Superstars on Display in Korea, Japan

Fans got the chance to see two “emperors of sports” in two days, recently.

The “Emperor of Golf” Tiger Woods played at the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament held in Japan, while a match between “Emperor of Tennis” Roger Federer of Switzerland and Rafael Nadal of Spain was staged in Korea.

Their professionalism was very impressive. At the fourth round on November 19, Woods made a birdie after swearing and hitting his caddie’s bag with a sand wedge several times when his third shot from a bunker did not make it close to the pin at the fourth hole (par 5).

World tennis number one Federer won the match after making sharp strokes on the base line with shouts in the third set.

Federer’s racquet is smaller in its head size and 20g heavier than normal for more power and precision.

While the two emperors showed their best, there was a sharp contrast between the two countries in what happened outside of the sports field. In Japan, over 20,000 people who came to see Woods were able to enjoy his play while using various convenience facilities as the game ran smoothly. The four bodyguards following Woods were unnoticeable.

On the other hand, Korean tennis fans were offended by high-handed private guards in black suits. The match was held around the dinner time, but there was nothing to grab for dinner at the booth.

kjs0123@donga.com