Roger down, I repeat Roger down!

When Rafael Nadal was drop-kicked out of the Australian Open by a relative unknown, I thought – Hmm – wasn’t expecting that but a little bit of upheaval will be good for the tennis world.

So if a little bit is good, does that mean a lot is great?

Novak Djokovic punched Roger Federer’s ticket on the express out of Melbourne in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. In straight sets. Yeah. Wow. Whoa. Did I mention straight sets? Did I mention Roger Federer – the guy who has won 12 Grand Slams – lost?

Holy tumbling tennis pyramid. It must be global warming or something.

I think this victory (or loss – depending on which side you’re standing on) means three things:

- The learning curve has evened out – Roger Federer isn’t unbeatable. Is he still going to win? Yes. Is he still going to be a force to be reckoned with? Yes. Is he still going to have a stranglehold on tennis? I don’t think so.

- The rest of the tennis players on tour can breathe a little bit. Federer is really human after all. And even if Andy Roddick can’t beat him, it doesn’t mean no one else can.

- Tennis will be watched more closely. I like Roger. I think he’s a clinician in the game of tennis, but from a fan viewpoint, the fun is sucked right out of watching a Grand Slam tournament when you know who is going to be hoisting the trophy on the final day. If Roger doesn’t have the world of tennis is his palm like he has for four and a half years, I think the excitement and thrill that comes with not knowing who’s going to win will be piped back into the fans.

Now. With all that said, I realize it was a match. It was one loss for Federer (in straight freakin’ sets!). He could come back from this with a tearing vengeance, and God have mercy on anyone standing in his way. I’m not saying Federer is done for or that he’s never going to win again. That would be ludicrous.

But still – the inkling of a crack that was alluded to throughout the beginning of the season has become a reality. And there really isn’t anyone who can stand there and say Novak didn’t deserve this win. The kid has been playing phenomenally well; I can only hope the final between him and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is, ahem, an “epic”.