Posted on 1/29/2008 12:18:37 PM

Tennis Betting – Tsonga’s Fairytale Run; Djokovic’s Defiant Victory

By Nila Amerova

Melbourne, Australian – As the furore of the Australian Open subsides, the question on everyone’s mind – from tennis experts to sports betting enthusiasts – is whether the culmination of the Australian Open was one of those one-off periods defying belief, briefly upsetting the established order before settling back to as it was, or have we born witness to a new order in tennis. Is it indeed the era of shifting tides in men’s tennis as proponents of change have been extolling for some time?

Of the last 11 Grand Slam titles, one or either of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have vied for the title—and not since the Australian Open in 2005, when Marat Safin halted Roger Federer in the semifinal (and then defeated Lleyton Hewitt in the final), has the Swiss maestro of tennis not made a Grand Slam final appearance.

The very nature of the Australian Open, with its instance at the start of the calendar year, makes it all the more susceptible to surprise, as players are only just finding their rhythm and outcomes are not always according to recognized tennis truths. But when first World No.2 Rafael Nadal and then World No.1 Roger Federer on consecutive nights in the semifinal crashed and joined the humbled parade of top players exiting, it was not so much of an upset as full-on mayhem in the world of tennis.

Indeed, on the men’s side, the 2008 Australian Open was a tale of two players: the affirmation of Djokovic and the rise of Tsonga.

In 2007, during the course of a remarkable breakthrough season, Serbian Novak Djokovic cracked the Top 10 and established himself as a viable Grand Slam contender with two Grand Slam semifinal appearances (Roland Garros and Wimbledon) and one Grand Slam final run (US Open).

At the US Open final last year, Djokovic went down in straight sets, losing to Federer 7-6(4,) 7-6(2), 6-4; but as the score indicates, even then he came mighty close to telling a different story. Nevertheless, what he failed to write at the last Grand Slam event of the 2007 season, he scripted at the start of the 2008 season by winning the first Grand Slam of the year, felling Federer in straight sets en route to his final act. In so doing, Djokovic snapped Federer’s 11-consecutive Grand Slam final run; quashed any hope this year of achieving a Calendar Grand Slam and wrecked his gain on Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles. For Federer to equal Sampras’ record, before the end of the 2008 season, he would have to win two of the remaining three Grand Slam titles; and to overhaul the record, he would have to win all three titles, which includes the French Open. Ever since Rafael Nada laid his claim on the clay courts of Roland Garros, the French Open has eluded Federer—it would be a cruel twist of fate should he finally win the one major title that has eluded him thus far and prevented him from completing a Calendar Grand Slam these past two years running.

The second story underlining the 2008 Australian Open, and perhaps stealing some of the victorious limelight from Novak Djokovic is the rise of Tsonga. Headlines from Tsonga Tsunami to chants of “Ali” have all but affirmed the emergence of a fighting storm that answers to the name of Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. The 22-year-old Frenchman enjoyed a stunning run at the Australian Open that saw him fell top seedlings – from Andy Murray, to Richard Gasquet and most impressively Rafael Nadal and in so doing, Tsonga cracked the Top 20 in ATP rankings this week. A new star is born, and after an illustrious junior career as well, in Tsonga there is held a promise of an equally impressive ATP level career.

In sports, every athlete yearns for a favourable outcome, an impressive victory or a dramatic finish. As some of the finest men’s singles tennis players fell to both Djokovic and Tsonga respectively in their march to the Australian Open final, they achieved a hope that for most is but a wishful fancy – a chance to vie for a Grand Slam title. In the end, while it was Djokovic who realised the dream of winning, for Tsonga, the dream has yet to unfold. And so, the young guns announce their arrival: with an emphatic finish to the first Grand Slam of the 2008 season. It is with great anticipation that I along with the rest of the world will watch as they continue scripting their dreams on tennis courts during the course of this year and onwards.

Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room