Much has been written in recent years, or since Tiger Woods turned professional, how golf's popularity has risen while tennis's has fallen. Sunday's classic Wimbledon men's singles final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, considered by many to be one of the best tennis matches of all time, may help to get more people back on the court.

Nadal knocked off Federer, who had won the last five Wimbledon men's singles titles, in five sets, and more than four hours on the court. Both players were at the top of their games, hitting one amazing shot after another to win points that few other players could have contested.

Add the fact that the Williams sisters -- Venus and Serena -- dominated the women's singles competition to meet in the finals, and you had a great two days of top-notch tennis.

Like golf, tennis is a sport most people can play for a lifetime, but unlike golf, tennis is rather inexpensive, and also is much better exercise, especially at a time when most golfers opt for carts instead of walking.

It's true that Woods has singlehandedly increased golf's popularity, both in terms of numbers of players and TV ratings, and that isn't likely to change because of one great tennis tournament. What the Wimbledon performances did, though, is showcase how exciting this sport can be, and give our kids role models to look up to. It also made tennis look cool, which doesn't hurt either.

My kids watched much of the Federer-Nadal final and were very interested in taking tennis lessons this week. For my part, I play tennis with a friend on a regular basis, and watching this match has motivated me to work on my game ... much like how I feel about my golf game after watching Tiger.

Take advantage of this focus on tennis to expose your kids to the sport; it could be the start of something they'll enjoy for years to come.