An Era of Unprecedented Athletic Greatness

Special U.S. Open (tennis) Edition

Last week, I prepared a special blog article in anticipation of Novak Djokovic becoming the first tennis player (man or woman) to win the Calendar Grand Slam in tennis since Australia's Rod Laver in 1969. For this unique and extraordinary achievement, in concert with surpassing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 21 Major titles, I was prepared to pronounce Djokovic as the undisputed GOAT (greatest of all time) of men's tennis.

Then, "The Djoker" did something that surprised me—and that few experts or pundits anticipated.

He LOST.  

The Good News is that I no longer feel compelled to pronounce Djokovic the undisputed GOAT of men's tennis. This is good news because I have long been a Roger Federer fan whose heart has been broken on many occasions by Djokovic's brilliance, determination, and resilience over the years. Such heartbreak occurred most notably (and recently) in the 2019 Wimbledon Final, where Novak pulled a rabbit out of his hat against Roger and somehow found a way to stave off multiple championship points in the fifth set to win the longest Wimbledon final in history—and the second longest final in Grand Slam history. The bad news, at least for Djokovic, is I had to edit my original article to withhold the ultimate piece of praise (confirming GOAT status).

At only 34 years of age, it is quite possible—and perhaps even likely—that Djokovic may yet merit this praise from my pen before he retires. But after losing yesterday's U.S. Open final to Russian up-and-comer, Daniil Medvedev, I cannot in good conscience take that leap just yet.

Thus, for now, the BIG 3—Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic—remain tied at 20 Grand Slam single titles apiece, and at least for me, as a tied trio of GOATS. And while compelling empirical evidence is mounting to suggest that both Nadal and Djokovic may have already surpassed Federer, the fact remains that the elder Federer, in a sense, created both of his younger rivals by his own unprecedented successes prior to their rise on tennis's biggest stage. In other words, had Nadal and Djokovic not had Federer's greatness to chase all these years, they likely would not have risen to their own lofty status. Indeed, the three have very much fueled each other's unparalleled success in the sport. 

Nothing in all of men's tennis history can even compare to the greatness of The BIG 3. Take all the greatest men's stars of the past 60 years—Laver, Connors, Borg, McEnroe, Lendl, Aggassi, and Sampras, and none of them are even in the dust of the BIG 3, at least in terms of Grand Slam titles won.

But in a larger sense, the BIG 3 of men's tennis is emblematic of a host of athletes, teams, coaches, and performances from the past four decades that have accomplished unprecedented things in collegiate and professional athletics. As such, I think it is worth taking a moment or two to pause and reflect on the cornucopia of excellence that the WORLD of SPORT has gifted us over the course of my lifetime (42 years).

I recognize that much greatness was demonstrated before I was even born. Like Jim Thorpe at Carlisle and the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. And the New York Yankees of the late 1930s and early 1950s. Definitely there was the Boston Celtics of the 1960s and Bear Bryant's Alabama Crimson Tide of the 60s and 70s. And most dramatically, we cannot forget the UCLA Bruins from 1964 to 1975. And there were certainly individual outliers like Paavo Nurmi, Muhammad Ali, Mark Spitz, and Nadia Comaneci.

So I get it, and it's not like we haven't been down this road before. 

Nevertheless, it remains clear that in 2021, the road is wider, longer, has been freshly paved, and continues to ascend into mountain heights and summits hitherto untouched by those who went before.  

In past blog articles, I have discussed my disappointment in the mediocrity we sometimes see around us in the United States and beyond. Moreover, I have articulated how determined I am personally, and how driven we at Freedom Focused are as an organization, to influence positive and productive changes to this culture of apathy and underachievement. 

And all that is true, speaking collectively and not individually.

However, speaking individually and not collectively, the exact opposite is true. Indeed, if you do a little "cherry picking," it is not difficult to find examples of unprecedented commitment, dedication, excellence, and achievement coming from all corners of the globe—and it is inspiring! The most salient examples of these "exceptions to the rule" are perhaps most visible in the WORLD of SPORT.

To illustrate this phenomenon, consider the following:

• The BIG 3 in men's tennis
• Serena & Venus Williams in women's tennis
• WOMEN in general in all sports
• Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots in the NFL
• Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Phil Jackson in the NBA
• The Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA
• Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide
• Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in men's soccer
• John McDonnell, Pat Henry, Mike Holloway, Vin Lananna, and Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M, Florida, Stanford, and Oregon in men and women's Track & Field
• Michael Phelps in men's swimming
• Jenny Thompson and Katie Ledecky in women's swimming
• Usain Bolt in sprints
• Karston Warholm and Sydney McLaughlin in hurdles
• Hicham el Guerrouj, Daniel Komen, and David Rudisha in middle distance racing
• Keninisa Bekele, Eliud Kipchoge, and Joshua Cheptegai in distance running

Without exception, each athlete, coach, and/or team listed above has outlying achievements that have seldom (if ever) been matched. And in some cases—such as the BIG 3 winning 20 Gram Slam tennis titles apiece—such accomplishments may never be matched again. And it has all occurred in the past four decades. Suffice it to say, as a sporting enthusiast, I feel pretty blessed to have come of age during the 1980s and 1990s.  

Such accomplishments are a testament to the courage, commitment, and undying tenacity of the human spirit—something that we as self-action leaders can continually learn from so that we might ever move onward and upward in our own personal and professional quests after FREEDOM and EXISTENTIAL GROWTH.  

Click HERE to learn more about FREEDOM as we define it at Freedom Focused, and how it differs from LIBERTY.  

Click HERE to learn more about Existential Growth.  

-Dr. JJ

September 13, 2021

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 229th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 228 FF Blog Articles.  

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