Australian Open 2010: Week 1 Review: Something To Be Thankful For
Is there any worse mood-killer for a tennis spectator than a mid-match retirement? The year’s first Grand Slam had been relatively free of those awfully abrupt finishes that seem to suck out all the air of a court when they occur, but disaster struck on Day 6, when as many as 3 of the men (Stefan Koubek, Mikhail Youzhny and Marcos Baghdatis) retired from their matches owing to a wide variety of injuries. That last name was particularly disappointing, because the Hewitt-Baghdtis had been billed as the marquee clash of the day, with every tennis follower worth his or her salt fondly reminiscing about their epic match here 2 years ago that went on till 4.34 in the morning. The women, on the other hand, have had a clean sheet through week 1 – there hasn’t been a single retirement all through the first 3 rounds, which must have made the guys up at the WTA mighty chuffed – FINALLY they’ve got a reason to gleefully point their fingers at those ATP snobs and laugh at them mercilessly, the exact opposite of which has been happening the past couple of years.
But I think the discerning honchos at the WTA must have realized that there’s another reason why the women’s game has something to look forward to for the rest of the year: the women’s side of the tournament has, plain and simple, been more entertaining than the men’s in the first half of the Open. The men have had one, maybe two classics (I didn’t watch it, but was the Youzhny-Gasquet match as good as the score suggested?), a masterclass in the second round from Roger Federer, and no significant upsets other than the exit of Robin Soderling in the first round, the last of which, if you discount one earth-shattering match from 2009, would hardly qualify as an upset at all. Most of the remaining matches have progressed like clockwork, with the 9 of the top 10 seeds scoring one facile victory after another, barely causing any ripples of excitement in what is usually called ‘the Happy Slam’.
Meanwhile, the women have had chaos and drama almost from the word ‘go’- Maria Sharapova, Agnieska Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and most shockingly, Kim Clijsters all fell before the second week. Many of the top seeds have had fairly trying early round encounters, with Svetlana Kuznetsova getting into all kinds of trouble in the third round and Venus Williams going through her usual routine of playing half-hearted tennis in the early rounds of a non-Wimbledon Slam. There have been tight matches, bizarre matches and matches that have gone on for record lengths (a record length of 4 horus 19 minutes, to be more precise). Heck, even the one-sided matches have been nothing short of eye-popping (I am talking to you, Kim Clijsters). Justine Henin has added a new chapter to her intriguing comeback saga with every hard-fought win, Yanina Wickmayer has looked determined to prove that she’s not just a third wheel in the Belgian success story that is threatening to take over the women’s game, and, although her matches haven’t exactly been hold-on-to-your-seat thrillers, Dinara Safina has shown, if only fleetingly, that mental fragility is not altogether incurable. In the midst of all this, the best player in the world has quietly gone about her business, painstakingly making sure that she does everything in her power to get people to forget the Tirade at last year’s US Open. And that, of course, has only been further fodder for news. Every time she seemed in doubt about a linesman’s call, people have said things like, “Oh my God, is she going to lose it now?” or “That linesman looks kinda puny – I’m sure Serena can take him out easily”. If I were a WTA official, I’d record the entire first week of the 2010 Autralian Open on video, just so that I can prove that women’s tennis can indeed be something other than an uninteresting and uninspiring mess.
Speaking of uninteresting, has Andy Murray fine-tuned his game so perfectly that he is now capable of defeating any player outside the top 10 without the slightest bit of theatre or even a drop of sweat? His first three matches here have been absolute snooze-fests – it has been abundantly clear every time he’s taken the court that his opponent doesn’t have a chance in hail of even making a match out of it. To me, that can only be good news for Murray – he may not get to relish being at his crafty best in all of his matches, but at least this can help him preserve some of his energy to gut out the tough matches of the second week. He’s up against the new serving machine John Isner next, and while Murray’s is reputed to be the best on the tour at neutralizing big serves, he’d do well to keep his focus and make sure he finishes the job, because history suggests that the 4th round is right about the time Murray usually does his solitary, yet mandatory Mid-Tournament Choke. All things said and done, however, Murray’s play has been so well-executed through the first three rounds he’s given me a strong feeling that the breakthrough that everyone’s been so desperately waiting for is finally around the corner (of course, Juan Martin Del Potro’s injury has contributed significantly to that ‘feeling’ of mine). But don’t let Murray find out anyone said that – he has a habit of disappointing when expectations are the highest.
And what of the women? Has any clear favorite emerged from the happenings of the first week? Well, the WTA may be a crazy circus most of the time, but Serena Williams’s unusually disciplined restraint and Justine Henin’s return to former shot-making glory have, in my opinion, all but put paid to the chances of everyone else in the draw. I’m sorry, but every sport NEEDS a dominant champion or two to keep alive the interest of its followers, and the WTA has just got back its two most extraordinary ones. Did I hear someone exclaim ‘Hallelujah!’?