Grunt Fest

I love women's tennis. A lot more than men's tennis, which I find merely ok.

Not just because of the many hotties playing, but also because the playing field is more even, whether one player is dominating the standings or not. You can always count the top-10 players to impress you, but anyone in the top-50 can give them a good whooping too.

In men's tennis, since Andre Agassi, I've only been impressed by Roger Federer. If that guy had the mental capacity to beat Rafael Nadal - an inferior foe in my opinion - he would be the best of all time. And no one else is nearly as interesting a case study. Nor as graceful.

But the girls... wow. That is what sports are all about. Fierce competitiveness. To the point of grunting like gladiators on every hit, like the superb Maria Sharapova:

Tennis: US Open 2008

So... many observers thought Roger Federer was over and done with, that he could no longer compete at the elite level he was at... 6 months ago. After 5 years of total domination, talent doesn't just go away.

And had nobody watched the Olympics, where he won in doubles and said he felt ''revivified''? That should have been a sign.

And who the Hell has a bad year in which he ends up second in the world in two major events (Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, in arguable the best tennis match in history), and among the semi-finalists in the other major event (Australia)?

The ATP lists over 1500 players... which means at least 1498 players would have dreamed of having a 'bad' year like his!

Anyhow, the King is back. Long live the King?