September 15, 2009
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5 MegaThoughts About This Year's US Open Joel Drucker 32 Seeds Drastically Blunts Drama The protectionism of having 32 seeds creates far more bouncing molecules in the early rounds, fewer challenges for top players and far less drama for fans. It’s a shame to see a tournament not really kick into higher gear until the third round. Even – or Especially? – Among the Pros a Few Points Tell the Tale It’s amazing how a few points could have changed the entire course of the tournament. Just a few that come to mind:
Fascinating how ten points played differently could have altered the entire shape of the tournament. The great Jack Kramer, who died on the tournament’s final Sunday, once told me that generally, each player in a match will win 45 percent of the points. “It’s those ten percent that make the difference,” he said. Perhaps never more was that premise proven at this year’s US Open. Serena’s Selective Memory Erodes Her Credibility Serena is without a doubt the most accomplished women’s player of the 21st century. It’s a shame that so much of her manner leaves a bad taste. It’s one thing to verbally tear into an official – but to do so at such a late stage of the match revealed just how mentally fragile Serena was versus Kim Clijsters’ consistent and intelligent barrage.
Serena’s conduct in the wake of that incident is far more reprehensible. Constantly saying she didn’t remember what she said, issuing evasive statements, declaring the desire to “move on” are all signs of a profound abdication of responsibility – precisely the opposite of the qualities we (and Serena) value most in a champion. Note to Serena: stop insulting us. Stop offending paying customers all over the world with your indifference to smaller events. And if you do that, perhaps you’ll be less mentally-fragile when you come up against a player who can test you the way Clijsters did. del Potro: The Shape of Things to Come The day of the US Open final is always an interesting time to gather opinions – particularly since the match doesn’t start until after 4:00 p.m. Cruising the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center this past Monday, I kept asking tennis notables for their thoughts. Generally, as expected, Federer was favored. But one person, ESPN’s Darren Cahill, told me “it’ll go five, and Roger will need nothing but his very best.” And then I remembered taking the same walk in 2000, when another reigning king, Pete Sampras, sought to take on another languid, powerful ballstriker – Marat Safin. The same majority view favoring Sampras had prevailed that day too – and then Sampras had been bludgeoned. All of which proves once again how valuable it is to make a prediction.
But as my Tennis Channel colleague Leif Shiras noted often throughout the US Open, del Potro is indeed the shape of things to come. Time was when a player 6’ 5” was considered a lumbering giant – a shotmaker who by dint of his size and speed (or lack thereof) would hardly be expected to play consistent, grinding tennis. But that’s changed. Juan Martin del Potro is a sleek mover and a powerful hitter. His sleepy demeanor belies his competitive intensity. It was dazzling to see del Potro strike the ball so well and remain so fit throughout the entire tournament. No one has ever beaten Rafael Nadal and Federer in the same Grand Slam event – and to do so on consecutive days is even more impressive. And yet, equally beguiling was the way Federer utterly vanished in the fifth set. It conjured up echoes of what happened to him versus Nadal in Australia. Here’s my favorite stat about del Potro: Last year he won four titles in a calendar year while still in his teens. Of the 11 men who’ve also done that, ten of them eventually became number one in the world. Women’s Tennis: There’s Gold to be Had Never has the women’s game been more deregulated. Never has there been more opportunity for a dedicated woman to step in, train hard, compete well, serve wisely, and kick some butt.
How could it be that 17-year-old Melanie Oudin could unmask the limited skills of so many Russians? Are such players who’ve been ranked number one as Dinara Safina, Ana Ivanovic, and Jelena Jankovic accidental tourists? What does it mean that Kim Clijsters can take more than two years off and win a major in only her third tournament back? I’ve spoken about this before, but now more than ever I’m convinced there is something missing in the way tons of women – from the juniors to the pros – are taught, coached, and shaped as players. Those who grab the missing puzzle piece – my Tennis Channel colleague Martina Navratilova believes too many women don’t play enough practice sets – could well be on the path to grabbing greater riches.
Longstanding TennisOne contributing writer Joel Drucker worked as the story editor for Tennis Channel’s coverage of all four Grand Slam events this year. As always, we would love to hear from you! Questions, comments, personal experiences all create helpful dialogue for everyone! Please click here to send us your email.
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