Grand slam: Medvedev spoiled Djokovic’s celebrations, and what a Barty party

In a year in which Roger Federer won the ATP fan favourite award by playing a dozen or so matches and two teenage women came from the clouds to play the unlikeliest of US Open finals, the transitional nature of tennis revealed itself at different stages.

Novak Djokovic and his pursuit of an ever elusive grand slam was an omnipresent backdrop, but there were more than enough signs that some constants in modern tennis were being challenged. In the men’s game, new blood has taken its time to shine.

The history books will show that 2021 was not, as it turned out, a grand slam year. Instead, Daniil Medvedev, in classic party-pooper mode, stopped Djokovic in his tracks in New York. Flushing Meadows, for the second straight year, was the scene of a breakthrough major for one of those nearly players in tennis. Last year Dominic Thiem, this time Medvedev.

From an Australian perspective, Ashleigh Barty’s Wimbledon heroics will forever be remembered. How could you forget? In a more global outlook, however, Naomi Osaka’s turmoils, Djokovic’s sheer dominance and the absurd feat of young English player Emma Raducanu to win the US Open – by getting through qualifying first! – will be the reference points.

WORD OF THE YEAR: Grand slam

In this category, two words will suffice. The possibility of a grand slam – all four majors won in the same calendar year – raced to the forefront when world No.1 Djokovic memorably unseated Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, where Nadal had only lost two matches previously. His defeat of Nadal, at that point equal with Roger Federer on 20 major titles and two clear of Djokovic, came in a classic semi-final. Thereafter, Djokovic faced the reality that this was his best chance to achieve the remarkable feat, last done by a man in 1969 - by the one and only Rod Laver. Adding to the difficulty, Djokovic was gunning for Olympic gold in 2021. But both a medal and the grand slam eluded him. In contrast, it was Dylan Alcott’s best year - a golden grand slam year. The wheelchair champion overcame a tough schedule and some up-and-comers on the circuit to win the four majors and his second Paralympics singles gold. Fittingly, Alcott was the joint winner of Australia’s Newcombe Medal with Ashleigh Barty. Alcott is retiring next month and an eighth Australian Open would be the perfect farewell.

Novak Djokovic celebrates his Roland Garros victory, one of three majors he won in 2021.Credit: AP

THREE WINNERS

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Three majors won, another year-end world No.1 ranking and countless consecutive weeks as the top player in the men’s game illustrate his sheer dominance. His straight-sets loss to Medvedev was gut-wrenching (and the emotions did flow) but take a step back and look at 2021 in a fresh light; it will be remembered as one of his best years.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: There were slim doubts about Barty’s standing as the world No.1 when she returned to the tour in Australia in January, but those thoughts were quickly erased. Starting with a semi-final finish at the Australian Open in February, the 25-year-old won five titles for the year and secured another end-of-year world No.1 ranking despite skipping the season-ending WTA Finals in Mexico. The cherry on the top – the culmination of Barty’s childhood dream – was Barty’s Wimbledon triumph, the first singles win by an Australian there in nearly 20 years. Never forget that Barty had injury heartache at Roland Garros just a few weeks earlier. Barty and her team got things right and memorably bounced back in London.

Ashleigh Barty celebrates her victory at Wimbledon.Credit: Getty Images

THE WTA AND ITS CHIEF EXECUTIVE STEVE SIMON: The name of Chinese player Peng Shuai, a doubles champion, has resonated strongly in the second half of the year. The strong concerns for her safety remain, however, and are not going away. In a bold and perhaps unexpected move by the women’s tour boss, Steve Simon made good on threats to omit China from the tour schedule if Peng’s wellbeing was not guaranteed. In an era when it’s easy to be sceptical of sporting bodies and commercial motives, the WTA – seemingly tied to the hip with China in recent years – has declared that the safety of one of its members is the highest and non-negotiable priority.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

SERENA WILLIAMS: Australians will remember the American great’s tearful media conference following her semi-final exit at Melbourne Park in February. It seemed too obvious at the time – was the 23-time major winner officially done? Williams, now in her 40s, is hanging onto hopes of one more shot at another major title. But after confirmation that she’ll be missing in action at January’s Australian Open, her days do seem numbered. Next month, don’t forget, will be the five-year anniversary of Serena’s 23rd and most recent major title, the 2017 Australian Open - won while she was pregnant.

NICK KYRGIOS: We all hope dearly for any success for the Canberran. But his current ranking is edging towards the 100 mark. Kyrgios turned up to Wimbledon (after again shunning the European clay swing) and no one really knew what to expect. The London grass, he said, would be a time for “strawberries and chill”. While Kyrgios can’t point to much success on the court in 2021, the double-edged nature of his role in tennis was twice highlighted – that of the great showman. First there was another dramatic match on “his” court in Melbourne, John Cain Arena, when he went down in five sets to Dominic Thiem. Naturally, drama followed Kyrgios closely as spectators were forced to leave the arena at midnight due to the sudden and latest lockdown imposed in Victoria. Then, at Wimbledon, Kyrgios teamed with Venus Williams in the mixed doubles. Talk about a crowd pleaser ...

THE DAVIS CUP: The Davis Cup finals (the second edition with the new format) were back for the first time in 24 months due to the impact of COVID-19 on the sport in 2020. The jury is well and truly out, however, on the success of staging the finals in a single city devoid of fans of the two combatants. It was Madrid again, but this time Spain wasn’t in the final. Russia won – backing up their success in an abbreviated ATP Cup men’s teams event in Melbourne in February – but the lack of the time-honoured home/away format continues to grate with historians and aficionados.

TURBULENT TIMES

There’s a lingering sense of sadness about Naomi Osaka’s troubles - a turbulent story which has been a backdrop to other events this year. It was all bright and rosy in February when Osaka, fresh off her second Australian Open win and fourth major title overall, talked openly and keenly about the challenges ahead to replicate her hardcourt success on the claycourt swing and Wimbledon grass. But come Roland Garros when the Japanese said in the build-up to the tournament that she would not attend the mandatory press conferences, citing the way journalists quiz players as impacting her mental wellbeing, it set in path a difficult chain of events. Days later Osaka announced she was withdrawing from Paris, explaining she had been suffering from depression for almost three years. Beyond that Osaka skipped Wimbledon but lit the cauldron in Japan as possibly the biggest face of the Tokyo Olympics. Osaka’s struggles surfaced again at the US Open when, after exiting in the third round, she tearfully admitted she wasn’t sure when she would play again. Osaka has been named to come to Australia. All associated with the game want a fruitful and enjoyable time for her in years to come.

MAN OF THE YEAR

Regardless of your thoughts on the Serbian, or your predilection for another member of the Big Three, dip your lid to Novak Djokovic, with three majors won and having gone within a whisker of the slam.

Naomi Osaka lights the Tokyo Olympic Games cauldron.Credit: Getty

WOMAN OF THE YEAR

It has to be Ashleigh Barty, with an honorary mention to Raducanu. Blimey, that was big. But Australians know just how hard major titles are to be won. For Queenslander Barty, a Wimbledon crown made for an astonishing year.

VIRAL MOMENT OF THE YEAR

DJOKOVIC v NADAL, FRENCH OPEN SEMI-FINAL: These two players share the greatest rivalry of modern times, their 58 head-to-head clashes a storied history. Djokovic’s hard-fought, four-hour win over Nadal - only the Spaniard’s third loss at Roland Garros - was history-shaping, much is the same way of Djokovic’s five-set triumph over Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final. Both results deprived Nadal and Federer of major wins, bumping the Serbian’s total up in the process.

Djokovic won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in four hours and 11 minutes.

If your time is limited, catch up only on the third set, and in particular the tie-breaker - won by Djokovic after saving set points. Really, it decided the match and re-set history.

Even Andy Murray was moved to offer his admiration.

QUOTE OF THE YEAR

“I will not reveal my status whether I have been vaccinated or not, it is a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry. People go too far these days in taking the liberty to ask questions and judge a person. Whatever you say ‘yes, no, maybe, I am thinking about it’, they will take advantage.”

- Novak Djokovic told the online edition of Serbian daily Blic.

CRYSTAL BALL FOR 2022

Let’s not so much gaze into next year, as gaze into next week. I expect Novak Djokovic to arrive in Australia and play the ATP Cup and then the Australian Open. Once he’s cleared customs, he’ll be tough to beat. Expect at least two majors from the Serbian in 2022, pushing him well past Nadal and Federer on the grand slam table (all are currently on 20). And in the women’s game? Barty is arguably a good thing for a third slam. Many are desperately hoping it comes on the Melbourne Park hard courts in merely a few weeks.

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