The amazing Kim Clijsters won the Australian women's singles final! Since she has come back from retirement, she has gone from strength to strength. She says that this might be her last year on the tour. Having won her first Australian Open, she is looking to win her first French one and it could be her last chance if she does retire (again). I'd like her to stay a couple of years longer and win everything twice. (She's a year younger than me).
It was disappointing to see how badly Andy Murray played in the final losing in straight sets and being completely annihilated by Novak Djokovic. Not only was it disappointing (not taking anything away from Djokovic-he played amazingly well) but really weird on the most part as nearly every single point Murray lost, his body language and expressions would be like his whole world had just crashed down. Whereas most other tennis players seem to get over it quickly, he was so negative in that way, that he never looked like he was even in the match and I couldn't help but think that maybe there was a little bit of him that didn't want to win. I know this might not make sense. But sometimes it is in a persons' nature to set themselves up to fail. I remember my Business Studies tutor in high school writing in my leaving book "Do not let yourself down, you deserve to succeed". At the time, I wondered what he meant and thought why would anyone want themselves to fail?? But people do. It is only now that I have started realising this about myself. Literally, NOW. And it feels weird.
I'm not saying Murray failed intentionally. But I am saying that it seemed his lacklustre performance was because he wasn't mentally able to cope with it rather than physically. Before the match he said he would not step on the court thinking about previous failures (he has made the final of a major 3 times now) or go on thinking about the expectations of others. But these did look to affect him. Post match he said wanted to "get away from the court" and for a while "live a normal life".
Strangely enough for me, having a normal life is the last thing I want and maybe I have to overcome my own mental barriers to achieve this.
