Australian Open: Change the World, Bring Sunlight to Your Universe

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

Sometimes people come along who change the world, who change their industry or their field. Louis Armstrong, Galileo Galilee, Albert Einstein, JFK [Yes, I went there], Dan Marino, Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe [not necessarily for her acting skills], Stephen King, Joseph Stalin [not for the good] and Amelia Earhart [apparently found now]. I could write blog posts about all these people, but that is not why I am here.

I am here to talk about that sport we call tennis. Laver changed it, revolutionized it by being "The Rocket." He was so utterly dominant like no man or woman ever was again [apart from Steffi Graf that one season] and he did it twice. He did it twice! He blew opponents away. And we're talking people like Rosewall, Emerson, Stolle, Ashe, Smith, Newcombe and Hoad. He showed the world how to dominate properly. Lendl came about five or six years after the conclusion of Laver's career. He rose and he showed the tour how to be a machine. He and Connors added to Laver's legacy, changed our sport. They showed us how to be physical, brutal. Lendl even had a special diet. He was just brute force.

Sampras showed you only need one big weapon to dominate. He had that serve. Without that serve the ATP would be different and Sampras would never have had a career. He changed our sport by showing us how to serve and how to have a heart at the same time. He had power, but he had the heart of a champion. And then there was some guy from Switzerland. He changed our game by dominating not just one year but for about six years, 2008 aside.

From 2004-2009 he was the dominant force on the ATP. He dominated on four different surfaces which not even The Rocket could manage. Only Nadal, really, could bother him and that was on one surface most, but not even all, of the time. Federer dominated the ATP and he did it with that backhand wing. His forehand is the greatest shot our sport has ever seen and may ever see. There will never be another weapon like it.

And now Nadal has taken physicality to a new level. He has showed our sport how to use a physical presence, a snarling attitude and a never say die attitude to win matches. It has cost him his body and he struggles to finish five set matches, but he has shown us a new way. A way that works but a way that one day we must pay the price for.

Also check these out:





ROD LAVER: NADAL d. SMYCZEK
...In over four hours, Nadal came through 6-2, 3-6, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5. Statistics don't matter. This match was down and dirty, it was physical and it was back breaking. Our sport has more in common than boxing than people realise. I think Nadal is gone now. I think the winner was always going to suffer. Dudi Sela is next, but after that is Anderson and Gasquet. If either of those players pushes Nadal past three hours and maybe to five, how is he going to win back-to-back matches against Berdych and Federer? Smyczek is very quick. He has light feet and knows how to make it difficult for his opponents. Nadal was struggling to hit through him until he literally went for broke in the last two sets. Nadal's hand was forced due to injury. He looked a spent force out there but, like against Wawrinka, he found a way to make it competitive. Sela should be easy for the "world's toughest man," but, really, one never knows.
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ROD LAVER: FEDERER d. BOLELLI
...Bolelli has been as high as #36 in the world with a clay final and several decent performances also decorating his resume. Seppi and Starace were the three dirt-balling journeymen Italians who hung around for a while. Unquestionably, Seppi was the best but all had solid careers. Later joined by Fognini who outshone them all in most regards, the Italians have had a solid group of players and that explains their constant Davis Cup presence. Also, Bolelli is somewhat of a dreamboat.

Ahem.

Federer faced a potentially tricky encounter in the second round, but tricky in the respect that his opponent was a wily vet with slam experience who might push him in a set or two. Federer was mysteriously stung by a bee or something else and it made him lose all feeling in his hand. He still won through 3-6,6-3,6-2,6-2 in two hours, hitting 15 aces in the process. Federer now has to deal with Seppi. He beat the Italian in a tight three setter in Melbourne in 2009. This happened.
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MARGARET COURT : MURRAY d. MATOSEVIC
...In 102 minutes, Murray come through 6-1,6-3,6-2. The Scot was never troubled. 21 winners and 12 unforced errors cannot disguise the fact Matosevic is way out of Murray's league and not even home support can help him. Next up for Murray is Joao Sousa.
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MARGARET COURT: TOMIC d. KOHLSCHREIBER
...The year is 2008 and Tomic has entered the boy's tournament at the Australian Open. He won it, too. He beat Rola and Bhambri on the way to the title. Good junior form does not always indicate strong senior form, but in this case it does. He wins the Aussie Open and won the boy's juniors the next year, defeating Buchanan 6-1, 6-3 in the process. Yuki Bhambri was the top seed at the U.S. juniors. Tomic caught my eye at that tournament and I began loosely following his career after he won that 2009 title. Ryan Harrison was seeded fourth at the 2008 Australian Open.
In 1983, Edberg won all four junior slams and also killed Dick Wertheim. As in he literally killed him. See also Monfils in 2004. He won three slams and had to be persuaded to attend the U.S. Open. Anyways, Tomic has retained a sense of the dramatic and a love of flair. He plays a unique style which is so difficult to play. It is difficult to handle Tomic. He beat Kohl 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 in two hours, five minutes. He won 158 points to the German's 157. He went 23-2 on aces, his opponent 19-3. They both hit 67 winners but Tomic hit 46 errors, four more than his opponent. The scores in the breakers were 7-5, 8-6 and 7-5. This match was decided on very small margins. It could have been a straight sets victory to the German. Instead, Tomic advances. He plays compatriot Groth next. That should be a good match with Tomic advancing to another fourth round here in his home land.
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HISENSE ARENA: DIMITROV d. LACKO
...This was always going to be a good match and so it proved to be. The pair kept the crowd entertained for a little under three hours as Dimitrov proved to be too strong for his opponent 6-3,6-7,6-3,6-3. Despite losing that breaker 12-10, he recovered the momentum and came back to win thanks to seven breaks of serve to his opponent's three. Dimitrov hit an astounding 64 winners, pretty much double that of his errors.

Watch this:


Nice little point to make you chuckle.

Dimitrov goes on to face a very dangerous Marcos Baghdatis playing with house money. It will not be straightforward and yet he should have too much variety to lose that one.
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OUTER COURT SELECTION: BRYANS d. MILMAN/MITCHELL
...And the Bryans are away. It takes a special doubles pairing to see off the Bryans early. I want to see the Bryans in their prime play the Woodies in their prime on Center/Centre court. Who wouldn't? I would tip the Woodies to win that. They needed just over an hour to see off the Aussie challenge, hitting 24 errors in the 6-3,7-5 victory. The Bryans, favorites in any and every slam, looked back to their winning ways. Next up is Berlocq and Mayer, an Argentinian pair. Ah, the Bryans are so easy to find in the draw.
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=Any other notes?=
* - Federer got attacked by a bee. It can happen to the best of us.



* - Nadal. Should he retire? I just don't know. He will retire when he is ready, but as the weeks go by he looks more and more broken. He can no longer take a year off as father time is no longer on his side.

* - Soares and Mirza are top seeds in the mixed doubles. The draw is now out by the way.

* - Tim wins sportsman of the year award. How can he not? Check out the score.

* - Only the eighth seeds have exited in the ladies doubles and that is surprising. It was carnage in that event back in the Big Apple.

* - The Kazakh ladies have two women left in the draw, the two they started with if you ignore the fact they also have a lucky loser. Strangely, both the Kazakh ladies are in section eight, owned by one M.Sharapova.

* - Casey Dellacqua is playing with John Peers, the regular partner of Jamie Murray in the mixed as wildcards. They have landed the eighth seeds Matkowski and Peschke. In the doubles, she and Date-Krumm scraped by 4-6,7-5,7-6 against Peng and her compatriot. It was 7-5 in that breaker. Their next opponent is yet to be determined. It's good she's in three disciplines -- I get to write about her for a lot of the next few weeks if she stays in. She plays Keys today in the last day match on Margaret Court.

Thanx all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

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