Round 1

Now that the French Open is in full swing, it is time for the first "Blog Crossfire."  This could be the first of many Battle Royales between THE Sean Sullivan and Carly Pumpkin.  As I have mentioned, a fellow blogger and Internet friend of mine, Carly Pumpkin,  has a serious obsession with Rafael Nadal.  I'm sure she will tell you he is the greatest thing since slice bread. It is hard to argue with Rafa's talent and greatness.  He is a US Open title away from the career grand slam and he is arguably the greatest player ever on clay.  That all said,  Nadal is not the champion the sport needs to resurrect its popularity.  Much like Roger Federer before him and much like Pete Sampras before Federer, they are all boring champions.  They lack personality, there is no style or charisma and their outward emotion leaves something to be desired.  For example, golf has found the chosen one.  Tiger Woods has taken golf to levels of popularity that it has never seen.  If he remains healthy, Woods' skill and mental fortitude will probably make him the greatest champion ever in the sport of golf.  That said, it is Woods' charisma and flare for the moment that makes golf must see TV.  When Woods' said "Hello World" in August 1996, golf found its savior. Tennis is still waiting for theirs.

Let's take Carly's boy, Rafa Nadal.  Like I said, he is a great champion with unbelievable skill and talent; however, he is really boring.  Yeah he pumps his fist every so often and picks his wedgie before he serves, but in the end he lacks that "je ne sais quoi"  or those intangible qualities that make him that special kind of athlete that almost transcends the sport.  If you are looking for transcendence - See Tiger Woods.  See Michael Jordan.  See Wayne Gretzky.  The only thing interesting about Nadal is waiting to see if he is actually going to bite down on the championship trophy when he does that stupid "look at me as I pretend to bite this trophy."  I swear one of these days he is going to bite down on that silver bowl at Roland Garros and break his jaw.  Then he is just going to look dumb.  

"Ouch, I thought the trophy was candy."

While tennis is waiting for its messiah, it could really use a bitter rivalry between to two titans of the game who have personality, charisma, and most importantly a shear on the court hatred for each other.  Currently, Federer and Nadal are the two best in the game.  Federer may end up being the best ever and Nadal has clearly taken the title as best in the world.  The problem is they have a reverence and love for each other that is both disgusting and almost unnatural.  Yes, they both want to win, but I feel that most matches between them is like watching a Republican or Democratic National Convention.  It is a fu*king love fest.  The Wimbledon Final last summer was arguably the greatest match ever played.  It was a five set thriller.  They matched each other shot for shot.  It was surreal. Nadal prevailed in the end for the title and in the process denied Federer a record sixth straight Wimbledon title.  On so many levels the tennis was great, except once again I never felt before, during, or after the match that either player wanted to absolutely destroy the other.  Their killer instincts seem to stop at "I want to win, but please note how good my opponent is." This is bullsh*t.   When these two step on the court, they should absolutely loathe each other.  They should take satisfaction in playing brilliantly while embarrassing the other.  This would go along way in making men's tennis popular again and help the sport return to the glory days of the 1970's and 1980's.

To use another sport as an example, hockey and the NHL was been an afterthought in the sports world, especially in the US, for the better part of the last fifteen years.  There are variety of reasons that contributed to its downfall, which is a discussion for another blog, but three superstars, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Alexander Ovechkin, have recently emerged.  Their skills, personalities, and complete dislike for each other could make for a great rivalry in the coming years.  This rivalry has the potential to bring back a sport and give it an injection of life it so desperately needs.  This year Crosby and Malkin' Penguins took on Ovechkin's Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  Despite an anti-climatic Game 7, the series and these three superstars were as good as advertised.  The future of hockey now looks bright. Yes, these guys are supremely skilled, but there is no love lost either.  Case in point, several summers ago Ovechkin and his cronies ran into Malkin's entourage at a bar in Moscow.  Because Ovechkin is an animal and probably can't stand the sight of Malkin he threw a big left hook on a prominent member of that entourage.  I kind of envision this going down like the Las Vegas episode of Entourage.  Ovechkin flies out of nowhere a la Johnny Drama and just slugs Malkin's agent because he is talking sh*t similar to Seth Green's b*tch a$$ in Entourage.  Yes, this is a little extreme, but it is fuel to the fire for this up and coming rivalry.  

Tennis doesn't need fighting, but a good ole' fashion rivalry definitely attracts fans.  During the golden age of men's tennis, one of the great rivalries was John McEnroe and Bjorn Bjorg.  McEnroe respected Borg, but when he stepped on the court McEnroe wanted nothing more than to destroy Borg. As the story for this French Open unfolds, I will be routing for the next great thing to not only challenge Nadal's skills, but be the personality the sport so desperately needs.  Tennis needs the craftsmanship of Bjorg, the charisma of Connors, the brashness of McEnroe, and the flare of Agassi.  So here's to hoping Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsongo, Andy Murray, or some unknown can be the rival to Nadal both on and off the court.

Check out Carly's side of the argument at http://carly-pumpkin.blogspot.com/.