SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER!
 
 
Facebook Social Button Twitter Social Button Follow Us on InstagramYouTube Social Button
NewsScoresRankingsLucky Letcord PodcastShopPro GearPickleballGear Sale


By Chris Oddo | Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

 
Madison Keys, Australian Open 2015

Madison Keys' stock is soaring after a breakout Australian Open. Can she keep rising?

Photo Source: Corleve

The last ball has been struck, all trophies have been hoisted, all photos have been taken and the cheering has died down. The Australian Open has come to an end and all that’s left are the memories. But man, are they ever glorious ones! Join us for a look back at some of the most notable achievements that occurred down under during the two weeks of bliss known as the Happy Slam.

1. Serena, 19 and counting.

With her majesty’s run of exquisite form in Melbourne, one can’t help but think that there will be more barriers to crash through for Serena Williams. 20 sounds like a nice round number. But 22? Now that’s magical! Will she get there? Hard to say, but the fact that Williams is expressing her desire to do so is music to our ears.

2. Double digit Slams for Novak?

After Novak Djokovic’s fourth Australian Open title, two years ago in 2013, we were convinced that the scintillating Serb would soon be entering the rarefied air of the double-digit Slam winner. But things soon got complicated for Djokovic. He was knocked out of the next five Slams without a title. After claiming two of the last three majors, it appears that Djokovic may indeed get there sooner rather than later.

But before we so greedily rush ahead, let’s stop for a moment and realize that Djokovic’s 8th major puts him in a tie for 8th all-time. No matter where he goes from here what he’s done since his first major title in 2008 is pretty darn legendary.

3. What’s left for Mr. Federer?

It was certainly a shock to see the Swiss maestro go down to Andreas Seppi in the third round at Melbourne, but for now, we can consider Federer’s early defeat an aberration rather than something we can count on. Most ardent supporters of Fed are in a gloomy state at the moment, because they feel that Roland Garros is an impossibility. But let’s remember what happened in 2009. Did anybody expect Federer to win it then? Our advice? Rather than worry about whether or not Federer will win another Slam, let’s just embrace every single tour-level match he plays and let the chips fall where they may.

4. Madison Keys is 3rd in the Race to Singapore

Don’t look now, but right behind Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in the Race to Singapore is a certain explosive 19-year-old that goes by the name of “Maddie.” Can she possibly back up her torrid start to 2015 with more major success and a trip to Singapore in October? Will be fun to find out…

5. Kyrgios Rising, or Kyrgios Falling?

Nick Kyrgios has proven beyond that shadow of a doubt that he is a big-time player with a knack for winning crucial matches in majors. But two Slam quarterfinals does not make a career. Will the injury prone Aussie back up his Slam results with some steady, consistent play at the Masters and 500’s, or will he succumb to the grind and be knocked off tour with a plethora of niggles, ill-timed back spasms and fatigue?

6. In retrospect, Rafa did just fine

Getting blasted out of the tournament by Tomas Berdych was a bit of a head-scratcher at the time, but in retrospect, Rafael Nadal accomplished a lot during his run to the quarterfinals in Australia. First, he showed glimpses of that dazzling, dominant form that we’ve all come to know and love. Second, he stayed healthy and didn’t suffer any setbacks. With clay season just around the corner, might things be setting up perfectly for Nadal in 2015?

7. ATP young guns shot blanks in later rounds

Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic all played some great ball in Australia, but each ran into a wall in their final matches, suggesting that none of them will be ready to supplant the big four anytime soon. Nishikori was hammered by Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. Dimitrov was edged by Andy Murray, while Raonic was easily solved by Novak Djokovic. What’s it going to take for these guys to get to the top of the mountain?

8. The most disappointing game of the tournament

Andy Murray’s meltdown during the 8th game of the third set of his final with Novak Djokovic was the perfect example of how not to behave at a critical juncture of a high-stakes major final. Rather than grin and bear the immense tension of the moment, Murray chose to berate his box and himself, while simultaneously coughing up the game without much resistance. He never recovered. A better question to ask: Will he ever recover?

9. Watch out for Garbine Muguruza

The Spaniard couldn’t pull off another upset of top-seeded and eventual champion Serena Williams in her fourth-round battle with the American, but Garbine Muguruza was once again successful at getting into Williams’ kitchen and rummaging around, grabbing whatever she wanted from the cupboards for a while.

Williams eventually recovered and took control, but man was Muguruza impressive in this match. Not only is her power jaw-dropping, but her movement, considering her tall build, is also quite excellent.

10. Wow, Fabio Fognini

Let us admit: as much vitriol that has been thrown out there about the conduct of Fabio Fognini (and all of it deserved), this writer has always kept a soft spot in his heart for the unruly Italian. Maybe it’s his imaginative game? Maybe it’s the fact that he’s made many a boring day exciting? Maybe it’s the fact that Fognini might be misunderstood? Whatever the case, the Italian teamed with Simone Bolelli to prove that he is indeed a world class player that will always be able to call himself a Grand Slam champion. Love him or hate him, that is the true…

11. Thumbs up American women!

Seven women from Aux Etats Unis made the third round, and three pushed into the quarterfinals. With Madison Keys cracking the top 20 on Monday, there are now three there as well. There will never be another Venus and Serena, but finally it appears that a few rising American women are ready to get in position to claim major titles. From depth and competition comes elite, finely honed players. It will take a while, but as Keys proved in Australia, sometimes it happens way faster than we expect.

12. Likewise Aussie men

It’s unlikely that the Australian men will make a huge impact when they get away from their continent this year, but with Nick Kyrgios emerging as the Aussie leader, and Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinakis eager to prove that they too have game, the future does indeed look bright for Australian men.

13. Venus can still win a major

Williams reached her first major quarterfinal since being diagnosed with Sjogren’s in Australia this year. And although she was knocked off by Madison Keys, her fine form makes it clear that Williams is far from being an afterthought on the major stage at the moment. No, even at 34, she’s a contender.

14. Of course Paes and Hingis won mixed

Has there ever been a less surprising outcome? Put two of the best doubles players in the history of the game on the same side of the net together, and yes, you get a major title.

15. Aussies rock!!!

Three cheers for the rowdiness and the craziness and the all-around fun-loving, high-spirited nature of the Australian people. They make the event one of a kind. Our Motto? If your country is mad for tennis and they let it show, then we’re mad for you! Oi! Oi! Oi!

16. Vika’s on the up!

One of the brightest, happiest story lines of this year’s Australian Open is that Victoria Azarenka is on the comeback trail in a big way. She looks fit, seems to possess all of the moxie and shotmaking capacity that made her a two-time major champ, and is finally enjoying matches without harrowing MTO’s or on-court disability. She lost a shootout with Dominika Cibulkova in the round of 16, but the run in Melbourne, we feel, was just the beginning of what could be a strong season for Vika.

17. Stan’s plan?

Stan Wawrinka was one set from returning to the Australian Open final. What does that mean? Wawrinka is not going away and he will be a big factor at the majors this year. He’s got the talent, and he appears to have the desire. Remember, good things often happen to those who go through the experience of winning their first Davis Cup the previous year.

18. What’s next for Halep and Bouchard?

Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep were both ushered out of the quarterfinals at the Australian Open without too much fight. Halep’s loss, a puzzling 6-4, 6-0 flameout to Ekaterina Makarova was worrisome to say the least. But Bouchard, considered by so many as a player ready to make the push to elite, didn’t do much at all against Maria Sharapova in her quarterfinal bid. What lies next for these two rising stars? Are they headed for a period of disappointment?

19. Tim Smyczek is a really cool dude

American tennis fans found something to cheer about on the men’s side (rather than the typical complaining that has become our new national pastime) and they didn’t even need a winning effort to do it. That’s because Tim Smyczek exhibited grade “A” sportsmanship during his loss to Rafael Nadal. The Wisconsin native gave Nadal another first serve when rowdy fans had clearly called out during his first offering. It was a nice gesture, and one that we’d like to see more of on tour. Oh, we’d also like to see more wins from Americans, and if they come from Smyczek, all the better.

20. Are we done talking about Kim Sears yet?

Kim Sears was trending as if she’d just won a golden set after she was caught cussing up a storm on camera during Andy Murray’s semifinal victory over Tomas Bercych. The media buzz was so big that Sears decided to counter it by wearing a “Parental Advisory” t-shirt to Murray’s final with Djokovic. Immediately she got rave reviews on Twitter, but wasn’t her humor a little over the top, given the seriousness of the task at hand for her fiancé? In other words: Did Sears jinx Murray with that silly t-shirt?

I guess we’ll never know…

And that’s all we’ve got. The 2015 Australian Open is now officially done and dusted. See you all at Roland Garros!

 

Latest News