The Australian Open concluded a month ago, so I’m long
overdue for my recap of the first grand slam of the year. Roger Federer won the men’s singles title, the 20th of
his career while Caroline Wozniacki
won the women’s single title, the first of her career. Below is my list of 10
things to take away from the two weeks that were down under.
#1. Roger Federer
continues to solidify himself as the GOAT: With 20 grand slam titles now
under Roger Federer’s belt, there’s little question of as to who the greatest
tennis player of all-time is. Federer’s longevity and ability to continue to
win grand slams is utterly remarkable. Federer played really well over the
course of these two weeks and looks like a guy who could play until he’s 40.
#2. Caroline
Wozniacki has entered another stratosphere: Before the 2018 Australian
Open, Caroline Wozniacki was arguably the greatest female tennis player to
never win a grand slam. After defeating Simona
Halep in an emotional three set final, Wozniacki was able to take that
monkey off of her back and instead be remembered as one who won a grand slam
title. Wozniacki played great during the entire two weeks and stepped up in the
clutch, something that she hasn’t been able to do at past grand slams.
Regardless of whether or not she wins another grand slam, Wozniacki has this
one under her belt, which redefines her legacy.
#3. Hyeon Chung has
arrived: You probably didn’t know who Hyeon
Chung was before the Australian Open, but you should know who he is after.
Chung defeated Novak Djokovic 7-6,
7-5, 7-6 in the 4th round and advanced all the way to the semifinals
before retiring against Roger Federer. Chung came in ranked outside the top-50
and left ranked inside the top-30. Chung had the run of his life and looks to
build on the success he had in Australia.
#4. Simona Halep’s
time is coming: Simona Halep lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the final 6-7,
6-3, 4-6, so this was truly a heartbreaking loss for her. However, she played
much better than she has in previous grand slam finals and convinced me that
her time is coming. I don’t know when exactly, but I’m convinced that Halep
will win at least one grand slam title and probably more.
#5. Novak Djokovic is
in some trouble: After he went down in the 4th round, it was
revealed that Novak Djokovic’s elbow was still bothering him and that he needed
to undergo a minor operation. I don’t want to say this is the beginning of the
end of Nole’s career, but the optics are definitely not good. If Nole wants to
be a contender at future grand slams, he has his work cut out for him. That’s
for sure.
#6. Madison Keys is
not there yet: I thought Madison
Keys might win the Australian Open, but she didn’t come all that close to
doing so, getting drubbed by Angelique
Kerber in the quarterfinals. I still expect Keys to win a grand slam down
the line, but it looks like she’s going to have to take a few more lumps before
doing so.
#7. Marin Cilic is
still a contender: Despite his lone grand slam title coming at the 2014 US
Open, Marin Cilic showed he could
still contend for grand slam titles, taking Roger Federer to a fifth set in the
final. With Andy Murray and Novak
Djokovic both hampered by injury and not at full strength, there’s an
opportunity for Cilic to continue to make a run at future grand slams. It’ll be
interesting to see if he does.
#8. Maria Sharapova
has a ways to go: Maria Sharapova fell to Angelique Kerber in the 3rd
round, which was perhaps better than some expected, but still not where she wanted
to end up. The good news for Sharapova is she’s back and capable of winning
matches at grand slams. That’s definitely progress, but she still has a ways to
go to get back to the level that she wants to be at. What happens at Roland
Garros will be interesting since she’s had a lot of success over there in
recent years.
#9. Grigor Dimitrov
continues to disappoint: Despite coming in as the 3rd seed, Grigor Dimitrov fell to Kyle Edmund in the quarterfinals.
Dimitrov was expected by many to win a few grand slams in his career, but he
continues to fall short of his own lofty expectations. He still has time to
turn the corner but so far isn’t blossoming into the player that everyone
expected him to be. Considering the draw that he had, he should have reached
the semifinals with little difficulty.
#10. The American
women were a bust: Madison Keys was actually the top performing American
woman in this event. However, Venus
Williams and Sloane Stephens
both lost in the first round and everyone else lost somewhere before the 4th
round. The American women were hoping to make a lot more noise down under and
they failed to make much of a splash. The American men were also pretty quiet,
though Tennys Sandgren reaching the
quarterfinals was nice to see.
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