The Australian Open ended on Monday morning with one of the greatest men’s finals of all time.
Here, AFP Sport highlights five talking points from a tournament that began in chaotic fashion and ended as history went on.
– No the joke was no joke –
The world number one’s absence under the most extraordinary circumstances – detained, visa revoked and deported on the eve of the tournament – threatened to end life before the Melbourne Park fortnight began.
There was little joy about the “Happy Slam” as the first serve took place on 17 January, with the nine-time champion on his way back to Serbia at the Dubai airport.
The lack of clarity on vaccine rules and exemptions – exposed through two court hearings and the sight of one of the world’s top athletes being imprisoned in a notorious immigration hotel – was ridiculed as both tragic and ridiculous.
No one emerged with credit.
It is the duty of the organizers and the Australian Government to ensure that such disputes never happen again.
– T-shirt U-turn –
Fans wearing banners and T-shirts in support of Chinese player Peng Shuai went unnoticed until tournament organizer Tennis Australia saw it appropriate to ban the slogan as a “political statement”.
A viral video of human rights campaigners being asked by security staff to remove T-shirts turned into global news, with tennis legend Martina Navratilova calling the organizers “pathetic”.
A hurried Tennis Australia march erupted the next day and supporters handed out more T-shirts ahead of the women’s final, ensuring that Peng’s plight was put in the spotlight.
– Men are behaving badly –
Nick Kyrgios has always been a Marmite (or Vegemite if you’re down) character. You either love him or hate him.
But his behavior over the past fortnight with partner-in-crime and best mate Thanasi Kokinakis on his way to his maiden Grand Slam doubles title has left many thinking that he has crossed the line too many times.
Not only did he drive the crowd into a drunken frenzy during matches, but his antics off the court only fueled their anger.
Kyrgios admitted his on-court interview after winning the men’s doubles – where he asked “Melbourne women” to prepare for Kokinakis – was out of order.
After taking the doubles top seed in a bad-tempered match, Kyrgios claimed that his opponents’ coaches and trainers wanted a fight in the players’ gym.
A doubles opponent, New Zealand’s Michael Venus, instead launched a verbal attack on Kyrgios. “At the end of the day she’s a complete knob,” he said.
– ‘Luckiest man in the world’ –
Tennis great and prominent disability activist Dylan Alcott wrapped up an illustrious career in the wheelchair quad finals.
After 15 Grand Slam singles and eight doubles titles, which included the Golden Slam of all four majors and the Paralympics last year, she decided the Australian Open would be her last event.
But Alcott couldn’t have a fairy-tale ending, losing 7-5, 6-0 to second-seeded Dutchman Sam Schröder at Rod Laver Arena.
“I really am the luckiest man in the world, and I didn’t have to win today to realize that,” she later said tearfully.
– Do not stop believing –
A tournament that started in such chaos ended with two history-making moments.
Ashleigh Barty became the first Australian since Chris O’Neill in 1978 to win a singles title at the Grand Slam in Melbourne.
O’Neill was there to witness it and Barty was presented with the trophy in a magical, emotional moment by all-time great and fellow Indigenous tennis icon Ivonne Gulagong Kawle.
Rafael Nadal then became the first man to win 21 Grand Slams with the win for the ages, his most powerful comeback ever in a match that lasted 5 hours and 24 minutes and ended at 1:11 am local time on Monday morning.
Against world number two Daniil Medvedev and almost out, the Spanish great somehow found himself back in contention.
Nadal said, ‘I don’t know how I did it.
“I just wanted to believe till the end.”
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