Australian Open
I think it’s good for tennis that Novak Djokovic won the recent Australian Open. It will build up his confidence and will try to muddle the grip of today’s tennis elites - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Yes, I think there were only two of them for quite some time.
Another pleasant surprise is the rise of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. I found him to be impatient (rushes his serves) but strong. I believe his impatience (because of his inexperience) caused his loss. However, I feel in time he can harness his strength to his advantage. Personally, I would like to see the comeback of big servers. I hope Tsonga is one.
Between you and me, I would like Federer’s run of Grand Slam wins end at 13 (alright, maybe just 12). He currently has 12 and Pete Sampras has 14. I only have 2 tennis heroes - Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras. I remember the first time I admired Pete. I was in college (90’s) and I went to the library to read some magazines. I was a Popular Mechanics freak then and I saw how this particular article explained scientifically the Sampras serve! No need to say that Pistol Pete won me over.
The Net wasn’t that popular during my college days so I didn’t know until last year that Sampras had been playing sick all the time. He has a condition that limits physical and athletic endurance. He has thalassemia minor, a genetic trait that sometimes causes a mild anemia. Knowing this fact even made me admire him more.
Sorry for writing about Sampras in length. I really hope this Australian Open is the beginning of the end of Federer’s dominance.
Cheers!
[...] of grand slams won in tennis. Of course, the record holder is “Pistol Pete” Sampras. I wrote earlier that Pistol Pete is my all-time tennis [...]