This has got to be one of my favorite tennis videos. Like, ever. Thanks to the very creative YouTube uploader.

First, the subtitles are completely false (except perhaps for a few things, like names mentioned). The commentator sounds like he is cheering for Federer and someone thought to make his own interpretations of the rather overly enthusiastic comments about our hgh (his greatest-of-all-time highness) Federer.

Roger Federer’s fans, rather expectedly, range from the average tennis spectator, his colleagues, journalists,  fellow athletes, and fellow sporting heroes. I’ll never forget the late David Foster Wallace’s New York Times piece “Federer as a Religious Experience.” Take it as you will, but it was written with such passion for both the sport and the talent of the man who accomplished enough to transcend it.

Then there’s this interview with Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (alpine skier). What got my attention is this part (because I’ve always wondered about it):

You got to meet him after this year’s French Open final. What was your first impression when you met him?
I thought he was a lot taller. On TV, he looks a little bit skinny. You can’t really see his height. When I saw him in person, he really had a big presence. He had a much bigger presence than I was anticipating. He was a tall guy, had broad shoulders, and didn’t look small at all.

Seeing Roger Federer on TV, you’d think sports build muscle but apparently not tennis. Time to rethink that theory. It’s scary to think, in this context, how bulky Rafa looks then.

1. Federer is king. Australian Open organizers made sure that they highlighted that fact during the trophy ceremony. It seems funny now that just a year ago, tennis experts have been corroborating on their funeral planning of Federer’s reign in men’s tennis, eagerly appointing new names, even beyond the next-in-line Nadal. How his sweet 16 win must be really sweet for the guy.

2. Justine Henin is back. She may not be ready to defeat a player of Serena’s caliber at this time, but give her a few more months when she fully get her old groove back. I think she’ll be ready by the French Open in June, and expect her to be one the entire field would most likely fear the most.

3. Maria Sharapova needs to bounce back, fast. There’s no question about Maria’s commitment to the game and her champion spirit, but as the other women are getting better and better, and with the return of the Belgians, she needs to make a statement in the Grand Slams soon. At least that’s what Nike is expecting her to do, I would dare suggest.

4. Another Andy stole hearts with loss. In last year’s Wimbledon, Andy Roddick won many more fans by his courageous fight for the title, and more so by his heart-wrenching loss. This year, at Melbourne,  Andy Murray wasn’t able to control his tears while accepting the runner-up plate. The fans understood, and felt his pain.

5. The Australian Open set a high standard for the rest of the year. The tennis was at a very high level, both for the men and the women – there were plenty of five setters and three setters, respectively. It was high on quality and high on drama. Here’s hoping the remaining 3 can live up to this one.

Like I did with the finals of the women yesterday, I started writing a post in anticipation of the men’s final. Then I got all superstitious because Henin lost yesterday, and I don’t wanna jinx Roger Federer, so I waited until it’s over before I completed this. And I’m very happy to report that Roger Federer won his 16th Grand Slam title in Melbourne today.

All throughout the match, I was trying to keep myself from updating my Facebook page using my sister’s newly unlocked phone with match commentaries. I even managed to stay away from Twitter. I was quite tense because Andy Murray looked more like the man to beat than Roger was the whole fortnight. But all’s well that ends well. At least for us Federer fans. Andy Murray broke hearts, though, including mine, by his acceptance speech (which he can’t finish because the tears came). He gave everything, he played brilliantly,  and he was beaten in straight sets. Now I want to support Andy Murray. At least as long as he doesn’t face Federer in a final of a Grand Slam.

Now, on to Roland Garros.

Days 5 and 6 at the Australian open are so bizarrely different, but day 5 definitely takes the cake for being more drama-filled and, again, bizarre. Day 6 is almost boring, considering the high level of play and buzz surrounding the first five days. It’s like the electrical supplies giving energy to tennis fizzled this Saturday.

For drama of the highest order, Kim Clijsters, the reigning U.S. Open Champion and comeback queen (being trailed by compatriot Justine Henin), was trounced 0-6 1-6 by Nadia Petrova. Petrova is a solid player and she played brilliantly, but no way will Kim have that scoreline – the worst loss in her career -  if nothing’s wrong with her that day. They say it was like she wasn’t in the court. Well, the reasons will remain speculations for now, but the thing is she had a bad day. That’s that.

Justine Henin almost went down, as well, losing the first set and got broken early in the second. But she rallied to take the match in the third. Svetlana Kuznetsova almost lost, too, as she played under the lights past midnight and with almost empty stands.  Rafael Nadal won in four sets, Juan Martin del Potro barely won, John Isner won big, and Jelena Jankovic was ousted.

That’s day 5. Saturday, however, gave us a totally different kind of vibe. The seeds rolled through to the next round and nothing really special happened, except for Marcos Baghdatis retiring from his match against Lleyton Hewitt and Mikhail Youzny wihdrew from the tournament.

Prince William was touring Victoria, Australia, and decided to drop by to watch some tennis in Melbourne at the end of his 3-day visit to the country. He arrived just in time to see Roger Federer complete his 2nd-round match and stayed to watch the ladies match between Australian Casey Dellacqua and Croatian Karolina Sprem. Too bad all British players will be playing tomorrow.

In the post-match interview, Federer was asked to welcome the prince. A bit shyly, he said, “Your royal highness, from the tennis world, thanks for coming.”

Well, it’s hard not to be excited by the sight of royalty, just like the cameras pan to every celebrity tennis fan. I remember watching a video of Steffi Graf’s old championship match where William and Princess Diana was present. Seems like a long time ago; he was just a small boy, then. I can only imagine the life of someone born to privilege, like that. It’s not some title you get from Craigslist or a position you find from sites like Seattle job search. But as they say, with privilege comes great responsibility. Or something to that effect.

I was watching the Tomic vs Cilic match last night and I am quite impressed by the Australian teenager Bernard Tomic’s performance against someone many consider to be dark horse and a possible contender to this year’s crown. They played for hours, in a tight five-set match, with the young Australian showing signs of brilliance and a bright tennis future.

I felt bad for him when he lost, after having chances to win even in straights (3 sets). But Cilic has more experience and is seeded 14. What’s funny, however, is that Tomic eventually “lashed out” at  the organizers for their “ridiculous” scheduling. He said that’s its unfair for a 17-year old to be playing past 1 am, and that it cost him the match over his older opponent (Cilic is 21).  I mean, isn’t his youth actually an advantage in these situations? I understand the 36-year-old Agassi having to ask for rescheduling during the 2005 US Open, but not when this guy’s a relatively newcomer and barely over the age most concerned about the best acne treatments! He was probably just tired and disappointed, though. But Australian tennis may have its new hope with this guy.

Day 3 of the Australian Open is enough to make me run to check www.zitremedy.org; the tension and the stress (in a good way) today’s matches brought is enough to make any tennis fan develop all kinds of body rash.

Earlier in the day, Kim Clijsters had to work hard to win, Rafa Nadal didn’t have to break much sweat, Sharapova remains the only one of the top 15 women’s seed who is out of the tournament, Roddick and Murray are through.

The big games had to wait for the night, however. Almost simultaneously, James Blake vs Juan Martin del Potro and Justine Henin versus Elena Dementieva created matches worthy of Grand Slam finals. del Potro (in five sets) and Henin won (in two). Later that night, Australian teenager Bernard Tomic broke the hearts of his compatriots when he lost the five-set marathon, albeit playing brilliantly,  to the up-and-comer Marin Cilic, who many believe is a real dark horse in the men’s draw.

What really got my attention is Henin vs Dementieva. I’ve been rooting for Elena Dementieva since she lost to Serena Williams last Wimbledon. She has always been known as a talented player who maybe isn’t a champion enough to win the big tournaments and I really wanted her to win, especially seeing her nervous mother, the only supporter she has in her box, really gutted with the way things are turning out. Dementieva has improved her game and her fitness so much, and it just is a pity that she hasn’t won any Grand Slam title. Well, the answer is demonstrated in empathic fashion by Henin. Playing in her 2nd tournament since retiring just over a year ago, Justine Henin, despite being rusty is some parts of her game, shows what being a champion really means. And she coupled the mental toughness with some brilliant shot-making that is not too common with the current breed of women’s tennis players. That is to say, I am happy that Justine won, but I am equally sad that Elena lost. Now Justine should go all the way and win this whole effin’ thing.

So who are the big winners in round 2? Federer, Djokovic, Davydenko, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Ivanovic, Dementieva, among others.

For the random thoughts:

• Venus Williams is being ignored by the press so much that when she won in ruthless fashion against Lucie Safarova, who is a very good player in her own right, she’s suddenly being remembered as a serious contender, together with her sister Serena, Dementieva, Henin, and Clijsters.
• I wonder why professional women’s tennis players can train so hard and compete  so often and still be a bit rounded and plump, especially around the midsection. Tennis has strict anti-doping law so I’m guessing no one takes even a harmless diet pill like phentermine.
• Roger Federer gave his fans a scare when he dropped the first set of his first match, the first set he’s dropped at round 1 of a Grand Slam since 2003.
• I was rooting for Richard Gasquet to win his five-set marathon with Youzny, but it was not to be.
• Dementieva and Henin will battle it out on Day 3 and I’m torn. I want Henin to make a flashy comeback and I wouldn’t mind if Dementieva wins the whole thing. It’s way to early for them to meet at the 2nd round, but because Henin is unseeded, it can’t be helped.

The best thing about the Australian Open being in Australia (duh!) is that it means I don’t have to stay up too late to watch online scores or look for live streaming of matches (seriously, I’ll need eye wrinkle cream if that keeps up). Or maybe the best thing is that Star Sports Asia is finally covering this year’s Open. The bad thing is, I am usually at work during the day matches and I only come home early enough to catch the last few sets of the night matches.

But there’s always the Internet to check who won or who lost, and also to have an idea which ones are worth watching the replays for. Here’s a list of some of the (big name) winners (round 1, day 1): Henin, Clijsters, Dementieva,  Safina (women’s singles); Murray, Roddick, del Potro, Nadal (men’s singles).