It’s still January and already, tennis has won the sporting year. The game couldn’t have asked for a better opening Slam to kick off what looks to be a thrilling season. Herewith, your Oz grades.
Head of the Universe
Novak Djokovic. Novak Djokovic. Novak Djokovic. Novak Djokovic. Should we say it again? I’ll add just a few words to the pile of praise after Djokovic’s five-set, and nearly six-hour, Australian Open final performance. Last year Djokovic was otherworldly and dominated many of his matches. At the U.S. Open he saved match points against Roger Federer for the second straight year. In Melbourne this year, he won back-to-back five setters—and he beat Rafael Nadal after training 4-2 in the fifth set in the final. The man has gone from an iffy competitor who used to find ways to lose against Federer and Nadal to the best competitor in the sport, and maybe any sport. It’s a remarkable transformation and you get the sense there’s more to come.
Head of the Class
At long last, Victoria Azarenka is a Grand Slam champion—and the new No. 1 player in the world. Is she the supreme leader women’s tennis has been looking for? I’m not convinced, but it’s great to have more real contenders in the mix. Work on that serve and we’ve got our first multiple major winner in a season since Serena Williams in 2010.
Most Improved
You can’t say that Rafael Nadal has drastically improved his game, not with a two-handed backhand that seems to misfire far more often than it did in, say, the summer of 2008, and a serve that has lost some pop since the 2010 U.S. Open. But the old Nadal was back in Melbourne when it came to attitude. Nadal had a lot of gripes last year—long season, injuries, he was feeling old, had no confidence against Djokovic—but at the end of this tournament, he sounded like his the ever-positive player we used to know. The money quote: “I enjoyed. I tried to be there, to find solutions all the time. I played a lot with my heart. I played a lot with my mind, and is something that is nice to be around and not just play tennis.” Welcome back, Rafa.
Most Underrated
Roger Federer. I’m being serious. Federer lost to Nadal again, but before we begin to say he’ll never be the greatest of all time, consider how well he’s playing at age 30. Has anyone ever played better at this age? I’d say no. He can still push the Bigger Two (and beat Murray) and there’s still time to win another major. He’s going to need help (not being in Nadal’s half of the draw, maybe a sluggish Djokovic) but it most certainly can happen. If it doesn’t by mid 2013, then by all means, Federer fans, start to panic.
F Is For Flop (And Flub, And Fail)…
Tennis Australia puts on a grand event, but what on Earth happened during the trophy ceremony after the men’s final? We had two athletes who had competed for almost six hours—six!—and couldn’t stand up, and the presenters and sponsors kept jabbering on. At last someone brought Djokovic and Nadal chairs. Note to tournament sponsors: You’ll get more good publicity, and good will, if you abbreviate the speeches when matches end at 1:37 a.m. and break records.
And C Is for Childish…
Sorry, Tomas Berdych, it’s OK for an opponent to hit a ball at you when you give him a sitter and stand at the net like a dope. Get quicker hands or get back (or cover up). And then shake the man’s hand after you beat him.
And B Is for Bash
Go Marcos Baghdatis, go. Would much rather see you hitting bullets on the way to the semifinals, but this was, well, fun.
Skip a Grade
Congrats to Taylor Townsend, the 15-year-old American who won the junior Australian Open title. American juniors also had a banner week in France, where two of them played in the boys final in the prestigious Les Petits As (all four boys in the semifinals were American) and one played in the girls’ final. Bravo—and perhaps a sign of good things to come?
Get Well Card
Best wishes to Mats Wilander, an all-time great who fell in his hotel room in Melbourne and lacerated a kidney. Not doubt he’ll soon be back on the tennis court doing this.
Night and Day Award
You think Petra Kvitova is streaky? Sorry, that’s unfair to the word streaky. If she could just cut down on the errors a little bit…
Time Traveler Award
Welcome back, Ivan Lendl. You’re a coach now, you have a remarkably talented student—and oh yeah, as well as he plays, he might never win a major title because the three players in front of him are impossibly good. Sounds a little familiar, right? Time to hit the gym—and work on that Murray forehand. Great to see Murray fighting until the end in Melbourne, though. A proud performance.
Forgot Their Homework
The line judges at the Australian Open were, well, not so good at seeing lines. Or vision in general. Maybe an all-blue court, rather than a two-tone court, like the U.S. Open, makes calling lines more difficult? A better idea: Just use Hawk-Eye all the time and forget about challenges. It’s fast, accurate and simple—and not going to take anyone’s job away (because it’s not that fast).
Maria Sharapova had a bad day in the final. Really bad. It happens. But even at her best, there’s work to be done on her serve, her footwork and her tactics (lack of variety) against (slightly) younger and better athletes. Can she just hit her way to another title, or are those days gone? There’s a guy named Nadal who’s really trying to work on his slice…
No Longer in the Theater Club
Andrea Petkovic, you were missed in Melbourne. But what’s this about retiring the Petko Dance because of media criticism? Here’s a vote for a reprise, and perhaps a duet with Zheng Jie.
Needs a Tutor
Do you get the feeling that Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters are going to have to work even harder than they expected to win majors against a crop of younger players who are finally gaining confidence? They both had injuries at this tournament, but I’m not sure they were fit enough or polished enough to win even at 100% health.
And what to say about Juan Martin del Potro? Another solid tournament, another dismal defeat against a true contender. Will he ever regain the confidence—and ruthlessness—he had at the 2009 U.S. Open? Offense is the key to beating the best in tennis right now, because defense cannot be improved. We’ll see if del Potro is the man of the future or not.
E for Effort
Great tournament for Sara Errani, the 24-year-old Italian who had never won more than two matches at a Grand Slam before reaching the quarterfinals in Melbourne. She also reached the doubles final.
Best Reflexes
Another round of applause for the best ball boy at the Australian Open. I hear the Boston Red Sox are looking for a shortstop.