MURRAY BLOWN AWAY.

So the dream is over, for the present at least. Novak Djokovic simply blew Andy Murray away with a dominant display and was a worthy winner of the Australian Mens' singles title.

The match started worryingly for Murray supporters as it was Djokovic who looked the more alive and aggressive player; to confirm this, the Serb won the first 6 points and Murray's first point was only courtesy of a Djokovic error. While Murray did hold his first service game, it wasn't without a considerable struggle; as in the semi-final, Murray's groundstrokes were often too short and gave his opponent too much time to consider his returns.

The game then settled into a hard-hitting pattern and, for a short time, Murray seemed to be hitting a little deeper and put Djokovic under some pressure; the Serb was the one doing most of the running. Just when it looked certain that the first set would go to a tie-break, Murray lost form and his serve; suddenly, Djokovic was in the ascendancy. Murray's unforced error count increased and he compounded his problems by losing his first service game in set 2 and then his second. Djokovic was in total control and Murray looked down and out.

Somehow, Murray managed to hold serve to avoid a second set whitewash and, then astonishingly, Djokovic dropped his serve to love as nerves got the better of him when serving for the set. Given half a chance to get back in the set, Murray then threw his own service away again to lose it. For all the world, Djokovic now looked unbeatable.

As the third set got under way, Murray broke the Djokovic serve again and hopes began to rise but, almost inevitably, it was false hope. Another poor game saw the Scot lose his service and Djokovic was back in command. Murray's first serve percentage was simply not good enough and his unforced errors far too many to be able to compete at this level. In truth, his performance was on a par with his semi-final against David Ferrer, when his opponent was not good enough to capitalise on the Scot's lapses, but Djokovic is no Ferrer.

Poor tactical play from Murray saw him lose yet another service game to go 1-3 down in the third set; he'd now lost 10 of the last 13 games and held serve only once in that time. Yes, Djokovic was playing well but Murray was providing very weak opposition.

One thing that can be said in Murray's favour is that he still kept trying; helped by some uncharacteristcally poor play from Djokovic, Murray broke back and then stayed 'on-serve' to 3-4 to again give his supporters some hope. Again, they were to be disappointed. With Djokovic continuing to hit powerfully and Murray putting far too many shots weakly into the net, the Scot's service escaped him again and the Serb easily held his, as Murray played 3 weak shots into the net. The Crown belonged to Novak Djokovic.

Overall, this was a good performance from Djokovic, fine serving, a lot of powerful and well placed hitting, and great defence; he deserved to win. From Murray, it was a poor display from start to finish. His service was weak and his groundstrokes lacked penetration; his error rate was ridiculously high and his overall demeanour lacklustre. He managed to win only 5 of the last 18 games and held his serve only twice in his last 9 attempts.

As usual, the BBC commentary team did their best to convince us that Murray had really done well but had been unlucky to come up against a Djokovic playing at his very best. This is rubbish. Yes, the Serb was good, but Murray was, frankly, a pale imitation of a top-class tennis player. At no stage did he look like a potential winner and, playing like this, he will never win a Grand Slam. In three Slam finals, Murray has yet to put up much of a fight or to win a set; does he actually have what it takes to be a real winner ?

KIM CLIJSTERS, SUPER-MUM.

After a nervy and very scrappy match, Kim Clijsters finally emerged as Ladies' Champion at the Australian Open, her fourth Grand Slam title.

This was a pretty poor affair, with neither player able to hold serve with any consistency and a huge number of unforced errors from both; thirteen service breaks tells the story only too well. In the end, Clijsters greater experience at this level is probably what carried her over the winning line as Li Na, China's first-ever Grand Slam finalist, wilted under the Melbourne skies.

What next, though, for the ladies game ? Apparently Clijsters is set to retire again at the end of the season, Henin has already gone and the Williams sisters are no longer the force they were. There are no other women who are good enough or play with enough consistency to take the places of these great champions, and one has to wonder who will replace them. For now though, here's to Kim Clijsters, Super-Mum par excellence !

MURRAY ON TARGET, IF NOT ON SONG.

Well, well, well. Despite playing a very erratic match, Andy Murray has finally made it through to his third Grand Slam final, in which he'll meet Novak Djokovic, as I predicted a few days ago (clever me !)

Murray's performance really was a mess. He started so well, and with a break in the first set to lead 4-3, he looked to be coasting before it all went awry. Suddenly, he was unable to hold his serve and David Ferrer simply took charge; after losing the first set, Murray struggled to stay in touch throughout the second. Ferrer profited from the long rallies and Murray racked up a horrible number of unforced errors. His ground strokes seemed to be, too often, too short and he failed to put real pressure on his opponent. Somehow, he managed to get in a position to serve for the second set, yet still he was unable to make it count and it was eventually decided by a tie-break, totally dominated by ....... Murray; Ferrer almost gave the tie break away and suddenly looked like a beaten man.

The third set seemed to confirm that Ferrer had run out of steam and was down-and-out, as Murray produced fewer unforced errors and Ferrer began to make more mistakes. An early break in the fourth looked to have sealed the result, but then we had a repeat of the earlier horrors as Murray appeared to lose concentration and Ferrer roared back to counter the break and threatened to square the match. Finally, Murray managed to take the set to another tie-break and, again, he dominated it to take the match and seal his place in the final.

Ferrer played well and tenaciously, but Murray was below his best and made the match more difficult than it needed to be. Far too often he threw points away and a 4 hour marathon was not what he needed as preparation for what will be his best chance so far to win that elusive Grand Slam title. Novak Djokovic is a great player and already has an Australian title to his name, but he is neither Federer nor Nadal; Murray has  a great chance but he'll have to up his game from today's performance if he's to come out on top.

KING ROGER DEPOSED.

For the first time since he won Wimbledon in 2003, Roger Federer holds none of the Grand Slam crowns.

This very simple statement hides the fact that we have just witnessed the final eclipse of one of the greatest, possibly even THE greatest, tennis player ever. Previously, I wrote that while my heart was with Federer, my head told me otherwise and it gives me no pleasure to be proven right. Today, Federer almost held his own in the first set, though he rather crumbled in the tie break; in the second set, he was a break behind very quickly but then stormed back to lead 5-2 and be serving for the set at 5-3. That he was unable to convert this position to his advantage and eventually capitulated to Novak Djokovic in the third set says more about his waning powers than it does about the play of his opponent.

Roger Federer of 3 or 4 years ago would never have let his opponent dominate the first set tie-break, or let him off the hook in the second set as happened today. Roger was then the most dominant and intimidating player of modern times, even more so than Rafael Nadal has since become. Roger Federer was King of the Court, and everyone knew it. The King is dead and the Pretender wounded - who will replace them ?

CONTRASTING FORTUNES

As Kim Clijsters progressed comfortably into the final of the Australian Open Tennis championship where she will meet the tournament surprise, Li Na of China, it was with surprise and regret that I read of the injury that has now forced Clijster's Belgian compatriot, Justine Henin, to retire for a second time.

Henin was a phenomenon of modern tennis, tiny compared to most of her opponents and yet possessed of an extraordinary talent that took her to 7 Grand Slam singles titles as well as Olympic gold in 2004. Her magnificent backhand must be regarded as one of the greatest tennis strokes of all time, played with her whole body and such freedom that it made ones' spine tingle.

While Kim may well go on to win her 4th Grand Slam title and Belgians will rightly celebrate, they will also mourn the departure of one of the greatest lady players ever, and certainly one of the most famous Belgians, in Justine Henin.

ANDY ON SONG, RAFA OUT.

So Andy Murray did what was necessary and disposed of Alexsandr Dolgopolov, though not without a third set wobble. From 2 sets up and 3-1 ahead in the third, Murray managed to lose the set on a tie-break which obviously set a few alarm bells ringing. Thankfully, the 'Great White Hope' of British tennis pulled himself together to take the fourth set and progress to the semi-final.

Today's other quarter-final saw Rafael Nadal take on fellow Spaniard David Ferrer and I was probably not alone in believing that this was going to be little more than a practice session for the number 1 seed. Sadly, Rafa seems to have picked up an, or aggravated an existing, injury early on and despite fighting all the way, he was simply unable to perform at anything like his best. The outcome, Ferrer winning in straight sets, was probably the most unexpected result of the whole tournament and the loss of Nadal is a real disappointment to all true tennis fans.

If tennis fans are sorry to see Rafa go out, Andy Murray can now look forward to a semi-final clash with a man who should not provide anything like the challenge that a fit Nadal would have offered. Murray must be a strong favourite to make it through to his third Grand Slam final where I still expect him to meet Novak Djokovic; I'd much prefer it to be Roger Federer (I'm part Swiss) but I really don't think the great man has it any more.

In the Ladies event, we've also reached the semi-final stage, though almost without noticing that there's been a tournament going on. The womens' game seems to be in a bit of a trough at the moment with assorted upsets through the draw and no one taking control. The absence of Serena and early exits of so many other big names - Venus, Henin, Sharapova et al - has left us with the prospect of not only a new champion but also of a first Grand Slam title for 3 of the 4 semi-finalists. Of the 4 players left, only Kim Clijsters has any real pedigree but she's been far from convincing to date. The others include the current world number 1, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark but who has reached only 1 Grand Slam final in her career, China's Li Na whose best ever Grand Slam performance was reaching the same stage in this event last year, and the Russian Vera Zvonereva who, despite being ranked number 2, has never been better than a runner-up in any Grand Slam, which she achieved in the last 2 events of 2010. It should be a breeze for Wozniacki to beat Li Na and reach the final, but the other match may be very close; perhaps Clijsters greater experience will prove decisive, but I wouldn't bet on it.

ROGER NO RABBIT

Despite my doubts, Roger Federer has come through to the semi-final of the Australian Open with minimum fuss. Early today, UK time, the best Swiss player brushed aside the challenge of the second best Swiss in quick time and in such a manner as to suggest there may be life in the old dog yet. Federer's progress in this tournament has been a little 'hit and miss' but perhaps the measure of the man is that even when he's well below his best he's still too good for most of the others.

Talking of 'the others', Federer's opponent in the semi-final will be Novak Djokovic who's just completed a straight sets demolition of Tomas Berdych. When the end came, Berdych had nothing left with which to counter the aggression of Djokovic and the Serb simply steam-rollered his way through the last few games. We can now look forward to a semi-final clash between Djokovic and Federer, which my heart says Roger will win but my head has to go with Djoko.

At the top of the draw, Andy Murray meets Alexsandr Dolgopolov at an ungodly hour of the morning, for UK enthusiasts that is, while Rafa will meet David Ferrer at around 8:30 tomorrow morning. It still looks like Andy versus Rafa for the semi and, maybe, Andy for the final. It's heart versus head all the way.

MURRAY IN A HURRY.

Wow ! Andy Murray's demolition of number 11 seed Jurgen Melzer will surely go down as one of more surprising results of this Australian Open. Murray was obviously the favourite, but to beat another highly rated player so easily will send a few shivers through those remaining in the field.

I did say that both Milos Raonic and Alexandr Dolgopolov would prove tough opponents, but would still be beaten - only 50% right, I'm afraid. While David Ferrer beat Raonic in 4, Dolgopolov provided a major surprise by knocking out 4th seed Robin Soderling. Soderling has been one of the most improved players over the last couple of years and has been threatening to win a Grand Slam, so his exit to the unseeded Ukrainian is a real shock, though probably a very welcome relief to Murray who would have played him next.

Rafael Nadal is on court as I write, heading inexorably towards a quarter-final meeting with Ferrer. The other quarters will now see Berdych take on Djokovic in what ought to be the match of the round, Federer try to remain Swiss number 1 by beating compatriot Wawrinka, and Andy Murray up against the unseeded  Dolgopolov. Nadal, Murray, Berdych and Federer, perhaps, the winners ?

CHANGING OF THE GUARD ?

Poor Andy Roddick, he of the previously unreturnable serve, was the merest shadow of his former self as he was destroyed by the second best Swiss player, Stanislas Wawrinka, in straight sets. Roddick simply had no answer to a player who, while being very good, has never really troubled the world's best, and Roddick must now be contemplating a future in which he will find tennis increasingly frustrating.

For Wawrinka, he can now look forward to a quarter-final against the best Swiss player in the world, Roger Federer, with every expectation that he will give his compatriot a severe test. Whatever the bookies are saying, this could be the turning point for Federer too; being number 2 in the world may be acceptable to the great man, but being beaten by a player who is only the second best in Switzerland might be a step too far. Should Roger lose to his fellow Swiss, might we then see him 'considering his future' ?

NOW IT'S BECOMING SERIOUS.

The last eight in the men's event at the Australian Open is beginning to take shape and there have been few surprises so far.

The top half of the draw won't be in action until tomorrow, when we will be hoping that Andy Maurray can overcome Jurgen Melzer, while Nadal takes on Cilic, and David Ferrer and Robin Soderling both have unseeded opponents in Milos Raonic and Alexandr Dolgopolov respectively; don't expect too many upsets from this lot even though the matches may be tough.

Today's action has seen Tomas Berdych and Novak Djokovic set themselves up for a semi-final meeting, both winning with some ease. Roger Federer, on the other hand, played an error-strewn match against Tommy Robredo and, although eventually crossing the winning line, he still lost a set and looks anything but convincing. Federer's quarter-final opponent will be either Andy Roddick or his fellow-Swiss, Stanislas Wawrinka, who are currently slugging it out but either is likely to prove too much for a Federer who is now clearly passed his best.

Djokovic must be favourite to reach the final from the bottom half of the draw, but the top half still has some way to go; Nadal has the class and proven pedigree, Murray and Soderling both have the proven ability. Can Murray turn ability into results ?

MURRAY'S YEAR, PERHAPS.

And so Britain's interest in a major tennis tournament is again reduced to one man, Andy Murray.

It seems that Ann Keothavong simply ran out of steam after taking the first set in her match against Andrea Petkovic and we no longer have anyone left in the ladies' event. Murray, however, saw off the challenge of Illya Marchenko in straight sets and without raising much of a sweat - onwards and upwards for the Scots lad. 

Rafael Nadal made short work of his 2nd round opponent, Ryan Sweeting, and Robin Soderling beat Gilles Muller without too much trouble, but Roger Federer's star really seems to be on the wane. After taking the first 2 sets against the unseeded Giles Simon, the number 2 seed found himself pegged back to 2 sets all and was made to fight all the way in the last. This was the type of match that the Federer of old would have swept through, perhaps a hard fought first set followed by an increasingly dominant display and victory in 3. With Novak Djokovic also progressing easily, it's difficult to see Roger making it to the final; there are simply too many hungry, young cannibals in his way.

Now we're down to the last 32, and the pattern for the rest of the tournament has started to emerge. Rafa looks to have a relatively easy path to the semi-final, with only the heavy serving of John Isner or Marin Cilic to worry about, while his opponent at that stage could be any of several; Soderling, Murray Tsonga, Melzer, Baghdattis are all quite possible. At the other end, Roger should make it to the quarters where he'll expect to face Roddick, his compatriot Wawrinka or Monfils for a place in the last 4. Should he make it that far, he ought to find Djokovic waiting on the other side of the net, but it could also be Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, or any of Gasquet, Verdasco, Almagro, Ljubicic or Troicki.

What will happen ? Perhaps this is to be Murray's year; he should make it passed his next 2 opponents and then it's likely to be Robin Soderling followed by Rafa. He might just do it, and come up against Novak Djokovic in the final, when the whole of the UK will glued to their sets, TV that is.

VOLLEYS, LOBS AND DROP SHOTS GALORE.

The Australian Open Tennis Championship is now under way and we all wait patiently to see who will prove victorious, in the Men's tournament, at least. For some reason, perhaps not unconnected with the absence of any serious challengers from these shores, the Ladies event attracts far less attention in Britain and, indeed, mots people here would probably be hard put to name even half-a-dozen of the top female players.

As it happens, Britain had 2 women in the main draw, twice as many as in the men's event. Elena Baltacha, a doughty Scot who has overcome serious illness to become our No 1 female player, fell this morning though it was hardly a disgrace to go out to former World No 1 Justine Henin. Baltacha has made remarkable strides in the last couple of years and is now well-established in the world rankings; she may not be a world-beater but for sheer guts and determination it's hard to imagine a finer example.

Ann Keothavong, formerly the UK No 1, will be in action in round 2 against 30th seed Andrea Petkovic and we can but wish her well. Keothavong is still on her way back from a long injury lay-off but victory is not impossible.

While our ladies are present in numbers, our men have to rely on the sole representation of Andy Murray. Unlike Baltacha and Keothavong, Murray has a realistic chance of victory, come Sunday week. So far, he's safely through round 1 and should have no problems in round 2; he also doesn't have to worry about either of the 'Big 2' in his quarter of the draw, so progress to the semi-final, at least, has to be on the cards. Murray has the ability to win the tournament but, to do so, he has to overcome past history as well as the 2 greatest players of the modern era, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. If Nadal wins, he will hold all 4 Grand Slam titles as the same time, something that hasn't happened since Rod Laver's Grand Slam year of 1969; if Federer wins, he'll take his total of Grand Slam titles to an astonishing 17. But if Murray wins ................ !!

QATAR A HOT POTATO ?

Why the 2022 Football World Cup was awarded to the tiny Gulf State of Qatar is a mystery that will probably never be solved. What is now becoming increasingly likely is that the decision is going to cause enormous ructions within the footballing world as Sepp Blatter, FIFA President, suggests a possible change from a summer to a winter World Cup in recognition of Qatar's unfriendly climate.

"IF" the 2022 tournament was to be moved to the winter months, the disruption would be immense. Not only would European football schedules be disrupted for 3 years, but the effect on other sports would be huge. The traditional summer sports that have their principal events while football is in its 'off-season' could find themselve squeezed out - cricket, tennis, golf and athletics could all suffer serious financial damage as well as losing out on simple TV exposure. Additionally, what would there be for the fans to watch in the winter months ? It's difficult to see the typical football fan trudging off to watch Harlequins or Wigan and, apart from the two forms of Rugby, what mass spectator sports are there in the winter ? 

Is it too soon to suggest that FIFA may have no choice but to have a rethink, and send this event elsewhere ?

ALL OVER BAR THE RECRIMINATIONS.

So, despite the last 3 wickets adding more than 100 runs, England finally completed the demolition of the Australian cricket team. Australia's performance in this series has been hard to explain, woeful in 3 matches, clinically victorious in one and at least holding their own in the other but, overall, the home side have been humiliated.

If Australia were poor, how good were England ? That their bowlers were so often frustrated by the Australian tail has to be a concern. There was a time when the last 3 wickets were considered easy pickings for the 'quicks' but no more, it seems; is this because the bowlers are less good or the batsmen better than before ? In this series, perhaps it was really a combination of both; far too many top-order Australian wickets fell to catches behind the wicket or in the slips - this smacks of poor technique from the batsmen rather than brilliance from the bowlers. Given this, the lower-order batsmen probably had less of a hard time from the bowlers than they might have expected and simply had to avoid 'chasing the ball' outside the off-stump.

Whatever the analysis, England won and won well. Cook had an outstanding series with the bat and was well supported by by Trott, Bell, Pieterson, Prior and Strauss, all of whom hit centuries and averaged over 40. In the bowling stakes, Anderson took the principal plaudits with 24 wickets at 26, but was also well supported by Tremlett, Bresnan, Finn and Swann, though the last 2 were more expensive, Swann very much so. The catching was another success area, with Prior snaffling 23 behind the stumps and Collingwood with 9 and Strauss with 8 taking full advantage of the Aussies' lax play. Set against this, only Hussey, Watson and Haddin scored significant runs for the home side and were the only players to average over 40; only Hussey and Haddin scored centuries. The bowling was equally disappointing, only Harris, Siddle and Johnson taking more than 10 wickets.

Under Andrew Strauss, England have won 16 out of 32 matches and lost only 4. Since Strauss was appointed permanently in the winter of 2008/09, England have won series against both Australia and the West Indies at home and away, in South Africa, and against Bangladesh and Pakistan at home. 2011 sees the remaining 2 major sides, Sri Lanka and India, visiting England and  more victories could see England soon topping the international league table. Whether this will happen is, of course, another matter but by the end of the year, we should have a good idea as to just how good this team really is.

As for Australia, they will undoubtedly now have a huge re-think. Ricky Ponting has surely reached the end of a magnificent career, and they have to look for a new, young and dynamic captain, but the real problem is that the team is an ageing one and there seems to be a dearth of young talent waiting in the wings. It may be several years before we see any real resurgence from 'down-under'.

AUSTRALIA DOWN AND ALMOST OUT.

Day 4 at Sydney saw the Australians pounded into the dust as England piled up their highest ever score 'down under' and then bowled themselves to within 3 wickets of another massive win. It seems that the Aussies have pretty well given up and one can only wonder what it will all mean for the futures of some of their better known players.

COOK A MASTERCHEF !

Alastair Cook has just about finished the Aussies off, putting himself high up in the record books in the process. His astonishing series performance has been so effectively backed up by the rest of England's top order that the Aussies have been completetly outgunned. Only Mike Hussey has really shone for the home team, with Watson and Haddin the only others who've bothered the scorers very much, while all of England's top 7, except for Paul Collingwood, have performed well. 

Day 3 at Sydney was the now-familiar story of Australian bowlers struggling to make an impression, even though they had England 5 down with only 226 on the board. One more wicket at this point and the match would have been very evenly poised but, instead, England responded to the threat with 2 century partnerships. With the visitors now over 200 in front, victory for the home team is as improbable as the result at Headingley in 1981; not impossible but almost so.

One more good day and not only the Ashes but the series, too, will be England's.

SYDNEY IN THE BALANCE.

Two days gone and England are, perhaps, just on top.

Once again, they had trouble getting through the Aussie tail; oh for the days of Trueman, Statham et al ! That said, if it hadn't been for the tail the Aussies would have been all but dead and buried by now as the top order were as hopeless as ever. England's batsman have yet to drive home their advantage, though, with Strauss reaching 50 again, only to get out, something he has now gained a worrying habit of doing. Cook's still there but, with Collingwood's form non-existent, a couple of early wickets tomorrow will put the Aussies right back in it.

If the weather holds, there'll be a result, but which way is yet to be determined.

TAYLOR LOSES POWER.

For once, the PDC world darts champion will not be Phil 'The Power' Taylor.

Taylor crashed out at the quarter final stage to Mark Webster while his Dutch rival, Raymond van Barneveld, lost even more heavily to Gary Anderson. Both Taylor and Barneveld have been around for many years but perhaps those years are finally catching up with them. Could this year signal a changing of the guard ?