Australia’s great wicketkeeper was warm and generous to 95% of the people he met and ought to have captained his country“Did I sing?” asked Rod Marsh nervously. It was the morning after a memorable evening during the 2013-14 Ashes series and the short answer was: “Yes.”The news of Marsh’s death triggers a treasured memory of one of those supper parties that just took off magically for a few visiting Poms in Perth. It was attended by Western Australian royalty. Dennis Lillee, then the president at the Waca, organised it superbly. Rod Marsh and John Inverarity were there; so too Mike Brearley, and somehow so were my wife and I, which explains something straight away. It was not necessary to be...
The Serb is willing to pay price of being unvaccinated but is it worth missing the chance to be seen as the greatest ever?Over the past 11 years of men’s tennis, during which Novak Djokovic rose to dominance and improbably positioned himself as one of the greatest to play the game, the only time his success has been in doubt came after the summer of 2017 when he suffered through many months with an elbow injury.The injury became a point of contention between himself and his then-coach, Andre Agassi, who later said he had swiftly advocated surgery. But Djokovic addressed the injury by resting for nearly six months, believing his body was built to heal itself naturally. It was not....
While Djokovic threatened to overshadow proceedings, he rapidly faded into the background of an epic tournamentDuring the first weeks of the new tennis season, the top players are usually at their most relaxed. As they step forward into the new year after quality time away from competition, they arrive in Australia before the toll of constant travel, countless matches and numerous frustrating losses leaves its mark.But this was no normal Australian Open. The tournament began in the shadow of unprecedented drama as Novak Djokovic’s visa saga played out for nearly two weeks. His building was surrounded by human rights activists protesting for the thirty-plus refugees detained indefinitely, hundreds of Serbian-Australians and numerous anti-mandate protesters. After many long, dull court hearings...
The Spaniard meets Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final aiming to surpass his two great rivals for major winsThere is a nice symmetry that when Rafael Nadal faces Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday, it will be the Spaniard’s turn to try to win a record 21st grand slam title. Roger Federer had his chance at Wimbledon in 2019, when he had two match points in the final against Novak Djokovic but lost in a deciding tiebreak. Djokovic had his chance at the US Open last year when, having won all three of the year’s previous majors, he reached the final in New York but was beaten by Medvedev, denying him the calendar year...
Spaniard has overcome many setbacks to reach Australian Open final where Daniil Medvedev stands in the way of historyTwo long, dramatic weeks ago, just before the Australian Open was due to begin, Rafael Nadal sat down to set the scene for the fortnight ahead. The shadow of Novak Djokovic’s deportation saga looming large over the tournament, Nadal forcefully answered questions onabout his rival. He discussed his recent injuries and his health. He stressed the necessity of taking his return step by step.At no point was he asked about, or did he mention, the prospect of winning his 21st grand slam title. It was always clear that by virtue of entering the draw, this is what he was competing for, but...