What the U.S. Open taught us:
* We didn’t need this Grand Slam to alert us that Nole Djokovic is the best player on the planet, but the Open did tell us a few things about him that we didn’t know with absolute certainty. One: That along with all his physical talents, his mental strength is as good and maybe better than Rafa Nadal’s or Roger Federer’s in their best moments. That comeback from two sets down in the semis and his steely nerve facing double match point was extraordinary. Two: Watching him in the fourth and final set of the championship match with Rafa, fighting through back pain, separated him forever from the wimp who used to call for trainers when he had little more than a tummy ache.
* Going into this final I thought Rafa had his best chance this year of beating Novak. He had been playing more aggressively than I have seen him on a hardcourt in a long time, he was ground stroking with far more consistency than he had displayed in Montreal and Cincinnati and his confidence was exceedingly high. Meanwhile, notwithstanding his fantastic finish against Federer, I thought Djokovic was a half-notch under the standard he set at Wimbledon. That combined for me to give Nadal his best opportunity to win. But it didn’t happen for the Majorcan and this defeat in some ways was the hardest for him to absorb emotionally because it showed that even when he’s playing his best tennis and his most aggressive tennis, Nole is capable of raising his game to whatever level it takes to keep his nose in front.
* What Rafa can do in 2012 to get closer: In the last three or four years, he’s improved his serve greatly, though aces didn’t have to be a high priority because he would usually be command with his first ground stroke. But that’s not good enough against Djokovic, who is the best returner in the game. How many times in this final did Nadal hit first serves in the 115-120 mph range without forcing Djokovic to take a step to return. One of my lasting images of this match, aside from the spectacular rallies, is seeing the Djoker camped just behind the baseline and, with nothing more than a shoulder turn, whack Nadal first serves back to immediately neutralize or take charge of the rallies. Nadal needs to spend an entire off-season getting his serve better. It doesn’t have to be faster, but he needs far more consistently in hitting spots in the box, the way Federer does.
* For the 16th year in a row, the women’s final was decided in straight sets. In marked contrast to the men, there has been little drama in the New York women’s final since Steffi Graf recovered from a second-set bagel to beat Monica Seles in three in 1995. How uncompetitive have the women’s finals been? In that 16-year straight-set span, only once did a set go to a tiebreak (Serena Williams 7-4 over Martina Hingis in 1999).
* Ah, yes. Serena Williams, who provided all the drama in this year’s final. She seems to be determined to turn herself into the most despised women’s athlete, with her hair-trigger temper.
* Is there anyone, including Open winner Sam Stosur, who believes Williams’ ailing foot was anywhere near 100 percent for this final or that Stosur on any other day would have lost this match?
* The WTA can spin-doctor how balanced its tour has become with four different winners of the Slams this year, but how much bounce is the tour getting out of these four winners. Kim Clijsters won the Aussie Open, has played one match since mid-June because of injury (she retired in that match) and probably will shortly announce her second and absolutely final retirement from the game. Li Na is 5-6 since winning the French Open and lost in the first round in New York to Simona Halep of Romania. Petra Kvitova is 2-3 since winning Wimbledon and lost in the first round of the U.S. Open to Alexandra Dulgheru. I’ve got a $20 bill that says seven out of 10 fans can’t remember who won the French or Wimbledon this year.
* Andy Roddick hopped back into the top-20 at No. 14, but I’ve got a bad feeling about his future. He’s played only 40 matches this year because of injury and he’s at an age, and probably always has been, when practice time is more critical for him than for many players. He’s not one of those guys who can put the rackets down for three months, walk on court and within two rounds be right back in a groove. He needs daily batting practice and when you’re hurt, you’re not just battling the injury, but you’re losing valuable training time. Roddick has played only 40 matches this year and, even if he’s fit enough to play four more tournaments this year, it will be his least activity since his rookie year of 2001. Yet, I don’t know what more he can do to stay on court. I know how much work he’s put in on and off the court the last few years.
* How far can Mardy Fish go? He’s just 30 points behind No. 7 Gael Monfils and playing the best sustained tennis of his life. It’s going to be very difficult to crack top-5, but Fish should be concentrating most heavily on staying in high fitness. When his body is right, he’s a threat against all but the most elite players.
* The tours now head for Europe and, unfortunately, that’s going to be a cue for a lot of American fans to put the game aside and concentrate on NFL and college football. I’d be perfectly happy if the season was over right now with the end of the Open. I know all about the money invested by people who run the European fall and winter circuit. But, for me, nine months is long enough. Schedule the World Tour Championships for late September and let these guys put the rackets down for three full months. You’ll see, overall, better tennis and fewer injuries.