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By Chris Oddo/ Monday, January 28, 2014
The players have moved on, and reality is sinking in—-but
we’re still smiling about the 2014 Australian Open.
The cheers have died town, the players have moved on, and
reality is sinking in—but we’re still smiling about all the
tennis goodness that happened at the 2014 Australian
Open.
Here’s why:
1. The rise of the Stanimal
For years to come (hopefully), the ATP’s up-and-coming players
will scoff at their gnarliest losing streaks, pointing to
Stan Wawrinka’s show stopping
brilliance in Australia as the reason that they too can
overcome whatever seemingly insurmountable odds are stacked
against them at the time. Wawrinka came into his own in
Melbourne this year, never for a second stopping or stuttering
or thinking that he was in over his head or that he didn’t
belong. Deep down, he probably knew he was out of his league,
but he put the blinders on, listened to his coach, and thrashed
the top two players in the world en route to becoming the first
player in over twenty years to beat the top two men’s singles
seeds in a Grand Slam.
2. Li Na’s post-final speech.
Just watch it. It’s awesome.
3. Grigor Dimitrov’s breakthrough
Imagine if Dimitrov had converted the easy forehand sitter that
he saw in the third set of his quarterfinal against Rafael
Nadal. Nadal would have been forced to win two straight off of
the red-lining Bulgarian with a tricky blister wreaking havoc
on his serve. Who knows, we might have been looking at a
Dimitrov-Wawrinka Grand Slam final if that had been the case.
Still, despite the loss to Nadal in the quarterfinals, the
Bulgarian became the first male from his country to ever reach
a Grand Slam final, and he proved that he is not simply “Maria
Sharapova’s Bulgarian handbag,” in the process, as the
Melbourne Age had reported.
4. Fedberg
Maybe Federer’s improved play at the net, and increased
aggression overall, are a product of an evolution that began a
few years back during Federer’s time with Paul
Annacone. Maybe the new racquet or the improved back
had a lot to do with the way Federer played in Melbourne. But
it was great to see Stefan Edberg in the fold,
bespectacled and calmly watching over Roger’s progress like a
mad scientest of the serve-and-volley. And, even better, it was
great to see Federer playing his best, most resplendent tennis
in over a year.
5. Dominika Cibulkova’s Giant Game
The streaky Slovakian became the first from her country to ever
reach a Grand Slam final by playing courageous and sublime
attacking tennis. She may be the size of Rhode Island, but the
feisty, ferocious Slovakian has an attitude as big as Texas.
6. Ana Ivanovic’s Improbable Upset
Credit Ana Ivanovic for being persistent in
her belief that she can one day regain the form that took her
to the No. 1 ranking and a Grand Slam title in 2008. And for
that persistence, the Serb was rewarded in the form of a
memorable victory over Serena Williams in the round of 16.
Ivanovic played the perfect match against Serena, attacking the
American’s vaunted serve with uncanny returns, and rising to
the occasion when the situation called for it to gain her first
career victory over Williams and her first Grand Slam
quarterfinal at the Australian Open since she reached the final
in 2008.
7. The Ninja
Agnieszka Radwanska’s Australian Open campaign ended in a
heartbreaking defeat to Dominika Cibulkova in
the semis, after she found herself blowing her second excellent
shot to win the title in the last three Slams. But before
Radwanska went down, she turned in the most sublime set of
tennis of the tournament, which had critics raving from
Melbourne to Minnesota to Montreal to Mumbai. Rumor has it that
several spectators had to receive treatment for jaw injuries
after the Pole kept making their jaws drop in that final set
against Victoria Azarenka.
8. This Lob
Legal or not, it was awesome.
9. Nick Kyrgios
How long before Kyrgios passes Bernard Tomic
and every other Australian in the rankings? We give it a year.
It’s completely premature and completely insane, but would you
be surprised if Nick Kyrgios was the biggest star in the game
in, say, three years? We wouldn’t.
10. Eugenie Bouchard’s crush on Beiber
Bouchar’s impromptu revelation of her crush on pop megalomaniac
Justin Beiber was kind of funny, but it didn’t necessarily make
us happy. Let’s hope Genie reads the paper and reassesses her
priorities before the French Open.
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