2009 Australian Open – Dokic overcomes adversity
Once again, Nick’s Picks along with Tennis Week will bring you in-depth coverage of the Australian Open. Check back everyday for insight leading up to the Open and then throughout.
Despite the loss to Andy Roddick, Malisse looked to be back to the old "X-Man"
When you think about adversity in tennis two players come to my mind – James Blake and Jelena Dokic.We all know how Blake has battled back and worked his way up the rankings. Now, Dokic is trying to do the same. The 25-year old Australian, who is playing in her first Grand Slam since the 2006 Aussie Open, got a big win over #17 Anna Chakvetadze 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3. Dokic now moves into the third round where she will face the young and uber talented #11 Caroline Wozniacki. Dokic has proved one thing: Where there is a will, there is a way!
Joining Dokic in the winner’s circle were top seeds Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic. Jankovic looked excellent out on the court. She moved well and really seemed comfortable. I continue to think that she has a very good chance of winning this tournament.
Safina was impressive as well. First off, did you see those muscles? In the past she was covering them up, not anymore! She wanted everyone to see just how ripped she is and how much time she has spent in the gym. I have to give credit to her opponent, Ekaterina Makarova, because her groundstrokes were top-notch and she really put pressure on Safina. A good win for Safina and a big complement to Makarova as well.
Finally, I don’t know what to say about Ana Ivanovic. With the way she is currently playing it is going to be tough for her to win this tournament. Her serve is all over the place and she just doesn’t look in synch. Now, that can all change overnight, but right now I would think she needs to really get it going.
On the men’s side, I have to start with the Roddick/Malisse match because anytime one of my students is going I am very interested. I have to say that depsite being out with injuries and not having played much recently, Malisse looked like the old “X-Man.” His attitude was positive throughout and he had real chances at winning this match. I thought the big difference was Roddick’s backhand. After the second set finished, Malisse should have realized that hitting cross-court to Roddick’s backhand wasn’t working because he didn’t force Roddick to hit it on the run. In the tiebreaker in the third set, you saw Roddick’s experience come out. On the big pressure points, Roddick had the guns. I want to congratulate Malisse for playing so well and taking Roddick to four sets. This is an encouraging sign of things to come for Xavier.
One guy I was really impressed with yesterday was Marin Cilic. This kid is for real and everyone must understand that he is a contender to win any event he enters. He moves excepetionally well for a big guy, has a great serve, and can play both offense and defense. I really believe he has what it takes to make his way into the top ten.
I have to give a couple big congrats out to Fabrice Santoro and Amer Delic. Both won dramatic five set matches and both are fun to watch. Santoro, as you know, is one of my favorites. He is an absolute joy to witness and I am just upset that he is calling it a career at the end of 2009. He will be sorely missed. And Delic, great win for him. Just shows that even though you go to college you can still compete in professional tennis. He is a great inspiration for kids all across the US.
I’ve got third round picks coming soon, so stay tuned!
