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by Philipina A. Marcelo
This deserves time. Seriously. Therefore, while (unreasonable) workload "demands" attention again - yes, on a Saturday midnight (Manila time) - I'm making time for this!
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Oops, rain delay... in the meantime, let's get briefed
And so, after a generous show of incredible tennis in many exciting matches in the last Grand Slam of the season, the BIG FOUR in men's tennis are in the LAST FOUR - again. A familiar scenario that speaks of the consistency and brilliance of the men in tennis today.
#1 + #3 = one championship place. World #3, Roger Federer, after finally asserting
Roger Federer, a man
on a mission.himself for good, on his third try this year, against the man who ousted him in the QF at Wimbledon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, faces the man who ousted him at this stage in the US Open in an unforgettable match last year. RF crosses swords with the #1 in the World today, Novak Djokovic. The Djokovic racket has been on fire since the season opened, with an incredible 62-2 win-loss record to the Serbian's name and two Grand Slams - Aussie Open and Wimbledon - added to his silverware collection. His defeat of RF to move to the championship in the US Open last year earned him the momentum to bring the Davis Cup trophy to Serbia through a team he captained. He hasn't looked back since then.
This year, both men strutted their brilliant tennis stuff in Flushing Meadows, earning their places in the Semis ever so convincingly through tough tests. The Federer racket has been sending laser-sharp powershots, stabbing opponents on the other side of the net. The 30-year-old Swiss
Novak Djokovic, reaching
for greatness.has been moving with the confidence and the "deceptive" speed and agility that defined his dominance of men's tennis in most of the previous decade. Obviously, he is gunning for his first Major this season - a tall order for himself, considering that that would mean stopping the blistering "ball of fire" that is Djokovic. Does he have the stamina to match that of Djoker's if the competition shoved to a five-setter? But then, the only loss in a completed match that mars the Djokovic win-loss stat this season was handed to him by Federer himself in the QF at Roland Garros! Therefore, this match can go either way... and it will be explosive - that's for sure!
#2 + #4 = one championship place. The other two great men in
Rafael Nadal, eyes
the top spot again.the Top 4, World #2, Rafael Nadal, and World #4, Andy Murray, will face off in the other semi-final match. This is going to be a high-intensity, high-energy match... big reasons for both men to win: Nadal looking to assert himself at the top of the ranking, and the Scot looking to capture his first ever Major. Both men are very fast... could play both offense and defense with topnotch quality. Rafa is ahead in the "mental toughness" division, but Andy had been sharpening his mental guns, too. Away from the UK grass of Wimbledon, that seems more doable for the Scot.
While Rafa Nadal has reached the semis with clinical wins over his
Andy Murray, eyes on the
big prize.opponents who all posted very little danger, Andy Murray had been going up and down the score board in his matches, and in scary fashion, too, sometimes. It almost looked like Murray had been pushing and streching himself in all directions to get ready to contain the ferocious topspin shotmaking machine, that is Rafa Nadal... and maybe, later, one of Federer and Djokovic - in the Championship. If you're Andy Murray, you would hope for the same thing, too, wouldn't you? Therefore, the lad is worth watching as he goes up against the ultimate fighter of men's tennis from Majorca! The question is, would he finally find a crack in the massive Nadal armory this time around? Hmmm... one can dream!
Ah, the New York skies let up... here we go - game on!
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Photo credits: Photos were grabbed from the Zimbio website - thanks.
