Expectation Versus Reality
The tennis world has the men’s final it’s been dreaming about for weeks and months, i.e. Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal. Now will the match live up to all its hype? On paper, there have been several exciting match-ups at the 2007 French Open, especially the highly-anticipated women’s quarterfinal encounter between defending French Open champion, Justine Henin, and Australian Open titleholder, Serena Williams. However, it was
an underwhelming encounter because Serena didn’t play very well in that match making way too many unforced errors including the final game when she lost her serve to end the match. The women’s semis also featured rather poor performances from the losing players, i.e. Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic which resulted in lackluster matches for the Roland Garros fans. The men’s semis featured some tight sets, but both matches ended in 3 straight sets and were not that memorable. Sometimes it is “the moment” which gets to a player in a big match and so he/she doesn’t play his/her best tennis, sometimes it’s the opponent’s game and sometimes it’s just a bad day at the office. Occasionally, the best matches of the tournament occur in earlier rounds when one least expects it. There is a lot at stake for both players in this final, i.e. 4 Slam titles at once for Federer, as well as keeping his hopes alive for a possible 2007 Grand Slam and for Nadal, a win would give him a third consecutive Roland Garros title and the chance to move a step closer to the Number One ranking. Therefore, one hopes that Federer and Nadal can produce an "instant classic" for tennis fans and the sport itself! It’s what we all need to end the 2007 French Open, as well as for the rest of the year because regardless of who wins, the intrigue shall continue…
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