Fed Express Derailed

Aus Open

What should we read into Djokovic's straight-sets defeat of Federer in the semi ? The great man certainly had an off-day with an uncharacteristically high amount of unforced errors. Does it mean his dominance of the game is over, or is it just a temporary blip ? I think the latter. The younger generation of Djokovic & Nadal may have to wait a while longer . I'm convinced Roger will win Wimbledon again this year, though Nadal will probably thwart him again at Roland Garros. Against Djokovic, though, Fed's Sampras-like ability to produce a couple of aces to get out of trouble, was absent.
The revelation of the tournament has been Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Ranked 38 coming into the tournament, he plays Djokovic in tomorrow's final, having crushed Nadal in the semi as well as dispatching Andy Murray in the first round. Tsonga was in the zone against Rafa- he hit 49 winners in three sets. I think Djokovic will just be too consistent in the final though, & win it in five sets. It could be a classic if both men can reproduce the form they showed in the semis.

The women's tournament has also seen its share of upsets. In my last post I predicted a Henin-Venus Williams final. My betting slip was torn up after the the quarters: Ivanovic took out Venus Williams, & the biggest shock of the same round was Sharapova beating Henin 4 & 0, ending Justine's 32 match win streak. Sharapova's tournament win is being seen by some pundits as a sign that she will dominate this year, but I still expect Henin to be no. 1 at the end of the season, & to win in Paris for a fifth time.