racked up 15 majors in 10 years, with 61 singles titles.

This presentation was not intended to end the debate on where Roger should have appeared on the AP's list, but rather to lay the groundwork for comparison, since many readers are not familiar with Tiger's career, nor with Roger's.

Golf Terminology

A little golf terminology for tennis fans.

'Par' is the equivalent of 'Deuce,' and like tennis when deuce is achieved, thereafter the points are awarded (+) or (-) from deuce. A golf tournament is scored by how far negative a player goes under 'par'. Par for a hole refers to the normal number of strokes (three, four, or five) should be required to put the ball in the hole. Par for the course refers to the number of strokes a 'normal' player would require through the course.

A 'Bogey' is +1 on any given hole on the course (bad)

A 'Birdie' is -1 on any given hole on the course (good).

Tiger once famously won a major by -19 (under par). This would be the equivalent of Roger's 16-14 5th set win at the 2009 Wimbledon - but given the magnitude of 19 under par, more like the equivalent of a hypothetical 5th set score of 46-44.