Posted by James Martin, TENNIS.com
Looking at the men's semifinal draw at the Australian Open, it's clear the establishment has pulled off a successful counterrevolution.
Coming into the tournament, everyone, it seemed, was talking about how Andy Murray would run roughshod over the draw and be anointed the new king of tennis. It was enough to bruise Novak Djokovic's delicate ego. Last year's Aussie Open champion, who still should be considered one of the leaders of the young guns, said Murray didn't deserve to be mentioned as a favorite to win the tournament. That honor, according to Djoker, belonged only to Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and, of course, Djokovic himself.
Well, Murray lacked a tactical focus against Fernando Verdasco in the fourth round and was shown the exit. Djokovic showed himself out, thank you very much, when the heat and an in-form Andy Roddick proved too daunting. No word on whether the Serb wanted to revise his statement about whether a quitter can be considered a serious contender for the crown.
That's a bit harsh, I suppose. Maybe Djokovic was next to death's doorstep (again) and had no choice but to quit (again). But what about the other up-and-coming talent that's supposed to overthrow the established order? If Juan Martin Del Potro's lame effort against Federer in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open is any indication, the old guard has little to worry about.
Overall, it was a poor showing Down Under by Generation Next. The high-wire act that is Gael Monfils and hard-hitting Croat Marin Cilic both lost in the fourth round. Ernests Gulbis went down in the second. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at least reached the quarterfinals.
You don't want to be too hard on these kids. They need more experience and have to take their knocks before the best and brightest among them figure out how to win big matches under a lot of pressure and, often, difficult conditions such as extreme heat.
But look who's left standing at this year's Australian Open. It's four familiar names: Federer, Nadal, Roddick and Verdasco. Although it's a surprise to see Verdasco in the semifinals, he turned pro in 2001 and has been a top-20 player the past couple of years. And we know Roddick's ups and downs all too well. But both of these (relative) old-timers put in a lot of fitness work during the offseason -- Verdasco with Andre Agassi's former trainer, Gil Reyes, and Roddick with new coach Larry Stefanki -- to get into the best shape of their careers. The results prove it.
The usual suspects, Roger and Rafa, look even stronger. If Federer beats Roddick (Fed has a 15-2 record against the American) and Nadal defeats his friend and countryman Verdasco (Rafa has a 6-0 record against him), it'll be the first time the two meet in an Australian Open final and their seventh showdown in a Grand Slam event.
Just when the tennis world was bracing for a changing of the guard, it's the established order that's reminding everyone who's boss.
