With yesterday's final (delayed because of rain on Saturday), the U.S. Open is finally complete. Multiple slam-winners beat non-slam winners. Tennis world-order was somewhat restored. But I rather it be in chaos.
Youngsters showed that they can get it done (Del Potro, Cilic, Nishikori), but veterans also showed that they have grit (Jankovic, Federer). There were some cinderellas (Gilles Muller, Julie Coin) but the top seeds did pretty well (1, 2, 3, 6 on the men's side; 2, 4, 5, 6 on the women's side). Safina, Murray, and Del Potro lived up to their summer hype (good runs by them all), while Gilles Simon may have also done well if he hadn't run into Del Potro. It was somewhat interesting, but I knew it wasn't going to live up to the Australian Open or the French Open, which were seriously crazy. But as the last slam of the season, the really big prizes are wrapped up and those who qualified for the year-end championships will cruise along (men play the indoors MS because of requirements) until that final event. And Fed Cup and Davis Cup finals are always great fun too.
So my goals for some of my favorites:
Amelie Mauresmo - She has said she is going part-time, so I'm not sure what she'll be playing. But hopefully she can put together a few more quarters and semis, if she does play some more this year. The lead up to the U. S. Open was promising, and the 4th round run at the Open wasn't so bad (except for the double faults!). Just have fun out there!
Ana Ivanovic - She needs matches! She needs to regain confidence in her forehand and hopefully get good results leading up to the year-end championships. I don't expect any titles from her, but some quarters and semis will be pretty good.
Andy Murray - It would be awesome if he did as well as he did last year in the indoor season. But since he was awesome and surpassed expectations, I'm just along for the ride. Keep up the good work!
Dinara Safina - She has also surpassed expectations. Just take it easy and don't let pressure get to you. Good job!
Jelena Jankovic - I want her to take a vacation and get stronger, but she probably won't. Alas it would be nice to see her win another title this year, but no pressure.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - I hope he can get confidence back and play as nicely as he did at Australia. It'll take time, but some quarters would be nice.
Marin Cilic - He has some points in the Asia swing which would be nice to defend so that he gets into Australia next year as a seed. But no pressure - would be nice to see some more quarters and semis! And keep Croatia in the World Group!
Mario Ancic - I hope he isn't still sick. If he is back for Davis Cup, then I hope he gets to play. But no pressure. Most importantly just stay healthy. PLEASE.
Novak Djokovic - I don't really care what he does for the rest of the season, but I want him to be HAPPY. Please don't think about defending points, winning titles, media. Think about keeping Serbia in the World Group and winning matches one at a time, believing in yourself, and if you need a break PLEASE TAKE IT!
Svetlana Kuznetsova - I think she needs to figure out how to deal with her nerves and emotions. Maybe playing some matches would help, and getting to the year-end championships would definitely make her feel better, but I think she needs to forget this year and think not about tennis for a bit, maybe.
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