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It's a far cry from being a billboard for a fashion designer or a sporting-goods corporation. This is like signing with The Gap. Uniqlo's sporting-goods inventory doesn't go much beyond shorts. John Koblin(via Deadspin) , off the news reported by CNBC's Darren Rovell: "Japanese apparel brand Uniqlo, which did $10 billion in sales last year, has signed Djokovic to a 5-year deal that starts at French Open."

Djokovic-Nadal: An Appreciation on 30/1/12 | Tipped by Quickish |

#tennis +9

Men's professional tennis may be the most satisfying sport on the planet at the moment. There is no game with so much excellence currently swirling at its top, that so reliably delivers not just entertainment, but historic greatness. It isn't to be missed. Conventional superlatives fail....

But what's happening in the men's game is as close as sports gets to unadulterated joy, the kind of outrageous viewer experience that leaves the audience gasping, as if anaerobic, as it did Sunday morning, in the men's final of the Australian Open. Jason Gay(via Wall Street Journal)

AND IN PRAISE OF DJOKOVIC: "What sets him apart isn’t exactly what he does, but that he never stops doing it." (Eric Freeman, The Classical)

AND NADAL: "How must it feel to be Rafa Nadal today? The cruelest thing about this glutted golden age of men's tennis is that it keeps producing astonishing matches, matches that actually expand your idea of what sport can be, and someone has to lose all of them." (Brian Phillips, Grantland)

Djokovic/Nadal '12 > Nadal/Federer '08? on 29/1/12 | Tipped by Quickish |

#australian open +6

I'm biased toward that 2008 final but you could certainly make a case. As with Federer-Nadal, it's not just the duration and the quality; it's the context. So much was riding on Sunday's match. No. 1 vs. No. 2. A champion defending his turf. Nadal trying to reclaim what was once his. For them to summon this level of tennis for that long is truly remarkable. Jon Wertheim(via SI.com)

DON'T MISS: Wertheim's 50 thoughts from the Aussie Open. Great analysis.

Djokovic Beats Nadal in Epic Aussie Final on 29/1/12 | Tipped by Quickish |

#novak djokovic +4

*Now, and forever.....No Djok
(ESPN's Ron Wechsler)

*Consider how lucky tennis fans have been for the last 7 years. And now this? Remarkable. (Wall Street Journal's Tom Perrotta)

*Note to self: Declare a match "the greatest" at your peril
(SI's Jon Wertheim)

*Do you get the feeling the sportsworld doesn't quite get the gift that is Djokovic?
(The Nation's Dave Zirin)

*Anyone know how to get your brain back in your head after it jumps out?
(Grantland's Brian Phillips) (via Twitter)

Azarenka Wins Aussie Open on 28/1/12 | Tipped by Quickish |

#australian open +5

The book on Azarenka states that she is an aggressive banger, capable of hammering groundstrokes but not much else. That book now needs an update. Azarenka did her share of blasting on Saturday, but she also moved well, won points with nifty work around the net and showed off an arsenal that included a transition game and a nifty drop shot-and-lob combo. Jon Wertheim(via SI.com) , adding: "Maybe most impressive, she came with a game plan: Push Sharapova back, take control of the rallies and exploit her opponent's inferior movement."

Aussie Open: Djokovic Tops Murray in 5 on 27/1/12 | Tipped by Quickish |

#australian open +8

*Take a bow, gents. That was fantastic. (Yahoo Sports' Chris Chase)

*Djokovic was never a favorite to watch, but he's the baddest man on the planet right now. Tougher, better, terrific. Murray - OUTSTANDING (ESPN's Howard Bryant)

*In any other era, Murray would have multiple Grand Slam titles right now. Any other era. (Grantland's Brian Phillips)

*"Novak, congratulations on your very special victory. On Sunday, we run."--Rafa
(Wall Street Journal's Tom Perrotta)

*Djokovic beat Nadal SIX times last year and in the last two majors. (Bryant) (via Twitter)

Definitive Take: "This was less a tennis match than an endurance contest on opposite sides of a net, two supremely fit athletes depleting their reserves of energy -- and then somehow surging and re-surging." (Jon Wertheim, SI.com)

Deconstructing "Federer-Nadal XXVII" on 26/1/12 | Tipped by Quickish |

#australian open +6

Once the match started, Federer-Nadal XXVII, it was total role reversal... Federer struck first -- so often Nadal's M.O. -- racing to a 3-0 lead with aggressive play. Nadal rallied. But it was less with his characteristic grinding than with real brilliance, a series of preposterous shots, worthy of the Federer compendium. Jon Wertheim(via SI.com) , with the only recap of the Aussie Open semifinal you'll need to read to understand it.

IF YOU WANT MORE: Grantland's Brian Phillips watched the match and kept a running list of comments.

Aussie Open Semis: Rafa Beats Roger on 26/1/12 | Tipped by Quickish |

#tennis +5

*This is about high-bouncing backhands the way love is about pheromones.
(SI's Jon Wertheim)

*Roger Federer has a Rafael Nadal problem. Rafael Nadal has a Novak Djokovic problem. Andy Murray has an everyone problem. (Yahoo's Chris Chase)

*There comes a point in every Federer-Nadal match where I wish I weren't watching bc I can't bear to see either of their faces when they lose
(Grantland's Katie Baker)

*I pick my underwear out of my ass in your honor, Rafa.
(SBNation's Spencer Hall)

*Can we all at least agree this was worth the wake-up call? (Wertheim) (via Twitter)

Service-y! "If you let sleep get in the way Or are interested in replay of Federer - Nadal it will be shown @ 12ET." (ESPN's Chris Fowler)