lydiajulian14 days ago8 minSo, what do we now know?When, in a fortnight’s time, the finals of the French Open are played the respective champions will be awarded their trophies because...
lydiajulian1May 186 minForty eight hours to go!Some days you remember more than others. 21st August 1983 is one of those days. In peaceful, democratic Australia, the newly elected...
lydiajulian1May 77 minLess than a fortnight to go and it's not a game- this is our future!With less than two weeks until polling day in Australia, we can be more certain about events after the election than its outcome. We know...
lydiajulian1Apr 1311 minNous tous! Australia and France go to the polls and then we focus on Roland GarrosThe political terms left and right wing were coined when what became known as the Tennis Court oath was taken during the French...
lydiajulian1Jan 126 minGuess who's coming to the tennis?The question is, would the character played by the much loved and recently departed Sidney Poitier in his 1963 movie be more welcome to...
lydiajulian1Jan 65 minDjokovic v the World: no vaccination, a contested exemption, a denied visa and a court appeal!It just keep’s happening! A new year and the overlap of politics, world affairs and Grand Slam tennis continues. One of my holiday reads...
lydiajulian1Dec 31, 20216 minTremors!It says something about the potent ubiquity of Covid-19 that it continues for most to be the only topic in town as we begin the third...
lydiajulian1Nov 29, 20216 minTwo end of year playoffs, a summit in Glasgow and a ‘sext’ for afters…So, the tennis year is officially over, well apart from the Davis Cup which has become such a desiccated version of its one great self,...
lydiajulian1Sep 30, 20219 minIs there honour amongst our governors anymore? Is there any hope of buying a home?It is just over a fortnight since the end of the US Open. Former English Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously quipped that “a week is a...
lydiajulian1Aug 29, 20216 minWhen will all of US be OPEN?Sometimes, you just cannot believe the timeliness of events and poignancy of words. Tonight, (Australian time) the US Open commences. All...
lydiajulian1Aug 8, 20219 minNew York, here we come!Start spreading the news I'm leaving today I want to be a part of it New York, New York And If I can make it there I'll make it...
lydiajulian1Jun 14, 202110 minFarewell Roland Garros 2021: Thank you for more of the old and more of the new!Even the most ardent Republican tennis fan living in the southern hemisphere must acknowledge the fortuitous nature of the Queen’s...
lydiajulian1May 23, 20216 minParis awaits!So, is some of the world is returning to normal? Qualifying rounds at Roland Garros start tomorrow, with the tournament proper starting...
lydiajulian1Apr 18, 202111 minHave we won the war against Covid-19, but are now fighting post-pandemic skirmishes?Countries are never entirely at peace with themselves. There are always social, economic and political fault lines that are shifting and...
lydiajulian1Mar 13, 20219 minNews travels quickly from the West!Yesterday was the 28th anniversary of Paul Keating winning the “unwinnable Federal election” against John Hewson. It was the Federal...
lydiajulian1Mar 5, 20217 minAnd the winner is?Yesterday was especially bittersweet. It was the 38th anniversary of my first vote in a Federal election in 1983, which saw the election...
lydiajulian1Feb 27, 202111 minMelbourne's Grand Slam closes , but controversies remain openPerhaps more than ever this year’s Australian Open confirmed how Grand Slam tennis is often an unwitting barometer of the political and...
lydiajulian1Feb 15, 20217 minAustralian Open champions set to be unmasked, like the rest of us!In 1988 when the Australian Open was played for the first time at its new venue, then called Flinders Park, history was made when mid-way...
lydiajulian1Feb 7, 20218 minAn Open and shut case?Tomorrow, competition at the Australian Open is set to commence. The gates will be open, but even after the first ball is struck there...
lydiajulian1Jan 24, 20219 minA fortnight to go, but what to celebrate before then?Tomorrow, January 26th, Australia and India have national days of celebration. For India it is their Republic Day, which commemorates...