Well it was certainly an amazing US OPEN, both between and outside the lines. Congrats to Juan Martin Del Potro and Kim Clijsters, well deserving champions. I admit when I am wrong, and while I always believed Del Potro would be a force in the game and a Grand Slam champion, I thought Andy Murray would beat him to the Grand Slam podium. Del Potro plays with a maturity that far surpasses his 20 years of age and his forehand is an absolute hammer. He started off nervously in the final which is understandable, but Federer showed he is actually human by giving him an opening when serving to go up two sets to love, and to Del Potro's credit he took it. It is great for the game to have another star in the mix, and Juan's humble nature is something that represents the sport of tennis very well.
There were 3 prevailing stories in the women's side of the event, two good and one not so much! Firstly, Kim Clijsters was simply amazing. She came back from being retired for two years, and in her third event back, won the US OPEN, seems like a movie script! Kim has always been a very amiable woman, a favorite of players and fans alike. The way she handled everything shines brightly on the sport - a championship tennis career with a young family in tow is a challenging balance to achieve.
Melanie Oudin was the breakout star of the US OPEN. She captivated the public with her tenacious attitude, bubbly spirit, and exceptional play. She has been burning up the talk show circuit with appearances on "The Tonight Show" and "The Ellen Degeneres Show" since the event ended.
Unfortunately, the US OPEN wasn't without controversy. Serena Williams' much publicized outburst was very disappointing and unfortunate. Since I have lived through the intensity of elite competition, I can firmly attest to the fact that one's character is NOT and should NOT be determined based on one incident under extreme competitive duress. I am by no means rationalizing or enabling Serena's behavior, she clearly was out of line and has acknowledged as such since. However, instead of maligning someone who has given back a tremendous amount to her sport, I prefer to examine her full body of work as opposed to this one incident. "To err is human, to forgive is divine."
~ Justin
