Blog Under Construction

Still working on the layout and trying to fix a few things. More content coming soon.

January 27, 2008

Out of Bounds (Post # 3)

I've been watching a lot of the Australian Open the past 2 weeks. It is normal for me to watch much of a tennis grand slam event. But since I was without cable or satellite television service since last May, you could say I had a ton of tennis withdrawal. Missing Wimbledon and the US Open made me realize how much of a tennis fan I am. Simply watching the updated scores on the web just doesn't cut it. So I spent hours watching this event, including some of those matches that started at 3:30 am here on the east coast.

The men's final ended a little earlier today. Tsonga played very well but Djokovic was better. I thought it would be even closer than the final result. I am very impressed with both players, but Djokovic appears to be the next Federer. The announcers sure made it seem that we were seeing the changing of the guard in men's tennis. Somehow though, I don't think we have seen the last of Federer or Nadal in a grand slam final.

Random thoughts on the 2008 Australian Open:

  1. Maria Sharapova was brilliant. I don't think any opponent could have beaten her.
  2. I loved the Aussie fans. The network coverage showed how much they get into the event, whether it be the attire they wear or the energy and enthusiasm they show for the sport and players.
  3. The best match of the tournament had to be the late night thriller between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis. It was a classic.
  4. Speaking of that evening, I still think the Aussie Open officials blew it by allowing tennis players to take the court for a match at midnight. A line was crossed in making that decision - it was a certainty their match would last at least 3 hours. Are we saying matches will take place 24 hours a day at grand slam events? Granted, Hewitt and Baghdatis put on a show but both players were exhausted by the end of the third set. Their match ended around 4:30 in the morning! The sun was coming up! Give me a break!
  5. Kudos to Venus Williams for sticking up for herself that same evening - to ensure her match was played at a reasonable time.
  6. Kudos to James Blake for making it to the quarterfinals and playing exceedingly well against Federer.
  7. Speaking of Federer, this was the first grand slam that we have seen some weaknesses. He barely made it out of the third round in his match with Tipsarevich. He struggled against Blake, and looked frail and tired in losing to Djokovic. But he is still Federer.
  8. Andy Roddick would be better served to have John McEnroe as his advisor/coach than Jimmy Connors, given his impatience and lack of control during his match with Kohlschreiber. I don't know where he goes from here but he needs to pull it together and maintain his cool in tough matches. It was embarrassing to watch him......
  9. There is something about Mary Carillo's voice that is both calming and intoxicating at the same time. She has the perfect announcing voice for tennis.
  10. It was great to see Lindsay Davenport back. Despite her loss to Sharapova in the second round, you get the feeling she will be a force later in the year once she gets more playing time in and raises her ranking.


http://sportstwist.blogspot.com/

Add to Technorati Favorites

No comments: