Changing of the Guard in Men's Tennis

I didn't have to watch the entire Gentlemen's Final at The Championships Wimbledon to know that it was an instant classic.

Watching the last set told me everything I needed to know.

The longest championship match in Wimbledon history saw Championship points defeated, breaks in serve, break points fought off, spectacular shots, amazing aces, outstanding gamesmanship, and a helluva lot of fun.

Yet, after today's five set thriller, the defending five-time champion Roger Federer would fall off of his throne to the golden boy of the sport, Rafael Nadal.

The men's tennis landscape is no longer Roger's to dominate. Nadal is soon to be the number one player in the world, as long as he learns to play well on surfaces other than clay and grass. Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open earlier this year, and is currently regarded as the best hard court player on tour. Fed's got some competition.

And you know what, that competition is good for the game's popularity. It's no longer a given that Roger Federer will win every tournament.

Let's make a comparison between Men's Golf and Tennis and show why Tennis has been more popular in the overall grand scheme of things. In golf, who has been Tiger's biggest rival? Phil Mickelson is the closest to him, but that isn't much of a rivalry. Rocco Mediate? Please....one close playoff doesn't make him a rival.

In tennis, Federer vs. Nadal has been the rivalry of all rivalries. You could make comparisons to Aggasi / Sampras, or Bjorg / McEnroe, but in the current game, Nadal / Federer has ignited the frenzy of tennis fans all throughout the world, even here in America.

Congratulations to Rafael Nadal, and maybe even more importantly, congratulations to Men's Tennis.