US Open Review - Rafa Reigns Supreme In New York

There can be no doubt that 2010 in the world of tennis belongs to Rafael Nadal.  The stunning Spaniard may have had to wait twenty-four hours to claim the 9^th Grand Slam success of his career, but his epic four-set triumph over Novak Djokovic in Monday’s men’s singles final was a special moment for Nadal.  It was his third Grand Slam in a row, and he becomes only the seventh player in the history of the game to have won all four grand slams (Australia, France, Wimbledon and the US Open).  He equals a feat set by Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Rod Laver, but has bettered the likes of Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. 

Coming to Flushing Meadows, Nadal was playing down his chances, as this was his weakest surface on the tour.  Prior to this year, he had never made the final at the US Open, but he was in unstoppable form in the previous fortnight, as shown by his ability to overcome a sticky patch in the final.  Djokovic won the second set, then went stride for stride in the third set, before a crucial break on the Serb’s serve was the turning point,  The 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline was a fair reflection on what was the best final of the entire tennis year.

After years of constant frustration, Djokovic showed he does have some extra mettle in his game, that had been previously missing.  His semi-final win over the former king of the game, Roger Federer was of immense quality, and showed that when he is on form, he should be feared.  Sadly, he doesn’t produce it on enough occasions.  His defeat in the final will be hard to take, but he wasn’t disgraced and come Melbourne next January, we will see if this run to the final in New York can take his game up a level.  Federer’s semi-final loss completes a dismal year by the high standards of the Swiss legend.  Since his Australian Open win in February, Federer suffered two shock quarter-final eliminations in the summer Grand Slams, was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt in the final in Halle and has also struggled to make an impression on the ATP circuit, with just one victory in Cinnancti.  Never write off Federer, because he has bounced back before, but it is a worring slump of form and he will hope for better in 2011.  So too will Andy Murray after quite frankly, the worst year of his professional career.  Since reaching the final in Australia, Murray’s form has been very patchy, even on the hard-court surface, which is his strongest by some distance.  Granted, he did well to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, but Andy has lacked consistent performances this season and needs to bring in a new coach quickly.  His third round exit in Flushing Meadows to the Pole, Stanislas Wawrinka was a shocking near-collapse of a player’s game.  He must do better if he is to remain in the elite next year.

With no Serena Williams, due to a broken foot, the women’s game was wide open again, and it resulted in a second successive US Open triumph for Kim Clistjers.  The Belgian ripped the Russian Vera Zvonareva to pieces in Saturday’s final, romping home 6-2, 6-0 in just under an hour.  Zvonareva’s floods of tears at the end of the contest suggested that she knew she had disappointed, especially after her impressive win over the No.1 seed Caroline Wozinacki in the semi-finals.  With Maria Sharapova returning to her best form, before being dumped out by Wozinacki, and the likes of Francesca Schiavone and Sam Stosur breaking through this year, the Williams sisters may not have it all their own way next season.

Wimbledon 2010 - Rafa & Serena In A Class Of Two

A shadow may have been cast over the best tennis tournament on the globe this year, due to the World Cup in South Africa.  Yet, the last two weeks at SW19 produced some remarkable tennis stories, a return to form for a certain Scot, and the World No.1 players in both genders of the game, not disappoint, by eventually scooping the top honours.

When Rafael Nadal missed out on Wimbledon last year, and struggled with fitness concerns at the start of this year, some doubted whether he might have already reached his peak.  However, he proved those doubters wrong, with some top-form tennis in recent months that have seen him rise to the top of the world rankings, possibly even here to stay for good.  Certainly, if his troublesome knee holds up, Nadal could well be the new king of men’s tennis for years to come.  His best form in London came in the latter stages, where he fought hard against an improving Robin Soderling, his French Open final opponent in the last eight, produced some outrageous shots to extinguish the Andy Murray challenge in the semis, then produce the untroubled performance we all expected, in the final, against the surprise package of the tournament, Tomas Berdych.  Nadal is in the form of his life, and that is a worrying sign for many of his competitors. 

As Nadal’s form gets better, the great Roger Federer is going through a lean spell.  For the first time since the beginning of 2003, he has failed to reach at least the semi-finals in consecutive Grand Slam events.  Soderling’s victory at Roland Garros over the great man in the quarters, followed by a shock reverse against Lleyton Hewitt in the pre-tournament event in Halle, were signs that the Swiss players was short of at least half a yard.  When Alejandro Falla, an unheralded Colombian took a two set lead in Round One, normally a 90-minute cruise for Roger, it confirmed these suspicions.  Berdych outplayed him on Centre Court on quarter-finals day, and thoroughly deserved his 4-set triumph.  Federer will be back, no doubt about that, you would be a fool to write him off.  However, he will find it tough to gain back his superior dominance he has held for the past decade. 

With Juan Martin del Potro’s campaign ruined by injury, Andy Roddick’s predictable and lame exit at an expected time and Novak Djokovic freezing on semi-final day, when in his best form for three years, it was Tomas Berdych and Andy Murray who were the other main successes of the ATP tour at Wimbledon.  Reaching the semis of the French Open seems to have given Berdych the new-found confidence in his game, which he had been previously missing.  His nerve in not choking the initiative he had over Federer, and the efficient ease he saw off Djokovic in the semis must be credited.  Granted, he was no match for Nadal in the final, which made the spectacle rather disappointing.  However, he deserved his berth to even be playing Nadal on Sunday, and can leave SW19 with his head held high.  As should Murray, who entered in the worst form of his career, and not having the traditional British fever that usually is associated with Wimbledon.  Once England’s sorry excuse of a football team exited in South Africa, Murray lifted our spirits, with some breathtaking and comfortable tennis, which made him look at home.  Some may say that he blew it again, especially following Federer’s early demise, but I disagree with that sentiment.  Anyone would have struggled against Nadal in the latter stages of any ATP event, and Murray gave him a real run for his money.  Whereas last year, against Roddick, he did choke on the big stage, this time, he was just outplayed by the better stages.  The maiden Grand Slam will come eventually, though I doubt whether that will be a Wimbledon honour.  Hopefully, Andy will now be able to take this momentum rebuild into his favourite surface, the hard court season.

The only surprise of the ladies event was it wasn’t a sisterly affair in the final, between Venus and Serena Williams.  Venus departed earlier than expected, at the quarter-final stage.  However, no-one could stop Serena, who won the final in just over an hour, against the surprise package, Vera Zvonareva of Russia.  Serena is serving better than she ever has, and didn’t drop a single set in the championships, which is an incredible feat in itself.  Apart from a stiff examination from a returning to form Maria Sharapova in the 4^th round, Serena blew the opposition away and will no doubt, add to the 13 Grand Slam titles she already has.  With Dinara Safina not taking part, Jelena Jankovic pulling out through injury in the 4^th round, and the usual suspects, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva making surprise exits, the Russian influence is disappearing rapidly, despite Zvonareva’s excellent run to the final.  It will take some very impressive to knock Serena Williams off the top of her perch.