Tennis: Australian open: Mens tennis..

On a grass court in a well-trimmed wimbledon grass court in summer, Sampras would serve and rush to the net for the return, followed by volley. Seems such distant past. Nalbandian serves, stays back, and grinds out the points using his groundstrokes, and so does almost everyone else these days. Baghdatis reached the semi-final with a first serve percentage of less than fifty percent. Even the big servers like Krajicek, Rusedski seem to have disappeared with the exception of Roddick.

The groundstroke consistency seems to have improved especially on the backhand side. The strokes, which seem miraculous some years ago, now seem routine. The players seem fitter, more muscular, even more energetic, and more charged.

The matches last for five hours, and we haven't even started the clay court season yet. There is more talk of hours spent on court, as if talking of a marathon runner. It seems everyone around is a clay court player. Also, the players seem more neurotic, and erratic; emotional energy is a big factor in the game. Two sets can be lost, when the player seems to loose concentration. Even the fighters like Hewitt's seem to be few and far in between.

Things have changes, some for good, some for bad. It just feels different, that’s all.