Last Things First
If you missed the Men's Singles Final, you probably already know that this one was a must-see. My first urge is to suggest that when you watch it recorded, you skip the first two, or perhaps even three sets. That would save you over three hours and cringing at some average tennis (much below par, as far as Djokovic and Nadal are concerned).

However, to truly appreciate the remainder of the match and the players' last heroic act of being able to stand for the trophy photo-op, one must go through 'the agony and the ecstasy' of the entire 5-hour 53-minute battle. In fact, in addition to watching this – the longest Grand Slam final in history – in its entirety, I also urge you to watch, or re-watch, the semifinals, particularly Djokovic's Friday night five-set defeat of Andy Murray. Then, towards the end of the 7-5 fifth set to the final, when you yourself feel like you have no energy left to keep your eyes open, you might truly appreciate the inhuman effort from both finalists.

As the first major snowstorm hit New York this weekend, it was somehow more, not less, gratifying to sit in a cozy armchair, look out onto the white snow, and look on as Ana Ivanovic was getting annihilated in the heat by the new "It Girl" of the WTA Tour, Petra Kvitova, during their fourth round encounter.

In fact, it made me feel downright nostalgic. No, not back to when the new Czech "It Girl" was Nicole Vaidisova (less than a year older than Kvitova!), or to even more recent times, when Ana Ivanovic was that "It Girl" recent Slam winner. No, my memory only extended as far back as the previous weekend, when the 2012 Australian Open was in its nascent state.

Now, sipping hot cocoa in front of a fire (all right, drinking wine out of a coffee cup in front of a space heater the previous tenants left in my apartment), I'll recall the memorable moments of Week One and wistfully look ahead to the coming late stages of the tournament.