With the first major tour of the year off to a bizarre start, no thanks to the Novak Djokovic fiasco, tennis fans are wondering what other surprises the rest of 2022 has in store. One surprise welcomed by the Australian home crowd is how current world number 1 Ashleigh Barty made history by being the first Aussie to win the Australian Open since Chris O'Neil upset American Betsy Nagelsen way back in 1978.
Barty defeated American Danielle Collins in straight sets, 6-3, 7(7)-6(2). However, whether fans expected it or not, considering the absence of Djokovic and Roger Federer, Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal finally broke their three-way tie and went on to be the first champion to capture 21 Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history.
Here's a rundown of this year's Australian Open highlights:
The first weeks of the season
Most players either unwind during this period or amp up preparations for the Australian Open every January. At any rate, it's a time to regroup from the challenges of the past year. The drama that Novak Djokovic encountered for two weeks leading up to the Grand Slam was an exception. As the events held the current world number 1 in men's singles in his Melbourne hotel with other refugees, activists protested loudly outside.
In Djokovic's case, hearings were in order since the Australian government enforced strict rules on visitors yet to be fully vaccinated. However, the contention began when Djokovic's camp claimed that Australian Open officials had given them a medical exemption to participate in the tournament. A day before the tournament opened, Djokovic and his camp found themselves deported from the Land Down Under.
In fairness to Australian Open officials, players were encouraged to complete their vaccinations before the tournament, targeting a high 95% player vaccination rate as early as December. Nonetheless, tensions were pretty high among fans and players who all agreed that this season was off to a rocky start. Moving forward, Djokovic retains his number 1 rank with 11,015 points.
Nadal's time to shine
With Roger Federer still sidelined by a major knee injury, most already knew that the tie-breaking 21st Grand Slam was Nadal's for the taking. As his second trophy for the tournament, the 35-year old Spaniard also took the title of the first champion in the Open Era to win every major tournament at least twice.
Nadal lost the first two sets to current world number 2, Russian Daniil Medvedev, but was able to bounce back and emerge victorious after an epic five-set match 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. Earlier, many were quick to write off Nadal's chances for the title, considering a previous foot injury might hinder his performance. However, based on how well he played in the Melbourne Summer Set and by the time he scratched off Italian Matteo Berrettini's title chances in their semifinal match, fans saw their hopes of witnessing Rafa capture the Grand Slam plum reignited. Accepting the trophy, Nadal acknowledged Medvedev in an emotional victory speech and press conference, claiming it an honor to play with a 'great champion' after the latter endured jeers from a hostile pro-Nadal crowd throughout the match.
Barty's winning streak continues
Meanwhile, homecourt darling Ashleigh Barty was presented her title trophy at the Rod Laver court by no less than her long-time friend and mentor, Evonne Goolagong Cawley. As she retained her world number 1 status in women's singles for the third straight Australian Open tournament, the champion finally captured her third major title and first Australian Open trophy. The event came to the delight of close to 3.6 million Aussie fans– a record average for the tournament. And fans were not disappointed as Barty displayed her dominance throughout the tournament by winning every single set down to the finals.
With some help from her home fans, Barty claimed the opening set with two holds of serve while forcing Collins to commit double faults and weak groundstrokes. Barty's latest win makes her a U.S. open title short of a career slam.
Fans also commended American Collins's impressive determination after struggling with health issues for most of the past year to reach her first major final in her career. Collins earlier opened up about the agonies she went through while dealing with a reproductive disorder called endometriosis. During last year's Australian Open, Collins collapsed on the court in excruciating pain after experiencing cramping in her pelvic area. By spring last year, she underwent surgery to ironically remove a cyst the size of a tennis ball from her ovary, which caused the pain.
Other highlights
All the drama was not centered on the Djokovic issue after all, as fans also cheered French Alizé Cornet as she finally reached the quarterfinals spot at the majors after 60 attempts. Flushed with joy, Cornet acknowledged former tennis star and now courtside commentator Jelena Dokic's courage to stand up against abuse. Dokic earlier stated in her autobiography, Unbreakable, that she had suffered years of physical, verbal, and mental abuse at the hands of her father.
Quad athlete Dylan Alcott, who had announced his retirement from wheelchair tennis after the Australian Open, earned the honor 2022 Australian of the Year. The prestigious award came after Alcott lost his final match. However, the loss did not overshadow how he captured 15 Grand Slams quad singles titles during his stellar career. The 31-year old Paralympic gold medalist in Tokyo was the first man to win the elusive Golden Slam.
In men's doubles, Aussies Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis won their first Australian Open and major title by sweeping through the draw and earning the moniker the 'Special K's.' Their Melbourne Park title win saw Kyrgios and Kokkinakis enter as wildcards, and like their fellow Aussie Barty, relied on the home crowd's support to barrel their way to the Grand Slam finals. Fans can expect to see more doubles featuring the two in action for upcoming tournaments.
In the end, after 256 players vied for a title shot, every set during the Australian Open seemed to be one for the books. Such a showing from all the players and a revived crowd spirit that signals the imminent end of the pandemic brings new hope for fans, despite the rough start.
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