PROGRESSION

Roger Federer set the bar for contemporary tennis.  On the backs of the giants that came before him, he built a legacy that elevated tennis to new heights.  He evolved the game.  Rafael Nadal propelled the sport even further by finding ways to defeat Roger Federer.  And now Novak Djokovic takes tennis to a stratosphere it has never been before.

Perhaps we are too quick to declare a present day event or player as the "Greatest of All Time".  But, in the case of what we witnessed last night in Rod Laver Arena at the Finals of the Australian Open, it's nearly impossible to resist the label.  The match set the standard as the longest Grand Slam Final ever played at just under six hours, with Djokovic defeating Nadal 7-5 in the fifth and deciding set.  Those are the numbers.  But, as always in sports, the story goes much deeper than the statistics.  We saw two perfectly-conditioned athletes, who have trained their entire lives for the moment, break through boundaries and ceilings to discover new limits to their immense potential.  Both champions were forced to confront their limitations, then find solutions to the problems created by those limitations.  The mind, the body, and the spirit were each put to the ultimate test.  On display for the world to see, these men of men plunged the depths of their souls to mine reserves they never knew they had.  Together, they redefined what was possible.  They transcended tennis.

One may read this spiritual analysis of a tennis match with cynicism and say it's only a game.  I contend it was far more than that.  Combining the skill of the classic Borg-McEnroe encounters with the will and determination of the John Isner-Nicolas Mahut marathon at Wimbledon last year, this Djokovic-Nadal match will stand the test of time as a vivid reminder of why human beings compete against each other.  In short, to see what they are made of.  

And There There Were None

Big John Isner battled bravely, but was outplayed and ousted from the tournament by Feliciano Lopez in yet another five-setter.  There are now zero American men alive in the Australian Open.  This is the first time in the Open Era it has happened before the Fourth Round.  It's a bit sad.  But, I'm resisting the urge to panic, and brushing it off to a bad trip to the other side of the world.  I suspect the narrative will be significantly different in the Spring, on the home courts of Indian Wells and Miami.

Not Such a G'day, Mate

The dominant subject of the day in my tiny corner of this vast universe has been American tennis.  The Yanks got sunk yesterday Down Under.  Three American men lost their second round matches -- Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey, and Donald Young.  The day was saved only by the heroics by John Isner, in yet another marathon match that saw him defeat David Nalbandian 10-8 in the 5th set.  And, truth be told, Isner was the beneficiary of two horrendous errors by the chair umpire on the same serve, which rattled Nalbandian and turned the match at 8-8 in that deciding set.  The timing couldn't have been worse, the calls couldn't have been more unfair.  Isner's leg was cramping, his shoulders were drooping.  Perhaps Big John was playing possum, but it sure looked like the Argentinian was getting the better of him.  All that was required to salvage any shred of hope for the American men in Australia.  Andy Roddick is still alive in the tournament, but nobody really fancies his chances of him bringing home the trophy.  After watching Fish get run off in straight sets by Columbian Alejandro Falla, and then Donald Young get smoked by qualifier Lukas Lacko, I just couldn't stand to watch Sam Querrey battle Australian phenom Bernard Tomic.  Plus, it was already two in the morning on the West Coast, and I had to be up early for a morning meeting... about American tennis.

In order to develop future tennis champions in the United States, the way the game is perceived in America needs to change.  Soccer and tennis have similar problems.  Internationally, the two sports dominate media coverage and attract the best athletes.  Our greatest American athletes play football, basketball, and baseball.  When Tiger Woods is playing golf, tennis ranks as the sixth most popular sport in the States.  That's the inherent issue facing the recruitment of talented kid athletes to choose tennis over all those other sports.

I propose that tennis needs to be made cooler in America.  The game, phenomenal as it is, must be marketed better to the masses.  ESPN and Tennis Channel combine to do a fine and thorough job of airing the ATP and WTA tours, rightly focusing on Grand Slams.  But, for a sport that is going on pretty close to all year round, rarely does tennis register on the radar of the American sports world.  I allow that perhaps the game has found its natural place in the pecking order, but I refuse to accept that it's set it stone.  I believe television is the proper medium to transform the image of tennis of America.  We can use television to get to know the players better -- to connect with them -- to vicariously live the lifestyle -- to understand their commitment and sacrifice -- to get a much deeper appreciation for their constant pursuit of greatness.  If we can manage even half that, we have a chance of drawing talented young athletes to the incredible game of tennis.

Once we reel them in, of course, we have to find better ways to teach them.  But that's a subject better left for another day.


UPDATE: Andy Roddick had to retire from his match last night with Lleyton Hewitt after pulling his groin.  He was trailing two sets to one at the time.  Oh, and Ryan Sweeting was up two sets to one on number 5 seed, David Ferrer, but lost in 5.  That leaves John Isner as the only American man left standing in the third round of the Australian Open.  Quite a sad state of affairs.

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.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

The U.S. Open is underway!  Unfortunatlely, I am currently holding down a full-time job and cannot plant myself on the couch and flick through 6 courts of coverage on DirecTV and ESPN2.  Instead, I must be content with watching what I can during the day on ESPN3, then scrolling through many glorious hours of tennis on the DVR later tonight.

I've written this before, but I truly feel more alive during Grand Slam tennis tournaments.  Rarely do I get the opportunity to attend in person.  But when the four majors are in progress, tennis is on the big stage.  Anyone who cares at all about tennis is watching, and people who don't normally pay attention to tennis are more likely to sit up and take notice.  That is especially true here in America when the U.S. Open is in session.  Today, I am particularly appreciative that this tournament started as scheduled, one day after a giant hurricane swept through the New York Metropolitan Area.

BROKEN?

 REUTERS - John Sommers II

The Round of 16 marathon match between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco just ended.  Three tiebreaker sets, with Nadal winning the first and third, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6. But it wasn't pretty.  In those decisive moments when we are used to seeing Rafa raise his level of play, he was tentative and unsteady.  Verdasco's inconsistency prevented him from taking advantage of a vulnerable Nadal and beat him for the first time.  Nadal is now 12-0 lifetime against Verdasco.

Moments ago, Mardy Fish defeated Richard Gasquet in straight sets.  Nadal and Fish will square off in the quarterfinals.  The way both guys are playing right now, I would give the edge to Fish in that match.

I hope I'm wrong about this, but I'm getting the feeling that Novak Djokovic broke Rafael Nadal.  With the Djoker beating Nadal in 5 finals this year -- on hard court, clay, and the grassy lawn of Wimbledon -- Rafa's confidence seems to have taken a major hit.  The only times we've seen this from Nadal previously, he was dealing with physical issues.  With a pair of burnt fingers and a foot injury, that could be the case this time, too.  If not, then Djokovic has truly done a number on the former #1.  Nadal was lucky to escape with a victory today.  But he'll need a lot more than luck to defend his title at the U.S. Open.