2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.
After twenty years of playing on Rebound Ace, the courts were changed to Plexicushion, a marginally faster surface. The new surface is 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 US Open.[2] Player reaction to the change of surface was generally ambivalent.[3][4]
Both Roger Federer and Serena Williams were unsuccessful in defending their 2007 titles; Federer losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and Williams losing in the quarter-finals to Jelena Janković. Djokovic won his first Grand Slam singles title, defeating unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final; Maria Sharapova, runner-up to Williams in 2007, defeated Ana Ivanovic to win her first Australian Open title and third Grand Slam title.
For the mixed doubles, in every game, the first team to score four points, won the game. In other words, when a deuce happened in a game, the team who won the next point won the game.
Notable stories
[edit]Surface change
[edit]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.[5] 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.[6] The heat retention of the surface had also been a point of contention between players.[7]
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."[8] 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 US 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 Djokovic, 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.[9]
Implementation of anti-corruption policing
[edit]On 21 December 2007, organizers of the event announced that the tournament would be watched under the scrutiny of anti-corruption officials.[10] A partnership was formed with Victoria Police. 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.[11] 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.[12]
Crowd trouble
[edit]On 15 January, Day 2 of the tournament, Victoria Police had to intervene when Greek Australian supporters, following Greece's Konstantinos Economidis in his match against Chilean Fernando González, became unruly.[13] 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,[14] 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."[13] 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.[15]
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.[16]
Sexual assault
[edit]Police were called to investigate a report that a 12-year-old girl was indecently assaulted by a drunk man at the Australian Open.[17]
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.[18]
Marcos Baghdatis video controversy
[edit]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,[19] 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".[20]
Serbian performance
[edit]
This tournament saw strong performances from Serbian players.[21][22] The men's side saw Janko Tipsarević, winner of the boys' tournament in 2001, almost cause an upset when he pushed Roger Federer to five sets in the third round, with the final score being 6–7 (5–7), 7–6 (7–1), 5–7, 6–1, 10–8 in Federer's favour. The match, which overlapped into the night session due to rain earlier in the day, took almost four-and-a-half hours to complete.[23][24] Third-seed Novak Djokovic became Serbia's first Grand Slam singles title winner (Ana Ivanovic would later become that country's first Grand Slam women's singles title winner, at the 2008 French Open), and the youngest ever winner of the Australian Open, at 20 years and 250 days of age, when he defeated surprise finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final,[25] having defeated the defending champion Federer in the semi-finals,[26] and Australian hopeful Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets in the fourth round.[27] Coincidentally, Djokovic would also defeat Federer in straight sets en route to his second Australian Open title, in 2011.
The women's draw saw Jelena Janković, the 2001 girls' champion, and Ana Ivanovic produce notable performances to reach the semi-finals and the final, respectively. Janković saved three match points against Tamira Paszek in the first round, before defeating rising Australian player Casey Dellacqua in the fourth round.[28] Janković then ended the title defence of Serena Williams in the quarter-finals,[29] before losing her semi-final to Maria Sharapova.[30] Twenty-four hours after Janković's victory over Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic recorded her first career victory against Venus Williams in her quarter-final,[31] and went on to reach her second Grand Slam final by defeating Daniela Hantuchová in the semi-finals, having to recover from a 0–6, 0–2 deficit to do so.[32] Ivanovic was then defeated in the final by Maria Sharapova, in a match dubbed as the "Glam Slam" final.[33]
Day-by-day summaries
[edit]Seniors
[edit]Men's singles
[edit]
Novak Djokovic[36] defeated 
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(7–2)
- It was Djokovic's 1st title of the year, and his 8th overall. It was his 1st career Grand Slam title.
Women's singles
[edit]
Maria Sharapova[37] defeated Ana Ivanovic, 7–5, 6–3
Men's doubles
[edit]
Jonathan Erlich / Andy Ram defeated Arnaud Clément / Michaël Llodra, 7–5, 7–6(7–4)
- The duo's first Grand Slam win after numerous ATP titles
- The first ever Grand Slam trophy in Men's Doubles for Israeli players.
Women's doubles
[edit]
Alona Bondarenko / Kateryna Bondarenko defeated 
Victoria Azarenka / Shahar Pe'er, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4
- It was Alona and Kateryna's 1st career Grand Slam doubles title.
Mixed doubles
[edit]
Sun Tiantian / Nenad Zimonjić defeated 
Sania Mirza / Mahesh Bhupathi, 7–6(7–4), 6–4
- It was Sun's 1st career Grand Slam mixed doubles title.
- It was Zimonjić's 3rd career Grand Slam mixed doubles title and his 2nd at the Australian Open.
Juniors
[edit]Boys' singles
[edit]
Bernard Tomic def 
Yang Tsung-hua, 4–6, 7–6(5), 6–0
Girls' singles
[edit]
Arantxa Rus defeated Jessica Moore, 6–3, 6–4
Boys' doubles
[edit] Hsieh Cheng-peng / Yang Tsung-hua defeated 
Vasek Pospisil / 
César Ramírez, 3–6, 7–5, [10]–[5]
Girls' doubles
[edit] Ksenia Lykina / Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated 
Elena Bogdan / 
Misaki Doi, 6–0, 6–4
Wheelchair
[edit]Wheelchair men's singles
[edit] Shingo Kunieda defeated Michaël Jérémiasz, 6–1, 6–4
Wheelchair women's singles
[edit] Esther Vergeer defeated Korie Homan, 6–3, 6–3
Wheelchair men's doubles
[edit] Shingo Kunieda / Satoshi Saida defeated
Robin Ammerlaan / Ronald Vink, 6–4, 6–3
Wheelchair women's doubles
[edit] Jiske Griffioen / Esther Vergeer defeated Korie Homan / Sharon Walraven, 6–3, 6–1
Wheelchair quad singles
[edit]
Peter Norfolk defeated 
David Wagner, 6–2, 6–3
Wheelchair quad doubles
[edit] Nicholas Taylor / David Wagner defeated Sarah Hunter / Peter Norfolk, 5–7, 6–0, [10]–[3]
Seeds
[edit]These were the seeds for the 2008 Australian Open.[38]
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.[39] On the date that the seeds were announced, 11 January 2008, Haas was No. 12 in the world and Cañas No. 17.[40]
Main draw wildcard entries
[edit]
Men's singles[edit] |
Women's singles[edit]
|
Men's doubles[edit] |
Women's doubles[edit]
|
Mixed doubles[edit] |
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Qualifier entries
[edit]
Men's qualifiers entries[edit] |
Women's qualifiers entries[edit]
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Withdrawals
[edit]
|
|
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Chris Bevan (11 January 2008). "On-court blues for Aussie tennis?". BBC Sport.
- ^ a b c "Fears of second-rate US Open". The Australian. 31 May 2007. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
- ^ a b "Federer unimpressed by Plexicushion". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011.
- ^ a b Cambers, Simon (29 December 2007). "Top players unimpressed by Australian Open surface". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 1 January 2008.
- ^ "Tournament chief defends court surface". BBC Sport. 24 January 2008.
- ^ "Hewitt supports new court surface". Tennis.com. 1 June 2007. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ^ "Australian Open plans new surface". BBC Sport. 30 May 2007.
- ^ Pearce, Linda (31 May 2007). "Open drops Rebound Ace for new surface". Melbourne: The Age.
- ^ "Doubts on new Oz Open surface". Brisbane Times. 23 December 2007.
- ^ "Aussie Open takes anti-fraud step". BBC Sport. 21 December 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
- ^ Alison Caldwell (reporter) (21 December 2007). "Tennis Australia targets match fixing". PM. ABC Australia. Radio National. Transcript.
- ^ "Tennis launches corruption review". BBC Sport. 8 January 2008.
- ^ a b "Crowd unrest mars Australian Open". BBC Sport. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ "Crowd trouble hits Australian Open". Al-Jazeera English. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ "Crowd trouble at Australian Open". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ Jessica Halloran (15 January 2007). "Serbs, Croats clash at Open". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ "12-year-old reportedly molested at Australian Open". Herald Sun. 16 January 2008.
- ^ "Third up-skirt incident mars Australian Open". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 24 January 2007. Archived from the original on 26 January 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ^ "Kick out Baghdatis, say Turkish Cypriots". News.com.au. 18 January 2008. Archived from the original on 21 March 2009.
- ^ "Ban Baghdatis, say Turks". Melbourne: The Age, Reko Rennie. 18 January 2008.
- ^ Super Serbians taking tennis world by storm - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ Serb supremos reach Australian Open semis – Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Federer survives five-set thriller - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ King Roger's crown wobbles as Tipsy finds the prince within - Tennis - Sport
- ^ Battling Djokovic outlasts Tsonga - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ Djokovic upsets Federer in straight sets - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ Djokovic halts Hewitt's tilt - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ Dellacqua's dream run ends at Open - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ Serena sent packing in Melbourne - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ Sharapova to face Ivanovic - Tennis - Sport
- ^ Ivanovic topples Venus - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ Ivanovic wrestles into Open final - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- ^ Expect substance and style in blonde v brunette glam slam - Tennis - Sport
- ^ "Tsonga stuns Nadal to reach final". BBC Sport. 24 January 2008.
- ^ "Tsonga advances to Australian Open final in stunning fashion". ESPN, Associated Press. 24 January 2008.
- ^ Djokovic became the first Serbian player (male or female) to win a Grand Slam singles title.
- ^ Sharapova became the first Russian woman to win the Australian Open singles title.
- ^ "Australian Open Seeds". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. 12 January 2008.
- ^ "Haas Withdraws From Australian Open". OnTennis.com. 10 January 2008.
- ^ ATP rankings for 7 January 2008 ATP website
External links
[edit]