Kroll Report #2- Summer 2012 and the US Open

Our home slam has arrived, but not after a long arduous summer for the men and women of the pro tour. About 2 1/2 to 3 weeks following Wimbledon, the All-England Lawn Tennis and Crochet club was stripped of its standard green accents around the court and the magenta signs and designs of the London 2012 Olympics set a whole new stage for the players. I remember two days before play was set to begin, doubles legend Lisa Raymond tweeted a picture of Centre Court, and even I, as a mere spectator of the sport, was shocked by the feeling the picture produced. This tournament would be unlike any other ever played on the grass courts at Wimbledon. The fans would no longer be eerily quiet, and the players would all be wearing the respective colors of their home nations, rather than committing to the classic white dress code.

Serena blasted through the field and demoralized Sharapova in the final, nearly pulling of a double bagel. Andy Murray of the host nation finally broke through at a big event, beating Federer fairly easily. Would Serena be able to carry her momentum in to the US Open? Were the Olympics Murray's coming out party? Will he be able to break through at a major?

Now that the second week of the Open has commenced we know one thing is for sure: Nobody can beat Serena when she is playing well. It has been common knowledge for a long time that Serena is her own biggest enemy and usually, if she can manage to keep her unforced errors down, she has a good shot at winning, no matter the conditions, no matter the opponent. 

And after a routine match against Milos Raonic, Murray is looking if anything, more confident than in the past. We'll have to wait and see how the rest of the week goes for him.

But to now talk about the most intriguing story of the 2012 US Open, at least in my opinion, the retirements of two great players, Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters. 

I was pretty surprised to hear of Roddick retirement, mostly because he kept it so quiet. If he had been a little higher ranked and been more successful in the past year or so, his retirement would have felt a little like the retirement of Justine Henin, while she was at the top of the game a few years back. I think the biggest question we are left with after Roddick's retirement is who will be next male face of American tennis? Ryan Harrison? Perhaps, Jack Sock. But really, if we are being honest with ourselves, it will probably be, yes you guessed it, me. Mark Kroll is the next big thing in American tennis and I have already practiced my speech to tell the crowd how great they are even though in most cases, they are probably a pain in butt for most of the players. All kidding aside, it is an exciting time for American tennis, and more and more emphasis is being placed on the importance of college tennis.

And to close, I will recognize my favorite player to watch on court and to listen to off court, Kim Clijsters. Her story is unlike any other woman on tour. She was an amazing player much earlier in her career nearly winning a number of majors including the classic final between Kim and Jennifer Capriati at the French Open. I was bummed when she left the game the first time. But the way she came back after starting a family and having a child, winning the US Open in her second tournament back was  nothing short of incredible. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to watch her play and she is a breath of fresh air in the women's game which is often quite showy and loud. 

Kim Clijsters, a name to be remembered, and a game to be respected.