The Australian Open is an amazing tournament. I have never been there but I hope to do so in 2013. It does look fantastic on TV, as does the city of Melbourne.
The skyblue court, the mentality of the Aussie crowd, the amazing matches... The AO is my favourite Grand Slam. A year could not start off better than this.
What happened so far? Just a few hours ago, the local fans witnessed another disappointment as their hero Sam Stosur was kicked out. Yep, the current US Open champion had all her nightmares revisit her. She choked. Again. Although, Pete Sampras once said that it's not choking as long as you don't get to the point where you can actually succeed. Her opponent, Sorana Cirstea from Romania, played better than I have ever seen her. Pure power, no fear. Hats off, superbly done!
Not much else to say for the ladies: Azarenka, Kvitova, Clijsters, Sharapova and Co. are safely into the second round. Serena is playing right now. My belly tells me that Azarenka will win the Open.
On the men's side, the two local heroes have survived epic matches. "Rusty" Lleyton Hewitt once again showed true grit, battling down a brave German youngster. On day 1, Bernard Tomic, a Stuttgart native, survived the intense heat and the firepower of Spain's Fernando Verdasco, who is a shadow of his former self. Well done Bernard, that was a tactical masterpiece.
Nole, Rafa, Roger and Murray will go their own way again... unless Tsonga and Monfils really focus and stop being showacts. I really mean it. They have all the talent they need to beat the big 4. But seldom do they have the focus...
Day 3 will see German veteran Tommy Haas, former semifinalist and World No.2, take on Rafael Nadal. I adore Haas' playing style. Injuries have always been a part of his career, but he always fought back. I hope he manages to win one set against Rafa, he deserves it.
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