Byzantine Blog

Dostoevsky-Admirer Brings Swiss Tennis King to the Brink

First it was Belgrade-born Janko Tipsarevic, ranked 49th, known as a giant-slayer who doesn't fit in the common perception of the "white sport" elite with his tattoo-covered arms, piercings, goggles like he's going sky-diving and love of Nietzsche and Dostoevsky, to bring undisputed Swiss tennis king, Roger Federer, to the very brink of the biggest upset in his dominant reign.

In an epic five-setter that took almost five hours, Tipsarevic kept Federer fans on the edge of the seat, fiercely battling for every point, every step of the way, showing he takes his opportunities with dead seriousness and doesn't get all wobbly when facing possibly the greatest player of all times.

Later, he told reporters his good childhood friend, Serbia's No.1 tennis player, Novak Djokovic, gave him few tips before facing the legendary Swiss, and that he came to court that day to win, not just play with the world champion. Well, that much was more than obvious.

Federer: This is How you Get Grey Hair Early On

Even Federer seemed impressed, admitting he's not quite used to being taken to five sets:

“What a great battle! Clearly somebody has to win, but I wish we could have draws as well,” Federer said after the hard-won battle, in which the gritty Serb won the first and third set and lost 10-8 in the final, deciding set.

“I am happy I could deliver a five-set thriller. I don't have them often, except at Wimbledon against (Rafael) Nadal, so it's nice to be part of something like this,” said Federer, adding that the Serb “played terrific tennis and played me really well. This is where you get grey hair early in life. Pity for him, but what a great victory for me.”

Serbian Semi-Finals

Then, it was the Serbian girls' turn to send the Williams sisters packing: defending champion Serena Williams was outclassed by Jelena Jankovic in a quarter-final on Tuesday, losing in straight sets. A day later, on Wednesday, Venus Williams lost quarter-final 7-6 (3), 6-4 to Ana Ivanovic.

And with Djokovic dispatching the fifth-seeded Spaniard Ferrer, tiny Serbia found itself at the very top, with no less than three players in the grand slam semi-finals.

Disappointment caused by Jelena Jankovic's defeat by the Russian beauty Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals has been quickly forgotten, after Ana Ivanovic crushed the hissy Slovak ninth seed Daniela Hantuchova, setting up a finals battle with Sharapova — according to London Times' comment accompanying the Ana/Maria slide show, "possibly the most glamorous grand-slam final in history".

“While the Brave War Hero Bill Clinton Bombed their Country, Serbian Tennis Stars Developed their Game”

Ana Ivanovic, described as a photographer's dream has, once again, charmed the pants off the tennis fans, making Australians readily forgive Novak Djokovic's merciless straight-set dispatch of their No. 1, Lleyton Hewitt, and adopting the Serbian beauty, quickly nicknamed “Aussie Ana”.

UK Spectator's Taki wrote an ode to the Serbian Siren, explaining her appeal as a deadly combination of beauty, sweetness, determination and talent:

“I’ve been watching the Australian Tennis Open on the telly and boring myself to sleep. The modern game is too one-dimensional, the players too predictable. The pumping of the fist after a winner is now de rigueur, as is the tapping of the ball five, ten, in the case of Nadal 16 times before serving. And the rallies are much too long.The only relief from the utter boredom is Ana Ivanovic, probably the prettiest young woman ever to play on the circuit. She has beautiful green hooded eyes, high Slavic cheekbones and a figure which is feminine and to die for.

“[...] The Serbs, of course, are my favourites, because their game developed while the brave war hero Bill Clinton was bombing the hell out of their small country. Ivanovic was then hitting against the sides of an empty swimming-pool. Last year she was the fourth seed and finalist in the Roland Garros tournament. Adversity breeds toughness, so if Britain wants sporting heroes she should declare war on Uncle Sam.”

Ana and Novak in the Finals, a Chance for Two Grand Slam Trophies

Novak Djokovic added a bold exclamation mark on the Serbian success few hours ago, when he ousted none other than the world's best, Roger Federer, in straight sets: 7-5, 6-3, 7-6. In fact, 20-year-old Novak hasn’t dropped a single set during the entire Australian Open, making his surge towards the grand slam finals meteoric.

For a country as small, war-ravaged and constantly maligned and humiliated by the western powers during last two decades as Serbia, having two out of four players competing for the grand slam title in the Australian Open, after all the Americans, Brits and Australians —and even the Swiss and Belgians — have been rooted out, is far from trivial.

Whether Ana and Novak will succeed winning the first grand slam title for Serbia this time around remains to be seen. But the fact they both have a good chance to bring home a trophy from a major tennis championship at the same time, is reason enough for Serbs to feel awfully proud.