Memories are made of this
NOVAK Djokovic is the President of the ATP Player’s Council. At the beginning of the Australian Open, he acknowledged that tennis, as all sports, has become is big business that accounts for the huge earnings by the top male and female players. While expressing gratitude for their financial fortunes, he bemoaned the toll on the body of a yearlong season. His words turned out to be portentous. He and Nadal succumbed to injuries and pulled out.
The frailty of the human body accounted for the exit of Hyeon Chung whose progress through the rounds was of interest to many people worldwide and not just his compatri- ots in Korea. After throwing in the towel in the semifinals, said he could no longer walk. It sounded like the town of Oconomowoc in the United States. One of the indigenous inhabitants had complained that he could no more walk. In Chung’s case, it was “blister over blister over blister” that ended his dream run in Melbourne. He left with a meteoric rise from 58 to 29.
The Women’s Final was more about the runner-up and the change of positions in the rankings. Caroline Wozniacki won her frist Grand Slam title and replaced Simona Halep as the number one female player in the world. For Simona Halep, it was more than close. The first set was critical in such a match, and the Romanian could have clinched it had she not been denied the break umpteen times.
Federer made the 20th Grand Slam with his sixth title in Melbourne. The semi-final match was pure genius and provided the answer to the question: what type of game for a particular opponent? The master displayed the antidote to the boredom of long rallies.