Two Contrasting Champions

Serena Williams and Andy Murray winning the US Open singles titles were perhaps not altogether the most unexpected occurrences in sport in recent weeks.  Both had clinched the Olympic singles gold for their respective countries and though Andy had faltered somewhat in the hardcourt leadup tournaments , you somehow felt this tournament was destined to be his , especially after Federer was sent packing in the quarters.

An affirmed Legend and another in the making

Serena now surely deserves her place among the absolute top legends of the women’s game – the likes of Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Margaret Court. With 15 grand slams, Olympic gold medals, a fair share of doubles crowns, she has easily been the most consistently dominant player over the past decade and a bit.  It was not always thus – at the outset, her sister Venus burst onto the circuit earlier and more successfully and for a while it seemed that Serena would play bridesmaid to her. However while Venus has had her unquestioned moments in the sun, Serena’s career has comfortably outmatched hers.  The 2 sisters span 2 different generations of ladies tennis – right from their initial rivalries with Graf and Lindsay Davenport following to the battles with the Belgian duo of Justine Henin Hardenne and Kim Clijsters and on through to the modern day , where they (Especially Serena) have maintained their hold over the bumper crop of eastern European talent.

Serena’s game never had the panache of a Navratilova at the net, or the gazelle-like court coverage and powerful yet artistic groundstrokes of Steffi. Yet she used and still does to this day the asset she has been amply been blessed with, a cartload of power, which when accurately unleashed makes her nigh unstoppable. Both her playing style and the number of on and off court controversies she has courted, have ensured that she is hardly the most loved player on earth, especially for a generation like ours, for whom the ladies game effectively came to a halt with the retirement of Graf. Yet to not give the American her due would be a great disservice to a true champion of the game.

Andy Murray has been the tearful runner up in more tournaments than he would wish to remember, like his coach Ivan Lendl, losing his first 4 slam finals. For a long time, especially in the light of Djokovic’s awe-inspiring 2011 deeds, Andy seemed destined to remain a distant fourth in the quartet of modern powers, the other 2 being the incomparable Federer and Nadal. The London Olympics proved the perfect catalyst to spark the flame in the emotive Scotsman which has culminated in one of the oldest clichés in British sport finally being laid to rest at Flushing Meadows – the first British winner in a Grand Slam since Fred Perry. The future looks especially rosy for Murray if he can maintain fitness and consistency.  Still only 25 years of age, Andy has just stepped into what should be his most productive 3-4 years of professional tennis.  His rise in form comes at a time when his main rivals have all been dragged back towards the peloton, making Murray, if not the best player on the circuit , a definite favourite every time he enters a tournament. Federer has had a renaissance year but that aura of invincibility has long gone. There are now a number of players (none of them called Nadal) who believe they can beat the great man. Rafa himself has yet to step onto the court after his shock Wimbledon exit, and as the long term recuperation from injury continues , one wonders just what kind of toll his unforgiving style of play has taken on his body.  He may yet come back at the highest level and is still sure to dominate on clay for still some years but we might never the Nadal of late last decade ever again. Djokovic has struggled to reattain the Olympian heights of last season where he was the best , 2^nd best and 3^rd best player on the Tour. The Serb is still a potent force and his rivalry with Murray could well be the defining match-up for this decade , just like the Federer-Nadal showdown in the one.

All in all , Andy Murray has the world at his feet and having overcome that initial Slam hurdle, more  are likely to be just that trifle easier. The big question now on all minds is that having won the Olympic Gold in the hallowed turf of SW19, can Andy make that one step up and win Big W. He for once will be desperately hoping that this is one area where doesn’t end up emulating his coach Lendl.