Australian Open Finals: Notes

As I predicted (cause I'm that awesome...not), Kim Clijsters and Novak Djokovic became the Australian Open champions. Here are five things to take away from the tournament:

1. Andy Murray isn't ready. I said it in the previous post, but I'll say it again. He's is a VERY GOOD tennis player, but you need to be great in today's men's pool. Murray continues to crumble under pressure and as of now cannot climb to the top and garner a grand slam title.

2. The women's field remains as open as ever. Yes, Clijsters has won the last two majors, but the top 10 is always changing in the WTA, unlike the men's field. Anybody has a shot at winning a grand slam.

3. Djokovic is now in the upper-echelon of the men's side, after beating Roger Federer and Andy Murray to claim his second Australian Open title. The charismatic Serbian is still at #3, unable to crack the duo of Nadal and Federer, but very strong showings in the French Open and Wimbledon can change that.

4. Clijsters is creeping up to the top of the best women players ever. Is she in the Top 10? No, not yet. She hasn't been victorious in Roland Garros or Wimbledon, which are the true tests of great players. But like Djokovic, if she can pull through with victories at those tounaments, she has to be considered one of the better WTA players of all time.

5. The consistent Nadal/Federer finals/wins at Grand Slams may be broken. And that could work for or against men's tennis. Fresh faces are nice, but the rivalry between the two has produced ratings for tennis. The end of total domination from only these two could signify a decrease in popularity for tennis.

We're all done in Australia, so it's on to France in acouple of months. See you then, tennis fans.