Novak Djokovic
At least men’s tennis has a real number one player.
Novak Djokovic lived up his billing as the world’s top dog on the courts by dismantling and dispatching Rafa Nadal in four sets at Sunday’s Wimbledon men’s final. The Serb’s victory was do decisive as to leave no doubt to his claim to the throne. He beat the Spaniard at his own game, outhustling Rafa, returning serve brilliantly and playing better from the baseline than the dethroned champion of the grass courts.
It’s good for tennis. Now we have at least three, maybe four men if Andy Murray can ever get out his own way mentally, that can win the U.S. Open in two months.
To be honest, I was surprised by the ease with which The Joker sent Rafa packing back to Majorca. But I shouldn’t have been. Djokovic dominated Rafa on his own surface, the clay, leading up to the grass court season and only a loss to Roger Federer in the semis probably prevented Novak from beating Nadal at the French Open as well.
Like I said, at least the men have a worthy number one. On the women’s side, supposed number one Caroline Wozniacki once again failed miserably to win her first Grand Slam event, bowing out early. Petra Kvitova topping glamorous Maria Sharapova in the finals of the women’s draw was a bit of a shocker, given that Maria had looked so stunning in getting to the finals.
But Sharapova’s serve let her down big time. She double faulted 10 times in the championship match. That’s giving your opponent two and a half games without her having to hit a shot. Kvitova played well in her first Grand Slam final and it was Sharapova who looked nervous and unsure of herself. I can’t figure out why Maria doesn’t develop a “get it in second serve” to ease her woes. She hardly takes anything off her second serve, which results in far too many free points for her opponent. At least make the person the other side of the net win the point with a shot rather than grabbing free points with service dunks into the net and those that fly two feet past the service line.
Nonetheless, Sharapova should be pleased with herself. She got to the semifinals at Roland Garros and the finals at Wimbledon, this after all the troubles she has had with her shoulder and battling back from surgery. She still has a chance to recapture the magic that made her number one, now that the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, are beginning to look as though they are at the end of their careers and Wozniacki is a paper tigress.
