Aussie Open Week 2
The first week of the Aussie Open has served up police macings, multiple upsets and near-upsets, and matches concluding near daybreak. Herewith some observations as we head into Week 2:
Race Card?
In the ongoing controversy about Saturday night's late-starting match between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis, it was suggested by one Australian paper that Venus Williams played the race card when she and opponent Sania Mirza refused to move from Rod Laver Arena to Vodafone Arena. The session ended up concluding at 4:33 a.m., the latest finish in Grand Slam tournament history.
Using unnamed sources and vague language, the Herald Sun reported: "It is understood Williams warned Melbourne Park decision-makers of the potential for such a move to be interpreted along racial lines if the women were forced off centre court." (Click here to read the full story.)
Asked in her post-match press conference, Venus bristled and said she hadn't made any such threats. "That's crazy, first of all," she said. "Second of all, you know, I am pleased that the matches went on as scheduled. But, you know, all this hearsay, I don't deal with that."
Federer, for his part, said he didn't care where he played and would have accommodated the tournament had he been in the same situation.
"Honestly, I think the players shouldn't have too much of a say," he said after beating Tomas Berdych in straight sets Monday. "We're happy to be playing here and we're happy they're putting us on Rod Laver. Is it bad to be on Vodafone? I don't think so. Still a wonderful court. I'm not going after the ladies, I'm just saying I would be pretty relaxed and I would accept anything they would have done with me really at that stage."
I believe him, too. This you have to say for Federer: He'd probably be happy to scrap it out in a public court if it would do the sport well.
Plexicushion Perplexes
Many players complained that the new Plexicusion that replaced Rebounc Ace this year at Melbourne Park was slower than advertised. I'm not so sure. The monster serving performances during the first seven days suggest that the ball is taking off with more speed. Consider that both Federer (39) and Andy Roddick (42) hit career-high ace totals in matches this week. Roddick-killer Philipp Kohlschreiber, no smoking gun, also smacked a personal-best 32 when he beat Roddick in five sets - this from a guy who averaged 4.6 aces per match in '07.
I asked the stat guys at IBM here to track down some ace numbers for me for comparison purposes (still waiting on that), but in the meantime I asked a couple of players what they thought. Both agreed that serving, especially the wide slice, is more effective than in previous years.
"Yes, I think the court starts to pick up a great deal of slice," said Federer. "I started to realize that the first few practice sessions. It was incredible. I think the balls as well. The Wilson ball always takes a lot of spin. I think it's getting quicker as the tournament goes on, honestly. I have the feeling that maybe the paint is coming off (the court) a little bit. The slice takes off. The kick is not as extreme here, but it's more the slice here that works well."
American James Blake, who groused that the Plexicushion courts were too slow when he got beat in the first round of the Aussie Open tune-up in Sydney (which also used Plexicusion), had this to say after beating 19-year-old Croat Marin Cilic to reach his first quarterfinal in Melbourne: "It seems to be pretty effective," he said of the slice. "That was one that probably didn't get as much use on the Rebound Ace because the ball would sit up a little bit more....I think it might just be because guys are so used to the Rebound Ace when they come down here that it seems like it's sliding more. But it's definitely more effective on this than the Rebound Ace."
Blake will have to bomb slices and be on all cylinders to take out Federer, his quarterfinal opponent. He's won one set in seven meetings with the Imperious One. "I have a terrible record against him, like most players on tour," said Blake.
Etc.
Some men play well beyond their years. Some look well beyond their years. Herewith, the start of Doug's All-Geezer 20-Something Team: Jarkko Nieminen and Nicolay Davydenko....Umpire's nightmare: Calling the Ferrero-Ferrer fourth-round match....For a player who has finished outside the top 20 just once since 2002 (including two top-10 finishes), Daniela Hantuchova's record in majors stinks. The 24-year-old Slovakian beat Maria Kirilenko 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Monday, the first time Hantuchova has reached the quarterfinals at a Slam since the 2003 Australian Open, a span of five years.
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