The Aussie Open is over and two new champions have been crowned. Kim Clijsters won the women’s title over Li Na of China and Novak Djovokic won the men’s over Andy Murray. For the women, it was a chance to see two first time finalists battle it out. Serena Williams, the five time champion was out with an injury and the tennis press was literally drooling to crown a new diva. They found an unlikely one in Li Na. She captivated audiences with her wit, her straightforwardness, and her powerful tennis. There was nothing contrived about her press conferences and her easy demeanor brooked no hint of a desperation to be liked. (*Side eyes a certain #1 player). By the time the ladies final arrived, pundits and fans alike were giving her more than a half a chance to win; thus becoming the first Chinese player ever to win a major title.
It didn’t happen though. She faced a player who had played in eight grand slam finals. After losing the first set, Clijsters tapped into her storage of experience and started to confound Li Na with spin and off pace shots. By the third set, Li Na was clearly flustered. She started to complain about the crowd noise, the calls, the photographers, the crowd, the calls, and the crowd again. She sprayed shots all over the court and dropped her serve like bad fashion. Clijsters capitalized on the mistakes and trotted through the set to win the title. It just goes to show that experience usually tends to trump guile. Congrats to Li Na. She’s won a new fan in me. I hope to see her compete for more major titles this year.
As for the men, two familiar faces graced the final this year. 2008 winner Djokovic had been playing like a possessed man throughout the tournament. Murray, the 2010 finalist had been playing well too. I said before the start of the match that the intangibles were going to be the biggest factor in the match. It was going to go down to who could handle the pressure better. By the time Djokovic won a bruising 39 shot rally, it was apparent. Murray’s spirit and game wilted along with the hopes of the entire United Kingdom. Nole kept applying the pressure and triumphed in three sets. It was a mature performance from a player who went through some rather painful personal growth spurts in the public eye.
Something to note: Murray hasn’t even won a set in three finals. The drumbeat of “mental fragility” is going to sound even louder now after this last drubbing. It’s not as if I can ignore anymore either. What else can explain Murray’s dismal performances in major finals? It could be true that with the way Novak was playing, it would have been impossible for anyone to beat him, but to not even win a set is very confusing. I’m not entirely heartless. I can understand how hard it is to play when an entire nation tends to remind you every time that you step out on court that they haven’t had a Grand Slam winner in 60 odd years. It must be tough to try to make your mark in the age of Federer and Nadal. But two of your contemporaries have won major titles while facing just as much pressure as you have. I. Do. Not. Get. Murray is extremely talented. He has every shot on the book and he has the ability to make his tennis look effortless. He’s a tactician with the uncanny ability to make his opponent look extremely uncomfortable on the court. Yet, he’s considered a lightweight in the guts department. I’m not writing him off . Ivan Lendl played in eight finals before he won so Murray has five more tries before I completely give up.
As for Novak, he’s occupying some rarefied air. He’s managed to break the FeDal title stranglehold twice. He did it the old-fashioned t way too, with hard work and mental toughness. The most traditional ways to win. Good job.
