Tennis Prose




Jan/25

13

AO Day Two Observations

I knew Nishesh Basavareddy was going to pose a danger to Novak Djokovic and he did exactly that, snatching the first set and then battling hard for the next three sets. Djokovic won in four but he had to summon and show his ultimate beast mode roaring, which we haven’t seen in a good while.

Coco Gauff finally beat Sofia Kenin in a Grand Slam – she previously lost to her at AO and Wimbledon – and looked good to score the straight set win but still some sloppiness with the forehand and serve. Problem for Kenin was she was even sloppier, missing numerous second serve returns and near misses on big points. Gauff survived but will need to be much better.

Fabio Fognini dropped out with a foot injury but why not just numb the foot like Nadal did that one year?

Tommy Paul escaped Chris O’Connell with a 64 in the fifth set win. Is the top ten American finally ready to make a push to invade the ATP elite echelon and strike beyond a Grand Slam semifinal? I think so.

Nick Kyrgios flopped in a 67 46 67 loss to Jacob Fearnley. Much was expected from Nick who has been training like Rocky Balboa for months. But he has nothing to show for it but first round losses this year. It reminds me of the sad plight of former Aussie near great Mark Philippoussis, who like Nick was a phenomenal talent who could beat anyone but his lack of full commitment and dedication was the fatal flaw. When Mark finally dedicated himself fully to tennis at the end, it was too late and the results never came. The game had passed him by.

Naomi Osaka avenged Caroline Garcia from last year with a 64 in the third set win. Osaka looked very good physically and mentally it’s clear the desire is still there to return to the WTA elite. But can she do it for six more matches? Muchova is next and that will be another daunting challenge.

Alex Michelsen continues to impress, with a hard fought four set win vs a desperate Stefanos Tsitsipas. Michelsen hit some startling shots including three winners of Stefanos first serves at the end of the match. The American can create magic when it matters most. Michelsen is going to do major damage this year, mark my words.

Frances Tiafoe survived a brutal five set war with Arthur Rinderknech who was playing like his life depended on it and firing aces and winners all over the place. Tiafoe endured the storm though and this kind of win should be a big confidence booster.

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3 comments

  • Sam · January 13, 2025 at 2:15 pm

    Scoop, I heard that even though Basavareddy’s serving wasn’t that great, Djokovic was having a pretty tough time breaking him. So . . . do you think Djokovic can go very far in Australia, or does he need to hit the practice courts a whole lot more before he can challenge for any titles? 🤔

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 13, 2025 at 5:06 pm

    Sam, Basavareddy does everything very well, he’s a smiling bulldog and deceivingly tough to beat at the baseline. Good serve, he thumps everything well from any court position. I knew Djokovic was gonna struggle with him based on seeing him last week. still like Djokovic to win this title. this match will help him. let’s see how he returns in the following matches.

  • Sam · January 14, 2025 at 1:55 am

    Scoop, I hope you’re right and Djokovic does win the title. But I’m just trying to keep my expectations realistic. Yes, at least this was a valuable test for him.

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