Tennis

I'd like to take this opportunity to get away from basketball and talk about my other sporting passion: tennis.

Tennis is a big part of my life. I've played for all my life, and eventually ended up as the number 1 singles player for Farmington in my senior year. I've also taught tennis for 5 or 6 years now, and these days, it makes up a decent part of my income. Tennis is something, I hope, will always be in my life.

Let's talk about professional tennis, more specifically men's tennis. Let me start of by stating my opinion: men's tennis is far superior to women's tennis for a number of reasons....

1. The men, being physically stronger, are capable of a lot more things on the court.
2. In grand slams, they play best of 5 sets instead of best of 3, leading to really epic endings.
3. The diversity of player in the men's game far surpasses the women's.
4. There's far more depth in men's tennis than women's.
5. The quality of matches is far better. Examples:

US Open Women's and Men's finals. In the women's final, Maria Sharapova beat Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-4, 6-4. 20 games. There were a total of 35 winners compared to 43 unforced errors. Compare that to the men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, which Federer won 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. 37 games. A total of 102 winners compared to.....42 unforced errors. You do the math.

OK, that's my rant. I'm sorry. I just get tired of women's tennis getting all the publicity, with Venus and Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova, etc etc. I'm glad to see the men's game get a little more exposure with Roger Federer's brilliance leading the way, but there's SO much more to it than just Federer.

I'm just saying.

Now that I got that out of my system, I'd like to invite you all to watch the Australian Open, which starts in a week or two. All of the various tournaments have their own particular characteristics, and I dare say that with the exception of the US Open, the Australian Open might be the most exciting and watchable of the Grand Slams. Why, you might ask? Well, I'll tell you!

Wimbledon is dominated by quick points and big serving, making it a little bland to the casual viewing public. The French Open is more centered around defense and outlasting your opponent, making it equally as tedious. Then you have the Australian and US Opens, where the surface is more equal for everyone involved. The Australian Open also has the factor of intense heat, with the on-court temperature sometimes reaching well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, leading to tons of drama. The rowdy, but enthusiastic, Australian crowd is also a highlight.

With that in mind, here are a few of the great Australian Open matches from over the years, with some commentary....

2005 Australian Open Semifinal
Marat Safin bt. Roger Federer 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(6), 9-7

Sorry for the low quality video and odd musical choice, but just looking at this match again gives me chills. This is probably the best match of the last 5 years in men's tennis, with the possible exception of Agassi-Blake from the '05 US Open. This match lasted well over 4 hours, and even at the end, these guys were still crushing the ball. Unbelievable.

2003 Australian Open Quarterfinal
Andy Roddick bt. Younes El Aynaoui 4-6, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4, 21-19

An even 5 hours. 484 points. Unbelievable. I included the last 2 games of the match, and as you can tell, the atmosphere was electric. The quality of play was also excellent throughout, even as the match approached 4 and eventually 5 hours in length. I remember seeing the score line on espn2's bottom line, and thinking it was a typo. Unbelievable.

2000 Australian Open Semifinal
Andre Agassi bt. Pete Sampras 6-4. 3-6, 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-1

The greatest rivalry tennis has probably ever seen, Agassi and Sampras, took center stage at the Australian in 2000. The contrast is perfect: the classic serve-and-volleyer Sampras against the greatest returner in history Agassi. The results were spectacular, as the video of the tiebreak indicates. The 2 second-serve aces Pete throws in are my favorites.

I haven't been able to get the complete TV listings for the Australian, but when I do, I'll post them here. I'm not asking that you watch every match like I will.....but just give it a chance. I consider myself a pretty big sports fan, and I am yet to find a sport that has more drama than tennis. I urge you to find out for yourself.