Roger wins the 2010 Australian Open

Roger defeated Andy Murray in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(11). The most exciting part was the third set tiebreak because it was the only part where Murray wasn't thoroughly trounced. Afterward Murray commented, "I can cry like Roger but I can't play like him." Then he drowned his sorrows in Dungeons and Dragons while Britain tried not to dissolve into one large puddle of tears.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day.

2010 Australian Open in Review (countown to Final)

My Top 10 Moments

10. James Blake making it to the 3rd Round! Looks like he's getting his head in order. (J-Block for life!)

9. Andy Roddick making it to a the Quarters and cussing out a chair ump along the way.

8. John Isner, ranking #2 in America, making it to the 3rd Round. Go, big man, go!

7. Maria Sharapova out in the 1st Round to Maria Kirilenko.

6. Roger's rout of Tsonga in the Semi-Final, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, in less than an hour and a half.

5. Kim Clijsters demolished by Nadia Petrova in the 3rd Round and then admitting she played like crap.

4. Andy Murray, the hope of Britain, reaching the AO Final.

3. Roger Federer's 23rd consecutive Grand Slam Semi-Final appearance.

2. Justine Henin's epic return and ride to the Final where she lost in 3 sets to Serena Williams.

1. Davydenko destroying Roger in the Semi-Final in the first 1.5 sets and then getting spanked the rest of the way. The world went cross-eyed.

Honorable mention - Santoro plays his last match extending his career over 4 decades.

Uh Oh...

Roger lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic...in straight sets. 7-5, 6-3, 7-6. Novak's heading into the Final to face Tsonga (Allez Tsonga!) without having dropped a set in the tournament. What is going on here??? I should be replacing Novak with Roger in this recap. This is ridiculous.

Afterwards Roger said, "I've created a monster, so I know I always need to win every tournament. Winning every other week means that when I just lose a set people say I'm playing bad."

Well, uh...shouldn't he win every time? He's the best to ever play the game! But seriously, like he said, the Semifinals of a Slam are pretty good. Winning your 12th Slam is better, but we'll take the Semifinals. And for the pundits who are saying, "Here starts the decline of Roger Federer," I say spare yourself from looking like a fool later on and just shut your mouth.

Roger cruised past Berdych but narrowly missed crashing into beer crate

Roger gained entry into the quarters and a match against James Blake with a 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 over Thomas Berdych. But the drama came when he took a bathroom break after the second set (what? I thought he was like the Brady Bunch and didn't need a toilet) and then on his way back was surprised by a beer crate being pushed through a door, directly into his path and then had to leap over it to save himself. I hope somebody has the wherewithal to make this incident into a major video game. Can you imagine? They could call it The Big Game Bathroom Break and have all kinds of perilous situations that the player would have to navigate through. I'd buy it for sure.

Here's a blurb on the match straight from Roger's people so it won't be slanted at all. Just like this site!

Winding up the Tipsarevic match

I just wanted to do the obligatory comments on Tipsarevic's glasses and tats and Roger's sweating. Tipsarevic is the first person I've seen wear glasses to play professional tennis. At first I wrote him off as the geek that would be picked last at PE but then they grew on me. They were kind of cool. And I just loved how intrigued the announcers were with his tattoos--his parents' names in Japenese on his arms and his Dostoevsky phrase in Russian. I think it was, "Beauty is the answer" or something. How random. And irrelevant. But whatever. My only complaint about the man is that his challenges were frustrating. They took way too much time and were way too plentiful (like in the 3rd set, sheesh!). But I guess since the chair ump didn't chastise him too badly it was fine. I hated to see Roger get so annoyed by them. It takes a lot to annoy that guy. But it wasn't just at Tipsarevic. The line judges were just way off the mark too.

We always marvel at how Roger doesn't sweat but he's been sweating in this tournament. I wonder if it's partly due to his illness right before the Open. Or maybe it's because it's damn hot down under? I don't know. I just know that he trains in Dubai in more intense heat so it confuses me a little. I'm not saying he needs to stop sweating though. He can do that if he so desires.

Here's a great article on the match. I recommend you buy it on DVD when available. It's a classic.

Roger goes through hell and back

I'm still recovering. What a match that was against Tipsarevic. My cable went out in the fourth set. I almost had a heart attack. I just read the score and I'm in shock. I can't even fully comment until I get a massage.

6-7 (5), 7-6 (1), 5-7, 6-1, 10-8

Diego Hartfield quits tennis after match against Roger

Well, Roger did it now. With his 6-0, 6-3, 6-0 win over the Argentine he has destroyed any confidence Hartfield had and sent him running from the sport. Okay, that's not true. But I think it did cross Diego's mind. He was playing extremely well. And Roger had just gotten over a terrible stomach problem. Shouldn't he have had a chance? Just a chance?

Nope! Not against the greatest to ever play the game. The only problem I have is that Roger dropped three games. Last year he won the tournament without dropping a set. So how do you top that? By not dropping any games! Then you move on to not dropping any points the next year. And now he's blown it. Good job, Roger.

I'm not going to get all gushy and tell you about how it's so nice to see Roger playing again and that his backhand is pure magic and his aces gave me chills. I'll focus on the facts. Next up is Santoro who Roger beat the last time they met. Santoro beat my favorite up-and-comer, American John Isner, in the first round. Boo. Santoro's loud shirts really need to pipe down.

They're saying Roger has a tough draw at the Aussie Open...

He starts with Diego Hartfield (who?) and then moves on to possibly Santoro, JB, Berdych, Gonzo (rematch!) and Djokovic. But who knows. That's why they play the tournament.

The draw.