Well, Roger did it again. The Swiss tennis legend showed he was still the master of the game for this first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Not only did he win, but he won with style. He handled Lleyton Hewitt with ease, and showed he had the guts of a true champion when he rallied to defeat an in-form Davydenko in four sets. I thought the first set and a half were the best tennis the Russian had ever displayed in his career. I thought he was going to blow Federer off the court in straight sets. in the other quarterfinal, even though Jo-Willy Tsonga is my countryman, I still think Novak Djokovic is a better and more consistent player overall. I am pretty sure Novak would have done better against Federer.
In regard to Andy Murray, I am one of those who think he will need, and should do more than defend to win a major title. That defensive game will not cut it against the very best. In the near future, it will not necessarily be Federer, but Del Potro or Cilic who will overpower him. Yes, he is quick, consistent, and has the soul of a champion, but nowadays, it takes more than defense and consistancy to win.
On the women’s side, I was thrilled to see Serena Williams win and shut up all those who have tried to bring her down for any reason. I think Serena did not even play her best tennis throughout the tournament, but she did come up with the goods when she needed it the most.
Finally, as always, I would like to come back 10 years ago and remember one of Andre Agassi’s most memorable Grand Slam titles. En route for his second Australian Open title, Andre defeated local hero Mark Philippoussis in a fierce battle, dismantled Hicham Arazi in the quarters, and most importantly, played one of the best and most perfect tennis matches ever, defeating long time rival Pete Sampras in an epic battle, 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 6-1. The stats which are in my book are just mesmerizing.