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U.S. Top Half Miler Nick Symmonds Calls Tennis Players The World’s Best Overall Athletes
10 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
Nick Symmonds, America’s premier half-miler, says he has come to appreciate the sport of tennis and the phenomenal athletic ability of the top players.
I was doing a Biofile with Symmonds last Thursday at the Fifth Avenue Mile press conference at 21 Club, and when I asked who the toughest competitors he’s encountered were, he answered veteran American miler Bernard Lagat and then also added a surprise name. “I like watching Roger Federer quite a bit. I think he’s a tough competitor for sure,” said the 27-year-old Symmonds who is from Springfield, Oregon. “I love watching tennis. I think those guys are probably the greatest overall athletes in the world, just given their stamina, power, durability. I love watching tennis players.”
When asked if he plays, the U.S. 800 meter champ and fifth place finisher at the 2011 World Championships 800 meter event in August, replied with a laugh, “Not well. It’s pretty sloppy. But I like to play.”
Not many world class athletes give tennis pros the credit as possibly being the world’s best athletes, so with curiosity I ask Symmonds to elaborate on his unconventional observation. “I just think if you add in all the factors – you consider that they play three-four hour matches. Their hand-eye coordination. Their durability. Their power. Everything added up. I think tennis players are probably the best all-around athletes. And maybe decathletes, for sure.”
I offer that tennis players are hitting balls that are often moving often in excess of 100 miles per hour, with spin. “Exactly. What we do is difficult but it’s not a whole lot of coordination – hand-eye coordination – muscle memory, in that sense. It’s running, which is difficult but the way those guys are able to play for four-five hours, the kind of focus that that takes is impressive.”
When asked if he’s been to see live pro tennis, Symmonds says: “No. I’ve always wanted to come to the U.S. Open here in New York. But we’re always a couple of weeks late (Fifth Avenue Mile is two weeks after U.S. Open finals weekend). I just miss it. I also just missed the Australian Open by a couple of weeks.”
One of these years, Symmonds will get there though.
As for who are Symmonds favorite players to watch? “Federer is my favorite but I really like watching Nadal as well. Djokovic is growing on me.”
And for a female tennis player, Symmonds doesn’t hesitate, and with a smile says: “Maria Kirilenko.”
2008 Olympian Symmonds competed in the Fifth Avenue Mile this Saturday. He is a four-time defending national 800 meter champion and winner of seven NCAA outdoors titles.
Are the world's best athletes playing tennis?
Dan Markowitz · September 26, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Nice piece, Scoop. I like the way Nick assesses which sports athletes are the best athletes. Tennis is amazing, especially at the level we saw the Nadal-Djokovic match at. But is a Michael Chang or an Andre Agassi, two guys who did very well in pro tennis, as great an athlete as a Michael Jordan or Jim Brown? I tend to doubt it. Even a Nadal or Djokovic, they don’t have the power these bigger men have, they’re not as fast in a sprint, can’t jump as high, only their hand-eye coordination might be better. I think another question to ask is would a great tennis champion be able to play another pro sport the way Jordan played baseball, with no prior experience in the game, or Bo Jackson played football-baseball or Deion Sanders. I can’t think of one tennis player who did this. Lendl tried with golf, I guess. Althea Gibson played both tennis and golf. In a Superstar competition, I don’t think the great tennis player would stack up with the great basketball or football player.
Scoop Malinowski · September 27, 2011 at 12:38 am
Jordan and Deion and Bo Jackson are very impressive athletes, no doubt about it, but what Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic are doing is more awe-inspiring IMO. The one on one sports bring out the very best athleticism qualities. Boxers are not looked at as great athletes – perhaps because Joe Frazier bombed out at the Superstars competition (almost drowned in the swimming event) and Muhammad Ali was said to have absolutely zero talent in any other sport besides boxing. But what these guys did in boxing – to become the best boxer on the planet takes extraordinary athleticism and mental and physical superiority. Tennis players are comparable to boxers – Tracy Austin called tennis “a fistfight without the fists” – and I think top tennis players are more athletically gifted, as far as aesthetics. Djokovic hitting a running backhand down the line, Nadal smashing a full stretch forehand, Federer’s ballet-like movements and poetry in motion shotmaking while under tremendous pressure. Day in and day out. Not to take away anything from people like Mario Lemieux, Alex Ovechkin, Sid Crosby, Derek Jeter, KG, LeBron, Kobe, Cliff Lee, Walter Payton, Marcus Allen, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Tiger Woods who all can do or did amazing things in their fields. But the top players in tennis, like Nick Symmonds says, combine speed, power, durability, stamina – and also not to be overlooked is strategic tactical intelligence to problem solve and figure out ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Mitch · September 27, 2011 at 2:20 am
From what I’ve read, Federer and Nadal were actually quite talented football (soccer) players, but gave the sport up when they devoted themselves to tennis.
Scoop Malinowski · September 27, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Mitch; It’s hard to imagine Federer or Nadal not being good at ANY sport. I saw a video of Nadal playing soccer as a kid and he was very good. You have to think Rafa was being groomed for a soccer career like his uncle, however his extraordinary tennis abilities got in the way )
Steve · September 27, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Federer is an absolute freak of nature as Nadal says in his book but in a totally different way than the great Bo Jackson.
I hope the US tennis starts attracting our best athletes but, as everyone knows, tennis can take a decade before you get your strokes mastered and then you have to have a sound mind to be a winner. How many great athletes have the patience for that?
Scoop Malinowski · September 27, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Steve; Do you think tennis ever attracted the best athletes in America? Pete Rose, Derek Jeter, Roger Staubach, Walter Payton, Chris Chelios, Sugar Ray Leonard, Fred Couples, etc. all went to other sports than tennis. We just have to hope young athletes fall in love with tennis and get inspired by the current elites. It takes a love of the game and excellent coaching and motivating to keep kids going in tennis. It’s so easy to get distracted.
Steve · September 27, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Scoop, we got lucky with Sampras. I could have seen him doing fine as a point guard or in baseball.
Dan Markowitz · September 27, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Sampras is the only top athlete who played tennis. Maybe Mala Vai Washington, too. You don’t get a Jo Willy Tsonga playing tennis in the US. Maybe guys like Fish could be pro golfers or outside chance, pro baseball players. Spadea said he was an outstanding baseball player until he quit at 14. Courier maybe could’ve been a Major League player.
Scoop Malinowski · September 27, 2011 at 8:09 pm
True Steve, can also see Agassi being a .350 switch hitter with his hand eye, maybe an outfielder. Pete would be a 35 game winner and 400 Ks a season ace of any pitching staff with that arm.
Scoop Malinowski · September 28, 2011 at 12:19 am
Johnny Mac was an extraordinary athlete too. I think if he bulked up he could have been a very good hockey player with a wicked wrist shot. I heard he was a high school hoops player too, pretty competitive at that. Rafter was also a talented athlete. Rios. I think any one who reaches the top 10 or 20 in tennis would have been able to excel in another pro sport, they have the mentality to be the best and they achieve it. Team sports it’s far easier to succeed and make pro in than tennis where it’s only you. There’s no long term contracts in tennis, once you stop winning, you’re gone. In pro team sports, if your production declines, you can ride out contracts. Or get picked up by another team.