It was a smooth-running, hard-fought, entertaining, and ultimately predictable U.S. Open. We saw a lot of great matches, the birth of a Grand Slam contender and professional impersonator, an evening with a French magician, signs of life from the American men, and two champions who made it clear once again that they are players for the ages. CE hands out its report cards.
Roger Federer
He didn’t play his best in the final, but just as he did at Wimbledon, Federer used his many years of winning experience to good end. Battling in the clutch isn’t what he’s most famous for, mainly because he’s won so easily in the past. But after all the talk about his style and “genius” and humility and impending sainthood, it’s Federer’s toughness—his stubbornness—that has been his most impressive asset at the majors this year. Nadal and Djokovic have tightened the race with him, but Federer’s serene belief in his skill and superiority—as well as his basic, inexplicable ability to avoid choking—elevated him once again. Seven set points down; seven saved on Sunday. That alone is worth an A+
Justine Henin
Her seventh major and second of 2007 have brought Henin back to the heights she scaled in 2003, before a virus knocked her off stride. This may have been the finest, most comprehensive win of her career. She became just the second player to beat both Williams sisters in a major, made the final a rout from game one, and reminded fans that women’s tennis at its very best can be about all-court variety and stylish athleticism. A+
Novak Djokovic
Federer walked away with the winner’s trophy, but this was Djokovic’s event. His upbeat and offbeat personality made an impression on the world outside tennis, which is a rarity in the U.S., and virtually unheard of from an Eastern European. On the serious side, he reaffirmed, if it needed to be reaffirmed, that he is firmly in the elite Top 3. In fact, he’s so solid and sure of himself it seems like he’s been up there forever—I was surprised to be reminded that this was his first major final. Djokovic won tight matches against Stepanek and Monaco, and he won going away against Del Potro and Moya; he won with craft and he won with power. In the end, the Serb pressed too hard when he saw that he had a chance against Federer, and he did what he never does: Miss when it counts. Still, Djokovic played Federer as well as anyone has in an Open final, never allowing the world’s best to relax and find his best tennis.
On the less-than-serious side, Djokovic is a valuable new personality for tennis, and something different from what we’ve seen before. He’s got the charisma the game is criticized for lacking, but it doesn’t come from raging outbursts like the famous “personalities” of the past. He’s broad-humored, outgoing, high-energy, and not too cool to be a total ham. Djokovic was born for New York—both Flushing Meadows and Broadway. A
Andre Agassi
I heard only 15 minutes or so of his commentary, but it offered more knowledge about the sport as it’s currently played than you get from all other Open broadcasters combined. His only flaw was that he talked too much, but that’s correctable. Wouldn’t it be nice to hear Agassi splitting time with John McEnroe at the Open in the future? For now, seeing Andre’s dome in Ashe Stadium, and hearing the crowd react when they saw him, was one of the nicer moments of the two weeks. A-
David Ferrer
The Spanish bulldog makes the most of what he’s got—he’s been steadily grinding out wins all season. He’d never made much of an impression at a Slam until he came up with the biggest win of his career, over Rafael Nadal in a wee-hour fourth-rounder here. Nice to see his unrelenting, unspectacular competitive ethic rewarded. A-
Venus Williams
This was the reverse of her Wimbledon performance; at the Open, Venus came out on fire, making Ana Ivanovic look like an amateur, but fell to earth after that. Her final game in the semis was a surprisingly tepid finish coming from such a traditionally strong Slam closer. Still, it was nice to have her back in the mix somewhere outside Centre Court. A-
Carlos Moya
After 10+ years, he seems to enjoy it more than ever. This year Charlie brought a nothing-to-lose sense of enthusiasm to the Open that you don't normally get from the top contenders. Icing on the cake. A-
Svetlana Kuznetsova
She reached her second Open final, which gets her this grade. But Kuzzie was given a free pass in the semis when Anna Chakvetadze melted down, and she was awful—tight and slow—when she got to prime time. Kuznetsova remains a formidable athlete in search of the confidence and consistency that should come with that talent. But the WTA deserved a better Open finalist. B+
Anna Chakvetadze
It’s too bad she came up so small on the biggest stage she’s reached, because the young Russian had her best showing at a major and continued her quiet, year-long ascent into the WTA’s upper echelon. Chakvetadze can play, and her court sense and hands are an antidote to power-girl tennis. Was her choke in the semis a rookie moment, or is stage fright going to be an ongoing problem? Only time will tell. B+
Andy Roddick
He brought it all for two brilliant sets against Federer and made us forget his collapse in Australia. It made for an evening of the highest quality tennis. Afterward, Andy said he wasn’t hanging his head, but he was p----ed off. Seems like the appropriate attitude. B+
John Isner
The happy giant is another question mark. Just how well his serve-reliant game will hold up when players adjust to it is impossible to tell right now. But that’s a bridge to be crossed when he comes to it. For now, Isner is a true U.S.-tennis Cinderella story, an aw-shucks college kid who isn’t too cool to show us how thrilled he is to have come so far. His serve is a crowd-pleaser, at least among Americans, and, hey, he took a set from Federer, something even Djokovic couldn’t pull off. B+
Donald Young
At 18, the Chicago native has already had a career’s worth of ups and downs. He’s been overhyped and counted out; now he’s finally given us an idea of how he can perform with the big boys. Even in his loss to Feliciano Lopez, Young was one of the most galvanizing athletes on the grounds, serving, attacking, and scrambling like, well, a pro. Now he needs to professionalize his mental approach and leave the emotional roller coaster behind. B+
Fabrice Santoro
It should be a law at the Open: Even if he retires, the impish magician must play a night match in Ashe for the next 10 years. B+
Agnes Szavay
The WTA’s freshest face is this young, hard-hitting, level-headed Hungarian. May we see more of her soon. B+
Nikolay Davydenko
He did everything on cue, playing with machine-like efficiency until he faced Federer. Then he folded. Did you expect anything less—or more? B
Rafael Nadal
He still hasn’t figured out Flushing, but Rafa stuck it out when he was hurt, played deep into the early morning, and didn’t dwell on his injury after his fourth-round loss. B
Serena Williams
She lost her third straight match to Henin and looked far less than her best in doing it. Then she made the absurd comment that her opponent had hit “lucky” shots. Serena doesn’t owe anyone any compliments, but she does owe herself an honest assessment of where her game is and where she wants to take it. A Slam season that began with a bang ended with familiar questions. C+
Maria Sharapova
Her 2007 trajectory was also disappointing—final in Australia, semis at the French, early loss to Venus at Wimbledon, early loss to Radwanska here. Sharapova uncharacteristically let this one slip away at the end, but she didn’t make excuses for it. C
Tomas Berdych
Another dispiriting loss at a major; this time he couldn’t even finish the match. C-
Sam Querrey
A quick first-round defeat to a good player, Stefan Koubek, sent this U.S. hopeful’s stock falling for the moment. C-
Richard Gasquet
He looked pretty healthy while he was announcing that he couldn’t possibly take the court against Donald Young. D
Ted Robinson
It’s time for Johnny Mac’s publicist to leave the booth. D
The Trophy Presentations
The Open always makes a hash of these. They’re by far the worst of the majors. It’s hardly a crime for Dick Enberg to say “Justine Henin-Hardenne,” but it cheapens the moment when the obscene prize money for the winners is trumpeted through the arena. As Enberg said when he was giving Federer his checks and cars and stuffed animals and who knows what else, “I feel like a game-show host up here.” The U.S. Open has prestige; The Price is Right doesn’t. F
