“Good on ya, mate”—that’s Australian for “props, yo,” or perhaps just “nice job,” as far as this Yank can tell. Well, after two weeks of Grand Slam tennis Down Under, here’s a rundown of who did the nicest jobs at the Australian Open, and who was just bloody awful—“naff,” according to my dictionary of Australian slang.
Roger Federer
The Aussies already knew the 2004 champ was the ridgie didge—or “real deal” (OK, I’ll put the dictionary away)—but he must have further endeared himself to them this year. First, there was his continued competitive excellence, which saw him through more than a few dicey moments. Then there was the overwhelming respect for the event and Australian legend Rod Laver that Federer showed in his memorable victory speech. He’s now halfway to Pete Sampras’ record Slam total, and he just made the French Open that much more interesting. Oh, Federer also invented a new shot along the way, the no-backswing topspin backhand pass. Good luck trying that one at home.
Amelie Mauresmo
She’s always been the approachable star, polite, intelligent, and as accommodating as she can be—she even acknowledges the existence of other humans. I’m happy to see her become a Slam winner and not particularly worried that the absurd Justine Henin-Hardenne robbed of her a “championship moment.” As Mauresmo said, in her intelligent way, of Henin-Hardenne, “It’s never perfect. If she hadn’t stopped, people would have been talking about the fact that she played a bad match.” Mauresmo can always remember that she was playing her best tennis when she won.
Marcos Baghdatis
You want personality in the men’s game? Baghdatis was serving at 5-4 in the fifth in his first Grand Slam semifinal, three points from the match, when rain forced the players off the court. Rather than try to stay grimly focused, the 20-year-old looked up, stretched his arms to his sides, drank in some of the water, and blew a kiss to his fans as he walked out of the arena.
As far as his play, though, Baghdatis is not as flashy as advertised. He has speed, his strokes are solid and compact, and his serve has improved. As Laver noted, his game is “measured,” and that’s what should make him a consistent winner in the future.
Justine Henin-Hardenne
It will be a long time before the taint of her pathetic retirement from the final rubs off. It was made even worse by the report that she carried two tennis bags off the grounds after the final. It’s not that, as many have said, she owed Mauresmo anything. She owed everyone else so much more than she gave.
Nicolas Kiefer
The anti-Baghdatis has issues, no doubt, but his mysterious, misdirected rage makes him a personality, too. Taking a point from Sebastien Grosjean deep in the fifth set of their quarterfinal, after tossing his racquet and potentially distracting him, went against all the unwritten, and maybe even some of the written, laws of sportsmanship. I wouldn’t have thrown my racquet in that situation—I probably wouldn’t have had the energy—but knowing the irrationality that competition can inspire, I’m not prepared to say I would have given away a point at that stage, either.
Martina Hingis
Chucky now seems so down to earth. Unlike her deliberate, dramatic colleagues, she just steps up to the line, bounces the ball a few times, and starts the point. I had always thought that her “court smarts” were overrated; the concept sounded like an unconscious racial dig at her “athletic” rivals, the Williams sisters. But in the quarterfinals, Hingis’ variety and consistency made Kim Clijsters look like the mindless ball-basher that today’s players are accused of being. Top-tier women come along only once every few years; it’s nice to have a new one, ready-made.
David Nalbandian and Ivan Ljubicic
They both look like hardened competitors. Nalbandian is always smooth and calm; Ljubicic has a harsh game and no apparent fear. But they both tend to lose the matches you think they’re going to win. This time, with a Grand Slam final within reach, they both folded in five to a smiling young Cypriot who had zero experience in the late rounds at a major. I guess competition gets to everyone.
The Tube
ESPN wastes time with studio chatter and doesn’t skip around as much as a tennis fan would like. But 20 years ago, the idea that the Australian Open would be broadcast in the U.S. from start to finish (“from go to whoa” in Australian), with an array of on-air talent, would have been laughable. As always, the blistering summer sun in Oz was a welcome sight in the middle of a cold night in New York.
The Commentators
Patrick McEnroe and Brad Gilbert acquitted themselves well in the men’s final. They each benefited from having seen a lot of Federer. McEnroe recognized the difference in his footwork when he wants to be aggressive or defensive, and Gilbert correctly predicted that Federer would put a “sleeper hold” on Baghdatis after winning a tight second set (does Brad know if Federer has been studying old pro wrestling tapes of Adrian “Goodnight Irene” Adonis?).
The Event
Even in the era of the celebrity athlete, the Slams remain bigger than the stars. The Australian Open is still not as prestigious as the other majors—it may be gaining on the French, though—but its unique, festive quality, fair brand of tennis, and series of dramatic, well-played matches made the world forget that names like Agassi, Nadal, and Safin were missing. We just picked right up with Baghdatis, Hingis, Haas, Kiefer, and of course Mauresmo and Federer.
The Trophy Presentation
What is it that makes the Aussies’ ceremony so much better than the U.S. Open’s? Perhaps it’s the little podium they roll out; maybe it’s the crisp delivery of the emcee (who is he, again?); maybe it’s the fact that the stands are still full; most likely it’s because they keep the sponsors’ representatives blessedly silent. Whatever it is, this year it brought out the improviser in Baghdatis (“Quiet, please” were his opening words, chair umpire-style), the graciousness in Mauresmo, and the emotion locked inside Federer, which may be the real reason he’s become the champion he has.
I’ll be off next Monday (unless you want a review of a Super Bowl party), and back the next week for the opening round of Davis Cup. U.S. fans, you’ll need me—the American tie is on the Tennis Channel this year after being dropped by ESPN. That’s the tradeoff we’ve been given in recent years: The bigger the Slams get (and the more time ESPN spends covering them), the more they eclipse the rest of the game.