It seems like a lifetime ago, as they say, since I put up my last post here. Who was I talking about way back on Friday, Nicole Vaidisova? As everyone knows, the Aussie Open has undergone a few changes since then. Roger Federer almost lost to a crazed mathemetician (or indie rocker); Serena Williams played what can best be described as mysterious tennis; Justine Henin was served up a bagel, toasted; Poland showed us that it's suddenly got WTA game; and Marcos Baghdatis pulled a T.O. and fled Rod Laver Arena in tears.
All in all it was one of the more memorable weekends in recent Grand Slam history. For most of us, that is: First-time director Craig Tiley would probably like to forget it entirely. Even after promising no more late nights, he presided over the latest one in history, in which Lleyton Hewitt cracked his final winner past Marcos Baghdatis at 4:34 A.M. Don't feel too bad, Craig, it worked out well for those of us on the East Coast of the U.S. I got up Saturday morning, watched for an hour, went to the gym and played a full squash match, and came home in time for the epic final two sets. Really, at that point, you can’t blame Baghdatis for having a cry—that’s all that was left to do. It will be hard to top this match in 2008, if only for the final reactions of the two players. You had Baghdatis in tears, and Hewitt staring bug-eyed at his box before falling prone to the court as the final score was announced. Unforgettable stuff, no matter what time it was.
Between the Tennis Channel and ESPN, there was blue all over my TV screen this weekend. I couldn’t have gotten away from it if I tried. That’s not quite true, unfortunately—I got away long enough to see the New York Giants beat the Green Bay Packer with a last-second field goal on Sunday. I almost followed Baghdatis’ lead and broke down myself. Not because I like the Packers or anything; I just despise the Giants that much. The thought of Tom Coughlin having “earned” a trip to the Super Bowl is stomach-turning.
That's all fodder for another day and another blog, but the football game wasn’t without a tennis connection. During it, I kept flipping back to ESPN, which was showing the entertaining and surprisingly competitive match between Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark-via-Poland. Maybe it was the contrast between the bright sun Down Under and the frozen tundra in Wisconsin, but I found the tennis match so much more involving on a moment-by-moment basis. This wasn’t just because I’m a fan of the sport; even pro football can’t compare to the immediacy of tennis, where balls are constantly being bashed. We can complain about the endless baseline rallies that plague the game today, but I’d put them up against the content of any other sport—the incompletions, two-yard gains, and replay timeouts in football; the passes to no one in soccer; the pitcher shaking off the catcher over and over in baseball. Even at its most routine, tennis is never that boring.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at where the players stand stand in the crazier-by-the-minute Australian Open.
Maria Sharapova: I thought she would right herself and compete to the fullest this season, but I didn’t expect the best tennis of her career right away. What struck me about her win over Henin was her court positioning. Sharapova, with little effort, was inside the baseline most of the time, while Henin was scrambling just to get the ball in the court. How many times have you seen the No. 1 player in the world look like she’s not even in the same league as her opponent? This time it was the Belgian’s serve that was a liability—too erratic and predictable at the same time. The biggest surprise may have been that Sharapova was so on her game, from her serve to her touch shots, that even tennis purists should have had no problem watching her today.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: I’m coming around to the kid. He’s still a loose cannon, but he brings athletic flair even to his most ill-advised misfires. If he can blister enough balls to win the first set over Nadal in the semis, he’s got a chance.
Rafael Nadal: As was noted on ESPN, the only time that Nadal has lost a Slam match after winning the first set was against David Ferrer at the U.S. Open last year. That is a ridiculous stat—and a testament to the doggedness of Ferrer. Nadal has twice held off set points in the first set Down Under and ended up winning in straights. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did the same thing against Tsonga.
Highlight: Nadal’s running forehand volley lob across his body against Nieminen. Never saw that before. They may not be as obvious as his biceps, but Nadal has great hands around the net.
Janko Tipsarevic: I was impressed with his ability to bull his way forward in rallies hitting straight north and south, rather than using sharp angles. Something for the other guys to think about?
Novak Djokovic: Playing Hewitt on a medium-slow surface, no matter how tired the Aussie may be, is not an easy assignment. You have to earn every point, and that means maintaining an ever-precarious balance between aggressiveness and margin for error—one false move either way and Hewitt will be there to punish you. I was impressed with Djokovic's ability to do this for three long sets. With that kind of fortitude, he’s going to be tough to beat.
Jelena Jankovic: She always consistent and a tremendous defender, but she was creative as well in her win over Serena. She won points with speed, she won them with laser backhands, and she even won one with a swinging two-hand backhand inside-out volley—maybe all that tennis, and all those wins, have helped her become a more well-rounded and confident player. While she also got a few points handed to her by Serena, JJ showed no signs of nerves trying to close it out.
Jankovic and Sharapova will come into their semifinal both at the top of their games. All three of their completed matches have gone to three sets, with Sharapova winning two of them. If Maria maintains something close to the form she showed against Henin, I don’t see JJ beating her.
James Blake: Who says you can’t learn heart? Now it’s time to break through against Federer—and win a set.
Caroline Wozniacki: Another pleasant surprise, the 17-year-old Dane showed a strong mind against Ivanovic—she bounced back after getting blown out in the first set—and a knack for moving forward into the court. Those are two things the WTA can always use.
Venus vs. Ana: The Serb may be playing the best hard-court tennis of her career, but I’ll take Venus on past form—she’s never lost a set to Ivanovic—and her history of gaining momentum in the second week of majors. But it would be fun to see what would happen in a third set.
Music report: My new favorite tennis-watching CD is Songs from My Father, by Horace Silver. Just like a match, you can think about it, or just let it happily play on in the background.
For those of you in the New York City area, Pete Bodo and I are planning to watch a match in the city on Thursday evening, with TW regulars Andrew Friedman and Asad Raza. Not sure exactly where yet, but I'll keep you posted (as will Pete, I'm sure). Anyone is welcome to join us for, I'm guessing, Nadal vs. Tsonga. Tennis doesn't get any more athletic than those two guys.