MILESTONES were recorded, rather liberally, in the just-ended Australian Open.
Authors were both legends and ambitious youngsters, warming my heart no end.
I am happy that youngsters like Stefanos Tsitsipas have made a serious move to crash into the spotlight. Soon?
Tsitsipas, 21, was most notable among the male wannabes.
But the distaff side produced Naomi Osaka, 21, whose Aussie Open win validated her reign as tennis queen following her U.S. Open triumph last September.
Federer was gunning for a record seventh Australian Open title when Tsitsipas butted in.
While Federer has a secure niche with his record 20 slam victories, Tsitsipas appears headed towards possible stardom, too.
Tsitsipas’s game in the Aussie Open has the makings of greatness. Even the legendary John McEnroe took cognizance of this.
“What I like in you is you put emphasis on the net game,” said McEnroe to Tsitsipas. Or words to that effect.
McEnroe was the last of the greats who put premium on the sport’s serve-and-volley aspect.
When Tsitsipas tried to patronize McEnroe by telling the mercurial American, “You are my idol,” McEnroe, in his typical bristling brashness: “Thank you for lying.”
Although Tsitsipas would bow to No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals in a crushing manner, the future Greek great took the debacle in stride.
His time will come.
Next, Nadal would get humiliated via a three-set loss to Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s finals, the Spanish giant flashed just a fraction of himself in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 defeat to the world No. 1.
Not to belittle Djokovic’s 28th win over Nadal in 54 matches but Nadal almost missed the Australian Open due to health issues.
But unlike Nadal, Djokovic had a quick recovery after undergoing an elbow surgery 12 months ago.
With his third straight slam win after victories in Wimbledon in July and the U.S. Open in September—Sunday’s plum was his record 7th Aussie Open—Djokovic goes for a fourth slam in the French Open in May.
The Serbian is just two short of Nadal’s 17 majors and five of Federer’s 20.
At the rate Djokovic is playing, he appears on course to pocket more.