Austrian Open Wrap-up

That was a tough final for Andy Murray. He put up a better fight against Federer than he did at the U.S. Open, but only for one set out of three. Granted, that's better than none, but it's just not enough. Murray really should have won that third set on about four occasions. He served for it at 5-4, and in the tiebreak, he made two errors on set point. One, a down-the-line forehand that he sunk into the net, and another a backhand volley that sailed wide. Both were tough but makeable shots.

The idea of the blockbuster final that was expected seemed to vanish pretty early in the match, as Murray came out more defensive than he had played the entire tournament. You could see from the way he was getting Roger involved in slow backhand rallies that he wasn't in the kind of offensive mindset that he'd been in against Nadal. He never quite got to that level, but he did get closer in the third set. A disappointing day for Murray, but Roger turned out to be right in talking smack before the match. He had all the pressure, and he couldn't quite handle it.

Overall, it was an interesting tournament. Despite how much was said about what a wide open field it was and how this was the beginning of a new era in men's tennis, the final results looked a lot like a grand slam from Federer's years of complete dominance. There's no telling how many more of these he's going to win, because he clearly still has the game for it. Twenty titles is by no means an unrealistic goal at this point. Who's going to stand in his way?

Nadal's knees are giving him even worse trouble, and he's going to slide in the rankings after this tournament. Roddick, while more focused than most players when he faces Fed, just doesn't have the game to win. Murray, Djokovic, and a lot of the other young guns tend to just get overawed when they play Federer on a big stage. Del Potro is the only one who has managed a big win over a Roger who isn't ailing, but his long-term health is a question as well.

There weren't that many surprises in this tournament, now that I'm looking back on it. Cilic's run was impressive, but he'd been pegged for this kind of performance for a few years, so it wasn't entirely unexpected, and the draw did open for him, facing injured and tired players in the fourth round and quarterfinals. Davydenko showed once again that he can't beat Federer at a slam. Djokovic had another health problem affecting his play, but to his credit, he didn't pull out of the match. And Nadal's knees are just getting worse.

On the women's side, Justine Henin was by far the best story, but Nadia Petrova showed that she also may be bound for the top ten again. The Serbs and other Russians continued to struggle. The semifinal showings by two Chinese players seemed to indicate that China might be the next Russia, in terms of becoming a new tennis powerhouse. And the Williams sisters continued to keep American tennis relevant on the big stages, with a little (largely unnoticed) help from the Bryan brothers.

So it seems that reports of the new tennis era may have been largely exaggerated.