Tennis Chatter

I feel sorry for Andy Roddick. He had the worst Grand Slam experience of his young life when Roger Federer made this underdog dig his own hole during their semi-final match. Roddick crumbled to pieces with his 6-4 6-0 6-2 “practice session�? with the graceful and lethal Roger Federer. It did not help that his expression showed his inner self-flagellation. I know so much has been written and said about the Swiss guy out there that my own will just be “one of those.�? I am truly thankful everyday that I have been a witness to an era of a genuine sports role model in the person of Roger Federer. May his kind increase (I did not say duplicate, did I?) in the world. And may politicians decrease thrice as fast. I am digressing.

I am not sure if it was coincidence that the following day his rumored sweetheart Maria Sharapova suffered the same thrashing with a 6-1 6-2 death score just as she ascended to No.1 in the rankings. Maybe it was a lesson in humility on the big stage. All I can surmise is that they may have partied together later. No, maybe not exactly a pity party. Just probably a cool comparison on how many drinks they had to take to be able to sleep the agony away (alright, it probably was a pity party). Among professional tennis players, the mantra is “there is always next week�?. I doubt it for these two. Once in the books, the week is recorded as history. The only way to blur the experience a bit is to create a glorious chapter of their profession…soon preferably.

For this year’s Australian Open Ladies Singles Champion Serena Williams, the sweet and fiercely-earned victory was a testament of her colossal self-belief grounded on her talent. She has succeeded in proving people wrong. Hurrah to that! She humbled a fellow champion and hopefully it made them both better persons. What cannot destroy you can only make you stronger.

Now comes the anticipated men’s final. I am beginning to be wary of writing lines like “the most anticipated,�? or “the most awaited,�? or “an exciting match to come,�? among others, when the man on the other side of the net is The One With The Impossible Touch. Heaven forbid that the match with Chile’s Forehand Fernando Gonzalez would be an anticlimax! After all Tommy Haas was had by the affable Gonzo 6-1 6-3 6-1 in their semi-final meeting. By now it should have become a trend that for every Grand Slam final match where Federer is an opponent, all speculations should cease to avoid embarrassment. Nevertheless, always leave room for a possible surprise.