(Sky Sports)
By: Daniel Maiorana
Men’s singles champion: Novak Djokovic
Women’s singles champion: Naomi Osaka
Men’s doubles champions: Ivan Dodig, Filip Polasek
Women’s doubles champions: Aryna Sabalenka, Elise Mertens
Mixed doubles champions: Barbora Krejcikova, Rajeev Ram
Novak on Cloud 9
Novak Djokovic, the king down under, captured his 18th major on Sunday, February 21st, making it his 9th Australian Open title and becoming only two majors away from passing the other two “Big-3” members. Besides the final against Russian Daniil Medvedev, the road to winning the title wasn’t as pretty as it usually is for Djokovic. Facing American Taylor Fritz in the third round and winning in an action-packed 5 set match, Djokociv seemed to experience an abdomen injury that almost cost him the match. That “injury” didn’t seem to harm the Serbian because he went on to win his next three matches with little struggle. The final was a very hyped up match including the “next-gen” Russian Daniil Medvedev facing one of the “big-3” members, Novak Djokovic. Medvedev showed no desire to win in the final, as Djokovic cruised through his 9th Australian Open final winning 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. He stated in the post-match interview that “they still have a lot of work to do,” alluding to all the “next-gen” players who still haven’t found their rhythm against the “big-3” of Djokovic, Federer, and Rafa.
Osaka Simply Too Good
Naomi Osaka defeated American Jen Brady to win her 4th major and 2nd Australian Open title. She has now won 4 majors, 1 in each year since 2018. In her post match interview, she stated that “I’m living in a what-if right now,” explaining how she has thought of the exact moment the entire pre-season. She cruised through the draw, only dropping one set the whole tournament to last year’s runner up, Gabrine Muguruza. A straight set victory in the semifinals against American Serena Williams gave her that boost of confidence to win her second Australian Open. She only had to save one break point in the final, coming in the first set at 4-4, but she quickly erased it with an ace and never looked back. A prediction that many in the tennis world have is Osaka claiming the number one spot in the rankings this year. If she can continue to consistently play at a high level like she did in Melbourne, there should be no problem. Her baseline game is what many struggle to compete with, as she can blast winners from both sides when least expected. Her shy personality is what makes her very unique, but whenever the big stage is calling, she never seems to back away.
A First Major Win For The New Pairing
Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek defeated reigning champions Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram to capture their maiden Australian Open title. Winning in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, only two breaks of serve were needed to capture the title. Dodig and Polasek have only been playing with each other for little over a year, and their playstyles fit perfectly together. Their return of serve and volleys both were on display in the final, as winners were hit left and right leaving Salisbury and Ram clueless. What makes a doubles team successful is the communication, and the plays run during the point were simply too tough of a task for their opponents.“Poaching” is a word used when the player at the net moves across the court to volley the ball and end the point. Dodig and Polasek were able to force many mistakes and produce lots of points won at the net throughout the tournament thanks to their constant movement at the net Dodig talked about the victory in the post-match interview and stated, “we didn’t give them any free points,” which is very key, especially in doubles. You can see the scoreboard quickly change when errors start to pile up, and the champions made sure each point they lost wasn’t because of them.
Top Singles Players Take the Doubles Court
Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens, two top-20 singles players, teamed up to capture their second grand slam in Melbourne. Winning the title against Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, 6-2, 6-3, the second seeded pair showed no signs of slowing down. Their draw was anything but easy, as the Belgium and Belarus partnership played only one match against a non-seeded opponent. The team “kept on fighting,” said Mertens as their fighting spirit kept their energy high throughout the fortnight. What makes their pairing so special is the difference in playstyle. Sabalenka gets the job done at the baseline, while Mertens finishes points off at the net. The duo comes together here and there to play in the bigger events on tour, because they both play at a high level on the single’s court. It is not very often you see top singles players on the men’s or women’s side team up consistently, and what keeps the top doubles team together is their constant success. The Australian Open title is the team’s fifth career title, including three tour events and now two grand slams. Their strategy when playing both singles and doubles is to keep their points short and try not to make the easy mistakes. Both players plan on focusing on singles for the rest of the year, but don’t be surprised if they team up at some tournaments.
Runner-ups and Champions?
The now two-time Australian Open champions Barborba Krejcikova and Rajeev Ram defeated Sam Stosur and Matt Ebden in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. The team has seen lots of success when they play with each other, thanks to their communication skills on court. Krejcikova is known to be a very vocal player on court, and that asset of her game is not to be frowned upon, as the team was always on the same page throughout the tournament. Ram being a doubles only player stated, “this is what we play for,” in the post-match interview after the final. That feeling of all the hard work in the preseason paying off is very special, and winning the mixed-doubles tournament felt very rewarding after failing to win the men’s doubles title. Krejcikova explained that their chemistry comes from “each other’s game working so well together, and also understanding each other on court and off court.” If one doesn’t consistently play with their partner, the key to success is the relationship built between each other. Their easy-going personalities pair well on court and their energy is always at a high level. Additionally, no one seems to get upset at one another. Helping one’s partner on court is most important to success, and the players know to always stay positive in order to see results.