Only 5 tournaments each for the men and women before
the 1st Grand Slam of the season (the only one in Asia-Pacific) gets
underway, which means there is little time for players to get into the
swing of things, switch to top gear after the lay-off in December and
play through 2 grinding weeks of tennis halfway around the world. Players
who had used the off-season to train – like Agassi, whose game
defies all his 33 years – stand better chances at the tournament.
And it’d be just as telling of those who had taken in one too
many glasses of champagne during the holiday season – even if
they had all the talent in the world.
With plenty of marquee names missing from the Australian
Open, the draw, even without the historical unpredictability of
Open (see Thomas
Johansson) has become one of the most open in recent years. Who,
then, could possibly be crowned champion Down Under? UrbanWire
gives you the lowdown.
After
a breakout 2003 , which saw him capture his first Grand Slam,
the US Open; silence critics;
and get his own reality show – all in the span of 9 months,
Roddick is poised to begin his 2004 campaign on a high. Forget
his recent second-round loss in Doha, with that arsenal of a serve,
huge, huge forehand, and coach Brad Gilbert behind the number
1 seed, Roddick’s almost a sure bet to go all the way to
the semis, where he’ll meet defending champion Agassi. Just
keep your eyes peeled for his tough first-round match where he’s
drawn Fernando
Gonzalez – the Chilean with the biggest forehand in
the game.
Here is arguably
the best player towards the end of last season, having swept the
field of the world’s elite players at the season-ending
Masters Cup in Houston. The immense talent tainted by a Slam-less
record is no more. Federer, the great Swiss hope after Martina
Hingis, has mastered the science of dominating when the field
of players gets white-hot after reigning at last year’s
Wimbledon . His serve-and-volley game is all-too reminiscent of
Pete Sampras and we
will have to wait to find out if he will be able to rack up those
Slams like Pistol Pete did. But expect his mastery of the men’s
field to continue at Melbourne Park, least up until the quarters.
Possessing a cracking
forehand; solid groundstrokes; and reaching the finals of the
2003 US Open by beating Agassi, Ferrero has all but dispelled
the myth that Spaniards can only play well on clay. The 2003 French
Open champion is equally adept on hard courts and the slightly
slower and higher bounce afforded by the Rebound Ace surface will
play to his advantage. Expect him to improve on his quarterfinal
showing last season.
If
anyone in tennis is ageless at all, he is the one: Having outlasted
all his contemporaries and playing good enough tennis to win at
the majors after 16 years.
Yet one can’t help but ask the burning question, “Will
this be the year Agassi finally retires?” Known for his
intensive off-season physical training, the father of 2 has always
come into the Australian Open primed for the sweltering heat,
outlasting and outplaying younger opponents. The defending champ,
his absence in 2002 notwithstanding, has won every match at Melbourne
Park dating back to 2000.
Together with compatriot
David
Nalbandian, Coria has put Argentina on the tennis map. The
1.75m right-hander reached only the 4th round here last year,
but has since made massive strides in his ranking after a breakthrough
2003.
Only 22, Coria has yet to win a Glam Slam title
and it may take a couple more years before he becomes a force
to be reckoned with on the Rebound Ace. Couple a recent abdominal
injury, which saw him pull out of the Auckland Open, with the
depth of the men’s field today, his chances of lifting the
trophy on the 2nd weekend are slim.
It’s odd to ever
call Lleyton Hewitt a dark horse, given he was once ranked number
1 for as many as 75 consecutive weeks and will be playing in his
home Slam. But the native of Adelaide had a mediocre 2003 season,
resulting in his ranking plummeting to 16. Of late, however, it
seems the tenacious, fist-pumping Hewitt-of-old has returned. His
beating of Fererro to steer Australia to the Davis
Cup win in late November was a sign he had returned to form.
The 15th seed has never fared well at home but expect him to take
out a couple of the higher seeds en route to the 4th round, the
furthest he’s ever reached. Or perhaps the newly-engaged Hewitt
can find newfound motivation to go further this year?
It seems a long time ago when Safin
had the world at his feet, where as an unfancied finalist, he swept
Pete Sampras in straight sets to win the 2000 US Open. Since then,
he has fallen short of those giddy heights although he’s arguably
one of the most gifted men on the tour. The Russian was the overwhelming
favourite at the 2002 finals, only to lose inexplicably to Thomas
Johansson. This time around, Safin has an uphill battle as his ranking
of 66 (due to an injured left wrist which hampered him for most
of 2003) means he is unseeded and could meet 12th seeded Nicolas
Massu as early as the 2nd round. However, if there’s anyone
capable of beating incredible odds, it’s Safin. Temperamental
but incredibly gifted, the former world number 1 may just pull off
a couple of major upsets if he gets past week 1.
The
most outstanding female player of 2003, Henin-Hardenne’s proven
size isn’t everything in tennis. One of the hardest workers
on or off the women’s tour, she’s improved both her
physical game and mental fortitude, now being able to hold her own
against physically more imposing players and close out big matches.
Given that and a women’s field depleted by injuries, it’d
hardly be surprising to see the Belgian number 1, regarded by many
as possessing the most natural and fluid backhand on the women’s
tour, string together her 3rd Grand Slam in as many outings.
Together with fellow
Belgian Henin-Hardenne, Clijsters is one of the few players who
can stand shoulder to shoulder with the power and athleticism of
the Williams sisters in a baseline slugfest. A 1st Grand Slam title
is long due for her and she certainly has the talent to do so. But
the 2nd seed is nursing left ankle and Achilles tendon injuries
coming in to this year’s tournament. And her fragile psyche
at the Grand Slam stage on many an occasion leaves doubt she will
finally win at a major – for now at least.
Her last Grand Slam
event was last year’s Wimbledon, where she lost to younger
sibling Serena in
the finals after sustaining an abdominal injury. Returning from
a substantial lay-off where she has seen her ranking slide down
to 11, Venus is back in business and looking to make up for lost
time. Owing to an exception to the seeding policy by the organisers,
Venus is seeded 3rd. . That, coupled with lil’ sister’s
absence, means Venus stands a very good chance of making it to week
2, if not the finals.
The Frenchwoman reached
the Australian Open final as an unseeded player way back in 1999
where she lost to Martina Hingis. She hasn’t been able to
go better ever since and this year may not be any different. She’ll
bring all of her 1.75m, 69kg frame blessed with prodigious strength
and athleticism, to make a good showing. We don’t expect her
to fall before the quarters but after that, how this tournament
ends for her may just depend on her wandering mind.
Davenport will be the first to admit she’s
seen better days but one can hardly write her off. She’s gotten
off to an impressive start in 2004, winning the Hopman
Cup for the US with partner James
Blake, and looks to have finally shaken off a nagging knee injury
which plagued her for most of 2003. With a women’s field considerably
weakened by several withdrawals, Davenport is one of the favourites
to win, with her deep groundstrokes and experience – she’s
the only woman in this year’s draw to have won the tournament
before. , The only caveat: She pulled out of the adidas International
semifinals in Sydney last week after injuring her shoulder, leaving
her less than 100% for the Australian.
Little
less than a year ago, life was good for Hantuchova. The Slovak was
ranked a career high of 5, and in reaching the quarters at the Australian
Open, achieved her best result yet. Then, all went awry. Her form
slid drastically as she appeared very visibly thinner, and murmurs
that she had developed an eating disorder grew as she dropped to
18 in the rankings Able to hit off her fore-and-backhand with ease,
coupled with a penchant for hard work, Hantuchova hasn’t quite
played up to her potential. But as the 1st Grand Slam gets underway,
the winner of the 2002 WTA Tour Most Improved Player of the Year
should see herself get through the earlier rounds where after, she
could do better than her 15th seeding.
The youngest
and loudest member of the Russian babe brigade, 16-year-old Sharapova
made her Grand Slam debut at Melbourne Park last year but was promptly
knocked out in the 1st round. Since then, she’s improved her
ranking exponentially and finished 2003 on a career high of 31.
An impressive debut considering she was permitted to enter a limited
number of tournaments due to the WTA age limitations. Based on her
ascent, this 28th seed Russian’s time as a Grand Slam winner
will come, but for now, expect a few big-name scalps along the way
as Sharapova’s star shines brighter and brighter.
