Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were expected to clash for the fifth time in the Australian Open final this year. Murray was crowned the world number one two months ago, while Djokovic has won five of the previous six trophies at Melbourne Park - six overall. Both of them crashed in the first week of the tournament, leaving the door open for three groups of players.
The first group featured Stanislas Wawrinka alone - the world number 4, US Open champion, who has won a major in each of the three previous seasons. The 2014 Australian Open champion was the favourite on paper, following the top two’s elimination.
The second group had the two fans’ favourites, and ‘golden oldies’ Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who have 31 majors between them - although neither has won one for almost three years.
At the time of the filing of this piece, 17th seed Federer has beaten Mischa Zverev 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 to book a place in the semis against Wawrinka, which would have taken place on Thursday by the time you read this. Meanwhile, 9th seed Nadal will take on Milos Raonic on Wednesday: the winner of that match will play either Grigor Dimitrov or David Goffin in today’s (Friday) second semifinal.
Raonic, Dimitrov and Goffin represent the ‘next gen’ of men’s tennis, even though all three of them are in their mid-twenties. All three of them are potential major winners, and with Djokovic and Murray getting to the other side of thirty - with Wawrinka, Nadal and Federer already there - it’s time for the younger pretenders to start bagging the titles that these players had a monopoly over.
The question is: will it start this year in Melbourne?
This third group of players - Raonic, Dimitrov and Goffin - will have at least one representative in the final four; and two if Raonic has knocked Nadal out by the time you read this. A final between the winner of the Wawrinka and Federer match - ideally the latter - and one of these three youngsters could be the fitting finale to a tournament that has really been a clash between two generations.
Even so, what the fans really want is another Federer Nadal final - one last, maybe. The two haven’t played a major final since Roland Garros 2011 and haven’t met at any major since the Australia Open 2014.
While both have had indifferent seasons recently - and both might already be out by Friday - the two have a lot to look to gain from their showings at this year’s Australian Open. It seems as though the rest in the second half of last year has done Federer a world of good, playing some of his best tennis in Melbourne this year, beating tough opponents like Tomas Berdych and Kei Nishikori. Nadal’s wins over Gael Monfils and Alexander Zverev, and the manner in which he got them would do well for his confidence in the coming majors as well.
As Federer and Nadal were being pushed to meet for a grand finale, the women’s side has witnessed a similar potential coming together of the paths of two historical rivals. The Williams sisters are drawn in the opposite halves and with Venus rolling back the clock to reach the semis (scheduled for Thursday), a Serena-Venus final - one last, again perhaps - could be a mouthwatering prospect as well.
The women’s side has thrown up quite a few romantic stories this week. Facing Serena in the quarters is Johanna Konta, who until 2012 was playing for Australia and now represents the UK. Coco Vandeweghe, who upset World Number 1 Angela Kerber in the fourth round, is among America’s next hopes after the Williams sisters bid adieu.
34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who takes on Karolina Pliskova in the quarters is from the generation of the Williams sisters, and was slotted alongside Serena, Venus and Martina in 1990s as the future of women’s tennis. Lucic-Baroni, who was once Steffi Graff’s pick to reign supreme, has battled multiple crises to reach where she was predicted to arrive at almost two decades ago.
The draw, the matchups and the nostalgia surrounding the singles events, means that whoever lifts either of the two trophies will be a popular winner. Even if we don’t get a Fedal or all Williams finals, the final weekend promises to be a memorable one for tennis fans.
The first group featured Stanislas Wawrinka alone - the world number 4, US Open champion, who has won a major in each of the three previous seasons. The 2014 Australian Open champion was the favourite on paper, following the top two’s elimination.
The second group had the two fans’ favourites, and ‘golden oldies’ Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who have 31 majors between them - although neither has won one for almost three years.
At the time of the filing of this piece, 17th seed Federer has beaten Mischa Zverev 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 to book a place in the semis against Wawrinka, which would have taken place on Thursday by the time you read this. Meanwhile, 9th seed Nadal will take on Milos Raonic on Wednesday: the winner of that match will play either Grigor Dimitrov or David Goffin in today’s (Friday) second semifinal.
It's time for the younger pretenders to start bagging the titles that others had a monopoly over. The question is: will it start this year in Melbourne?
Raonic, Dimitrov and Goffin represent the ‘next gen’ of men’s tennis, even though all three of them are in their mid-twenties. All three of them are potential major winners, and with Djokovic and Murray getting to the other side of thirty - with Wawrinka, Nadal and Federer already there - it’s time for the younger pretenders to start bagging the titles that these players had a monopoly over.
The question is: will it start this year in Melbourne?
This third group of players - Raonic, Dimitrov and Goffin - will have at least one representative in the final four; and two if Raonic has knocked Nadal out by the time you read this. A final between the winner of the Wawrinka and Federer match - ideally the latter - and one of these three youngsters could be the fitting finale to a tournament that has really been a clash between two generations.
Even so, what the fans really want is another Federer Nadal final - one last, maybe. The two haven’t played a major final since Roland Garros 2011 and haven’t met at any major since the Australia Open 2014.
While both have had indifferent seasons recently - and both might already be out by Friday - the two have a lot to look to gain from their showings at this year’s Australian Open. It seems as though the rest in the second half of last year has done Federer a world of good, playing some of his best tennis in Melbourne this year, beating tough opponents like Tomas Berdych and Kei Nishikori. Nadal’s wins over Gael Monfils and Alexander Zverev, and the manner in which he got them would do well for his confidence in the coming majors as well.
As Federer and Nadal were being pushed to meet for a grand finale, the women’s side has witnessed a similar potential coming together of the paths of two historical rivals. The Williams sisters are drawn in the opposite halves and with Venus rolling back the clock to reach the semis (scheduled for Thursday), a Serena-Venus final - one last, again perhaps - could be a mouthwatering prospect as well.
The women’s side has thrown up quite a few romantic stories this week. Facing Serena in the quarters is Johanna Konta, who until 2012 was playing for Australia and now represents the UK. Coco Vandeweghe, who upset World Number 1 Angela Kerber in the fourth round, is among America’s next hopes after the Williams sisters bid adieu.
34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who takes on Karolina Pliskova in the quarters is from the generation of the Williams sisters, and was slotted alongside Serena, Venus and Martina in 1990s as the future of women’s tennis. Lucic-Baroni, who was once Steffi Graff’s pick to reign supreme, has battled multiple crises to reach where she was predicted to arrive at almost two decades ago.
The draw, the matchups and the nostalgia surrounding the singles events, means that whoever lifts either of the two trophies will be a popular winner. Even if we don’t get a Fedal or all Williams finals, the final weekend promises to be a memorable one for tennis fans.