The first week of the Australian Open is over and there are several words/ terms that come to mind when describing how it went:
- 16-14 -The score in the third set of the most epic battle in women’s tennis in quite some time. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Francesca Schiavone fought for over 3 hours in that set. Kuznetsova had 6 match points, but couldn’t put away the crafty Italian. This was no Isner/Mahut redux. The rallies were fierce and both women were at their peak. It’s only the 3rd week in the new year, but this match will definitely be on the “Best Matches of The Year” list at the end of the season.
- Psosas-The part of Venus’ body that was injured during her 2nd round match. She battled back and won but had to retire in the next round. Tennis fans were checking Dictionary.com in droves to figure out if they had a Psosas too.
- Wonderland Dress-The name of the monstrosity that Venus Williams wore during her 2nd round match. Funny though, most folks were calling it, “Nightmare”.
- Busted Racket- No, that’s not the name of the Yahoo tennis blog, it’s what happened to Agnieska Radwanska’s racket during her match with Kimiko Date. During the previous point, Radwanska banged her Babolat racket on the court in frustration. During the next game when trying to return a shot, the head literally exploded and flew off. Her dumbfounded expression was the favorite of silly .gif makers for days.
- Rafa Slam-A term much bandied about but successfully bunted away by Rafael Nadal. If he wins the Aussie Open, he’ll be the first man in over 40 years to hold all Major titles consecutively. Nadal assured the world that he’s not obsessed with accomplishing that feat and politely let the press know that they needed to, “Get off that”- Not that they are listening though.
- 6-0- The 5th set score of the match between Fernando Verdasco and Janko Tipsarevic. Verdasco was down and out in the 3rd set, but thanks to one of the most monumental chokes of recent memory by Tipsarevic, he was able to battle back. 3 match points bungled and Janko was nothing more than a ghost in that final set. No doubt, that loss will haunt him for a very long time.
- Boobs- Aussie commentator Todd Woodbridge just couldn’t help himself when he sent a text to fellow Aussie player Renee Stubbs which included his opinion of Kim Clijster’s recent demeanor. He suggested that she was pregnant because she,” looked grumpy and her boobs were bigger”. Stubbs of course, being a good friend (and an instigator), showed Kim the text and she called Todd out on it during her post match interview with him. It was 2 parts funny and 1 parts awkward, but made for some compelling viewing. The lesson from this: Be careful what you text, and don’t show anything to Renee Stubbs.
- Dead spots-The world is fully up on the news about the massive floods in Australia. The city of Melbourne has been fortunate so far in that it hasn’t received the brunt of the rains, unlike Queensland. It has had it’s share and as a result, the extra water has wrecked a tiny bit of havoc on the courts. Several dead spots have appeared on the show courts because the seepage into the Plexicushion used to cover the courts. Bubbles were formed and viola, balls dying on the court like Arkansas Starlings. Luckily, Aussies know how to use drills too and the problems were fixed.
- 18- The number of five set matches that Mardy Fish lost before triumphing in his 1st rd match at the Australian. An awesome feat, and in my opinion was partly due to his new love affair with full sized socks. Unfortunately, the good times were short lived, Mardy was bounced in the next round and is reported to be suffering from a thyroid problem.
Can’t wait to see what next week brings.
