OPEN FOR DISCUSSION

During the U.S. Open, I had an ongoing email chat with a lovely young female friend of mine. We'll call her Anastasia (even though nobody else calls her that). The two of us have decidedly different rooting interests, but share a passion for tennis.   Our back-and-forth went a little something like this:

RE: WEEK 1

Me: What's up with all the rain at the Open? The schedule is getting pretty messed up. Could make for an incredibly dense day of tennis tomorrow. I still think it's Djokovic and Serena hoisting the trophies...

Anastasia: I do not like this rain, not one bit. Now we're going to miss some of the action, and the quality of play will be compromised. Boo! Get a roof built already! I'm sticking with Roger. I think he can do it! As for the women, I could care less. Did you see Serena's interview about the foot fault at the beginning of the tournament? She has no class, and she's kind of an idiot.

Anastasia: Is it obvious I don't like her? :)

RE: WEEK 2

Me: So, what'd you think? I'm sure you were quite pleased Serena went down. How'd you feel about Djokovic crushing Nadal's spirit? I thought it was a great day for tennis (Monday Men's Final), no matter what the outcome.

Anastasia: Indeed, it was a great tournament, for sure. Obviously, I was crushed when Novak took out Fed, but the men's final was a great match! I'd be happy if Djokovic won the next 7 majors, as it will only cement Roger's Grand Slam record :) He fucking deserved it, too. He's in incredible shape...

Me: Roger was so close. That one go-for-broke shot, and Djokovic's reaction to that shot, changed the energy on that court. From that point on, it was all mental. Fed's game is still right there. He should have won. It was his. He would've beaten him in the semis of the French and the U.S. Open, and completely wrecked the Djoker's dream season. Instead, Djokovic takes 3 out of 4, all the Masters Series titles, and is etched in history. Djokovic owns Nadal. Nadal owns Federer. And then there's Djokovic/Federer, which is clearly a toss up.

Me: This is a Golden Age of men's tennis. The bar keeps getting raised. Technology and fitness have revolutionized the game. The talent pool is much deeper than it's ever been. And the game is being played at a higher level than it's ever been played. And, yet, these three astounding athletes at the top have collectively been dominating the game for years now. They are so good a player as supremely talented as Andy Murray can't even win a single major.

OPEN WOUND

I am too emotionally attached to write objectively about tennis.  In almost every match, I have a rooting interest.  Perhaps it's simply a matter of embracing the fact that I write about tennis as a fan rather than a journalist.  I'm not even sure why I fancy myself as some sort of budding tennis journalist.  I am a fiction writer.  One who desperately wants to connect himself to the sport of tennis.  Of course, one day, I would love to have access to the players for interviews, and have the opportunity to be on the "inside" of the game I love, but really, if I'm being completely forthcoming, I want good seats to as much live tennis as possible.

Unabashadly, I am a fan of Rafael Nadal.  He is the guy I root for against all other men in tennis.  For me, cheering for Nadal is much like cheering for my favorite sports team.  I am elated when they win, crushed when they lose.  This has been a devastating year to be a Nadal fan.  Sometime in the Spring, Novak Djokovic figured out how to be Rafael Nadal.  The Djoker conquered Rafa in Indian Wells, then outlasted him in Miami (a match I was lucky enough to attend).  Once the clay court season began, you figured Nadal would have the edge on his favorite surface.  But Djokovic defeated him in Madrid and in Rome.  That was four Masters Series finals in a row.  Surely, Rafa would find a way to avenge those losses on the lawns of Wimbledon.  But, alas, he did not.  Djokovic took his first Wimbledon crown, and Nadal had to admit the Serb was in his head.  Even when Roger Federer was dominating the sport, Nadal still had a head-to-head edge against him.  You never got the sense that Nadal was incredibly frustrated being number 2 in the world because he kept beating the guy at number 1.  Things are different now.  Keenly aware of that heading into the U.S. Open Final, Nadal never had a chance.  He fought bravely, as he always does on every point of every match, but he still couldn't solve the puzzle.  6 finals, 6 losses for Nadal.

This was Novak Djokovic's year.  With only two losses -- one to Roger Federer in the semifinals of the French Open, and one to Andy Murray in the finals of the Cincinnati Masters -- Djokovic can now lay claim to one of, if not the greatest season a man has ever had on the tennis tour.  Rafael Nadal has nothing to be ashamed about.  But he won't soon shake the disappointment of being the second best player in the world, unable to defeat the only man ahead of him.  Honestly, I'm not even playing and it's going to take me some time to get over it.

B'DAY ON CLAY

Rafa Nadal downs Andy Murray, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the French Open Final.  It'll be the 6th time in 7 years he plays for the title.  Now we have to wait and see who will be across the net from him...

Yes, I'm well aware this picture is from last year, but I wanted to pay tribute to the man on his birthday. Many many more Happy Birthdays to you, Rafael Nadal.  All together... Vamos!

THE FINAL FOUR

Rafa Nadal vs. Andy Murray
Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic

Nadal tries to reach his 6th French Final on his 25th birthday.
Murray tries to spoil it all for Rafa.

Djokovic tries to reach #1 in the world for the first time and continue his win streak.
Federer tries to spoil it all for Nole.

The only thing that can ruin a day like this is NBC.  Because the network does not like to preempt The Today Show under any circumstance, here on the West Coast we get the French Open Men's Semifinal on tape delay.  And... we only get one match in a 3-hour window.  All tournament long, The Tennis Channel and ESPN2 have been providing wall-to-wall live coverage from Roland Garros.  But here we are at The Final Four of the French, and we only get one of the two matches, and it's on tape.  Lame.  Truly lame.  The Tennis Channel is replaying both semis immediately after NBC's coverage is over.  I think.  NBC is scheduled to show tennis from 11am-2pm and the Tennis Channel from 2pm-9pm.  But what if the one semifinal match NBC shows is an epic five-hour five-setter?  Does the Tennis Channel have to hold it's replay?  Is it possible they could both be showing the same match at the same time?  Either way, it really won't matter to me.  I'll be at work by then and there's really no way I'm going to be able to avoid seeing the results until I get home in the evening.  So, big thanks for effing up my favorite day of the French Open.  Merci beaucoup, NBC.

On my personal wish list, first and foremost, I want to see amazing tennis with all four men playing at the highest level.  I'd like to see Novak beat Roger.  I'd like to see Rafael beat Andy.  And, of course, I want to see Nadal beat Djokovic in the final on Sunday.  Thus, Nole would be the new #1 but Rafa would still be the King of Clay.

Feliz Cumpleanos, Rafa!  Vamos!

UPDATE:  The Tennis Channel is playing the Nadal-Murray match live this morning!  Thus, I say in a non-sarcastic way... Merci beaucoup, Tennis Channel.