Australian Open 2012: Points to ponder

At the end of a fortnight of breathtaking tennis with among the best final weekends in a long long time, the Australian Open 2012 is now a chapter in history, a glorious one at that. Tennis fans would have inferred certain things from certain happenings on court. These inferences would shape the remainder of the season. A look at them:

THE MENTAL BLOCK

We currently have three sets of mental blocks. One that Roger Federer has against Rafa in the Slams, which is pretty obvious and has been in prevalence for a long time. The other one is Andy Murray‘s against the top three in the business end of Slams. He showed some evidence that he is getting past that block, after a heart-breaking five set loss against Djokovic in the semifinal. The last one is Rafa’s against Djokovic. After three consecutive Slam losses to the same player and seven consecutive losses on the whole, the stats point to an overwhelming mental block. But, the fight that Rafa showed, his numerous comebacks in the same match and the fact that he had his own chances to win show that this is among the weaker mental blocks that can be overcome. Rafa himself says that he had a mental block in 2011 against Novak, but not so in 2012.

Another first time Slam winner among the ladies.

SUCH VARIETY AND DEPTH BUT WHERE IS THE CONSISTENCY?

Different women have been winning the past five Slams starting from Kim Clijsters to Li Na to Petra Kvitova to Samantha Stosur to Victoria Azarenka. Such is the depth in the field. We have other girls like Lisicki who are on the verge of glory. But the fact that Stosur lost in the very first round shows that most of these women have a long way to go before matching the consistency of the top four men.

THE WILLIAMS CLAN IS ON THE WAY OUT?

Venus is just recovering from a life-threatening illness while Serena was humbled by the unheralded Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets. Are the famous sisters on the way down or do they have few more fights left in them? Expect Serena to bounce back soon.

MARIA’S JINX

Sharapova has been losing the finals of the past few Slams to girls much younger, fitter and faster. The infamous grunter is still among the best fighters, but has the game become too fast and powerful for her liking? Her error prone displays in both the Wimbledon 2011 final and the recent Australian Open final, are more than mere coincidence.

THE DJOKES

‘Nole’ (Djokovic) was notorious for his retirements and stamina related problems not too long ago. Players like Roddick didn’t miss any chance to mock the Serbian. But cut to 2012. Four consecutive rounds against the best movers and fighters on the court – Hewitt, Ferrer, Murray and Rafa — and four marathon struggles that progressively got longer and more tiresome. 3hrs to 4hrs to 5hrs to 6 hrs, Nole saw them all, conquered them all and tore his shirt and displayed his sculpted body to the whole world. The inner reserves of stamina can never be seen by us, but all we can do is wonder and say ‘HATS OFF’. Long years of domination ahead for the Prince of Serbia.

MEN’S HARDCOURT TENNIS IS BECOMING DANGEROUS

Masochistic brilliance.

Definitely not for the weak hearted. The never-ending dangerous rallies, the insane slides, the pounding pace of the ground strokes, the humongous running seen in every other point, the supreme fitness of the players involved, etc. The standard prevalent is out of reach for mere mortals. The length of the matches is only getting longer. The sameness in the pattern of play – baseline slugging – might not work its charm for long though.

A NEW ASIAN TALENT, FINALLY

Finally the most populous continent has one upcoming talent in singles. Kei Nishikori has done Japan proud and gives the entire continent hope that there is a young star on the rise. This pocket sized rocket will be followed with interest.

ROGER STILL BELONGS

The level that this man brings to the court is still of the topmost order. Just that five sets against the fellow top three men is too tough a task for a 30-year-old veteran with weary muscles and joints. But the way he thrashed Tomic and Del Potro was uplifting. His pursuit for brilliance and consistency is marvelous.

Will the darling of the crowd tame Nole this year?

WILL MURRAY SOLVE THE RIDDLE?

Unless he calms down on court and shows more composure, the maiden Slam will continue to elude him. Roger also had to control his on-court tantrums before becoming the all-conquering legend that we know. Murray has the legs, the skills, the game and the fighting spirit he showed this fortnight came as a pleasant surprise. Some Lendlesque calm would do a world of good. The coach will do the needful, one believes.

CAN RAFA FURTHER ADD TO HIS SLAM TALLY?

With a supreme nemesis in Nole, and himself approaching 26, Rafa’s coming years on the tour would be intense, just as the Aussie Open 2012 was. With his only rival eyeing the bull’s own den at Paris, the French Open would be a fortnight worth waiting for. If Rafa can tame Nole at Paris, he will use that boost to eye glory at London and New York because we all know that the Spaniard is an all-court legend. But if Nole pockets his maiden Slam at Paris, things would turn more daunting for Rafa than it already is.