Well, everyone. I couldn't resist getting up to watch the women's final, and the point that summed up the match for me occurred with Serena Williams serving a game point to go up 4-2 in the final set - a lead that would conclusively put her back in charge of the match.
Serena hit a massive serve down the middle (how often do you see a ball actually curve away from a receiver in a women's match?) for an apparent ace, and the game. Justine Henin called upon Hawkeye, and the electronic linesman reversed the call. Serena stepped back up to the service notch, her resolve evident in the grim set of her mouth. And she delivered a carbon copy of that first-service fault, but this time with no doubt that the ball was in.
After she cracked that ace, Serena jumped for joy. Did anyone else see something touching in the way she landed so clumsily, flat on both her feet? That shot put Serena in charge for good; and it confirmed what I had tweeted not long before: Can the Shotmaker beat the Server? I don't think so. . .
I also felt that the way Serena let Henin back into the match in the second set, with that uncharacteristic 0-30 double-fault, is relevant here. You live by the serve, you die by the serve. It's as basic a rule as you can find in tennis, and I was glad to see it re-affirmed in such stark terms.
Both women played impressive tennis, but I keep returning to the same thing (as I have ever since I started writing this blog). The serve is the foundation of the game, and as it's the only shot over which a player has complete control, even if he or she is at a disadvantage when it comes to naked power. All the pretty backhands and lovely touch volleys in the world aren't enough to ensure that you'll get the job done if you can't take care of your own serve - or take away your opponent's. And when you can do neither, you're fighting a battle you're destined to lose.
That torrid streak Henin put together to win the second set was truly impressive; it was insuperable shotmaking. But very few matches are won on shotmaking skill, and the disparity between Henin's shotmaking and the quality of her serve is striking, and it keeps me from feeling overly sorry for her. It's a hard, harsh game sometimes; it will punish you and deny you the ability to get away with anything, provided your opponent is of sufficiently high quality. And there's no better player in the world these days, and for some time now, than Serena.
Some of you may not agree, but I don't just think Serena won; I think some measure of tennis justice was served.
Enjoy the men's final, everyone!
-- Pete