And just like that, it's over. The Olympics, at least as far as tennis is concerned, is over and we can all go back to our regularly scheduled programming, namely, getting stoked for the US Open.
But before we leave the five ring circus, let's take a moment to really congratulate Rafa and Elena, Olympic Champions. For Rafa, seriously, can his year be any more poetic? After toiling away and waiting in vain to become #1, Rafa is doing it in style. First he destroys Fed at the RG final, then he beats Nole on grass in the Queens final, of course we then have the GMOAT at Wimbledon, he turns around to win Toronto, and then he comes here, to Beijing, and on the Sunday before he is about to ascend to the #1 ranking, he wins a gold medal.
Come on, Rafa, you're embarrassing us all.
As for Lena D., she actually SERVED OUT A MATCH FOR THE TITLE. What better way for her to overcome her serving yips, her mental frailty, her "Chokementieva" status, and come through against not only a fellow Russian, but the hottest player on tour right now. Don't get me wrong, when all was said and done, Elena wasn't playing the Dinara that has dominated the tour over the past three months. Dinara hit 17 DFs and once her serving yips got into her head you could see her will to win diminish. But watching Lena D's game, it always shocks me that she's not a top 3 player. Those groundstrokes are just lethal.
