Semifinal day in Cincinnati

So the semifinals are set for tomorrow, and three of the four participants were good bets from day one. Nadal, Djokovic, and Andy Murray all have performed up to expectations, so far. And Dr. Ivo Karlovic reaches his first Masters Series semifinal! Not too shabby from the 6'10" Karlovic. On his way, he paved the road for Nadal to take up the number one spot from Federer, some time in the coming weeks.

A few words on the passing of the torch, which has always been inevitable in a practical sense, but has now become a mathematical assurance. Even if Nadal wilts against Djokovic tomorrow, he will still be number one in the world before the US Open. I have been saying for a long time that I was not thrilled with Federer's dominance. While the beauty of his game has been unparalleled for the past four years, it was tough to be a fan when you knew the outcome of every major tournament.

But I am not cheering to see him slump, this way. Federer was an emotional player in his youth, but he was so good these past four years that he didn't really have anything to be upset about. It's been hard to watch him fall this hard, the veneer of his impenetrability crumbling away, piece by piece. But even more than that, I'm afraid that we're just trading one completely dominant player for another.

If Nadal wins these next two matches, then it's going to be tough for me to pick anyone else to win either the Olympics of the US Open. And I have to admit, I find that prospect ... rather boring. Trading one incredibly dominant player on the tour for another is not really an improvement, in my book. I just ask for parity; I ask for more than two people to win Grand Slams in a given year. If Nadal wins the U.S. Open, that will mean that someone won three out of four of the grand slam tournaments for four of the last five years. The only other time that has even happened in the open era was when Mats Wilander did it in 1988. What does that say about parity?

For the sake of the next few years of tennis, I hope that either Nadal, Djokovic, or Karlovic can beat Nadal. I would like to believe that the next four years of tennis are going to be more interesting and varied than the last four years. But only time will tell.