U.S. Open Notebook: Winner's, Sleeper's, and Toughest Road

The 2013 US Open officially kicks off today in Flushing Meadows, New York. At the Billie Jean King Tennis Center over the next two weeks, the best tennis players in the world will compete for the final grand slam championship. On the women’s side, Serena Williams looks to defend her 2012 US Open Championship as Andy Murray will be looking to do the same on the men’s side. This will be the first time Murray will ever have the role of defending his crown. With all the top seeds healthy on the men’s side, and the fierce new rivalry between Serena and Victoria Azarenka, the next two weeks should be full of surprises and wonderful play.

The Return of the King

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, the final book The Return of the King sees Aragon the rightful air to become the king finally ascend to the throne after going through both personal and physical struggles. On Sunday, Roger Federer returned to his throne as both king of Wimbledon and the number one ranked tennis player in the world. The Swiss champion had not one a grand slam in 2 ½ years because of a combination of injuries and new challenges. Over the past two year Federer has battled back problems which have limited his physical abilities. As a result his high standard of performance declined. Combine his nagging back injuries and the rise of new challengers, Federer dropped to the number three ranked player in the world. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray all raised their game and were able to defeat Roger Federer consistently over the past two years. One of his toughest lost came last year when Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was able to come back from Federer two sets down in the Wimbledon semi-finals. That is a feat that would have been unheard of five years ago. Times were changing for Federer. Off the field Federer had to deal with the challenges of being a father for the first time with the birth of his twins. All theses challenges caused questions to be asked about the future of Roger Federer in tennis.

The critics wondered if we had seen the best of Roger Federer or if he would win another major. All those questions were put to rest this past Sunday as the tears flowed from his face after he dispatched a heart broken Andy Murray. It took a while but Federer has dispatched every challenge that has been put in his way to get back to the top. Every time he steps on the court he shows the heart of a champion. He has won everything that there is to win in the sport of tennis. Federer is the true and rightful heir to the throne as king of tennis for now and all time. 

By: Brian Palmer

Wimbledon 2012 Review

This past weekend’s schedule of Wimbledon finals was anything but short on storylines.  On the women’s side, you had Serena Williams who is always a big storyline on her own.  Even with taking breaks from the game of tennis, she still continues to dominate women’s tennis and to prove that rankings may not really matter too much.  Her opponent, Agnieszka Radwanska, would have taken over the number one ranking had she won her first ever Grand Slam title.  Serena Williams took home the title (Serena and Venus also won the women's doubles championship).

 

The buzz of Wimbledon happened to be on the men’s side this year.  The men’s final featured Roger Federer and Andy Murray.  Federer was going for Grand Slam title number 17 and record Wimbledon number 7.  Murray had much more pressure on his shoulders.  He was trying to become the first Brit to win Wimbledon in over 7 decades.  With historic implications on both sides, the finals were sure to be a huge draw.  To the dismay of all of Great Britain, Federer was able to edge out Murray in 4 sets.

 

Ticket sales for the men’s Wimbledon final were through the roof.  There were reports that tickets were reaching prices of over $20,000. Yes, $20,000.  That is how badly the entire country wanted to see a win for Andy Murray. 

An interesting point with Wimbledon is that the men’s and women’s prize money is equal throughout.  Prize money disparities have been a big point of contention in recent years in tennis.  At Wimbledon, prize money ranges from $14,500 for the first round losers all the way up to $1,150,000 for the winners.  All prize money levels saw an increase that was ahead of inflation from the 2011 tournament which would show that there has been growth in the tournament’s revenue. 

Just as I wrote last week, it’s time to take notice.  Especially in men’s tennis, we are in a golden age.  The top 3 or 4 players may be the best top 3 or 4 that we have seen in the game’s history.  There will be tennis in the upcoming London 2012 Olympics and the next Grand Slam is the US Open at the end of the summer.  Do yourself a favor and give tennis a chance.