This tennis season has been a stuff of dreams. The new guard has made way. The old favourites are back- ‘Fedal’ is ruling the roost. As the big two (French Open and Wimbeldon) are around the corner, there is a world of expectations- will ‘Fedal’ continue to defy age and make it a season for the ‘Oldies‘? Or, will the current lot (Murray and the Djoker) get back their Mojo? Or, maybe the time for the next generation (Thiem and Zverev) to stand up and signal a change of guards?
I saw a strange dream the other night. There was a debate between us friends recently on who is the greatest male tennis player ever. Well, I saw in my dream that God was giving me a boon- of choosing talents between players across generations– and hence putting together a fictitious player who surely is the greatest ever. Interesting, isn’t it? We all have our favourites and soft corners, but how will we go about creating this ‘fictitious GOAT’? So here is my attempt…
To start with, I will choose Federer’s natural ability. Well, someone may argue that Federer just as he is, may be good enough to be the ‘GOAT’. His silk smooth game, carefree shots- such a joy to watch. 18 grand slams and counting. There are a lot of things that training and practice will give you, but Fedex’s natural ability makes him better than anyone else.
I will next pick Del Potro’s fore-hand. Here is a guy who could have reached far greater heights but for his many injuries. A game with one shot, but what a shot that is. So that booming fore-hand from ‘The Tower of Tandil’ will be a great ammunition.
When it comes to back-hands, it is mostly a second shot for most players. Not for ‘Stan the Man’. The Wawrinka back-hand is a weapon that all peers fear. Ask Djoker about his French Open 2015 experience and he will vouch for it. Waw can rip it down the line or cross court. A serious weapon, if any. And I am a purist who loves a single handed back-hand to a double handed one- any day. So Wawrinka and his back-hand is my pick.
Goran’s service is the next pick for me. In a game of rallies, he was in a way the first one who made the service a serious weapon. It was quite boring to watch Goran at times because all sets would progress to tie-breakers. In fact, when he lost to Agassi in the ‘92 Wimbledon final, he still had 37 aces in that match- just imagine! So Goran and the insurance of his terrific service would be a great weapon in the armoury.
If you serve well, the return has to match it. Who better than Agassi for his service return? Deuce court or advantage court- forehand or backhand, Agassi was the man. He even joked recently on how he used to read Becker’s tongue to know which way the serve was coming! That or otherwise, Agassi terrorized big servers during his time and made them look ordinary.
Volley is an oft ignored part of the game now. People slug it out from the base-line. They hardly ever approach the net. But if you have to rule from the net, I would choose none other than Leander Paes- yes, he is a doubles specialist. But such quicksilver touch, deft hands, and what anticipation. No wonder, Paes and his net play is ‘Umarless’.
That takes me to my favourite player of all times, Boom Boom Becker. Boris had the charisma, and the ‘rebel’ feel. He made memorable comebacks from two sets down to win multiple times in grand slams. But what made him absolutely stand out was his stupendous athleticism and dives. Who can forget that incredible dive to win that point in ‘86 vs Lendl on his way to a second Wimbledon title? Those dives and fist pumps defined Becker.
My next pick will be Nadal’s defense. In today’s break neck game of attacking tennis, Nadal wears opponents down through his magical defense. You have to hit three winners to actually win a point against Rafa. That for a man whose career was over in his first professional year due to a life threatening injury! No wonder Rafa has won nine times at Roland Garros and is a favourite for ‘La Decima’ this time around. If I have to bet my life on a tennis game, I would bet on Rafa and his defense to see my through.
Tennis these days is more than just about the strokes. So I would now have to pick Djokovic and his out-of-the-world stamina and energy. Djoker is easily the fittest of all players I have seen. He manages to look fresh even after six hour slug fests– like the one vs Rafa in the 2012 Aussie Open Final. He just wears down the opponents with his energy and then jokes about them the way only he can during press conferences!
My next bet will be Sampras and his monotonous consistency. Sampras ruled the roost in the 90’s- he had such a perfect game. He would be downright boring at times but you know, in the end, he would always win. What a trait to have in my ‘GOAT’.
All players have their favourite surfaces, Nadal has nine French Open wins and Fedex has seven Big W triumphs. But if you are looking for the best adaptability– look no further than Bjorn Borg. The ice cold Swede won 6 French and 5 Wimbledon titles- in surfaces diametrically opposite to each other. I would like my player to be versatile and Borg was the epitome of adaptability.
Some players who narrowly missed out from this list were Edberg and his volleys, Courier and his fore-hand, Chang and his resilience, McEnroe and his drama, Connors and his longevity, and Lendl and his monotonous consistency.
What fun it will be if we seriously have such a player who is a ‘Jack of all Trades’? Surely he will sweep a grand slam of slams, or maybe two? ‘The GOAT’…. Care to challenge him?
Silly Point 