Thriller

It was a great day to be a fan of tennis. Men's tennis in particular.

Roger Federer's 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 defeat of native son Gael Monfils was nothing short of thrilling. Breathtaking shotmaking, exposed guts, raw nerves.

The fans ate it up.

I've always enjoyed Raja's game on clay. I don't like it much on other surfaces. But on clay, it's so aesthetically pleasing.

Gael was up to the task. He was simply defeated.

I don't say that much in matches where Raja is on one side of the net, but one of the things about Raja's recent challenges is that players believe now more than ever that they can beat him and they appear less prone to choking.

That's what I saw today. The match ended with a backhand volley winner and even the rowdy Frech fans gave Raja his props. The gracious moment between the players at the net was simply beautiful.

It was a great day to be a fan of tennis.

As for Rafael Nadal's beatdown 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(3) beatdown of Novak Djokovic, let's just say that the most brilliant claycourt player I've ever seen is at it again.

Nuff said.