Bill Simons
SIGN OF THE YEAR: An Australian woman gleefully held up a sign that read, “Just married but willing to exchange for Federer!!”
MURRAY TO THE RESCUE: We needed it desperately. After weeks of profound Djokovician dysfunction, Australia – and all tennis for that matter – needed something: a dash of tender loving care, a hefty picker-upper or maybe just a hug.
Enter a pale, hobbled, aging Scot with just one good hip. Braveheart Sir Andy Murray gave us what we needed: a gutsy, tight, feel-good, five-set triumph over a considerable foe in the first round of the Australian Open. Murray’s 3:52 win over the Indian Wells finalist and No. 21 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili had taken tennis back to doing what it does best: providing athletic on-court drama rather than tedious debates in courts of law.
Once seen as a skinny, sullen lad who battled like a warrior, Andy is now well known for his weepy and poignant moments, like his tearful speech after losing the 2012 Wimbledon final or breaking down at a 2020 Australian Open press conference. He’s also known for stepping up at big moments, whether at Wimbledon, the US Open, the Olympics or the Davis Cup.
Seventeen months ago at the US Open, after Murray amazed fans with a gutsy performance, despite having a metal hip, tennis’ other great Andy, Mr. Roddick, voiced the conventional wisdom: “Murray takes you into a gutter with him and rolls you around for a little bit. I never in my life thought I would see him move the way he was moving today…He doesn’t need the titles, he doesn’t need the money, he’s here alone…He’s just out here grinding, anticipating, showing his tennis IQ. I like seeing him back in full flight…I love the grittiness, I love the IQ. He never once had the biggest shot on court…[But] It’s really fun to see him back.”
Roddick’s sentiment from two years ago was never more true than last night in Melbourne where Murray’s performance was like a balm on tennis’ open wound.
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS FOR NOVAK: Upon returning to Serbia, Novak Djokovic was greeted by a handful of supporters. Fan Snezana Jankovic held up a sign that said, “They can take away your visa, but they can’t take away your Serbian pride.” Novak got some good news from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who indicated Novak’s three-year ban from Australia was not set in stone and that he might come back under “the right circumstances.” But, by a wide margin, French lawmakers voted that unvaccinated people would not be allowed in sports stadiums and public places. The law jeopardizes a possible appearance by Nole at the French Open.
THE TWO WORST COACHES IN THE WORLD: Darren Cahill recalled that at one match when he and a colleague were coaching Andy Murray, after the second point of the match the Scot looked to them in the coaches box and barked,“You two are the worst coaches in the world.” In contrast, Amanda Anisimova said her new coach, Darren Cahill, “always makes me laugh and puts me in a good place.”
TENNIS WATCH: After his tennis matches, the commercially savvy Roger Federer quickly puts on his Rolex watch. During his matches, Rafa Nadal wears a time-piece on his right wrist valued at over a million dollars. But, despite her protests, Sloane Stephens wasn’t allowed to wear her smart watch on court. The WTA banned them because of their messaging features.
TEEN WATCH: After their incredible US Open final, it was no surprise that winner Emma Raducanu, 19, and her then 18-year old fellow finalist Leylah Fernandez, would soon face obstacles. Since then, Emma has gone to many a gala and signed many astounding endorsements, but was only 2-4 on court. Plus she got COVID. Fernandez, who sported nice signage for Morgan Stanley on her dress, was only 3-2 going into the Aussie Open and fell in straight sets to the Australian wildcard Maddison Ingles. Raducanu fared better, as she held off Sloane Stephens to win in three sets. She’ll next face Montenegrin Danka Kovinic.
MADISON MADNESS: It’s been a great start for Madisons in Melbourne. Madison Keys downed Sofia Kenin, her fellow American Madison Brengle beat Dayana Yastremska, and the Aussie Maddison Ingles, ranked No. 133, downed Leylah Fernandez. After her first Grand Slam win, Maddison gushed, “It was just pure happiness.”
Quotebook
“Murray is moving the pieces around the chess board absolutely beautifully.” – ESPN
“He has such heart and passion.” – Jill Craybas on Andy Murray
“I’m confident I don’t have to be my best to win matches.” – Daniil Medvedev
“She had the worst case of yips that I’ve ever seen.” – Pam Shriver on Sabalenka’s recent battles with her second serve
“It’s felt like an eternity since I’ve been back on this court. It’s certainly fun to be back on home soil.” – The itinerant Ash Barty
“Old school is the best school.” – Jason Goodall on Maxime Cressy’s extraordinary serve and volley game
GO FIGURE: Dayana Yastremska retired from her match against Madison Brengle when she was down 0-5 in the third…World No. 8 Casper Rudd withdrew due to an ankle injury…On her fifth match point, Sorana Cristea beat No. 20 seed and 2019 finalist Petra Kvitova, who had 39 unforced errors…No. 16 seed Angie Kerber fell to Estonian upset artist Kaia Kanepi…American qualifier Hailey Baptiste beat Caroline Garcia…Sam Stosur survived a tight battle against her fellow wildcard, Robin Anderson…In her last four matches, Ash Barty’s serve hasn’t been broken…Aslan Karatsev won his first-round match despite hitting 107 unforced errors…In her victory over Yastremska, Madison Brengle had just one winner…Rafa Nadal has won a title for 19 consecutive seasons…The player with the coolest name in the draw, Katie Volynets, lost to No. 83 Beatriz Haddad Maia…17 of 33 Americans are through to round two.
BUFFALO BLISS: On Saturday, the Buffalo Bills scored an astounding victory over the New England Patriots. On Tuesday, Jessica Pegula, the daughter of the Bills owner, scored a tight win over Anhelina Kalinina.
KEY KEYS COMMENTARIES: Pam Shriver said: “Something is different in Madison Keys’ game. She has a different look.” Broadcaster Sam Gore agreed, saying Keys “was locked in. The drive and ambition were there.” Shriver added, “Madison’s margin of error was better. She was playing better percentage tennis.” BTW: Since Keys reached the 2017 US Open final, she’s seen nine women win their first Slam.
SAY IT ISN’T SO: America’s top two women, Coco Gauff and Sofia Kenin, along with 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens, all lost in first-round matches.
KYRGIOS PICKS HIS SPOTS: Nick Kyrgios does it his own way. “He’s definitely a character,” noted his next foe, Daniil Medvedev. “[He’s] like almost everybody in the world: there are some things I adore in what he does and some things I don’t like…He’s kind of going to extremes almost all the time…Even if [people] hate him, they love to watch him.”
The powerhouse Aussie, who only played 15 matches in 2021, recently announced he wouldn’t be playing the clay court swing this spring. He quipped, “At this point of my career I’m not going to be having 30-ball rallies against Diego Schwartzman.” In contrast, he loves Melbourne’s third show court, John Cain Arena. It’s his own personal showcase, where he inevitably unleashes his captivating brew of trick shots, athletic leaps, fun flicks, fierce winners and assorted rants. Tuesday night was no exception. Lindsay Davenport said, “It was, ‘Welcome back!’ for the Nick Kyrgios circus.” And he didn’t disappoint, as he thrilled Aussies with a between-the-legs underarm serve which befuddled (and some said humiliated) his British foe, the No. 128 and qualifier Liam Broady. Nick will next face Medvedev in a second-round match that may well be on the much bigger Rod Laver arena.
Earlier in the COVID crisis, Kyrgios went after Djokovic and said he’s a “strange cat.” More recently, Nick strongly backed Nole, and they began a long-distance bromance.
A STATEMENT ON STATEMENTS: The Djokovic affair has drawn more statements from more entities than any other happening in tennis history. At the height of the action late Tuesday, Tennis Australia issued a well intended but ill-timed statement that noted, “Recent events have been a significant distraction for everyone and we deeply regret the impact this has had…[we] are keen for the focus to now be back…[on tennis].” Some applauded the statement but Martina Navratilova noted it was one word short of a word salad and Steve Weissman asked, “Why would it take so long to say so little?”
RAFA GOES CROSSTOWN: Rafa Nadal downed UCLA’s gritty product, Marcos Giron. If that wasn’t bad enough news for collegiate fans in LA, the Spaniard next faces USC alum Yannick Hanfmann. Another USC product, Stevie Johnson, called on all his warrior qualities to battle back from 1-3 down in the fifth set to beat Aussie Jordan Thompson. Almost simultaneously, former UCLA Bruin Maxime Cressy, despite coming up short on four match points and suffering 19 double faults, continued his winning ways. He served and volleyed his way past the University of Georgia graduate and No. 22 seed John Isner, 7-6, 7-5, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4. He’ll next play Tomas Machac. Another UCLA grad, Mackie McDonald, will play last year’s sensation, Aslan Karatsev, who survived a marathon first-round match.
SOFIA’S SLIDE: Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champ, will see her ranking drop to No. 94 after her first-round loss to Madison Keys. Critics noted how she has had tough draws recently, but some now wonder whether the still young 23-year-old will be a one-Slam wonder.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Seb Korda’s preparations for the Aussie Open were cut short when he tested positive upon arrival in Melbourne. But he quickly began practicing against the wall in his hotel. In round one he upset No. 12 seed Cam Norrie, and GS Tennis News noted, “Those hotel practice sessions really paid off.”
OF FRITZ AND FRANCES: Good news – both Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz won their first-round match. Bad news – they face each other in the second round.
RICHARD ROMPS: The Willliams family’s biopic, “King Richard,” was a top winner at the African American Film Critics Association Awards ceremony. It won four prizes. Will Smith, considered a prime contender for Best Actor at the Oscars, won for his portrayal of Richard Williams. Aunjanue Ellis won the group’s Supporting Actress honor. Saniyya Sidney, who played young Venus Williams, was the Breakout Actress of the Year, and the Emerging Director Award went to Reinaldo Marcus Green.
ANGLO-AMERICAN GAP COMES TO TENNIS: When Nikoloz Basilashvili bungled a forehand, an English announcer referenced the difference between British and American measurements, saying, “That was out by a US country mile, not a British country mile.”
BEST FEEL-GOOD INSIGHT: After the AO began to give us one impressive moment after another, Jon Wertheim observed, “This sport can provide content.”
POPCORN MATCHES: Medvedev vs. Kyrgios in the second round and possibly Barty vs. Osaka in the fourth round.
