Worrying is a good thing.

I present to you my newly revised “Worries List”, originally posted on the 12th April 2009. Oh how things have changed!

For starters, my top 2 worries are gone. I must worry more. 

 

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Dootsie’s Top 10 Tennis-Induced Worries

1. I worry that Roger Federer will implode mentally,  plummet down the rankings and/or finish his career with ‘only’ 13 slams.  Slam #14 baby!!!
2. I worry that Maria Sharapova’s screwed-up shoulders will take her out of the game for good. In fact, as a fan of Maria, I am just about to hit the panic button on that one. Roland Garros QF, OH YETH! 
3. I worry that the Williams sisters will retire from the game before the WTA manages to find its “Second Coming” to dominate the next generation. – umm still worrying about that, but props to Safina for almost dissipating my doubts. 
4. I worry that Jo-Willy Tsonga will suffer freakish injuries or sustained mental funks and fail to live up to his potential at the grand slam level. – remains to be seen, but not so worried now, given his reasonable Roland Garros performance.  
5. I worry that in 5 years time, we will look back on Reeshard Gasquet’s career and realise that its highlight was (and will remain) Wimbledon 2007. – Worry already materialised. Hence off the list. 
6. I worry that the WTA may have many more slamless No 1s in the near future, and I worry even more that all of them will remain slamless throughout their careers. 
7. Though it’s getting harder and harder to worry about Rafael Nadal these days, I do worry that his body will give up on him unexpectedly and cut what could’ve been a long GOAT-contending career short. Dude works it like a mule. – HOLY SHIT! 
8. As an Australian, I worry that in 3 years time, Lleyton Hewitt will still be Australia’s best hope at tennis glory, which happens to equate to no hope at all. – Stosur made her run at Roland Garros. 
9. I worry that Novak Djokovic will have a Chang-like career against one of the strongest fields we’ve seen in tennis for a while. I worry that whilst he may reach grand slam finals, semifinals, win non-slam titles again, and always remain in contention, he will end up stagnating on that single slam. Oh, and I don’t worry about Andy Murray, period. – written at a time when Djokovic was still in his funk. Am now no longer worry about the Djoker.
10. I worry  that in 10 years time, S&Vers will belong in the same class as dinosaurs – extinct species. – Yup. 

 

Those that didn’t make it into the Top 10, in no particular order

• I worry that Daveed Nalbandian will retire and be remembered as one of the greatest underachievers in the history of this sport, but that has probably already materialised. – It has. Nalbandian down with hip injury, don’t expect much from him now. 
• I worry that Andy Roddick may one day get inducted into the Hall of Fame, but Fabrice Santoro won’t. 
• I worry that Sveta Kuznetsova may break (or have already broken) the record for the most number of consecutive career finals lost. – YEEHAW! Roland Garros champ babyyy!
• I worry even more that Federer may break (or have already broken) the one for the most number of consecutive career finals lost to the same person. – YEEHAW! Madrid champion over Nadal on clay babyy!!
• I worry that after the retirement of Marat Safin (and before him, Goran), we may never have a character as gorgeous, funny, endearingly inappropriate, and larger-than-life in tennis again. 
• I worry that Ana Ivanovic will fist-pump her way down the rankings (as no doubt she will by Roland Garros) but never come back up again. – Yup.
• I worry that Jelena Jankovic will never get her happy-splits back and finish her career like the Nalbandians of this world. 
• I worry that Caroline Wozniacki will “do a Vaidisova”, and fade into self-doubt and distraction before realising her tennis potential. – Shit.  
• I worry that Radek Stepanek will fist-pump, lawn-mow, and worm-dance his way to a major title. Or worse, start dating Caroline Wozniacki. – Written at a time when Stepanek was on a minor roll in the Tier II tournaments, and there was no news of Woz’s engagement
• I worry that Nando Verdasco will follow Gonzalez’s footsteps after his Australian Open run, and slump into Tier II mediocrity again. – Perhaps. 

 

Ah – the benefit of hindsight …