Tiger Woods was on the golf course at the AT&T National Sunday when Roger Federer finally outlasted Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 in their epic five-set Wimbledon final.
Woods proceeded to text his buddy and fellow Nike employee with this message, “Good job. Now it’s my turn.”
Woods won his own golf tournament but it didn’t add to his list of 14 majors. He remains four shy of Jack Nicklaus’ all-time mark of 18.
Yet with tennis legends Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras looking on at the All-England Club Federer won his 15th major and surpassed Sampras for first all-time among men. (Margaret Court-Smith won 24 and Steffi Graf 22).
“He is the greatest player who’s ever played,” Woods said. “I talked to Pete about it. He’s so good on any surface it doesn’t matter. If [Rafael] Nadal wasn’t around he’ probably be the best clay courter on the planet.
“It’s just pretty impressive what he’s done and the humbleness that he’s done it with.”
MOST MEN’S SINGLES MAJORS EVER
15 – Roger Federer
14 – Pete Sampras
12 – Roy Emerson
11 – Bjorn Bjorg
11 – Rod Laver
ZAGS’ TOP FIVE TENNIS MATCHES OF MY LIFETIME
1. Nadal over Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final
2. John McEnroe over Bjorn Borg in the 1980 Wimbledon final
3. McEnroe over Mats Wilander in a 1982 Davis Cup match that lasted 6 hours, 32 minutes
4. Federer over Roddick in the 2009 Wimbledon final
5. Nadal over Fernando Verdasco in 2009 Australian Open semis; longest Aussie open match ever
**Federer-Sampras Timeline
***The Wimbledon men’s final will be reaired on ESPN Classic three times Monday in five-hour slots, at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET.
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