After defeating sixth seeded Mardy Fish of the United States 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to win his ninth tournament title of a truly incredible season, Djokovic answered his beaten finalist's (Fish) post-match humorous question thus, "No, I'm not tired of winning or making victory speeches. By the way, I must thank you for bringing out the best out of me today (Sunday)."
On her part, after spanking fourth seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-3, 6-3 in Saturday's semi-final, and then blew away the big-serving and big-hitting Samantha Stosur of Australia, seeded tenth, 6-4, 6-2 in Sunday's final, Serena Williams, who had entered the tournament ranked world number 80, said in her post-match interview, "I'm so excited about winning, because I never expected to be alive and playing so well so soon. In fact, I'm just happy to be playing at all, let alone winning."
When she was asked if she can ever get back to the level she once was when she was the world's undisputed best player, she answered, "I hope so, I'm looking forward to the challenge… Right on, right on!"
Even if she succeeded in disguising her new-found total commitment to the game, and an ambition to get back the way she once belonged, in the words of the legendary The Beatles in their 1970 hit tune Get Back, the events of the last two weeks spoke volumes. She, in only her third tournament since coming back from an operated foot injury and surviving a subsequent life-threatening pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs), had entered the WTA Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, unseeded and ranked world number 110. That did not however stop her from winning the star-studded tournament involving the world's very best players. In the final, she trounced Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, the world number seven, in straight sets.
Last week, Serena entered the WTA Rogers Cup in Toronto ranked world number 80, and therefore unseeded. Once again, she had to battle an assemblage of the best the female world of tennis could offer. By the time the American was to face fourth seeded defending champion Victoria Azarenka in the semi-final, the Belarussian was "smoking hot," destroying all her opponents with the loss of just six games in four matches. Besides, it was the same Azarenka who had defeated Serena in the final of the Miami Masters in 2009, even though the American had won their next four encounters.
This time however, Serena was far from being the world number one, and had struggled in her matches in the two previous rounds, having needed to rally back from a set down to win. When asked before she took on Azarenka what she felt her chances were against the hottest player in the world who would jump to world number three if she won the tournament, Serena replied," I can see that Vicky (Azarenka) is playing really well, but the thing is, I always think I'm going to win anytime I step on court, against anybody.'"
Azarenka should have taken note. As it turned out, Serena thoroughly dominated her much better ranked opponent after drawing the first "blood," breaking in the sixth game of the opening set to lead 4-2. Even though Azarenka broke right back for 4-3, there was no stopping the American, who was hitting the ball powerfully but cleanly, from winning the set 6-3, and the second with the same scoreline, ending the match with a majestic forehand cross-court winner. The Belarussian who lost just six games in four matches, lost the same number of games in one set against Serena.
Serena's next opponent Samantha Stosur's form in defeating Poland's 12th seeded Agnieszka Radwanska in their semi-final, suggested a potential cliff-hanger of a match. It was a cliff hanger alright, but the real contest, and it was a contest, lasted just eight games, which both "sluggers" shared.
However, Stosur, who was serving so well and was generally in such peak form in other aspects, that she lost just four points in her first four service games, now lost six points in one game. And that was in the ninth game when she (Stosur) took leads of 30-0, then 40-15, before Serena seemed to change "gear" and started to illtreat her opponent's serves, breaking to make it 5-4. Once she had broken at last, Serena pounced, and ended the set in the next game, with an authoritative cross-court forehand sizzler deep in the corner.
Now in cruise-control, Serena broke her opponent in the first and fifth games of the second set, winning seven of the last eight games to lead 4-1, before serving out the match, unleashing her eighth and ninth aces to end the match.
It was Serena's eleventh consecutive match win, and her second WTA tour title in as many weeks. It was also Serena's 39th WTA tour title, including 13 Grand Slam titles. Only her older sister Venus (with 43 career WTA titles), and Belgium's Kim Clijsters (41 titles), have won more titles among the active players.
Perhaps more importantly, as far as her second-lease-of-life playing career is concerned, Serena, who added $360,000 prize-money to her ever bulging bank account and a "cute" trophy (in Serena's words), made of glass with a tennis racquet design, has a new world ranking, which has now risen to number 31. And the US Open is around the corner. Watch out girls, Serena is back!
While Serena was doing her thing in Toronto, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the man who seems to have forgotten how to lose a tennis match, was at it again in Montreal, where he became the biggest and fastest earner-ever in one season. By winning his ninth title of the year and his tenth Masters 1000 title yesterday, he also became the first player ever to break the $8 million barrier in one season's prize-money earnings, excluding product endorsement contracts etc.
After defeating America's number one player, 29 year-old Mardy Fish 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to become only the first player ever to win five ATP Masters 1000 titles in one season, the incredible Serb, whom his country's President describes as "Serbia's number one P.R," has now won 53 of the 54 matches he has played this year, and 55 of 56 dating back to last November. At the rate he is going, the 24 year-old could well be on his way to matching or even surpassing another of the most cherished records in world tennis. By being 53-1 (won/lost record this year), Djokovic could have in his sights landmark feats of American Jimmy Connors (89-4 in 1974), American John McEnroe (82-3 in 1984), Swiss Roger Federer (81-4 in 2005), and Federer again (93-5) in 2006.
It is a long way yet, but putting himself in a position to pursue the greats of the sport in itself brings immeasurable excitement for the followers of the sport worldwide.
Sunday's win over a vastly improved and fit-fighting Fish may not exactly be a vintage-Djokovic performance after his scintilating form against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils in the two previous rounds, but it is part of folklore in competitive sports that "very good players win when they are playing well, but great players find a way to win even when not playing their best."
To be sure, Sunday's final did not produce the rampaging Serb's best tennis. Yet, he did enough to continue his incredible winning ways.
It was to be a career-defining moment for Fish, who has been in great form lately, winning at the ATP Atlanta, and was runner-up last week at the ATP Los Angeles event. So much work he has done in the last year that he lost as much as 14 kilograms in weight in his training-road work, lifting weights etc in the gym. The result is his career-high world ranking of number seven, and leap-frogging childhood friend Andy Roddick as America's numbr one.
Fish had featured in three previous ATP Masters 1000 event finals, and lost all three – in 2003, and the last two against Djokovic at Indian Wells in three sets, and in Cincinnati against Federer also in three sets. Unfortunately for the American, he faced on Sunday a man he has never beaten in all their six head-to-head confrontations, and he never looked like being seventh-time lucky, against a man who is on a roll, a man who is on a mission.
For four long years, the Serb had ended each season ranked number 3, behind Federer and Nadal. He had begun this year having gone 11 Grand Slam events without adding to his first Grand slam title which he won at the Australian Open in January 2008. So it appeared that this year was going to be a make-or-mar year for him. The prospect of a fifth consecutive year watching the Roger-Rafa duopoly roll on may have proved intolerable for a player of such prodigious talent, a man the legendary John McEnroe promptly described as "the most wonderfully and naturally gifted player I've ever set my eyes on." Oh! I can hear African-American singer, Roberta Flack croon, "The first time ever I saw your face."
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
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