The Australian Open is underway and tennis fans are drinking up this year’s matches. The Australian Open is the first of four Grand Slam tournaments that happen every year. The others are the French Open, which is sometimes referred to as Rolland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.
Being the first tournament of the year, the Australian Open is many fans’ first taste of professional tennis in months, since the U.S. Open ended in September. Therefore, it features some of the best players in the world bringing their A-game. Here are some of the best moments from this year’s tournament so far.
The first notable moment was 20-year-old American Ben Shelton’s incredible run to the quarterfinals. This was Shelton’s second Grand Slam following his U.S. Open appearance, where he shocked everyone by beating Casper Ruud. He battled several notable players again this year in Melbourne, including the 23-year-old Australian, Alexei Popyrin, who was able to defeat top-ranked Americans Taylor Fritz and JJ Wolf. Overall, Shelton played incredibly in this year’s U.S. Open for a player fresh to the world stage, and fans are excited to see what he will bring to the future.
Another surprise for fans was World No. 2 Rafael Nadal losing due to injury in the round of 64 to American Mackenzie McDonald. While the match was a career highlight for McDonald, the moment was bittersweet for many fans, as Nadal would not be playing longer as the defending champion of the tournament. Nadal later explained that he “didn’t want to retire [due to injury] as the defending champion here.” The hip injury hindered Nadal’s ability to hit a backhand, which, paired with McDonald’s impressive skill set, led to the Spaniard’s loss. It is upsetting for many fans to see such a talent in tennis out so soon due to an injury and many wish Nadal a speedy recovery.
On a lighter note, many are excited to see this year’s final match between World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas and World No. 4 Novak Djokovic. While the two are currently only one rank apart, of their 12 matches, Tsitsipas has only won twice. Therefore, Djokovic has 10 wins, with nine of them being consecutive. However, this is not to discredit Tsitsipas. The 24-year-old Greek has bested many incredible players in this year’s Australian Open alone. This included beating his second, third and quarter-final opponents in straight sets.
Overall, this final is significant for Djokovic because this ties him with Serena Williams for the second most Grand Slam finals reached. Fans and players are excited for tennis to return after a few months of training and rest for players. It is sure to be an exciting year in tennis, as incredible talent is returning for another season and new players are entering the stage.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest!