Aussie Open Wrap-Up: Peacocks, Vodka and Diarrhea

The Australian Open is known for producing the best tennis of the 4 slams, and once again, this year's opening slam left us amazed.

My personal fave slam had tons and tons of hilarious moments, the majority of which came from Nikolay Davydenko, thrilling comebacks, and a little trash talking. What more could was ask for?

Top of the Class

Roger Federer: At the not-so-tender age of 28, the Swiss proved that he can still hang with the youngsters, plowing through the drawn and dominating Andy Murray in the final for his 16th slam. His forehand didn't have one off day, his serve was superb as usual, and he showed us that he isn't going to stop adding to his major total any time soon. Steffi and Margaret, watch out!

Serena Williams: The depth of the WTA is incredible right now, but time and time again, the same woman comes out on top. Serena didn't lose serve in her 1st four rounds, breezing into the quarters, but got down and dirty when she needed to, and fought her way into the final, where she beat Justine Henin and solidified her number 1 status.





Honor Roll

Justine Henin: In her 1st tournament back, Justine Henin was oh-so-close to pulling a "Clijsters Comeback" of her own, but in her magical run to the finals ended when she met Serena Williams. In her win over Elena Dementieva, the Belgian proved she is ready to re-enter the the top 10, and she showed us her famed determination in 3-setters with Yanina Wickmayer and Alisa Kleybanova.

Andy Murray: Like Fed said at the trophy ceremony, there is no doubt that Andy Murray will one day with a major. Perhaps, not until Roger retires, though. Murray played brilliant tennis on his way to the championship match, cruising past Rafael Nadal in the quarters. He could quite possibly be the best mover in the game, and once he ups his aggression, he'll be the man to beat on the tour. He came out a little flat in the final, but showed us why he is among the elite in the 3rd set. Overall, an awesome display from Muzz.

The Chinese: China invaded Melbourne down under this year, as the nation occupied half of the women's semifinal spots. Li Na and Jie Zheng shook up the draw, causing upsets match after match to become their nation's 1st Aussie Open semifinalists. Zheng was thoroughly beaten by Henin, but Li Na, who will become the 1st Chinese in the top 10, almost knocked out Serena. This country has a lot to be excited about.

Marin Cilic: With powerful groundstrokes and a monster serve, Marin Cilic reached his first GS semi, upsetting Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro along the way. He'll enter the top 10 for the 1st time and will be a force to be reckoned with in the spring hard-court season.

Nadia Petrova; resurrected from the dead, Nads played some really good tennis in reaching the quarters. She dominated Kim Clijsters and backed that up with a win over Kuznetsova, only to lose in 2 very tough sets to Henin. She claims she has something to prove, and there is no doubt she played like it. I hope we see more of this version of the Russian, as opposed to the racquet-crushing head case of the olden days. Bravo!

Quotables

No, I don't drink really. I don't drink so much because, you see, I'm skinny. I mix only. Sometimes I drink clear vodka, sometimes mixed with Red Bull. Little bit get power in night club or disco. - Davydenko on drinking

I am not Paris Hilton. I don't want to be like this. I don't want to be like Nadal, Federer. These guys I never see by breakfast. They stay in the room and take room service. For me better go downstairs, you know, take breakfast, or dinner to go somewhere, not to be so much famous.- Davydenko on fame

I'm just starting [to learn to cook], you know. Until now nobody got sick, so this is the positive (smiling). They might like, not like, but if they have problems with the stomach, it's not good. But until now, nobody would complain about the stomach.- Safina on Cooking

I told him that I might like his little brother better because he's the little brother, and he laughed and said he might like Venus better because she's older. So we just had a little joke about that.-Serena on meeting Prince William

Expelled

Maria Sharapova: Her peacock dress grew on me, and then I eventually decided that it was, in fact, heinous. Her 76 errors in her round 1 loss to Maria Kirilenko were even worse. GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!

Novak Djokovic: His play was solid for the most part, but letting us in on his constipation was TMI. And using it as an excuse for his loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was lame.

Bernard Tomic: Just because your Australian doesn't mean that the tournament committee is going to oblige by your requests. Most players were be elated to get a chance to play a Grand Slam night match. Tomic complained about how it was past his bed time.

The Serbs: Not too long ago, they were on top of the world. Now, they have both fallen far down in the rankings and can be beaten by pretty much anyone. Again, get it together ladies.