But I do love the game, and I watch it as much as I can. Right now the men's tour far surpasses the women's in terms of competitiveness, interest, and all-around excellence of top tier players. (Pains me to say so, but it's true.) So my top moments are almost all about testosterone.
The countdown:
#5 Venus vs. Serena for the Wimbledon title
Long after everyone had stopped looking for a truly competitive match between these two (there always seemed to be complicated familial ambivalence about winning on both sides of the court) , they came at each other with everything they had and threw it down. And somewhat to my surprise, Venus came up the winner. Sure, Wimbledon is
where Venus famously plays her best, and she was on pace. But I 
have seen enough of Serena to know that you can never count her out, even if she's down 1-6, 0-4--she's still going to win the match; you watch. But this time she didn't, and you can tell that she was, well...kinda pissed. But she recovered enough to go out later that day and take the ladies' doubles title with her sister, and an Olympic gold medal with the same partner later in the summer.#4 Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer for the Roland Garros title
OK, this was sort of expected, because Rafa is the king of clay court tennis. He's played 22 matches at Roland Garros over a period of four years--and he's never lost. In fact, all the drama came from his perennial opponent, Roger Federer, but for the most unlikely reasons. Roger, who for years has b
eaten everyone on every surface--except for Rafa on clay--suddenly looked vulnerable. He is presumed to be the greatest player who ever lived, yet he is still chasing Borg's achievements and Sampras's Wimbledon record, and NOW the pundits are starting to say invincible Roger may be running out of time. (Please don't believe it.)Rafa beat Roger, matching Bjorn Borg's record of winning four consecutive French Opens. But for the first time, I felt myself pulling for Roger a little. I don't like punishing dominance, which is what made it so hard for me to root for Roger in the past. Until 2008, the outcome of Roger vs. anybody-but-Rafa-at-Roland Garros was a forgone conclusion. Roger has the greatest game of all time, but I began to wonder...is he tanking? Is something in his head?
#3 Novak Djokovic vs. Everyone for the Australian title
The 20-year old Serbian phenom didn't drop a set on the way to the final, inclu
ding his semifinal defeat of defending champion Roger Federer (this is when cracks in the Federer armor first appeared). It was closer than a straight set victory sounds: 7–5, 6–3, 7–6(5), which in my mind proves Djokovic's mettle. Then he defeated Jo-Wilifred Tsonga in a four-set final. A lot of people are annoyed by Djokovic and his interminable ball-bouncing and on-court antics; but I love his intensity. He reminds me of John McEnroe, which is a good thing. Djokovic's defeat of Federer meant it would be the first Grand Slam tournament won by someone other than Nadal or Federer since 2005, and the first in 10 straight Slams in which Federer did not appear in the final. So I had to thank Novak for giving me something new to look at. I stayed up all night to watch this tournament unfold live, night after night! BTW, the year ended as it began. Djokovic won the first Slam in January, and then he took the Master's Series in November. (Nadal and Federer both injured though.)#2 Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal for the Wimbledon title
This has been called the greatest tennis match in history, and I agree. Even McEnroe said so (in fact, I think he was first in line to say so). It had everything: two players with contrasting styles and temperaments; two players who have faced each other over and over; two players who have proven themselves indomitable on specific surfaces--each trying to take away the other's turf (no pun intended). It was five sets long: 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), and because the fifth set in a Slam cannot be decided by a tiebreaker, the final set went to 9-7. It was Rafel Nadal who prevailed, with Roger doing everything humanly possible to prevent it. It was eight hours of the best tennis ever played, nighttime when it ended, and the winner was tennis itself.
#1 Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray for the U.S. Open title
Heading into September 2008, Roger Federer had yet to win a Grand Slam tou
rnament--something that hadn't happened since 2003. Nadal had yet to prove himself on a hard court (at least at a Slam), so there was a very open feeling to the Open. James Blake looked good, Novak Djokovic was my pick to win, and Andy Murray broke through convincingly. But in the end it was Federer who won it (for the fifth consecutive time), and for the first time, I was all smiles. I have always been in awe of the man's game, but exasperated by his dominance. The newly vulnerable Federer of 2008 changed my view. Now I want him to finish it out--to surpass Pete Sampras's 14 Grand Slam singles titles and 7 Wimbledon titles. He deserves it, and I hope he gets it. He has raised the standards of the game as much as any of the all-time greats. I hope 2009 brings great things for Roger.
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