Best EVER? Hardly

I know that we live in the SportsCenter era, where ESPN, in an effort to garner ratings will immediately declare EVERYTHING "the BEST EVER," as long as it has a sponsor and it was aired on its station. NBC fell victim to it too on Sunday when the announcer (not McEnroe, but the other creepy-looking guy) boasted, "And Federer has won the greatest match in Wimbledon History!"

Ummm, no. He lost last year to Nadal. Remember?

This past Sunday, yes I was glued to the TV, but I would hardly call the match, "the greatest ever!"

Nope. Not when I also watched last year's Wimbledon.

That match, the back and forth, the rallies, Nadal v Federer WAS the best, at least that I've seen in my 27 years. Last Sunday's match was more "Everything that is WRONG with men's tennis," than "best ever."


Roddick is a zonetastic server and he has grown as an all-around player. He was not broken until the 30th game in the fifth set. 38 straight service holds. But all you ever saw was ace, ace, ace, ace-Game Roddick. Ace, ace, ace, ace-game Federer. Very few rallies and when there were, Federer was in control, save for a few great shots from Roddick. I just never got the feeling, after Roddick blew the 4 second set points that Federer wasn't going to win. Roddick had a shot at a break in the fifth, up 15-40 in ONE of those games, but you knew Federer would win it. And he did.

Last year Nadal and Federer went back and forth, giving it their all. This year, it was just BIG BOOM, BIG BOOM and change courts. Yes I watched and rooted for Roddick, the American, but while he and Federer played the LONGEST, it wasn't the best. Exciting only because it was an American. If Choke-a-vic or Murray had been there, I certainly wouldn't have watched the BOOM BOOM POW show. Just boring. Certainly not the best ever.

Reduce the power of the rackets and give me more rallies. Then you can see the better players and better tennis. But as tennis is now....kind of lame. Shots, not POWER, does it for me on the tennis courts. Maybe I'm by myself.

And I AM rooting for Roddick, but really only because he is an American. I want him to expand his game, which he has started to do, but learn how to return a serve and conduct a rally. That's all I ask.