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The 2008 Australian Open gave the world a new Grand Slam winner in Novak Djokovic, as he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the upstart, Muhammad Ali-lookalike, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2). It also showed that Roger Federer might lack the invincibility that carried him to an unprecedented 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals as Djokovic knocked off the greatest men’s tennis player of all time in the semis.

With Djokovic’s rise to the top, Federer’s signs of mortality and further disappointment for U.S. Men’s Tennis, the Aussie Open has given a rise to more questions than answers as the 2008 ATP Season gets going.

1) What happened to Roger Federer and where does this leave him for 2008?

Federer entered the Australian Open after recovering from a stomach virus/flu, so he was not at his best for the fortnight. This was apparent as he struggled to beat Djokovic’s fellow Serb, Janko Tipsarević, in the 3rd round. He did rebound to beat Tomas Berdych and James Blake, each in straight sets, to reach the semis and seemed to regain form before running into Djokovic.

Versus Djokovic, Federer ran into a buzzsaw. Djokovic took advantage of the new slow hardcourt used at this years’ tournament and negated some of Federer’s aggressiveness. He also showed off his return ability.

That said, its ridiculous to even question Federer’s place in tennis currently. He’s still the best, its just that he’s been proven to be human.

While he has dominated all Grand Slams except the French, the Aussie Open is Federer’s next weakest Grand Slam event (He’s still won three times in Melbourne!). Roger could dominate in tar, but he’s best on the fast grass courts at Wimbledon and the true hard court at Flushing Meadows.

The French Open is still a challenge for Federer, but he could’ve lost in the first round of the Australian Open and still be the favorite at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, where he has combined to win 9 of his 12 Grand Slam events.

2)Where does Novak Djokovic fit into men’s tennis after getting his first Grand Slam?

He is Federer’s toughest challenge and the biggest hurdle Roger will face in his quest for Pete Sampras’record 14 Grand Slam championships.

While a successful 2007 has already made Novak Djokovic a big name in the sport, he is still just 20 years old.

Djokovic will be a force at Grand Slams for a long time coming, which is especially good news given his humorous and emotional personality. He’s a real ball of energy out there, with charisma to boot. Take a look at his karaoke skills below, as he belts out the Gloria Gaynor classic, I Will Survive.

3) What about Nadal, I thought he was Federer’s toughest competition?

At the French Open, Rafael Nadal is still the guy to beat. But after a disappointing loss to Tsonga in the semifinals, Nadal remains without a Grand Slam away from the clay. Tsonga is going to be a great player as well, but Nadal seemingly had a great shot to win in Australia, especially with the switch to a slower hardcourt.

When Djokovic won the tournament, he leapfrogged Rafael Nadal, because Novak actually beat Federer on a hard court, something Nadal has never done in a Grand Slam. Furthermore, Nadal seems to get chewed up by the hard court at the U.S. Open annually. He has only made it as far as the quarterfinals once in New York.

In contrast, Djokovic has reached the semifinals in all four grand slam events, which is a rarity given how common it is for even great players to struggle on a particular surface (Sampras on clay, Bjorg on the Aussie hard court, etc.).

So yes, Djokovic surpassed Nadal, because he could win any of the four Grand Slam events.

3) Is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for real or has he just had his 15 minutes?

Well, I’m not Bud Collins, but the buzz is that Tsonga is legit. Why not, he gave Djokovic a hell of a time in the finals, stretching him out to four sets (the only match where Novak lost a set). He also beat Nadal.

It will make a nice story to see him at the French Open with the home crowd behind him. If he could get a deep run in that event, I will definitely buy in on Tsonga. Regardless, he does resemble “The Greatest”.

4) Are Americans any good at tennis?

After winning the Davis Cup in the offseason, 2008 was looked to with some promise amongst Americans. The Australian Open proved to be a bad omen though, as no Yankee man or woman advanced beyond the quarterfinals.

Andy Roddick again lost in the early rounds and James Blake ended up losing to Roger Federer in the quarters. Worse yet, Donald Young and John Isner, who both showed promise in advancing to the 3rd round in last year’s U.S. Open, both lost in the 1st round. Definitely a disappointing result all around.

If any American man gets beyond the 3rd round at Roland Garros, I’d be amazed as the clay seems to muck up most Americans.

The best shot for an American winning a Grand Slam this year will of course come at the U.S. Open, where a rowdy New York crowd can will a home favorite into the next round. Realistically though, neither Blake nor Roddick have shown the ability to stay with Federer and Djokovic has surpassed them both. I would be disappointed but not shocked if it isn’t until Donald Young develops more (he’s just 18) before an American man wins a Grand Slam again.

5) Why don’t you analyze any women’s tennis?

To be honest, I watch more men’s tennis and would not give good insight on the ladies game. Furthermore, when I was talking about the women’s final to a friend, I couldn’t help but mention how a perfect match would’ve seen Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic make out between set changes. No one needs to hear that. Both women are gorgeous and play great tennis, there is no need to offend anyone by inserting double entendres over a nice “two-handed stroke” or “great skills in mixed doubles”.

Thank you to ESPN and YouTube for the above videos and to Getty Images and ViewImages for the above photos.