Due to the time difference and a lot of the matches starting 3:30 AM EST, I usually do not get to watch much of the Australian Open. Nevertheless, I followed it and watched what I could of the matches that are begun 11 PM my time. I made the following observations of the tournament.
Stunning Upsets
Wimbledon in 2013 had a historic number of upsets that included Rafael Nadal losing in the first round and defending champion Roger Federer losing in the second round. While the upsets in the 2014 Australian Open were not as extreme, I was completely stunned by them. We can start with the defending champions, Novak Djokovic on the men’s side and Victoria Azarenka on the women’s side. Djokovic won the event three years in a row and was trying to make it four years in a row. Azarenka won two years in a row. Both players were shockingly eliminated before the Semi-Finals, in the Quarterfinals, by Stanislas Wawrinka and Agnieska Radwanska respectively. Another surprising upset was Ana Ivanovic beating top seed Serena Williams in the 4th round. Serena had a great year in 2013 as she won the French Open and US Open. As every additional Major Championship adds to her legacy and place in history, I expected a stronger showing in the Australian Open this year. On the other hand, her coach immediately made an excuse that she had an injury. I am a huge Serena Williams fan and root for her to win every Major. However, she does have a bad habit of making excuses and coming off as a sore loser when she is defeated. I support the notion that there are no excuses once you get out there on the court. There are times that she has not been 100% or out of shape but won the Major. She gets accolades for her ridiculously ability and talent when she wins in those situations. Accordingly, she should just accept her losses and congratulate the opponent. At this point of her career, I do not expect her to change. Perhaps, it is part of her competitive spirit that she feels only she can beat herself. It may be a reason she is so great but it does not come off well. The 3 seed, Maria Sharapova, also went out early in the same round as Serena on the women’s draw.
Stanislas Warinka Upsets Rafael Nadal to Win Australian Open
Warinka was not done after he upset the 2 seed and 3 time defending champion Novak Djokovic. He advanced all the way to the Finals to face Rafael Nadal. I expected Nadal to steamroll Warinka. Of course, Nadal won the French Open again last year. He also finished the season strong by dominating and winning the US Open. He also played great in the Australian Open leading up to the Finals and beat Roger Federer in straight sets in the Semi-Finals. As a result, I thought he would definitely beat Warinka to win his 14th Major and draw within 3 of Roger Federer. However, Warinka had other thoughts. He completely dominated the first set winning it 6-3. After he went up a break in the second set, Nadal suffered back problems and needed treatment before continuing to play. Nadal’s durability has been his only flaw in his career. He plays so hard and puts in so much effort during his matches that it makes him more susceptible to injury. If Nadal did not get hurt in this match, it would have definitely been a more difficult time for Warinka. Nevertheless, Warinka had Nadal on the ropes early anyway and completed his improbable run beating Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. As such, nothing should be taken away from Warinka’s win as he beat Djokovic earlier in the tournament and had already won the first set and broken Nadal in the second set. For Warinka, it was a long wait for his first Major Championship as he is 28 years old. Moreover, he is a Swiss player and has lived in Federer’s shadow for a long time. By winning the Australian Open, he moves up to the number 3 ranking and is now the top ranked Swiss player in the world. It is a great story.
Li Na Wins Australian Open in Third Try in the Finals
Li Na was the runner up in the Australian Open in 2011 and 2013 losing in 3 sets to Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka. Third time was the charm for Li Na in 2014 as she beat Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (3), 6-0. At age 32, she is the oldest woman to win the Australian Open. It is also her second Major Championship after winning the 2011 French Open. She is also hilarious in her post match interviews as she is brilliant in charming the crowd with her broken English. In the semi-finals, she was very funny in her apology to the crowd for beating the fan favorite Eugenie Bouchard. After winning the finals, she thanked her agent for making her a lot of money and poked fun of her husband. Li Na is a great combination of charisma and class. I am glad that a great thing happened to a great person.
Rising Star Eugenie Bouchard
19 year old Canadian Eugenie Bouchard is a rising star to watch and is the future of tennis. Making it to the semi-finals of a Major at her age is very impressive. Moreover, she is already crowd favorite because she is a beautiful, young woman. She will definitely have a huge following of fans for her beauty and ability to play tennis. She did make one major mistake in the tournament that caused her to be booed. When asked which person she would most like to date if she could choose, she replied with Justin Bieber. Of course, she is young and will learn to do better for herself.
Roger Federer Still Has Something Left
Federer lost again to Rafael Nadal in a Major. It is not really a surprise. I am a Federer fan and root for him to win every Major. However, he could not beat Nadal when he was in his prime so he it is going to be even more difficult for him to beat Nadal at his advanced age. Nevertheless, it was a great tournament for Federer as he showed that he is still a factor by beating Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Of course, he will never be the top player he once was again as Father Time is undefeated. However, a relevant Federer is still great for the sport of the tennis. He is its greatest champion with 17 Majors and always demonstrates grace and class in how he conducts himself. It would not surprise me if he could squeeze one or two more Major Championships if things go in his favor in a couple of tournaments. Moreover, Djokovic’s loss in the Quarterfinals and Nadal’s injury and loss in the Finals prove that it is very difficult to win a Major. Accordingly, it adds perspective to Federer’s 17 Majors, consecutive Majors Finals appearances, and consecutive Majors semi-final appearances. It was not as easy as he made it look. As his legacy stands, Nadal’s domination of Federer will be a knock on Federer’s career. While his struggles with Nadal should factor in the argument of who is the greatest tennis playerof all time, Federer’s 17 wins in the Majors and prolific winning should still carry a lot of weight. In the end, both men played against the same competition so their performance against the rest of the field needs to be heavily considered as well. Of course, Nadal can make it a much easier discussion if he ties Federer in terms of winning Majors. In that case, the head to head matchups would be the obvious tie breaker.
About Pat Wong
Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies.