When did it sink in that I was no longer in the States but in the beautiful land of Australia? When, during my flight from Sydney to Perth, I was able to watch the Rafa vs. Berd Abu Dhabi semifinal. ON A PLANE. TENNIS. AUSTRALIA IS MECCA, YOU GUYS.
Aside from a weird lapse in the second set, Rafa looked amaaaaaazing. It was only January 1st and yet Rafa already submitted a for sure nomination for Shot of the Year, a running forehand bending passing shot down the line that was reminiscent of a similar shot Moose hit against Cilic last year in Australia. Rafa and Moose's reactions were the same: stunned badassery.
Regardless, I kind of thought Rafa would lose to Fed. Now, I hadn't seen Fed play in Abu Dhabi but I have to admit that I was impressed/scared by his performance in London. He and Annacone clearly had a new gameplan against Rafa and theoretically, I could see it working. He was taking cracks at the Rafa serve and chipping returns back with much less frequency.
Rafa beat Fed 76 76 in the Abu Dhabi finals.
And so 2011 starts just as every year does: By proving that I know absolutely nothing about tennis and have no right to talk about it any meaningful fashion. And so I will do what I do best: Make pop culture jokes.
(Pics: Getty)
