Week one of the Australian Open is in the books. The initial days of competition have been kind to most of the marquee names, setting the stage for a second week filled with drama Down Under. But there have some unexpected developments -- beyond the unseasonal rain in Melbourne Park. Let's look back at that week that was.
Biggest underachiever: Maria Sharapova. Sharapova received a challenging draw, having to face Maria Kirilenko in the opening round, but this match primarily came down to Sharapova's inability to control her shots in any aspect of her game. The former world No. 1 committed 66 unforced errors and coughed up 11 double faults.
While Sharapova has been plagued by double faults in the wake of her shoulder injury, her problems transcend her service approach. Confidence seems to be an issue at this stage of her career. Since winning the Australian Open championship in 2008, Maria Sharapova has only made it past the fourth round of a major tournament once. While the tennis blogosphere has been filled with speculation Sharapova may have already reached the pinnacle of her career, let’s remember she is only 22 years old. There’s still plenty of time for the three-time Grand Slam champion to rebound.
Player ready to party like it’s 2004: Justine Henin. Henin won her only Aussie Open title in 2004 and could be a factor in week two this year. The Belgian has been highly impressive advancing to the fourth round in Melbourne in just her second tournament since coming out of retirement. The diminutive star came up big in the second round, knocking out fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva in a pair of tight sets. Then Henin dug deep, rallying to beat Alisa Kleybanova in round three.
Henin appears to have kept herself in outstanding condition while she was away from tennis. Just as she did in her comeback event in Brisbane, Henin has struggled with her serve so far in Melbourne. But her backhand remains an unstoppable weapon, and few players can match Henin’s mental toughness.
Tournament officials and television executives have to be drooling over the prospects of Henin making a deeper run now that Kim Clijsters has been knocked out of her section of the draw. Based on her brilliant performance at the U.S. Open, it seemed far more likely that Clijsters -- not Henin -- would be the Belgian still playing in the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
Least compelling comeback: Fabrice Santoro. A year ago “The Magician” announced that 2009 would be his final year of competitive tennis and received heartfelt goodbyes at the Grand Slam tournaments. But earlier this month, the Frenchman realized he could add another footnote to his career if he played in the Australian Open.
Santoro became the first ATP player to compete in majors in four decades. Santoro’s 70th Grand Slam appearance was brief, losing in the first round to Marin Cilic in straight sets. Santoro will be remembered for his creative shot-making and dogged determination on the court. His final farewell should have had more resonance than merely trying to add another line to his tennis resume.
Most closely examined right leg: Serena Williams. Williams has been destroying her opponents so easily that members of the tennis media have been reduced to playing amateur physicians as they search for storylines. The world No. 1’s right leg has been heavily wrapped and Wiliams has been wearing an ankle brace in Australia.
When asked by reporters why she’s added the brace, Williams replied cryptically: “There’s probably a reason. But not one that I want to discuss.” So far Williams’ mobility has not been an issue in Melbourne, but it’s something worth watching as the world’s top-ranked player continues her defense of her 2009 title.
Americans moving in different directions: James Blake and John Isner. Blake played well in defeat, dropping a marathon second-round match to Juan Martin del Potro in 4 hours, 17 minutes. The American had chances to take the fifth set, but watched the fourth-seeded Argentine prevail 10-8 to win the match.
It appears that Blake’s contending window at the Slams has almost fully closed. Blake lost in the first round in two of the majors last year. His quarterfinal loss to Andre Agassi at the 2005 U.S. Open ranks among the most dramatic matches of the last decade. But having celebrated his 30th birthday in December, Blake may now have to be content with simply trying to reach the second week at the Slams.
John Isner has given American tennis fans reasons to be optimistic about the next wave of talent from the U.S. Few players can match Gael Monfils’ athletic ability, but Isner’s big serve was the difference in his third-round victory as he fired 26 aces.
Isner has now advanced to the fourth round at his second consecutive slam. While his play in Melbourne should end when he takes on Andy Murray in the round of 16, the 6-foot-9 rising star is showing that he may have staying power on the ATP World Tour. The former Georgia Bulldog won his first singles title earlier this month in New Zealand and has moved inside the top 30 in the rankings.
Flying under the radar Down Under: Novak Djokovic. The men’s draw is so deep that it’s possible to overlook the 2008 Australian Open Champion. The bottom half of the draw offers tantalizing potential quarterfinal matches such as Nadal vs. Murray and Roddick vs. del Potro.
But a closer inspection of the top half of the draw reveals that Djokovic doesn’t have much competition to prevent the No. 3 seed from reaching the semifinals. Eighth-seeded Robin Soderling flamed out, losing to Marcel Granollers in the first round and quickly removing a potential obstacle for the Serbian. Djokovic opted not to play any ATP events this year prior to coming to Melbourne and has shown some rust in the early rounds. But he will be able to rely on his championship experience as the action heats up in week two.
