If Roger Federer wins his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title he will have equalled a record achieved only by one other man in the modern era. In the early decades of the oldest Grand Slam, William Renshaw won six titles on the trot and Lawrence Doherty claimed five, but since it became a truly international competition only Bjorn Borg has won five consecutive titles.
Now, when Roger Federer is so close in achieving his fifth consecutive title, one inevitable question appears: Who is better?
Presuming Federer does make it five in a row, would that make him merely the equal of Borg? Is there greater in-depth competition these days, and if so does that mean the Swiss player’s feat would be greater? Or would Borg still be recognised as the better player?
No definitive answer is possible.
Federer’s statistics are intimidating. When Wimbledon gets under way on Monday, he will be the world No1 for a record 178th consecutive week. He has won six of the previous eight Grand Slam tournaments, and ten of the last 16. His winning streak on grass stands at 48.
But Borg’s own records stand up to that, and in a couple of particulars at least they surpass it. He won 11 Grand Slams – one more than Federer’s current total – out of the 27 he entered. He won close to 90% of the matches he played at the four major tournaments. And, most impressively of all, he won six French Open titles – three of them in the same years as he became Wimbledon champion.
That, of course, contrasts with Federer’s inability to claim the main claycourt title on the calendar. This year, as was the case in 2006 as well, Rafael Nadal stood in his way. But, we have to bear in mind that Nadal is the best clay court player ever.
On paper at least, then, Borg could boast greater consistency. Asked last year to compare the two men, the veteran coach Nick Bollettieri highlighted that difference, but also suggested that in other respects Federer might have the edge.
Borg was indeed more stoical, at least in appearance and attitude. Federer’s love of the game is evident, and he is generally more good-humoured and light-hearted.
In the end, the choice is subjective. And in any case, we should accept that, even if Federer should lose in the final or an early-round upset this year, he could still come back to add to his four titles to date. Sampras, for instance, managed seven, but only in a run of three, then a missing year, then a run of four – and the American is still rightly hailed as one of the greatest grass-court players in tennis history.
Some facts about Borg and Federer:
Bjorn Borg:
Born: 6 June 1956, Stockholm, Sweden
Career prize money: £1,830,443
Career titles: 61
Grand Slam titles: 11
GRAND SLAM RECORD
Wimbledon
1973 Quarter-finals
1974 Third round
1975 Quarter-finals
1976 Champion
1977 Champion
1978 Champion
1979 Champion
1980 Champion
1981 Runner-up
French Open: Champion 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981.
US Open: Runner-up 1976, 1978 1980, 1981. Semi-finals 1975. Quarter-finals 1979.
Australian Open: Third-round 1974.
• Was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 at only 30 years of age.
• Wimbledon success came early to Borg, he won the Junior title at the age of 16.
• Holds the Davis Cup record singles winning streak at 33 consecutive victories.
• Won his 11th Grand Slam singles title in 1981 in Paris at the age of 25.
• Won more French Open singles titles (6) than any other male player in tennis history.
• His 41 consecutive match winning streak at Wimbledon remains an all-time record.
• Won at least one grand slam singles title for eight consecutive years (1974-1981). Only Pete Sampras has matched this (1993-2000).
• Calm court demeanour earned him the nickname of the “Ice Man” or “Ice-Borg”.
• Played in six consecutive Wimbledon singles finals, still a record since the abolition of the challenge round in 1922.
Roger Federer:
Born: 8 August 1981 in Basel, Switzerland
Career prize money: £15,632,305
Career titles: 48
Grand Slam titles: 10
GRAND SLAM RECORD
Wimbledon:
2000 First round
2001 Quarter finals
2002 First round
2003 Champion
2004 Champion
2005 Champion
2006 Champion
French Open: Runner-up 2006, 2007
US Open: Champion 2004, 2005, 2006
Australian Open: Champion 2004, 2006, 2007
FACTS
• On his Wimbledon debut, in 1999, Federer suffered first-round elimination at the hands of the Czech world No 59, Jiri Novak.
• In 2001, the Swiss struck his first significant blow at SW19 when he beat four-time champion Pete Sampras in the first round on his way to the last eight, where he lost to Tim Henman.
• The French Open is the only one of the four Grand Slam competitions which still eludes Federer.
• In 2006 Federer became the first and only man to have held three of the four grand slam titles (US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open) in two separate years.
• Federer has been ranked No 1 in the world since 2 February 2004, and holds the all-time record for most consecutive weeks as the top-ranked male player.
• Earlier this year, when Federer won his third Australian Open title, he became the only male player to have won three separate Grand Slam tournaments three times.
• He is also the only player to have won both the Wimbledon and US Open singles titles in three consecutive years (2004-2006).
(source: scotsman)
I think Roger it’s the best.