"It must be love." That was US Open's slogan, and what a lovely display it was. Tweeners, over the shoulders, impossible angles, body dives on concrete, drama, violations, ranking changes, upsets, charities, country pride, dreadlocks, broken frames, popped strings, concussions, Cinderella runs, retirements, Spain vs. France, wind, rain, bad calls, 5 set marathons, unbearable heat, double faults, and comebacks. This year ending Slam had it all.
I make no secret of where my loyalties lie. South America, Spain, and the USA...in that order, if you must know. Yet somehow, I found myself pulling for people I'd never heard of out of sheer enjoyment. Starting with Dustin Brown of Jamaica. He had dreadlocks that were almost as long as he was tall, and a wicked serve. He gave Andy Murray a run for his money in the first set, but the other two were far less competitive. Would be one hell of a match to watch Dustin Brown play Gael Monfils.
Ryan Harrison was another surprise. This 18-year-old American has got a pretty lofty tennis IQ already. I hope he doesn't fall victim to all the hype. He's on the Davis Cup team that'll face off in Columbia this week. Can't wait to see him in a pressure situation.
In addition to the new faces, I'm sure I yelled, "He's still playing?!" a few times during the first week.
Moving on to the second week, I'd like to point out the difference between winning a match, and losing a match.
Stanislas Wawrinka (25) def Andy Murray (4) 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3
Andy Murry just got outplayed in this match. That's all there is to it. He didn't have an answer to Wawrinka. He threw everything he had, including his box full of Mickey Rourke look-a-likes, and Murray couldn't do a thing to stop him. Stan WON that match. Andy didn't lose it.
Kim Clijsters (4) def Venus Williams (3) 4-6, 7-6, 6-4
Venus was in control of the match until the second set tiebreak. She'd outserved Kim, and had managed to pull herself out of a 2-5 hole to take the set to a tiebreak. Low and behold, Venus doesn't get a single point from her serve during the tiebreak. She didn't even look like the same player from the first set. Kim didn't do anything to up her game. She even got a little streaky at the beginning of the 3rd set, but Venus' focus was already shot. Venus LOST that match, no two ways about it. What Ms. Williams said at the net: "Good Match." What she should have told Clijsters: "You're welcome."
Those two matches stick out most in my mind. But credit must be given to a few others:
Caroline Wozniacki (1) def Maria Sharapova (14) 6-3, 6-4 - Clearly, this was the biggest match of the tourney for Caro. It was great to watch her come through in that one.
Sergiy Stakhovsky def Ryan Harrison 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 - The Grandstand really did showcase some of the BEST matches of the Open! Stakhovsky is someone to watch out for. And it sure was exciting to see an American kid show some gumption! Frankly, Isner and Querrey do not impress me. Harrison, on the other hand, I'm excited about.
Fernando Verdasco (8) def David Ferrer (10) 6-7, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 - There's no doubt in my mind that the best winner of the entire US Open came on match point in the 5th set here. If you missed it, YouTube it. This was the BEST match.
Novak Djokovic (3) def Roger Federer (2) 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 - I'm proud of Nole for finally getting over that Fed hump! The 4th and 5th sets were so good that they made up for the rest of this 5 setter.
This post is already longer than I'd intended, but one more round of thank yous...
Rafa was my pick to win this since he said he wanted it at Roland Garros. When filling out my bracket, I had one objective: Rafa wins. I'd like to personally thank, first and foremost, Stan Wawrinka for getting rid of Andy Murray. We all know he gives Nadal hell on hard courts. Thanks to Llodra for ousting Berdych. Thanks Youzhny for taking out Isner AND Wawrinka. Thanks Nando for excusing Nalbandian. And a very special thanks to Nole for taking out Fed and being the ONLY person to take a set off Nadal all tournament. That final was competitive until 4-1 in the 4th set.
For the record, I miss Juan Martin del Potro, but I cannot express in words how happy I am that Rafa got this US Open title while DelPo is out due to his wrist surgery. I can't wait for him to rejoin the tour. He's dropped way downin the ATP rankings, and I want to see how quickly he can get back into the top 10.
Met some great folks on Twitter, and certainly have enjoyed all the banter from Wimby on. I'm pretty sure I developed a Twitter crush or two as well.
A few hours ago, Rafael Nadal got his Career Grand Slam, at just 24, and is now one of only 6 other men to have done so. Tomorrow I'll wake up with the worse case of tennis withdrawals I've ever had, I'm sure of it. T-minus 18 weeks until the Australian Open. Vamos!
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