In my last post, I wrote that the Australian Open had been predictable. I even chose the winners (not that there’s any question in a predictable event, although I did get the competitors wrong…). But after watching the men’s singles final, I feel downright depressed.
Victoria Azarenka was bothersome enough. In the semifinals, Li Na upset Maria Sharapova in two sets. Azarenka’s semi-final was not nearly as graceful. She basically pretended to have an injury so that she could recover from a “panic attack.” AKA: she was struggling against the 29th seed and freaked out about it. I refuse to throw another woman under the bus (especially a babe who clearly digs balls!) but what she did was in poor taste and many consider it cheating.
Her antics also prompted Jo-Wilifred Tsonga to say that women tennis is less predictable because they are “emotionally unstable.” He doesn’t speak English as a first language so there may have been something lost in translation, but it was a cringe-worthy moment. I mean, we can blame it on our hormones but men? Men are not allowed to talk about our hormones.
And then there was her final. She played well – probably to make up for the dramatics in the semis – and came out on top after three sets. I was happy for her… but Melbourne was not. They booed her. And when she accepted the trophy, the cheers from the crowd left much to be desired. The poor thing was also overshadowed by the constant replaying of LMFAO music while everyone dressed up like her boyfriend, Redfoo. How must that feel? Being the best female tennis player in the world… and your boyfriend’s glasses get more attention than you do. (Ouch!)
And then there was the men’s tennis…
The Roger Federer-Andy Murray match was terrible, in my opinion. Federer didn’t even look like he was trying and there was just a flatness to it that you don’t expect from a previous champion. It was exciting when Murray won, but it also wasn’t so unexpected if you watched the way Federer moved. Maybe he was sick?
When Murray headed to the final to play Novak Djokivic, I personally settled in for a five hour match, but by the middle of the second set I couldn’t stand to watch anymore. Djokovic is a great tennis player, there is no doubt about that, and I stewed in jealousy as he split-slid up and down that court effortlessly, but it was clear that Murray wasn’t at his best.
As I watched the medic apply antibacterial and pads to those mind-blowing blisters on his feet, I feared for him. He had been playing so well up to that point and I was sure he was going to make it practically impossible for Djokovic. But as the second set came to a close, it was obvious: Murray couldn’t run. If you can’t run in tennis, what’s the likeliness that you can win? Then Murray needed to play a third and fourth set, clearly in pain, and I cringed the whole way through. Not that Murray would have won if his feet were in great shape, but watching a man struggle so much just made me want to cry.
Overall, some great games were played and those who started out on top finished that way. The right people won, but a woman overshadowed by the Party Rock Anthem and a man who wasn’t properly challenged led to a sad conclusion. Oh well… there’s always next year.
