Michael Ventre

“Roger. Over.”

That expression is typically associated with communication between a control tower and a cockpit, but it also applies to the world of men’s tennis. Specifically, it’s a shorthanded way of telling a player that his next opponent is Roger Federer, and therefore it would probably behoove said player to pack his things and prepare for the next tournament because this tournament has ended.

Federer is on a roll, some might say a Tiger Woods-like roll. Better yet, it’s probably more accurate to say that Tiger is on a Roger roll.

The reigning kings of tennis and golf are dominating their sports like few others in history have done. But which is more impressive?

Ordinarily, when such discussions take place — as in an MVP debate in a team sport, for instance — one individual is deemed superior and the other is painted as a bum. Not so here. The separation between Federer and Woods is barely perceptible, but it’s there.

In this case, it has to do with the competition and the context of their respective dominations. After careful examination, Federer’s achievements get the nod.

First, a brief rundown on Roger. After beating Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in straight sets on Sunday in Melbourne, Federer now has 10 Grand Slam titles at the age of 25. The Australian victory marked the first time he sped through the field at a major without dropping a set. The last player to win a Slam without losing a set was Bjorn Borg in the 1980 French Open.

He has now won a career-best 36 matches and is one major away from tying Borg and Rod Laver with 11 each. He also has an excellent shot at becoming the first man since Laver in 1969 to complete the Grand Slam in the same calendar year — victories in the Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

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It’s almost impossible to compare the two worlds. Federer holds a racket and runs around a lot, hitting shot after shot in the hot midday sun. Woods stands still and whacks a little white ball with a club while thousands look on in silence. Federer plays against another human. Woods plays against a field and a course. Federer carries his own equipment. Woods has a caddy.

See? It’s silly to compare. Both players are brilliant and overwhelming.

But that won’t stop us from trying to put one above the other. It’s only natural. We’re sports fans. If not for silly arguments, what would we have left?

The reason Federer gets the edge is the competition, or lack thereof, on the golf tour.

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While Tiger is tearing through tournament field after tournament field, none of his peers is making a peep. It may just be the temperament of the game itself. Golf takes great pride in its own stodginess. It is a snob’s paradise, and rarely does a player lose his cool. Perhaps on public links you may see a player fume over his inability to hit a proper approach or avoid hooking his drive onto a service road, and then take the appropriate action by breaking his clubs over his knee and tossing them into the lake.

But on the PGA Tour, everybody is making so much money that there is never a reason for anyone to get upset. Tiger’s so-called “competitors” make so much money from finishing 10^th one week, 15^th the next and ninth the next, plus payment from sponsors, not to mention all the niceties of the tour life itself like a courtesy car, a buffet, etc., that beating Tiger has plummeted down the list of priorities. Maintaining a cushy profit margin is Job No. 1.

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