muller.balazs's blog

As Roger Federer bowed out of the 2010 Wimbledon quarter-final, the inevitable end to his incredible supremacy in tennis has finally arrived.

During 2008, and especially after his epic loss to Nadal in the 2009 OZ Open final, most of us kind of had the same feeling, and it was a more than a pleasant surprise that he could put this - by his standards - mediocre period behind him, reclaim the Nr. 1 spot and reach the final at all four Grand Slams, winning three of them.

When John Isner and Nicholas Mahut walked out on Wimbledon's Court 18 for their first round match of the 2010 Championships, they probably thought they would play a regular match, shake hands and remain strangers to each other as they have been before.

The encounter turned out to be something very different - an incredible match of inconceivably epic proportions. 2 days, 5 sets, two tie-breaks and 183 games after it started, Isner stood as winner by an astounding 70 games to 68 in the final set.

The King of clay has done it again - Nadal's triumph on the red courts in Paris proved that he is still the best player on the surface. But even though he came through in style, without losing a set throughout the tournament, a few questionmarks can definitely be raised.

Defending champion Roger Federer was knocked out earlier by a stunning Robin Söderling during the quarterfinal round, in a match where the damp, rainy conditions also played a decisive role.

As Ana Ivanovic took the tennis scene with storm back in 2008, most people were convinced that a few years later she would be remembered for her skills just as much as for her looks.

Then, something happened almost overnight. Suddenly, she lost her game, her characteristically positive fighting spirit, and even her temper in many matches, looking very insecure and sometimes even completely bewildered on court ever since.

It has been a while since a big event could give such a pleasant surprise in terms of winners like the 2010 Indian Wells tournament. Jelena Jankovic and Ivan Ljubicic are both very sympathetic players who produced some great comeback-tennis after a period of various difficulties.

For me, Jelena has always been one of the most enjoyable players to watch, her positive, easy-going attitude and her ability to always bring forward a smile give her a loveable personality, and her tennis is also entertaining, being a smart and tactical player instead of slugging at the ball from every position.

The spectacular exhibition match at Indian Wells featuring Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal seemed like the perfect entertainment and a worthy fundraising event for the Haiti earthquake victims - on paper.

You couldn't think of a better match-up with having the two greatest players of the 90's and the two greatest of today - on court at the same time.

But after a good start, there were some really awkward moments, which to my mind don't have any logical explanation at a charity event like this.

Recently, more and more speculations arise about the "need" of a fifth Grand Slam tournament on the professional tennis circuit. China is named as the logical choice in terms of geography and the capability to organise such an event.

The idea is that they would turn today's China Open into a Grand Slam tournament, thereby giving the Asian continent its own major tennis venue.

Not so long ago, the great rivalry for the Nr. 1 ranking was going in one direction. The 5-year long reign and supremacy of Roger Federer was about to come to a shocking end, and he would be permanently de-throned by arch rival Rafael Nadal.

A few weeks ago, some matches of the Rotterdam ATP 500 indoor tournament were played in front of almost no audience. The atmosphere was so quiet and sleepy that a line judge even forgot to call a ball out.

A most noticeable trend in today's professional tennis is the ever growing difference between Grand Slam tournaments, the ten Masters tournaments and the rest. While all the focus from players, fans, sponsors ans the media is directed towards the biggest monster events, the smaller ones risk losing more and more top names in their draws.

Andy Murray is one of the most talented players on the Tour and has been the only real hope of British tennis for quiet some time now. But despite all great expectations, somehow those big results just refuse to come, and slowly, you can begin to sense the frustration of both Murray himself and that of an entire nation behind him.