ROGER DID IT AGAIN! Federico Mariani
The Swiss returns to the scene of his epic 2017 triumph...and wins another epic! There were few illusions as to who the favorite
though the first set was a little tricky at times.
was going into the Australian Open. But to call Roger Federer the favorite felt very strange,
For the organizers, Federer’s solid play was a
given that he is nearly 37 years old, an
blessing, seeing as almost all the other top
unheard-of age for a top tennis player. But
players met an inglorious end pretty early on
while his younger colleagues all fell by the
in the tournament. Nadal lost to Cilic (though
wayside with injuries and fitness issues, it was
he was largely defeated more by his own
the positively geriatric Swiss who seemed like
body than by the Croat), Djokovic bowed out
a spring chicken on the searing hot courts in
to the inspired Chung and Dimitrov lost his
Melbourne.
way against Edmund. Murray didn’t even play due to a lack of match fitness.
Perhaps even more impressive than the fact
But while officials were certainly hoping for a
that he won his 20th Grand Slam was the
Federer win, a clean sweep is never nice. So,
manner in which he won it. Up until the final,
the close final was indeed a blessing for
he had not dropped a single set. Indeed, he
anyone looking for an interesting spectacle.
had barely even been challenged in most sets
Despite a slow start, Cilic fought back
until the last round. When the draw was
ferociously several times, especially in the
announced, few predicted such a smooth path
fourth set where he had to come back from a
to the title for Federer. He had arguably the
break down to eventually force a deciding set.
toughest road to the trophy of all the top
For a dangerous moment, Cilic looked like the
competitors, and his quarter-final matchup
player who demolished everyone in his path
against Tomas Berdych in particular seemed
at the 2014 US Open, reeling off five straight
almost unfairly harsh compared to the other
games in the fourth and taking all the
matches played in that round. But the draw
momentum in the world into the decider. But
turned out much better than was initially
after leaving the court to compose himself,
predicted, with most potentially tricky
Federer righted the ship in the fifth and closed
opponents losing early. Berdych was the only
out the encounter with comparative ease.
real hurdle on the road to the final, and Federer cleared it relatively easily, even
The momentous occasion of Federer’s
achievement overshadowed much of the rest of
was not to be.
the tournament, but it’s worth noting some of the other players’ accomplishments. Cilic, of course,
The 2018 Australian Open could ultimately not
reached his third Grand Slam final, a huge
live up to the very high standard set by the 2017
accomplishment that not many men have
edition. To be fair, however, almost nothing
managed in the Fab Four era. Chung Hyeon, of
could. The final was again a five-set contest, but
course, was a sensation, beating Zverev and
Cilic is no Nadal, and the quality of the match
Djokovic en route to the semi-finals, where the
was nowhere near as good. That being said, it
physical toll of his fairytale run finally caught up
was still a memorable tournament for many
with him. Kyle Edmund had a similarly
reasons, chief among them Federer’s 20th Slam
unexpected string of impressive victories, with a
win. For him to achieve such a feat at the 200th
win over Grigor Dimitrov being one of the best
Grand Slam of the Open Era was very special,
performances of the whole tournament. Finally,
and will not soon be forgotten by those who
Tennys Sandgren enjoyed perhaps the most
witnessed it.
unexpected run of all, reaching the quarter-finals out of absolutely nowhere. Of course, while there were many pleasant surprises at this year’s Australian Open, there were an equal number of disappointments. Sascha Zverev was one of the most obvious, as much was expected of him going into Melbourne. Instead of contending for his first Grand Slam title, he was unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament by the energetic Chung in the third round. The 6-0 fifth was particularly difficult to watch for fans who thought that 2018 would be the German’s year. A similar fate befell Dimitrov, who was pegged as a dark horse to win the Australian Open and had a favorable draw. A heavy favorite in his match against Edmund, he could not find the required extra gear to power him past the unheralded Brit. Local hope Nick Kyrgios will also look back at the event as a lost opportunity. He had his chances against Dimitrov and, had he won, he would have had a clear path to at least the semi-finals. But, unfortunately for long-suffering Australian fans, it
A Love-Hate Relationship Giorgio Perri Odi et amo is probably the best-known poem by Catullus, a Roman poet and revolutionary. It deals, like so much else in literature, with the contrasting feelings that love engenders. It is often said that there is thin line separating love and hate, and for Rafael Nadal no tournament better illustrates the contrasting sensations of love than the Australian Open. First, the good: Nadal has reached the final in Melbourne four times and won the title once. Most players would kill for the opportunity to reach four Slam finals in their whole careers, and Nadal has done it at just one event. But for all his success there, the Spaniard has rarely left the land of kangaroos in a happy, healthy state. His first setback Down Under came in 2006, when he missed the entire tournament due to a
as he constantly came up against the buzzsaw
foot injury. The next few years were better from a
that was Novak Djokovic. He lost six matches to
physical standpoint, culminating in his first title in
the Serb that year, all in finals.
2009, but things took a serious turn after that. His
2012 seemed a very promising year indeed, and
extremely tiring semi-final match against
Nadal came into the Australian Open as a hot
Fernando Verdasco took a toll on the Spaniard,
favorite. He beat Tomas Berdych and Roger
and the rest of his season was mired in injury
Federer en route to the final, and it seemed as if
and frustration. He lost his first ever match at
his long run of bad luck would come to an end.
Roland Garros that year, missed Wimbledon and
And for much of the championship match it
lost in the semi-finals of the US Open.
seemed as if everything would go according to
The next year Nadal had to withdraw from his
plan, even though a fifth set was eventually
match against Andy Murray in the quarter-finals
required. During that fifth set he was up 4-2 and
in Melbourne, but returned in 2011 hoping to get
15-15, but made a terrible mistake at the net
back on form. Alas, it was not to be. This time
which changed the whole tone of the match. He
around a thigh complaint proved his undoing.
never recovered, and Djokovic eventually
Though he did finish his quarter-final match
claimed victory. The match, which turned out to
against David Ferrer, he was never able to
be the longest final in Australian Open history,
properly compete due to the injury. Shaking
took physical toll on Nadal, which again had
hands with his friend and compatriot after the
knock-on effects in the following weeks and
match, Nadal was clearly in distress, both
months.
physically and emotionally.
Nadal again missed the Australian Open in 2013
The rest of the year was very difficult for Nadal,
due to injury, but was back, again, in 2014 and
hoping to make up for lost time. Once more
that it came in the first round, and it marked the
everything was going according to plan: he
first time since 2013 that Nadal lost in the first
reached the final without too much effort and
round of a Slam.
faced Stan Wawrinka, the talented but generally
His loss to Federer in the 2016 Australian Open
underperforming Swiss. Nadal had never lost to
final will still be fresh in most people’s memory. It
Wawrinka, and it seemed a foregone conclusion
was an incredible match, and one that Nadal had
that the Spaniard would win his second trophy.
all but won when he was up a break in the fifth
Unfortunately for him, fate had other ideas. After
set. But as happened against Djokovic all those
a competitive first set, which Nadal lost, his back
years ago, he simply could not hold on. A
gave out, and he played the rest of the match
resurgent Federer shut Nadal out, leaving the
with almost no power in his shorts. Wawrinka
Spaniard to once again wonder just what it was
was so unsettled by his opponent’s obvious injury
about the Australian Open that always seemed to
that he actually lost a set before mercifully ending
curse him.
the heartache in four.
He would certainly have that same feeling again
2015 would hold little in the way of compensation
a year later when, during his match against Marin
for the previous year’s disappointment, as Nadal
Cilic, he had to withdraw once more due to injury.
ran into a ruthless Tomas Berdych in the quarter-
Yet even with all this misery and disappointment,
finals, and suffered a 6-0 second set en route to
one thing is for sure: Nadal will not give up on the
a painful defeat. The next year would prove to be
Australian Open, no matter what it throws at him.
even worse, when Verdasco finally got his revenge for his semi-final loss to Nadal in 2009. Even worse than the defeat itself was the fact
Chung unisce la Corea
completely tore it up. Now most definitely a household name, Chung has rocketed to stardom on the back of a fairytale run Down Under, and nobody is happier about his
Alessandro Mastroluca
success than the ATP. There has been a
When Hyeon Chung won the inaugural Next
tennis in Asia, and new stars like Chung go a
Gen ATP Finals at the end of 2017, beating out high-profile contenders like Alexander Zverev to the title, not too many people had heard of the young Korean. Though he had been on the ATP Tour for quite some time, and played about 100 matches, he had not exactly set the world on fire with his results to date. Yes, he was considered a rising young star, but one that required more experience
major push over the past few years to grow long way to popularizing the sport in that region. Along with Li Na in China and Kei Nishikori in Japan, Chung is now the de facto ambassador for the sport in South Korea. Indeed, he is already the highest-ranked player from that country, though he is not yet the most successful in terms of ATP titles. Due to the experimental nature of the Neg
before he would realize his full potential.
Gen Finals, no points were awarded for that
If his victory at the Next Gen Finals added an
Hyung-Taik Lee remains the only South
interesting new chapter to the script of his career, his exploits at the Australian open
win and cannot be considered as a true “title.� Korean to win a Tour-level title, having won the event in Sydney in 2003 (d. Juan Carlos Ferrero). Lee Duk-Hee (1982 Fort Myers) and
Cho Yoon-Jeong (2002 Pattaya, 2003
skating sensation, and the swimmer Park
Auckland, 2006 Canberra) are the only other
Tae-hwan.
two South Koreans to reach Tour-level finals. But to what can we ascribe Chung’s sudden Chung, of course, is the first player from his
success? Well, much of it has to do with
country to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, and
defense. Like his hero, Novak Djokovic,
the five consecutive matches he won en route
Chung thrives in long points. The longer, in
to the last four represent his longest single
fact, the better. In Melbourne, he played 166
winning streak in an event. He is also the
points of nine shots or more, which equates to
youngest semi-finalist in a Slam since Cilic
16% of all his points. That is an incredibly high
reached that round in Melbourne in 2010.
number, and he won 55% of such points, the
Chung’s victory over Djokovic was the most
best percentage of anyone at the tournament.
popular tennis match in the history of South
Of course, such defensive prowess comes at
Korea, attracting four times as many viewers
a price, and his body simply could not take it
as last year’s Federer-Nadal final.
any more during his match against Federer.
Leo Seungwon Baek, the editor of Tennis
His excellent defense extends to his return
Korea, says that Chung’s success has been a
game as well. He is in the Top 10 when it
godsend for tennis in the country. “Korea has
comes to both earning break points and
long envied Kei Nishikori's success,” he said
converting them, as well as the number of
recently. After the Australian Open, he is now
points won against first and second serves.
just about as popular as Yuna Kim, the figure
This bodes well for his future on the Tour. Very
after closing 2017 with 27 wins and 17 defeats at
often the player who ends the year as world
Challenger level. Sohyun Park, perhaps the most
number one is also the player who has the best
promising of South Korea’s young women, will
return statistics. In Melbourne, he converted 47%
also take heart from Chungs successes, and
of the break points he earned, a very good
hope to follow in the footsteps of Yoon-Jeong
number indeed.
Cho (No. 45 in 2003) and Sung-Hee Park (No. 57 in 1995). It may be too early to predict such a
Of course, Chung’s career is only beginning, but
thing, but the early signs are certainly there for a
he is already inspiring millions of youngsters. His
real revolution in Korean tennis, with Chung
timing is perfect as well, since right behind him is
leading the way.
yet another impressive Korean youngster in Lee
The sky is the limit for Chung himself, and with
Duck-Hee, who is the third-ranked Junior in the
the top of men’s tennis in flux there is definite
world. In fact, Chung defeated Lee in a
room for a youngster like him to make some big
Challenger event in Taiwan at the end of 2016.
moves this year. With his game very similar to
Enthusiasm is also bubbling at an even lower
that of Djokovic and with the Serb struggling with
level with Soonwoo Kwon, a school friend of Lee
injuries, Chung might find himself with a ready
Duck-Hee, who won the Australian Open Asia-
niche to occupy in the coming months.
Pacific Wildcard Playoff in Zhuhai last December
The New Kyrgios: Focused And Fighting Fit Marco Di Nardo Nick Kyrgios has never been a
he will retire before he is 27.
each match needing three tie-
model tennis player. Though
Not exactly what Australian
breaks to settle the winner. He
he has always been obviously
fans, desperate for a new
is 2-3 against Nadal, but away
talented, the young Aussie’s
champion to live up to the likes
from the clay he owns a 2-1
propensity for on-court
of Pat Rafter and Lleyton
record when playing the
tantrums has perpetually held
Hewitt, want to hear. At 19
Spaniard. He has completely
him back from reaching his full
years of age Kyrgios beat
dominated Djokovic in their two
potential. Capable of beating
Nadal at Wimbledon, and it
matches, never losing to the
the likes of Rafael Nadal and
was thought that he would
Serbian. Granted, both
Roger Federer, he has
quickly mature into a superstar.
matches were in 2017, not
generally been just as likely to
Nole’s best year, but the
melt down and argue with the
But while his tennis game has
results are still significant.
umpire (or even fans) as he
improved in the past few years,
Murray is the only member of
was to play world-class tennis.
his attitude has not. Averse to
the Fab Four he has not
training and determined to
cracked, having lost all five of
Off the court, things were often
skate by on talent alone,
their meetings.
just as rocky as on it. He would
Kyrgios has spent little time on
often tell journalists that he
training courts and a lot of time
All of this he has accomplished
does not like tennis and is only
courting controversy. Against
while barely even trying, with
playing for the money, and that
Roger Federer he is 1-1, with
an obvious borderline disdain
for the sport that is his
beat Djokovic in Acapulco and
livelihood. Indeed, that disdain
Indian Wells, while also
shows itself more often during
reaching his first Masters 1000
the dog days of the ATP
final in Cincinnati.
season, during small tournaments and against less
During the first weeks of the
glamorous competition. He
2018 season, Kyrgios built on
often phones in his
his improvements from last
performances during these
year. He won the title in
encounters, leading to early
Brisbane and reached the
tournament exits and low point
fourth round of the Australian
allocations. Kyrgios obviously
Open, where his solid play was
craves the biggest stage and
overshadowed by the exploits
once he gets there, he usually
of players like Hyeon Chung,
delivers. It’s the rest of the time
Kyle Edmund and Tennys
that’s the problem.
Sandgren. In the fourth round he faced Grigor Dimitrov in one
Even though Kyrgios can hold
of the best matches of the
his own against the best in the
tournament, and the Bulgarian
world, his career statistics
needed every trick in his
would not seem to indicate that
of 2017. At the Australian
playbook to get past the
he should be able to do so. His
Open, he lost to Andreas Seppi
Australian 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6.
best ranking is 13, and he has
in excruciating fashion. Having
Most importantly, Kygrios
only won four tournaments.
gone down two sets to love, he
managed to navigate the
Given his incredible talent and
fought his way back into the
opening section of the season
big match temperament, he
match to force a fifth set, where
without any controversy, a
should definitely be a Top-5
he even had a match point.
major step forward for the
player. The only thing that has
Ultimately, however, he lost the
youngster.
kept him back is himself.
match 10-8 in the fifth. The loss was so difficult to digest that
2018 might very well prove to
So what might he be capable
Kyrgios started to change his
be the year Kyrgios started
of if he actually started caring
approach to prevent it from
taking himself, and his sport,
about his job? Well, we might
ever happening again. His
seriously. If he does, there is
soon find out. The past few
tantrums became less
almost no ceiling to what he
months have seen a different
frequent, while his effort in
may achieve, especially with
Kyrgios, more focused and less
each match became visibly
men’s tennis still in a state of
prone to weekly implosions.
more intense. No longer would
flux. His destiny is, now more
Kyrgios has admitted as much,
he surrender points or even
than ever, in his own hands.
and says that he experienced a
games in a fit of apathy.
shift in his thinking at the start
Shortly after these changes, he
hours, Wawrinka and Djokovic
most amazing final that lasted
displayed some out of this
almost six hours. That match is
world tennis in this match.
till date the longest final of any
the Australian
Wawinka played quite possibly
Grand Slam and is likely to
one of the matches of his
stay there for a while.
Open
career, and would have
After winning the first set in a
learned an awful lot about what
captivating 80 minutes of
it means to be playing at that
tennis, Nadal had won the first
high a level. Also, during the
set of a final between the two
Champion Novak Djokovic has
course of the match, Stan
for the first time in three
played some captivating
would have learned a lot about
attempts now. Djokovic once
himself as a person too.
again lifted his game in the
Anyhow, Djokovic who is the
second and third sets to take a
master of any close matches,
2-1 lead. From there, Nadal
sidestepped that bullet and
fought back to take a 4-2 lead
his most amazing wins at the
won the match smashing
in the deciding set, but a
Australian Open!
winners galore en route to that
couple of errors allowed the
impressive win.
Djoker to come in and close
Novak Djokovic: Nerves of steel at
Akshay 6 times Australian Open
matches in Melbourne over the course of time. The Serb has shown resilience, composure and the will to win many times and we take a look at some of
Stan Wawrinka (2013, Fourth Round) Scoreline: 1–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6– 7(5), 12–10 A match the lasted over 5
out the match in 5 hours and Rafael Nadal (2012, Final)
53 minutes.
Scoreline: 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6– 7(5), 7–5
Andy Murray (2012, Semi-
Nadal and Djokovic played the
Final)
Scoreline: 6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4), 6–1, 7–5 Another match that perhaps had even more quality than that final was the semifinal match against Andy Murray. The Djoker took his rivalry with Murray to another plane in 2012, and this match was a start to it all. After finding himself a set down very quickly, Murray fought hard to come back and take a 2-1 lead. Once in that position and insight of a third straight final, Murray perhaps panicked a little and gave away the fourth set cheaply (6-1). In the deciding set, the Serb was on the verge of victory leading 5-2 when Murray fought back one final time to draw level at 5-5. In the end though, Novak’s composure pulled him through. Coming into the 2018 Australian very fresh, Djokovic is making a comeback post injury and would be hoping to go deep into his favourite Grand Slam.
Juan Martin Del Potro: The Legitimate Threat to the Big 4? Akshay Former World No.4 Juan Martin Del Potro is accustomed to the speculation surrounding him about his ability to break into the Top-5 and probably the Big-4 again. But the ‘Tower of Tandil’ as he is better known has all the artillery to beat the best in the business on his day. It is because of the variations in his game that the Argentine lifted his first major at the tender age of 21, defeating Roger Federer at the US Open in
counted out the Argentine on the basis of his
2009.
ranking. Del Potro may have been on the back
The moment people started tagging him as the
foot after his injury but like all champions do, the
‘Next Big Thing’, the injury bug followed soon as
Argentine has climbed back the ranks and is
he found himself with a troubled wrist that forced
giving stiff competitions to the big guns at
him to skip most of the 2010 season. The injury
tournaments that matter.
was so serious that he only ended up playing 3
Having been ranked as high as No.4 on the ATP
tournaments in 2010. But as we all know Del
Charts (2011) and now ranked No.11 in the
Potro is a fighter and it was his sheer hard work
World, Del Potro’s desire to reach there would
and determination that has gotten him on the
only transform him into a more unpredictable
verge of breaking into the Top-10 again, a place
player to beat, something that he can capitalize
he truly deserves to stay in.
on in the near future
Unlike the other players behind the Top-4 who
If his ground strokes find the range he looks for,
face troubles to overcome their demons, Del
his opponent is definitely in for a hard time.
Potro hasa poise about himself that has helped
Delpotro also has the knack to mix his games
him remain calm in the most trying times. The
from the aggressor at the back of the court to the
respect he has for fellow players has often come
player with soft hands at the net.
out in form of appreciation for others and this
Yet to win an ATP World Tour Masters 1000
sense of humility has helped him command
Event, the Argentine would be looking forward to
respect not demand it!
what promises an amazing season for him. What
Not many players have ever taken Del Potro’s
can we expect out of the Tower of Tandil now?
abilities for granted and have never judged or
Well only time will tell!
Australian Open 2017: Strong Is Beautiful Alessandro Mastroluca
Strong is beautiful. This phrase, used by the
such notions. “It is,” she wrote, “as if, with
WTA to promote the Tour, has never seemed
Williams gone, the players answered the
so apt as after this year’s Australian Open
challenge implicit in her game: hit harder. Run
final. Caroline Wozniacki, perhaps the most-
faster. Serve bigger. Lunge farther. Be brave.”
maligned player on women’s circuit, has put up with a lot over the years. She was
In the end, Wozniacki had to wait 43 Slams
mercilessly mocked when she became world
before winning her first. Only Flavia Pennetta
number one without ever having won a Slam,
played more before her maiden title. The final
and called every nasty name in the book each
was everything it promised to be, with two
time she reached a Major final and fell short.
contestants equally desperate for the trophy
When her personal life fell apart it was seized
engaging in some of the best tennis of the
upon with glee by the press and endlessly
fortnight. Simona Halep has also never won a
analyzed.
Major, despite having already been world number one. Indeed, it was the first ever final
But now, all of that falls away. After being
between a world number one and world
written off countless times over the years, she
number two without either player having won
finally won her first Major in Melbourne, and at
a Slam previously. Halep has also faced many
the same time ascended back to the top of the
of the same insults as Wozniacki, and wanted
world rankings. It is the first time since the
nothing more than to finally silence those
introduction of computerized rankings that
voices. The tension in the final was palpable,
someone has managed to reclaim the number
and unfortunately for Halep her demons will
one ranking six years after losing it. For
continue to haunt her for a while longer yet.
Wozniacki’s double triumph to come during the 200th Slam of the Open Era makes the
Halep’s loss will sting all the more given that
whole experience even sweeter. The last
she had played perhaps the match of the year
person to win the tournament before the Open
against Angelique Kerber in the semi-finals.
Era was Billy Jean King, another strong
But midway through the second set in the
woman who Wozniacki certainly drew
final, she missed an easy forehand that
inspiration from.
seemed to break her spirit. She never recovered.
Of course, cynics have been pointing out that Serena Williams was absent for the Australian
Perhaps as impressive as the victory itself
Open, as if this somehow denigrates the
was the way Wozniacki won it. In seven total
Dane’s win. Louisa Thomas, writing in the
matches, over 1006 total points played,
New Yorker, vociferously disagrees with any
Wozniacki only made 40 backhand errors
(according to Craig O'Shannessy on the
She reached her first semi-final appearance at
Australian Open website). The Dane has
a Slam since the 2016 US Open before falling
always been famous for her stellar defensive
afoul of Halep, another loss to a world number
skills, but this statistic is truly extraordinary. It
one in a career full of them (the only time she
is certainly a major reason why she became
has beaten a world number one was when
the eighth maiden Grand Slam winner of the
she defeated Serena Williams in the
past 31 Majors. The other were Schiavone
Melbourne final in 2016). But the German has
(2010 Roland Garros), Li (2011 Roland
a new coach and is fully motivated getting
Garros), Kvitova (2011 Wimbledon), Stosur
back to the top of the game. If the Australian
(2011 US Open), Azarenka (2012 Australian
Open is any indication, she might reach those
Open), Bartoli (2013 Wimbledon), Pennetta
heights sooner than anyone expected.
(2015 US Open), Kerber (2016 Australian Open), Muguruza (2016 Roland Garros),
Elise Mertens was another big story Down
Ostapenko (2017 Roland Garros), Stephens
Under, reaching her first ever Slam semi-final.
(2017 US Open).
In the last 19 Slams, 18 players have made the semi-finals for the first time in their
While most of the attention has been focused
careers, the signs of plenty of young talent in
on the final, there were a number of other
the women’s game. The Belgian was ranked
storylines at the Austrlian Open worth
127 in the world just a year ago, and became
mentioning. Kerber's comeback is perhaps
the first woman from her country to reach a
the top of that list, and after her run to the
Slam semi since Kirsten Flipkens in 2013. En
semi-finals she is now back in the Top 10.
route to the semi-finals Mertens defeated two
seeded players in a row for the first time in her
But the young Bencic was overshadowed by an
career and is now a Top 20 herself.
even younger phenom, the 15 year-old Marta Kostyuk. She became the youngest player to
Another player who had a good tournament,
ever win an Australian Open main draw match,
though she did not advance very far in the draw,
going through the qualifiers all the way to the
was Belinda Bencic. She became only the sixth
third round before falling to Elina Svitolina. A
player to defeat both Venus and Serena Williams
promising gymnast as well as a tennis prodigy,
before turning 21, a small group that includes
Kostyuk won the ITF event in Burnie to follow up
Anna Chakvetadze, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin,
her Australian Open success and enter the Top
Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova.
300. Though still extremely young, the sky seems
to be the limit for the Ukrainian.
of the tournament. Things went awry for her from the start, as umpire Fergus Murphy would not let
The biggest disappointment of the event was, of
her walk out on court before she had finished
course, the absence of Serena Williams, though
eating her banana. A curious occurrence that set
there were a few others as well. Garbine
the tone for her disappointing defeat.
Muguruza lost in the second round to the Su-wei Hsieh, a 32 year-old whose wily slices were too much for the Spaniard. Coco Vandeweghe, last year’s semi-finalist, lost in the first round to Timea Babos, in perhaps the biggest early upset
Caroline Wozniacki: The Arguable No.1 Akshay After a stupendous start to her career, Dane Caroline Wozniacki failed to live up to the expectations and put behind all the criticism of being the World No.1 without winning a Grand Slam. Was it that her fellow competitors raised the ante or was it her mentality that led to her downfall. Wozniacki played her first professional tournament in 2005 at the age of 15 and climbed steadily up the WTA charts all the way to No.1 in October 2010 at the age of 20. With high ambitions in her mind, the Dane was very consistent and forced her opponents to earn almost every point against her.
Wozniacki’s rise: 2008-2010
Expectations started rising as people started
Wozniacki’s climb to the Numero Uno in the
considering her the next big thing in WTA. Her
World came during a phase when the World No.
consistency was unmatched and the only way
1 ranking was the most unstable. The 2008
to beat her was to overpower her, something
season was characterized by its frequent
not players could do.
changes in the No.1 ranking, with Justine
Wozniacki's playing style centered on the
Henin, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena
defensive aspects of tennis with her
Jankovic and Serena Williams all holding the
anticipation, movement, agility, footwork and
position at one point during the season.
defense being her strengths, something that
In 2008, Wozniacki was awarded the Newcomer
was way better than others.
of the Year Award courtesy her jump in rankings and also some notable performances on tour.
The reign over WTA: Oct 2010 - Jan
With three WTA titles to her name in 2008,
2012
Wozniacki’s presence was being felt on tour as
Late in 2010, when World No.1 Serena Williams
she was turning into a dreadful opponent, who
was out, Wozniacki capitalized on the
had a promising future.
opportunity presented to her and courtesy some
In 2009, the Dane reached the maximum
deep runs in almost every tournament she
number of finals by a WTA player including her
played, Wozniacki finally gained what every
first Grand Slam final at the US Open.
tennis player aspires for – the World No.1 rank.
She went on to hold this position till the year end. By achieving this feat, Wozniacki became the fifth WTA player to hold the No.1 ranking without a winning a Grand Slam. The closest competitor for this elusive spot was Vera Zvonareva who too was quite some points behind the Dane. People were getting more convinced about Wozinacki’s abilities as she only needed to win a Grand Slam to get the approval of the tennis pundits who had already started questioning her ability to lift a major. 2011 begun with Wozniacki the year with another good run at a Grand Slam event, reaching the semi-finals before losing to Li Na after holding a match point. That is where the tennis experts started doubting Wozniacki’s knack to win big matches. Though she won 6 titles in 2011, it was the Grand Slams that really mattered. With consistency in her performances in general, Wozniacki just edged ahead of Petra Kvitova for the year-ending World No.1 spot. Tennis greats started questioning Wozniacki’s game style, accusing her of being too defensive. Also WTA was seeing the rise of the likes of Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, who were not far behind from dethroning the Dane.
The Downfall: Jan 2012 – May 2017 With a constant change in her coaching staff along with players stepping up their game to
another level, Wozniacki faced the heat when Azarenka finally overtook the Dane for the No.1 spot after lifting the Australian Open. The fellow WTA players had a hang of the Dane’s game style as they outplayed her many times during the year. After being No.1 at the beginning, Wozniacki dropped out of the Top-10, but finally fought her way back into the Top-10 after lifting 2 titles at the end of the year. There is no doubt about the talent Wozniacki possesses; it is just a case of lack of self belief of crossing the final hurdle. Wozniacki’s confidence stands at a tipping point, which once crossed, will get her back to her prime and probably help her fetch Grand Slam glory.
The Resurgence: May 2017 – Present What has been a redefining year for the Dane, Wozniacki raised the bar to another level this year and was the leading match winning in 2017. Ending the year inside the Top-3 of the WTA Rankings, Wozniacki won the biggest title of her career so far when she beat Venus Williams to lift the Season Ending Championships in Singapore. With new confidence and new zeal to win, it would be interesting to see where Wozniacki ends up this year!
How has Maria
semifinals, until she ran into then-ranked 19,
Sharapova’s
was a terrific start for the Russian after 15
comeback gone? Veronica Bruno
Kristina Mladenovic. The Stuttgart tournament months of missing out on competitive play. Although she played only eight tournaments in 2017, she progressed well in three of them. One of the positive results came at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, where she got
Maria Sharapova’s comeback produced some
through her first three rounds. She also ousted
mixed results in 2017. Coming back from a 15-
world No. 1 Simona Halep in her first round,
month suspension after testing positive for using
signaling that she was a force to reckon with.
the performance-enhancer meldonium, the
The American grand slam was also the first
Russian player was hoping for a smooth return
time that she qualified for the main draw—due
back on the Tour. Although the road back proved
to her increased ranking—outright. The wins
to be much bumpier than perhaps the former
here helped the Russian justify her presence
world No. 1 anticipated, there were also plenty of
and certainly served as confidence boosters
signs that leave her fans hopeful and still make
for her first title since being banned.
her one of the major contenders in 2018.
WTA title in China
Here’s a look back at Sharapova’s comeback
Sharapova capitalized on her successive
effort so far.
rounds at the U.S. Open by powering through to her first title at the Tianjin, China open, a win
Performance in tournaments
that helped the tennis star push through back
The five-time grand slam champ came out strong
into the Top 60. Although the highest ranked
in her first event, a Stuttgart clay tournament she
player she beat on the way to a title was
has won in the past. Coming in unranked, she
ranked #25, the win in China solidified her
was given the first of her controversial wild cards
presence as one of the players to watch once
in order to compete. Even more polemic, her first
the first grand slam rolls around in 2018, in
match was scheduled to coincide with the first
Australia.
day she was allowed to play competitively,
coming off her doping ban. However, the Maria
Disgruntlement over wild cards
Sharapova impressed several of her critics with
Banking on her famous name, several
positive wins over high caliber players Roberta
tournament heads gifted the Russian superstar
Vinci and Ekaterina Makarova in her couple of
wild cards to their tournaments, including clay
matches. She made it all the way to the
tourneys in Madrid and Rome, and the Masters
even in Toronto, Canada. With her lower ranking,
major boost after reach four rounds at Flushing
she would never have garnered a spot at those
Meadows. After grand slam season was over, the
tournaments and thus, would never get the
Russian silenced many of her critics winning her
chance to increases her ranking. This perceived
first WTA tournament since the ban, at the Tianjin
favoritism lead to several of the top players in the
Open in China, where she started out the
WTA complaining about her preferential
tournament ranked #86. The WTA win placed her
treatment, including Caroline Wozniacki and
even closer to the Top 50, finishing the year at #57.
Genie Bouchard going so far as to call her a “cheater.” It certainly didn’t help matters when
Two years later, welcome back
her agent dismissed the complaints as only
Two years after having tested for a banned
whining from several “journeyman players.”
substance while at the Australian Open, the 2008
Making her case to the grand slams proved more
AO winner is still generating headlines, but also
difficult with the French Open saying no to
seems to be forgiven in many ways. With Serena
Sharapova, citing their non-doping policy.
Williams and Victoria Azarenka out of the
Although there was debate among officials at
tournament, Sharapova was asked to present at
Wimbledon, with some in favor while others
the opening draw ceremony, alongside last year’s
agreeing with the French Open decision. In the
men’s winner, Roger Federer. Even though the
end, the Russian player decided to forgo any
presenter is always a former champion—which
further controversy on the matter and opted out
Sharapova is—feting her so soon rubbed many
of asking for a wild card to the main draw.
wrong. But fans seemed to be enthusiastic about
Although she said she would compete in the
her return to the game. There are less complaints
qualifying rounds, she ended up withdrawing
about her presence since she’s entered the
from the rest of the grass season due to a minor
tournament in the Top 50 (ranked 48) on her own,
thigh injury.
without any special favors. Perhaps her peers feel
For the U.S. Open, the two-time French Open
she paid her dues last year and showed maybe a
champ qualified for the main draw outright. Her
little humility under so much scrutiny and criticism.
performance in Flushing Meadows helped bump
Sharapova also progressed to the semis at the
up her ranking even further, going from 146 to
Shenzhen Open this year, an indicator that 2018
104.
just might be her turnaround time, a full two years
after her lowest moment.
Ranking rise
Ranked No. 48, fairly seeded and included in the
Maria Sharapova was unseeded at her first
main draw at the Australian Open, it’s up to Maria
tournament in Stuttgart but her semi performance
Sharapova—and Sharapova alone—on how great
there boosted her spot to #258. She broke
her comeback will continue to progress for the rest
through the top 200 after the clay season, with a
of 2018.
It’s hard to believe Belinda Bencic is only 20 years of age. It’s three years since the 17-year-old Swiss
The World Needs Belinda Bencic Dominic J Stevenson
player made her way into the top ten and her career high ranking thus far of number seven. It’s only a matter of time until she finds herself even higher, after a long and winding road back to the top. She has the game, a highly likeable and bubbly character and in her compatriot Roger Federer a mentor who she played alongside at the Hopman Cup in January, representing Switzerland. After her early potential and being labelled ‘the next big thing’ Bencic suffered several injuries that delayed that progress. Now she has returned and is fighting fit and her tennis is flowing it is hard to deny that once again she is not headed for one
place and one place only – the top of the tree
in Perth, Australia. She showed her strengths
of women’s tennis.
and her youth, her dynamism and charm,
While her late 2017 unbeaten streak (three
perhaps unveiling herself as the perfect
consecutive titles which ran well into the off-
protegee of such a gifted man as himself. If
season, as she played while others bathed on
anything, it fit, and there was nothing out of
beaches) continued into the new year as she
place. There may be an almost generational
won her three group singles matches in the
age gap between the players, but she is every
Hopman Cup round robin phase, she did finally
inch the perfect partner, seventeen years after
succumb to a returned-to-form Angelique
Federer last won the event with other Swiss
Kerber in their meeting in the final, before
great Martina Hingis making up Team
Bencic and Federer won the event in the final
Switzerland.
match – the decisive doubles against
This leads us to the season of 2018. Bencic is
Germany.
fit, tough and clearly very hard to beat. She
As she showed over the first week of the new
looks up for the challenge ahead, like she takes
season, she was every bit worthy of being
great value and pleasure from the experience,
Roger Federer’s partner for the Hopman Cup
and is a consummate young professional. She
didn’t want to be offered wild cards to events, to give her a helping hand back up to the top, she took the hard way – the way of true value – and worked her way back up every inch. She is now in the top 100 again, and climbing. At the time of writing she had, somewhat unluckily, been drawn to face last year’s finalist Venus Williams in the first round of January’s Australian Open. It’s the kind of match up that is a clear highlight for round one. While it feels a little unfortunate for both players – as only one will make it through to round two – Belinda Bencic, off the back of a highly successful Hopman Cup and end to 2017, is likely to fear nobody. Her winning streak over recent months, her lofty confidence, and her surge back up the rankings makes her very dangerous and the idea of the challenge of one of the Williams sisters so early on may mean if she can overcome that hurdle she will be the floater to watch going into the ensuing stages. For her attitude, potential, style of play and past experiences, women’s tennis is much richer for her
return. Her youthful and smiley interviews post matches are akin to those of Ostapenko, finally revealing her age which is completely hidden during match play. Between those two women they freshen up the WTA at a time when nobody is really taking charge. Serena Williams may come back with her eyes on a couple more slams and the outright record, but players like Bencic and Ostapenko are likely to figure somewhere important in that equation and we could be in for some fascinating times ahead. As for Bencic, if she can stay injury free and do what her ability promises, then the sky is the limit. It’s hard to argue that she isn’t a future world number one with multiple slams under her belt a little way down the line. There are other contenders and other young impressive female players, but none more so than this young Swiss woman. Watch this space… Belinda Bencic is just what the world has been needing.
Simona Halep Sharada The trajectory of Simona Halep’s 2015 season has been somewhat steeply curved, with lows and highs following each other almost simultaneously. Yet, despite the difficulties that she may have had this year, Halep reaching the WTA finals was never in any doubt. As the top-seed in the event, Halep has been drawn in the Red Group alongside Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Flavia Pennetta. Of the three, the only player to have troubled her the most is Sharapova, against whom she has a zero-to-five head-to-head record. But not having a positive win-loss ratio never stopped Halep from trying, and it’s a given that she will continue to try pushing Sharapova in a bid to get that first victory over the Russian in Singapore. In her own way, Halep is somewhat of an unconventional trend-setter. As a teenager,
almost six years ago, when Halep spoke about having a breast reduction surgery and the resultantly positive effect it had had on her tennis, not many were convinced. But it did take pluck for her not only do what she felt was right to benefit her career, but also to continue to ignore the scepticisms that surrounded her personal decision. Coming into the WTA finals, Halep is perhaps the only player who has – and will – benefit the most from Serena Williams’ absence. Not because of lack of qualitative addition to the tournament, but because last year, she was the only player who got the best of the American in their Round Robin match, who also went on to finish as the runner-up in the event in what was her maiden appearance. As such, if Halep is able to yet again spin her bad results into an excellent run-of-form in Singapore, she will be the favourite in the tournament even as many of her fellow qualifiers struggle with their own inconsistencies.
for the first time in her career.
also in-sync with the theme
However, as deserving of
that had come up in the Slam
plaudits as Muguruza’s
Down Under – of the far
achievements were, there
experienced players leaving
was one other player, who
their younger rivals far behind
2017 unto
seemed to be a candidate of
in the dust.
beyond
an equal stature – if not more
Moving on, as the year
– of being acknowledged as
progressed, if anyone had
the ITF world champion. That
anticipated Williams to fade
player is Venus Williams.
away after her Australian
The International Tennis
The 2017 season had a lot of
Open heroics, her reaching
Federation announced
firsts for the seven-time Major
Garbine Muguruza – along
the final Wimbledon – in quite
winner. She began the year
a resemblance to 2003 –
by emerging as an unlikely
ensured that she remained in
finalist at the Australian Open,
focus as a player to watch out
which in turn renewed her
for. A player who was a
rivalry in Grand Slam finals
beacon of relative
with her sister Serena. It was
consistency amidst the
her first final at a Major since
prevailing tumultuousness on
2009 Wimbledon, and it was
the Tour. Then again, though
The resurgence of Venus Williams: From
Sharada
with compatriot Rafael Nadal – as the ITF women’s world champion. The Spaniard did, indeed, have a successful year in which she went on to win her second Major – at Wimbledon – before ascending as the world no. 1
she did narrowly miss out on
token practicality. The bigger
the setbacks she has had on
reaching the final at the US
perspective that makes itself
the court, she isn’t ready to
Open, she bounced back
obvious is that, she too, is
move away from tennis for
spritely by reaching the final
looking forward to tilting the
good.
of the WTA Finals in
results of any similar finales in
“I have no plans of stopping
Singapore. A tournament to
the months to come on her
anytime soon. It seems
which she had qualified after
side. And, the only way for
somehow that 2020 Tokyo is
a gap of almost seven years.
her to do so is by focusing
on the horizon. Isn’t that wild?
The spans of time that have
about extending the continuity
I’m trying to stick around for
divided Williams’ career in
she had established in 2017.
that,” Williams had
terms of the finals she had
Not only by going the
mentioned, clearly specifying
played before, and the ones
distance in tournaments, but
her objective. Considering
which she had contested in
also by making a turnaround
that she is a five-time Olympic
2017 are nothing less than
in her rankings by re-entering
medallist across all three
milestones. They also narrate
the top-five of the WTA
disciplines in the sport, these
the tale of a singular
singles rankings. The latter,
aren’t words that have been
longevity. And, it’s vis-à-vis
again, after an absence of
casually thrown around. But,
the latter aspect that the need
almost six years.
ones that denote
for Williams’ continuity in the
These, then, bring us to the
purposefulness. Then, in
sport gains even more heft.
hastening of Williams’
attempting to scale this goal a
Each of her three losses in
retirement. Even these
few years down the line, 2018
the three finals she contested
aspirations – both from her
may see the start of the era of
quelled the hope that Williams
fans and herself – weren’t
Venus Williams yet again that
would finally add to her
enough, Williams’ comments
could potentially make her a
Majors’ collection. But, as
in an interview with the
world champion in more ways
difficult as it still is for her fans
Entrepreneur is enough of a
than one.
and enthusiasts to get over
reiteration that irrespective of
these defeats, they also heighten the incentive of waiting for Williams to try and win them anew, come the forthcoming season. On Williams’ side, the matterof-factness with which she introspected upon this troika of results also goes beyond
What Remains of the Fab Four
other hand, all have
he decided to push on
physically punishing play
regardless, a decision that may
styles which are now catching
have had a knock-on effect on
Gabriele Ferrara
up to them.
his 2018 season, when it turned
There was a time not too long
Nadal's problems
going into the Australian Open.
Despite enjoying a great 2017
He had to withdraw there due to
season, Nadal still
injury as well, though this time it
succumbed to injury well
was a thigh complaint that
before the end of the year.
forced him out. Luckily, this
His oldest nemesis, knee
setback does not seem to be
injury, once again reared its
serious, and he is expected
ugly head in the fall, forcing
back on the court relatively
the Spaniard to withdraw from
soon.
both the ATP Masters 1000
At the moment, Nadal is
event in Paris and the ATP
scheduled to play in both
World Tour Finals. There
Acapulco and the Masters 1000
were already signs of trouble
events at Indian Wells and
in Shanghai, where Nadal
Miami. This has raised a few
handily lost to Federer in a
eyebrows from analysts, who
one-sided final. Up to that
have again questioned Nadal’s
point he had already play 74
scheduling. Unlike Federer,
matches in 2017, winning 65,
who has been very careful not
a heavy workload indeed. But
to push his body too far, Nadal
ago that the Fab Four utterly dominated tennis. For years, at seemingly every Slam, at least three of them would reach the semi-finals. Sometimes, they would all reach the final four, completely shutting out all opposition (this happened at the 2008 US Open, 2011 French Open, 2011 US Open and 2012 Australian Open). These were the years when all four men, or at least most of them, were in their best physical shape and suffered minimal injuries. Federer, always the “old man” of the group, was often at the wrong end of very physical matches, regularly losing to his younger rivals during this period. Now, everything is different. The Swiss has won three Majors in the last 12 months and is once again knocking on the door of the world number one ranking. His younger peers, however, are struggling. Federer has always had a very fluid game that took little physical toll on him, and his ability to listen to his body and play a lighter schedule is finally bearing fruit late in his career. Nadal, Djokovic and Murray, on the
out that he was not 100% fit
seems to be positively daring
to the Fab Four, all of whom
There was no single event
his body to break down. It has
can sympathize with each
that caused Murray’s injury.
been a constant concern
other when it comes to injury
Instead, it is the culmination
throughout his career, with
struggles. Andy Murray,
of a career’s worth of playing
Nadal almost always
Sparta to Djokovic’s Athens,
a very physical, defensive
choosing a heavy workload
had hip surgery earlier this
style. Murray has always
over more rest, a philosophy
year, while Djokovic had a
taken pride in his ability to
he believes keeps him in the
procedure on his elbow not
chase down more balls than
best possible competitive
long afterwards.
just about anyone else in
shape. It seems unlikely that
Murray believes he can be
professional tennis, and it has
he will ever alter this
fully fit in time for Wimbledon,
won him many tournaments.
approach, and he will
the tournament where his hip
Unfortunately, there is a prize
probably continue down this
pain finally became too much
to be paid for such physical
road until the end of his
for him. “I felt pain already
prowess.
career. How it will affect his
before Wimbledon,” he
It’s a similar story for
quality of life after his career,
recently said of the injury. “It’s
Djokovic, who played in the
however, is another question
got better but still it’s
Australian Open, though he
altogether.
extremely tiring mentally
was obviously not himself. A
when every single time you
reworked service motion,
Murray and Djokovic: under
are walking you are feeling
which he had hoped would
the knife
your hip, from the first minute
ease the strain on his elbow,
If Athens cries, Sparta does
that you wake up in the day
did not work well enough, and
not laugh. This old saying is
and start walking to when you
he lost early. After the
particularly apt when it comes
lie down at night.”
tournament, he decided that enough was enough and opted to have surgery. “I missed the competition too much,” he said of his downtime due to injury. “I was hoping to recover fully during the break, but it still felt bad.” Like Murray, Djokovic is not sure exactly when he will be able to play at his best level again, but like Murray he is hoping he will fully recover in time for the next Slam. Djokovic, of course, also has an extremely physical style of play, and has become famous for the incredible stretches
and slides he can perform on
long-standing injury, though
Magnus Norman, whose
hard courts. But again,
his was to his knee. He lost
calming influence was a
everything adds up, and it’s
early at the Australian Open
major reason for Wawrinka’s
likely that his incredible
to Tennys Sandgren, but tried
rise over the years. It will
defense is at least partly to
to remain positive about the
likely be a few months before
blame for his current
setback.
we can fully assess the
difficulties.
“I have to be positive,” he said
impact of both the injury and
Both men now need to
after the loss. “I came here
the loss of his coach, but
perform a very delicate
not knowing if I could actually
Wawrinka seems confident
balancing act. It is clear that
play the first match, and the
that he will not return to the
they badly want to compete
last 12 days went better than I
bad habits that plagued him in
for Slams again, but they also
expected.”
the years before he started
need to give their bodies time
As with all players returning
working with the Swede. The
to fully recover before jumping
from injury, it will take
biggest indicator of his level
back into high-level
Wawrinka some time to get
will come when he hits the
competition. Neither of them
comfortable with his body
European clay. If he can get
are spring chickens, and if
again. It will be particularly
some decent results there, all
they rush back too quickly
difficult for him since he is no
bets are off for Roland
they might re-injure
longer being coached by
Garros.
themselves, and at that point it might prove to be careerending. It is difficult to be patient in such circumstances, but it’s simply a burden they will have to bear. Wawrinka’s return While he has never officially been a member of the Fab Four, Wawrinka has become a bit of an honorary member over the past few years. He won three Slams at a time when nobody outside of the Fab Four has come even close to such a feat, so he is often mentioned in the same breath as these greats. Like Djokovic and Murray, he underwent surgery to repair a
The Unsung Goffin Dominic J Stevenson
One of the unsung heroes of the ATP tour in 2017 was undoubtedly Belgium’s David Goffin. Having been a stand-in for the final round of the 2016 round robin phase of the year end ATP Finals not only did he earn his place outright in 2017, and some, but he proved to be the surprise package of the tournament much as he had been throughout a very strong year. To those who don’t know the name or the diminutive fellow’s game, he’s a staple of the upper echelons of the tour and has been for some time, getting better as he ages (he has just turned twenty-seven). While having no huge weapon, he is a hardworking, nimble and athletic man with a game that is easy on the eye and a character that is quiet and highly likeable. In an age of fame and celebrity, he is the perfect antidote – a sportsman doing his job and doing it extremely well, nothing more. David Goffin ended the year strongly and finally captured a few titles, deservedly not left empty handed. His two titles of 2017 came in Shenzhen and Tokyo outdoor events. Perhaps he is approaching a stage in which he can shake the ‘always the bridesmaid’ feeling, but it doesn’t look like that sits uncomfortably with him, and he responds well to losses. As he looks ahead after his best season yet, and ponders how to go that extra mile with some of those bigger titles, he must surely be filled with hope and high confidence. In an era of not just good but great players he is constantly improving, showing a desire to win – in his quietly unassuming fashion – against the game’s top players, and is still crawling up the world rankings, currently the world number 7. Think not of the absence of players, but of his win-loss record for 2017, second only to Rafael Nadal. It’s a frightening thought really, as it stands, let alone when pondering that he missed a couple of months through injury (after a fall at Roland Garros), including the entire grass court season. That goes
to say just how good a season the Belgian has had. He’s surely the most underrated player on tour and one of the chief protagonists to take advantage these past months during the absence of some of this generation’s finest. He finally proved his worth, undeniably, at the recent ATP Finals in London. You cannot argue that Dimitrov wasn’t a worthy winner, but Goffin having beaten Nadal and Federer over the previous week then almost turned the tables on Dimitrov, after an embarrassing loss to the Bulgarian in the round robin phase of the year end finals. Goffin, though, doesn’t feel like a nearly man. In an age of tall players and huge weapons, he has carved out a space for himself, and made it clear that having a splendid all-round game is something to allude to. His character and hard work have been displayed consistently. There are other unheralded contenders, not including the young arrivals in the men’s game. Players of the ilk of Goffin, such as Diego Schwartzman and perhaps Filip Krajinovic have pushed on and asserted themselves as players with something to say in the coming years. Goffin’s humble approach and lack of fanfare makes him feel almost unseen, as other players at the top have something more glamorous – Federer’s game, Nadal’s power, Djokovic’s steely character, and so on – but he is quietly forging his own path based on the sport he clearly loves. Missing out on the Davis Cup trophy after winning both his ties in the final must have been another great disappointment, and yet he always seems to keep going, getting stronger, better and arguably more and more of a threat to the elite of the sport. He may be a silent force, but he is really one of the players making the most noise.
A Tribute to Andy
resolute in his quest to return
to push through the Federer-
back to the sport that he loves.
Nadal-Djokovic stranglehold on
Murray, how will
Here’s a look back at some of the
grand slams, always coming
he return?
most memorable moments in the
close. It wasn’t until the year
indefatigable talent’s great career
2012, though, that all the hard
so far:
work finally paid off. He beat
both Federer and Djokovic to
2012: The great breakthrough
win two of his incredible major
year
titles that year. First, he
recovery after having gone under
In any other era Andy Murray
defeated the Swiss in three sets
the knife to correct the chronic
would have probably have won at
in the London Olympic finals to
hip injury that’s almost derailed
least six grand slams, probably
clinch his first Gold medal,
his career. The three-time grand
closer to Andre Agassi’s eight, a
winning on home soil, the first
slam champ is now undergoing
player he shared a similar style
British man to do so since
the arduous process back to 100
with. However, the great Scot
1908. The Gold medal was the
percent fitness, hoping to be
had the misfortune of playing
foremost step in establishing
ready to compete at his most
during the reign of legends Roger
Murray as one of the Big Four
successful slam, Wimbledon, in
Federer and Rafael Nadal, and
in tennis.
2018 summer.
then Novak Djokovic’s during his
Veronica Bruno Andy Murray is on the road to
incredible dominant streak. It’s a
Proving that the Gold was no
Some pundits have said that no
real testament that the Scot
mere fluke, the Scottish player
tennis player has gone through
achieved the titles that he did
followed up Olympic success
hip surgery and bounced back.
during this time. Especially in the
with his first grand slam win at
But the Brit has been written off
year 2012.
the U.S. Open, a hard fought
before and he’s pulled through with his stubborn perseverance. Certainly no one would have predicted that Murray would be the only men’s singles player to win two Gold medals in the era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Andy Murray will need to call on that type of conviction more than anything else as he builds his health back from major surgery and attempts a comeback in his 30’s—a usual expiration date in competitive men’s tennis. The Scottish player is remaining
victory over Novak Djokovic in For years Murray had been trying
five grueling sets. The first set
tiebreak between the Scot
the All-England Club was Fred
Andy Murray made one grand
and Serb was the longest in a
Perry in 1936. In 2013, a year
slam final that year, losing to
U.S. Open final, and tied the
after he lost the final to Roger
Novak Djokovic in Australia,
longest final in the
Federer, Andy Murray won the
but won two Masters 1000
tournament’s history. Murray
Wimbledon title on home turf. All
titles. But perhaps the biggest
may have only won three
across the United Kingdom,
win for the Brit that year came
titles that year, but two of
people celebrated in the streets
at the end of the season when
them were big ones and set
and the Scot became the second
he achieved the first Davis Cup
the tone for the rest of his
man to simultaneously hold the
title for Great Britain since
career. He is the first man to
Gold medal and the Wimbledon
1936, becoming only the third
win Olympic Gold and the
title, along with Rafael Nadal.
person in the tournament’s
U.S. Open in the same year,
Unlike his difficult win over
history (in its current format) to
and he became the first
Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open
remain undefeated in all his
British man to win a grand
the year before, this time he
singles rubbers. In an uneven
slam since Fred Perry in
prevailed over the Serb in three
year for the Gold medalist,
1936, and the first Scottish
straight sets. The second grand
bringing home the Davis Cup
player since Harold Mahony
slam title also proved that the
title after almost 80 years was
in 1896. The skinny kid from
Brit was a multi-slam winner and
a great sense of pride for his
Glasgow was not only one of
belonged in a club above the
country.
the best players in the world,
one-hit slam achievers Juan
he was now a Gold-medal,
Martin del Potro and Marit Safin.
2016: The great year
grand slam champion.
Andy Murray began the year
2015: Wins first Davis Cup title
with his second clay Masters
2013: First British man to
for Great Britain in almost 80
1000 title—in Rome—and used
win Wimbledon in 77 years
years
that as a platform to hit the
The last British man to win at
courts like a freight train at top
speed. He won his second Wimbledon title— his third grand slam win—putting him in contention of overtaking Djokovic for the top ATP ranking spot. Most impressive in his run of titles that year was his second Gold medal in the Rio Olympics, defeating Juan Martin del Potro in an incredibly captivating four-set final, becoming the only man in tennis history with a double singles Gold medal. And he didn’t stop there. He powered through a surge of titles, including two more Masters, the even more impressive ATP Final title, and what at the time seemed like an unsurmountable number of ranking points to finally sit on top of the leader board after seven years as No. 2. To cement his breakthrough year, he also received a knighthood from the Queen. Will he return? The hip joint is such a pivotal part of a tennis player’s movement. It’s hard to tell if Murray will reach the kinds of heights he achieved in 2016. It’s clear that pushing himself so hard that year took its toll in 2017, with the 30 yearold suffering from first an elbow injury, and then the more debilitating hip that knocked him out of the game since summer 2017. Andy Murray has suffered from several ailments throughout his career, including kneecap problems and his troublesome back. He’s no stranger to surgery and recovery either, having taken time off at the end of 2013 to get surgery and heal his lower back. The former world No. 1 has dealt with these setbacks and bounced back before. Throughout it all, his appetite for tennis has never waned and he is willing to rebuild himself to persevere again. We will have to wait and see how much the time off will help or hurt his career at this ripe stage.
Leander Paes
tennis player by displays of immense
However, what both Paes and
courage at Wimbledon and the French
Bhupathi have done is given the
and Mahesh
Open, however their lasting effect
young Indian tennis player another
remained miniscule compared to what
option that may help cover his costs.
Bhupathi’s
the former have provided.
Looking at how well the duo has done
invaluable
While India maybe one of the thriving
Indian – Sania Mirza resorted to the
contribution to
economies of the world in relation to
doubles’ game having suffered
certain aspects, it remains a poor
various injuries. Sania is a Grand
country still. The mass population still
Slam champion herself now, having
considers tennis as a rich man’s sport,
won the Aussie Open and the French
and to be fair it does come at a price.
Open with Bhupathi.
Indian Tennis! Akshay
in the category, another promising
Other sports such as football and cricket are the growing sports in the
Most young kids in India start out
There may not be a Grand Slam
country, mainly because the price of
idolizing Rafael Nadal, who has
champion from India when it comes to
the equipment to play the sport is
gained even more popularity in the
the singles' game, but the country is
miniscule compared to tennis.
nation than Roger Federer in certain
blooding good doubles' players every
areas because of his charitable
year. We look into what makes the
For instance a tennis racquet costs a
foundation in Anantpur that has
doubles' game so popular in the land
minimum of $60 and as you go from
helped children take up the sport as
with the world's second largest
one level to another it keeps on
kids. However as they grow up, due to
population.
increasing. To play at the top level,
a lack of infrastructure and few ATP
you need a racquet that costs
challenger level events, promising
While India is most definitely not the
$250-300 which is almost
youngsters struggle to convert their
biggest nation when it comes to the
unaffordable to the middle class
talent at junior level into the
sport of tennis, it is perceived as a
population. To add to the cost of a
professional level.
nation that is thriving on the success
racquet, there are hardly any open to
of its favourite sons Leander Peas and
all tennis courts in the country, while a
Together Bhupathi and Paes have
Mahesh Bhupathi. The two together
membership to a club is even more
made the doubles’ game a very viable
have put Indian tennis on the map,
expensive.
option for aspiring players in India.
and have won 30 Grand Slam titles winning three of those together.
From a very young age kids learn their Also, with the cost of travelling the
skills at the net and plan their careers
country if not the world, is also paid
in such a way, so they can make
The duo together have inspired
from the player’s own pockets as
tennis their lively hood. In fact, the duo
generations of young Indian players,
sponsorship deals at the grass-root
has made tennis an attractive career
who idolize both Paes and Bhupathi
levels are anything but lucrative. Also,
option for these youngsters as the
while growing up. There might have
looking at the fact that hardly any
sport ‘for the rich’ does pay rich
been other greats from the country in
Indian ever truly made it as a tennis
dividends even in the double’s game.
the past such as Vijay Amritraj or
player one is forced to give up on his/
Ramanathan Krishnan who
her ambitions early.
themselves inspired generations of
Unfulfilled Potential Dominic J. Stevenson It’s a terrible thing to have an ability and not fulfil its potential, to have pure talent but perhaps not the desire, temperament or work ethic to allow it to blossom. Not every person with a gift has all the other necessary aspects come together to enable its emergence, the accompanying satisfaction and perhaps even longevity. To observe it clearly can be rather frustrating, and it’s never more witnessed than in professional tennis. Producing a talented tennis player is one thing, getting them to where they are able to go to is quite another. Talent is natural, achievement, however, takes endless hours of work and commitment, of practice and refinement. Tennis players can make a very good living without ever hitting the heights so few ever do. You don’t need to, and the attitude of some shows just that. Why go that extra mile when you can live comfortably, travel the world, and never worry about your existence just by sticking to your comfort zone? There are more and more examples of this type of player, this modern person, in both the men’s and women’s games, to whom it’s not a life of tennis, it’s tennis facilitating a wonderful life of travel, fame and fortune. It feels, owing to prize money nowadays, that fewer players are completely committed to their work than in years gone by. Perhaps this is just the veneer of social media and how much easier it is to access and see player’s lives, but it does lend to an increasingly fragile image for the game. Not only are disrespectful comments made increasingly about a dislike of, even a disdain for tennis, but the example being set by some of the younger players to those tempted to pick up a racket, encouraged by these socalled role models, is rather negative at times, and is possibly going to be framed by such behaviour. Some players like to party, do endless adverts and photo shoots. Well, some of the top guys like Roger Federer and Serena Williams do that too, but they
became icons of the age first through their primary jobs – tennis players. They worked hard, and still do even to this day, to create a foundation upon which they built their legacies. They train and have trained in the past until there was little time left. Then, when it was possible, and they had a gap in their schedules, perhaps they did an advert or something. Many players seem to forget to train and are posting endless social media photos of other activities. Too often nowadays it seems professional sportspeople are blinded by the big money and fame thrown at them, just because they are known or good looking and it seems tennis gets a little left by the wayside. The balance must be right, and it isn’t easy, but ask those at the top, those who have reached it and maintained a high level for years, and they would mostly say it was worth all the hard work and effort, the passion for the game. Many players have the raw talent, but to match that with the necessary strength of mind and character, the total commitment and even the understanding of the position of a successful sportsperson is indeed a
rarity. It is that which elevates one above the rest, that which inspires others, which fuels longevity and enjoyment, for all parties. Those we witness at the top for endless years are a rare breed, much less common than the remainder, the everyday sporting folk. That’s what makes them so very special, they encompass all the necessary traits down to perfection. They are what to aim for, they are the inspiration of the layman.
Where Are All the Female Coaches? Dominic J. Stevenson You might have noticed that there is a distinct lack of female coaches both across the men’s and women’s games. Equality has long since been discussed (as a discernible divide between the two tours remains) and this feels symbolic of a wider issue that goes beyond the making of families postplaying career. The history of ladies’ tennis is every bit as rich as that of the male counterparts, there are multiple names from the past decades who have made a mark with physical, mental and tactical prowess. Nowadays there can be no question that Serena Williams has everything in spades to match Djokovic, Federer and Nadal, as did Graf and Seles to Sampras and Agassi, and Navratilova and Evert to McEnroe and Borg, and so on back in time. The question is not about who
would win should the men face the women in
world of tennis. Okay, so perhaps the union didn’t go
competition and that question is neither helpful
quite as either party would have hoped – with no
nor fair. The matter is that the women in tennis have
grand slam title success, but one recent example is
been every bit as strong
not enough to base an
minded, talented and tactical as the men, and
entire argument on, and Murray’s fitness suffered
this is not and has not been fairly reflected by coaches
somewhat during their partnership, which certainly
in modern tennis. So, are men better coaches? I don’t think so, although perhaps there is a stigma attached to hiring a female coach, be it for the
did have its highlights. A great coach doesn’t necessarily need to have been a great player, as we have witnessed in other sporting fields, but they do
women, or even the men. Andy Murray was not only brave for trying to move the situation forwards but truly within reason to hire a female coach and send such a positive and necessary message to the
need to connect with and understand their player and be able to envisage their path and keep them on it, getting the best out of the player. There are as many women who understand the game, its demands and
what it takes to be successful as there are
coaching role needs to be attended to, to help see a
towards male coaches and that feels like a massive
men. This experience isn’t being used, is not being
rise in numbers over the coming years. Men coach
imbalance. It was brilliant to see past Wimbledon
taken advantage of, and an ongoing situation that
both men and women. It would be nice to see
champion Conchita Martinez in Garbiñe
clearly neglects the fairer
women coaching both as
Muguruza’s camp during
sex seems to bring nothing to promoting and truly
well. Such roles should be taken on merit and nothing
Muguruza’s winning campaign at Wimbledon
encouraging equality for the future of tennis.
else. A rise in numbers in the coming years would
2017, while her more permanent coach Sam
Too much is still made in society of gender and sexual orientation (see the whole Margaret Court comment furore of early 2017, which may be
surely send a positive message, in a time when words with little indication of action seems to be the case. When partnerships
Sumyk was absent for his child’s birth. There was something special about that union, the temporary replacement, and the outcome. It was something
imminently reignited at the Australian Open), rather than focussing on skills and ability, and opportunities being given to those with desire, experience and knowledge. It’s clear that the role of women in
between coaches and players end I keep hoping people will make more assertive and challenging decisions when making their next move coachwise. The women’s tour leans predominantly
to celebrate for many reasons, not least seeing a female coach embraced at the culmination of a brilliant tournament. With all due respect to Sumyk, who is brilliant in Muguruza’s corner, it felt like a positive move forwards. Martina Navratilova’s time as Agnieszka Radwanksa’s coach didn’t last long, and that had seemed a fascinating partnership at the start. It clearly didn’t work, although the idea of seeing the great Martina in a coaching role to a female player near the top of the WTA rankings was something exciting indeed. There are female coaches,
there are examples - see Ostapenko’s Spanish
availability to coach and be on tour for more than half
were some incredibly negative reactions across social media
coach, Medina Garrigues but there’s an imbalance
the year, as is generally necessary. This does lend
to Murray’s hiring of Mauresmo as his coach earlier
that could it be altered would see tennis with some
towards a trend, but cannot be the sole argument for
this decade that depict the times and some of its
of the equality it seeks, with
why this situation continues.
overbearing attitudes quite
a message that backs up what some are saying. The
Many of the male coaches are also fathers with the
well. That might be an all too common mindset that is the
technology is advanced year on year and is in a
duties and responsibilities of that role, and manage to
real reason behind the lack of female coaches, because
constant state of modernisation, of flux, and yet the number of female coaches reflects certain aspects are far behind, maintaining the inequality
coach on either a part time or full-time basis. The balance is key, as a player with children or as a coach. The difference here is not that the women are more
surely there should and could be a higher number of female coaches than there is at present. The game, and by that, I mean the men’s and women’s games, would greatly
tennis needs to see a shift away from. On the men’s side, Kukushkin’s coach is his now wife (their partnership leading to marriage), Istomin’s is his mother, and in the past not only Murray has been coached by a woman, but also Djokovic, Safin and Ivanisevic, to mention some big names, had periods of their careers being shaped by female coaching. So, there are examples, but they are few and far between. While women’s postplaying career can see them commit to having a family and the life that goes with that, it produces less
important than the men in the lives of the children but are perhaps more willing to make the sacrifices. There
benefit from a louder collective female voice, in every avenue of the sport of tennis.
Hard Courts, Hard Injuries? Alessandro Mastroluca “There are too many injuries, those who run the circuit should think about it more. I do not speak only for myself, but for the health of all of us players. There is life after tennis, and if we continue to play on such hard courts, I do not know what will happen to us.” These are the words of Rafael Nadal, who had to withdraw due to injury at this year’s Australian Open during his quarter-final match against Marin Cilic. It marked the second time he has had to withdraw from an Australian Open quarter-final, the first coming against Andy Murray eight years ago. The question whether hard courts are worse for tennis players than other surfaces has been a hot topic for many years. Nadal in particular has led a bit of a crusade against hard courts for many years, dating back to at least 2013, when he again complained about hard courts while competing in Melbourne. The director of the Center for Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Sheffield has refuted Nadal’s claims, saying that there is no direct link between injuries and the type of surface players compete on. Hard courts, of course, are the dominant surface in professional tennis. The vast majority of the ATP World Tour takes place on hard courts, including most of the Masters 1000 events (six are played on hard courts and three on clay). Two of the four Slams are also on hard courts. So, if it was harder on one’s body to play on hard courts it would be a concern, given that almost all professional tennis takes place on these courts.
But are hard courts all bad? There is some evidence to suggest that there are some good aspects to hard courts. An analysis by Craig O'Shannessy, who is on Djokovic's staff, revealed that 70% of points on hard courts finish within four shots. Nadal is no exception. As an example, in his career at the Australian Open he has finished 62% of his points in four or fewer shots. So, rallies are generally short on hard courts, in contrast to the eternal slugfests on clay, meaning that players spend less time actually playing on the court. An important aspect in this discussion is that not all hard courts are the same. It is not enough to say a tournament has a “hard” surface, as the speed of the courts have to do with amount of silica in the covering paint, as well as the characteristics of the underlying layers and the base underneath. Just looking at the recent history of the Australian Open we can see that the gluey Rebound Ace was very different from the current Plexicushion, which is different again from Deco Turf and other variants. But while there is a very real difference in the various hard courts, in general there has been homogenization as far as tennis surfaces are concerned. There are more similarities between them all now than ever before, which has led to the virtual disappearance of surface specialization. The trend of homogenization can be seen in the Court Pace Index, which measures the court speed at each Masters 1000 event. The effect of all of this is that players tend to move in the same way in different conditions. One strange consequence of this movement is the increasing fashion among players to slide on surfaces that don’t traditionally allow it. Djokovic is
the most famous proponent of this new trick, and slides all over the place on hard courts. It is a practice that does player bodies no good at all. Caroline Martin and Jacques Prioux performed a study on different playing surfaces and came to some interesting conclusions: “A study of incomplete matches in Grand Slam professional tennis tournaments from 1978 to 2005 reported the following results: higher rates of incomplete matches on Australian Open hard courts...than on other surfaces.� The report goes on to state that players who playe more on clay than on hard courts experience fewer long-term knee issues. Indeed, injuries to knees and ankles are definitely milder on surfaces that allow for natural sliding, such as clay. Sliding on a hard courts exacerbates these injuries.
Tiegermann, in a dated study, and Daniel Ura,
problem and has led to various injuries, both
along with other researchers from the mechanical
minor and major.
engineering department at the University of
Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to this
Sheffield, have come to similar conclusions in
problem, though an increased willingness to vary
their studies. They analyzed the consequences of
surface performance from tournament to
sliding on hard courts, and the effects are worse,
tournament, as we have seen in the last season
especially regarding the force imparted on the big
or so, might be step in the right direction. It might
toe and foot soles. The deformation of the soles
just lead to a paradigm shift in the way players
increases the friction against the surface as well
move on the court, and a decrease in sliding on
as the temperature at the contact points. The
surfaces where it is most harmful.
excessive heat leads to more sweating, which
Even grass tournaments might need to
increases blistering. One need only see Chung’s
experiment with grass variants that provide more
foot selfie to be believe this.
traction for players. After all, keeping the top
The biggest complaint about the grass court
players on the court as long as possible is in the
season has always been about slipping and
best interest of everyone, so working together on
sliding, especially early on in tournaments when
this issue needs to be a top priority for all
the grass is still fresh and slick. Even at the
stakeholders.
Championships, slipping has always been a big
Some old, few new: Promising start to the 2018 women’s season
made it to the final in Auckland
twist her ankle in her opening
(lost to Julia Goerges), before
round in Melbourne. Halep
winning her first Major
bandaged her ankle and came
defeating Simona Halep in a
out fighting – saving match
nerve-wracking final at the
points in her marathon
Sharada
Australian Open. The Dane
matches against Lauren Davis
also regained the world no. 1
(third round) and Angelique
ranking ending the unwanted
Kerber (semi-final) – only to
epilogue that had tagged her
miss out on the winner’s
previously as the world no. 1
podium in a taut three-setter.
without a Slam. Now that she
The German told her own tale
has got this monkey off her
– of resurgence – while in
back, the world seems to be
Australia, carrying the German
Wozniacki’s oyster to conquer.
team aloft at the Hopman Cup,
Meanwhile, the wait to win her
before winning the singles title
first Major has had to be
in Sydney. Her unbeaten run
extended for Halep. The
only ended against Halep in
Romanian won the singles and
what was a gripping contest of
doubles titles in Shenzhen and
shot-making as much as it was
looked to be in peak form at
a duel of wills. Prior to her
the Australian Open, only to
defeat to Halep, Kerber,
What a year 2017 had been for women’s tennis. From veterans asserting their mien to youngsters coming of age, there was something in store for everyone on the WTA Tour. Ahead of the 2018 season that is right around the corner, it is but natural to expect that more such exciting results will be follow suit, starting right away at the Australian swing. Caroline Wozniacki reigned supreme Down Under as she
however racked up some easy
Another former world no. 1
lost in the first round of all three
wins – one of which came
Garbine Muguruza, who had
tournaments she played in
against Maria Sharapova in the
been battling injury throughout
2018 – Brisbane, Sydney and
third round.
the Australian swing – starting
the Australian Open – which in
The Russian had looked
in Brisbane – extended her bad
turn extended her run of first-
sharper in her opening two
patch of results in Melbourne.
round defeats to 13
rounds, but her tame defeat at
The Spaniard, seeded third at
tournaments, all the way back
the hands of Kerber proved
the Australian Open, crashed
to 2017. The only consolation
that the former world no. 1 had
out to Taiwan’s Su-Wei Hsieh
for Mladenovic was that she
her work cut out for her to
in the first round. The
won the women’s doubles title
make her way back into the top
unpredictability of Hsieh’s
at Melbourne Park with Timea
bastion of the sport.
game also brought down
Babos. Could this change
Sharapova’s conqueror at the
another seed in the 26th
things for her?
2011 Wimbledon and 27th
seeded Agnieszka Radwanska
Ostapenko struggled in
seed Petra Kvitova also had a
in the third round, before
Shenzhen and Sydney, losing
disappointing outing in
Kerber dealt with her challenge
in the first rounds and made it
Melbourne. The Czech played
convincingly.
all the way to the third round at
out a topsy-turvy first round
The likes of Kristina
the Australian Open before
against German Andrea
Mladenovic and Jelena
bowing out.
Petkovic, before losing in three
Ostapenko also continued to
Venus Williams, the 2017
sets.
disappoint. The Frenchwoman
Australian Open finalist, began
the season on a slow note in
Brisbane in the semi-finals,
Kostyuk, who downed the
Auckland. Her slowness,
before exiting the Australian
25th seed Shuai Peng in the
however, was entirely
Open in a tame fashion to
first round at the Australian
stopped in the first round at
Simona Halep in the quarter-
Open and the more
the Australian Open as she
finals.
experienced Olga Rogowska
was upset by Belinda Bencic
There were other names too,
in the second round before
in the first round.
on whom expectations were
hitting a block against
Among the other players who
heavy as the 2018 season
countrywoman Svitolina.
were expected to start off
started. Of these, Sloane
There were a couple of
well, world no. 3 Elina
Stephens and her compatriot
relatively better-known names
Svitolina began the season
Coco Vandeweghe lost in the
in this mix as well, like Naomi
with a title-run in Brisbane.
first round itself, while Briton
Osaka and Ashleigh Barty.
However, a run-in with a
Johanna Konta advanced one
As the season unwinds
determined Elise Mertens in
round further before making
further, which of these players
the Australian Open quashed
her way out.
will lay a more complete claim
the Ukrainian’s hopes.
Some youngsters popped up
to it? Well, we will soon find
Karolina Pliskova, the world
on the radar like the unknown
out.
no. 5, lost to Svitolina in
15-year-old Ukrainian Marta
155 points separating him from the world no. 1 ranking currently being held by his rival Rafael Nadal, Federer seems to be on the cusp of regaining the top-spot in the ranking after a near six-year absence. s Nadal, who had trouble with his knee ahead of the first Slam of the year, and which forced him to pull out of the Mubadala Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, came flying through the blocks as well in the first week of the tournament.
Old guns run roost as the 2018
precursor to the 2018 season was a mixed-bag, with both positives and no-so-positives
season begins
coming through its duration.
underway
in the ATP Tour in the first
Sharada For several players on the men’s tennis tour, the 2017 season segued into a lengthy off-season, while for the rest it
So, what became of the players month of the new season? To start off, there’s no better player to discuss first than Roger Federer. The 36-year-old successfully defended his Australian Open crown and
was a full and proper tennis
finished unbeaten in the swing
calendar which, in turn, meant
Down Under that encompassed
a truncated off-season as per
his route from the Hopman Cup
usual norms of the sport.
in Perth right up to Melbourne
However, just as the wait seemed to be coming to an end for all the players who had thus been forced to end their season mid-way, there were a few setbacks that arose unexpectedly. As such, the off-season serving as a
Park. It was the first time since the 2008 US Open that Federer had defended a Major and yet again, for the second straight year, nostalgia ran high. Oh yes, Federer’s Slam count also peaked as well to 20, wowing his fans some more. With only
His dominance made another Fedal clash seem inevitable, before his physique betrayed him again. This time, with his right hip causing problems plumb in the middle of his semi-final against Marin Cilic forcing him to retire painfully in the fifth set when down 2-0. The only silver lining that came off that injury was that it wasn’t serious and the Mallorcan is expected to make his way back to the circuit in time for the Mexican Open in Acapulco. Meanwhile, in an inconspicuousyet-ominous fashion, Cilic swept into his third Major final. The Croatian, who reached the semifinal at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, was in the thick of things Down Under. He didn’t give up without a fight in the final against Federer – a contrast to his outing in the 2017 Wimbledon final – but at the end of five sets, just fell a
tad short of matching up to
had a less-than-promising
Federer’s grit.
outing in Australia. Playing the Hopman Cup – along with
Others in the fray
Angelique Kerber – Zverev
Novak Djokovic came to be
lost three of his four men’s
the player in vogue ahead of
singles matches in the
the new year with him
tournament including the final
earmarking purposefulness
to Federer. He looked to have
with some new hiring in the
shrugged off his initial slow
form of Radek Stepanek (as a
start in Melbourne, but it was
fellow coach along with Andre
premature as he bowed out to
Agassi) and Craig
Chung despite holding an
O’Shannessy (as a technical
initial advantage in the match.
expert). But, try as he might,
Milos Raonic and Stan
his elbow interfered with his
Wawrinka tried to look past
aspirations as he went down
their injuries, but the Canadian
fighting in a tough straight-
lost in the opening round while
setter to the 21-year-old
the 2014 Australian Open
Hyeon Chung, winner of the
champion was upset by the
inaugural edition of the Next
eponymous Tennys Sandgren
Gen ATP Finals in 2017.
in the second round.
Speaking of whom, the
Sandgren, whose off-court
youngster was the actual find
conduct became the most
of the tournament. Prior to
debatable aspect about him,
ousting the six-time former
caused one more upset – in a
champion at the start of the
lacklustre Dominic Thiem –
second week, the South
before finishing off with a
Korean massively upset the
quarter-final run (lost to
fourth seed Alexander Zverev
Chung) in Australia.
in the third round, finishing
The home hopes, then, remain
their five-set tussle with a
centred on Nick Kyrgios and
bagel in the fifth set. Chung
Thanasi Kokkinakis. While the
made it all the way unto the
latter’s run ended early at the
semi-final, before blisters in
Australian Open, Kyrgios
his foot blighted his much-
showed poise and maturity in
awaited match-up against
his temperament as he
Federer.
reached the pre-quarter-final
Suffice to say then Chung’s
where Grigor Dimitrov snipped
fellow Next Gen star Zverev
his flight in four sets.
Not that the Bulgarian survived the aftermath of this win for much longer. Unsteady and edgy in his performances since his second round – against USA’s Mackenzie McDonald – Dimitrov’s prospects were worrying. And, in his quarter-final against Britain’s Kyle Edmund – who kept the country’s banner flying high in Andy Murray’s absence – things came to a head. Edmund snapped Dimitrov’s inconsistency in four sets to become the only sixth British men’s singles player to have reached the Australian Open semi-final in the Open Era. A combination of being overwhelmed and being injured, however, ended the 23-year-old’s Australian journey in the penultimate round at the hands of Cilic. There were others, too, in consideration. From David Goffin to Juan Martin del Potro to Jack Sock to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych. The rest of the younger lot were there as well. From Denis Shapovalov to Andrey Rublev, and to Daniil Medvedev to Alex de Minaur. Some started off well, only to see getting tapered off at the Australian Open. The rest of the season is, however, wide open. Could these names better themselves along the way?
(though being in the limelight cannot be an easy way to grow deeper into adulthood, especially for some) and take their eyes off the prize. Those with success and those with longevity of career know what it takes. The example is there for us all. But that takes an extra level of desire and passion for the sport, for your work. The blueness of the water – whilst a lovely thing to share with your social media fans – does not a great tennis player make. The off-season is key. It’s a valuable period to address one’s hopes for the early
New Balls, Please
scheme of tennis things, and
Dominic J. Stevenson
focus our attention on the year
A lot happened last year, on
The social media feed almost
both the men’s and women’s tours. The clock was rolled back by the two male greats (Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal) while a multitude of ladies won tournaments. The men picked up all manner of injuries, as that in part defined the year in the ATP, and the women had peaks and troughs in form, as the lack of a WTA leader in Serena Williams’ absence became clear – a few contenders, maybe, but nobody stealing the show. Venus Williams also rolled back the years, sadly only ever coming runner up. So, it’s over and it’s the perfect time to take stock, contemplate the grand
ahead. New balls, please. spilled over recently with photos of players from different locations where the focus was mostly the player surrounded by water bluer than blue, as if they were all having a secret contest to see who could be in a photo with the clearest and bluest water. Well, they all won. However, it didn’t last long, and they were soon back to it, posting photos of their off-season training sessions – in preparation for their usual kind of contest once more. In all fairness, they don’t get much time off, not if they want to be the best. It’s clear they do not all aspire to be that, as numerous romances, photo shoots, advertisements and other distractions steal their focus
stages of the year ahead and even further down the line. At the earliest stage, it can feel like make or break for the whole season. Starting the season well, while not the be all and end all, can do wonders for both ranking and confidence moving deeper into the year. Let’s just take Federer’s example from this past year. He wasn’t even sure what he could manage at the Australian Open as he came back from injury, and that success propelled him towards his best year for over half a decade. Given what had preceded it, perhaps he would say it was his best season to date, even. Without that title it’s highly debatable he would’ve had the year he went on to have. 2018 feels like an epic season, even before a ball has been struck competitively. 2017 left us with a lot of questions, about both the men’s and women’s tours. The
Australian Open starts soon and seems to arrive with a great deal of uncertainty compared to other years. Starting with the ladies - will Serena play, or won’t she? It’s been going on a while, and until she turns up and starts her title defence, who really knows. If she does, could she, postchildbirth and in the early days of motherhood after almost a year off, pull off slotting right back into her place at the top, once more resuming her time in the throne of ladies’ tennis? Will the other women who were fighting for top spot be up to the challenge, and will one of them step up and steal the crown indefinitely? Will Angelique Kerber find form again under the stewardship of the brilliant Wim Fissette? And what of Jelena Ostapenko – will she prove herself the rightful pretender to the throne as the future long-term world number one? In the men’s game, the first question is - can Roger and Rafa do THAT again, or even win one more slam apiece in the coming season? Never bet against Mr. Federer on grass and Mr. Nadal on clay, not if they can stave off injuries. And what of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, and even Stanislas Wawrinka with their new look teams, as the fresh names and faces that arrived in
2017 look to cement their
players’ head to head.
statuses moving in on the
Muguruza, in the ladies, has won a
upper reaches of the game?
couple of slams. That winning form
What of Milos Raonic and Kei
could see her take residence at the
Nishikori, also coming back
top should it continue. But if year-end
from injuries? And Grigor
number one Simona Halep, or brief
Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev,
number one Karolina Pliskova are to
David Goffin, Kevin Anderson
have any substantial hold over the
and Jack Sock, who all took
ranking they’ll need to break the slam
advantage of the absence of
curse and finally experience the
some top players?
winning feeling. Watch out, too, for
Predicting upcoming Australian
Elina Svitolina, Caroline Garcia, the
Open champions is as hard as
aforementioned Ostapenko, and a
it’s ever been, a sport in itself
plethora of young female players also
at present. Those returning
chomping at the bit.
from lay offs might need a little
2018 poses big questions, is an
longer to climb back to any
incredibly exciting prospect and could
semblance of their best form.
turn out to see several generations
Federer is surely left as the
doing battle all at once like never
favourite, and perhaps
before. What’s clear, is that the young
Dimitrov, now the world
guns are firing on all cylinders and
number three, is another major
the stalwarts and the lesser aged but
contender. Nadal ended the
experienced players are either going
season injured, so, his chances
nowhere (in the sense of retiring or
depend on if that has cleared
even fading quietly away) or are
up and he’s had a good off
growing into themselves and finding
season or not, although the
ways to become better players (see
niggles he was suffering were
the examples of Dimitrov and Goffin).
most likely wear and tear over
There are more names being bandied
a long and intense season. His
around than usual, as regards
chances of finally winning a
contention for the big, early titles of
second Australian Open title
the year, and it’s anyone’s guess
(after three final losses since
what could happen. The fact that
his only win in 2009) will also
anything could really happen is what
depend on whether he can find
makes endless discussion and
a way to break his Federer
promise for the season ahead. Let’s
hoodoo of 2017, in which
hope they can all keep injury at bay
Nadal lost all four of their
and we get the best of everyone.
encounters – an unusual
Then, we’ll be in for a treat. A real
occurrence to say the least as
treat, indeed.
Nadal still has a rather substantial lead in the two
Tennis Nutrition: Energy, Proteins and Gluten Marco Di Nardo Just as technological advances in tennis have massively changed the sport over the decades, so changes in training and awareness about nutrition have also influenced how players approach the game. Novak Djokovic recently highlighted just how important nutritional considerations have become for players, when he announced that he had completely cut gluten from his diet. He claimed that it completely changed his life, and encouraged everyone to try it themselves. Andy Murray took him up on his advice, but it’s unclear whether he has found such a change in diet to be as useful as Djokovic has. Not all talk about nutrition needs to relate to gluten, of course, and there are many other things we must take into consideration when building a healthy tennis diet. Let's examine some of them. Energy bars for tennis When playing tennis at a high level, the use of so-called “energy bars” can, in some cases, be very useful. In fact, carbohydrate intake before any sporting activity is essential, so as to build up as much glycogen as possible. But in order to “save” glycogen reserves during events, it is important to introduce other carbohydrates during practice sessions and matches. Since downtime in matches is rather short, liquids with maltodextrins, which are generally digested fairly
quickly, are used. At the same time, however, these carbohydrates should not be consumed in excessive quantities, because they would cause excessive “glycemic steering.” This impacts the production of insulin, which leads to hypoglycemia, and negatively affects performance. For this reason, integrating energy bars into your wider diet can have positive effects, as they have nutrients like proteins, lipids and fiber, and they can be consumed without risking an excessive increase in blood sugar. That being said, digestibility is inferior when compared to liquids, so each athlete must find the balance of the two that works for them. Proteins: quantity and quality It is generally recommended that your daily protein intake equates to about 0.8-1g/kg of body weight. So, a person weighing 70 kg should take
solved by the consumption of protein-rich plants. Here are some examples (along with how much protein in grams 100g of such food contains): soy (37g), seitan (36g), pine nuts (31g), dried lentils (22g), wheat (12g). The main advantage of animal proteins is the presence of essential amino acids, as well as the fact that the proteins contained in animal products are easier to digest. Unfortunately, plants often contain compounds that make some of the proteins contained within them harder to digest. For this reason, even if they have a high percentage of protein, foods like soy do not have the same protein quality as meat, fish, milk or eggs. It is therefore very important for athletes, and therefore also for tennis players, that most of the proteins they consume come from animal 60-70g of protein per day. According to the
products.
principles of the Mediterranean Diet, proteins
For tennis players engaging in high intensity
should represent about 10-15% of total calories.
activity, sports nutrition experts recommend a
Other food philosophies, such as the Zone Diet,
daily protein intake of 1.5 and 2.2g/kg of body
provide a much higher percentage of protein
weight. However, such high-protein diets (with a
(30%). Without a doubt, a sportsperson needs a
percentage of protein intake over 35% of total
higher caloric intake than a sedentary person,
daily calorie intake) are not recommended for
and therefore also requires more protein.
extended periods of use, especially if not
The quality of proteins is just as important as the
engaged in regular intense physical activity.
quantity: i.e. whether the source of the protein is from an animal or a plant. Overall, it is a good
Gluten: many doubts, few certainties
idea to use proteins from both animal and plant
It is worth briefly talking about gluten, especially
origin in a complementary way. Almost all
given its high profile of late. The issue of
carbohydrate-rich foods are of vegetable origin.
eliminating gluten from sporting diets has been a
Cereals, for example, have an average of about
hot topic since Djokovic did so, apparently to
70-75% carbohydrates, while legumes and
good effect. It is important to note, however, that
starches are also very rich in carbohydrates. The
some people suffer from a gluten intolerance.
problem of protein deficiency in vegetable diets,
When these people cut gluten from their diets
such as those followed by vegetarians, can be
they will definitely experience several positive
side-effects, especially when it comes to sporting performance. This was likely the case with Djokovic. The vast majority of the population does not suffer from such an intolerance. For these people, the efficacy of eliminating gluten from their diet is unclear, especially in the long run. It is a fact that cereals such as wheat, barley, oats and rye can be replaced by rice and corn, as well as other cereals not belonging to the family of grasses (buckwheat, quinoa, etc.). But focusing only on gluten-containing cereals is not essential, or at least not for everyone. Finally, a clarification must be made: gluten is a protein complex that is not naturally found in cereals. It is formed after the cereal has been reduced to flour and then formed into a mixture, when prolammins and glutenins (present in cereals) come in contact with water while the flour is kneaded. For this reason, derivatives of cereals contain gluten (durum wheat pasta, soft wheat bread, barley bread, etc.), and not cereals as they are found in nature.
Change Is Another Name For Victory
obstacles, rather than be
Federico Coppini Unceasing change turns the wheel of life, and so reality is shown in all its many forms. Dwell peacefully as change itself liberates all suffering sentient beings and brings them great joy. (Buddhist proverb) People do not like change. Well, babies with wet diapers do, but most of us tend to not like it very much. Routine provides a sense of comfort, and people’s role in their family, group, organization and community are important in that they are usually constant and consistent. However, change and transition are not always to be feared. We are all able to change while keeping a positive, flexible attitude. Imagine a boulder blocking the flow of water: this image is a rigid mentality. Instead, we need to be curious about change, we need to understand how it is possible to continue to navigate in spite of any
reason.
discouraged by them. Faced with adversity, people Here are some challenging
are often overwhelmed by
changes an athlete may
shame and guilt, and they
experience:
stop caring for themselves.
- Being cut from the team.
Sometimes they have a lot of
- Experiencing a sudden
inward anger and adopt self-
coaching change.
destructive behavior, such as
- Suffering a serious injury.
abusing drugs or alcohol.
- Being forced to withdraw from competition for whatever
When you are overwhelmed
by a disruptive change, you
by doing the right things.
need to get up right away.
daily routines and exercises aimed at achieving your
Finally, always take care of A champion faces any
the fundamentals, because
challenge proactively, and
these do not change.
instead of trying to avoid it he
ultimate goal. Knowing this, ask: am I pursuing my dreams or am I
embraces it. Remember that
To become a champion, you
living the day? I'm fighting for
the more you avoid a
are always required to go for
the
challenge, the more you will
the gold, to give your best in
continue to avoid it.
all areas of your life, and never put in a half-hearted
Maximize a positive attitude
effort. The key is to implement
Obsessed With Winning? You Will Lose Stefano Massaro
Before moving to China, Renato Canova trained Kenyan marathon runners. Since he is an extraordinary coach, he not only knew how they should run, but also how they should think. If a marathon runner told him that he wanted to train to win the gold medal at the next Olympics, Canova shook his head. He would not train him, because the athlete’s goal was misplaced. Indeed, it was poorly thought out. How could he, Renato Canova, coach an athlete to achieve a goal that was totally out of their control? The athlete might train very well and follow all the coach’s instructions, but at the Olympics he might still run against someone who trained even harder, or is simply better than him. “I can train a runner to run a marathon in two hours and ten seconds,” Canova says, “but I cannot train him to win gold.” The point is that there is a big difference between
performance objectives and
thought in a drawer in his
performance goals. The
mind and keeps it there. If
performance goal is often out
contemplated from time to
of our control. As such, it
time, that desire becomes a
generates anxiety and is a
source of good motivation.
waste of energy. The
But if considered every day, it
performance objective, on the
becomes a source of stress,
other hand, is completely
and weakens the athlete
under the athlete’s control. If
instead of strengthening him.
an athlete undergoes hours of training, eats correctly, gets
At the beginning of the
enough rest and has enough
season, I always meet with
talent, he will likely manage to
coaches and players and help
reach his performance
them formulate goals for the
objectives.
next three, six or twelve months. Almost always, the
The goal of an Olympic
first goals that athletes tend to
medal, if properly considered,
focus on are results. They
can be a great motivating
formulate their goals in terms
factor. But what does it mean
of tournament wins and
to properly consider a goal? It
ranking points.
means that the athlete knows that he wants to win a gold
But we have just seen that
medal, but he puts that
the achievement of these
kinds of goals are not always
that they can control.
within the player’s control. It
first service percentage. Fitness is also a very
could depend on a particular
When you only play for the
common and useful objective.
tournament’s draw, how well
win, it gets really difficult to
When focusing on these
the opponent is playing or just
focus on the important things.
things, instead of stressing,
plain luck. When players and
So, at the end of the year, our
reaching smaller targets will
coaches focus only on these
athletes will be so frustrated
encourage both the player
goals, they only create
that may think of abandoning
and the coach.
pressure and stress for
the sport altogether.
themselves, which negatively affects their performance.
Another benefit of This is precisely the reason
emphasizing performance
why coaches need to help set
objectives is that you can
I have often seen players,
objectives beyond their larger
more easily identify what a
when faced with these kinds
goals, ones they can focus on
player is doing right, and what
of goals, turn to superstition in
and realistically achieve –
he is doing wrong. This is not
times of stress. They don’t
ones that are within their
the case when goals are the
want to step on the lines of
control. For example,
only focus. Players then only
the court, for example, or
improving baseline
tend to focus on the fact that
insist on bouncing the ball a
consistency is an objective
they won or lost a match, and
certain number of times
that is within a player’s
not why they lost that match,
before serving. They are so
control, and is also something
or how they can prevent from
worried about not being in
that will help improve their
losing such a match in future.
control of their goals that they
overall game. The same can
When objectives are the
obsess about small things
be said of trying to improve
focus, a player always has something constructive to work on, something which they feel they can control and will make them a better player. All of this is, of course, easier said than done. The importance of winning is so ingrained in our culture that it's hard to change perceptions and attitudes. From the time we are infants, we are taught the importance of results. From good grades to successful performances in school plays and sporting
events – it’s all about the
to think, at first loudly with the
you that, in this and other
results. The culture of the
coach, then to himself, not so
articles I write, I use terms,
result is part of us and it is
much about the fact that the
concepts, thoughts and advice
hard to get rid of it. The only
point is important, but rather
that can be used effectively not
way to do so is to start
how he would like to
only in tennis, but in life in
training in the opposite
approach that point.
general. However, to accurately
direction. That is to say, trying
improve someone’s mental
to focus on the things that are
This exercise, if adequately
strength, one needs must first
in our power.
and repeatedly used in
know the individual’s potential
training, gets the player used
and character. That is
A typical exercise I like to do
to thinking about the process
impossible in an article, but I
perform with students and
rather than the result.
hope these general principles
coaches is to play important
will help you in helping yourself.
points during training. Before
Finally, and for the sake of
the point, the player is invited
clarity, I would like to remind