Australian Open: First impressions and some timeless tales
The first tide has washed ashore. The little water that rolled over the sands of the expectant tennis fans have left them wet and awash in excitement. The lingering taste of excitement from the sidelines of a Grand Slam tournament is like the aroma of that favourite recipe from a mother’s kitchen. It is impossible to feel permanently satiated. And that feeling is back again. The motley crowd of tireless tennis stars have done just enough to bring those dormant cells back to life. The manic rush of the first round at the Australian Open is now a thing of the past, but it is also something that connects us to our past. It is truly the one event that re-establishes the umbilical connection between the fan and her favourite star.
The results have been mostly on expected lines, but the unexpected is an equally intoxicating high. She is 109 days into her 43rd year and at that age and phase of life, you cannot doubt the fact that she is in Melbourne because she passionately loves the feeling of her tightly strung racket strike the yellow ball. Probably for the pleasure of wrapping her palm around that grip and let her wrist and forearm write expressions many would not even consider possible. It might even be to tease her race car driving husband Michael Krumm about his relatively sedentary lifestyle. She was a semi-finalist at Melbourne in 1994, world No. 4 in 1995 and retired in 1996. Four years into her current comeback, Kimiko – now ranked 100th, had enough Samurai power to disrobe the world No.12 Nadia Petrova. The Japanese dealt a humiliating 6-2, 6-0 pounding to cause a sudden swell of romantic fervour. Some tales are indeed timeless.
One man who is eager to write a timeless tale of his own is Roger Federer. 17 Grand Slam titles have not diminished his hunger for a little more success and the Swiss got off to a finely crafted start, so characteristic of the great champion. It is Federer’s 53rd straight Grand Slam tournament appearance, one short of Stefan Edberg’s 54 and three short on Wayne Ferriera’s unmatched feat of 56 consecutive shows. Knowing Federer’s keen sense of tennis history, if he were to present himself at each of the remaining three Majors this year, he would have emulated the mark in August this year at New York. If and when that happens, it will be a mark as important as winning a Grand Slam. For all we know, it might even be Federer’s only goal this year! In his first competitive match since November, Federer showed no signs of rust or a waning desire as he waltzed his way past Benoit Paire 6-2 6-4 6-1 in just 83 minutes.
Andy Murray is like a lion that tasted blood after being hungry for the longest time possible. And his success at the US Open last year seems to have finally liberated him to hunt without the burden of quenching the thirst of a nation barren for 76 years. The 25-year old is prospering under the tutelage of taskmaster Ivan Lendl and enjoying the perks that come with it. Murray dismissed Robin Haase for the loss of merely seven games in three effortless sets to stay on course for his semi-final date with Federer.
It might be his home, but the 20-year old is trading among men that have taken hold of tennis with a stranglehold that has been barely challenged. Young men before him have turned adults without much to show for it, except frequent flyer miles and a few quid in a cushioned bank account. So, the question on many a mind is if Bernard Tomic is ready to snatch the baton from an unyielding generation and make it his own. It has been a splendid January so far and for a man in a tearing hurry to break into the exclusive top ten club, the 72nd ranked Leonardo Mayer proved no match – laying over in a tame 6-3 6-2 6-3 surrender to help Tomic to within a match victory of a most anticipated clash with Federer. It is nine wins in a row since the calendar turned; a perfect ten will buy him the coveted pass to Saturday night action on Rod Laver Arena in an encounter loaded with promise.
Injury has forced Juan Martin Del Potro to deal with the possibility of turning into a one slam wonder, from being someone touted to take over from the golden armed Federer and Rafael Nadal. The Argentine is keen to leave a deeper footprint, each major tournament an opportunity to reclaim elusive glory and prove finally that the US Open triumph in 2009 was no flash in the pan. Unleashing his potent forehand at the hapless qualifier Adrian Mannarino, Delpo took a mere 76 minutes to inflict a crushing 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 defeat. It is possible he wanted to serve a warning and on the evidence of that match – 24 winners and 8 unforced errors – consider the statement made.
There is no dearth of promising young men these days. Cue this to the Canadian who shot to promise on the power of his booming serve. Milos Raonic showed no mercy as he rained aces – 30 of them during a four set victory over Jan Hajek. The 13th seed reminded those in his path that he counts for more than the sum of his serve – 56 snarling winners bearing testimony to the Canadian’s hardwork during the off-season. He will find it handy in the tougher tests that lay in wait on the path ahead.
The weather in Melbourne might be cooling off, but the mercurial Gael Monfils it seems is turning hotter. The Frenchman sent Alexandr Dolgolpolov scurrying to the sidelines to give company to another dismissed young man in the wings – Grigor Dimitrov. The Russian snatched away the first set in a sixteen point tie-break, but that was merely enough to dent the irrepressible spirit of the sliding, lunging Monfils. The unseeded Frenchman fought back to clinch a much celebrated 6-7(7) 7-6(4) 6-3 6-3 victory over the 18th seeded Russian. The curtains may have drawn on the immediate ambitions of Dolgopolov, but expect more drama when Monfils takes on Yen-Hsun Lu in the next round.
Speaking of Frenchmen, one cannot ignore the obvious talents of Richard Gasquet. It seems the man himself is finally willing to give his tennis the respect others afforded it since long. It was a tight start though, till Albert Montanes served up a generous double fault to end the heavily contested first set. Picking that cue, Gasquet wasted no more time to run away with a fairly easy 7-5 6-2 6-1 victory to seal his spot in the second round. Gasquet was consistent at the Grand Slams last year – losing in the fourth round of each of the four tournaments. It is difficult to digest that his celebrated Wimbledon semi-final loss against Federer came almost six years ago. For all his extravagant talents, his only success on the big stage came in 2004 when he won the mixed doubles title in Paris with Tatiana Golovin. He desires to embellish his career, but time and space aren’t an abundant resource – at least for Gasquet.
Here is a name that would be more familiar to the cricket fans, even if for the wrong reasons. But any recounting of the early experiences from the current edition of this wonderful tournament would not be considered fair without paying tribute to the die hard spirit of James Duckworth. The 20-year old stuck it out for a gruelling four hours and 26 minutes against good mate and fellow Aussie Ben Mitchell to somehow find a way to match his second round showing last year. James won the first two sets, but Mitchell scripted his way back by claiming the next two. Eventually the 210th ranked man prevailed 6-4 7-6 (8) 4-6 5-7 8-6 in the most intensely contested match in the first round this year.
On Wednesday, we can look forward to the contest between the defending champion against the talented Ryan Harrison. It is difficult to see the American trouble the Serbian, but for the hungry eyes prying for where the next in tennis might come from this match could throw up some interesting insights. Jerzy Janowicz made a blockbuster entry through his heroics at the Paris Masters last year, so he will no longer have to worry about playing to empty galleries. The 24th seeded Pole shall play India’s Somdev Devvarman on court 8 and a victory for either man will guarantee a bigger court and a tougher opponent.
Sania Mirza will open her doubles campaign alongside Bethanie Mattek-Sands against the Spanish combo consisting of Silvia Soler-Espinosa and Carla Suarez Navarro. Incidentally, Mahesh Bhupathi and his new partner Daniel Nestor have also drawn an all Spanish combination – they will play Pablo Andujar and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez over on court 15. Rohan Bopanna and Rajeev Ram will need the hand of a Greek Goddess to help them past the Australian pair of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios – two men with their family tree rooted in Greece.