The Australian Open may be over, but its reverberations certainly aren’t—at least not for us.
The fortnight, as you’d expect, heavily influences this month’s TENNIS.com Top 25. The leading duo won’t be a surprise, but there’s significant movement elsewhere. (The previous rankings can be seen here.)
An ailing Williams more than doubled the ace count of any other woman at the Australian Open, and she put on a serving clinic in the second set of the final against Maria Sharapova. Her request for coffee at the Hopman Cup, winning a 19th major, and announcing her return to Indian Wells have made it a pretty lively start to the season, wouldn’t you say?
More than 60 percent of Djokovic’s eight Grand Slam titles have come in Oz. For comparison's sake, nine of Rafael Nadal's 14 major wins, or 64 percent, have come at Roland Garros. Djokovic made things harder than they needed to be in the final, and not for the first time. But no matter; it makes for compelling viewing.
It’s better to have loved and lost than to have not loved at all. Similarly, as demoralizing as it must be for Sharapova to lose for the 16th straight time to Serena, she hadn’t appeared in a Grand Slam final outside of Paris in three years. With a quick turnaround, Sharapova also led Russia to victory in the Fed Cup quarterfinals.
Murray psyched himself out in the Aussie Open final against Djokovic. Just why he was so bothered about Djokovic’s physical state instead of plowing ahead, only he’ll know. It’s more proof that, mentally, he’s not in the same class as the other members of the Big Four. Nonetheless, given his 2014 season, he won’t be complaining about his start.
Entering the Australian Open as the defending champion was a new experience for Wawrinka, but for him to say that he was “mentally completely dead” before the semifinals was strange. He flew under the radar for the first week and a half, losing only one set. Heck, he probably would have beaten Djokovic in straights if possessing a better mindset. (I jest.)
For someone who has been around for a while and won’t need to be told of Murray’s pedigree, Berdych’s letdown in the second set of their semifinal in Melbourne was highly disappointing. But some would say, that’s Berdych for you. It kind of nullified what the Czech did against Rafa a round earlier.
The last thing Keys needs now is for people to proclaim her a definite Grand Slam winner in the future. Let her develop. Mind you, since her coach is Lindsay Davenport, there won’t be much chance of Keys looking too far ahead too soon.
Is this the year Makarova qualifies for the year-end singles championships? The Russian has appeared in two straight Grand Slam semifinals—although she drew even less attention than Wawrinka in the first week Down Under. For Makarova to consistently conquer Sharapova and players of that ilk, though, her lefty serve needs to be bolstered.
Spain breathed a sigh of relief when Muguruza made her Fed Cup debut for the Iberians, overlooking Venezuela, where she won born. Taking a set off Serena at the Aussie—after beating her at Roland Garros the year before—gave us more proof that she’s a keeper. Then Muguruza went out and beat Simona Halep in Fed Cup.
So, where do you stand in the debate about whether Genie should or shouldn’t she have played Fed Cup? From my perspective, given the enormity of the tie for Canada, it was a poor decision from Bouchard (and/or her advisors). Her place in the quarterfinals in Melbourne, though, backed up last year’s breakthrough Down Under.
After glancing at the Australian Open draw, I’ll admit I thought Nadal would win the tournament: Safe passage to the semifinals and once he’d gotten that far, he’d be hard to stop, my theory went. Even after his struggles against Tim Smyczek, my feeling didn’t change. Despite his recent inactivity, Nadal’s loss to someone he’d crushed 17 straight times was alarming.
The drop shot Nishikori hit at 6-6 in the third-set tiebreak in the quarterfinals against Wawrinka seemed destined for greatness—until it hit the net. After their classic at the U.S. Open, this rematch disappointed. But getting to the quarterfinals proved that what happened in New York was no fluke.
Losing in the quarterfinals sucked: That was essentially what Williams said after Keys edged her. And it was great to hear; Venus wasn’t simply happy with ending a five-year quarterfinal drought at majors. Her two wins in Argentina in the Fed Cup pushed her singles record in the competition to 19-2.
Raonic put in a great off-season, yet nothing really changed in Melbourne for the Canuck. He beat players he should have, but didn’t come close to testing Djokovic in the quarterfinals. You may know that he didn’t earn a break point versus his pal, but did you know that Raonic was the only player Djokovic played during the tournament who didn’t earn one?
Cibulkova exhibited some mental toughness at the Australian Open, having to defend all those finalist points from last year. Her post-Oz results at majors in 2014 flattered to deceive, so here’s hoping the Slovak can string together solid, consistent results at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.
An unwanted pattern is developing regarding Halep. She was “stressed” before her quarterfinal against Makarova in Melbourne and admitted nerves also played a part in her loss at home to Muguruza in Fed Cup. Sorting that issue out for big matches should be near the top of Halep’s priorities.
Andreas Seppi played great against Federer, no doubt, and his match point in Melbourne had to be one of the finest in some time. But was Federer’s hand, or some other part of his body, troubling him? The double faults are usually a tell-tale sign, and the Swiss hit nine. Alas, now comes a nice break for Roger before he competes in Dubai.
His bravado won’t please everyone, but you couldn’t question Kyrgios’ game or courage at the Australian Open. It’s a shame his body didn’t hold up in the quarterfinals against Murray, his apparent BFF. When his back heals, let’s see how he fares outside Australia.
Would Dimitrov have beaten Murray if he forced a fifth set? Perhaps not. But his inability to close out the fourth set when leading 5-2 contributed to the Bulgarian being “pissed.” Two fourth-round showings at Slams after making the semis at Wimbledon are backward steps.
Oh, Petra. We had such high hopes for you in Melbourne. Yes, Keys played a brilliant match, but the Czech’s serve let her down. And as much as she’s worked on her fitness and movement in the off-season, Keys—of similar height—covered the court significantly better. Worryingly, it’s an eighth straight Slam outside Wimbledon that Kvitova failed to reach the quarterfinals.
The last year has been eventful for Azarenka. Her high-profile relationship with Redfoo ended, a foot injury sent her career to a standstill, and now she’ll have to find a new coach. But at least she’s healthy, and making the fourth round in Melbourne signals that she’s on the way back.
OK, so Ivanovic might not have been 100 percent at the Australian Open. That said, after polishing off Lucie Hradecka in 20 minutes in the first set, she really should have closed the deal in the first round. How will she overcome her mental fragility at majors by the time the French rolls around?
Talk about a tough draw for Wozniacki in Melbourne: She ran into a healthy, back-in-form Azarenka in the second round. It was a high-quality encounter, and when the Belarussian won an intense first set, even the resilient Wozniacki couldn’t recover.
Where was all this from you 10 years ago, Feliciano—the fight, coupled with the talent? Lopez saving match points, then winning in two different encounters at the same tournament isn’t something you see every … decade. And he almost made it three in Melbourne, had he pulled off the fifth set against Raonic. Lopez extended his consistent play by making the final in Quito.
Seppi is the opposite of his fellow Italian, Fabio Fognini. While Fognini has more ability, he hasn’t done what the unassuming, hard-working Seppi has: Realize his potential. The 30-year-old’s win over Federer was a reward for a solid career, and he didn’t exactly fold in the next round against Kyrgios. The momentum continued when Seppi made the final in Zagreb.