The big Swiss cheese

His latest achievement is one of the more monumental athletic feats in history, but mention his name in the same breath as other great athletes of our generation and prepare to meet an onslaught of skepticism.

The man I'm talking about doesn't throw touchdown passes, score 3-point baskets or hit home runs. He doesn't make his living on the treacherous climbs of the Tour de France or in the confines of a boxing ring. His lifetime earnings barely top Alex Rodriguez's single season salary. Possibly the most dominant athlete of our generation may actually be a tennis player.

Everyone, meet Roger Federer.

The Swiss-born Federer made history this week by retaining the top ranking in men's tennis for a record 161st consecutive week with his win over Kristian Pless 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3 in the first round of Monday's Dubai Open. The win helped top Jimmy Connors' 30-year-old mark of 160 straight weeks at No. 1.

Consider the fact that since becoming the No. 1 player on Feb. 2, 2004, Federer has lost just 15 of his 262 matches. Federer has trounced top rival Andy Roddick in 13 of 14 matches and has acquired double the points of the world's second-ranked player, Rafael Nadal, in the ATP points standings. He also holds the admiration of his peers.

"Roger is winning every grand slam except for the French, winning every Masters Series tournament. That means he can't have one bad day [HTML_REMOVED] that's incredible," James Blake told The London Independent after losing to Federer in September of last year.

Roger's current winning streak of 37 matches is 11 higher than that of legendary tennis star Andre Agassi. Barring injury, he has the inside track on Pete Sampras' mark of 286 overall weeks at No. 1, and Sampras said Agassi will likely eclipse his personal record of 14 grand slam victories.

"I don't see anyone pushing him, so I could see him winning 17, 18, 19 majors," Sampras told Sportstar Weekly. "He has 10 already, and he's in the middle of his career."

But just where will Roger Federer's explosive forehand land him in the landscape of the greatest athletes ever?

Tiger Woods, for one, emerges as the other top candidate in an individual sport.

But let's be frank [HTML_REMOVED] if an overweight Phil Mickelson has been able to maintain the top ranking in golf, then golf and tennis have a few fundamental differences in the level of physical fitness required to succeed. While Woods may not yet sport a brassiere [HTML_REMOVED] la Mickelson, I find it hard to believe that the average PGA golfer could survive, let alone compete, in a grueling five-set match.

The sheer dominance of Roger Federer in pro tennis becomes even more striking when noting his 95 percent win rate during the past three years.

Would Johan Santana be able to hold Albert Pujols to a batting average of .050 in 1,800 consecutive at-bats? Would the best NBA player, Kobe Bryant, be able to defeat other top-tier stars like LeBron James in 95 percent of their one-on-one battles?

Can Champ Bailey prevent Ocho Cinco from catching a touchdown pass in 19 out of every 20 balls thrown to him?

Doubtful.

Suddenly, it becomes clear that Federer's supremacy in the world of tennis will remain beyond our comprehension in the foreseeable future. Perhaps it is for this reason that Federer has never been featured on a cover of Sports Illustrated.

What's crazier? Kenyon Martin has.

Reach reporter Maks Goldenshteyn at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.