Why 22? Well …
- Novak Djokovic is in firm control of the ATP Tour after ending 2022 and starting 2023 with big wins.
- Aryna Sabalenka rebuilt her serve and conquered mental hurdles en route to winning this event. The pain of her 2022 US Open semifinal loss seems like a distant memory.
- Elena Rybakina is a major champion and will contend for years to come. Her game seems quite unshakable.
- Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mental game has made huge strides since losing to Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon 2022.
- Melbourne’s blue courts are aesthetically wonderful. The time difference between Kentucky and Melbourne makes me watching much of the event difficult as I age. Sleep is important.
- US Men’s tennis has enjoyed three consecutive strong majors. Tommy Paul posted another semifinal finish (Tiafoe did the same at the 2022 US Open), but the field also has depth.
- Andy Murray is always true to his personality. From looking disheveled on the court to arguing for the right to a bathroom break, I have grown to like the curmudgeon more and more over the years.
- Iga Swiatek is about to enter into a period of defending a lot of points. She and her team should maybe talk to Jim Courier about his experience of entering the 1992 sunshine double as the defending champion and #1 player in the world.
- Djokovic’s 10 hard-court Australian Open titles equal the combined hard-court titles in Oz from #2 Federer (6) and #3 Agassi (4).
- Sabalenka and Rybakina’s final should remind everyone of how important the service is. In every game of a match, a player has to either hit a serve or a return on every single point.
- Speaking of that match, it was nice to see a final with two players trying to dictate play. Stringing changes have made defensive and counter-punching tennis more and more common, but dictating play in tennis is a bit like Steve Prefontaine’s “control the pace control the race” maxim.
- Rafael Nadal should ask Andy Murray about the best ways to approach hip injuries.
- Daniil Medvedev should probably forget about the past 52 weeks and try to start over as a player hunting the top spot and biggest trophies.
- Ben Shelton’s first trip outside of the US should be seen as a success.
- Victoria Azarenka probably has a few more final four runs in her career which is a testament to her athleticism and fighting spirit.
- J.J. Wolf’s father trained my college roommate in tennis. That seems noteworthy.
- Barbora Krejikova adding another doubles major means she may be the most anonymous automatic Hall of Fame bid playing on tour today. Having doubles digits in doubles/mixed doubles majors, a gold medal, a fed cup title, a #1 ranking in doubles, 1 singles major, and a #2 ranking in singles mean she can’t be kept out.
- Tim Mayotte spoke about the ideal player today having something like Jimmy Connors’ backhand and Ivan Lendl’s forehand. Sound like the new world #1?
- Danielle Collins is another player who likes to dictate play. She lost to Kybakina who lost to Sabalenka who beat Collins at the 2022 US Open. The lesson – dictate play!
- Aryna Sabalenka has all of the tools, has a lot of events on a favorable surface in front of her, and has proven herself mentally. Her biggest challenge may be avoiding overplaying ahead of the clay season.
- Carlos Alcaraz may benefit from not being #1 as his first reign seemed to weigh on him (along with health issues).
- Return like Agassi and serve like Sampras? Novak served exceptionally well throughout the 2023 Australian Open. His return as always was awesome.
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 