Australian Open 2010: Federer Gets His Mojo Back, And A Prophecy Almost Fulfilled
A look at the intriguing storylines of Day 8 of the Australian Open:-
TMF Sighting Reported:
The Mighty Fed (or TMF for short) was in the house today. If you missed it, you’ve only got yourself to blame. For the uninitiated, ‘The Mighty Fed’ refers to the creature that is the very definition of tennis nirvana, an almost mythical being that is capable of reducing even the most spirited opponent into a massive, slobbering pile of tears – it is Roger Federer in full flight, the Roger Federer that can do no wrong . Unfortunately, TMF sightings have become increasingly rare over the years, with some even suggesting that the creature is on the verge of extinction. Not on today’s evidence. In one of the most fearsome yet sublime displays of exquisite shot-making seen from the man in the last two years, Federer turned the in-form Lleyton Hewitt inside-out, rollicking to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win in under two hours. I had said in my previous post that we’ve been witness to a masterclass from Federer in the second round already, his win over Victor Hanescu being a fine exhibition of all of the considerable skills possessed by the Swiss star. But you see the problem there? That was against Victor Hanescu. Today’s dismantling was of Lleyton Hewitt – the hometown favorite, two-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1. Count me among those who would be HUGELY surprised if he doesn’t reach an inhuman 23rd consecutive Slam semi-final. The man is an artist, machine and destroyer all rolled into one.
Women can serve too:
A commentator quipped about Serena Williams this morning that she looked like ‘an Egyptian mummy’ with all the extensive bandages and tapings on her legs. So Serena can’t move very well. No sweat. She’ll bomb everyone out with her serve instead. Who needs to move to play tennis? Putting on show a serving clinic that would put many ATP players to shame, Williams bulldozed her way to the quarterfinals, thoroughly over-powering local darling Samantha Stosur. The score, 6-4, 6-2, suggests a closer match than it actually was – Stosur never looked even remotely capable of making a dent in the Serena armory. Here are some of the stats from the match – Serena hit 10 aces, 1 double fault, 30 winners, 14 unforced errors and lost just 8 points on serve, winning 62% of the points overall. If all the remaining players left in the draw were not quaking in their boots with fear already, today’s match should make sure that they are now. I sincerely hope, for their sake, that they aren’t relying too much on Serena’s customary mid-tournament hiccup to come to their aid. The mood she’s in right now, she might just decide to go without that altogether this tournament, just for a change.
When tennis gets ugly:
While the top seeds displayed top shelf tennis that would serve as great reassurance for the ranking system in tennis, if not great advertisement for the game, Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Verdasco were right at the other end of the spectrum, combining to play one of the ugliest, most uninspiring five-set matches in recent memory. Does anyone know what was going on through Vercasco’s mind today every time he stepped up to hit a second serve? The man seemed to be literally frightened of something every time he missed a first serve, as he wimped his way to a staggering 20 double faults. Davydenko, meanwhile, did his best to commit a spectacular choke-job himself, somehow letting the match drag on to 5 sets despite the rash of errors and brain-dead tennis being displayed by his disoriented opponent. After winning the tournament in Doha a couple of weeks ago, Davydenko had said in one of his press conferences that he didn’t think his recent sizzling form was any guarantee that he’d do well in the best-of-five sets format too, effectively saying that he’d never be a safe bet to win a Grand Slam, no matter how well he was playing. And to be honest, his recent entertaining comments notwithstanding, there couldn’t have been a more depressing prediction for his own game and career than that. He should be thanking his lucky stars that his comment didn’t become a self-fulfilling prophecy today, but he’ll need more than lucky stars to overcome Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.
Quirky stat of the day:
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had never played a five-setter his entire professional career before today. But there’s a first time for everything, and the 2008 finalist hung tough in his match against Nicolas Almagro today, coming through 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-7, 9-7. Almagro may be one of the most notorious headcases in the game (a headcase even bigger than Verdasco, if that were possible), but Tsonga’s steadiness in the face of a new experience that would surely have caused plenty of jangling of his nerves bodes well for the rest of his tournament and career. Suddenly I’m liking his chances to get past Novak Djokovic, who’s had a ridiculously easy draw so far and is bound to feel the lack of match toughness sooner or later.
The forgotten Williams progresses:
Such has been the gulf in the play of Serena Williams and Venus Williams, the two sisters that were once thought to be joined at the hip and blessed with the exact same set of skills and physical gifts, that even an infinitely more intriguing tussle engaged in by the elder Williams has been reduced to an afterthought. She escaped to a three-set win over Italy’s Francesca Schiavone, and would now be the heavy favorite to reach the semifinals (where she’ll most likely have to face her sister) after China’s Na Li toppled 4th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in the other 4th round match of her quarter. Never count out a Williams, they say, and Venus, for all her inconsistencies, is still a Williams. Don’t be too surprised if she somehow manages to halt a rampaging Serena in her tracks in the semis.
No waterworks this time:
In what is fast becoming a routine, Vera Zvonareva let a match out of her grasp yet again, going down 6-4, 4-6, 0-6 to Victoria Azarenka. At one point she was leading Azarenka 6-4, 4-2, but her game crumpled after that, in eerily similar fashion to the way it had disintegrated against Flavia Pennetta in the 4th round of the US Open last year. That match, and indeed, Zvonareva herself, have become famous for the copious amount of tears that they produced – Zvonareva and her waterworks are in a different league altogether compared to anything that can be produced by the most indulgent of criers in the sport. But today she showed remarkable restraint, with not a single tear in sight. Maybe the Australian Open really IS a ‘Happy Slam’.