Tennis: an astonishing comeback in Melbourne
Many people assumed the 2022 Australian Open would mark the moment when Novak Djokovic would finally move clear of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to become the most decorated men’s player in tennis history, said Christopher Clarey in The New York Times. Last year, he won three Grand Slams, to join his two great rivals on 20 major titles apiece – and as the Australian Open is a tournament at which he’s “perennial favourite”, having won it a record nine times, he seemed poised to eclipse them. But as the world knows, the Serb’s refusal to be vaccinated scuppered his hopes of going for the record down under, said Mike Dickson in the Daily Mail. And with Federer absent owing to a long-term knee injury, Nadal was left as the sole member of the triumvirate with a shot at upping his Grand Slam tally.
Even so, few people – including the Spaniard himself – gave him a serious chance of winning the tournament, said Stuart Fraser in The Times. He arrived in Australia nursing a “chronic foot injury” that had stopped him from competing over the previous six months. In October, he’d even hinted that his career could be over, saying he didn’t know when he’d “play again”. Yet on Sunday night, the 35-year-old produced perhaps the most dazzling performance of his “long and glittering career”, recovering from a two-set deficit to beat Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. The match lasted five hours and 24 minutes – making it the second longest Grand Slam final of all time. Given that Nadal is ten years older than Medvedev, the endurance he displayed is truly “miraculous”, said Simon Briggs in The Daily Telegraph. Early on, his game was ragged, but as the match progressed, he grew more focused and decisive. The Russian, by contrast, looked increasingly weary: his shot selection became muddled; he called for “pickle juice” (a very salty drink used to alleviate cramps); and he allowed himself to be distracted by the raucous cheers of the heavily pro-Nadal crowd.
The women’s singles also had a hugely popular – if less surprising – winner, said Tumaini Carayol in The Observer. Ash Barty became the first homegrown winner of the Australian Open since Chris O’Neil in 1978. And in front of a crowd that “lived every moment with her”, she held herself together with aplomb to overcome Danielle Collins of America 6-3, 7-6. Barty is a somewhat anomalous figure in women’s tennis, said Simon Briggs in The Sunday Telegraph. Her “crafty, touch-heavy game” can seem like a throwback, and in a “sport full of Amazons”, she stands at only 5ft 5in tall (though her serve is “lethal”). Yet what isn’t in doubt is her sheer athletic talent – she even took a twoyear break from tennis in her late teens to play professional cricket. This victory was her third Grand Slam title, and with a game well-suited to any surface, she’s sure to win many more.