Tag: Rafael Nadal

Australian Open 2018: Talking points (Day Five)

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There was plenty to discuss after yesterday’s action in Melbourne. Money and the weather continued to make the headlines, as did some excellent performances. Here are five talking points from an exhilarating fifth day in Australia.

It’s hot, hot, hot! 

“The extreme hot policy should be re-evaluated!” That’s according to the likes of French player Alize Cornet and top seed in the men’s draw- Rafael Nadal.

Temperatures in Australia have risen to as high as 40 degrees over the last couple of days, and the humidity has taken its toll on some of the players.

Cornet collapsed to the ground during her third round defeat to Elise Mertens due to the heat and Petra Martic, who took two hours to get past Luksika Kumkhum, suffered from blisters because of the sizzling court.

Play was suspended in 2014 due to the rising temperatures on court that year, however the officials have taken a much firmer approach this time around.

Tournament director Craig Tiley insists the rules cannot be altered halfway through the tournament, but admitted that policy will be looked at again once the Australian Open has wrapped up.

Show me the money!

Roger Federer is the latest person to speculate about the ongoing situation over player’s earnings at Grand Slams.

The issue came into the spotlight just as this tournament was beginning after it was reported that Novak Djokovic suggested that the players form their own union separate from the ATP.

The Swiss, who is the former President of the ATP player council, believes that “change only comes when the players demand it and that the Grand Slams only react when people rally together.”

Federer did go on to say that change doesn’t happen in a day, and that both the players and the slams should collaborate together to reach the best possible agreement.

Edmund’s fairytale run continues 

Onto the action itself, and British hopes are still alive after Edmund came from behind to beat Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.

The 23-year-old won 7-6 3-6 4-6 6-0 7-5 to advance to the fourth round in Australia for the very first time.

The gruelling three hour and 34 minute swung one way and then the other before Edmund firmly took control in the fourth set.

The world number 49 finished with 70 winners but missed 20 of 27 break points. The conditions made it tough and Edmund admitted after the game that physically it was tough to play at his very best.

But it was another test passed for the Brit, who has been on an upward trajectory since making it to the last 16 in the US Open two years ago.

He will face Italian Andreas Seppi in round four.

Only two previous Grand Slam winners remain in women’s draw. 

Latvian Jelena Ostapenko suffered a shock defeat in the third round as another current Grand Slam holder bowed out.

Following Garbine Murguruza’s exit yesterday, world number seven Ostapenko fell to Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 6-3 1-6 6-3.

The French Open champion was on the back foot from the off, as Kontaveit broke in the very first game.

The Latvian powered through the second set, before the world number 33 went on again to break in the final set and wrap up a win that puts her in the fourth round in Melbourne for the very first time.

Maria Sharapova and Angelique Kerber are now the only two women left in the draw that have previously ever won a Grand Slam. They both face other this weekend.

Nadal looks right at home down under. 

World number one Rafael Nadal cruised into the fourth round and is looking the most likely to challenge Federer for the men’s title.

The Spaniard beat Damir Dzumhur 6-1 6-3 6-1, and is yet to drop a set at this year’s Australian Open.

Nadal has only won down under once before, but he is playing with a ruthless nature and is looking increasingly difficult to beat.

Bosnia’s Dzumhur hardly made a dent in Nadal’s push for glory, with the world number one going on to face Diego Schwartzman – a man he has defeated three times previously – in round four.

 

Australian Open 2018: Top 5 matches (Day One)

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The opening day of this year’s Australian Open didn’t disappoint. We, as well as the thousands that flocked into Melbourne, were all provided with thrilling matches, dominant performances and a few shock exits. By the end of the day 12 American players had been beaten, including some high-profile names. Here are my top five matches from day one.

Kyle Edmund bt. Kevin Anderson (6-7 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4)

A match that as close and as entertaining as their previous encounter at Roland Garros last year, Edmund showed how strong he is mentally after claiming the best win of his career to date over 11th seed Kevin Anderson.

The big South African came into the match in good form. He had reached the final of the US Open back in August and had started the 2018 season in fine spirits by making it to the final in Pune.

Twice Anderson led the match in terms of sets and in the decider he broke early to take a 2-0 lead, but the Brit dug deep to claw himself back into contention and ultimately come away victorious.

Edmund, ranked 49th in the world, produced some excellent tennis in the epic that lasted a minute shy of four hours. He had been working hard on returning serves in the off-season and proved it against a giant of a man who usually dominates with his serving prowess.

This victory was another step in the right direction for the 23-year-old, who will ultimately have to step up to the mantle of British number one once Andy Murray abdicates the crown. If he carries on performing like he did against Anderson, he could go further in this tournament than many anticipate.

Rafa Nadal bt. Victor Estrella Burgos (6-1 6-1 6-1)

Number one seed Nadal needed just 94 minutes to complete a routine win on Rod Laver Arena.

The Spaniard is on the hunt for just his second Australian Open title and only dropped three games against Dominican Republic’s Burgos.

Nadal will have more competitive contests in future rounds but the match was a good workout for his knee, which he injured last November. The injury forced him to miss Brisbane a couple of weeks ago, but he insists he is feeling good and is ready to compete.

Belinda Bencic bt. Venus Williams (6-3 7-5)

Bencic is powering back up the rankings after beating Venus Williams. (Image Credit: AP via. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/tennis/australian-open-belinda-bencic-dumps-venus-williams-in-first-round/news-story/9feeefe1cd156e00b378e31c31f2a2ea)

Labelled as the next Swiss prodigy, 20-year-old Bencic produced the best performance of her young career to stun number five seed Venus Williams.

Bencic reached the top 10 aged just 18 before a wrist injury saw her fall back down the WTA rankings again. But after this showing it will only be a matter of time before she’s once again challenging at the top.

The Swiss pressed last year’s runner up Williams throughout the match, forcing errors and breaking serve numerous times to wrap up the straight sets win.

Victory was Bencic’s 16th in a row and despite being unseeded the world number 78 will be a difficult opponent for even the very top players.

Zhang Shuai bt. Sloane Stephens (2-6 7-6 6-2)

US Open champion Stephens is yet to win a single’s match since the final at Flushing Meadows after she crashed out at the first hurdle in Melbourne to world number 34 Zhang.

The number 13 seed was serving for the match in the second set before China’s Zhang fought back to win the tiebreak.

Stephens then capitulated in the deciding set and has now lost eight matches in a row since her maiden Grand Slam victory in New York.

 Timea Babos bt. Coco Vandeweghe (7-6 6-2)

 Tenth seed Vandeweghe received two court violations during her defeat to Hungarian opponent.

Last year’s semi-finalist refused to restart play due to a ‘lack of bananas on court’ before later swearing at Babos.

The world number 51 didn’t let Vandeweghe’s temperament affect her performance, as she breezed the American aside in the second set.

Other selected results

Men’s singles

Dimitrov (3) bt. Novak (6-3 6-2 6-1)

Cilic (6) bt. Pospisil (6-2 6-2 4-6 7-6)

Sugita bt. Sock (8) (6-1 7-6 5-7 6-3)

Carreno-Busta (10) bt. Kubler (7-5 4-6 7-5 6-1)

Tsonga (15) bt. King (6-4 6-4 6-1)

Ebden bt. Isner (16) (6-4 3-6 6-3 6-3)

Kyrgios (17) bt. Dutra Silva (6-1 6-2 6-4)

Nishioka bt. Kohlschreiber (27) (6-3 2-6 6-0 1-6 6-2)

Women’s singles

Wozniaki (2) bt. Buzarnescu (6-2 6-3)

Svitolina (4) bt. Jorovic (6-3 6-2)

Ostapenko (7) bt. Schiavone (6-1 6-4)

Georges (12) bt. Kenin (6-4 6-4)

Rybarikova (19) bt. Townsend (6-0 7-5)

Gavrilova (23) bt. Falconi (6-1 6-1)

Cibulkova (24) bt. Kanepi (6-2 6-2)

 

 

 

Australian Open 2018 preview: Who will triumph in Melbourne?

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The days of Christmas turkey and pigs in blankets are truly behind us as the first Grand Slam of the new year is about to get underway.

We may only be two weeks into 2018 but the biggest stars in tennis are all in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open.

Injuries and late withdrawals have yet again plagued the build up to the tournament, which has been a constant theme since Wimbledon last summer.

So who’s in the running to lift the trophies at the Rod Laver Arena in two weeks time? Here’s all you need to know ahead of tomorrow’s curtain raiser.

THE FAVOURITES (MEN’S SINGLES)

The men’s tournament looks set to be a three-horse race according to the bookies. Roger Federer – who looked back to his best in 2017 – will be hoping he can add a sixth Australian Open title to his overcrowded trophy cabinet. Having overcome Rafael Nadal in last year’s magnificent final, the champion beings his title defence against Aljaz Bedene, who switched his allegiance back to Slovenia after three years representing Great Britain.

Returning to competitive tennis after a six-month absence is former world number one Novak Djokovic. The Serbian has not played since Wimbledon but the 30-year old could follow in Federer’s footsteps. The Swiss came back after a long lay-off last year to win two Grand Slam titles, and that should boost Djokovic’s confidence of success. However a tough draw pairs him with American Donald Young in round one, and a potential clash with Frenchman Gael Monfis, who won in Qatar earlier this year, in round two.

Federer and Djokovic could then meet in the semi-finals should they both make it that far.

Nadal may not have played any tennis since the ATP Finals in London last November, but the current world number one says he is ready to challenge for the men’s title. The Spaniard won his tenth French Open and also the US Open in 2017. Last year’s runner up plays Victor Estrella Burgos, the world number 81 from Dominican Republic, in his opening match.

ONES TO WATCH (MEN’S SINGLES)

ATP Finals’ champion Gregor Dimitrov comes into 2018 with a career high ranking of third. The Bulgarian made the semi-finals of this tournament 12 months ago and has now experienced enough Grand Slam tennis to make a serious push for a maiden title. His playing style matured in 2017, and comes into the tournament in the best form of his career.

Alexander Zverev is a star in the making. The 20-year-old German is ranked at world number four and if he continues this radical rise it will be a question of when he wins a major, not if. But a lack of five-set tennis could hinder his chances. Zverev has never made it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam and after being drawn in the same half as Federer and Djokovic, the German will need to get over his inability to beat a ‘top four’ player in a five-set contest quickly if he is to clinch his maiden major title.

THE FAVOURITES (WOMEN’S SINGLES)

Karolina Pliskova is the favourite for the women’s title after making the semi-finals at Brisbane a couple of weeks ago. The Czech’s consistency could be a key asset in her arsenal but she also has a powerful serve in her locker that could steer her through the tougher times on court. She may not have won a Grand Slam yet, but she has all the skills to change that.

Simona Halep is the current world number one but has struggled in Melbourne in the past. She exited in round one for the last two years and has never made it past the quarter finals. The Romanian has also yet to win a Grand Slam and her game may not be suited to the fast courts in Australia. However on her day she can beat anyone and can’t be ruled out entirely.

Garbrine Muguruza has struggled in the build-up to the tournament. The two-time Grand Slam champion retired in Brisbane and withdrew in Sydney with a thigh injury and could be touch-and-go in Melbourne. If she can get through to second week she will one to watch out for.

ONES TO WATCH (WOMEN’S SINGLES)

Elina Svitolina burst onto the scene in 2017, winning five WTA titles. Her 2018 season started successfully after winning in Brisbane and now has her sights on a first Grand Slam title. At just 23, she still has some development to do before she is the full package, but like Zverev in the men’s’ draw, it could be a matter of when, not if.

Angelique Kerber won this tournament two years ago to start a memorable 2016. That year she became world number one but things changed drastically for the German in 2017. Early tournament exits saw her drop to world number 22, and will need to be consistent and on top form to get out of a tough quarter of the draw.

REPRESENTING GREAT BRITAIN 

Johanna Konta will be leading the British contingent over in Melbourne. The ninth seed has made it to the quarter and semi-finals in her previous two visits but faces a potentially tough route to the final.

Her opening match is a potential banana skin against USA’s Madison Brengle. Should she get past that test, she may have to overcome women’s favourite Pliskova in the fourth round before a likely last eight contest with top seed Halep.

Ahead of the tournament, the 26-year old left the nation on tenterhooks when she withdrew from Brisbane with a hip injury over her own. She recovered enough to take part in Sydney last week, despite losing her opening match to Agnieszka Radwanska.

Konta insists she will be ready to go from Monday, and she will have the whole country behind her as she looks for her first Grand Slam title.

Heather Watson joins Konta in the women’s draw, and starts against Kazakstan’s Yulia Putintseva.

Kyle Edmund has shrugged off an ankle injury, but faces a tough opener against 11th seed Kevin Anderson. The big serving South African won their only other encounter in a Grand Slam.

ANDY MURRAY AND SERENA WILLIAMS MISS OUT 

Three-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one Andy Murray will miss the tournament and the spring season after undergoing surgery on his persistent hip injury.

The 30-year-old hasn’t played a competitive match since Wimbledon, and decided to have the operation in Brisbane before flying back to London to rest and recover.

Serena Williams was hoping to be back in time for this one following the birth of her baby girl Alexis Olympia. However, she felt that she wasn’t yet at the level to be competitive and now looks to add to her 23 single Grand Slams in Paris later on this year.

OTHER NOTABLE ABSENTEES 

World number 22 Kei Nishikori has not played since August because of a wrist injury and the Japanese star has not recovered in time for Melbourne.

Victoria Azarenka will also miss out due to a court hearing, which has yet to finalise. With the Belarusian unable to leave the US with her 11-month old son, she has decided to stay and fight for custody despite her love for Melbourne.

CHANGES TO THE FORMAT

A shot clock will be introduced at the Australian Open after it was trialled last year. The clock will mean players must serve within 25 seconds between points.

The idea has been met with some criticism from players, including Nadal, but the Grand Slam board has decided to go with it in a number of changes planned.

Rules regarding prize money have also been changed. Any main draw singles player who is unfit to play and who withdraws after 12:00 noon on the Thursday before the start of the main draw will now receive just 50% of the first round prize money. The replacement lucky loser will receive the remaining 50% plus any additional prize money earned thereafter.

Other possible changes in the future could see the number of seeds drop from 32 to 16 in Grand Slam tournaments from 2019.

We may be without some of the big names, but that won’t stop this being a enthralling two weeks of tennis. The courts in Melbourne are notorious for their fast pace, which should suit a majority of the stars on show.

With the younger generation of players starting to break through the ranks, these Grand Slam tournaments are looking more and more open each year. When that’s the case, we are all usually in for shocks, thrills and memorable matches.

The Swiss and Spanish renaissance: A year to remember for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

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They won all four Grand Slam titles between them and will end the year as world number one and two. What a 12 months it has been for the 36-year-old Swiss and 31-year-old Spaniard.

Just when it seemed like two legends of tennis had been chewed up and spat through the exit doors by the impressive, younger stars at the end of 2016, both came rallying back to dominate the 2017 season.

Of course, I’m talking about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Both subsequently came into this year following injury lay-offs. Federer had been out of action since Wimbledon 2016 with a knee injury, whilst Nadal ended his tour in October of that year after problems with his wrist.

As a result, Nadal was seeded ninth and Federer 17th going into January’s Australian Open.

However, the Swiss beat two of the top 10 seeds in Tomas Berdych and Kei Nishikori in the early rounds, before defeating Mischa Zverev (Andy Murray’s victor in the fourth round) to become the oldest player to make it to a Grand Slam semi-final since Jimmy Connors in 1991.

Federer battled past fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in five sets to become the oldest singles male player to make a final since 1974, where he would meet old nemesis Nadal.

The Spaniard himself had beaten Zverev’s impressive younger brother Alexander and Gael Monfis before coming out of his five-hour, semi-final grudge match against Gregor Dimitrov victorious.

This was Nadal’s first Grand Slam final since 2014, whilst Federer had not been in a major final since the 2015 US Open.

The subsequent match at the Rod Lever Arena was almost a reincarnation of that exhilarating Wimbledon final of 2008, but this time it was Federer – who was playing in his 100th match at the Australian Open – who came out on top in five sets.

Federer’s win was his first Gram Slam title for five years, but it was also his first Grand Slam win over his old rival since 2007 and the first that wasn’t at Wimbledon.

That win in Melbourne was a historic one for the illustrious Swiss. He became the first man to win five or more times at THREE of the four Grand Slam events and the second-oldest man behind Ken Rosewell to win a major singles tournament.

Titles at Indian Wells, Miami and Halle swiftly followed, but Federer had his eyes on one prize that was close to his heart and had evaded him for half a decade: Wimbledon.

From round one all the way to the final, the Swiss maestro dominated his opponents, and after defeating Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in the final, he managed to win his eighth Wimbledon title without dropping a single set.

Federer became the record holder for most Gentlemen’s singles Wimbledon titles, surpassing both Pete Sampras and William Renshaw who had won it seven times.

He won more trophies in Shanghai and in his native Switzerland at Basel to cap off his best season statistically since 2007.

As for Rafael Nadal, defeat at the Australian Open only spurred him on for the rest of the year.

In April he won his first title of the year at Monte-Carlo, before winning both the Madrid and Barcelona Open back-to-back in his native Spain.

Much like Federer, Nadal had an eye on the one prize he had won so many times- the French Open title.

Roland Garros was like a second home to the 31-year old, and once again he was at his very best in Paris.

He comfortably made it to the final where he would face Wawrinka, but even he was powerless to stop Nadal from winning ‘La Decima’ (“the tenth” in Spanish) and become the first tennis player to ever win 10 titles at the same Grand Slam.

Nadal dropped no sets and only 35 games at Roland Garros this year, the second-lowest return in Grand Slam history.

The final Grand Slam of the year – The US Open – was again dominated by the old guards. After overcoming a difficult test in Juan Martin Del Potro in the semi-finals, Nadal comfortably beat Kevin Anderson in straight sets for his 16th career Grand Slam title.

His final victory of the year came at the Chinese Open in Beijing in October.

In December, the ATP Rankings saw Nadal and Federer ranked as world number one and two respectively, sending a message to the ATP Tour that despite their age they are both far from finished. At 31, Nadal is the oldest man to ever end the year top of the tree.

Despite his and Federer’s successes, 2017 wasn’t so rosy for Novak Djockovic and Sir Andy Murray.  These were two of the leading members of this new, younger, ambitious group trying to push Federer and Nadal out, but now it looks like they will all need to go back to the drawing board.

Djokovic and Murray have both had injury problems this year, with the former splitting with coach Marian Vajda in April.

Beforehand the Serbian had lost to a player outside the top 100 for the first time at a Grand Slam in his career in Australia.

He appointed Andre Agassi as his new coach in the summer but an elbow injury at Wimbledon saw him retire during his quarter-final match with Berdych and ultimately ruled out for the rest of the season.

Murray went into 2017 as world number one following his best season to date the year before. However, an early exit at the Australian Open was just the first of many shock defeats that the Scot endured during the season.

He lost in the first round at Queen’s Club before also exiting Wimbledon at the quarter-final stage.

A hip injury saw him miss the remainder of the season and drop as low as world number 16 in November, his lowest ranking since 2008. He also split with Ivan Lendl for a second time in the autumn, as he now prepares for the new season which starts next month.

All of these developments set up an exciting 2018 for Men’s tennis. With Djokovic, Murray and Wawrinka all set to return from injury and both Nadal and Federer in their best form for years, we could see fireworks in the months ahead.

One could even argue that there has never been a greater anticipation for an upcoming ATP Tour since it was established back in 1990.