MELBOURNE — Dire musings from the tennis parlor called Melbourne Park: Has Australian tennis civilization gone the way of the Etruscans and the Aztecs? Are the Aussies emulating the ancient Romans in playing bad defense against the Barbarians at the gates? Can Australians masquerade as phoenixes and rise from the ashes? (Not the beloved … [Read more...] about AUSSIES AND YANKS TREMBLE AS BARBARIANS GROWL AT THE GATES
Tournaments
A PAIR OF HORRENDOUS AUSSIE LOSSES – RAFA, JUSTINE, SHE SADLY FOREVER
MELBOURNE — Call it Woeful Wednesday. It was the day the Australian Open lost its leading man very unexpectedly – Rafa Nadal. And professional tennis lost one of its most appealing champions. For good, this time – Justine Henin. Put them together and it was a huge, staggering hit for the game. There would be new champions. Roger Federer would fall to a confident Novak … [Read more...] about A PAIR OF HORRENDOUS AUSSIE LOSSES – RAFA, JUSTINE, SHE SADLY FOREVER
WINNING IS OK, BUT LOSER FRANCESCA OFTEN CAPTIVATES AS THE DEFEATED PLAYER
MELBOURNE – The star of the show did not win. Yes, she won the crowd of 15,000 at the Australian Open. And she won the praise of her colleagues, foremost among them No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. But it was time to go home for the Italian pixie, Francesca Schiavone, the end of one of the more adverturous runs at a major title. It was Francesca’s afternoon Tuesday even though … [Read more...] about WINNING IS OK, BUT LOSER FRANCESCA OFTEN CAPTIVATES AS THE DEFEATED PLAYER
IT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER AS SCHIAVONE AND KUZNETSOVA TRAVEL A 4:44 ROUTE
MELBOURNE – A couple of very nice young ladies went out to play a game of tennis at Melbourne Park Sunday. They’d done it before. Twelve times over eight years. But they weren’t ready for what happened – something that had never happened in the history of the Australian Open. They would play, and play, and play. And play some more. Plus quite a bit more – wondering if … [Read more...] about IT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER AS SCHIAVONE AND KUZNETSOVA TRAVEL A 4:44 ROUTE
THE PARTY IS OVER FOR THE AUSSIES BUT TOMIC CREATES BUZZ
MELBOURNE – It was inevitable. After only the sixth day the last Australian bodies were carted away, and the once-proud Aussies were once again shut out of their own championship. This is hardly news. Chris O’Neill, 1978, and Mark Edmondson, 1976, are the most recent home-grown winners of the Australian Open, and Lleyton Hewitt, 2005, the last finalist. But record crowds … [Read more...] about THE PARTY IS OVER FOR THE AUSSIES BUT TOMIC CREATES BUZZ