Ready for the men's final!

POSTED BY DAVE: Let's be honest. It was definitely sad to see Nadal and Federer exit so early. On the other hand, though, the premature departure of those two great champions kept the men's draw at least semi-fresh. So, let's keep looking forward, not back. (Are you with me, Bess?)


Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Good for Murray, I say. He took out Berdych to make it to his fourth Australian Open final -- and his first Slam final since winning Wimbledon two years ago. Murray is looking fit and confident, much like that historic run back in 2013. 

I don't think he'll win the final, but please don't tell his girlfriend, Kim Sears, that. (If you missed the news, Kim trended on Twitter after being caught using multiple expletives to describe Berdych. Me-ow. To be fair, Murray cussed his fair share, too.)

The likely men's champ. I hope. (Photo: abc.net.au)

Murray meets Djokovic in the final. A formidable challenge, to say the least. Yes, Djok needed a full five sets to take out Wawrinka, but he won going away, taking the final set without losing a game.

My prediction for the men's final? Disregard what Bess says below. Djok will win. 

BESS REPLIES: I'm trying to look forward, Dave, but I'm still a bit bummed about Fed and Rafa. Since I haven't discussed Rafa's loss on the blog, allow me just a moment...

For all the superstitious fans of Rafa who say he should never wear pink again (after losing early at the French(?) while also wearing pink)... I say, I'm not sure it was the pink. I think it was the fact that Nadal's metallic-pink-striped shorts were described... by Nadal... as his "party pants." What? Just, what? 

Party pants, defined

I don't think you win tennis matches wearing party pants. I think you win fans at the bar wearing party pants, but tennis matches? At any rate, I'm bummed about that loss in particular, especially because I really don't like Berdych.

Speaking of which, it sounds like that Berdych/Murray match was a doozie of a drama-fest. In the words of SNL's Stefon:

Despite that last, very funny Tweet, this was my favorite Tweet related to that match:

Twitter perfection

I'm not sure I understand Berdych, and I'm not sure I care to. So I was thrilled that Murray won. He is looking really unstoppable this tournament. I feel like he has the edge on whomever he plays in the final. Especially since, as I type this, Djokovic is leading Wawrinka, but hasn't looked up to his usual quality. 

TENNIS FANS: Who's your pick to win it all on the men's side? And what should Dave and Bess wager on the final? Weigh in now...