Today’s conversation explores the broader question of how to assess greatness? To get there, Jonathan Ellsworth and Troy Russ discuss the art & craft of tennis (and whether it is the greatest of all sports?); the art & craft of great sports writing (and whether David Foster Wallace’s essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience is the pinnacle of the form?); and finally, we discuss Troy’s Top 5 All-Time Tennis Players, which leads us back into the big question of how to think about assessing greatness in any sport.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Troy’s Tennis Background & Playing Andre Agassi (5:59)

Tennis — the Greatest Sport? (9:07)

David Foster Wallace: Roger Federer as Religious Experience (18:40)

Watching Tennis on TV vs In-Person (25:32)

Troy’s Top 5 Men’s Tennis Players (29:56)

Troy’s Top 5 Women’s Tennis Players (49:55)

Plot Twist: Re-Ranking the Top 5 (55:49)

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Assessing Greatness: The Art & Craft of Tennis, Great Sports Writing, & Top 5 Lists