Although both these match ups don't make for mouth-watering, captivating matches on paper I think it's great for the game to see new faces in a grand slam final, as the likes of Stanislas Wawrinka and Dominika Cibulkova. It's good for the tennis community as a whole for players like these to defy the stranglehold of those like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapoava have had on the game for years now (of course Rafael Nadal is still in the final however).
Stanislas Wawrinka, who stunned Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and took down Tomas Berdych in the semis, has always been looked at as the other player from Switzerland. But come Monday, Stan will actually be ranked higher than fellow Swiss, Roger Federer. Is Stan still the other Swiss? Maybe. I mean we are talking about Roger Federer here. But he isn't playing like a player who is taking a backseat. Over the past year, Stan has been playing the tennis of his life. Making a few major semis, as well as the ATP World Tour Finals in London, Stan has really turned his game around. Remember Stan's thrilling 5-set match with Djokovic in last year's Australian Open semifinal? And the US Open's rendition of a Stan-Novak 5-set semi? Of course you do! But the difference between last year and this year? Well, instead of losing an impressive and exciting 5-set thriller with 3-time defending champ Novak Djokovic he wins, and instead of falling in the semis of a major he triumphs. Stan will have his first chance of his career to win a grand slam final.
Unfortunately the man he gets to play in the final is a man possessed in Rafael Nadal. Nadal has had his ups and downs all tournament (i.e. Dominating Gael Monfils one round, but struggling to hold serve against Kei Nishikori). Part of that could be due to the nickel-sized blister on his palm, right where the butt cap of Rafa's racquet sits. During his match with Dimitrov, Nadal had taped his palm to cushion the blow the racquet has on the blister, but the tape made him lose feel and had continued double faults at times. During a practice, while wearing this tape, Nadal actually lost a grip of his racquet while serving and it went flying into the court and broke. In his semifinal match against Roger Federer, Nadal wore a much smaller bandage over his blister, and it seemed to have zero adverse effects, as Rafa served stupendously. You'd expect Rafa to use this approach when he plays Stan in the final.
Going into the final, you'd expect Rafael Nadal to go in as the huge favorite (today the line is at 1/5 for Rafa). If Rafa plays anything like the way he did against Roger last night, Stan better hope the tennis gods have something in store from him. But although this seems like a lopsided final, I wouldn't count Stan out just yet. Remember, Stan did beat Australian Open favorite Novak Djokovic, so taking out a top player who he has been absolutely owned by in the past (lost 14 straight to Novak before beating him in QF, and is 0-12 against Rafa in his career) is definitely not out of the realm of possibilities. If Wawrinka can get some free points from his strong serve and his one-handed backhand holds up against Nadal's heavy forehand topspin (you better believe Rafa will be going after it) than Stan could surprise and put up a real fight to take the title. It'll be interesting either way. Whether Stan is able to stage a miraculous upset and conquer his first major title or Nadal powers through and claims his 14th major title (which will tie him with Pete Sampras for major titles WHO will be presenting the trophy this year!) this final will definitely be worth watching.
As for the women's final, we have a similar scenario. The seasoned veteran Li Na takes on the surging underdog in Dominika Cibulkova. Many people have Li Na penciled in as the heavy favorite going into this match. But it can be argued that Dominika has had the more impressive tournament so far. Just look at their matches from the Round of 16 to the Finals. Dominika made a dominating run through first Sharapova, then Simona Halep, and finally Aga Radwanska (who by the way she pretty much blew off the court) to get to the Finals with Li Na. Compare that to Li Na's last three matches of Makarova, Pennetta, and Genie Bouchard. Can we agree that Cibulkova had a more impressive run to make it to the Aussie Final?
But yes, on paper Li Na is the one that's been here before, the one who has the experience, the one who has a major under her belt, the higher seed, so yes she should win on paper. But since when has the "on paper" prediction worked in this tournament? Why start now? Cibulkova is playing some awesome tennis. Let's not jump the gun and give the title to Li Na prematurely. Heck, I almost want to give Cibulkova the edge in this match! You know what? I will. I think Dominika's sneaky power and the consistent stretch she's been on for some time now has her looking hotter and able to win. I'll go on record and say 24-year-old Slovak Dominika Cibulkova will continue her dream run, take down favorite Li Na, and take home her first Australian Open title.
So to sum it all up, although we aren't getting the most appetizing matchups in each of the two finals, I still think these two have a lot to offer. I don't think these finals are as straight forward and some analysts are saying, and I think we'll definitely see some good tennis on Saturday and Sunday. I'll take Rafael Nadal to take his 14th major, and young, tiny, hard-hitting Dominika Cibulkova to take her first. I'm looking forward to the conclusions of this epic tournament.
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