NOTEBOOK From Melbourne

So funny it hurts: Andy Roddick was a bigger hit in his post-match news conference than against top-ranked Roger Federer. After a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 drubbing from Federer in the semifinals of the Australian Open, Roddick delivered a stream of deadpan one-liners and jokes that revealed a wry sense of humor. What it was like to be on center court of a Grand Slam and sent packing in straight sets? "It was frustrating. It was miserable. It sucked. It was terrible," Roddick said. "Besides that, it was fine." Roddick was asked to describe the match from 4-4 in the first set. "I got broken. Then I got broken three more times. Then I got broken two more times in the third set. Then it was over 26 minutes later. Is that what you saw, too?" he said. Questions turned to Jimmy Connors, the former great who is coaching Roddick. "What did Jimmy say to you straight after the game?" Roddick: "He gave me a beer." What was Connors advice coming into the match? "There was a lot of strategy talk," Roddick said. But, "It's not so much like, 'If you're down 6-4, 6-0, 2-0 ...' We didn't really talk about that. Oops." How does he rate the chances of either Tommy Haas or Fernando Gonzalez -- the other semifinalists who play on Friday -- against Federer in the final? "Slim." At times, Roddick was clearly testy. He said he would have paid "a lot of money" not to have to come to the press conference, noting that the fine for not appearing is 20,000. By the end, Roddick appeared to be almost enjoying himself. One reporter commented that his performance in the news conference was better than his performance on court. "No [kidding]," Roddick said. "If there were rankings for press conferences, I wouldn't have to worry about dropping out of the top five."
Final goodbye: Belgian star Kim Clijsters left Rod Laver Arena on Thursday to a standing ovation after losing her Australian Open semifinal to Maria Sharapova. Clijsters, who will retire at the end of 2007, became a crowd favorite after she was engaged to Australia's top player, Lleyton Hewitt. Even though she called the engagement off in October 2004 after a four-year relationship, Australian fans remained loyal. "It's been a pleasure playing here, a lot of fun," Clijsters told the 15,000 capacity crowd. "I'm sorry I couldn't come up with a better match today. I tried everything I had, and I came up against a better player." The 23-year-old Clijsters said she will retire at the end of the year to start a family, tired of nagging injuries. She plans to marry Brian Lynch, an American who plays basketball in Belgium, in July or August after playing in her last Wimbledon. "I will definitely come back," Clijsters told the crowd. "I don't just love to play tennis, I love to watch tennis. In a few years I'll be sitting in the stands, with maybe some kids. That's something I'm really looking forward to."
Associated Press
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