• Advertise
  • About us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us
Monday, July 14, 2025
Australian Times News
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia
No Result
View All Result
Australian Times News
No Result
View All Result
Home Sport

Roger Federer and the Australian Open deliver again

Another fairy tale title for the tennis immortal Roger Federer caps a thrilling 2018 Australian Open, writes Charlie Inglefield.

Charlie Inglefield by Charlie Inglefield
29-01-2018 00:54
in Sport

AlsoRead...

Premier-Leagues-Fifth-Champions-League-Janosch-Diggelmann-Unsplash

The Battle for the Premier League’s Fifth Champions League Spot: Who Will Prevail?

8 May 2025
The Q: Exciting New Venue will be Transformational for Queensland

The Q: Exciting New Venue will be Transformational for Queensland

22 April 2025

The 2018 Australian Open has to go down as one of the best tournaments in the modern era. Melbourne brought us everything possible in tennis over the last two weeks resulting in two memorable finals on Australia Day weekend.

It is appropriate to start with the incredible Roger Federer claiming a scarcely believable 20th Grand Slam at the ripe old age of 36. Any additional superlatives for the great man ran out 12 months ago when he beat his greatest rival, Rafa Nadal, in an amazing five setter. Federer is truly remarkable, a freakish athlete with the mentality and a passion for the game to match.

What makes Federer’s achievement so special in defending his Australian Open title was that at the age of 36, we expected him to do it. He was up against the fast improving Marian Cilic, probably the one man in the draw besides the great Rafa who was capable of beating the Swiss maestro. Cilic did himself proud in taking Roger to five sets and could have gone all the way if he had managed to grasp the break points he had on Federer’s serve in the first game of the fifth set. In the blink of the eye Federer saved the game, then immediately broke Cilic and cantered his way through to victory.

Action and drama from day one

We will come back to Roger in a moment. The past fortnight in Melbourne has thrown us many tense, dazzling and heart breaking moments in both the men and women’s draw. The tournament started with the exciting news that the wounded warriors and past champions, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, declared themselves fit for action (sadly not Andy Murray with his ongoing hip injury).

Each day fizzed with action and drama, particularly when Caroline Wozniacki somehow came back from 15-40 down and 1-5 down against the little known Croat, Jana Fett, to triumph memorably. The brilliantly named Tennys Sandgren had not won a grand slam match before Melbourne and showed all of his promise by thumping a hobbling Stan Wawrinka in the second round and going on to the quarters having also ousted fifth seed, Dominic Thiem. Sandgren eventually bowed out to the equally impressive Hyeon Chung in the quarterfinal.

Much has been said about Chung and we should expect the young South Korean to be in the top 10 sooner rather than later. Let us not forget Kyle Edmund either, who has finally made his breakthrough on the men’s tour by reaching the semi-finals including highly notable victories against Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov. From a British perspective, it is great to see Edmund join Andy Murray in the men’s elite.

There were some cracking matches in the first week particularly Nick Kygrios’s triumph over Jo Tsonga suggesting that the often controversial Australian is close to maturing into one hell of a player.

Fallen champions

We had tears aplenty from the two great champions, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal, both of whom succumbed to injury. In Novak’s case his ongoing elbow issues are of great concern to his future participation in the sport and along with Wawrinka and Murray, we have to hope that they can all return to the court somewhere near their best. The game desperately needs them.

In what was an absorbing quarterfinal, Rafa Nadal tragically injured his hip (although thankfully not serious) against Marian Cilic as the match was going into a thrilling fifth set. Who knows what would have happened if Rafa had stayed fit, although Cilic was looking just as strong as the match wore on. A side issue, all be it an important one, is the continuous injury list that is blighting men’s tennis. In the last 18 months alone, pretty much every player in the top 10 has had months out of the game with some kind of injury complaint. The ATP needs to address this fast otherwise we are going to lose some great names way to soon before their time.

The women’s draw was equally exciting, we saw the resurgent Belinda Bencic knock out Venus Williams in the first round, Wozniacki’s incredible comeback in the second round and the likes of Halep and Kerber begin to make their move towards the finals.

New names combine with legends in a memorable second week

The finals on both sides were always going to be exciting given that we had a few new faces come to the party, especially on the men’s side. Messrs. Chung and Sandgren fighting it out for a spot in the semis was totally unexpected having between them seen off the likes of Djokovic, Wawrinka, Thiem and Zverev. Gnarled warrior Tommy Berdych was looking powerful until he came up against you-know-who in the quarters and Rafa was promising so much until his unfortunate injury against Cilic. It was exhausting and thrilling to watch Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber play out a classic in the women’s semifinals for the right to meet Caroline Wozniacki in the final.

Unforgettable finals

The two finals promised much and my word did they both deliver. In recent years we have seen heavily one-sided matches at Grand Slam finals in the women’s section (not surprising when you have Serena Williams competing in the draw) but Halep and Wozniacki played out one of the great Australian Open finals. Both players showed incredible courage and ability leading to the final and a special mention to Halep, who had to go on a drip after the match given how dehydrated she was. It is this kind of dedication and ‘stay in the fight’ attitude which we love to see as fans of the sport. To have the top two women’s players going for their first major was great for the sport and Simona Halep’s time will come sooner rather than later.

But the main course was always going to be whether Roger Federer could defend his title. It was an excellent match with Cilic contributing richly to the quality of tennis. Indeed, Cilic has all the guns to be a contender for many years to come especially on the hard courts. He hits a very heavy ball on both wings together with a 130 mph serve and has matured into a fine player. Expect to see Cillic’s name on the cup in the next couple of years.

Federer’s enduring brilliance

Embed from Getty Images

Inevitably though, the final word goes to Roger Federer. The consistency in his game seems to be getting better, not slower or worse. That in itself is extraordinary given the miles on his clock in an ever-changing sport. As long as he stays fit, he will go into Wimbledon as the favourite and he will back himself at the US Open as well. Not to mention being number one in the world again. Simply remarkable. Well done Melbourne for yet again putting on a great show and I cannot wait for next January to roll on.

Also read: Tennis’s sad but not yet sorry case of Bernard Tomic’s demise

Tags: Australian OpenRoger FedererTennis
DMCA.com Protection Status

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER

[mc4wp_form id=”2384248″]

Don't Miss

The Dating Wealth Gap Is Getting Wider: What You Should Know

by Fazila Olla-Logday
11 July 2025
Source: Pixabay
Lifestyle

The divide between wealth and romance is growing. As income inequality widens, financial status is playing a bigger role in...

Read more

The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO

by Pauline Torongo
8 July 2025
The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO
Business & Finance

When faced with constant loan rejection or last-minute withdrawals of support, Trelos Finance stands out as a solution.

Read more

Common Mistakes When Buying a Telescope — And How to Avoid Them

by Fazila Olla-Logday
1 July 2025
Common Mistakes When Buying a Telescope
Technology

You’ve spent hours scrolling through telescope specs online, dazzled by features and grand promises. The excitement builds—until your newly arrived...

Read more

From Portugal to Bali: Where Aussies Should Go for Your Next Coastal Holiday

by Fazila Olla-Logday
20 June 2025
Source: Flickr
Travel

Aussies, here is a guide to where you should go for your next coastal holiday.

Read more

Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era

by Pauline Torongo
5 June 2025
Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era
Business & Finance

If you're leading a software team today, you've likely noticed the shift: faster feature rollouts, routine automation, and AI taking...

Read more

How to Save on Airport Parking: Budget Tips Every Traveller Should Know

by Fazila Olla-Logday
3 June 2025
How to Save on Airport Parking
Travel

Saving money on airport parking can be a challenge,but here are some budget friendly tips to help you navigate.

Read more

Why Australian Investors are Betting on the Aviation Maverick Louis Belanger-Martin

by Pauline Torongo
28 May 2025
Why Australian Investors are Betting on the Aviation Maverick Louis Belanger-Martin
Business & Finance

Bélanger-Martin’s ambitions stretch beyond redefining inflight comfort—they’re rooted in resurrecting the romance of supersonic travel with a modern twist.

Read more
Load More

Copyright © Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
australiantimes.co.uk is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Reproduction without permission prohibited. DMCA.com Protection Status

  • About us
  • Write for Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact us
  • T&Cs, Privacy and GDPR
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia

Copyright © Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
australiantimes.co.uk is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Reproduction without permission prohibited. DMCA.com Protection Status