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Tennis Commentary (24)
If you missed the Men's Singles Final, you probably already know that this one was a must-see. My first urge is to suggest that when you watch it recorded, you skip the first two, or perhaps even three sets. That would save you over three hours and cringing at some average tennis (much below par, as far as Djokovic and Nadal are concerned).
However, to truly appreciate the remainder of the match and the players' last heroic act of being able to stand for the trophy photo-op, one must go through 'the agony and the ecstasy' of the entire 5-hour 53-minute battle. In fact, in addition to watching this – the longest Grand Slam final in history – in its entirety, I also urge you to watch, or re-watch, the semifinals, particularly Djokovic's Friday night five-set defeat of Andy Murray. Then, towards the end of the 7-5 fifth set to the final, when you yourself feel like you have no energy left to keep your eyes open, you might truly appreciate the inhuman effort from both finalists.
In fact, it made me feel downright nostalgic. No, not back to when the new Czech "It Girl" was Nicole Vaidisova (less than a year older than Kvitova!), or to even more recent times, when Ana Ivanovic was that "It Girl" recent Slam winner. No, my memory only extended as far back as the previous weekend, when the 2012 Australian Open was in its nascent state.
Now, sipping hot cocoa in front of a fire (all right, drinking wine out of a coffee cup in front of a space heater the previous tenants left in my apartment), I'll recall the memorable moments of Week One and wistfully look ahead to the coming late stages of the tournament.
After a fourth straight Monday Final, the 2011 US Open may be remembered just as much for the weather as for the tennis, even with the high-level competition produced in the closing weekend. So, checking all the patterns produced at this year's tournament, here are (no-guarantee) forecasts for some of the biggest names from the 2011 US Open.
Sunny SkiesSam Stosur: Not since Svetlana Kuznetsova's 2004 US Open win had a first round loser in the previous Slam become Champion in the next, but in what might be called fitting of Stosur's peaks-and-valleys career, she managed just that with a courageous 6-2, 6-3 drubbing of Serena Williams. Stosur learned the hard way about the power of positive, aggressive play in her first Grand Slam final, courtesy of Francesca Schiavone. It was fair to wonder if she'd ever get a second chance at a major. But a kind draw combined with mental fortitude in moments when she may have previously cracked set the stage for a record-setting run. With the longest women's match and the longest tiebreak (albeit lost) in women's US Open history, Stosur etched her name on the Champion's trophy with power serving and aggressive second serve returns, essentially beating Serena at her own game.