GO FIGURE: An apprehensive Justine Henin, despite having won seven Grand Slams, said that after her injury, she was 50-50 on whether she could be able to make a successful comeback.
JUST ASTONISHING: Former No. 1 Dinara Safina, she of three Grand Slam finals, was blanked by Kim Clijsters 6-0, 6-0 in under an hour. Pam Shriver said, “I’ve never seen anyone fall off the fence the way Safina has.”
GESTURES OF THE DAY: Venus Williams‘ definitive scream when she was injured in her match against Sandra Zahlavova was, by significant measure, the most telling moment of the day. But when Roger Federer broke to go up 4-2 in the fifth set against Gilles Simon, he let out a ferocious, fist-pump and yelled at the top of his lungs, revealing just how much the 29-year-old still wants it all.
SIMON-IZED: Incredibly, Federer went into his match against Simon with a losing record against three players (0-2 against Simon, 6-8 against Andy Murray, 8-14 against Rafael Nadal). Of course, with the Frenchman’s loss, there are now no other players undefeated against TMF (The Mighty Federer). Against Simon, who was fast, steady, and had plenty of power and an effective return game, the Swiss mounted a ferocious comeback and ultimately turned the match over a fatigued Simon, who had won Sydney the previous week. Still, it took Federer five match points until he nailed down the match with a crunch-time ace. Afterward, Fed said, “Hopefully, we don’t play each other anymore.” (BTW: Federer has never lost after having a two-set lead at a major.)
SHAKY START FOR THE U.S.: Americans Sam Querrey, Ryan Harrison, Donald Young, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Melanie Oudin, Coco Vandeweghe, Jamie Hampton, Varvara Lepchenko, Irina Falconi, Christian McHale and Lauren Davis all lost in the first round.
JUST WONDERING: Is it true that Caroline Wozniacki is comfortable on her throne as the No. 1 player in the world, as she claims, or, like those who have preceded her (Slamless No. 1s Safina, Jelena Jankovic) is she, as some claim, ill at ease.
SHOT OF THE TOURNAMENT: Down two match points David Nalbandian hit an incredible half-volley drop shot winner.
SAY IT ISN’T SO: Sydney’s Herald Sun magazine noted a report that grunting has increased 10 to 12 percent, and “get’s rid of negative energy.”…When reflecting on the prevalence of coaching from the stands, Martina Navratilova said, Everybody does it, so it’s not illegal.”…As a struggling Venus showed grit and courage while struggling for survival in the third set against Sandra Zahlavova, ESPN skipped over seven games of the drama and showed the ho-hum first set between glamour girl Maria Sharapova and France’s Virginie Razzano.
FERNANDO’S FLARE FOR THE DRAMATIC: Fernando Verdasco has a penchant for dramatic wins: On Tuesday, Gil Reyes‘ pupil stormed back from near elimination to score a 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(0), 6-0 win over Tipsarevic, which brought to mind his five-set 5-7, 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4) triumph over countryman David Ferrer last year at the U.S. Open and, of course, his classic five-hour 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-7 (1), 6-4 semifinal loss to Davis Cup teammate Nadal at the ’09 Australian Open.
A VENUS WILLIAMS ANTHOLOGY:
•Venus gave a more-than-interesting on-court interview with Aussie Todd Woodbridge, saying she wanted to win because “it’s a long way from home and I didn’t want to go home yet.” She was surprisingly critical of her opponent’s on-and-off effort. Noted Venus, “You’ve got to be able to play under all kinds of circumstances – good, bad, strange, weird, bizarre, all of the above. So I was glad to come through.”
•Venus has now played four Slams in a row without playing a WTA circuit event.
•At 30, she’s the oldest player in the top 10.
•”What an effort we’re seeing from Venus — the courage, the effort, the heart.” —Mary Joe Fernandez during the injured American’s second-round 6-7(6), 6-0, 6-4 win over the Czech Repulic’s Zahlavova.
•When Venus grabbed her stomach and grimaced during her heroic won over Zahlavova, it was the scream heard ’round the tennis world.
•Venus’ win over Zahlavova proved to be one of the gutsiest performances on the women’s tour in some time, and so contrasted the throw-in-the-towel effort by Tipsarevic, who didn’t even bother to compete in the final set of his dreary five-set loss against Verdasco.
•Venus’ dress was kind of a mess — an outfit by committee. The bottom portion of the skirt, which featured no less than seven subtle pastel colors, had a certain interest, especially since it was out of the norm of tennis’ bold and simple colors. If it were with a simple top, it might work. But it clashes so greatly with the bright-yellow/gold of the top portion. As Eleanor Preston noted, it was a kind of latticework or waffle pattern gone astray. There’s something appealing to having a daring sensibility in tennis fashion, but Venus’ effort did not quite work. Was there a hint of fashion conceit, or just TMI (too much information) as she once again played the faux nudity card, as she did last year during the clay-court campaign? Having said all this, Venus certainly made a bold effort on the fashion design front, and an even more courageous effort on court.
•Venus has never retired due to injury at a major dating back to 1997.
•While Venus may have lost one of her long, dangling diamond earrings, which fell to the court, she never lost her guts as she struggled to victory against Zahlavova.
CURIOUS EXHANGE OF THE DAY:
The most curious on-court interview since, at the ’10 U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic gave us TMI about lying with his girlfriend and his private parts.
JIM COURIER: Can you remember the last time you lost in the third round of a major?
ROGER FEDERER: French Open against Gustavo Kuerten 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
JC: What year?
RF: In 2004. I was the No. 1 seed.
JC: Well, unless my notes aren’t correct, it was 2003…
RF: But it was Kuerten?
JC: It was the French Open, but…
RF: Oh, I think you’re wrong.
JC: I might be. [It was] before the third round, you lost before the third round.
RF: I thought it was the third round.
JC: No, you had to lose before the third round. Aren’t you listening to me?
RF: I just played a five-setter.
JC: Yes, you did, and you played a great one.
SLAMIN’ SAM: Bruce Jenkins took Aussie Open flameout Sam Querrey to task, saying, “You can’t have a slouch as a leading representative of America’s tennis future, and Querrey is a big-time slouch.”
MASHA’S STALKER?: An off-the-wall New Zealand TV journalist has been popping up at Sharapova’s press conferences from Auckland to Melbourne, prompting the three-time Slam champ to call him “a stalker.” After the man unfurled a cardboard sign that read: “I am not a stalker,” Sharapova said, “You even have a sign. Oh, goodness, that’s wrong.”
HAND JIVE: After Andy Roddick broke up a sizzling soccer-style exchange on court during the feel-good “Rally For Relief” fundraiser at the Aussie Open, grabbing the ball out of the air and throwing it like a baseball, Bruce Jenkins observed, “[That] is why soccer will never become significantly popular in America. We just HAVE to use our hands.”
COACHING CHANGE: Jelena Dokic cut ties with coach Glenn Schaap just prior to the Aussie Open, where she reached the second round.
BATTLING THE BOTTLE: The Telegraph’s Mark Hodgkinson said that Serena Williams missed the Aussie Open because “her foot came off worse from an argument with a broken beer bottle.”
IN MEMORIAM: Jim McManus, 70, a founding member of the original ATP Board of Directors, died on Jan. 18 of medical complications following his battle with cancer.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: After his 6-0, 5-0 ret. bulldozing of overmatched Brazilian Daniel Marcos in the first round, top seed Nadal was asked, “Would you have preferred a tougher match?”
THE NUMBERS
10: Occasions over past 14 majors that Sam Querrey has fizzled in the first round.
10: Consecutive double faults (including five in a row) for Maria Sharapova in her opening-round victory over Tamarine Tanasugarn.
3: 30-year-olds remaining in the women’s draw after the first round — Venus Williams, Francesca Schiavone and Alberta Brianti. (And Alicia Molik turns 30 on Jan. 27.)
1990: The last time a 30-year-old won a Grand Slam singles title (33-year-old Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon in 1990 at age 33 years).
17: Age of the youngest player in the women’s main draw — wildcard Caroline Garcia.
0: Australians who advanced through either the men’s OR women’s qualifying draws.
5: Men who have come from two sets down to win.
QUOTEBOOK
“The last time Mirjana Lucic played at the Australian Open, her onetime doubles partner Martina Hingis was the game’s teen queen and Anna Kournikova was still a serious tennis player, not just a screen saver. Sydney hadn’t yet hosted the Olympics. September 11 was just a date.” — Jake Niall, The Age
“I do feel bad.” — Kim Clijsters, who double bageled former No. 1 Dinara Safina in the first round 6-0, 6-0 in just 44 minutes
“I cannot talk. I’m too tired.” — The always chatty David Nalbandian after his marathon first-round win over Lleyton Hewitt, which lasted four hours, 48 minutes.
“I need time, I need matches, I need sets, I need hours on the court.” — Juan Martin Del Potro, who defeated Dudi Sela in the opening round 7-6(13), 6-4, 6-4
“She’s walking like an old granny.” — Eleanor Preston on the injured Venus Williams
“If you allow yourself to be dictated to by Venus, you’ll be flapping at shadows all day long.” — Australian Open Radio
