Tom Brady wins a 7th Super Bowl, and the tennis world pays its respect

It’s probably safe to say that tennis broadcast rightsholders in the United States didn’t love what the sport was up against Sunday night. Due to the Australian Open’s three-week, pandemic-induced delay, the first hours of the tournament’s first day of coverage ran opposite—wait for it—the Super Bowl.

From a ratings and buzz perspective, it was a mismatch akin to some the lopsided first-rounders typically seen at Slams. And even though some football watchers may have checked out of the big game earlier than usual, considering its lopsided nature—the Tampa Bay Buccanneers surprisingly stifled the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9—the latest example of transcendence from quarterback Tom Brady kept many talking football, even in Melbourne.

“I checked the score pretty much immediately,” said Milos Raonic after his first-round win, which took place during the Super Bowl. “It was on in the locker room, so I didn't have to make too much of an effort to look out for it.”

What Raonic and a worldwide audience saw was 43-year-old Brady tossing three touchdowns in the first half, outplaying his 25-year-old counterpart, the near-universally lauded Patrick Mahomes (who won the Super Bowl last year, but was under duress all game this time) and winning his seventh NFL championship. It also earned him a fifth Super Bowl MVP award—not bad for someone whose first Super Bowl victory, in 2001, came before some of this year’s Australian Open participants were even born.

“I look up to a lot of athletes that have done incredible things,” Raonic said. “I think Tom, for a lot of people, [is] a pretty special example, just because he wasn't the kid prodigy that sort of went on to do the great things he's done. I think a lot of people can reference that.

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“I wasn’t necessarily, by any means, by stretch of the imagination, one of the best juniors, but I kept plugging away just to try to be better and better each day. It came together for me. I think a lot of people appreciate that aspect about it.”

But even a tennis prodigy—say, Serena Williams—can admire what Brady has done. Serena will join Brady and her sister Venus as a 40-year-old professional athlete later this year; all three won on Sunday night, without being overly troubled.

“It’s unbelievable. I just was watching as much as I could to see,” Williams said after her commanding win over Laura Siegemund. “My only word is it’s unbelievable.

“I kept saying, ‘This is unbelievable, this is unreal.’ You can't say it was the system he was at formerly [as a member of the New England Patriots, with whom Brady won his first six Super Bowls]. It's definitely Tom Brady, he's Tom Brady. He’s amazing.”

Social media was ablaze about the performance, including Tennis Twitter. Jessica Pegula—whose family owns the Buffalo Bills, the team Kansas City defeated to reach the Super Bowl—echoed Serena in citing the incredulity of the Brady’s return to the top (alongside his teammate, Rob Gronkowski):

While fellow American Reilly Opelka expressed his surprise at the Buccaneers’ defense, and its ability to  shut down the normally electric Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense:

On Instagram, Roger Federer went with a somewhat-confusing duo of photos past with Brady and his wife, Gisele:

The win bolsters Brady’s decorated résumé, but doesn’t change the National Football League’s GOAT conversation; Brady had the mythical title wrapped up years ago. It’s the opposite of the conversation in men’s tennis, where convincing cases have been made for three candidates.

Whether this Australian Open adds clarity—should Rafael Nadal pass Federer with a 21st Grand Slam singles title—or muddle the discussion further—should Novak Djokovic win his ninth major Down Under, and his 19th overall—it’s always great to see the greats competing. Much like quarterbacks Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Mahomes brought out the best in Brady in football these playoffs, the Big Three have brought out the best in each other time and again. But don’t take my word for it.

“It’s for me definitely an honor and pleasure to be part of the same era with these two guys, without a doubt,” Djokovic said at Wimbledon in 2019. “I’ve said this millions of times before, that I am the player that I am today because of these guys, mostly because of the rivalries I have with two of them.

“I think it can only bring positive message and value to our sport, the fact that we're still playing, the fact we’re still making history of the game. It does transcend, I feel like, and hopefully does. It’s like Tom Brady, for example, who at his age is still playing on the top level, winning rings and everything.”

Two years later, and Brady has another. You can bet Djokovic was watching, too.