Osaka, Serena, Djokovic in action as delayed Australian Open begins
Issued on:
07/02/2021 - 22:06 3 min
Melbourne (AFP)
US Open champion Naomi Osaka will get the delayed Australian Open under way when she strides on to Rod Laver Arena Monday morning, with Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams also in the spotlight on day one.
The tournament is known as the Happy Slam for its convivial atmosphere but the coronavirus has cast dark clouds over this year s build-up.
Djokovic is going for a record-extending ninth Melbourne Park crown, Williams is still chasing the major she needs to match Margaret Court s all-time mark of 24 Grand Slams and Osaka is after her second Australian Open title in three years.
The men's world number one admires Kyrgios's skill with the racquet and believes he is "good for the sport" but that's where his respect for the Australian ends.
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Australian Open boss Craig Tiley feared the tournamentâs grand slam status could have been at risk, leaving the door open for other countries to poach the event, if the Victorian government had bowed to pressure to cancel it.
The Open will get under way on Monday at Melbourne Park, which will be open to crowds of almost 50 per cent capacity each day, following a massive logistical effort to quarantine the players and their entourages.
Serena Williams on court in Melbourne on Friday.
Credit:AP
Tennis Australia and the Andrews government have also weathered a storm of criticism over the decision to allow tennis players into the country while Australians were stranded overseas, and from some players who objected to the harsh quarantine measures.
Toss the playbook out the window.
The trusted and time-tested warm-ups, the routines, the rituals employed in the lead-up to the year’s first major? Yeah, you can scrap those, too. This is an Australian Open like no other, after all, one held amidst a global pandemic; one that’s seen athletes quarantined and the run-of-the-mill practice session become a treasured commodity.
Hotel rooms became improvised gymnasiums, fitted with stationary bikes, yoga matts and hand weights. Mattresses became backboards, entryways suddenly ideal for suicide sprints. But sometimes you’ve just got to make do.
“Players are so used to routines. They like to be in control. They’re not in control,” observed Chris Evert, a two-time Australian Open champion. “I think it’s going to demand a lot of patience and a lot of flexibility and who’s going to really adjust and adapt the best under those precarious circumstances.”