By Tony Becca, Staff Reporter
ANDY RODDICK is no Pete Sampras, Justin Henin-Hardenne is no Serena Williams and, although one never knows what will happen, chances are they will never be as good much less better.
Both players, however, are good, they have the skills and the pedigree to become great, they demonstrated that certainly in the semi-finals and finals of the US Open, and all those who love sport and particularly tennis, must be hoping that theirs will be long and successful careers.
Bubbling with confidence from his first match, the 21-year-old Roddick knocked off Juan Carlos Ferrero, the French Open champion, in straight sets to pocket his first major title.
In a wonderful exhibition of power tennis highlighted by booming serves of pinpoint accuracy, Roddick simply demolished Ferrero and won in style.
Serving for the match after only one hour and 40 minutes, Roddick produced four awesome, accurate serves to win at "love". They were so powerful, so well placed, that Ferrero did not even make an attempt to return any of them.
The hallmark of a great player, however, is not so much his power and/or his skill. It is his ability to fight back, and after sailing through the earlier rounds, Roddick passed the test in the semi-finals against David Nalbandian.
Down two sets to none and facing match point in the third set tiebreak against the man who had knocked out Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, Roddick steadied himself, produced some brilliant tennis, and after hanging on to win the third set, romped to victory at one and three in the fourth and fifth sets.
Henin-Hardenne was just as brilliant. In fact, all things considered, probably even more so.
In the semi-finals against Jennifer Capriati, the French Open champion was a set down, she came back from 3-5 down to win the second, and in the third and final set, she was 2-5 down before storming back to 5-5 and winning the tiebreak easily.
Against an experienced player, against a fighter like Capriati, that was class.
The class, the courage of the 21-year-old was really displayed in the final against world No. 1 Kim Clijsters, however.
Her semi-final against Capriati ended after midnight on Friday, she suffered from cramps and dehydration and a few hours before the final on Saturday night she was in bed with an intravenous drip in her arm.
That, however, did not stop her. In a memorable performance highlighted by some magnificent backhand strokes, she came from 4-5 to win the first set and then eased to victory at 6-1.
As far as grand slams are concerned, it is now one for Roddick and two for Henin-Hardenne, Roddick is a long, long way from catching Sampras, and with Serena Williams still around, it may be some time before Henin-Hardenne wins another.
There is no questioning their skill and their class, however, and with both of them joining the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Federer, Ferrero, and Nalbandian, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Capriati and Clijsters, the promise is for some wonderful tennis, some great contests down the road.
