The 2015 US Open has come and gone and now we have to wait until January for the next grand slam to start in Australia. Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of great tennis to be played in 2015: Davis Cup, Fed Cup, ATP World Tour Finals, and WTA Tour Finals. But on this blog, I only have the time to address the grand slams, so odds are good this is my last blog post on here until the Australian Open starts up.
If you want to keep up with me through out the year, I suggest you follow my tennis twitter handle and like my tennis Facebook page, which I have provided links to below. Anyways, what I will do here is do my recap of the US Open by listing 10 things to take away from the event. Enjoy!
#1. Novak Djokovic established that he is the best in the world: Going into the 2015 US Open, Novak Djokovic hadn't won the event since 2011, which is puzzling considering the fact that hard court is his best surface. By ending that drought and winning his second career US Open title, Novak Djokovic soundly reminded us that he is the best tennis player in the world. He won three of the four grand slam titles in 2015 and has already secured the year-end world #1 ranking. Who is number two is up for debate, but as for who is number one, it's clearly Novak Djokovic.
#2. Flavia Pennetta can win a grand slam: This seems like an obvious statement, but I don't know what else to say other than we learned that Flavia Pennetta can win a grand slam. She played the best tennis out of anybody over the course of the two weeks and deserved to win her first career grand slam title. It's somewhat sad that she won't be back to defend her title since she'll retire after the season is over, but it's nice to see a player like her finish her career on such a high note.
#3. Roger Federer is still really good: Father time is having a difficult time slowing down Roger Federer. Like wine, Federer seems to almost get better as he ages. Obviously this isn't true since he is not longer at the peak of his dominance, but if it weren't for Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer would probably still be the number one player in the world.
#4. Serena Williams is human: Serena Williams fell short of her goal of winning the calendar slam, but we shouldn't forget that she was actually attempting to win five straight grand slam titles as opposed to four. What we were expecting her to do was something almost unfathomable and Serena Williams reminded us that even she has days when she can't be at her best. In a way, seeing Serena Williams lose made me have even more respect for her. Seeing her lose was a reminder that the level of competition she routinely destroys is high quality competition and that we really shouldn't take her level of dominance for granted.
#5. Rafael Nadal is on his way out: I know this isn't exactly a news flash, but seeing Rafael Nadal lose in the 3rd round was another reminder that his best days are truly behind him. He's still a great champion and one of the best in the world, but it's clear that he is no longer a serious threat to win grand slams outside of Paris.
#6. Maria Sharapova is in an interesting place right now: Maria Sharapova didn't compete in the 2015 US Open due to a right leg injury, which creates a lot of uncertainty heading into 2016. While she is still ranked #3 in the world, the uncertainty lies in her ability to win more grand slams. I think she can win more, but at the moment she has a lot of work to do.
She has been given a wild card to next week's Wuhan Open and she will also play for Russia in their Fed Cup Final against the Czech Republic in November. There's still plenty of tennis left for her to play in 2015 in order for her to gain momentum for 2016. Hopefully she can take advantage and put herself in a good position to win in Australia.
#7. Donald Young brought a ray of hope to American men's tennis: Donald Young surprised everybody by reaching the 4th round of the 2015 US Open before falling to Stanislas Wawrinka. Young had a very good tournament and definitely gave American fans something to smile about. It's encouraging to see some American success on the men's side.
#8. Eugenie Bouchard is still in a funk: Right when it started to look like Eugenie Bouchard was coming out of the darkness, it all fell apart again for her. Prior to her 4th round match, she slipped and fell in the locker room and had to withdraw due to a concussion. It almost feels like the tennis gods are messing with her or something, but let's just hope she makes a full recovery and is able to have a strong outing at the Australian Open.
#9. Andy Murray is focused on Davis Cup: Andy Murray's 4th round exit to Kevin Anderson was disappointing, but the good news for Andy Murray is that his dream of helping Great Britain win Davis Cup is still alive. He is willing to skip the ATP World Tour Finals in order to get fully fit for the Davis Cup final against Belgium. When Andy Murray wants to accomplish something, he usually finds a way to get it done. Look for Andy Murray and Great Britain to win the 2015 Davis Cup title.
#10. Roberta Vinci stole the show: If there was anybody who walked away from New York with more fans, it was Roberta Vinci. Her passion, emotion, and authenticity after knocking out Serena Williams was very refreshing. In addition, her support for her fellow countrywoman and close friend Flavia Pennetta was inspiring. Roberta Vinci may have finished in second place, but she won the hearts of tennis fans across the world in a way that very few players have ever done in tennis history.
---Ben Parker: To keep up with my tennis coverage year round, follow me on twitter @atp_guy and like my tennis Facebook page ATP Guy Nation
