FIRST SERVE

Five things we learnt from the opening week of the Australian tennis summer

BARTY HAS IT ALL FIGURED OUT

Ash Barty is unlike pretty much anyone on the tennis tour – and that applies to her skillset, game style, personality and outlook. The world No.1 uses “we” instead of “I” to acknowledge her team and there are never any arrogant or controversial comments. Barty was willing to end her season after last year’s US Open to come home and spend time with her family and friends rather than chase more titles and points.

UNLUCKY TO THE MAX

Max Purcell not receiving an Australian Open wildcard raised a few eyebrows after his impressive second half of last season, especially after he got one for the US Open. Purcell is a strong doubles performer but is focusing more on singles after making an ATP Tour semi-final last year and upsetting Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Olympics. But there might have been more to the 23year-old being overlooked. “It’s kind of a known fact within the Australian tennis community that the higherup guys are not a fan of me,” Purcell said in June.

THERE’S LIFE IN KOKKI

A fit Thanasi Kokkinakis is dangerous, as we saw at the Adelaide International. Little about his results last year suggested he was about to take the ATP Tour by storm – but that overlooks the continuity he finally got. Kokkinakis’ wins over John Millman (ranked No.72), Frances Tiafoe (38) and Mikael Ymer (94) showed he still has the goods.

FORTHRIGHT IS FINE

Rafael Nadal’s honest take on Novak Djokovic’s Australian plight made for intriguing listening. Their oncourt rivalry means there is always a tinge of spice when they discuss each other. But nothing Nadal said was out of line, even down to him only begrudgingly feeling sorry for Djokovic, because, after all, there was an easy way to avoid this vaccinerelated mess.

WELCOME BACK

Naomi Osaka sparked global headlines last year when she went on strike against postmatch media conferences in the name of mental health. The backlash contributed to the four-time grand slam champion taking an indefinite break from the sport after the US Open, in very different circumstances to Ash Barty. But the way Osaka returned in Melbourne and answered every tough question posed to her was admirable, given how personal the matter was.