Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Aussie Open: Djokovic’s Breakthrough, Federer’s Breakdown

While in St. Paul this weekend, I missed seeing the men’s and ladies’ finals of the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic’s victory is a breakthrough for the 20-year old Serbian player who is ranked third in the world. He’s been nipping at the heels of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the world rankings, and he finally had his breakthrough by winning his first Grand Slam tournament. Normally a popular player on the court, Djokivic had the rare distinction of defeating Federer in the semis to the stunned amazement of the crowd.

As for the world’s number one player, Federer will bounce back from his defeat, but he wasn’t his typical dominant self during the competition. It may be time for the Swiss champion to hire a new coach. He’s been without one since last summer. I don’t care how talented or hard-working he is, Federer still needs coaching as much as any other athlete if he wants to continue his success on the tennis court.

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