A three-team panel featuring Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand, Steen Kirby of Tennis Atlantic, and Joey Hanf of The Tennis Nerds recaps some of the underrated players, matches, and moments of the 2015 Australian Open.
In the wake of Marin Cilic’s surprise triumph at the U.S. Open, relative order was restored Down Under. Novak Djokovic prevailed for a fifth time and Andy Murray finished runner-up to revive the so-called Big 4 by climbing to fourth in the rankings. Still, there was some room for more unheralded competitors to make plenty of noise Down Under (and not just Nick Kyrgios!). So, who flew under the radar to impress us most over the past fortnight?
Joey: I’ll go with Marcos Baghdatis for my unheralded star. The Cypriot fell out of the top 150 just 11 months ago, and most in the tennis world felt like that was the end for the former top 10 player and 2006 Australian Open finalist. Baghdatis had other thoughts; he said in June of 2014 that he wanted to get back to the top 10. Most if not all of us thought he was crazy. But Baghdatis has played very well on the Challenger tour to get his ranking back inside the top 100 and he showed in Melbourne that he still possesses a very dangerous game. In the second round, the Cypriot took out David Goffin in routine fashion, winning 6-0 in the fourth set. That was an alarming scoreline given Goffin’s unbelievable record over the last six months. Baghdatis nearly pulled off two big upsets in row, as he pushed Grigor Dimitrov to five sets before losing. The Cypriot was timing the ball incredibly well, and if he continues that form he will certainly be back in the top 40 sometime soon.
Steen: One of the most interesting under-the-radar names that performed well was Malek Jaziri of Tunisia. The 31-year-old had never before made the third round of of a slam until the Aussie; in fact, he had never even won a match in Melbourne. The result boosted him to a career-high of 65th in the rankings after beating a fatigued Mikhail Kukushkin in four sets and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in five (he came back from a fourth-set breadsticking in that one). Jaziri has always been an enjoyable player to watch in terms of his shot-making ability, but according to his new part-time coach/adviser/friend Goran Ivansevic (normally coaches Cilic), before their partnership Jaziri almost never trained, practiced, worked on fitness, or took a tactical approach to tennis–and yet he’s always been a decent ATP player.
“He’s lost in space and he’s No. 70 in the world,” Ivanisevic said prior to Jaziri’s third-rounder vs. Kyrgios. “We really became great friends in the IPTL. He’s an unbelievable guy. He is a great talent but he has no idea about tennis; no coach, he doesn’t practice, he doesn’t go to the gym, and he’s No. 70 in the world. So he’s an unbelievable talent.”
Ricky: Ironically, Jaziri got plenty of attention at a much smaller event (Montpellier) this week. He retired from a singles match and withdrew from doubles, each prior to a potential meeting with an Israeli (Dudi Sela in singles, Jonathan Erlich in doubles) (link to story). Was he injured, didn’t want to play an Israeli, or ordered by the Tunisian federation to avoid the match? Either way, it’s another unfortunate incident that we had already seen once before.
Steen: I think the whole Israeli situation is highly unfortunate and I don’t know what to make of it until Jaziri openly speaks on the issue. Tennis players at his level often have economic pressures that make them rely on their federations, but this has turned into a shameful situation with no other national precedent in regards to tennis. It’s not as if Ukrainian and Russian players are refusing to play (Mikhail Youzhny and Sergiy Stakhovsky just played in Zagreb, and they’re frequent doubles partners). Some sort of punishment more serious than a Davis Cup ban should be issued. This type of behavior cannot continue for the good of the game.
Ricky: Back to the Aussie and in keeping with the veteran theme, we need to talk about Andreas Seppi. He was not exactly “unheralded” because anyone who beats Roger Federer gets plenty of headlines…but not enough in this case. Although it is true that Federer was well below par (how could Seppi beat him if he wasn’t?), the Italian’s play was outstanding and his belief was even more impressive. Seppi had been 0-10 lifetime against the Swiss, 1-21 in total sets, 0-23 in his last 23 matches against top-10 opponents, and 1-53 lifetime against top-10 opponents. For some reason, though, the 30-year-old did not doubt himself–not even after he lost the third set. On match point in the fourth-set tiebreaker, Seppi came up with has to go down as the shot of the tournament (link to video). I would argue that at the exact moment Seppi was racing to track down Federer’s well-placed approach shot, he was the betting underdog in the match. Seconds later, he was the improbable winner.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzCVdqbyrT0]
Speaking of Italian veterans, how about Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli? Bolelli probably deserves credit for not only winning a round and taking a set off Federer in singles, but also for keeping his partner focused and motivated all the way to an unlikely doubles title. And props to Fognini for actually caring about tennis and having fun while doing it (link to video). Is London ready for the Fog?
Joey: What impressed me so much with Seppi was that the entire time it looked like he expected to win. Against both Federer and Kyrgios he was incredibly calm given the circumstances.
Ricky: Of course, the youngsters cannot be overlooked, and Kyrgios wasn’t the only one who astounded. Fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis did not go nearly as far, but his first-round upset of Ernests Gulbis was one the best matches of the tournament. Although it wasn’t the very highest of quality (how can any match be when Gulbis is a winner/error machine who gives opponents absolute no rhythm of any kind?), it may have provided the most electric atmosphere of the fortnight. Inspired by a raucous Court 3 crowd, Kokkinakis saved a match point in the fourth set before ultimately prevailing 5-7, 6-0, 1-6, 7-6(2), 8-6. It was somewhat forgotten because Kokkinakis had to go up against a fellow Aussie in round two (he lost to Sam Groth in five sets), so he did not garner the same fan support and Kyrgios eventually stole the show from all other Aussies. It was, though, an extremely valuable experience for Kokkinakis. While the win over Gulbis did not kick-start a great Australian Open for him, it may have kick-started a great career.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVNbh6azPG0]
Steen: I will add that Kokkinakis played some of his best tennis under pressure, in the clutch, and some of his poorest tennis otherwise. That was quite interesting for such a young player. As for Seppi, he was striking the ball incredibly well all tournament (including in an epic five-setter against Kyrgios), and it was great to watch him going for the lines and taking a more aggressive approach to tennis. He had a poor season last year but he’s already outdone himself in 2015. Even his serve seems improved.
Joey: Elias Ymer is a young player I’ve been watch for a couple years now. The 18-year-old was a top-10 junior and highly-touted to be the next great Swedish player. Ymer made his Grand Slam main-draw debut in Australia, earning his way in through qualifying. He dropped a very tight five-setter to Go Soeda in the first round but showed how much potential he possesses. He was up two sets to one and quite simply dominating proceedings before running out of gas late in the fourth set. Ymer has a huge first serve and forehand, a combination that will serve him very well at the tour level. But what separates Ymer is his awesome athletic ability. His speed and movement on the court are reminiscent of Gael Monfils, yet Ymer is also incredibly mentally focused for such a young kid. While things might not have gone his way against Soeda, you will be seeing a lot more of Ymer in Grand Slams in the near future.
A snippet of what Ymer is capable of:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iP5nvavbu0]
Steen: Lucas Pouille deserves some serious credit for what he’s done over the past month. Pouille made the Auckland semis as a lucky loser and directly followed up that result by pushing Monfils to five sets in Melbourne. Pouille was up two sets in that match and had a chance to break and win in three, but he couldn’t get the job done and Monfils worked his way back into the match before prevailing in five. The 20 year old has a gifted, dangerous, forehand and his technical abilities seem to have improved considerably over the past year. That said, he doesn’t seem to be the mentally strongest player around, as he also dropped a match he had a chance to win, without even pushing it to three sets against Richard Gasquet this week in Montpellier. Pouille has been around for a while getting wild cards, but he now finally seems to be earning his place on the main tour and his development beyond raw skill will be something to watch this season. Robbie Koenig, among others, has identified him as a top 50 player in the near future.
Ricky: Kokkinakis, Ymer, and Pouille seem to be on their way to great things. Unfortunately for American fans, one of our up-and-comers had a golden chance for a breakout Aussie Open. Had Denis Kudla finished off Feliciano Lopez in his opener, the draw would have opened up for him perhaps all the way to the fourth round.
Steen: I picked Kudla to win that match and it’s a shame he lost it after forcing a fifth set and losing match-point chances, though perhaps it doesn’t seem so bad in hindsight given Lopez reached the second week. He didn’t become particularly fatigued, but his mental strength let him down in that match and he couldn’t deal with Lopez’s serve on key points. It was a high-quality, back-and-forth contest, and Lopez of course rushed the net and bedeviled Kudla with his slice, while Kudla pushed the Spaniard back with baseline play. Once again, the American came up short. Kudla, a pure ball-striker, has always been a talented player in my view and I’ve wondered why he hasn’t been able to have a real ATP breakthrough. This is going to be a make-or-break year for his career.
Ricky: Lopez had a bizarre Aussie Open. They say it’s better to be lucky than good, and the veteran Spaniard was both. After escaping Kudla, Lopez was one Adrian Mannarino service hold from a straight-set defeat in round two. Instead, he broke back, won the third, then got a retirement from the Frenchman in the fourth. Making the most of his third life, Lopez routined Jerzy Janowicz in the last 32 then pushed Milos Raonic to five sets in round four. At 33 years old, Lopez is at a career-high ranking of No. 14 in the world. He has almost nothing to defend all the way until the grass swing other than a fourth round in Indian Wells and a quarterfinal in Madrid. It would be epic if he breaks into the top 10 for the first time ever at such an advanced stage of his career.
Steen: It was especially surprising given the fact that with Lopez had not won a single match in 2015 going into the Aussie Open.
Another veteran who scored a big comeback win Down Under was Benjamin Becker. He achieved his best result at a slam since sending Andre Agassi into retirement at the 2006 U.S. Open by reaching the third round. Becker came back from two sets down against Lleyton Hewitt in round two after previously beating another solid player in Julien Benneteau. The 33-year-old has enjoyed some of his best-ever results on tour over the past 12 months. His aggressive ball-striking and flat hitting has led him to renewed success after beginning his career as a serve-heavy player. Becker is dangerous when given the chance to feel his way into rallies and will be a dark horse on fast surfaces throughout 2015.
Ricky: To wrap it up, let’s pick out favorite matches and moments from the Australian Open.
Joey: Pretty much every Monfils match is pure entertainment, and when you throw Janowicz in the mix, you are sure to get some drama. The two met in a highly-anticipated second round match and they did not disappoint. Janowicz’s favorite shot is the dropper and one of Monfils’ favorite things in tennis is chasing down droppers; the combination was hilariously glorious. Both players shoes were most likely useless by the end of the match, with each one sliding around as if he was on clay. I must admit that I was slightly surprised to see Janowicz win out in the deciding fifth set. La Monf usually lives for those moments (see his first-rounder against Pouille) Either way, the crowd was treated all night long, and so was everyone in the USA who stayed up to extreme hours to watch from home.
Steen: Bernard Tomic d. Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(6), 7-6(5). This was a super high-quality encounter in round two. Kohlschreiber played some of his best tennis in nearly a year and was hitting all sorts of shots that according to Tomic in a post match interview “he had never seen before.” But Tomic likewise played up to his potential and posted a huge result with narrow margins deciding the winner. All three tiebreaks and all four sets could have gone either way, but it was Tomic who massaged the ball within the lines and took advantage of enough chances to get through. Both players very much deserved to go deeper in the tournament given how they played. Additionally, it was a great style matchup with the one-handed backhand of Kohlschreiber versus the looping shots of Tomic.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB6Sx-mCMRU]
Ricky: I’m going with the third set of Tomas Berdych vs. Rafael Nadal–the most underrated set of the tournament by a wide margin. Berdych fans were too nervous to appreciate it, Nadal fans were already resigned to their man’s fate, and unbiased observers were so shocked at how bad Nadal was in the the first two sets that they just assumed the competitiveness of the third was due entirely to a dip in Berdych’s form. Not so. Nadal threw the kitchen sink at his opponent throughout the last one hour and 13 minutes of the match and the Czech came up with all the answers as they combined for 40 winners compared to just 22 errors. It was impressive from Nadal to bounce back from a bagel and even more impressive by Berdych to avoid the “here we go again” mentality and beat the Spaniard for the first time in their last 18 meetings.
Steen: As for a little-noticed moment, the first-round encounter between Marinko Matosevic (who finally won a match in Melbourne) and Alexander Kudryavtsev featured some fireworks. The fanatics were rallying behind Matosevic, who won in five sets, and directing abuse at Kudryatsev. At the end of the fourth set, Kudryavtsev went over the chair umpire, complaining and calling the fans “animals.” In a rarely-seen moment, the umpire came down from his chair and directly tongue-lashed the fans who were engaging in the behavior. It’s not something I had ever seen before. For what it’s worth, “Mad Dog” Matosevic did not exactly share the Russian’s view on the matter.
Ricky: For my moment(s) I’m going with the fact that both Seppi vs. Denis Istomin and and James Duckworth vs. Blaz Kavcic both went to five sets again. Istomin and Seppi have now faced each other five times in slams (all since the summer of 2012) and all five have gone the distance. Duckworth and Kavcic played for four hours and 52 minutes in the 2013 second round. Kavcic won then (10-8 in the fifth); Duckworth won now (6-2 in the fifth). This one wasn’t as long, as hot, or as memorable, but who cares? It went five!
Give it up for the greatest rivalry in tennis history:
Fun to relive some of those great Aussie moments, and Berdych did look great in that 3rd set vs Rafa…and that Ymer kid looks like a fun talent.