Sunday, January 30, 2005
A few hours before the men's final
I will try to like Lleyton... I will try to like Lleyton... I will try....
Dang it, this is not working!! :) I want Marat to win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(
After all that hard work beating Federer!!!!
I was so proud of how you played Marat!!
Everyone knows Marat is a loose cannon. Unbelievable talent but at the same time, inability to focus for long stretches.
It was unbelievable how he kept his cool at 2-5 in the 4th set tiebreaker. I was screaming myself silly & hoarse when he won it! Dare I say, there were even tears. I was like, "If you don't win this, take him to 5 sets!!!"
When he was serving for the championship at 5-4, it was still hard to believe that he might win the match. Being a Marat fan, you always have the feeling that "This is too good to be true. He'll get broken back". It's not that I don't believe in him, it's just that... I dunno!!! Protecting myself from disappointment, I guess. The disappointment of him losing the 2002 Australian Open final to Johansson (on his birthday no less) was just devastating.
True enough, Federer, being the champion he is, fought back lo level to 5-5 in the final set. To Marat's credit, he didn't self-destruct after being broken back. His serve was still cracking and he was still hitting clean winners. I couldn't believe it!! In fact, throughout the match, I have to say, he was up pretty much all the way. It was a very good match and I certainly didn't feel the long hours.
A win like this (a big one!!) and how Marat conducted himself (ie he was really focused all the way) is hard to come by and I indeed cherish it. I felt like the Federer-Safin match was the final, we'll see how that match will place at the end of 2005.
Marat's still too hard on himself when he makes mistakes but that's Marat eh? He needs to get mad. And I think we all secretly love it when he smashes his racket and talks to himself in Russian.
To me, Marat needs this win more than Hewitt. Tennis too!!! This victory will give him the validation of all the hard work getting the 'good' Safin on court!! Tennis needs him to be inspired to play his best! It's such a pity when someone as talented and charismatic as him keep losing matches because of their temperament. Hewitt's a fighter, very positive all the time - he can win other times! :) Plus, the WINNER has to beat the world no. 1!!! :)
Hewitt's the favourite on paper, definitely. More focused, he seems to definitely wants this more, the whole of Oz will be behind him (except for some ladies/girls hehe) and there is that sense of destiny for Hewitt - he finally qualifies past the 4th round (after numerous attempts) and it happens on the centenary Open.
But 3rd time lucky for Safin can be destiny too, right? Agassi lost the 1990 and 1991 French Open final and won it in 1999. So who knows... come on now the power of 3!!
p/s: Well done to Serena. You showed 'em girl!! Kudos to Lindsay too who's such a good sport and a gracious loser. The doubles final probably took a lot out of her. What a fantastic result, seeing her and Morariu at the finals. (esp after Morariu's battle with leukemia and other injuries)
Serena with her 2005 Oz Open trophy
p/p/s: The Aussies have done pretty well this year. Great stuff. Hewitt made it to the finals for the 1st time, Molik made it to the singles qtrs and won women's doubles single with Kuznetsova. (I expect to see more of her this year indeed. My, hasn't she improved a lot!!) Scott Draper and Samantha Stosur also won the mixed doubles finals. That's enough right?? Hewitt doesn't need to win the singles!! :)
Alicia Molik presented a cake by Garnier for her 24th bday. Learnt that she struggled with plantar fascitis last year. I have the same problem with my right heel so i definitely can identify. Kudos to her for making an emphatic return to the tour.
p/p/p/s: Also, congrats to Black and Ullyett for winning the Men's Doubles. I was rooting for them. So refreshing to see the Bryan brothers beaten, hehe. Btw, what happened to the Bjorkman-Woodbridge partnering? Hhmmm...
Dang it, this is not working!! :) I want Marat to win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(
After all that hard work beating Federer!!!!
I was so proud of how you played Marat!!
Everyone knows Marat is a loose cannon. Unbelievable talent but at the same time, inability to focus for long stretches.
It was unbelievable how he kept his cool at 2-5 in the 4th set tiebreaker. I was screaming myself silly & hoarse when he won it! Dare I say, there were even tears. I was like, "If you don't win this, take him to 5 sets!!!"
When he was serving for the championship at 5-4, it was still hard to believe that he might win the match. Being a Marat fan, you always have the feeling that "This is too good to be true. He'll get broken back". It's not that I don't believe in him, it's just that... I dunno!!! Protecting myself from disappointment, I guess. The disappointment of him losing the 2002 Australian Open final to Johansson (on his birthday no less) was just devastating.
True enough, Federer, being the champion he is, fought back lo level to 5-5 in the final set. To Marat's credit, he didn't self-destruct after being broken back. His serve was still cracking and he was still hitting clean winners. I couldn't believe it!! In fact, throughout the match, I have to say, he was up pretty much all the way. It was a very good match and I certainly didn't feel the long hours.
A win like this (a big one!!) and how Marat conducted himself (ie he was really focused all the way) is hard to come by and I indeed cherish it. I felt like the Federer-Safin match was the final, we'll see how that match will place at the end of 2005.
Marat's still too hard on himself when he makes mistakes but that's Marat eh? He needs to get mad. And I think we all secretly love it when he smashes his racket and talks to himself in Russian.
To me, Marat needs this win more than Hewitt. Tennis too!!! This victory will give him the validation of all the hard work getting the 'good' Safin on court!! Tennis needs him to be inspired to play his best! It's such a pity when someone as talented and charismatic as him keep losing matches because of their temperament. Hewitt's a fighter, very positive all the time - he can win other times! :) Plus, the WINNER has to beat the world no. 1!!! :)
Hewitt's the favourite on paper, definitely. More focused, he seems to definitely wants this more, the whole of Oz will be behind him (except for some ladies/girls hehe) and there is that sense of destiny for Hewitt - he finally qualifies past the 4th round (after numerous attempts) and it happens on the centenary Open.
But 3rd time lucky for Safin can be destiny too, right? Agassi lost the 1990 and 1991 French Open final and won it in 1999. So who knows... come on now the power of 3!!
p/s: Well done to Serena. You showed 'em girl!! Kudos to Lindsay too who's such a good sport and a gracious loser. The doubles final probably took a lot out of her. What a fantastic result, seeing her and Morariu at the finals. (esp after Morariu's battle with leukemia and other injuries)
Serena with her 2005 Oz Open trophy
p/p/s: The Aussies have done pretty well this year. Great stuff. Hewitt made it to the finals for the 1st time, Molik made it to the singles qtrs and won women's doubles single with Kuznetsova. (I expect to see more of her this year indeed. My, hasn't she improved a lot!!) Scott Draper and Samantha Stosur also won the mixed doubles finals. That's enough right?? Hewitt doesn't need to win the singles!! :)
Alicia Molik presented a cake by Garnier for her 24th bday. Learnt that she struggled with plantar fascitis last year. I have the same problem with my right heel so i definitely can identify. Kudos to her for making an emphatic return to the tour.
p/p/p/s: Also, congrats to Black and Ullyett for winning the Men's Doubles. I was rooting for them. So refreshing to see the Bryan brothers beaten, hehe. Btw, what happened to the Bjorkman-Woodbridge partnering? Hhmmm...
