THE FORCE OF WILL

I am exhausted after fifteen days of watching the U.S. Open Tennis Championship held at Flushing Meadows NY, which ended Monday night. The tension of those fifteen days was palpable but especially in the last days as the cream of tennis talent rose to the top: numbers one and two, both men and women, vying for the crown. Both finals were gladiatorial in nature.

First, Sunday afternoon, Serena Williams (1) faced Victoria Azarenka (2). Both these ladies had incredible records this year. Azarenka had lost only one hard court match this year and had beaten Serena twice on hard courts. She also won in January the Australian championship, the first of the grand slams. Serena had an equally amazing year, having won the French Open, beating Azarenka in this second grand slam event. She had a bad day at Wimbledon, the third grand slam, and dropped out early, as did Azarenka. Then the fun began. Serena won every event thereafter until in late August on a hard court in Cincinnati, she lost a close one to---you guessed it---Azarenka. So, there’s the scenario.

 It was a windy day with sharp gusts disturbing the ladies’ dresses and the toss of the ball, which is a tennis player’s worst nightmare. Serena was more erratic and flustered by the wind than her opponent, yet they were even at 5-5. Then Serena bore down and won the next two games to take the set. In the second set she started fast, built up a big lead, 4-1---and then lightning struck as Victoria rallied to send the match into a tiebreaker with power ground strokes and serving. The tiebreaker went back and forth with Serena holding match point at 6-5, only to have Victoria rally and take the tiebreaker 8-6. So there we are, one set apiece, final set to be the decider. It is then that Serena Williams summoned up all her experience and power. She has the potency of a volcano ready to erupt, and erupt she did to blast Azarenka off the court, 6-1, and win the title. Serena was unstoppable, a force of nature sweeping everything before it. She willed that championship, her fifth U.S. title and seventeenth grand slam (only one behind Chris Evert and Martina Navritolova). She is almost thirty-two and playing better than she did ten years ago. How many more will she win?

Now the men. Novak Djokovic, number one, the reigning Australian Champion, had lost the French finals to Nadal in a five-set match that lasted almost six hours and then lost Wimbledon in the finals to Andy Murray, the inspired Brit, who brought that title back to England after seventy-seven years of drought. He had lost the final of the previous U.S. Open to Murray. A model of consistent play, the best returner of serves in the game, he seemed ready for another crown. But Rafael Nadal, seeded second, stood in the way. Nadal had started the year on the injured list with knee problems that kept him out of the Australian Open. He had not played tennis for seven months when he made his return in the spring in a tournament in South America, which he lost in the finals. He then proceeded to win nine titles in a row, including the French Open, before losing in the Canadian Open in early August. Nadal then won Cincinnati on hard courts prior to the U.S. Open.

The Open final was filled with the hardest hitting I have ever witnessed. Nadal was constantly on the defensive as the Djoker, as he is known, pushed him around the court, but somehow Nadal clung on. Then suddenly, in the middle of the first set at 3-3, Nadal caught fire and won the set 6-3 with a series of bullets down the line and increased serving power. In the second set, Djokovic returned to his bullying ways and punished Nadal. I didn’t think it was possible to hit harder than he did in the first set, but somehow he amped it up and took the set 6-4. The third set was incredible. The whole match was filled with rallies of twenty times or more across the net; in this set, Djokovic won a rally that lasted fifty-four strokes. Then the magic moment of the match came with the score tied 4-4. Djoker was serving with a 40-love leave to win the fifth game when Nadal, another force of nature, suddenly roared down the mountain, broke Djokovic’s serve, held his own serve and won the set 6-4. The final fourth set was pure unadulterated Nadal. He floated around the court, making impossible returns and winning shots. The air went out of Djokovic, and he collapsed and was beaten 6-2.

Nadal is twenty-seven. After suffering serious knee problems, he has learned the importance of taking time off, plus he has added power to his serve and volleying to make the points shorter to spare his knees (except against Djokovic, who is a human back board). Nadal has won thirteen grand slams; he has a winning record against any player of note today; he is the toughest competitor I have ever seen. I agree with John McEnroe: if he stays healthy, he will shatter Roger Federer’s record of seventeen grand slam titles and be rated the best tennis player of all times.

Serena and Rafa: two forces of nature, who will their ways to victory. We are privileged to see this kind of talent in our time. Enjoy it while we can.