Tony Becca

THE 2007 U.S. Open tennis championship is over and Roger Federer is still the king.

In reaching his fourth Grand Slam final of the year, Federer predictably won his fourth U.S. Open men's singles title in a row to become the first man to do so since Bill Tilden way back in 1923, and hats off to the Swiss genius who now boasts 12 Grand Slam singles titles - just two behind Pete Sampras.

As well as Federer played, however, and especially so in the quarter-finals against American Andy Roddick, to me, the player of the tournament was Belgium's Justine Henin.

In winning the women's singles title, the diminutive 25-year-old number one, knocked off the Williams sisters one behind the other, one in the quarter-finals and one in the semi-finals, before cruising to victory with a 6-1, 6-3 demolition of Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final.

Excuses

According to the disappointed, ungracious and disappointing Serena Williams, Henin won because she got in many lucky shots. According to Venus Williams, Henin won because she, Venus, was dizzy throughout the match, and according to their equally disappointing father, neither of them should have played in the tournament because one was injured and the other was ill.

To me, however, there was no lucky shots in Henin's victory over Serena - and definitely not in the second set which she won comfortably at 6-1, and if Venus was dizzy against Henin, it was from the brilliant play of Henin who matched her serve for serve and shot for shot and who covered the court as well and even better than she did in one of the best and most exciting matches, men or women, during the tournament.

Maybe both Serena and Venus were not at their best and maybe they really should not have played in the tournament.

To me, however, Henin was simply better than both of them; to me it had nothing to do with injury or with illness.

Maybe Serena and Venus were not at their stroke-playing best, and maybe they were not fit enough. It is possible however, that that may have been, as it has been in recent years, because they, as professionals, have not been playing as much as they should and while they got away with it in the past, they did not this time around.

This time, they ran into a red hot and determined Henin. It was as simple as that.

The ideal professional

In contrast to the Williams sisters, including Venus who, win or lose, is usually so charming and pleasant, Novak Djokovic, the 20-year-old from Serbia, was a joy to see and a pleasure to hear.

On the court, the number three ranked player, the man who entered the tournament with victories over Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Federer in the previous tournament in Canada, was brilliant, and especially so in the second round against Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic and in the final against Federer.

On the court and off the court, he was also brilliant.

In refusing to huff and puff, to stand and glare after questionable calls by the officials on the lines, in wearing a smile, win or lose, all the time while shaking hands with his opponent at the end of a match, Djokovic, in spite of the burden of his country's expectations, in spite of the burden of his own dreams and ambitions, was the ideal professional - a man who seems to enjoy playing the sport he loves, a man who appears to enjoy the sport which feeds him, and a man who wants to be loved by those who also share his love for the sport he loves.