Do shocking results Down Under signal a changing of the guard?
MELBOURNE, Australia — There’s a long way to go in this Australian Open, still in its first week, but Friday’s earthshaking results sure felt as if a generational shift was being signaled.
Serena Williams will have to keep waiting for that elusive recordequaling 24th major title after losing 64, 67 (27), 75 to China’s Wang Qiang, and after three years without one, some wonder if, at age 38, she’ll ever get there.
“I’m way too old to play like this at this stage of my career,” Williams said. “Definitely going to be training tomorrow, that’s first and foremost — to make sure I don’t do this again.”
Roger Federer is also 38, and it’s been two years since his last major title, his record 20th. And while he’s still in the mix in this tournament, Federer narrowly escaped a 4hour assault by local hope John Millman 46, 76 (72), 64, 46, 76 (108) to clinch his 100th win in Melbourne, looking exhausted after the marathon match.
Federer was helped by the finalset tiebreaker going to 10 points, a format this tournament adopted last year, instead of ending at 7 like the matchending tiebreakers used at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.
“Oh God it was tough, thank God it’s a supertiebreak, otherwise I would have lost this one,” Federer said. “John played a great match — he might as well have been out here as well doing the interview . ... He kept on coming up with the goods. I thought ‘OK, I guess I tried, I didn’t play too bad after all’ — I was getting ready to explain myself in the press conference.”
While Naomi Osaka, 22, is part of the new generation, the twotime majorwinner’s weaknesses seem to magnify with each passing tournament, and when her hopes for a second consecutive Australian Open title were crushed 63, 63 by 15yearold sensation Coco Gauff, she was left searching for answers.
Though she said she felt the pressure of being the older player by seven years, she said she has a lot of work to do — in her mind as much as on the court.
“I don’t really have the champion mentality yet, which is like someone that can deal with not playing 100%,” Osaka said afterward. “I always have wanted to be like that, but I guess I still have a long way to go.”
Osaka must be wondering if she will turn out like Caroline Wozniacki, who shot to No. 1 as a 20yearold in 2010 but managed to turn all that promise into only one Grand Slam title. Wozniacki, only 29, who is married to former
Warriors forward David Lee, retired Thursday after losing 75, 36, 75 to Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur.
Meanwhile, Gauff still is adjusting to her new normal. In the moments just after she won, there was not any of the ecstatic celebration that she displayed when she announced herself to the world with two stirring Grand Slam runs last summer — first at Wimbledon and then at the U.S. Open.
This time, as the last point ended, she turned and looked at her family and coaches in their courtside seats, raised her arms, pumped them four times in brief celebration, then walked happily to the net to give Osaka a hug.
“Honestly, like, what is my life? Like, oh, my gosh!” Gauff told the crowd. “Two years ago, I lost first round in juniors and now I’m here. This is crazy.”
And there’s still more than a week to go in 2020’s first Grand Slam.