Serena & Rafa: Steve Flink's GOAT Analysis

[britbox]

Legendary tennis historian, Steve Flink decides whether any re-evaluation is required of the all time greats following Serena and Rafa's US Open crowns...

http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/9917

 

[Kieran]

It's kind of like us here, isn't it?

"He will surely win at least one more French Open and he is bound to win again at the Australian Open. If his knees hold up on the grass, he can definitely win Wimbledon again, too."

Saying he'll surely bound to definitely isn't analysis, it's wishful thinking. I don't know how many times over the centuries I've heard the winner of a slam pronounced to be soon the GOAT. First heard it with Bjorn. Borgie wasn't chasing # of slams as any criteria. Straight-up calendar year slam, or nuthin'! Retired on 11 slams, just one behind Emerson, who then held the record. Wasn't an issue for Borg. Nor was a "Career Slam". He didn't even bother with Oz, saying he'd only play there if he had the other 3 in the bag, Oz then being situated in December.

I remember John Barrett, the esteemable BBC commentator, wondering was Boris Becker going to become the GOAT - straight after he'd won his first Wimbledon, aged 17! Dan Maskill wasn't silent then, fellers. Between these two, McEnroe. After, Lendl. Then Pete. Then Roger. Now Rafa. There might be something in this, or it might be that the meat factory of hype starts churning.

Watching brilliance is seductive, that's the lesson of the day...

 

[shawnbm]

Seductive it is, Kieran. Rafa looked in some ways better than ever this year and the results are there to back it up. Serena is just so much better than everyone else these days--it is really striking. She is dominating the WTA the way Roger did in 2004-2007, and she is 31! It is unreal. Just because there is no Chrissie or Martina going back and forth with her for every major does not detract from her brilliance--she has earned the aura and the accolades, the same way Roger did back then. I would like to see Nadal back up a stellar year in which he returned to number one for a third time in his career, back it up with another year at the top. Roger and Novak did it--I want to see Rafa do it. He is more than capable and it will be a helluva feather in his cap to be number one two years running. As for GOAT, y'all know I don't believe in it, but it does make for interesting conversation.

 

[shawnbm]

By the way, Kieran makes a good point about the Angelic Assassin--does anyone really believe he would not have won more majors if he had taken a break to refuel and did not lose his mind (and marriage) via the Studio 54 life in the early Eighties? I could easily have seen him win more slams over the next two or three years, especially the French. Saw Wilander give an interview in which he talked about his first French victory in 1982 (first year Borg was not there to defend his 6th FO win) and he spoke of playing against Borg to warm up for the event and trying his best to play with Bjorn; he got hipped 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 by Borg the week before the event started! Come on--I think the house could have been bet that Borg would have won his 7th FO that year. I know I have no doubts. Wimbledon or the US Open? Now, I don't know about those two, what with a reinvigorated Connors and McEnroe, to say nothing of the up and coming Ivan Lendl.

 

[RJD11]

Legendary tennis historian, Steve Flink decides whether any re-evaluation is required of the all time greats following Serena and Rafa's US Open crowns...

http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/9917

Down in the comments section of the Article:

Wade Green · Top Commenter · Lancaster University
I think it's ridiculous to place Serena outside the top 3 female tennis players of all time, never mind outside the top 5. Definitely won't be buying his book. I would say that if Serena reached 20 grand slams, she can be undoubtedly viewed as the best of all time. He even suggests that if Serena passed Graff's record, then she may be only considered to be the greatest, which is laughable.

And

Curtis E. Doubt


If Court is discounted for playing against weaker fields, then so is everyone else before Serena.

if you remove the best player in each era and look at everyone else who is left, the top players post-2000 are better than the pre-2000 crew by a country MILE. This is the main reason Serena is in the GOAT discussion even with 17 singles titles (not to mention everything else she did while piling those up...something Graf could only DREAM of).

If Serena ties Graf, there won't even be a discussion...the rest of Serena's achievements will be the tiebreaker.

Mark my words: as far as "experts" are concerned, Steve Flink will be the ONLY ONE still tooting Graf's old horn if Serena reaches 22. Even if she only gets to 20, he will be part of a SMALL group still hoisting Graf ahead of Serena.

 

[Fiero425]

By the way, Kieran makes a good point about the Angelic Assassin--does anyone really believe he would not have won more majors if he had taken a break to refuel and did not lose his mind (and marriage) via the Studio 54 life in the early Eighties? I could easily have seen him win more slams over the next two or three years, especially the French. Saw Wilander give an interview in which he talked about his first French victory in 1982 (first year Borg was not there to defend his 6th FO win) and he spoke of playing against Borg to warm up for the event and trying his best to play with Bjorn; he got hipped 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 by Borg the week before the event started! Come on--I think the house could have been bet that Borg would have won his 7th FO that year. I know I have no doubts. Wimbledon or the US Open? Now, I don't know about those two, what with a reinvigorated Connors and McEnroe, to say nothing of the up and coming Ivan Lendl.

That's why Borg is so revered in comparison to other champions who limped out; gift major to Pete at the end USO '02! Everyone knew Bjorn could have come back, but waited too long! It's not like he was too old, but people forget how young he was when he started; 15 years old! Like Rafa today, he worked real hard to win matches; esp. on clay and grass! When on his game, he could embarrass anyone; '78 FO over Vilas and Wimbledon v Connors in straight sets!