A New Generation of Champions

Over the past few months, many of the world’s greatest stars have been usurped at the top of their sport. Could this just be a blip in the rollercoaster which is international competition or has the new generation finally managed to mark their authority permanently? Not that we haven’t heard of these newcomers before; they are not pretenders holding the position as a stop gap. These are the real deal, the ones who, having been given their chance, seek to cement their names at the peak of their professions.

Out of all the possible examples, Tiger Woods is easily the first to come to mind. His private life revelations have hit him extremely hard as one can imagine, but the scale of it all seemed at one stage to have completely overwhelmed him. Now back in competition he failed to reach the final stages of the Tour Championship in America or inspire an inexperienced American team at Celtic Manor. All of this, along with the fact he hasn’t won a tournament since September last year, means that he has lost his number one position in the game. Not Mickelson, not Furyk, but Lee Westwood of Worksop, Nottinghamshire now has the illustrious title. Second in Shanghai only a week after being crowned number one, Westwood has been the most consistent figure in the past two seasons, even though like Montgomerie, he has nothing to show for it in the major category. Nevertheless Woods is not out of the picture. All he needs is some momentum next year and the fourteen times Major winner may get back to winning ways and it will be then that Westwood will get truly tested.

Another big face recently toppled off the top spot is perhaps Woods’ only big rival as the greatest sportsman of their generation. Roger Federer succumbed to the pressure of Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard claimed three of the four Grand Slams in 2010, only losing out in the Australian Open back in January. Still in his early twenties Nadal potentially could better Federer’s record in the Slams if injuries, especially tendonitis in the knees, give him the opportunity. As Federer and Nadal are usually seeded first and second, there are limited occasions when we see this historical rivalry in action and so far Nadal leads 14-7. Federer claimed after their 2008 Wimbledon final, ‘It definitely becomes more and more special the more times we play against each other’. With the World Tour Finals to come in London, Nadal has a chance to win a title he has never got his hands on so far. Where does this leave Murray and Djorkovic? Trailing is the only word for it. Both supremely talented, but neither quite at the level which will see them rugularly ranked above either of Federer or Nadal.

Ever since the early 90s and the overtaking of the West Indies, Australia have stood proud and tall at the peak of Cricket’s rankings. To say as we could recently that they had lost seven games in a row in all competitions could hardly be believable under the stewardship of Border, Waugh and a younger Ponting. However, getting on in years now, him and his team seem to lack the X factor and dynamism that they once had through Warne, Hayden, McGrath, Gilchrist and Lee. Their whitewash by India sums this up as the old heads of Tendulkar, Dravid and Harbhajan Singh churned out yet more wins for the country which has taken over the mantle as the best nation in the game. With England on the horizon for the Aussies next, a loss at home in the Ashes will be a true turning point for everyone to see their dominant force has diminished.

It is important to consider what a great rivalry actually entails. There needs to be a competitive edge which is greatly amplified when they encounter one another, but also a respect so that they both appreciate each other’s talents. This can be seen none more than in the relationship between Tyson Gay and Usain Bolt over the previous few years. Bolt’s burst onto the scene has left most others, including his Jamaican team-mate Asafa Powell, trailing in the dust somewhere behind. Yet Gay has consistently put in performance after performance and managed this season to beat Bolt in the 100m in Stockholm and record the fastest time of the year. Not bad for someone who has had to live in the shadow of possibly one of the most talented and likeable characters of the modern era. Perhaps in 2012 Bolt will not quite have it all his own way.

So what does the future hold? There is of course significant chance that those mentioned may take back their position as kingpin in their respective sports. But don’t count out the underdogs quite yet. How about Paula Radcliffe coming back to win Olympic Gold or Scotland winning next year’s Rugby World Cup…