The On Deck Circle

This article has been submitted by Deven Hiscock with a big assists from tennis exper/Federer fan Dustin Hiscock.

After an exciting two weeks of tennis it is now time to reflect on what we have learned from this year’s Australian Open. Coming into the Open it was clear that Roger Federer was the clear favorite on the men’s side of the draw, as he was attempting to win his thirteenth career Grand Slam title and third Aussie Open in a row. On the women’s side of the draw it was not so clear cut with a legitimate number one favourite, but names such as Henin and Williams and were expected to claim the first Grand Slam of the season.

But as per usual at the Australian Open, nothing goes according to the book. Like in years passed, a new face has emerged as a future superstar in the sport. In 2006 it was a kid from Cyprus who captured the hearts of Australia when Marcos Baghdatis came out of no where to reach the Australian Open finals. Last year, little-known Fernando Gonzalez ranked in the top 10 and quieted doubters by becoming the first Chilean-born player to reach a Grand Slam final. Now in 2008, enter stage right 38th ranked Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the darling of the Open this season. With a combination of strong serves, powerful ground strokes from the baseline and soft volleys at the net, Tsonga found his “A” game. The main highlight win for Tsonga on his road the final was a straight sets thrashing of number two seed, Rafael Nadal. Not to mention he lost only nine games in total in the 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win.Five things I learned from this years’ Australian Open:

5. The ATP/WTA needs to either use its “HawkEye” computer technology on all courts in play in Grand Slams or eliminate the system altogether. Watching the tournament, it was difficult to remember which courts had the “ HawkEye Shotspot” challenge system or not. Several times during this tournament it seemed as though players had to call their own lines as well as worry about playing. I am not too sure what the line judges are being told, but some appeared reluctant to make a call for fear of being challenged by the player. At times I was wondering if the line judges were there to call the match or just happened to be ordinary fans with good seats. Chair Umpires also had the appearance of being intimidated to overrule calls for the chance of being proven wrong by a “HawkEye” challenge. It is also an uneven playing field across the tourney as only the centre court stadiums have the technology that allows the players to challenge questionable calls. Why the ATP/WTA would have installed a system that favors the top players in the world (they only play on the centre courts all the time) baffles me (HawkEye challenges were introduced in 2006 at the Australian Open).

4. Serbia is the most dominant tennis country in the world right now, having a man and woman compete in both the men’s and women’s finals. Novak Djokovic earned his first major title cementing his status in now the “big three” of men’s tennis, which consists of Federer, Nadal, now Djokovic. These three are the current four Grand Slam title holders and are considered the top contenders whenever they step on the court.

Some would argue Djokovic was a member of the top three already with his Rogers Cup victory over Federer and rise to the US Open finals last year. Novak should be the number three seed when it comes to the French Open in Paris this coming May. Should he be able to win a second major, it would become clear who is going to step up and replace Roger Federer as the world’s number one player. I still think its Roger’s tour, but more on that later.

The women of Serbia are not to be overlooked themselves, with two of their native ladies reaching the semifinals. Jelena Jankovic scored an upset victory of defending champion Serena Williams on her way to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Ana Ivanovic has now established herself as a top player on tour as she is currently ranked second in the world. Her glamour-cover good looks and powerful ground strokes now have her in the same group as Maria Sharapova. The question now is when will she get over her nerves and win her first Grand Slam? (I’m guessing she will get that elusive first Grand Slam at Roland Garros this May.)

3. Maria Sharapova is ready to start dominating the women’s world of tennis again. In a 2007 season which saw her reach three of the four Grand Slam semifinals, including two finals, but winning only one title (Pacific Life Open). The questions about her consistency and her ability to win the in the pressure packed situations began to surface. After battling shoulder injuries and mental fatigue for most of last season, Sharapova appears ready to dominate in 2008. Its not like Sharapova had an easy road to the finals as she defeated Lindsay Davenport,(11) Elena Dementieva, (1)Justine Henin, and (3)Jelena Jankovic.

Her serve was her Achilles heel last season, as she couldn’t control it during the big matches, which saw her win just one lone tournament. In this year’s Australian Open Sharapova’s serve was a non issue for her as she had a first serve percentage of 59. It’s pretty good when you win 79 per cent of the points on your first serve. The all around improvement in her backhand, which is her best weapon, was a main part of her Australian Open victory. Should she continue to show improved skills in her serving and her court coverage we could see Sharapova win at least one more Grand Slam this season (either Wimbledon or US Open in my opinion ).

2. Tsonga is the real deal. The Australian Open will prove to be no fluke as he demonstrated he has the complete game to compete with the stars on tour. A strong forehand, a good serve, agility, and an ability to cover the entire court are all characteristics of champions. Tsonga’s game possesses all of these attributes and more in his all around game. The key for him is to have success on his first serve as he wins 78 per cent of his points that way, as oppposed to 49 per cent on second serves. If Tsonga can keep his first serve percentage at 50 per cent or higher then he will continue to be successful on the tour.

With an appearance that is strikingly similar to that of Muhammad Ali, he had the fans at the Australian Open chanting “ALI, ALI” during his matches. Tsonga clearly stole the hearts of Australia in his improbable run to the finals. Be looking for “the Muhammad Ali of tennis” to take a major run at the Wimbledon title in June, as his game is more suited to grass and hard courts, as opposed to the clay.

1. Roger Federer is human. But he is still the best player in the world. What he just did in the Australian Open has some people shaking their heads, and for the first time in his domination of the tennis world, questioning if the great Federer has taken steps backwards. Coming into the Open, Roger was feeling the after-effects of a battle with a viral infection that prevented him from his proper pre-Australian open routine. Bed- stricken, Federer was forced to miss his usual season opening warm-up tournament the week leading up to the Aussie Open. So coming in cold, not having played much in the month leading to the tournament, Federer still earned a semifinal birth.

Federer himself admitted he had created a monster with his streak of 10 straight Grand Slam finals appearances. I could only imagine the amount of pressure Federer put on himself to continue that streak of dominance. For him to now have that pressure off and to start fresh is what I think it will take for him to go to the next level (if that’s possible!).

I am not trying to make excuses for Federer because I am a “Fed head” but trying to explain that he still is and will continue to be the number one guy. I can’t help but think that this loss is a good thing for Federer and tennis. It should lure the rest of the tour into thinking he is now vulnerable and ripe for the picking, allowing the tennis world to debate the next number one until about the end of May, I predict, when there will be no need for that discussion for quite some time again.
That’s because when he wins the next three majors (Yes Roland Garros included! I said it!) in a row, the question will be back to who will have more majors, him or Tiger Woods?

This article has been submitted by Deven Hiscock with a big assists from tennis exper/Federer fan Dustin Hiscock.