At the Australian Open, women’s tennis finds new champions
Women’s tennis badly needed a fresh champion to boost the image of the sport. At the Australian Open on Saturday night, in gruelling heat, Caroline Wozniacki emerged the Great Dane as she prevailed over Simona Halep in an engrossing three-set final.
Two hours and 49 minutes of riveting tennis produced shotmaking of a new variety, as the two went for the jugular. Despite Halep executing more winners and hanging in bravely, Wozniacki emerged champion because of her superb killer instinct and not letting nerves get the better of her in the end.
At the same stage a year ago, it was Serena Williams who emerged queen again by beating elder sister Venus in the final. Serena has taken a break after becoming a mother and in her absence Wozniacki and Halep grabbed the chance to put on the best advertisement for women’s tennis.
Each sport needs new champions and at 27, Wozniacki, who had before this won 27 WTA Tour titles, stepped up her game when it mattered most to seal the title and also the No.1 spot on the ranking computer.
For those who feel women’s tennis is boring compared to the high voltage stuff churned out by the men, the finalists on Saturday proved quite a few points. In terms of fitness, speed, ability to grind points and whack winners, Wozniacki and Halep define a new generation.
One should not be surprised if in the remaining three Grand Slam events in 2018, one hears more of them as players like Angelique Kerber, Maria Sharapova and company will have to deal with their power and precision hitting. To be sure, Down Under, all talk is now of what is in store on Sunday in the men’s singles final, when Roger Federer takes on bearded Marin Cilic for his 20th Grand Slam title.
This fortnight, Federer has turned the clock back in every sense. At 36, the Swiss maestro is playing sublime tennis. His monk-like serenity, not putting pressure on himself, and playing tennis which is magic for others who wield the racquet, has been captivating. Be it on court, practice sessions, post-match interviews, and almost every interaction, Federer has looked at peace with himself.
This is in sharp contrast to what one saw from Rafael Nadal, whose list of complaints was long. He spoke of having to play under the scorching sun and how night matches had been preserved for one man (Federer). In the end, Nadal’s exit, a walkover thanks to hip injury on court, once again proved that when you talk of who is the best in modern tennis, he is still way behind Federer.
Agreed, in 2017, Federer and Nadal split the four Grand Slam singles titles. Yet, for a man who has battled injuries throughout his life thanks to a game which revolves around being so physical, Nadal has no reason to complain about how his fitness is a big issue. Nadal is younger than Federer and still gets injured more often.
It’s easy to say luck is not on your side, but that’s the beauty of sport, staying in peak shape. The other day, Jim Courier asked Federer if he would ever wear a sleeveless tennis Tshirt. The maestro smiled and said he does not have the arms of Nadal. Then again, after Nadal got injured, Federer was prompt in sending him a note and wishing him luck in Melbourne.
Champions have an aura and a magical presence. Every day Federer has stayed in Melbourne, he has talked of good things and his strong connection with Australia. From Rod Laver to Tony Roche, Australian champions have been inspirational, something which Federer has been motivated by. After all, his first coach was also an Aussie.
So, how does Federer prepare for his 30th Grand Slam final when everything is pointing towards a victory for him so that he can make it a collection of 20 Grand Slam titles? The average fan may think Federer has a much better chance. Yes he does, but his humility does not allow him to take anything for granted.
In Saturday’s afternoon heat, Federer had a good practice session with Rohan Bopanna. Federer is aware Marin Cilic has played top class tennis in his six matches this fortnight. The Croatian has nothing to lose and is aware the crowd will not be on his side as the Rod Laver arena loves Federer.
The two have met before in a Grand Slam final, Wimbledon 2017, where Cilic lost. This time, Cilic looks in good shape and needs to produce that extra bit against the GOAT (greatest of all time).
Also read: Australian Open: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal still rule tennis