Roland Garros and The Sopranos
Warning, this post will contain spoilers for not only the Roland Garros finals, but the Sopranos finale as well, so beware.
‘Lackluster’ is pretty much the word that concerning all three events. Ana Ivanovic, who I correctly predicted would upset Sharapova in the semis, was clearly in over her head against Henin in the finals, getting destroyed 6-1, 6-2. As for Roger, he clearly didn’t play his best, and lost in 4 sets. Nadal wasn’t outstanding either, except on the break points, where he saved 16 of 17. Think about that for a second, if Federer wins two more of those points at oppurtune times, we could be discussing Roger’s potential Grand Slam for 2007. In the 6th game of the first set alone, Nadal was serving at 2-3, and held after saving 5 break points. If Federer wins that game, the whole match might have been different.
Overall, the tennis was a bit lackluster this year. No real memorable matches, with a few exceptions like Djokavic’s 5-set victory of Frenchman Oliver Patience. It’s not that the quality of play was bad, but to have exciting matches you need two players playing at similar levels to keep matches competitive, and it didn’t happen often enough this year. From the Men’s quarters onward, there were a total of 7 matches, meaning anywhere from 21 to 35 sets could have been played. Turns out a total of 23 were played, with five straight set matches and two four-setters, not one five setter! And the later rounds typically include the longest, most dramatic matches. On the Women’s side, there were six straight set matches, and only one three setter. Not that I think this is a trend or anything, but my basic point is that the tennis was a bit of a dramatic letdown, much like the end of the Sopranos was a disappointment for most people.
I say ‘most people’ because I, for one, enjoyed it. The ending was done in a more artistic way than many fans would have liked, but contrary to popular belief there was little ambiguity in the end. Many people have their theories that the screen cut quickly to black because Tony was shot at that moment, or some other absurd idea. The bottom line is the last scene showed that Tony would continue to lead his life having to look over his shoulder at every moment. Notice I used the word ‘would’ as opposed to ‘will,’ because Tony Soprano will not continue to lead a life because he is a figment of someone’s imagination, and the fact that some people would like to hang David Chase, the show’s primary writer, by a noose because he didn’t end the show the way they wanted is somewhat disturbing.
Anyway, as I wrote this entry, I have seen that a weary Federer will not try for a 5th victory at Halle. One more sidenote on Roger. While I was enduring my usual three hour delay at Newark International Airport, I overheard the following conversation after highlights of the match were shown:
Smart Tennis Fan # 1 – “I still think he (Roger) is the best player of all time.”
Smart Tennis Fan # 2 – “He isn’t as good as Pistol Pete til he wins the French.”
Smart Tennis Fan # 1 – “Yeah, I guess you are right.”
If you don’t get why this conversation is absurd, look up Pete Sampras’ career highlights on the red stuff.