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.  

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. 

THE DJOKER AND THE CHOKER

Novak Djokovic knows how to win.  As a matter of fact, it seems like he's forgotten how to lose.  Save for one match -- a French Open semifinal against a determined Roger Federer -- Djokovic has not lost this calendar year.  And we're in the middle of August.  It's mind-boggling how truly dominant the Serb has been.  Mardy Fish played an excellent match in the Rogers Cup final yesterday, but Novak found a way to win.  Rafael Nadal did not play poorly in any of the 5 finals contested with Novak this year, but Nadal lost all of them.  Could it really be possible that Djokovic could win out, including the U.S. Open, and end the season 1 semifinal loss away from a Grand Slam and a perfect tennis season?  Seems utterly unfathomable.  But the the level he has achieved since the Davis Cup last year, with all the confidence in the world and the unstoppable game to match, it's actually within the realm of possibility.  At this moment, it is not hyperbole to say that Novak Djokovic is putting together the greatest tennis season ever.

I, on the other hand, cannot find a way to win a match.  I am on a personal winless streak that dates back as far as I can remember.  I'm sure I've actually won a match or two in recent years, but it seems like I've mastered the art of losing.  I hadn't played tennis in over a month until Saturday, when I played with one of my regular hitting partners.  He possesses an infinitely better serve and cleaner groundstrokes than I do.  I had never taken a set off him before.  I played a nearly-flawless first set.  Instead of going for power serves, I spun my serve in on the first and second.  I returned incredibly.  I was relaxed and aggressive at the same time.  I won the set, 6-0.  I went up 2-0 in the second.  And then I collapsed.  My spin serve stopped working.  My groundies found the net.  I must've tightened up, though I didn't realize it at the time.  After winning the first 8 games, I lost 12 of the next 13.  Admittedly, he started serving better and making less errors.  But the loss was all on me.  My woefully inconsistent serve let me down, and my mental fragility on the court prevented me from pulling myself out of a tailspin.  I was left with the empty feeling that comes with a bad loss.  But I was also left with something positive... the knowledge that I have the ability to put together a perfect set.  I did it.  I proved I can do it.  Now I have to get out of my own way and let me best game take center stage.  After the match, I half-jokingly suggesting to my hitting partner that I need to see a tennis shrink.  Now I'm not quite so sure there was even a half joke in there.