First Slam of the year is over. Young'uns ruled the Aussie Open. A pair of 20 year olds won the singles title. No one over 23 was in the Singles finals as a matter of fact. Here are a few random thoughts.
- Novak Djokovic looked very impressive through the tournament. Only dropping one set in the final and dispatched King Federer in the semis with such precision, it is hard not to ask yourself if Federer's reign on men's tennis is starting to get shaky. I think R Fed will still rule the grass courts at Wimbledon. But Aussie Open and US Open are not so much of a sure thing anymore. French will be even harder to get now that Novak is added to the obstacle course along with Nadal and a whole slew of South Americans including Nalbandian and Canas who has given Federer trouble in the past.
- “Tsonga is Stronga” is obviously the story of the tournament. The young Mohammed Ali look-alike won the crowd’s heart by winning 6 matches in emphatic fashion, as an unseeded player, dispatching a few top 15 players along the way. He has tremendous talent, but I am not getting on his bandwagons yet. He could be a one slam wonder. Or he could be the next Safin, who also has immense talent, won 2 slams, but never gets mentioned in the same breath among the top echelon of players.
- Sharapova stormed through the women’s draw with a vengeance trying to repair her image due to her poor showing last year in the Finals against Serena. Her dad Yuri grabbed the attention yet again, causing a lot of negative press by showing up in an army fatigue print over-coat and doing a throat slashing motion after Sharapova beat Henin in straight sets. (2nd was a bagel set) Sharapova improved on her serve, the weakest part of her game, and looks to be back in to form again. Connie hates her guts, mainly due to her arrogance and the classless acts by her dad. I wonder if it is too late to salvage her image with some fans?
- Chinese girls failed to break through again at a Slam. Only bright spot was Tian Tian Sun winning the mix doubles title. Li Na, Peng Shuai, Yan Zi and Zheng Jie all fizzed out early in singles and Yan and Zheng made it to semis as the highest seed left, but lost in the semis.
- Ram/Erlich combo won the men’s doubles. First Slam for the Israeli pair who hovers around #7 or 8 in the world rankings. They became the hero for their country and kudos to them!
- Aussie Open was coined the “Happy Slam” this year by Federer. I hope USTA is taking notice and give it a good run by making US OPEN more fun and fan friendly.
Spring is coming and outdoor tennis is around the corner. I am psyched.
- Novak Djokovic looked very impressive through the tournament. Only dropping one set in the final and dispatched King Federer in the semis with such precision, it is hard not to ask yourself if Federer's reign on men's tennis is starting to get shaky. I think R Fed will still rule the grass courts at Wimbledon. But Aussie Open and US Open are not so much of a sure thing anymore. French will be even harder to get now that Novak is added to the obstacle course along with Nadal and a whole slew of South Americans including Nalbandian and Canas who has given Federer trouble in the past.
- “Tsonga is Stronga” is obviously the story of the tournament. The young Mohammed Ali look-alike won the crowd’s heart by winning 6 matches in emphatic fashion, as an unseeded player, dispatching a few top 15 players along the way. He has tremendous talent, but I am not getting on his bandwagons yet. He could be a one slam wonder. Or he could be the next Safin, who also has immense talent, won 2 slams, but never gets mentioned in the same breath among the top echelon of players.
- Sharapova stormed through the women’s draw with a vengeance trying to repair her image due to her poor showing last year in the Finals against Serena. Her dad Yuri grabbed the attention yet again, causing a lot of negative press by showing up in an army fatigue print over-coat and doing a throat slashing motion after Sharapova beat Henin in straight sets. (2nd was a bagel set) Sharapova improved on her serve, the weakest part of her game, and looks to be back in to form again. Connie hates her guts, mainly due to her arrogance and the classless acts by her dad. I wonder if it is too late to salvage her image with some fans?
- Chinese girls failed to break through again at a Slam. Only bright spot was Tian Tian Sun winning the mix doubles title. Li Na, Peng Shuai, Yan Zi and Zheng Jie all fizzed out early in singles and Yan and Zheng made it to semis as the highest seed left, but lost in the semis.
- Ram/Erlich combo won the men’s doubles. First Slam for the Israeli pair who hovers around #7 or 8 in the world rankings. They became the hero for their country and kudos to them!
- Aussie Open was coined the “Happy Slam” this year by Federer. I hope USTA is taking notice and give it a good run by making US OPEN more fun and fan friendly.
Spring is coming and outdoor tennis is around the corner. I am psyched.
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