He stepped out, triumphant having felled a Serbian giant, but a Swiss one and a bigger one at that waited for ambush. This is no alluring beginning to another middle earth story. But Roland Garros 2008 was no less. The women’s singles saw the emergence of two stars; Safina who was unseeded at the beginning of the tournament and went on to becoming the runners-up, brushing aside Maria Sharapova in the process, and Anna Ivanovic who topple quite a few greats to win the title and top the ATP rankings. Personally however, I do not find women’s tennis as attractive as the players themselves. Tennis for me has always been the men’s singles.
This year’s Roland Garros had Nadal as the pre tournament favorite, after he had won the ATP Masters. However, Federer enjoyed everyone’s support. Nadal, the king of clay was the only hurdle between the all time great and the coveted French Open title. And the hurdle had not been moved an inch for the past three years. If all went well, there would be a Nadal-Djokovic clash in the semis with Federer waiting for the victor in the finals. It takes little intelligence to guess whom Federer wanted to avoid. The Nadal-Djokovic semi final clash was luke warm as a contest. Nadal cruised through the first couple of sets, but Djokovic showed great nerve in the third, almost winning it. In the end, it was a Nadal- Federer finals yet again. Federer had not really cruised through the tournament if one looks at the score cards, but all those games were a preparation for the finals. He was trying it all out to see what worked for him. He would need all that experience.
The Finals: Nadal and Federer walk out, the audience support clearly in favor of Federer. Surprisingly, sitting on my couch I felt that the commentators too supported Federer. I just hoped Federer lived up to their expectations and made up an interesting finale. It was Nadal all through. Despite playing an aggressive game, just as what the doctor had prescribed, Federer was ousted by an unplayable Nadal. Federer committed far too many errors, probably reeling under pressure and ultimately, the final scores of 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 meant that the clay monster had crushed the Swiss giant.
This year’s Roland Garros had Nadal as the pre tournament favorite, after he had won the ATP Masters. However, Federer enjoyed everyone’s support. Nadal, the king of clay was the only hurdle between the all time great and the coveted French Open title. And the hurdle had not been moved an inch for the past three years. If all went well, there would be a Nadal-Djokovic clash in the semis with Federer waiting for the victor in the finals. It takes little intelligence to guess whom Federer wanted to avoid. The Nadal-Djokovic semi final clash was luke warm as a contest. Nadal cruised through the first couple of sets, but Djokovic showed great nerve in the third, almost winning it. In the end, it was a Nadal- Federer finals yet again. Federer had not really cruised through the tournament if one looks at the score cards, but all those games were a preparation for the finals. He was trying it all out to see what worked for him. He would need all that experience.
The Finals: Nadal and Federer walk out, the audience support clearly in favor of Federer. Surprisingly, sitting on my couch I felt that the commentators too supported Federer. I just hoped Federer lived up to their expectations and made up an interesting finale. It was Nadal all through. Despite playing an aggressive game, just as what the doctor had prescribed, Federer was ousted by an unplayable Nadal. Federer committed far too many errors, probably reeling under pressure and ultimately, the final scores of 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 meant that the clay monster had crushed the Swiss giant.
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