And the winner is…

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February 24, 2013 by Parveer Mann

It’s Oscar Sunday.

With many people’s minds on movies and the pomp and circumstance surrounding who will get this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a great time to talk tennis. Many of us are still winding down from the first Grand Slam of the year but the tennis season is relentless.

Since Melbourne, we have had tournaments on three continents, witnessed Rafael Nadal’s return, Serena Williams’s ascendance to No. 1 and said farewell to the oldest American tennis tournament outside of the US Open. These are just some of the storylines so far and we still haven’t even reached the first Masters Series event in Indian Wells (that starts in a few weeks).

So let’s take a look back at the first two months and award some players our equivalent of a Tennis Academy Award.

Best Foreign Language Film: Jerzy Janowicz. The Polish players’ emotional plea to the painted lines is powerful in any language. This atypical meltdown will be fondly remembered by all those who have the chance to check it out. But the question is how many times will you watch?

Best Production Design: Roger Federer. The Swiss Masters decision to add some pink laces to his famous Nike tennis shoes was bold. It might be a sentimental pick but the Meryl Streep of men’s tennis could always do with another award.

Image courtesy Getty Images

Best Documentary Short: Sloane Stephens. Her real-life run to the semis at the Australian Open was the breakthrough moment of the tournament. The 19-year old took down fellow teenager Laura Robson and Serena Williams on her way and looks like a candidate who can take on a starring role in the future.

Best Visual Effects: Gael Monfils. His tweener in Rotterdam was almost too unbelievable to be real.

Best Actor: Novak Djokovic. Only one tournament played thus far but Novak sure left an impression. He was dominant in the Australian Open and captured his third consecutive crown. Plus, add in a little comic CPR and Djokovic has everything going for him right now.

Best Actress: Victoria Azarenka. This award is not to single out her brilliant acting maneuver to get out of a pressure situation against Sloane Stephens at the Australian Open. However, it is to recognize her victories in Melbourne and Doha that have made her the best over the first two months. The Serena vs. Victoria matchups this spring and summer will be something every fan looks forward to.

Best Picture: Argo. It’s won everything else leading up to the Oscars so it might as well grab this one before taking the big one at Dolby Theater.

Ben Affleck looks to lead Argo to a Best Picture win at the 85th Academy Awards.

So while you are watching Ben Affleck and his beard win for Argo, remember that the tennis season goes on. We still have eight more months of action and storylines starting off with one of my favourite tennis settings, Indian Wells.