Aussie Open - Seventh Heaven

The number 7 has always been a special one in the world of sport, from the players who have worn it (Mantle, Elway, Beckham) to the seventh inning stretch to a Game 7 finale. On Sunday evening in Australia, Roger Federer reached seventh heaven as he captured his seventh Grand Slam title, and his second Australian Open title, with a four set victory over Marcos Baghdatis. Of course, no one expects Roger to stay on 7 very long and the talk will begin to center on Federer’s chances at a calendar year Grand Slam.

Before he had number 7 in the bag, the Bag Man, Marcos Baghdatis, had Federer worried and off-balance through the first set and a half. The unseeded 20 year old appeared comfortable from the start and managed to dictate much of the play in the first two sets as he refused to let Federer push him off the baseline. On the other side of the court, Federer appeared tight and was making uncharacteristic errors, and found himself down a set and a break early in the second. The number one seed managed to erase the break quickly and started imposing his will over the match mid-way through the second. By the time the second set was over, Baghdatis had succumbed to Roger’s pressure and the physical toll of a long road to the final.

The third and fourth sets were formalities on the way to crowning Federer as champion for the second time in Melbourne. Baghdatis was clearly finished, but he hung in there gamely until the end, unlike a certain women’s finalist.

What can we say about Federer that hasn’t already been said? He’s the best player we have seen and he is dominating men’s tennis at a time when the depth of the sport is at its greatest. His tennis is flowing and beautiful to watch, and his graciousness is second to none. It’s nearly impossible not to like the guy as he makes tennis history before our eyes. Chances are, we’ll have our eyes on him for quite awhile.

Wrap Up Thoughts

· For those fans who decided to watch the re-run of the Men’s final at Noon (ET) on ESPN2, they missed the emotional speech of Roger Federer upon receiving the trophy from Rod Laver. ESPN is infamous for timing matches out to the minute and today was no different as their video editors decided to cut out the trophy presentation even though it was good television. Fortunately, we decided to tape the live broadcast and watch it later in the morning so that we wouldn’t have to deal with ESPN’s editing whims.

· So what was Federer’s speech like? Well, we already have one request for our tape of the match. He appeared to be overcome with emotion at having received the trophy from the great Rod Laver. He was barely able to speak as he congratulated Baghdatis, the Baghdatis team and his own team. After thanking the sponsors, Roger wasn’t able to continue and he hugged Laver for support. It was a touching moment and it was indicative of how knowledgeable Federer is on the history of the game and the history he is making.

· Brad Gilbert’s comment about Federer putting on the “sleeper hold” after the second set was right on. It also brought back memories from junior high school of World Wrestling Federation star Adrian Adonis and his famous sleeper hold, “Goodnight Irene”. Adonis would invariably get behind his opponent (patsy) and wrap his arms around his head and neck, and then slowly lower him to the canvas as the hold took its toll. That was a perfect description of what Federer did late in the second set and early in the third as the Cypriot had the life sucked out of his game.

· While Brad Gilbert had his awkward moments on screen, his analysis over the fortnight was solidly on target and that makes him a keeper for ESPN and its Grand Slam coverage. Gilbert and Mary Joe Fernandez did themselves, and the network, proud by speaking out so strongly on Justine Henin-Hardenne’s retirement from the women’s final. Their feelings echoed the sentiments of many fans and it was refreshing to hear such candor from the two former players. Sometimes ex-players and coaches can be suck-ups; these two weren’t and the viewers were rewarded.

· Can Marcos Baghdatis keep the momentum going? The foundation of his game appears to be very solid as he’s capable off of both wings and his serve has improved since last year. If he can increase the level of his fitness, he could become a fixture in the tennis scene for years to come. Like Federer, Marcos is another guy who is easy to root for.

· Martina Hingis’ performance in Australia appeared to signal a successful return to the big time for the 25 year old who’s been missing for the last 3 years. Her groundstrokes have beefed up and she appears to be fitter now than ever. However, her serve, especially the second serve, still needs improvement. Too often in her matches, Hingis found herself on the defensive after trying to fend off screaming returns. In spite of the weak serve, Hingis managed a nice run to the quarterfinals where she hung tough with new number one, Kim Clijsters. In her three years away from the tour, Hingis has matured substantially and she has discovered her love for the game. Thankfully, she is still young enough to pursue it at the highest level. We’ll be rooting for her in 2006.

· And what’s the state of the rest of the women’s game after this tournament? Amelie Mauresmo was seemingly buoyed by the confidence of her year ending championship victory and that took her on her run to the title in Melbourne. Justine Henin-Hardenne leaves Australia in disgrace. Kim Clijsters announced that she will be out for the next couple of months with ligament damage in her ankle. Maria Sharapova had a remarkably good effort for someone who was on the cusp of pulling out of the tournament. And the Williams sisters appear to be going nowhere.