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Australian Open 2022: Ashleigh Barty, Rafael Nadal, Aussies provide happy ending after Novak Djokovic chaos-Sports News , Firstpost
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Australian Open 2022: Ashleigh Barty, Rafael Nadal, Aussies provide happy ending after Novak Djokovic chaos-Sports News , Firstpost

By Adam D Anglo

There were more beautiful stories from Melbourne Park that made Djokovic’s long drawn legal saga feel like a thing of the past.

Before the Australian Open got underway, Novak Djokovic’s lawyer argued in court: “Cancelling Mr Djokovic’s visa would jeopardise the viability of Australia continuing to host the Australian Open.” It was a notion seemingly held by the organisers as well. Documents revealed Tennis Australia looked to have stretched the deadline to issue a medical exemption to Djokovic. Despite strict vaccine mandates at Melbourne Park, an information sheet was sent to players for them to play without being vaccinated — a loophole largely manufactured for the world No 1.

Amid an ugly court showdown, which culminated in Djokovic being deported, the focus was stolen from the likes of local hopes Alex de Minaur and Ash Barty, defending women’s champion Naomi Osaka, world No 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal, who, like Novak, was looking to notch a 21st Grand Slam title.

“It’s very clear that Novak Djokovic is one of the best players of the history, without a doubt. But there is no one player in history that’s more important than an event, no?” Nadal had said before the tournament got underway.

“The Australian Open is much more important than any player,” he added.

“If he’s playing finally, okay. If he’s not playing, Australian Open will be great Australian Open with or without him.”

Two weeks later, Nadal’s words ring true.

In a miraculous comeback from two sets, a break and 0-40 down against Daniil Medvedev, Nadal pushed the final to five sets. As if the drama wasn’t enough, he was broken while serving for the title but persisted to go past the finishing line two games later.

Nadal’s comeback gets even more magical given he had spent six months out with a chronic foot injury and later a bout of COVID-19. Two months back, he was nearer to retirement than going the distance at the biggest tournaments.

“To be where I am today, I can’t explain in words how important it is to me in terms of self-satisfaction and being thankful for the support,” said Nadal after beating Matteo Berrettini in the semi-final.

Beyond the words, it showed. The Spaniard teared up after beating the Italian and buried his head in a towel in a clear sign of how much it mattered to him.

As the Spaniard lifted the trophy aloft on Sunday/Monday, after a gruelling five hour and 24 minute final, for his 21st major title — thereby edging his ‘Big 3’ rivals Roger Federer and Djokovic — he made it a Slam to remember.

Not just him, to be fair.

Australia had plenty to cheer with wildcards Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkanikis winning the men’s doubles title in an all-Aussie final. The ‘Special Ks’ became the first home-grown pairing to win the men’s doubles title in Australia since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, aka the Woodies, in 1997.

“This is a memory that we are never going to forget,” said Kyrgios on winning with childhood friend Kokkinakis. “We are going to grow old, and we’re always going to: ‘Remember that time we rolled off the couch and just won Aus Open?’ Honestly.”

“It’s f***ing nuts,” Kokkinakis replied.

The crowd favourites Kyrgios and Kokkinakis dropped only two sets on a run to the title that included wins over the No 1 and No 3 seeded teams.

They romped to the win right after Barty ended Australia’s 44-year drought. By beating Danielle Collins in the final, Barty won her third major but more importantly for her, and many at home, became the first Aussie women’s singles champion in the home Grand Slam since Chris O’Neill in 1978. To make her achievement even more impressive, the world No 1 didn’t even drop a set through the fortnight while being broken just thrice.

Already in a long line of Australian tennis legends alongside Rod Laver, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Pat Rafter, Sam Stosur, Dylan Alcott and more, Barty said, “The way that they handled themselves on the court, for me that was — there’s just no one better. I think I’m a very, very small part of that… to be a very small part of an amazing history in tennis as an Australian is really, really neat.”

Staying with the Aussies, Alcott didn’t get the fairy tale ending to a trophy-laden career but did he need one anyway? The 2021 Australian of the Year retired from the sport, received a much-deserved lap of honour on the Rod Laver Arena, and Barty acknowledged his contribution to the sport and reckons he stands well ahead of the current crop of Aussie tennis. “Dylan, for me, is at the forefront. He’s inspired a nation. He’s inspired the whole globe,” Ash said on the quad wheelchair tennis player.

For Alcott, achievements off court are more pride inducing. “Not awards, none of that. Like you saw on my social media, the post of a little kid did the toss and we fist pumped. Then a tweet from a young woman called Hanna, who is in a wheelchair. She said, ‘I just can’t believe I’m seeing two people like me in prime time doing what they love.’ That just didn’t happen when we were young. That stuff, that’s my purpose, changing perceptions so people with disabilities can live the lives they want to live.”

Alcott’s journey saw him start with just five people in attendance (his father, mother, brother and couple of friends) at 2014 Australian Open to a packed Rod Laver Arena for his final against Sam Schroder. He’s on the same Australian Open billboard as world No 1 Barty.

Not that his achievements on the court are any less impressive. He won the quad singles competition at 15 of the 19 Grand Slam tournaments in which he played. Alcott also won Paralympic gold in Tokyo, making him the first man to achieve the Golden Slam in quad singles, winning all four majors and the Olympics. Like Barty, who has embraced multiple sports, Alcott first won Paralympic gold in basketball in 2008 when he was just 17.

Special mention for Collins who is on a remarkable run of her own. Since needing immediate surgery for endometriosis in April and pulling out of the French Open with an abdominal injury, the American has been on a fantastic run and almost made it three titles on Saturday. She, and her brand of tennis, is unabashed and unapologetic. Just ask Iga Swiatek.

There were more beautiful stories from Melbourne Park that made Djokovic’s long drawn legal saga feel like a thing of the past.

Alize Cornet, 32, like Nadal, Federer, the Williams sisters, has been a long-term presence on tour. At the US Open this year, the French woman is slated to go past Ai Sugiyama’s record of 62 straight appearances. At the Australian Open, she made the quarters beating Garbine Muguruza, Tamara Zidansek and Simona Halep along the way.

Another in the veterans club who went the distance was Gael Monfils. A year on from a tearful press conference where he sought “mercy” after exiting in the first round, the Frenchman enjoyed a resurgence that took him into quarters before losing to Berrettini in five sets.

Closer to home, Sania Mirza announced this year would be her last. At the Australian Open, she exited the women’s doubles draw in the first round but progressed to the quarters in the mixed alongside Rajeev Ram. Three-time women’s doubles and mixed doubles Grand Slam winner, Mirza, 35, has contributed significantly to the growth of women’s tennis in India. Her absence will be a big hole to fill for her compatriots.

We close things out with special mentions for Meshkatolzahra Safi and Bruno Kuzuhara. Safi, 17 years old, became the first Iranian to win a match in a girl’s event at a major tournament. To add to the feat, she did so while wearing a hijab, also a first at a Slam, in scorching Melbourne heat.

American Kuzuhara won the boy’s Australian Open final. But before celebrating, and giving speeches in English, Japanese and Portuguese, he went to check on opponent Jakub Mensik who was ravaged by cramps.

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