Bill Simons
Tennis’ top talents have been on fire in Melbourne, but many players had their minds on flames in another city.
As tennis facilities from the Palisades Tennis Center to the Altadena Town and Country Club were devoured or threatened by flames and smoke, Madison Keys gave $20,000 to LA’s firefighters. Others wrote supportive messages online or on TV lenses. Tristan Boyer said he would be playing for his hometown of Altadena after his home narrowly escaped destruction, while others next to it were gone.
Naomi Osaka reported that her Hollywood Hills estate was just three blocks away from the flames, and spoke about how many memories her home evokes. She had to ask someone to go to her house to get her daughter’s birth certificate. Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff offered compassionate videos.
All the while, Southern California tennis fans looked to their young athletes in Melbourne – their stylish leader, the young teen with an unfolding story, a fearless giant and the streaking kid who’s the fastest learner in the sport. Let us explain.
Taylor Fritz, the world No. 4, avenged his 2021 US Open loss to NorCal native Jenson Brooksby.
Paul Annacone was impressed with the 6’6” Alex Michelsen, 19, who upset Stefanos Tsitsipas, and next faces unseeded Aussie James McCabe. Paul noted that Alex “is the thinking man’s tennis player. He’s very comfortable with being uncomfortable in big situations. He’s a gamer.”
Incredibly, Alex and the fast-rising Learner Tien emerged from the same teaching academy, Irvine’s Tier One Performance.
Tien, who’s a teen, has won seven titles over six months, made the ATP Next Gen final and rose to No. 121. He beat Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli in Melbourne, and next faces Daniil Medvedev.
Unlike Learner and Michelsen, Iva Jovic learned the game at a famous site. A product of the Jack Kramer Club, the youngest player to win a US Open match in this century dismissed Spain’s Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-2, 6-1. The 17-year-old next faces No. 6 Elena Rybakina.
Former NCAA champ, Thousand Oaks’ Marcos Giron from UCLA, beat former USC Trojan Yannik Hanfmann. But San Diegan Brandon Nakashima fell again to Ben Shelton.
And then there’s Tristan Boyer, the 23-year-old son of USTA SoCal Vice-President Chris Boyer who played a year at Stanford. Tristan came through qualies, then rushed the net 72 times and scored a 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 comeback win over Argentine Frederico Coria. Tristan, who next faces the No. 8 seed Alex DeMinaur on Rod Laver Arena, said he hoped his play would distract fire-weary Angelenos.
Seven thousand structures have been flattened by the Eaton fire near Tristan’s home. His mom Shari told Ben Rothenberg’s substack Bounces that she’s dreading going home. “It’s going to be really, really hard to see our town so destroyed…The club that he grew up playing at is gone, and so many of our friends have lost homes…He’s just trying to give everyone a little bright spot.”
ANDY MURRAY IS JUST A NANNY: Tennis coaches and their students usually give us a feel-good PR spin. Coaches say their students are tireless workers who have bright futures. Players insist their teachers have brought so much to their games. They are so supportive and inspirational – let’s dance – “Kumbaya.” But the usual lovefest came to an abrupt and hilarious end in Melbourne. With an obvious twinkle in his eye, Matteo Berrettini joked with the crowd, “I’m going to let my coach watch my next opponents. Normally he’s wrong. Sometimes he’s telling me things that aren’t happening.”
But that was nothing compared to Andy Murray. The newbie coach put his cutting Scottish humor on display in a joint interview with his new student Novak Djokovic. With a straight face he said, “I hate Novak, to be honest. I blocked his number after he beat me 10 times in a row in Slams. I actually took this job to get away from my kids. But now I’m looking after a bigger kid. He’s very picky with his food. I had to do the airplane trick with him last night. We all have to call him the GOAT because he says he identifies as a GOAT.”
Novak then explained, “It’s because I need you to understand I am the GOAT. I am better than Roger, I am better than Rafa, I am better than Andy. You are just my nanny.”
GOOD WIVES: Tennis junkie Kim Sears has been holding down the fort for 10 years as her husband Andy Murray traveled the world. After he retired this summer she assumed she’d now have regular help from her husband to take care of their four kids. Then she somehow allowed her man to again go out on the circuit as Novak Djokovic’s coach.
Daniil Medvedev’s wife Daria gave birth to their second daughter and then let her husband, the world No. 5 player, zoom off to Australia. Many wives are thriving in Melbourne, including Madison Keys, who just got married, Elena Svitolina, who often takes care of her kid, helps Ukrainians and watches her husband Gael Monfils soar, and Belinda Bencic, who gave birth in April and upset No. 16 Jelena Ostapenko. German Tatiana Maria and the pride of the Buffalo Bills, Jessica Pegula, also won Down Under.
A DAZZLING STAR IS BORN: For years, South American tennis hasn’t exactly sizzled. Where have you gone, Guga Kuerten? Chilean Marcelo Rios was an underachiever, and Juan Martin Del Potro’s brilliance was undercut by wretched injuries.
Last night, Brazilian Joao Fonseca dazzled, shocking the No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6. The 18-year-old, who recently won the Next Gen tourney and an Aussie challenger, and swept through the qualifying tourney and is still only ranked No. 112. But the hype machine didn’t care. Commentators who were impressed by his blazing forehand, his fearless winners and his beyond-his-years composure asked if this was the greatest debut in Grand Slam history, and whether Joao, who hasn’t lost a set this year, would eventually be a rival to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Great – maybe he’ll go on scoring Melbourne wins and eventually lift trophies in Paris, London or New York. And the phrase, “time will tell” comes to mind. But for now, it’s nice to see the emergence of a South American phenom.
GOLDIE’S GOLDEN MOMENT: When Nishesh Basavareddy took a set off of Djokovic, commentators quickly recalled the last time the Serb lost in the opening round of a Slam. Nishesh’s Stanford coach, Paul Goldstein, downed him in the 2006 Aussie Open. Goldstein told IT that Novak was only 19, was ranked higher than he was and was definitely impressive. But he’d wavered physically in the third set. Still, Paul said, “This guy’s going to be good.”
Then Goldstein lost to him at Wimbledon and in Adelaide. “His development in 11 months was striking. He now hit big off of both wings. There was nowhere to go. I didn’t have any place to breathe. I had no chance…I said, ‘This guy’s going to win Slams.’ He didn’t have the physicality Rafa had, even at 15. And no one could say Novak was going to be the GOAT. But you have to give him credit. To him, training wasn’t three hours a day, it was a way of life.”
PEYTON’S PLACES: As Peyton Manning did commentary on an NFL playoff game and was featured in high-profile ads, Cincinnati’s Peyton Stearns fell to Emma Navarro in an Aussie Open marathon.
THAI TIES DANIIL UP: Thai tennis isn’t famous. Former world No. 9 Paradorn Srichapan often spoke of his Buddhism. The highlight of Thai women’s tennis came when Tamarine Tanasugarn played in the first official match at Ashe Stadium in 1997.
Now enter Kasidit Samrej, 23, who’s about as obscure a Grand Slam player as you can imagine. The first Thai to play in a major since 2012 is ranked No. 418. And his first ATP main draw match was on the center court of a major, against the No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev.
Yes, Daniil’s wife had just had their second child, and the Russian had flown in late to Melbourne. Yet he collected the first set. Surely he would rout the newbie, who’d won the Asia-Pacific wild card playoff to get into the draw. But despite only having a 3-8 record on the ATP and having only won $60,000, Kasidit took the second and third sets before Daniil showed his baseline mastery and prevailed 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
‘SMILE – YOU’RE ON CANDID CAMERA!’: After losing two sets to Samrej, the enraged Medvedev smashed his racket four times and broke the tiny camera that was attached to the net. There’s a long history of cameras and tennis. John McEnroe’s very young son complained to his father, “Daddy, daddy stop them, they’re taking my picture.”
Right after young Andre Agassi signed a lucrative “Image is Everything” deal with Canon, his girlfriend Brooke Shields was pictured time and again taking photos with her camera – a Nikon. Agassi buffs recall the time he pushed over a pricey TV camera in New Haven. And in 2021, Medvedev himself kicked a baseline TV camera after sprinting into it in Cincy.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “If Kasidit Samrej plays like this every match, his life can be good. Money, girls, casino, whatever.” – Daniil Medvedev
