Australian Open 2022: From chaos to history

Australian Open 2022 was this year’s first Grand Slam tournament that took place at Melbourne Park in Australia from 17 to 30 January 2022.

The 110^th (54^th edition in the Open Era) edition of the major event ended with one of the all-time great men’s finals.

Men’s singles defending champion Novak Djokovic was unable to participate in the tournament after his visa was canceled by Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke on the merits of Djokovic having an unclear stance on his vaccination status.

On the other hand, women singles defending champion Naomi Osaka lost in the third round to Amanda Anisimova.

Altogether this year’s Australian Open might have kicked off in a chaotic fashion but it finished with history.

Let’s give it a read to the five talking points from the tournament.

Djokovic Saga

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic walks in Melbourne Airport before boarding a flight, after the Federal Court upheld a government decision to cancel his visa to play in the Australian Open, in Melbourne, Australia, January 16, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

The world number one’s absence in the most extraordinary circumstances after he was detained, his visa was canceled and lastly, he was deported on the eve of the tournament.

These turn of events threatened to drain the life out of the Melbourne Park fortnight before it had even begun.

There was little joy about the “Happy Slam” as the first serve was struck on January 17, with its nine-time champion in a Dubai airport on his way back to Serbia.

The lack of clarity over vaccine rules and exemptions — exposed through two court hearings and the sight of one of the world’s top athletes being incarcerated in a notorious immigration hotel — was derided as both sad and farcical.

T-shirt U-turn

Fans with banners and T-shirts in support of Chinese player Peng Shuai went largely unnoticed until Tennis Australia, the tournament organisers, saw fit to ban the slogan as a “political statement”.

Cue a viral video of human rights campaigners being asked to remove T-shirts by security staff, which turned into a global news story with the likes of tennis legend Martina Navratilova branding the organisers “pathetic”.

A hasty Tennis Australia climbdown followed the next day and the supporters handed out more T-shirts before the women’s final, ensuring the plight of Peng was kept in the spotlight.

Men behaving badly

Nick Kyrgios has always been a Marmite (or Vegemite if you’re Down Under) character. You either love him or hate him.

But his behaviour in the past fortnight on the way to his first Grand Slam doubles title with his best mate Thanasi Kokkinakis got many thinking he had crossed the line too often.

Not only did he whip the crowd into an alcohol-fuelled yobbish frenzy during matches, his antics off-court caused more ire.

Kyrgios admitted his on-court interview after winning the men’s doubles — where he told “the ladies of Melbourne” to get ready for Kokkinakis — had been out of order.

After knocking out the doubles top seeds in an ill-tempered match, Kyrgios claimed their opponents’ coach and trainer had wanted a fight in the players’ gym.

One doubles opponent, New Zealand’s Michael Venus, went on a verbal attack on Kyrgios instead. “At the end of the day he’s an absolute knob,” he said.

‘Luckiest guy in the world’

Australia’s Dylan Alcott (L), the men’s quad wheelchair singles runner-up and current Australian of the Year, waves to the crowd next to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley ahead of the men’s singles semi-final match between Russia’s Daniil Medvedev and Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas on day twelve of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 28, 2022. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

Tennis great and prominent disability activist Dylan Alcott drew the curtain on a glittering career in the wheelchair quad final.

After 15 Grand Slam singles and eight doubles titles, including a Golden Slam of all four majors and the Paralympics last year, he decided the Australian Open would be his last event.

But the world number one, a prominent sporting and media figure in Australia, was unable to go out on a high, losing to second-seeded Dutchman Sam Schroder 7-5, 6-0 on Rod Laver Arena.

The 31-year-old Australian, the most successful quad tennis player ever with 15 Grand Slam singles and eight doubles titles, announced his decision to quit before the tournament.

It followed his history-making exploits in 2021 when he completed the Golden Slam of winning all four quad singles majors and the Paralympics gold in the same year.

“I’m really the luckiest guy in the world, and I didn’t need to win today to realise that,” he said afterwards, choking back tears.

Don’t stop believing

A tournament that began in such chaos ended with history-making moments.

Ashleigh Barty became the first Australian to win a singles title in Melbourne’s Grand Slam since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

Australia’s Ashleigh Barty poses with the 2022 Australian Open winner’s trophy in Melbourne on January 30, 2022, following her victory over Danielle Collins of the US in the women’s singles final of the tennis tournament. (Photo: AFP)

O’Neil was there to witness it and Barty was presented the trophy by all-time great and fellow indigenous tennis icon Evonne Goolagong Cawley in a magical, emotional moment.

An imperious Ashleigh Barty said it was a dream come true after on Saturday becoming the first Australian to win her home Grand Slam in 44 years, but the memories made along the way were more important than the trophy.

The world number one was 5-1 down in the second set against fearless American Danielle Collins but came storming back to win on a tiebreak and sweep past the 27th seed 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) and be crowned Australian Open champion.

It was a third Slam title for the 25-year-old after her breakthrough French Open success in 2019 and Wimbledon last year, joining Serena Williams as the only active player to win majors on all three surfaces.

Barty achieved the feat with Christine O’Neil, the last Australian man or woman to win an Australian Open singles, watching in the stadium.

O’Neil won the title in 1978 and told reporters before the match: “I’m probably her (Barty’s) biggest fan. I’d be happy to hand it over to her because she’s so deserving of it.”

There were fears Barty might be overwhelmed by the weight of expectation, but the Australian has dealt with intense pressure before, none more so than at Wimbledon last year.

Nadal’s ‘special’ 21st Slam

Spain’s Rafael Nadal poses with the winner’s trophy during a media photo shoot the morning after his victory in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 31, 2022. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP)

Rafael Nadal roared back from two sets down to win a titanic five-set duel with Daniil Medvedev and make history with “a special” 21st Grand Slam men’s title in the Australian Open final on Sunday.

The Spanish great looked dead and buried as the Russian world number two carved out a two-set lead but Nadal surged home for one of his mightiest comebacks win 2-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in 5hr 24min on Rod Laver Arena.

Nadal came out on top in the physical war of attrition to move ahead of “Big Three” rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the all-time list of men’s major winners.

It was one of the 35-year-old Spanish warrior’s greatest title victories in his 29th Grand Slam final as he won his second Australian Open, 13 years after his first in 2009.

Nadal also became only the fourth man to win each of the four Grand Slams twice and the third oldest man in the Open Era (since 1970) to win a Grand Slam title, behind Ken Rosewall and Federer.

The final went down to the bitter end with Nadal being broken as he served for the championship only for the Spaniard to break back.

On his second attempt to serve it out, Nadal powered to three match points to win amid chaotic scenes in his player’s box and the frenzied crowd.

‘I was amazed’

It was the fourth time in his storied career that Nadal had clawed back to win from two sets down, but the first time in a Slam final.

It was the second time Nadal had denied Medvedev in a Grand Slam final, winning a five-set epic at the 2019 US Open. Nadal holds a 4-1 lead over Medvedev in their five matches to date.

It crowned an extraordinary effort from Nadal at the year’s opening major, having to modify his game to compensate for a degenerative bone disease in his left foot that ended his 2021 season last August.

He then caught Covid in December which, he said, made him “very sick”.

Medvedev had wrecked Djokovic’s calendar Grand Slam push and bid for the 21st title in New York four months ago and was aiming to do the same to Nadal in Melbourne.

Medvedev lost his second consecutive Australian Open final after falling in straight sets to Djokovic in last year’s final.

Federer and Djokovic praised ‘great champion’

Federer, who came close to becoming the first to 21 when he lost in five sets by Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final, missed the Australian Open as he is yet to recover from knee surgery.

“To my friend and great rival @rafaelnadal, heartfelt congratulations on becoming the first man to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles,” 40-year-old Federer posted on Instagram.

“A few months ago we were joking about both being on crutches, amazing. Never underestimate a great champion.

“Your incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and countless others around the world.”

Djokovic’s hopes of being the first to 21 were dashed when he was deported from Australia prior to the Grand Slam over vaccination issues.

However, the 34-year-old Serbian tweeted his congratulations after he had first saluted Ashleigh Barty on her title win on Saturday.

“Amazing achievement. Always impressive fighting spirit that prevailed another time.