After one for the ages, Australian Open now a fitness test
MELBOURNE, Australia — With Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among the walking wounded and Serena Williams already deciding not to defend her title, injuries and absentees have been the focus of attention ahead of the Australian Open.
That's not bothering Roger Federer, who is returning as defending champion just 12 months after entering the season-opening Grand Slam tournament seeded 17th and uncertain of his prospects after six months off the tour with an injured left knee.
He beat Nadal in a five-set final for his 18th Grand Slam title — and his first since 2012 — and later won Wimbledon.
"I just thought that the game and the wins weren't going to come ... because I would just run into a red-hot Djokovic or Murray or Nadal or somebody and my game wasn't going to be good enough," Federer recalled. "I had all these great five-setters and, at the end, the epic match against Rafa. After six, seven matches, you start feeling like a different player, that you can't miss anymore. The fifth set (of the final) was maybe the best set I ever played.
"What a comeback it was and it was definitely the highlight of the year."
Second-seeded Federer and No. 14-seeded Djokovic have almost traded places.
This time, Federer breezily walked into the Australian Open drawcarrying the trophy just a few days after helping Switzerland win the Hopman Cup mixed team even. His 2017 comeback could be inspiration for the likes of Djokovic, who has won the Australian title a record six times but has been sidelined since Wimbledon with a right elbow injury.
They're in the same half of the draw — along with No. 4 Alexander Zverev, No. 5 Dominc Thiem, No. 7 David Goffin and No. 9 Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open winner who is also returning from injury.
Nadal skipped the year-end championship last November and delayed the start of his 2018 season, so he's also had only exhibition matches to see how his right knee has recovered.
"If I'm not feeling good, probably I will not be here," Nadal said after his error-filled loss to Richard Gasquet in an exhibition this week. "So that's the good news."
Five-time finalist Andy Murray withdrew more than a week ahead of time, deciding to have surgery on a right hip problem that had kept him off the tour since Wimbledon. Kei Nishikori also withdrew.
And so if the 2017 Australian Open was one for the ages — the revival of the Federer- Nadal rivalry and another Williams sisters final — the 2018 edition is shaping as a survival of the fittest.
Serena Williams, who was pregnant when she beat Venus here last year to claim her 23rd major title, gave birth to her first child — Alexis Olympia — in September. She said it didn't leave her enough time to feel confident of winning a major.