Last week as the Australian Open tennis tourney got under way, Serbian and Croatian fans reignited their previous civil war with some incredibly uncivil behavior. Fans dressed in the colors of their respective countries picked up where the war left off by attacking each other with batons and national flags, not to mention hands and feet.
A derserved embarrassment of the first degree for both sides, compounded by each side blaming the other for the trouble.
Then, the actual main event took over, that's the tennis. And it was an impressive display by Serbia.
On the men's side, first Janko Tipsarevic took legendary tennis great, and the current dominating player, Roger Federer to five sets. That just doesn't happen to Federer. The Nietzsche and Dostoevsky loving Belgrade-born Tipsarevic is an atypical tennis player, with his piercings and tattoos, but he left an impression the Swiss great.
"This is where you get grey hair early in life", said Federer after the epic FIVE hour match. "Pity for him, but what a great victory for me."
Then another Serb, Novak Djokovic, took Federer down in the semi-finals before beating French upstart Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the finals. Tsongas gave Djokovic an unexpected run for his money.
John McEnroe has claimed that when Federer's run is through Djokovic will be the #1 tennis player in the world. And its hard not to think that time is nearly at hand. The 20-year old has a confidence level that is beyond belief, and who at this age has had a more complete game.
It was more of the same on the female side, as the way-too-hot-to-be-a-tennis-star Ana Ivanovic marched to the finals meeting her friend Russian Maria Sharapova. The Serbian tennis player lost in the final but was adopted by the crowd as their favorite who nicknamed her "Aussie Ana".
Well know tennis observer Taki of the London Spectator, was among many men (and you can bet some women) won over by the beauty. He rambled on about "beautiful green hooded eyes, high Slavic cheekbones" in a tribute to the Serbian Siren.
Taki didn't hide his preferences: "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...Adversity breeds toughness, so if Britain wants sporting heroes she should declare war on Uncle Sam.”
Jelena Jankovic, a fan favorite in Britain, beat Venus Williams to advance to the semi-finals. There she was beaten by Sharapova, ending the chances of an all-Serbian women's final.
As if that all were not enough, the tiny European country was also represented by Nenad Zimonjic, who was one half of this year's mixed doubles champions.
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