2008 Australian Open

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Well the tennis season has just started and the first Grand Slam of 2008 will be underway shortly. The Australian Open kicks off on the 14th of January and I’m pleased to say I will be in attendance for the first week!

On the men’s side the odds on favourite will yet again be Roger Federer. I believe the gap is starting to close and he was beaten 9 times last year which is a lot by his standards. However I don’t think there is anyone who will prevent him for winning his 13th Slam. I’d love to see Nadal win as I thoroughly enjoy watching him play and I think he’s about the only one who poses a serious threat to Federer. Novak Djokovic improved rapidly in 2007 and he has the game and confidence to go deep in the tournament. Lleyton Hewitt is back with his ex-coach as well as Tony Roach so you should see some improvements in his game, hopefully more aggressive play. My dark horse, just as it was last year, is Tomas Berdych. I think you’ll struggle to find a more naturally talented player; it’s just a case of staying mentally strong and playing with consistency.

The women’s side is extremely open and it’s tough to predict a winner. Justin Henin will be the favourite but there is a lot of competition this time around. Serena Williams is the defending champion and she looks in great shape. Maria Sharapova always performs in the Slams and she’ll be a threat but I’m not convinced she’s Slam material right now. Ana Ivanovic is my favourite player and she’s risen to #4 in the world. She hasn’t fared too well in Melbourne but that should change this time around. Lindsay Davenport is back on the tour and she’s already causing headaches. As I speak she’s just reached the SF of the Gold Coast tournament. My dark horse is 18 year old Victoria Azarenka who I think has a massive future in the game. She has huge groundstrokes and plays without fear, the only thing holding her back is that she is very emotional and tends to lose her cool. Also keep an eye out for Radwanska and Safarova.

So what are everyone’s predictions?

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

On the men’s side the odds on favourite will yet again be Roger Federer.

BS, Federer never wins the Aussie Open.

I always look forward to this thread Aussie_Wing. Its just a constant discussion between you and I with random people throwing in their 2 cents.

[FinRedWing 172]

BS, Federer never wins the Aussie Open.

I always look forward to this thread Aussie_Wing. Its just a constant discussion between you and I with random people throwing in their 2 cents.

That will change this year,now I have a chance to watch 10-12 hours of Grand Slam Tennis every day. Therefore I might have something more to say.

Edit: Just checked,NFM had 0 posts in the Australian Open 2007 thread

But you were very active in the US Open one,I'll give you that.

And French Open was just a monolog by Aussie_Wing.

But the real reason I checked the 2007 thread was this:

"It wasn't Andy's year yet,but he's my pick for the 2008!"

That's my quote,so I guess I'll have to say Andy Murray wins it this year.

Don't know who'll win in the Ladies yet.

Edited January 3, 2008 by FinRedWing

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

That will change this year,now I have a chance to watch 10-12 hours of Grand Slam Tennis every day. Therefore I might have something more to say.

Edit: Just checked,NFM had 0 posts in the Australian Open 2007 thread

But you were very active in the US Open one,I'll give you that.

And French Open was just a monolog by Aussie_Wing.

But the real reason I checked the 2007 thread was this:

"It wasn't Andy's year yet,but he's my pick for the 2008!"

That's my quote,so I guess I'll have to say Andy Murray wins it this year.

Don't know who'll win in the Ladies yet.

Really? Wow. Usually I post in any Tennis Grand Slam thread. I must've been out of the office that week, because I always post in those threads when available.

Edit: Just checked and I was active in the 2006 thread but not the 2007.......Weird. Where the hell was I that I wasn't posting?

Edited January 3, 2008 by Never Forget Mac #25

[FinRedWing 172]

Really? Wow. Usually I post in any Tennis Grand Slam thread. I must've been out of the office that week, because I always post in those threads when available.

Edit: Just checked and I was active in the 2006 thread but not the 2007.......Weird. Where the hell was I that I wasn't posting?

On a two-week holiday? Or maybe you were just bored with tennis (particularly with Federer)?

I guess I would want Andy Murray & Lindsay Davenport to win,but that won't be very realistic though.

I'll post some dark horses when the main draws are released.

Roddick all the way,NFM?

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Good call FRW, how did Murray slip my mind? #11 in the world and his match against Nadal at last years AO was the match of the tournament, either than or Ancic/Roddick. I just hope he's fit as he could definitely cause some damage. Marat Safin has fallen all the way down to #56 so it'll be interesting if he draws a seed in the first round. And Mario Ancic is #83 so there could be some quality matches in the first round or two.

There's normally 5 or so people who are involved in these threads and I'm hoping there'll be a few more this year.

[FinRedWing 172]

Andy Murray and Ana Ivanovic got lucky in the draws.

I'd say very lucky.

I'm posting possible first round upsets tomorrow...

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Ivanovic's path:

1R: Sorana Cirstea

2R: Danilidou/Garbin

3R: *Srebotnik

4R: *Safina

QF: *V.Williams

SF: *Kuznetova

F: *Henin

*= Seeded player, assuming they advance.

That's a pretty good draw, as good as I could've hoped for.

Some other observations:

* Sharapova v Davenport in the 2nd round.

* Berdych v Federer 4th round (Tomas has beaten Roger before).

* Not possible for Federer/Djokovic to meet in the final.

* Keep and eye out for the first round match of Jankovic v Paszek, should be a beauty.

Edited January 11, 2008 by Aussie_Wing

[omnipotent_hudler 0]

I always lose track of Tennis in between slams, but I'm once again excited... The Australian Open has always been my favorite.

[FinRedWing 172]

Possible 1st round upsets:

Davydenko could have his hands full with Llodra,he has a great serve.

Thomas Johansson is capable of beating Baghdatis.

I couldn't find anything worth mentioning from the ladies draw,they usually have less upsets than men in the earlier rounds.

Isner v Santoro will be great one. Huge server v the Magician!

Possibly Ivanovic v Daniilidou in the 2nd round like Aussie said!

Any last tips or insights before you leave,Aussie?

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Any last tips or insights before you leave,Aussie?

The day 1 schedule has just been released and I can tell right now there's no way I'll be able to all the players I wanted to see! On day 1 there are reasonably few players I intended on seeing which means the schedule will be packed for day 2. Hewitt, Berdych, Djokovic, Ivanovic, Safarova and Kirilenko will all be playing on Tuesday, I hope at least 1 will be part of the night session which I have tickets for.

Anyway I think I'll first head to Court 13 where Jarkko Nieminen will face Frank Dancevic. From there I'll go to Court 21 where Azarenka is scheduled to play and she's one of the few I did plan to see. Then I'll go see Murray on RLA and then Vaidisova on SC2.

I'm thinking about heading down to put a bet on Ana who has pretty good odds. She's at $13.00 to win which IMO is pretty good.

Edited January 12, 2008 by Aussie_Wing

[FinRedWing 172]

What a game this Jankovic v Paszek is! 10-10 in the 3rd. Unbelievable tennis followed by easy,unforced errors.

Finland's Jarkko Nieminen won in 5 sets,he'll face USA's Jesse Levine in the 2nd round.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

On a two-week holiday? Or maybe you were just bored with tennis (particularly with Federer)?

I guess I would want Andy Murray & Lindsay Davenport to win,but that won't be very realistic though.

I'll post some dark horses when the main draws are released.

Nah, I never get bored with the 4 majors. That's all we watch for the 2 weeks that each of them last.

Roddick all the way,NFM?

God willing

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

What a game this Jankovic v Paszek is! 10-10 in the 3rd. Unbelievable tennis followed by easy,unforced errors.

Finland's Jarkko Nieminen won in 5 sets,he'll face USA's Jesse Levine in the 2nd round.

If either one of those two knew how to defend their serve that match would've been over a long time before it was. Great match, but kind of sad that something like 16 of the 22 games in the final set weren't won by the server.

[FinRedWing 172]

Djokovic's looking pretty good out there. I have a feeling he'll destroy everyone UNTIL he meets Federer. Then he'll just disappoint us and lose 3-0.

If either one of those two knew how to defend their serve that match would've been over a long time before it was. Great match, but kind of sad that something like 16 of the 22 games in the final set weren't won by the server.

Yeah,at one point I was thinking: This is getting ridiculous. But in the end - it sure was an entertaining match.

[FinRedWing 172]

Most of the men who are ranked as favourites have impressed me. Nadal is playing better than I thought (had a rough start this year),A-Rod looked good. Not to mention Djokovic,Aussie Wing's Hewitt and even Gasquet.

Maybe Roger won't take the title this year? One can always dream...

He was impressive in the 1st round though,Aussie Open seems to suit him.

[FinRedWing 172]

Federer v Santoro just started.

Very excited for this game,it's always great to watch the Magician play!

[FinRedWing 172]

Ivanovic lost,I hope Aussie Wing wasn't watching.

He'll be heartbroken.

Roger v Santoro,not much of a contest there,but boy was it entertaining.

Only the Magician can pull of a show like that,while getting badly beaten.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

Philipp Kohlschreiber?!?!

F*ckin' Hell!

[betterREDthandead 58]

I lost interest in tennis a long time ago. But if more matches were like Hewitt-Baghdatis that I just watched the end of, I'd be back in a heartbeat.

Plus Hewitt's sister and her friend: YOW!!!!

[Cruiser008 37]

I lost interest in tennis a long time ago. But if more matches were like Hewitt-Baghdatis that I just watched the end of, I'd be back in a heartbeat.

Plus Hewitt's sister and her friend: YOW!!!!

Agreed. That was one helluva match.... started just before midnight and ended around 4:45 am. And the fans were into it all the way through. WOW.

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Got back from Melbourne last night. Had a great time at the tennis and saw some great matches. There have been some major upsets over the past few days. Firstly Roddick losing to Kohlschreiber in a marathon match of a very high standard.

Then the match that almost changed everything. Janko Tipsarevic was up 2 sets to 1 against Federer and it took Federer's best just to make the 4th round. I'm pretty shattered at someone getting so close against him and not winning. If only...

Then Hewitt v Baghdatis. The match started at midnight due to length of the day session and it finished at about 4:30am. Crazy stuff and what a math it was. It lasted almost 5 hours and the tension was unbelievable. Hewitt was up 5-1 in the 4th set but twice failed to serve it out. He finally closed it out in the 5th and now he faces Djokovic.

Ivanovic is cruising through but got a scare in the 1st round. Her opponent, who is only 17 years of age, was hitting the ball so cleanly and even served for the set but nerves got the better of her. Watch out for Sorana Cirstea in the future because she could be very good. I'm still liking Ana for the title.

There were two more upsets yesterday. Kirilenko defeated Chakvetadze in the biggest win of her career and Agnieszka Radwanska beat the No.2 seed Kuznetsova.

FinRedWing, I saw Nieminen's first 3 matches. First up he beat Dancevic in 5 sets, then he dominated Levine, and on Friday night he played against Fish in a very enjoyable match. There were plenty of Finnish fans in the stadium and he got great support from the crowd. He was pumped at the win and signed autographs for quite some time. He's currently in action against Kohlschreiber.

Will post pics a bit later.

[FinRedWing 172]

Ivanovic lost,I hope Aussie Wing wasn't watching.

He'll be heartbroken.

Maybe I was very,very drunk?

[FinRedWing 172]

Some other observations:

* Berdych v Federer 4th round (Tomas has beaten Roger before).

He just wasn't mentally tough enough.

Those unforced errors in the 2nd set tiebreak killed his momentum,he almost had Roger beaten there.

I really wanted Berdych to win,he's a fellow Red Wings fan:

http://www.tomas-berdych.com/tomas.php

When Tomas is not on the tennis court he like to follow the matches of the Detroit Red Wings, as he is a huge ice hockey fan. Therefore he takes his laptop computer with him on the tour and also enjoy movies and music.

Nadal v Nieminen... Can't wait!

Jarkko has taken advantage of his relatively easy draw,but now he faces The Rico Suave himself.

Obviously Rafa is a huge favourite,but I'm hoping for an upset. A must see.

Edit: Rafa's too strong and Jarkko lacks that killer instinct.

Edited January 22, 2008 by FinRedWing

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Berdych is a mental case, plain and simple. He could be anything, as evident by his play against Federer. He was the better player for 2 sets, was up 5-1 in the tiebreak, had 2 set points and on the first he had an easy put away instead opting for the drop shot. He's an absolute mental case and it's such a shame because he's an ubelievable talent.

Sharapova produced one of the best performances I've seen in years. I thought Henin played very well herself but Maria was just unbelievable. That's one of the highest standard womens matches I've seen for quite some time, despite the one-sided scoreline. Sharapova was simply unbelievable, hitting with such great power and angle. She had Henin running from side to side and she was always on the back foot. With that form, there's no way she's doing anything but winning this title.

As for the mens side, Nadal will now face Tsonga who won his QF in straight sets. He played another amazing game, started getting tight towards the latter stages of the 3rd but managed to close it out, luckily too I might add because the longer the match was going the better Youzhny was playing.