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Whither Roger and Serena?

With the French Open and Wimbledon now behind us, the stage is set for an intriguing end of season that should help to answer some burning questions about Wimbledon champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams.

How good is Roger ?Featherer?, really?

The 21 year old Wimbledon champion was full value for his title at The Championships, putting on a display of mastery that rivalled even the performances of Pete Sampras in his glory days. Perhaps even more impressive in a sense, because the Swiss does not have the cannon serve that came so often to Sampras?s rescue. Federer was amply deserving of the plaudits he received from the world?s press. Boris Becker, a former Wimbledon champion himself, intoned, ?The future has come today." Writing in the Times of India, Akshay Sawai raved about the ?mellifluous strokes? of the Swiss, adding, ?You could call him Featherer .?

It should be pointed out, though, that Federer?s strokes did not become mellifluous overnight. Observers have been raving about the Basel native?s smooth versatility and all court game since he was spotted winning the Wimbledon junior title in 1998. What changed in SW 19 was that, for the first time in his young career, he combined the shot-making with a champion?s mentality on a big stage, indeed, the biggest stage of all.

Federer also deserves the plaudits he garnered for going right back to work on clay in Gstaad, at his home country?s Open, only two days after his triumph on Wimbledon?s ?hallowed lawns?. He showed class and professionalism to make his way to the final, losing only after five tough sets to the solid Czech Jiri Novak. Roger certainly earned Novak?s respect. "My first thought is for Roger,? admitted Novak after the final. ?He has done a fantastic job to play so well here after winning Wimbledon on grass . It is very difficult to do that. He has made a great effort."

After taking a break in his schedule, Federer will next attack the North American hard courts, and is slated to resume the season in Washington, the week of July 26. It will be interesting to see how Roger deals with the challenges of current No. 1 Andre Agassi, as well as the man Andre replaced at the top, Lleyton Hewitt. Both are coming off disappointing clay/grass campaigns and will be anxious to reassert themselves. Not to forget Andy Roddick, who now stands at No. 6. Notwithstanding a comprehensive loss to a brilliant Federer in the Wimbledon semis, Roddick appeared to be much improved under the tutelage of new coach Brad Gilbert.

Federer has never gone further than the fourth round at the U.S. Open, and has fared poorly at the other North American summer events in the past. We recall that in Toronto last year, where he lost in the first round to eventual champion Guillermo Cañas, Federer said that the steamy, humid conditions on the summer circuit were tough on his organism. ?I get headaches in this weather and my whole body just gets flat,? said Roger in Toronto, providing another similarity to Sampras, who also was known to str uggle in hot weather, for those tempted to liken the two. It remains to be seen whether Federer?s splendid strokes speak louder than his wooziness as the heat gets turned up this summer.

Has Serena Williams reasserted her dominance?

At this year?s French Open, Serena Williams was shut out of a Grand Slam final for the first time after four straight major titles. It was tempting to think -- as some indeed did -- that the Belgian duo of Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters were narrowing the gap that separated them from the all-conquering Serena. In fact, Clijsters could have passed Williams for No. 1 at Wimbledon, had her compatriot Henin provided a helping hand by taking the American out in the semifinals.

It was not to be, as we know. Serena, determined to avenge her loss to Henin in their contentious Roland Garros semifinal, dominated Justine before going on to defeat Venus in yet another patchy all-Williams final. It is now tempting to think that Serena has once again stamped her authority on the tour as the sport?s dominating force.

Let us not leap to any hasty conclusions about all this. We should recall that the French Open?s clay, where the Belgians were in evidence, is the surface on which Serena is most vulnerable. And the grass, where Williams ruled, best complements her power game. The hard courts should give us a better idea of how the women?s elite shakes out.

What might we expect this summer? The hard courts are no mystery to Serena Williams. She won her first major title (1999 U.S. Open) on that surface, and always prospered there. And it is important to note that Williams has a ?free week? with no points to defend at the Canadian Open in August, because she withdrew injured from the event last year. And the Belgians? Henin in particular has never fared very well in the hard court season. Her compatriot Clijsters has a better record on the American hard c ourts, both at the Open and the tune-up events.

Our guess is that Serena Williams will expand the gap that separates her from her immediate pursuer, Clijsters, by the time autumn rolls around. Kim -- with of course Venus Williams if she recovers in time from an abdominal injury -- would figure to be Serena?s major competition if the form sheet holds up during the weeks to come.