The Tackle special: Likes and dislikes from the 2022 Australian Open

Kiwi doubles player Michael Venus called Nick Kyrgios a “k***” after he was beaten by the Special Ks. Not the best way to make a name for yourself. Likes and dislikes

Another Australian Open is in the bag, but we’ve never seen a Down Under slam as unique as this.

From the Novak saga that almost overshadowed the tournament, to Ash Barty, the Special Ks taking over and the constant shadow of Covid, there was no shortage of things we loved — and things we definitely didn’t — from this year’s iteration of the best Grand Slam in the world.

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Here’s a look at our likes and dislikes from the 2022 Open.

An iconic photograph etched in Australian history. Picture: Tennis Australia/Getty Images

LIKES

Our Ash

Watching a sports person at the absolute peak of their powers is a joy. Seeing Ash Barty win the Daphne Akhurst Trophy and then THAT special moment with Indigenous legends Evonne Goolagong-Cawley and Cathy Freeman is something that will be etched in Australian sporting folklore forever. If you put aside all the fanfare for a moment and focus entirely on the way she has played, it is on a level of rarefied air. She is absolutely destroying her opponents in a way that only the great Serena Williams has done in the modern era.

We don’t need the big names

The Aus Open was a tournament on its knees in mid January. Djokovic debacle, no Federer, no Serena and Covid threatening more big names from withdrawing. Fast forward two weeks and the world has been entertained beyond belief. There’s new star power coming through. As and when the big names call time, tennis is in safe hands.

Fans’ right to wear shirts highlighting the plight of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai made headlines. Picture: Josie Hayden

Peng Shuai U-turn

Power to the people – and the players. While Djokovic overshadowed the tournament build-up two fans with banners turned into a global news story and the spotlight was finally put back onto China and the mystery of Peng Shuai. The story had gone dormant for a few months so kudos to those fans and the likes of Martina Navratilova that got us all asking #WhereIsPengShuai again.

History made

While the superstars inevitably attracted the majority of the attention there were two young women making history in the juniors tournament. Iran’s Meshkat al-Zahra Safi and Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi both reached historic milestones. Okutoyi became the first girl from Kenya to win a grand slam juniors match while Safi is now the first Iranian – boy or girl – to lay claim to the same feat. The 17-year-old’s achievement caught the eye of Rafa Nadal who made time to meet with her and share stories.

French evolution

As much as it was fantastic to see the rise of young guns like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz make giant steps in what look certain to be extraordinary careers, nothing brought me more joy over the past two weeks than getting some vintage Gael Monfils playing like a carefree 20-year-old again. For it to happen after last year’s hard-to-watch, teary first-round exit was just fantastic.

Sam Stosur made it to the second round and got plenty of love in her last singles tournament. Picture: Michael Klein

Thanks, Sam

Sam Stosur getting a farewell victory in her final Australian Open as a singles star. The US Open champion has given so much to Australian tennis but Melbourne Park has been the opposite of a happy hunting ground for the humble star. She deserved a happy goodbye, and she got it with a gutsy win over American qualifier Robin Anderson, fighting from a set down to avoid a first-round exit.

Red Bull

We are all missing Roger Federer but the run of Rafael Nadal has made the sadness a little easier to deal with. The Spanish Bull has given us everything we’ve wanted and much more. Who knows what will happen in the race for the most men’s grand slams but Rafa still has plenty to say about it. A true champion!

Troll king

Daniil Medvedev is the ultimate troll. And it is great for the game. He goes at the crowd, his coach, the umpire and his matches are must see for anyone who loves a bit of drama in their life. He knew exactly what reaction his Novak Djokovic mentioned would get on Rod Laver Arena and he did it anyway. Troll level – elite.

Felix got next

Not everyone would have been across the Canadian’s work before his quarter-final slugfest with top seed Daniil Medvedev. Well, all of Australia now knows that Auger-Aliassime will be a grand slam champion soon. In fact, don’t be surprised if he leapfrogs a few of his more hyped Next Gen counterparts.

Covid compliance

Players might have been given a free pass to dodge testing, but the punters appeared to do the right thing at Melbourne Park. It wouldn’t surprise if there are thousands of mask-shaped tan lines as Covid marshalls patrolling the tennis were given little to do by the compliance of tennis fans. With five consecutive days above 30C, that took some self-discipline in the face of the Omicron explosion. Last Saturday was the most hectic of them, with 42,856 in attendance, and steady case numbers since indicate that fears of a super spreader event fizzled.

Delightful Dylan

Dylan Alcott only hosted three post-match press conferences, but if there were Brownlow Medal-style votes awarded for best performer behind the microphones he would’ve pocketed the three, the two and the one in his farewell slam. Alcott wants to become an Oscar-winning movie star and Tennis Australia should call on his gift of the gab to interview Ash Barty after Saturday night’s final.

What's worse than a vuvuzela?

DISLIKES

See you, Siiuuuu

It’s the most annoying thing to come into sport since the vuvuzela at the football World Cup in 2010. It sounds stupid, it’s misconstrued as boos and it needs to remain a football thing. Surely tennis fans can be more creative.

Deafening silence

If you’re leading an event and people look to you for leadership, stand up and speak in good times and in bad. Craig Tiley, for everything wonderful he has done for tennis, totally misread the room these past few months and unfortunately for him, it’s a stain on his reputation he won’t be able to get out in the wash. Same goes for Jayne Hrdlicka.

Price gouging

Don’t put a picture of a polo horse on a water bottle and expect people to pay $99 for it. The obscene prices at this year’s Open went oo far. And who on earth wants a $1300 surfboard with the AO logo on it?

The Novak saga

Never before has an Australian Open been so overshadowed by the dramas of one player. This ordeal was completely unavoidable, with everyone deserving of blame, and it sucked the life out of the build up to the first grand slam of the year. The Happy Slam threatened to be the Snappy Slam and, worst of all, the players who were actually competing were sidelined.

Covid’s shadow

For the second year running we’ve had to deal with Covid lurking around the corner of the Australian Open. For entirely understandable reasons, crowds were capped at 50 per cent, fans had to don masks for 12 hours a day in 35 degree weather and it all carried an air of uncertainty – but it takes away an element of joy from the event. Here’s to 2023 being the year where the world is no longer being turned upside down.

Capped crowds

Hopefully this time next year we are back to full capacity and the Special Ks can pack out John Cain Arena. Imagine how the ‘zoo’ would feel with Nick Kyrgios playing every day of the Open instead of every other day. Tennis Australia will be cashing some serious cheques. It will be the hottest ticket in town.

Whinging opponents

The doubles fraternity should be celebrating what the Special Ks have done, making them relevant again and back on Broadway. Instead many are whinging because the crowds are a bit too excited. Please. As for Kiwi player Michael Venus’ embarrassing sledge on Nick Kyrgios, at least people might know who you are now.

Not everyone enjoyed the Kyng and Kokk show. Picture: Getty Images

Tennis Australia

They have had a shocker. Let’s not try and sugar coat it. TA boss Craig Tiley has done an amazing job building the Open up to one of the best sporting events on the global calendar but in the space of a couple of months he’s undone a lot of that work. His continued refusal to front up and answer questions about the Djokovic debacle only made things worse.

Crowd hypocrisy

Ash Barty stormed into the women’s final in front of 5000 empty seats at Rod Laver Arena while 20m away across Olympic Boulevard the Socceroos blitzed Vietnam in front of a sold-out AAMI Park, with almost 30,000 fans steaming in. Both matches were played outdoors, but the Barty Party was capped at 65 per cent by Victoria’s health authorities … an overnight increase from 50 per cent. Was that science or a soured relationship with Tennis Australia over the Novak Djokovic fiasco?

Festival flop

Dylan Alcott had the right idea funnelling three beers into a 1L water bottle before his post-final press conference. Grab a burger and two Canadian Clubs outside Rod Laver Arena and your change from a $50 note comes in coins. The festival atmosphere at Melbourne Park thrived, but the promotion of musical acts nosedived, with fans struggling to find out who would be rocking out at Grand Slam Oval each day. The uncertainty over Covid created the marketing problems as the likes of Cut Copy and Baker Boy were almost silently signed. Hope they were given some drink cards.

Originally published as The Tackle special: Likes and dislikes from the 2022 Australian Open