With the 2017 Australian Open now behind us, it is time for me to give my list of 10 things to take away from the first Grand Slam of the year. Enjoy!
#1. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are back! While there could only be one Grand Slam winner, both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal showed the tennis world that they are back to elite level form after both reaching the men's singles final. Roger Federer won his 18th Grand Slam title after five sets and is now hunting for #19. At the moment, I would have to consider Federer the favorite to win Wimbledon after what we saw from him in Australia. As for Rafael Nadal, he's my pick to win the French Open. Expect both Federer and Nadal to have strong 2017 seasons and continue to put more pressure on Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
#2. The Williams Sisters rivalry has been rejuvenated: Serena Williams captured her 23rd Grand Slam title, defeating her older sister Venus Williams in the final. Seeing Venus and Serena battle for a Grand Slam title was just as much of a joy for tennis fans to watch as it was to watch Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal square off one more time. While the rivalry never went away, it received new life after the Australian Open. I've always felt Venus has one more Grand Slam title in her and after what we saw, I think Wimbledon is looking very attainable for her. As for Serena, she's the greatest to ever play the women's game and she once again reminded us of that.
#3. Grigor Dimitrov has finally arrived: We've been waiting for Grigor Dimitrov, a.k.a. Baby Federer, to make an impact at a Grand Slam and he certainly did in Australia by reaching the semifinals before falling to Rafael Nadal in five sets. This was his first semifinal appearance at a Grand Slam since the 2014 Wimbledon, so it's been a while since he's gone this far. Dimitrov appears to have turned a corner of sorts in his career, so I would expect him to make more deep runs in Grand Slams going forward.
#4. Coco Vandeweghe has arrived, too: Coco Vandeweghe reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2017 Australian Open, improving her ranking to #20 in the world. Vandeweghe has always been known for being one of the hardest hitting players on the WTA Tour, but nobody was quite sure how much damage she would ever do at a Grand Slam. I think reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open answered those questions and at just 25 years of age, we should expect her to make more semifinals in the future and possibly win a Grand Slam.
#5. Novak Djokovic had a really disappointing event: Novak Djokovic lost in the 2nd round to Denis Istomin in five sets. To say the least, that is not how the #2 player in the world expected things to go. With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal experiencing a renaissance, Novak Djokovic has his work cut out for him this season if he is to win any Grand Slam. Djokovic fans shouldn't worry too much, though. Djokovic is still the #2 player in the world with plenty of years ahead of him. We are certainly not done seeing him win Grand Slams, but it is still disappointing for him to flame out so early.
#6. Angelique Kerber didn't back up her #1 status: After going down in the 4th round to Coco Vandeweghe, Angelique Kerber ended up losing her #1 ranking to Serena Williams, who won the title. This was an opportunity for Kerber to show the world she's the top ranked player for a reason and she didn't deliver. Granted, she won the Australian Open and US Open in 2016, so it's not like she didn't earn that ranking, but when you come in as the top ranked player, you have to do more than go out in the 4th round. It'll be interesting to see how Kerber responds at Roland Garros.
#7. Andy Murray likewise didn't back up his #1 status: The good news for Andy Murray is that he is still ranked #1 in the world after falling to Mischa Zverev in the 4th round. The bad news is that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal appear to be back in full force. Andy Murray absolutely earned that #1 ranking and still deserves to be recognized as such, but if you are looking to send a firm message to the rest of the ATP Tour that you are #1 in the world, going down in the 4th round at the first Grand Slam of the year doesn't accomplish that goal.
#8. Stanislas Wawrinka quietly reminded us that he's still very dangerous: Stanislas Wawrinka has won three grand slam titles (2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open, and 2016 US Open), but for whatever reason doesn't get treated as being in the same league as Andy Murray, who also has three Grand Slam titles (2012 US Open, 2013 Wimbledon, and 2016 Wimbledon). By reaching the semifinals at the Australia Open, Wawrinka once again sent a message that we cannot forget about him at any Grand Slam.
#9. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni is another player who has "arrived": If you hadn't heard of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni before the Australian Open, that's ok. But after reaching the semifinals, you better know who she is now. She improved her ranking from #79 to #30 and took out #5 Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals to get there. It will be interesting to see if Mirjana Lucic-Baroni can remain a fixture in the second week of Grand Slams or if these two weeks at Australia was simply the best she'll ever do. Only time will tell.
#10. Milos Raonic missed an opportunity: With Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray both going down early, world #3 Milos Raonic missed an opportunity to win his first Grand Slam title. He should feel a little bit better knowing he fell to Rafael Nadal, but nonetheless, until he wins a Grand Slam title, he'll look back at the 2017 Australian Open as a missed opportunity.
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