1) Rafael Nadal ~ Allen Iverson
You could say their playing styles are quite similar, in that they tend to fling their bodies around and put tremendous strain on their physical conditioning.
You knew that their careers (or at least their ability to play at an elite level) were always going to be short-lived, simply because no body can withstand that much pounding over the course of a long career.
Something’s got to give sooner or later.
Nadal has been killing his knees for many years due to the way he aggressively flings his body at every point, and likewise, Iverson has been banging his body up every time his six-foot frame (small by NBA standards) drove hard to the basket with reckless abandon.
Iverson’s best days (way back during his first stint with the Sixers) are far behind him now, and as for Nadal…well, one wonders if we’ll ever see him at his Wimbledon ’08 or AO ’09 form ever again.
2) Roger Federer ~ Peyton Manning
Witness how the two great athletes were firmly on the ropes (Federer in his match against Nikolay Davydenko yesterday, and Manning against the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game), and were about to stare defeat in the face…but they somehow used their superior intellect to dissect their opponents style of play, and dug deep into their reserves to pull out a victory.
Just an amazing display of sporting greatness.
You could make the case for Manning being one of the greatest QBs of all time, and Federer being the greatest tennis player of all time.
