The Fed-Express will roll Down Under
Posted on 30. Jan, 2010 at 5:00 am by 3D in Tennis
Set your DVR or get ready to stay up late Saturday night as Roger Federer and Andy Murray go toe-to-toe for the 2010 Aussie Open crown. What’s at stake you ask? Actually quite a bit:
-Fed’s perch at the top of the game. His #1 status has been challenged, overtaken (Nadal in ’08), and regained.  A loss to Murray would send a clear message that despite his ridiculous streaks at majors (23 straight semis, 18 of 19 finals), he is beatable on the biggest stage by those challenging his top ranking.
-The hopes of a nation. Now this one is great. No Brit male has won any of the 4 major titles in 74 years. Yep, 74 years! British tennis fans act as if their hearts are ripped out every time that streak continues – especially at Wimbledon – and it is just as fun to watch them cry as it is to watch Cubs fans weap when they lose.
-The reputation of all those ‘experts’. While I did say how much I like watching tennis for the commentary, I didn’t say I agreed with it all. If you listen to what they say, Murray is the most beloved of all the young guns, even over Nadal.  Patrick McEnroe and Brad Gilbert have picked Murray to break through for two years running. It’s about time for the proof to be in the pudding.
What will actually happen is the match will be close at the beginning, but Fed will run him out in 4 sets.  When Fed smells blood, he pounces hard as he did against Tsonga and Davydenko the last two rounds. Murray has a damn good all-around game, but his serve and/or forehand usually break down at some point during a match. And when it comes to pressure points, you got to have those two weapons in your arsenal to survive (a la Fed and Pete Sampras). They will split the first two sets, Fed will eke out a close 3rd set, and roll in the 4th for his 16th major.
Meerkat
30. Jan, 2010
Federer is simply a machine.