QOTD

QOTD #14: The 'landscape' is once again evolving in the Tennis World.
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by PAM 

"That is the trouble with being a world-class tennis player in the modern era. Eight years ago, Andre Agassi made the final of this tournament without beating anybody ranked higher than Tomas Berdych, then a promising 19-year-old who stood at No. 34 in the world.

"But those were the days before Roger Federer had changed the whole rhythm of the sport by going to the last four of every single slam, every single year. 

"His patterns have since been imitated by his two closest peers – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – so that there is rarely any such thing as a free lunch anymore, particularly in the hard-court events. You have to beat the best in the world, and keep beating then, set after set after set. This explains why modern slam winners tend to come from a small group of names."

         -  Simon Briggs 
            Tennis Section
            The Telegraph
            September 7, 2013

After watching RF exit in the Round of 16 at the 2013 US Open - the last Grand Slam in the calendar - via Spaniard Tommy Robredo's racquet, something snapped somewhere in my heart.  :(  Yep, RF has become "human"... he was chasing the ball with speed less than what's required, and returning it on the other side of the net with the accuracy of an amateur.  Oh, boy....  The once impeccably clean look all throughout the match, with hardly a drop of sweat, is gone... he was sweating like an old cow - unbelievable!  It was hard to watch... so, I stopped watching somewhere around the third set... when I was quite certain that the RF I knew was not going to show up. :(  But, oh well, I already released him

The changing (changed?) landscape in Men's Tennis.
(Images source: Zimbio.)

from the "bondage" of my tennis "idolatry" last year after watching him fetch his 17th Grand Slam title - in Wimbledon no less. Therefore, he is now "free" to lose in the Round of 16. I watched him exit Wimbledon as a defending Champ this year - in the 2nd Round!! I sat through it all - without breaking down... so, I'll survive this one, too.  Besides, like what Simon Briggs pointed out, RF is the one who changed the tennis world to what it is today - highly, highly competitive, with innovative training for ultrapowerful players, and hi-tech racquet with 'new materials' utilized by the players.  Therefore, RF revolutionized tennis to an exciting sport that a fan can be unashamedly passionate about these days.

Speaking of ultrapowerful players, in one of the semi-final matches the other night, Stanislas Wawrinka gave Djoker a serious run for his money.  The World #1 was 'Stanned'!  It was a grueling five setter, 2-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4!  And boy, did I know exciting!  Djoker prevailed in the end... but, in my opinion, it was a victory for Stan, 'The Man'. After 'Stanning' Andy Murray, ending the latter's hope of defending his "King of Queens" crown, en route to the semis, the 'other' Swiss made Djoker doubt his chances at getting his second US Open title - that's for sure!  Rafa, on the other hand, had an easier QF round with Richard Gasquet , finishing in a straight-set win. So, he will come into the Final fresh and good, and ready for "guerra". He is a hard-to-handle "red-hot" energy on a roll, too, not losing a hardcourt match getting into the US Open.

So, it will be another bionic man vs. never-say-die warrior Nofael Djodal marathon Championship match then?  Yes, it is!  Man, I can't wait! :)        

Oh, and I just completed 'four centuries of blogging', and starting a new one... this is the 401st entry in this blog. :)

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