Despite Serena Williams’s absence, the women’s draw provided more excitement than the men’sWith close friend Caroline Wozniacki competing for her maiden grand slam, seven-time Australian Open champion Serena Williams went to bed, “too nervous to watch”. This is not the first time Williams has publicly admitted to “turning the channel” on a tournament she has made her own, but this time the inference could not have been more different. The irony is that in this case Williams missed a classic; an epic all the more impressive given her sizeable absence.After all, publicity for the 2018 women’s draw began with Craig Tiley doing his best to hype Williams’ possible return, at one point promising there was “no question” she would be...
Tim Henman highlights the weapons the Briton can deploy to beat Marin Cilic in the Australian Open semi-finalKyle Edmund’s forehand is one of the great shots in the game. It’s definitely among the top five forehands and he’s more mature, he’s been on the Tour a while and the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. He has to look to dictate as much as he can because, if he doesn’t, Marin Cilic will be the one dictating. Continue reading...
As the journeyman’s Cinderella run through the Australian Open has invited scrutiny of his political views, a modern dilemma resurfacesThe final five words of Tennys Sandgren’s 17-word Twitter bio are: “likes/rtwts are not endorsements.” It’s a line many Twitter users post as a means to insulate their employer and associates from any controversial opinions they may share, such as a distaste for the McDonald’s McRib sandwich or actually enjoying Mondays. But in Sandgren’s case, the line sits there like an attempt to say: Hey, just because I read, like and share alt-right bigotry does not mean I’m an alt-right bigot.A week ago, few knew or cared about Tennys Sandgren’s Twitter account. Most didn’t even know who Tennys Sandgren was. But...
Long list of absences including Serena Williams and Andy Murray means less-known talent could bring some unwelcome surprises in MelbourneHard to believe, isn’t it, but we will soon celebrate the 16th anniversary of a very strange tennis match. In late January 2002 the innocuous, double-fisted Swede Thomas Johansson took down the formidable albeit irascible Marat Safin in four sets to win the Australian Open. My favourite detail from the final is that Johansson almost missed the start: his coach, Magnus Tideman, neglected somehow to order a courtesy car and they had to hail a cab to travel to the stadium. It was, pretty much, the last truly surprising outcome in men’s tennis.Vague memories of that tournament have come trickling back...
The world’s top five arrived at the 2017 Australian Open with realistic title aspirations. This year there is no guarantee they will even reach the starting lineIn the year since the five top‑ranked men’s players – Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori – arrived in Melbourne with reasonable expectations of challenging for the first grand slam title of the season, the tennis world has been tumble-dried like a 20-foot wave.Djokovic – once so dominant at the Australian Open – fell in the second round, Murray and Nishikori reached the last 16, Raonic got to the quarter‑finals and only Wawrinka reached the semi-finals. More significantly in a wider context, though, not one of them made it...