2008 Australian Open

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2008 Australian Open
DateJanuary 14 – January 27
Edition96th
Champions
Men's singles
Serbia Novak Đoković
Women's singles
Russia Maria Sharapova
Men's doubles
Israel Jonathan Erlich / Israel Andy Ram
Women's doubles
Ukraine Alyona Bondarenko / Ukraine Kateryna Bondarenko
Mixed doubles
China Sun Tiantian / Serbia Nenad Zimonjić
← 2007 · Australian Open · 2009 →

The 2008 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australia from 14 January through 27 January, 2008.

After 20 years of playing on Rebound Ace, the courts were changed to Plexicushion, a marginally faster surface. The new surface is notably thinner, and therefore has lower heat retention. This decision was made in a bid to reduce the "stick" of the court and the frequency of the extreme heat policy being invoked.[1] However, the new surface faced criticism for being too similar to DecoTurf, the surface used at the U.S. Open.[2] Player reaction to the change of surface was generally ambivalent.[3][4]

The singles winners were Novak Đoković and Maria Sharapova.

Notable stories

Implementation of anti-corruption policing

Novak Đoković became the first Serbian man to win a slam title.

On 21 December 2007, organizers of the event announced that the tournament would be watched under the scrutiny of anti-corruption officials.[5] A partnership was formed with the Victoria policing department. This announcement came in the wake of a series of scandals to hit the sport, including World No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko coming under suspicion of match fixing; with at least a dozen other players coming forward about having been approached to influence matches in an unethical manner.[6] Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood commented that, "Match-fixing and illegal gambling are a threat to the integrity of sport. We're putting our policies, procedures and programme in place to protect it."

This was followed by a statement from the wider community of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and organizers of all four Grand Slams that they would review their anti-corruption policies in the future. This announcement came six days prior to the start of the Open, on 8 January 2008.[7]

Crowd trouble

On 15 January, Day 2 of the tournament, the Victoria state police had to intervene when Greek Australian supporters, following Greece's Konstantinos Economidis in his match against Chilean Fernando González, became unruly.[8] The match, in progress at the Margaret Court Arena, was suspended for ten minutes as the police attempted stop the "offensive chanting" and eject certain fans. Approximately forty supporters, heavily outnumbered by Chilean fans,[9] were warned of their disorderly conduct prior to the police deploying pepper spray. The police regiment was heavily outnumbered, with a BBC Radio employee commenting that, "[there were] two guys against maybe 70-80, that's not good."[8] Tournament officials said that 3 people had been sprayed and 5 evicted; a small proportion of the Greek fans left the arena, upset at how events were transpiring and fearing for their safety.

Both players said that the trouble was not something they had witnessed before; and Economidis condemned his supporters, saying that, "It was a really nice atmosphere until this moment. I am really unhappy." Some witnesses have implicated Cypriot and Serbian supporters in the trouble.[10]

Australian Open director, Craig Tiley, had announced in the week preceding the event that police and security forces would "impose a 'zero-tolerance' policy on anti-social behaviour". This statement appeared to be a delayed reaction to the trouble that marred the event in 2007, with Australian youths of Greek, Serbian and Croatian origins involved in mutually abusive sparring. However, the problem was much more pronounced in 2007, with violence breaking out and around 150 fans ejected.[11]

Sexual harassment

Police were called to investigate a report that a 12-year-old girl was sexually harassed by a drunk man at the Australian Open.[12]

In a brief statement, Victoria Police said they received a report that the girl was inappropriately touched on the buttocks on Monday.

"The matter was reported to police this morning and the incident is currently being investigated," the statement said. This event mirrors a series of incidents that occurred at last year's event, when several men attending the tournament were arrested for taking upskirt photographs.[13]

Marcos Baghdatis video controversy

During the Open, a video posted on YouTube almost a year earlier made headlines in the Australian media. The video shows the 2008 fifteenth seed, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, at a barbecue hosted by his Greek Australian fans in Melbourne in early 2007. In it, Baghdatis is holding a flare and taking part in chants against the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Melbourne's Turkish Cypriot community called for Baghdatis to be expelled from Australia,[14] but in a statement issued through his manager, the Cypriot player said he was "supporting the interest of my country, Cyprus, while protesting against a situation that is not recognized by the United Nations".[15]

Record time

The round three Men's singles match between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis extended further into the evening than any other match in the history of the Australian Open, starting at 11:52pm, lasting 282 minutes, and finishing at 4:34am.[16] Earlier in the evening, Roger Federer defeated Janko Tipsarević on the same court in 267 minutes. This delayed the start of the Women's Singles match between Venus Williams and Sania Mirza until 10p.m. It was a result of several rain delays and several other matches being played for longer than was expected that the day session overlapped in to the night session. Rules had previously been put in place so that a men's singles match would not commence if other matches had played past 11 p.m.;[17] however, with the home crowd growing anxious, the organizers decided to go ahead with the Hewitt vs. Baghdatis match.

Illegal coaching

World number 4 Jelena Janković was handed a US$2,000 fine after allegedly receiving coaching from her mother, Snežana, during her third round match with Virginie Razzano of France. Umpire Maria Alves spotted the infringement during the match, and although unable to understand what had been communicated, dealt Janković a code violation for illegal coaching.

Janković denied the allegation, saying that she simply shouted 'C'mon' in Serbian. The practice of coaching during a match is banned at all WTA and Grand Slam events.[18]

Maria Sharapova was fined the same amount at the 2007 Australian Open, also for receiving illegal coaching, with the same umpire, Maria Alves, in the chair.[19]

Maria Sharapova match controversy

Maria Sharapova's father, Yuri Sharapov, came under intense scrutiny from Australian media after he made a throat-slashing gesture after his daughter's match against the world No. 1 Justine Henin.[20] Sharapova had earlier joked that her father's camouflage hoodie made him look like "an assassin".[21] The WTA claimed that the gesture was simply a joke between the pair, pertaining to this comment.[22]

Surface change

On 30 May 2007, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley announced that as of the 2008 Australian Open, the Rebound Ace surface that had been used since 1988 would be replaced by a newer, faster Plexicushion surface. The Rebound Ace surface had been criticized for several years, from players including Andy Roddick and Mark Philippoussis, who claimed that the "stick" of the court was a contributing factor in many players injuring themselves.[23] This "stick" was a result of the thick rubber mat (10 mm) laid beneath the surface,[2] the high heat retention because of this, and the high temperatures present during the Australian summer, which intermittently resulted in the extreme heat policy being invoked. Conversely, players such as Pete Sampras and Marat Safin put the high number of injuries down to lack of preparation from players; partly due to the fact that the tournament is held so early in the year, but also because there were so few tournaments preceding it. Rebound Ace was also chastised by Lleyton Hewitt for having an inconsistent bounce, in terms of height and pace (shock absorption); and claimed that these factors varied depending on the weather.[24] The heat retention of the surface had also been a point of contention between players.[25]

In announcing the change, Tiley said Plexicushion would have a "lower rubber content than Rebound Ace, was firmer under foot and retained less heat through its thinner top layer."[26] Tiley later said that the change of colour, from green to blue, would also benefit players and officials,[1] although this change was quite arbitrary. The manufacturers of Rebound Ace derided the new surface, with director Paul Bull saying that, "We had an Australian icon event with a unique Australian product and now we are just going to become a clone of the U.S. Open." Bull also said that the inconsistencies in pace were down to the organizers' imperative, who kept asking for the pace to be adjusted to pander for certain players, such as Hewitt. Bull, however, conceded that a change was needed; and said that the suggestion of a Rebound Ace court with a rubber mat thickness of around 5 mm was made.[2]

The Plexicushion surface received a relatively mixed reception from players. Lleyton Hewitt, Justine Henin and Serena Williams were all keen to endorse the new courts; with Hewitt's appraisal focused on the greater consistency of the courts.[1] Henin called it a "good surface" but said she did not find it markedly distinguishable from Rebound Ace, saying the biggest difference was the change of colour. Williams claimed that the court was not as "bouncy" and was causing less physical strain on her feet and ankles.[3] One source of criticism from players was the slower than expected pace, although many of these comments came prior to the event's commencement. Players were exposed to the new courts through other tournaments, played in advance of the Open; and practise on the new surface. Roger Federer described it as slow, with Novak Đoković, Jelena Janković and James Blake all corroborating this opinion, albeit from experience in preliminary tournaments.[4] Pundit and former World No. 1 Pat Rafter said it was possible that the courts would speed up in time.[27]

Day by day

Day 1

The Rod Laver Arena with the new, blue Plexicushion surface.

Day 1 saw few upsets, as favourites Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Tatiana Golovin, Maria Sharapova, Shahar Pe'er, Amélie Mauresmo, Nicole Vaidišová, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, and Mikhail Youzhny all advanced. Jelena Janković, world #3, also advanced but was heavily tested by Tamira Paszek, having to win 2-6, 6-2, 12-10 in three hours, saving three match points; there were over 13 breaks of serve in the final set. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga scored his best victory to that point in a 4 set win over #9 Andy Murray, 7-5, 6-4, 0-6, 7-6. Home favourite Alicia Molik also advanced in to the second round.

Day 2

Favourites Roger Federer, Tomáš Berdych, James Blake, Novak Đoković, Fernando González, Lleyton Hewitt, Marcos Baghdatis, David Nalbandian, David Ferrer, Marat Safin, Venus Williams, Ana Ivanović, Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela Hantuchová, and Svetlana Kuznetsova all advanced. Other seeded players such as Li Na, Nadia Petrova, Sania Mirza, Agnieszka Radwańska, Dmitry Tursunov, and Juan Carlos Ferrero also advanced. Sofia Arvidsson caused the upset on the women's side, as she defeated #10 Marion Bartoli 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. On the men's side, the upset of the day came when Dutch qualifier Robin Haase defeated #17 Ivan Ljubičić 6-7, 6-3, 6-0, 7-6. Day 2 saw the completion of all the remaining first round matches.

Day 3

The Australian crowd were treated to an upset from one of their own as Casey Dellacqua sent #15 seed Patty Schnyder crashing out in the women's draw, while #13 Tatiana Golovin and #19 Sybille Bammer also struggled, losing to Aravane Rezaï and Hsieh Su-wei respectively. Maria Sharapova defeated comeback queen Lindsay Davenport in somewhat easy fashion 6-1, 6-3,[28] and Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Jelena Janković also advanced with wins. Joining them were numerous lower seeds including Elena Dementieva, Nicole Vaidišová and Amélie Mauresmo. In the men's draw, Mardy Fish dominated #11 seed Tommy Robredo to send him crashing out 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, while Stanislas Wawrinka retired against Marc Gicquel down two sets to one. Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick and Richard Gasquet all progressed in straight sets, whilst Mikhail Youzhny was tested before eventually winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6. The doubles competition also began on Day 3.

Day 4

In the pick of the second round matches, former finalist Marcos Baghdatis dispatched former champion Marat Safin in five sets; 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2. Seeds Roger Federer, Novak Đoković, Fernando González, David Nalbandian, Tomáš Berdych and James Blake all came through unscathed; with Federer dropping only 3 games against Fabrice Santoro. Nineteenth seed and home favorite Lleyton Hewitt came through in typically gritty fashion, defeating Denis Istomin 7-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.[29] On the women's side, Ana Ivanović defeated Tathiana Garbin 6-0, 6-3 in the night match preceding Baghdatis vs. Safin. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Venus Williams, Daniela Hantuchová, Nadia Petrova and form player Li Na all navigated their way in to the third round too.

The total attendance figure for Day 4 was 62,885, setting a new world record for a combined day/night attendance at a Grand Slam event. The previous record was 61,083, set during the 2007 U.S. Open.[30]

Day 5

In the last match of the day, Philipp Kohlschreiber, the 29th seed of Germany, defeated the 6th seeded Andy Roddick in 232 minutes: 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 8-6; with the match reaching its conclusion past 2a.m. Rafael Nadal, who saved set points against Gilles Simon, set up a tie with Paul-Henri Mathieu, who survived a five-set thriller versus Stefan Koubek. Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, Mikhail Youzhny, Jarkko Nieminen and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also advanced.

The first match of the night session on the Rod Laver Arena saw local player Casey Dellacqua, who had previously never progressed beyond the first round at the Australian Open, defeat former champion Amélie Mauresmo 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Justine Henin struggled to get to grips with Francesca Schiavone before winning; and Nicole Vaidišová and Serena Williams set up an intriguing fourth round match.

Day 6

Day 6 in Melbourne was plagued by rain and consequently matches could only take place on the indoor courts. In the women's competition, Ana Ivanović made light work of Katarina Srebotnik whilst Venus Williams was more sternly tested by Sania Mirza.[31] However, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze both saw their tournaments ended in the third round by Agnieszka Radwańska and Maria Kirilenko respectively. The men's competition featured two prolonged five-set matches. In the first, #1 seed Roger Federer was pushed to the limit by Janko Tipsarević before triumphing; 6-7, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 10-8 in 267 minutes. The second featured Australian hopeful Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Marcos Baghdatis 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 in a match that provoked discussion about the validity of night matches;[32] the players did not finish play until 4:34 a.m.,[33] 282 minutes since it started (11:52p.m). Last year's finalist Fernando González made an early exit to Marin Čilić; Novak Đoković, James Blake and Tomáš Berdych all progressed as well.

Day 7

Nikolay Davydenko became the highest-seeded male player out so far, losing to fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny, setting up a quarter-final tie with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who dumped out No.8-seeded compatriot Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 in just over three hours. Jarkko Nieminen also advanced to the last eight. Maria Sharapova easily beat Elena Dementieva[34] and she joined Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Jelena Janković, who eliminated home favourite Casey Dellacqua, in the quarter finals. Li Na said goodbye to the tournament, losing to qualifier Marta Domachowska. Rafael Nadal advanced to the quarter finals as opponent Paul-Henri Mathieu retired with an injured left calf muscle; the second-ranked Spaniard was ahead 6-4, 3-0. David Nalbandian, the number 10 seed also suffered a straight-sets defeat at the hands of former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Day 8

Novak Đoković powered his way into the quarter-finals, defeating Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 in a fourth-round clash. Roger Federer finished Tomáš Berdych's tournament in 1 hour and 59 minutes, 6-4, 7-6, 6-3. He faces James Blake next, who scored a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over 19-year-old Croat Marin Čilić; a victory which saw him advance past the fourth round here for the first time. Venus Williams fought back twice from service breaks in the first set to secure a place in the quarter-finals; with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Marta Domachowska. She next faces #4 seed Ana Ivanović, who put together a 6-1, 7-6 win over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki. No. 9 seed Daniela Hantuchová beat No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 and will next play Poland's Agnieszka Radwańska, who upset No. 14 Nadia Petrova 1-6, 7-5, 6-0.

Day 9

Jelena Janković in her quarter-finals match.

Jelena Janković survived a straight set win over defending champion Serena Williams, making the semifinals of her 3rd different major. Rafael Nadal won his quarter final match against Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets, putting him into his first semi-final at the Australian Open. Maria Sharapova defeated No. 1 seed Justine Henin in a repeat of the 2007 WTA Tour Championships final. On this occasion, Henin was unable to win even a set as Sharapova eased to victory; 6-4, 6-0.[35][36] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his match against 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny and booked his spot in the semi-finals.

Day 10

Novak Đoković defeated David Ferrer 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 in a closely fought third set, which advanced him to his fourth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final. Ana Ivanović progressed to her first Australian Open semi-final after defeating Venus Williams 7-6, 6-4. Ivanović will face Daniela Hantuchová who advanced to her first Grand Slam semi-final after dispatching Agnieszka Radwańska 6-2, 6-2. Roger Federer defeated James Blake 7-5, 7-6, 6-4 in just over 2 hours. With this win Federer progressed to his 15th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final, where he will face Đoković.

Day 11

Ana Ivanović reached her first Australian Open final.

In the first women's semi-final match, fifth seeded Russian Maria Sharapova defeated third seeded Serbian Jelena Janković in a two sets, 6-3, 6-1 to clinch the first spot in the finals. Fourth seeded Ana Ivanović also progressed to the final after defeating Daniela Hantuchová in three sets, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4. Ivanović had lost the first eight games of the match.[37] Unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated second seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the first men's semifinal in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

Day 12

In the second men's semi-final, between #1 Roger Federer and #3 Novak Đoković, Đoković won in just over 2 hours; completing the victory in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 to reach the second grand slam final of his career. This broke Federer's record run of appearing in 10 consecutive grand slam finals. In the women's doubles final, Alyona and Kateryna Bondarenko beat Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Pe'er 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 to win their first Grand Slam title.

Day 13

Maria Sharapova of Russia won the Women's 2008 Australian Open over Ana Ivanović of Serbia in straight sets; 7-5, 6-3. It was Sharapova's third slam title and her third different slam; leaving her needing a French Open title for a career grand slam. Sharapova also achieved the feat of not dropping a set the entire tournament. In the men's doubles final, the Israeli pair, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram beat Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra of France 7-5, 7-6 to win their first Grand Slam title.

The juniors competition also reached its conclusion on Day 13. Australian Bernard Tomic defeated Taiwanese player Yang Tsung-Hua; 4-6, 7-6, 6-0 to win the boys' event. Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands defeated the other Australian hopeful, Jessica Moore, 6-3, 6-4 to claim the girls' singles crown. In the women's wheelchair event, Esther Vergeer won her third consecutive title, beating fellow Dutchwoman Korie Homan 6-4, 6-3. Shingo Kunieda won his fourth slam in a row in the men's wheelchair competition, defeating former champion Michael Jeremiasz 6-1, 6-4.

Day 14

Third seeded Novak Đoković of Serbia defeated unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in four sets; 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6, becoming the first Serbian man to win a grand-slam singles tournament title. For Đoković, this was his first slam victory; making him the 2008 Men's Australian Open Champion.

Sun Tiantian of China and Nenad Zimonjić of Serbia were crowned the 2008 Mixed Doubles champions after defeating Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi of India in straight sets; 7-6, 6-4.

Seniors

Men's Singles

Tsonga stunned the tennis world by reaching the final.[38][39]
Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Men's Singles

Serbia Novak Đoković def. France Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2)

  • It was Đoković's first title of the year, and 8th of his career.

Women's Singles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Women's Singles

Russia Maria Sharapova def. Serbia Ana Ivanović, 7-5, 6-3

  • It was Sharapova's first title of the year, and 17th of her career.

Men's Doubles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Men's Doubles

Israel Jonathan Erlich / Israel Andy Ram def. France Arnaud Clément / France Michaël Llodra, 7-5, 7-6(4)

  • The duo's first Grand Slam win after numerous ATP titles
  • Israel's first ever Grand Slam trophy in Men's Doubles

Women's Doubles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Women's Doubles

Ukraine Alyona Bondarenko / Ukraine Kateryna Bondarenko def. Belarus Victoria Azarenka / Israel Shahar Pe'er, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4

Mixed Doubles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Mixed Doubles

China Sun Tiantian / Serbia Nenad Zimonjić def. India Sania Mirza / India Mahesh Bhupathi, 7-6(4), 6-4

Juniors

Boys' Singles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Boys' Singles

Australia Bernard Tomic def Chinese Taipei Yang Tsung-Hua, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-0

Girls' Singles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Girls' Singles

Netherlands Arantxa Rus def. Australia Jessica Moore, 6-3, 6-4

Boys' Doubles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Boys' Doubles

Chinese Taipei Hsieh Cheng Peng / Chinese Taipei Yang Tsung-Hua def. Canada Vasek Pospisil / Mexico César Ramírez, 3-6, 7-5, [10]-[5]

Girls' Doubles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Girls' Doubles

Russia Ksenia Lykina / Russia Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Romania Elena Bogdan / Japan Misaki Doi, 6-0, 6-4

Wheelchair

Wheelchair Men's Singles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Wheelchair Men's Singles

Japan Shingo Kunieda def. France Michael Jeremiasz, 6-1, 6-4

Wheelchair Women's Singles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Wheelchair Women's Singles

Netherlands Esther Vergeer def. Netherlands Korie Homan, 6-3, 6-3

Wheelchair Men's Doubles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Wheelchair Men's Doubles

Japan Shingo Kunieda / Japan Satoshi Saida def. Netherlands Robin Ammerlaan / Netherlands Ronald Vink, 6-4, 6-3

Wheelchair Women's Doubles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Wheelchair Women's Doubles

Netherlands Jiske Griffioen / Netherlands Esther Vergeer def. Netherlands Korie Homan / Netherlands Sharon Walraven, 6-3, 6-1

Wheelchair Quad Singles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Wheelchair Quad Singles

United Kingdom Peter Norfolk def. United States David Wagner, 6-2, 6-3

Wheelchair Quad Doubles

Main article: 2008 Australian Open - Wheelchair Quad Doubles

United States Nicholas Taylor / United States David Wagner def. Canada Sarah Hunter / United Kingdom Peter Norfolk, 5-7, 6-0, 10-3

Seeds

These were the seeds for the 2008 Australian Open.[40]

On the women's side of the draw, all of the world's top thirty-two players were present; whereas in the men's draw Tommy Haas and Guillermo Cañas were both forced to withdraw due to injury.[41] On the date that the seeds were announced, January 11, 2008, Haas was No. 12 in the world and Cañas No. 17.[42]

Quotes

I think it will be crazy house back in Serbia right now.

— Novak Đoković after winning his first slam title., [43]

I try to. I try to. I think it's the way to go for me, you know, play on the baseline, go to the net. I just try to be - I don't know how say that - like complete, no?

— Finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after his first round match against Andy Murray, on why he struggles to find consistency., [44]

I told him, 'You look like an assassin with that jacket on'. He said he has a cold so he had to put the hood up.

— Maria Sharapova on her father's camouflage hoodie., [45]

If you don't want an emotional rollercoaster, if you want to be serene and kind of chilled out all day, then get a job serving Margaritas at the beach.

— Andy Roddick, who was fined $500 for his outburst at an umpire., [46]

She's stronger than me and twice my size, so it's not so easy.

— Jelena Janković on the prospect of facing Serena Williams., [47]

It's been an emotional two weeks. After the match I shed a few tears - I'm quite a sensitive, emotional person and the past two weeks just hit me.

— Ana Ivanović, who broke down in tears after losing the final., [43]

It's not as cool. Of course, we are going to get used to it, but just - why blue?

— Marat Safin on the new Plexicushion courts., [1]

Gallery

  • Ana Ivanović serving in her quarter-finals match.
    Ana Ivanović serving in her quarter-finals match.
  • Jarkko Nieminen and Robert Lindstedt attack the ball.
    Jarkko Nieminen and Robert Lindstedt attack the ball.
  • A doubles match on the outdoor courts.
    A doubles match on the outdoor courts.
  • Jarkko Nieminen serving.
    Jarkko Nieminen serving.


References

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  34. ^ "Henin through to face Sharapova". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-20.
  35. ^ "Brilliant Sharapova hammers Henin". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-22.
  36. ^ Sharapova vs. Henin head-to-head WTA Tour website
  37. ^ "Ivanovic sets up Sharapova final". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-24.
  38. ^ "Tsonga stuns Nadal to reach final". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-24.
  39. ^ "Tsonga advances to Australian Open final in stunning fashion". ESPN, Associated Press. 2008-01-24.
  40. ^ "Australian Open Seeds". International Herald Tribune, Associated Press. 2008-01-12.
  41. ^ "Haas Withdraws From Australian Open". OnTennis.com. 2008-01-10.
  42. ^ ATP Rankings for January 7, 2008 ATP website
  43. ^ a b "Aussie Open Day 14 quotes". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-27.
  44. ^ "Aussie Open day one quotes". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-14.
  45. ^ "Aussie Open day four quotes". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-17.
  46. ^ "Aussie Open day six quotes". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-19.
  47. ^ "Aussie Open day seven quotes". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-20.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2008 Australian Open.
Preceded by Australian Open Succeeded by
Preceded by Grand Slams Succeeded by
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