Belated thoughts on this year's US Open.
(Warning: the links are to the US Open website which sometimes takes VERY long to load)
EXITS
Tim Henman
This will be his last Grand Slam. He's supposed to play in the Davis Cup but his wife is also due to deliver (their 3rd child, I think) around that time...
He is one guy who probably single-handedly gives many Brits high blood pressure every year at the Wimbeldon because they have such high hopes for him and he never did really well in it. Nevertheless, he is one rare gentleman who still plays the gentleman's game like a gentleman. His wit and self-depracating (also rare) humour will be missed, too.He was asked 'What's the best you ever played?' and said, 'I think the best overall is Paris, the Masters Series, when I won. I think for the consistent level of tennis. You know, Basel I played some I remember one year only dropping my serve once the whole week, making Roger cry in the final. That was pretty special (smiling). I have to remind him of that every once in a while just to keep his feet on the ground.' (Tim Henman's interview)
Ha ha.
All the best, Tim!
Maria Sharapova
What a pity we saw so little of those dresses.
Ana Ivanovic
And what a pity we didn't get to see more of her beautiful face and smile.The women's tournament was really, really boring because of the lop-sided draw and with these 2 and Daniela Hantuchova out of the picture, boy, there wasn't much to watch. Even Justine versus the Williamses wasn't that exciting.
At least while exiting, these 2 could speak nicely about their opponents, unlike some people who couldn't even bring themselves to utter something as simple as, 'Congratulations, Ms Henin'. Like their gold teeth and fillings would drop out if they said it or something.
Ana said, '... It was enjoyable time for me to play against her here and also last year against Serena' and also 'She's the type of player that plays better each match, and as the tournament progress she is raising her level. She is definitely playing some good tennis and has a good chance. It's tough part of the draw, but I'm sure she can do good. ' (Ana's interview)
Sharapova said: 'You got to give her a lot of credit for finishing the match and winning it. A lot of girls in her position on a big stage in a big stadium against a top player sometimes get a little nervous. She held on there, and all the credit to her for winning the match.' (Sharapova's interview)
Nadal
I routinely root for him when he plays against Federer. I think his rather 'early' exit is significant because he is the nearest man to Federer and he's suffering from, like, a million injuries at his young age while Federer is hardly pulling out or resting because of injury or illness. Doesn't look good...
THE FINAL
Of course I didn't wake/stay up at 4.30am to watch the final and after I learnt the result, I had no interest in watching the delayed telecast. The only consolation is that maybe Djokovic will become the nearest man to Federer instead of Nadal, and, by the looks of it, I think he has a better chance at Federer than Nadal does. He has better skills all round, I think. 
And among the raging bull types, bulldog types and robots who have been trying to unseat Federer, Djokovic is quite a breath of fresh air. If anything, he will be remembered for his personality. I read in a forum that some people think he's arrogant. I don't know about that but it looks like he is pretty well-liked among the other players. He seems to be getting affectionate hugs rather often.
And among the raging bull types, bulldog types and robots who have been trying to unseat Federer, Djokovic is quite a breath of fresh air. If anything, he will be remembered for his personality. I read in a forum that some people think he's arrogant. I don't know about that but it looks like he is pretty well-liked among the other players. He seems to be getting affectionate hugs rather often. 
(That's not Federer, of course. )
Links and pictures all from the US Open website.
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