No other reason to post this except for the gratuitousness.
You're welcome.
Andy is readying for next week's Aussie Open.
Can he win two Slams in-a-row? For sure. Will he? It's a pretty decent bet.
He's played well in Melbourne over the years with a 23-7 W/L, including...
The finals in '10 & '11. And who can forget that Sf loss to Nole last year?!
I see some very late nights in my near future.
Not only Aussie champions - but also a pair of good looking #1's.
Photos: Getty Images
Men's Champion - Novak Djokovic
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Women's Champion - Victoria Azarenka
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Men's Doubles - Radek Stepanek & Leander Paes
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Women's Doubles - Svetlana Kuznetsova & Vera Zvonareva
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Mixed Doubles - Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Horia Tecau
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Photos: Getty Images
Australian Open Men's Final
1 Novak Djokovic d 2 Rafael Nadal - 57 64 62 67(5) 75
Let's make that 7 Nole wins in-a-row over Rafa - H2H moves to 16-14/RN.
5:53 - They played the longest Slam final & longest Aussie Open match ever.
Nole wins his 5 Slam title & 3rd at the Aussie - also champ in '08 & '11.
He has now won 4 of the last 6 Slam titles.
In fact, between Rafa and Novak they've won the last 8 Slams.
Novak joins Laver, Sampras, Federer & Nadal in winning 3 Slams running.
Clearly he will head to Paris with all the talk of a Novak Slam.
Rafa becomes the 1st player to lose 3 straight Slam finals.
Rafa will be haunted by that easy backhand down-the-line error in the 5th.
This match was the very definition of an instant classic.
Hell, these great athletes couldn't even stand for the trophy ceremony.
Oddly enough, I couldn't sit through most of the last set and a half.
If this is a sign of what to expect for 2012 I'm gonna need medication.
Photos: Getty Images
Can't complain about this...
Photos: Reuters & Getty Images
Australian Open Women's Final
3 Victoria Azarenka d 4 Maria Sharapova - 63 60
With the win Vika becomes the 4th straight maiden Grand Slam titlist.
Following Li Na (French), Petra Kvitova (Wimby), Samantha Stosur (US).
And she gets a 2-fer as the win secures her a spot as the #1 player.
In fact, she is the 1st player to ever jump to #1 without ever being #2 first.
Battle pending: Kvitova is a mere 885 points behind Vika at #2.
Things are looking bright for the WTA. Finally.
Bageled: Spare a thought for '08 champ Maria Sharapova...
This is the 2nd time she won only 3 games in an Aussie final.
In '07 she lost a thumper to Serena Williams - 61 62.
Anyway, welcome to the Slam club Vika - it's where you belong.
Australian Open - Women's Second Round
11 Kim Clijsters d Stephanie Foretz Gacon - 60 61
5 Li Na d Olivia Rogowska - 62 62
Fisrt up on Rod Laver was Li Na who lost a mere 4 games.
Next on was Kim who went even faster - a loss of 1 game in 47 minutes.
Glad I wasn't a ticket holder for Laver Arena yesterday! Anyway...
These ladies produced a 3-set thriller in the final last year - Kim prevailed.
They each must win one more match to face-off in the 4th round.
This is the last Aussie Open Kim will ever play. Guess who I'm pulling for?
Yep. Aussie Kim. All year.
Photos: Reuters & Getty Images
Australian Open - Men's Second Round
Alejandro Falla d 8 Mardy Fish - 76(4) 63 76(6)
Easily the biggest upset of the entire tournament thus far.
Mardy came into the Aussie Open with high hopes - as all top players do.
However, Justin Gimelstob had even higher hopes. Annoyingly so...
Hopefully this will get Justin to stop banging on about his upward trajectory.
Dude - this is as good as it's gonna get for Mardy.
He's not a top 5 player - please adjust your biased commentary accordingly.
OK, got that off my chest.
LOL: The only spell-check word suggestion for Gimelstob is 'comeliest'.
Jus' sayin'.
Photos: Reuters & Getty Images
Australian Open - Second Round
2 Rafael Nadal d Tommy Haas - 64 63 64
In five career ATP meetings Tommy has never taken a set off of Rafa.
But in the strip-off contest me thinks Rafa came in second yesterday.
This is Rafa's 8th trip to the Aussie Open & 8th time to the 3rd round: 6-1.
He'll next face (Q) Lukas Lacko - you can book Rafa's spot in the 4th R now.
Back to Tommy... Remember he's a 3-time Sf-ist here: '99, '02 & '07.
The former #2 is currently #190 - winning a round will boost that a bit.
This was Tommy's 11th Aussie Open - W/L: 26-11.
Tommy will retire knowing that this was easily his best Slam.
Good on ya, mate.
Photos: Reuters and Getty Images
Australian Open - First Round
1 Novak Djokovic d Paolo Lorenzi - 62 60 60
Philipp Petzschner d Lukas Rosol - 60 60 62
Nole lost two games folks - two games. And one was a break of serve.
I know it's a bit early but we may just be staring at another Novak year.
Or a Philipp Petzschner year as he too only lost two games.
In fact, he was going for a triple bagel as he was up 60 60 40...
Big difference: One was played on Rod Laver Arena the other on Court 21.
Both mates are big favorites for titles in Melbourne.
Novak in singles and Philipp (with Jurgen Melzer) in doubles.
Game on.
Photo: Getty Images
Australian Open - First Round
12 Serena Williams d Tamira Paszek - 63 62
No surprise - Serena has never lost in a Slam 1st round: 46-0.
And watch out folks - this is her best Slam as she's a 5-time winner here.
Serena was champion here in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Remember, she has won at the AO while coming in with very few matches.
She is in Sharapova's quarter which is in Kvitova's (bottom) half.
Since her RU finish at the US Open she has only played 2 matches.
She withdrew from her QF match at Brisbane two weeks ago.
Hey, it's only a fool who bets against Serena. In Australia anyway.
Photo: Getty Images
That's a crazy - a troubling - stat.
The latest victim came yesterday at the Australian Open...
Sam Stosur was sent off by Sorana Cirstea 76 63 in the 1st round.
Telling the truth tho Sam has never faired well in her home Slam.
She follows AO.11 champ Kim Clijsters who lost in the 2nd R at the French.
RG.11 champ Li Na in the 2nd R at Wimbledon.
And W.11 champ Petra Kvitova in the 1st R at the US Open.
Let's hope this trend curse comes to an end.
Photos: Reuters and Getty Images
It's time to get his name (and lips) on another Slam trophy as well.
Photos: Getty Images
ADJE NOVAK!
Photos: AP/Reuters/Getty Images
AWE, AUSSIE KIM.
Photos: Reuters/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic
Kim Clijsters
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan
Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta
Katarina Srebotnik and Daniel Nestor
Photos: Reuters/Getty Images
Australian Open - Men's Final
3 Novak Djokovic d 5 Andy Murray - 64 62 63
Novak stepped up like a true champion last might and really took it to Andy.
He could not have played any more comprehensive top-flight tennis.
Cold-comfort cliche: It's doubtful anybody would've beaten Novak yesterday.
Due: Novak will no longer be dogged by the 'one Slam wonder' tag.
He has long played 3rd clown to Rafa & Roger - 2011 might be different.
What am I saying? It already is.
Novak will not move up from his #3 ranking but he's closing the gap.
He and Roger will spend the next couple months in an arm-wrestle for #2.
Novak: You are facing a situation, playing the finals of a Grand Slam...
Being so close to winning a title.
... you get it there, you want to win it badly, but some things go wrong.
You're thinking too much. You're worrying too much in your head.
It's a mental battle, definitely.
Bottom line is that this is a very mental sport in the end.
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Tough luck for Andy. He still has yet to win a set in 3 Slam finals.
Lots of negativeity being written/said about Andy... I hope he ignores it.
I would instead refer him to look at the Slam results of legend Ivan Lendl...
Ivan lost in his first 4 Slam finals and yet ended his career winning 8.
Photos: Reuters/Getty Images
Australian Open - Women's Final
3 Kim Clijsters d 9 Li Na - 36 63 63
Kim was down a set & a break (36 2-3), then she changed her racket...
Kim's finally gets a 'different' Slam to go with her 3 US Open titles.
Kim: I finally feel like you guys can call me Aussie Kim cuz I won the title.
Since her return to the game she has played 5 Slams & has won 3 of them.
Kim has now won 41 career titles - 31 of them have come on hard courts.
The win will bump her up to #2 in the rankings. Only 140 points behind #1.
She has entered the event in Paris - a Sf run there will move her to the top.
Kim last enjoyed a top 2 ranking way back in 2006.
Enjoy Kim while you can:
I do think this is probably my last full season that I'll be playing.
I also would like to try and keep going until the Olympics.
I've never played the Olympics, which is in a year and a half time...
Yeah, so and then we'll see after that. But, uhm, when I started again,
I had the Olympics in my mind. I wanted to try to keep going till then.
Australian Open - Final Preview
3 Kim Clijsters vs 9 Li Na - H2H: 4-2
Something tells me either winner would make for a very popular champion.
Kim is looking to add a 'different' Slam to her 3 US Open titles.
While Li is looking to become the 1st Asian winner in tennis' long history.
She has already entered the history books by being the 1st Asian finalist.
This is their 3rd meeting at a Slam - Kim won the other two.
Kim came into this tournament the favorite to lift the trophy but...
Remember, Li beat Kim 2 weeks ago in the Sydney final in straight sets.
This would mark Kim's 41st title as opposed to only the 5th for Li.
This is Kim's 8th Slam final: 3-4. And 2nd at the AO: in '04 she lost to Henin.
Let's hope Li's husband & Kim's daughter let them both sleep well last night.
Talk to you on the other side of the match folks.
Photos: Reuters
Novak Djokovic takes Bike Ride in Melbourne on Eve of Potential Historic Run
Novak seems relaxed as he goes for a 4th Aussie Open title.
He's also looking to become on the 3rd man to make it 3 in-a-row.
The other 2: Roy Emerson with 5 in-a-row & Jack Crawford with 3.
That's some good company.
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Photo borrowing from Novak's Facebook page.
Posted at 10:03 AM in Australian Open, Commentary, Grand Slam Tennis, Mens Tennis, Novak Djokovic, Preview | Permalink | Comments (0)
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