Hey, Fed fans, how sweet was Federer’s win over Novak Djokovic today? Ever since Novak’s parents proclaimed “the King is dead!” at the Australian Open this year, it’s been especially gratifying to see Federer come out on top whenever they play. I was waiting for Novak to retire midway through the fourth set, citing a sore throat a la this year’s Monte Carlo semi.
Okay, enough Nole bashing. The kid’s injected some great energy into the status quo and has enjoyed an amazing year on the tour. But his on-court personality has started to be a liability for him. His anger against Roddick may have helped him in the quarters, but it also depleted his mental energy and his cheering section against Roger today. The locker room hazing by his peers coupled with his parent’s rabid support has given the guy a major chip on his shoulder and constantly defending and proving himself on court and in the press has started to wear him down. Nole, tell your parents to stay home next year and go sing Karaoke with Maria Sharapova, again!
Random question: Why the heck was Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef sitting in Roger’s box? Perhaps she’s interested in dating younger men after divorcing Salman Rushdie? If so, Mirka better watch out. The funny thing is that I randomly saw the seductive t.v. host leaning out the window of her Soho apartment when I was in NYC earlier this week! Maybe she saw my GoToTennis tee and thought, “I should give Roger a call.”
Wow, that Nadal vs. Murray match was bizarre and the rain delay so frustrating. Rafa was obviously discombobulated out there – maybe it was a combination of the weather and having the match switched to Louis Armstrong. By the way, was anyone else jonesing to teleport themselves to NYC and claim one of the many open seats in the stadium? I was suffering from spectator envy for the entire match.
I said in an earlier post that Murray didn’t have a prayer against Rafa today, and now he has a two-set lead. But there’s no doubt that the completion of the match tomorrow night will be one massive do-over for the Spaniard, and a supreme mental test for the Scot. What do y’all think? Can Murray really pull off the upset?
Is anyone else surprised to see Jankovic in the finals? Dementieva started so strong in the first set of their semi-final. She was even getting free points on her serve! But Jelena (and her full face of make-up) had the supreme staying power, and now she’s playing Serena Williams for the top ranking and the U.S. Open championship. As much as I’d like Jelena to prove her critics wrong and get her first Major, I’m really excited at the prospect of seeing a No. 1 next to Serena’s name again. Go Serena!
Photo: Rick Maiman/Bloomberg News
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