The greatest debate8230;

Mirror mirror on the wall,who is the greatest of them all? Well,the answer lies with Uncle Toni Nadal and Dijana Djokovic,Novaks mother

Mirror mirror on the wall,who is the greatest of them all? Well,the answer lies with Uncle Toni Nadal and Dijana Djokovic,Novaks mother. For several years,the Spaniard made no bones in calling Federer the greatest in the history of the game, until Uncle Toni told him on a flight to Melbourne a couple of years back that it was Rod Laver. So Federer became one of the greatest with Laver, as Nadal put it after his semi-final match. Djokovic also said something similar after his game against Andy Murray,but his bet was that Nadal is the best in history. Theres an interesting story behind this choice,as Dijana once proclaimed to the press that the King is Dead after her son beat Federer in the semi-finals of the 2008 Aussie Open. Federer wasnt too happy with that,and asked her to Keep quiet in Cincinnati. So the only man left was Rafa,a man the World No.1 beat six out of six times last year.

Victory dance

Its the Second Sunday here in Melbourne,and the contest for fans to imitate the greatest Australian Open victory celebration of all time is heating up. Some cry like Federer,others throw racquets like Safin. But the winner,by a fair distance,was Emmanuel Honders from St Kilda. He does a Jim Courier. A long time ago,exactly 20 years to be precise,Courier exited the Rod Laver Arena after beating Stefan Edberg,ran past the Hisense with tears in eyes and adrenaline in veins. He then dodged traffic on Batman Avenue and climbed the footbridge over the River Yarra. But it was the jump into the silty,filthy waters with full tennis attire on that caught all the media attention. Just like Honders twenty Second Sundays later.

Training Day

The place to be on finals day,before the decider begins that is,is the Margaret Court Arena. The top seed in the world is given first preference to book the second showcase court to practice for the big game. He can wish to do it in the privacy of one of the side courts,but if his name is Novak Djokovic,then hell probably take it. In front of nearly 500 supporters peeping in through every crevice and gate,Djokovic practiced in chaos. Nole Nole in the football tune of Ole Ole was the favoured chant,with the World No.1 responding with a little jig to the tune. Hes just like Mohammad Ali, says Dimi Ptrovic,a Serbian supporter. He gives the fans exactly what they want.