After his most successful year on tour, there’s a feeling the Canberra wild child has finally matured enough to win an Australian Open There have been many times in his career when attempting to get a read on Nick Kyrgios has been like taking on Rafael Nadal on clay; a task almost inevitably destined to end in failure. But something has changed in the past 12 months, a year in which he reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon. Kyrgios goes into this year’s Australian Open a changed man.All players mature at different rates, on and off the court, and Kyrgios would probably admit that he has taken longer than most. But on the eve of his home Grand...
The nine-times Australian Open champion shows no sign of a hangover from last year’s controversy and is the player to beatIn the hours after Novak Djokovic was briefly freed from government custody in Melbourne last year, his visa cancellation overturned on procedural grounds, he headed straight for the tennis court to resume his suspended preparation for the Australian Open. His first hitting session was played out behind closed doors at night, but by the time he returned in the day, chaos reigned over Melbourne Park. Fans and journalists alike tried to slip inside Rod Laver Arena, drones whirled overhead just to get an unauthorised glimpse of him in action.Outside of Park Hotel,where he was being detained, Djokovic’s fans congregated to...
Along with the world No 24, Alex de Minaur will lead the local charge in Melbourne with nine other men and six women also flying the flagIn a regular lead-in to the Australian Open, Alex de Minaur would be a headline act in Melbourne’s metropolitan newspapers and a lead item on all TV news bulletins. He defeated reigning Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal in the United Cup and US Open winner Dominic Thiem at Kooyong prior to Thursday’s outing against Andy Murray.All this after leading Australia to the Davis Cup final in Spain last November. Aged 23, the 2020 US Open quarter-finalist is in strong form and entering the golden years of his career. He will receive strong support as...
The former Australian Open champion is not competing in Melbourne this year, having rejected the grind of the tourA long time ago, I took a part-time job in a high-street clothing store. It was late November, and amid the chaos of the Christmas rush I quickly discovered that nobody had the faintest idea what I was meant to be doing or whether I was actually doing it. One morning I overslept and queasily awaited the shrill phone call from a supervisor. It never came. The day passed.More days passed. Days turned into weeks. The payslips continued to hit the doormat. If there was any faint paroxysm of guilt or shame at taking this multinational giant for £5.15 an hour while...
Rafael Nadal’s comments best signify the conflict between those who see the United Cup’s potential and what it currently isFiring forehand winners past a legend and pumping his fists in a ferocious manner, Alex de Minaur gave the United Cup the local morale boost it needed on Monday night in Sydney.In front of an adoring audience at Ken Rosewall Arena, the Australian spearhead overcame a set deficit on his favourite court to defeat Rafael Nadal 3-6 6-1 7-5 for the first time. But his thrilling victory in the inaugural competition also served as a reminder of what Australian tennis has lost given the remodelling of the Davis and Billie Jean King Cups in recent years. Continue reading...