Australian Open

I was cheering for Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, and James Blake in the Australian Open. All three lost: Roddick in the semi-finals, Murray in the quarter-finals, and Blake in the fourth round. For the moment, it appears as if no one can beat Roger Federer; although I don't think that Federer is unstoppable. Roddick is going to defeat Federer one of these times, especially now that his coach is tennis legend Jimmy Connors. Handsome Scot Murray is on a rising trajectory, and it would be a real thrill if he could become the first British player to win Wimbledon in the open era. Blake was supposedly playing much better, but I'm starting to wonder if he can win a major.

On the women's side, it would be nice to see Serena Williams defeat Maria Sharapova in the finals. While the US media loves Sharapova, it's difficult for me to warm up to her since she looks at her father/coach after every point for guidance. He coaches her from the stands during matches, which is illegal in tennis. He even tells her when to drink water and has held up a banana to signal that she should eat one druing a changeover. That drives me crazy.