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The End of a Tennis Era ... Or at Least the Season
by Nadya Vlassoff
So, while the rest of the sporting world is going out with a bang, the tennis season is winding down to tournaments that don’t really matter and points earned that are part of a scoring system no one understands. As many of you might agree with (or disagree with, whatever) this season has been less than stellar. It began with a bang but slowly dwindled into the exhaust an old car gives off before it dies.
 Insert example # 1: Although she’s pulled out of the Australian Open, Maria Sharapova came back from injury and trounced the entire field in her bid to win her 3rd Grand Slam title. Congrats!
Example # 2: Novak Djokovic winning the same tournament but not before a stellar showing by Jo-Wilfred Tsonga who was the real star of the tournament. Then Sharapova goes on a 22-0 run and wins 4 tournaments in a row, kicking off her best start in her pro history.
Example #3: Serena Williams comes roaring back with a vengeance and picks up where Sharapova left off and wins her 4 tournaments in a row.
But, despite the highs and victories, that’s it. With the fall of the great Fedster himself to the shocking retirement of the great Justine Henin, plus Andy Roddick winning a Tier 1 tournament, the saddened season could be seen from months ahead. The only shinning beacon was Rafael Nadal’s total domination this season as he won almost everything under the sun, save for two Slam titles yet pocketing the men’s singles gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Nadal is a machine and only faltered at the U.S. Open but still made it to the semi-finals. Also, seeing Andy Murray’s tiny little forearm when he thought he made a great shot was unnecessary, really, and almost ruined his run at the U.S. Open. Seriously, Nadal’s un-flexed forearm is bigger than Murray’s head, which has been the source of unnecessary embarrassment.
 Then there’s Jelena Jankovic. Becoming #1 in the world for a hot 3 minutes without actually winning a Grand Slam is quite the marvel. While constantly bested by her countrywoman, the oh-so-lovely Ana Ivanovic, there is still something to be said for Jelena’s consistency. At least it is better to constantly make it to the later rounds of a tournament than getting embarrassed in front of the entire tennis audience by a 100+ ranked player in the second round of a Slam. Either that or claim injury like Sharapova and get away with it. Or you could do the real classy thing and pull a Williams sisters routine and never give your opponent credit when they beat you? As the tale of the tennis tape goes, Justine Henin is and will always be better than Serena.
As for Jankovic, minus the Grand Slam factored in, she never beat Henin either, the best player on the women’s tour over the last two years by far, which was a feat Jankovic desperately wanted to achieve. So did she really deserve the ranking? Maybe, but who cares? It’s gone now, on to Serena, who actually deserves it this time.
So what was left to salvage the season? Nothing really. The Masters Series in Shanghai and the YEC tournament in Madrid really don’t encompass the best of the best anymore. Sharapova is out with injury again, Ivanovic keeps losing to unseeded players, Jankovic is still losing when it counts, Nadal is worn out, no one even remembers Tsonga, and the list goes on. Oh well, despite the Aussie Open, there’s always next year. Let’s hope it is actually worth watching.
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