hail, queen justine!

So deliriously happy. Justine is back as world number 1 and won the Year-end Championships. Hail, Queen Justine! What more can an obsessed fanatic like me hope for? Well, there’s the elusive Wimbledon title, of course, but there’s always next year. Right now I’m so so so ecstatic, thrilled, elated, in high spirits, blissful, exultant, delighted, overjoyed, and on cloud nine (thanks, thesaurus), and I’m sure Team Justine and the rest of her fans all over the world are too.

Such a great week in Madrid. I wasn’t really expecting too much from her because she was recovering from an injury and she wasn’t able to play any warm-up matches prior to the event. But she showed everyone that she truly is a fighter and gave her all in her matches. And believe me, when she gets aggressive and takes all her chances (which was sorely lacking in the US Open finals), she’s absolutely incredible to watch. This has been an amazing year for her, and she’s definitely gonna enjoy her vacation driving her brand-new Porsche around.

And what did I enjoy the most? Justine beating Maria in the semi-finals. Take that, Screamapova. Revenge is so sweet. *manic laughter* No, really, it’s not just about avenging that loss in the US Open. I just think that Maria is waaay overrated considering her talent and technique. The fact that she’s probably the fittest and healthiest of the bunch but still wasn’t able to grab the title proves that she’s just a product of media hype. Hee. (All right, I may be exaggerating a bit, but lots of real tennis fans would agree with me.)

Anyway, Justine and coach Carlos should know by now that Justine delivers better results when she’s well-rested before a major tournament. When she joins warm-up events kasi, she plays to win and often reaches the semis or finals (of the warm-up), so she’s a bit tired entering the Grand Slam. Other players tend to join just for the sake of joining, giving just 50% in their matches. In a way, this is a good strategy because they save their energies and technique for the bigger event, but it’s unfair to other players and the viewing public. Maybe Justine should hold herself back just a tiny bit during warm-up events so she could be fresh for the Grand Slam. This is especially crucial during the grass court season (Wimbledon), which starts just two weeks after the clay court season (French Open).

Hmm… Now the downside in the Madrid Masters. Justine herself admitted that it wasn’t her best tennis all throughout the tournament, and I agree. Of course, I wasn’t expecting her to bagel (tennis lingo for 6-0) her opponents because they’re the elite 8 after all, but there are times that she could’ve played better. Or maybe her opponent just raised their level of playing in those moments. I don’t know.

I was also a bit disappointed that the championship point was a double fault from Mauresmo. I kinda felt that Amelie gave away the point na lang so as not to prolong the agony, as she was down 5-3 40-15 in the second set. A very long rally culminating in a backhand winner from Justine would’ve been more thrilling. But hey, a win is a win no matter what, so I ain’t complaining.

A bigger disappointment for me was that Justine won only 6 out of 17 break points (actually just 6 out of 8 games, most of the break points are from the never-ending deuce). Had she converted more break points, she could’ve closed the match quickly. Of course, credit is due to Amelie because she managed to save several break points and didn’t let her nerves get the better of her during those crucial moments.

So there. Thus ended the 2006 tennis season. Can’t wait ‘til the Australian Open next year! Allez, Justine!