Sports Then and Now

Kim Clijsters has made a surprising run to the U.S. Open Finals.

Start spreading the news.  For the second year in a row the script for the finals at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York has to be re-written.  Oh, for the money to put a roof over our heads…it would seem reasonable insurance against pesky and obstinate mother nature.

Think of all the confusion and lost revenue caused by this year’s two-day rain delay.  It must drive the tournament organizers to abstraction.

Regardless – Sunday in New York promises to present some eye-popping, riveting men’s semifinal contests with number one Roger Federer vs. number four Novak Djokovic in one and Rafael, soon to be number 2 again, Nadal vs. number 5 Juan Martin del Potro in the other.

Add to that the final between surprising finalist Kim Clijsters and number nine seed Caroline Wozniacki and you have a smorgasbord of potential tennis classics ready for the big stage.
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Roger Federer hopes to kiss the U.S. Open trophy for a sixth straight year in 2009.

Introduction
From 2004-2008 Roger Federer won the U.S. Open in New York.  Within the confines of Arthur Ashe Stadium Federer has won his last 35 matches in a row during what many call the toughest tournament in tennis.

Once the US Open begins this year, Federer seeks to extend his record winning streak with a record sixth consecutive US Open title.

After winning the 2009 French Open and Wimbledon, the Swiss regained the top ranking.  Federer compiled a total of 15 grand slam  wins – more than any other male tennis player.

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Kim Clijsters

(10) Kim Clijsters

The Belgian blonde is making a comeback after a brief stint at stay-at-home motherhood.  Impatience is often the calling card for some young women when the drive to “settle down, get married and raise a family” supplants reason.

Let’s face it – women generally have fewer years than men to make their mark in athletics.  They peak younger and age faster than their male counterparts, on average.    This explains why on May 6, 2007, at age 23, after several bouts with injuries, Clijsters announced her official retirement from tennis.

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Roger Federer will be looking for his third Grand Slam title of the year at the U.S. Open.

When the latest ATP rankings came out on Aug. 24, 2009, there was a new world number two player who was not named Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.  Scotland’s own Andy Murray was the first man to break the iron grip on the top rankings since Nadal took over the number two spot on July 25, 2005 – over four years ago.

Nadal held that number two spot for 160 weeks before he finally seized the number one ranking from Roger Federer.  From Aug. 18, 2008 through July 5, 2009 the Spaniard held the crown of number one – eventually handing it back again to Federer, currently ranked in the top spot.

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Andy Murray will be looking for his first major championship at the U.S. Open

“Never change a winning game; always change a losing one.”—Bill Tilden

Bill Tilden won seven U.S. Open Championships, six consecutively. Roger Federer will be attempting to tie this record in 2009 at Flushing Meadows in New York.  His major competitor will be Andy Murray, the world’s most dour yet respected Scotsman and the new No. 2-ranked player in the world.

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A year ago Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in a classic Wimbledon final. Now that he is back for the U.S. Open, will Nadal be able to regain the top perch from Federer.

A year ago at this time, we were all squirming in uneasy anticipation waiting to see how Roger Federer would answer the challenge put forth by Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard scorched the green lawns of Wimbledon and exacerbated excruciating pain on the red clay of Roland Garros.

Make no mistake about it—Nadal intended to take over the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis before summer’s end.

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