AO Crisis Center, Day 14

So here we are, at the end of the first major of 2008. As you know, I'm proud that I picked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to make the final . .  . All right, so I'm kidding. Jo-Willy is the latest in that long list of "surprise" finalists, among whom we can count Marcos Baghdatis, Rainer Schuettler, Arnaud Clement, and the two Toms, Enqvist and Johannson.

To tell you the truth, I like Tsonga's game the best out of all of them. And strange as it sounds, the player Jo-Willy reminds me most of is my old pal, Evonne Goolagong Cawley. They are both players of fine touch, sunny disposition, and creative shotmaking - think of them as tennis's version of Brazil's legendary national soccer teams. Cruising through the Getty archive, I get the feeling that if you needed to find a picture of Jo-Willy when he's not smiling, you'd have to catch him in traffic court or something.

Still, Novak Djokovic has hurtled to this juncture with startling momentum and, were it not for Roger Federer standing in his way (until Friday), a certain air of inevitability. So let's see where it all leads. I'll be back on Monday, enjoy the final!