Roger Federer or Tiger Woods?

By Jeff Gordon

Roger Federer and Tiger Woods have become good friends in recent years, which is no surprise.

They have so much in common. They are the two most dominant athletes in professional athletics. They wear the target at every event they enter. They have few — if any — peers in the sports they play.

This summer they co-starred in a Nike commercial celebrating their remarkable success.

"It's not often that you can relate to someone about things that are going on but we can," Woods once said of Federer. "It's nice to pick his brains. I've been lucky to get to know Michael Jordan pretty well and it's good to find people you can talk to about preparations and distractions, about getting to the top and then moving forward."

Federer, 26, owns tennis, as he demonstrated during the past two weeks by winning his fourth U.S. Open title and his 12th Grand Slam championship.

Woods, 31, rules golf, as he underscored by capturing the BMW Championship over the weekend for his 60th PGA Tour victory.

But how do these titans really match up? Let's see how they compare in a number of critical categories:

Week-to-week success: Advantage Federer.

On any surface but clay, he has remained nearly unbeatable. He has reigned as the world's top-ranked player for 188 consecutive weeks. That's more than three years!

Even Woods, superhuman that he is, suffered a significant slump while tinkering with his swing.

For a 35-year span, 1970 through 2005, no man reached all four Grand Slam finals in the same calendar year. Now Federer has done it two years running.

Federer's consistent brilliance is unmatched.

Competitive drive: Draw.

Neither player gets tired of winning. Marriage hasn't tamed Tiger and neither has fatherhood.

And freakish success hasn't left Federer complacent. He seems unfamiliar with the concept.

"New guys challenging me — this is my biggest motivation out there," Federer said after winning the U.S. Open. "Seeing them challenging me, and then beating them in the finals."

Quality of competition: Advantage Woods.

Golf's competitive depth is amazing. Phil Mickelson isn't the only guy chasing Tiger. On a given weekend, there may be 100 golfers with a legitimate shot at outplaying Woods.

In tennis, second-ranked Rafael Nadal can consistently beat Federer on the slower surfaces. Nadal won eight of his first 13 matches against him.

Novak Djokovic, 20, could be the Next Big Thing based on his brilliant play at the U.S. Open. He took Federer the distance.

Other than that, though, few players can even hang with Federer on the court. Poor Andy Roddick has lost to Federer 14 out of 15 times. He played an almost flawless match at the U.S. Open and still got dusted.

Historical standing: Draw.

Federer is just two grand slams behind Pete Sampras' record of 14. Barring a catastrophic injury, he will blow away that record.

He has already flown past legends like Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver. He has reached 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals and won eight of them. He has won 34 consecutive matches at Wimbledon.

But Tiger won his 13th major this summer, the PGA Championship, and shows no sign of slowing down. He is gunning for Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors and barring something entirely unforeseen, he's going to get it.

"When you first start your career, 18 is just a long way away," Woods said after winning the PGA. "And even though I'm at 13, it's still a long, long way. You can't get it done in one year. It's going to take time. It took Jack 20 years to get it done, 20-plus years. Hopefully health permitting and everything goes right and I keep improving, that I'll one day pass that."

Earning power: Advantage Woods.

Both players dominate their sports in total earnings, but Tiger has moved into a whole new category.

Thanks to his deal with Nike and his ability to command $3 million appearance fees overseas, Tiger became the first athlete to earn more than $100 million per year. So says Forbes Magazine, which annually computes the earning power of the rich and famous.

But don't feel sad for Federer. Forbes estimated his take at $29 million per year, thanks to lucrative endorsement deals with Gillette, Rolex, Nike, Swiss Air and Wilson.

Staying power: Advantage Woods.

Martina Navratilova played well until she was 50. Tiger will excel at least that long, given his commitment to fitness.

It would be hard to imagine Federer staying on top much past 30, given the tremendous physical demands of his sport. Eventually he will lose a step.

Celebrity power: Advantage Woods.

He is the rare golfer with global appeal. Tennis players have enormous appeal in Europe, but Tiger will draw more paparazzi than Federer almost anywhere in the world.

Now, if Roger had married one of the Spice Girls ...

The bottom line

Federer is hotter right now. He almost never loses. He has one rival, Nadal, and perhaps one up-and-comer to contend with, Djokovic.

But Woods is the more dominant performer overall. He has been at it longer and he figures to keep winning long after Federer scales back. He faces more competition from week to week.

He is the bigger global celebrity and the biggest money-maker in athletics. He is more than a golfer, just as Muhummad Ali was more than a boxer and Pele was more than a soccer player.

It's Tiger's world. Every other athlete, Federer included, just lives in it.