8 Reasons to remember the 2010 US Open tournament – Part 1
As with any other year and any other Grand Slam tournament, this year’s US Open matches brought with themselves a season of excitement, anticipation, disappointment and ultimately victory. Records were broken and records were made, matches were fought, lost
and won, and ultimately, it became an event to bookmark and remember for years to come. This feature details some of the most noticeable developments in the August to September event.
1) This year signified Kim Clijster’s third victory at the US Open, with her third appearance since 2007. Most fans agree that effectively, Clijsters had already won the tournament with her crushing defeat to Venus Williams in the semi-finals. It took the
Belgian tennis professional barely an hour to do the same to Vera Zvonareva in straight sets 6-2, 6-1. Clijsters and her success are more than just a regular occurrence, seeing as she retired two years ago and in the interval before her comeback, she married
NBA star Brian Lynch, gave birth to her daughter Jada Ellie and suffered through the demise of her father. However, her recent streak of 21 straight wins at Flushing Meadows indicates that she has once again become dominant in women’s tennis, with an amazing
defence of her title this year.
2) Rafael “Rafa” Nadal and his first US Open Championship trophy are definitely on the top of this list. This year, the Spanish player only dropped one set throughout the duration of the US Open, before defeating Novak Djokovic in the final of the tournament.
This is his first victory at Flushing Meadows, and his success is made greater by the fact that he also stole the trophy at three Grand Slam events this year. At the beginning of next year, he will compete at the Australian Open for a “Rafa Slam”. Rafa has
already won nine Grand Slam titles at the age of 24, and is being considered as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of tennis.
3) While Rafa’s success is applauded, Novak Djokovic also accomplished a significant victory at the tournament this year. For the first time in four years, Djokovic managed to outlast his opponent, Roger Federer, in what has been touted as the best men’s
match this year. It took the Serbian player five sets and the effort to struggle back from two match points in order to defeat Federer. After being defeated at the hands of Federer for the last 3 years, this is a refreshing victory for Novak Djokovic, while
Roger Federer suffered the end of his streak of six consecutive US Open final appearances.
4) Another sensational event at the US Open tournament this year was the participation of the “Indo-Pak Express” - the doubles team consisting of Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and India’s Rohan Bopanna. The duo made history at the event, extending their
run to the final against Bob and Mike Bryan, the top seeds in US doubles competition. Although this victory may have gone to the Bryans, the lasting image left behind was Bopanna and Qureshi’s use of their appearance at Flushing Meadows to promote peace between
countries. In a moving speech at the end of the tournament, Qureshi declared, “It is the wrong perception that Pakistan is being a terrorist country. We are a loving, caring people and we want peace as much as you guys want it. May God love us all.”
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