Australian Open 2015: Winners and Losers from Melbourne
What a fortnight we just had Down Under.
The 2015 Australian Open provided nonstop thrills for the past two weeks. Teenagers announced their arrival on the scene, legends were sent packing during the first week, and losing streaks were busted.
Sportsmanship took center stage—as did, unfortunately, sexism—and a shirt stole the show completely.
But once play wrapped up, four great champions made the singles finals, and two absolute legends walked away with the trophies. In the women's final, No. 1 Serena Williams defeated No. 2 Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-6, and in the men's final, No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated No. 6 Andy Murray 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-0.
However, there's a lot more to the story than the final scorelines. Here are all of the winners and losers from Melbourne.
Winner: World No. 1s
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After a fortnight filled with upsets, we ended up with both World No. 1s taking the title and making history along the way.
Djokovic won his fifth Australian Open title, becoming the winningest male champion of the Open Era in Australian Open history. He has now won the Australian Open in four of the last five years. This was also the Serb's eighth Slam victory, which ties him with Andre Agassi on the all-time list.
Obviously, it was a great fortnight for Serena Williams too—the 33-year-old won her sixth Australian Open, her 19th Slam overall, to move into second place all by herself on the list of major winners in the Open Era. She's now a mere three Slams behind Steffi Graf's 22.
It turns out they're both the best in the world for a reason.
Loser: Fedal
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In a tournament that saw Serena Williams win at the age of 33, and both Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic make the final, it was incredibly noticeable that both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were missing from the semifinals.
It was a particularly disappointing tournament for Federer, who came into Melbourne as the No. 2 seed and in fine form after beginning the year with his 1,000th win and a title in Brisbane. But Andreas Seppi toppled him unceremoniously in the third round. Prior to that match, Federer was 10-0 against the Italian.
Nadal fared much better, making it all the way to the quarterfinals, but once there Tomas Berdych thrashed him in straight sets. Prior to that match, Nadal had beaten Berdych 17 times in a row.
Federer and Nadal are still highly ranked and definite Slam contenders, but the days of their complete dominance are far gone.
Winner: Venus Williams
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While all of the focus at the end of the tournament is (rightly) on Serena Williams, let's not forget about the tournament her older sister had as well.
To begin with, the 34-year-old made it to the second week of a Slam for the first time since 2011 Wimbledon. Then, in the fourth round she beat No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to make it to her first Slam quarterfinal since 2010.
Her serving, court movement and forehand were reminiscent of her Slam-winning days, and for a while it seemed she was a legitimate contender for the title once again.
Venus ended up losing to up-and-coming American star Madison Keys, but it was still a great two weeks for the seven-time major champion, who will be No. 11 in the rankings on Monday.
It's been 17 years since they first burst onto the scene, and yet Serena and Venus are still the top two American tennis players. That's pretty incredible.
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Loser: The Runner-Ups
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Look, making it to a Grand Slam final is an amazing feat, but both of our losing finalists this year had been there, done that. Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray are both too great to take a moral victory from an appearance in a major final.
Sharapova played some of the best tennis of her career in the final, but she still saw her losing streak to Serena Williams go from 15 to 16. That has to hurt. The Russian is still stuck at five Slams, and she hasn't won the Australian Open since 2008, despite being back in the final twice.
Murray, meanwhile, was overcome by missed chances in the first and third sets of his four-set loss to Novak Djokovic. What began as a great opportunity to win his third Slam and announce himself back among the tennis elite ended up as a bit of a mess.
Both Sharapova and Murray will remember this Australian Open more for the one match they lost than for the six they won.
Winner: Teenagers
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Tennis has belonged to the veterans over the last few years, but a few teenagers—particularly a pair of impressive 19-year-olds—are trying to get another youth movement going.
For the women, Madison Keys stole the show completely in Australia. The American has showed promise for some time, but in her last Slam as a teenager and with Lindsay Davenport in her corner, she was finally able to put it all together for a deep run. Keys went all the way to the semis, upsetting Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova along the way.
She lost in the semis to Serena but made a fan in the process.
"I think she'll be really good. I think she can go really, really far. I think she can be the best in the world. The way she played today I definitely think she has potential to be No. 1 and win Grand Slams," Williams told reporters.
For the men, Australian sensation Nick Kyrgios made waves once again, marching all the way to the quarterfinals to become the first teenager since Roger Federer to make two Slam quarterfinals. (He upset Rafael Nadal to make the Wimbledon quarters last year.)
In his fourth-round match against Federer slayer Andreas Seppi, Kyrgios came back from two sets down, saved match points and won 8-6 in the fifth.
Both Keys and Kyrgios look to be the future of tennis, and if they are, the sport is in great hands.
Loser: The Next Generation of Men's Tennis Stars
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There are a lot of expectations on Kei Nishikori (25), Grigor Dimitrov (23) and Milos Raonic (24) to take the next step into the tennis elite after making such significant strides in 2014. While they each had a good tournament, all three came up short of making a real impact in Melbourne.
Nishikori, No. 5, made it to the quarterfinals in style, taking out No. 9 David Ferrer in three easy sets in the fourth round. But in the quarters, he fell to an incredibly on-point Stan Wawrinka in three sets.
Raonic, No. 8, also made it to the quarters, where he fell to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Grigor Dimitrov, No. 10, only made it to the fourth round before losing to Andy Murray in four sets.
A year ago, this might have seemed like a successful tournament for all three men. But now, close just doesn't cut it. At only 19, Nick Kyrgios is close to putting all of these guys to shame.
Winner: Female Coaches
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At long last, women are starting to make headway in the tennis coaching ranks.
Andy Murray was a trendsetter in this regard last year, appointing two-time Slam champion and former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as his coach. Though he struggled some last year, he stuck with Mauresmo, and his run in Melbourne more than justified his choice.
Throughout the fortnight, Murray made a point of sticking up for Mauresmo. "A lot of people criticized me working with her," he said, as reported by Nick McCarvel of USA Today. "And I think so far this week we have shown that women can be very good coaches as well."
On the women's side of the draw, Lindsay Davenport was in town coaching Madison Keys to the semis, and Martina Navratilova coached her pupil Agnieszka Radwanska to the fourth round.
Hopefully, this is only the beginning for female coaches in tennis.
Loser: Twirlgate
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Unfortunately, the first week of this tournament was overshadowed by sexism when announcer Ian Cohen asked Eugenie Bouchard to show off her dress and give the audience a "twirl" after her second-round victory.
Bouchard seemed exasperated, but she laughed and obliged. However, the Internet took over the outrage—after all, would a man be asked to do the same thing?
Glenda Cooper with The Telegraph addressed the issue:
"It’s hard to imagine Cohen asking Andy Murray to parade his new shorts around Centre Court, or questioning Rafael Nadal about whether he was going for the on-trend “fluoro” kit. While Cohen’s “twirlwind”, as it was inevitably dubbed, seemed to be unwittingly channelling Bruce Forsyth circa 1974, his interviewing technique reveals the wider problems that women still have in being taken seriously in sport.
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Look, no matter the intentions, it's offensive to turn the post-match interview into a red-carpet interview unless the player directs the conversation that way. Treat these women as athletes above all else. It's not that hard.
Winner: Italian Men
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In recent years the Italian women have gotten the attention, with Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci leading the way as the best doubles team in the world and frequent top-10 stays in singles.
But in Australia, it was all about the Italian men.
In singles, Andreas Seppi, the 30-year-old Italian who has a 264-284 record on the ATP tour, stole the show. His big moment came in the third round against Roger Federer, when he upset the 17-time Slam champion 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. Seppi had previously been 0-10 against Federer. Even though he lost in the fourth round to Nick Kyrgios, he still made quite an impact.
In doubles, Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli became the first all-Italian doubles team to win a major doubles title since 1959.
Viva Italia!
Loser: John Isner
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Well, believe it or not, it was yet another disappointing Grand Slam for the American men. The most disappointing man of all was the one with the most expectations on his shoulders—John Isner.
Isner, the No. 19 seed in Australia and therefore the top-ranked American man, started the year in good form, making the Hopman Cup final with Serena Williams. With his draw, he should have at the very least been able to make it to the second week in Melbourne.
Instead, he fell in three sets to unseeded Gilles Muller in the third round. Not good.
Matt Wilansky of ESPN.com summed up the letdown:
"Isner came to Australia with new coach Justin Gimelstob, a move largely made to help the No. 19 seed quiet the Grand Slam fire alarm that’s been going off for years and to work on his overarching vice, the return of serve. But as we saw against Muller, Isner’s length can be an impediment. With arms as long as his, it’s a tough ask to first turn your shoulders and then swivel quickly enough to create any kind of offense on returns.
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It was a great tournament for American women. Not only did Serena win, but Madison Keys made the semis, Venus Williams and the unheralded Madison Brengle made the quarterfinals, and CoCo Vandeweghe upset Sam Stosur.
To say the American men are lagging behind would be putting it nicely.
Winner: Tim Smyczek
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The one highlight for American men this tournament came from an unlikely source: Tim Smyczek.
Smyczek, a 27-year-old ranked No. 112 headed into the Australian Open, played against Rafael Nadal in the second round. He pushed the Spaniard to the brink but ended up losing 7-5 in the fifth.
But toward the end of the match, Smyczek made the most impact when he voluntarily gave Nadal another first serve after the crowd yelled loudly during his initial one. Had Smyczek not spoken up, it would have been a second serve for Rafa at a crucial point in the match.
Nadal praised Smyczek's sportsmanship to reporters after the match, via AustralianOpen.com:
"Well, I think he played well, but is true that what he did at the end of the fifth is just amazing. Congratulate. I say on the court, but I want to say here, too. Very few players can do that after four hours something of match, 5-All, Love-30. So just will say thanks to him because he's a great example what he did today.
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Smyczek certainly gave a great example for how the sport should be played, both with his relentless tennis and his gentlemanly actions on the court. Bravo.
Loser: Simona Halep
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Simona Halep had a breakthrough in 2014, making the French Open final and Wimbledon semis and climbing up to No. 2 in the rankings. She came into the Australian Open as the No. 3 seed and as one of the favorites for the title.
But while Halep cruised through the first week of the tournament, she came out flat in the quarterfinals and ended up getting trounced 6-4, 6-0 by No. 10 Ekaterina Makarova. The Romanian seemed completely listless and overwhelmed by the moment.
After her loss, it sounded like the pressure of being a top player was getting to her, via AustralianOpen.com:
"Last year was a big result for me here. Now I cannot say it's very big, but is enough for me. I started very well this year. I won one title, and now I did here a few good matches. I have confidence this year will be better than last year. I just try to improve more in my game, in my mind as well. I think I'm on the right way to go in the top higher. But, you know, it's tough. Every match is difficult at this level. Everyone wants to beat me because I am in the top.
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Halep is a talented player who has the ability to beat anyone, even Serena Williams. Hopefully, she will be able to get the mental aspect of her game back together and challenge for Slams for years to come.
WInner: Doubles Legends Martina Hingis and Leander Paes
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Often the best tennis and storylines late in Slams can be found in doubles, and that was certainly the case at this year's Australian Open.
We've already discussed the historical feat of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in men's doubles. The women's doubles champions—American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Czech Lucie Safarova—were equally inspiring and fun to watch. (They were also very good at celebrating.)
But no story was better than that of Martina Hingis and Leander Paes teaming up to win the mixed doubles title. This was the 15th Slam title for both.
For Hingis, the victory came 20 years after making her Slam debut in singles and doubles at the Australian Open. For Paes, it's been 20 years since he made his first Slam doubles quarterfinal, also at the Australian Open.
There's nothing quite like seeing legends adding to their legacies late in their careers.
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