Favorite vs. History

I was torn watching the Australian Open women's final at 3:30 a.m. earlier. You see I was caught between rooting for the darling of the WTA in Belgian Kim Clijsters and pulling for history to be made if China's Li Na became the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam (Michael Chang, who won a major, is of Asian descent, but was born in and competed for the U.S.)

Under normal circumstances, I'm a Clijsters fan. She has the perfect blend of skill and tennis IQ, coupled with genuine respect for her competitors, which puts her in at least a neutral zone with everyone on the tour. She's gracious in defeat, but just as complimentary of her opponents when she wins. And mostly, she's proof that having a child doesn't signal the end of a career. Cheers to all women who balance both!

Then there's Li Na, who at 29 is enjoying a late surge in her career. She's shown she can win the big matches coming back from a first-set loss. She's also shown a personality uncharacteristic of Chinese players, whose careers are closely managed by the Chinese government. A good example was making fun of her husband's snoring habits on TV and pretending to forget--or maybe genuinely forgetting-- her wedding anniversary during a post-game interview after her semifinal win. Her husband, also her coach, watched from the stands, laughing.

As everyone probably knows by now, Clijsters won the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, and in her words, finally earned her nickname "Aussie Kim." Her opponent, a gracious loser, playfully jabbed at her husband one more time before bowing out. All's well that ends well.

Now the stage is set for the men's final, which I'll be watching at about the same time as the women's at 3:30 a.m. And I'm faced with the same dilemma: favorite Novak Djokovic vs. potential history maker Andy Murray.

I have nothing against Murray, but Djokovic, like Clijsters, has won the hearts of tennis fans by not taking himself too seriously. He's famous for mimicking himself and other players on tour, to the delight of fans. He's previously won the Australian Open, his lone Grand Slam, while Murray is in search of his first. On the other hand, Murray has the entire United Kingdom on his back. Winning would make him the first Brit since Fred Perry to win a major in 75 years.

I'm not the only one who favored Clijsters and is picking Djokovic. Critics have picked Djokovic as the more likely winner, just as was Clijsters. Which bags the question, will history repeat itself tonight with the favorite trumping the history maker or will a different kind of history be set, bringing down 75 years of a nation's agony?

I'd love for the curse to be broken and for Murray to set history. It'll undoubtedly generate tons of publicity for tennis. I'd also love to see another player avoid the no-Grand Slam curse, especially when its a player of good character. So I won't be upset if Murray pulls of the win. In fact, I'll be quite happy. I, however, can't imagine rooting against my favorite.