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Andy Roddick of the USA poses with the trophy after winning his final match 7-6(2), 7-6(7) against Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic during day eight of the Brisbane International 2010 at Queensland Tennis Centre on January 10, 2010 in Brisbane, Australia.

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I'll let the horse's mouth tell it:

“I didn’t expect to come in and win my first tournament after a pretty extended layoff,” Roddick said. “You could focus on the last 20 minutes of stress or look at the whole week … overall I feel pretty good about it.

“It was weird. I don’t think I have squandered a lead where I have been putting in first serves and making approach shots. And in the breakers it was the same deal. I kept making first serves so that was helping me hold on to the last shred of sanity I had.

“But at the end of the day the only thing that will be remembered is the ‘w’ (win).”

Excellent attitude. He had certainly forgotten how to win and thankfully, as another fan wrote last night, Radek Stepanek helped to remind him.

I'm reminded of the old high-school basketball cheer, "You gotta fight to win and we will not give in."

Whatever else Andy does on a tennis court, he fights as hard as any competitor out there, including his opponent last night. That fight was rewarded with his first victory on the continent of Australia in his first ever final Down Under.

Under the circumstances -- the anguish, the injuries, the months-long absence from competition, the forgetting how to win since last winter -- it was a tremendous ‘w’.

Now I'll try to convince myself these words are true.

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France's Jeremy Chardy, left, and Marc Gicquel hold their trophy after beating Leander Paes of India and Lucas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 in their men's doubles finals at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010.

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Reuters

Croatia's Marin Cilic holds the trophy after defeating Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(2), 7-6(3) in their singles final match at the Chennai Open ATP tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Chennai January 10, 2010.

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AP

Spain's captian Albert Costa, center, celebrates with the rest of the Spanish team after beating Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych from Czech Republic in the doubles match of the Davis Cup tennis Final at Sant Jordi stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez won 7-6, 7-5, 6-2 winning the third point to win the Davis Cup against Czech Republic.


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Reuters

Djoke over Söderling in straights
Jo-Wilfried over Rafa in straights*
Monfils over Cilic in 3
Stepanek over JMDP in 3

Would serve me right if I got all four predictions wrong, but the losers will have to get out of their own ways to end up on the side of victory.

*Tsonga withdrew from doubles citing a wrist injury, so....

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Singles - Third Round
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [14] T Robredo (ESP) 63 36 75
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [Q] A Clement (FRA) 62 62
[13] R Stepanek (CZE) d [4] A Murray (GBR) 16 63 64
[5] J Del Potro (ARG) d [10] F Gonzalez (CHI) 67(6) 76(6) ret. (leg) - saved 7 M.P.
[9] R Soderling (SWE) d [6] N Davydenko (RUS) 63 36 64
[12] M Cilic (CRO) d [7] F Verdasco (ESP) 36 63 64
[8] J Tsonga (FRA) d [11] G Simon (FRA) 62 63
[15] G Monfils (FRA) d J Benneteau (FRA) 64 63

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[8] F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) d J Kerr (AUS) / T Parrott (USA) 62 64

Doubles - Second Round
[1] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d [WC] A Clement (FRA) / M Llodra (FRA) 63 64
[2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d J Benneteau (FRA) / J Tsonga (FRA) w/o (Tsonga - wrist)
C Kas (GER) / P Kohlschreiber (GER) d [6] J Knowle (AUT) / A Ram (ISR) 75 64

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Hard to say who's playing the best tennis. It's a toss up between Stepanek, Djoke, Monfils, and Tsonga at this point. This point. Would make for interesting semifinals as well. But Rafa is still hanging on, lucky his Spanish opponents couldn't close him out. Is he about to turn a corner? If Tsonga is injured, he could get out of jail free once again.