As Andy Murray leaves the Australian Open wondering what could have been, organisers now hope to capitalise on a rare occurrence that has happened in tennis.
Two days ago the tennis world was left speechless after Novak Djokovic was outplayed in five sets by an inspired Denis Istomin. It was the first time that the six-time champion has failed to reach the second week in Melbourne since 2007. Then on Sunday it was Andy Murray’s turn to fall victim to the underdog. Facing Mischa Zverev, the Brit failed to hit back at his opponent’s serve and volley tactic, a style which triggered memories of professional tennis during the 80s and early 90s.
“I guess it’s good for tennis, that a lot of guys believe stronger now that the top guys are beatable, are vulnerable, especially on a faster court.” 17-time grand slam champion Roger Federer said of his rivals losses.
The men’s draw will now enter the quarter-final stage of a grand slam without the top two seeds for only the fifth time since 1967. It is a true testament to the top players on the men’s tour and their consistency. Prior to this year, the 2004 French Open was the last major to experience this situation. Federer was stunned in the third round by Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten in what was his first grand slam tournament as the top seed. Meanwhile second seed Andy Roddick succumbed in the second round to home player Olivier Mutis.
Ironically the absence of the top two in the men’s draw may intensify the interest in the draw. The door has now opened for tour veterans Federer and Rafael Nadal to return back to winning ways in a major tournament. Meanwhile, Milos Raonic is still in contention of clinching his maiden grand slam trophy.
“Every match you have to enter the court, you have to fight. You play against some really strong player. It’s tough to just win or be in the final in every tournament for any player.” Former Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka said about the men’s draw.
There is no indication yet that the men’s draw is following a similar unpredictable route as the women’s draw. There is, however a sense of change. Rising stars such as Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem are starting to establish their presence on the main stages of the men’s tour. Meanwhile, the lower ranked players are realising that their feared rivals at the top of the sport isn’t as invincible as they are portrayed to be.
“In the best-of-three set matches, it feels like there’s less margin for error. If you play a bad set, you’re immediately under pressure, whereas in the slams you have time to sort of figure it out and try to turn it around.” Murray said about the playing in grand slams.
The unexpected absence of Murray and Djokovic from the second week of Melbourne is one for the Australian Open to savour. The negatives of those losses are outweighed by the excitement of the unknown. This is why the Australian Open has unintentionally ended up as a winner.
Times the top two seeds have both failed to reach the last eight at a grand slam
2004 French Open – Federer (1.) lost vs. Kuerten in R32, and Roddick (2.) lost against Olivier Mutis in R64.
Winner – Gastón Gaudio (unseeded)
2002 Australian Open – Hewitt (1.) lost vs. Alberto Martin in R128, and Kuerten (2.) lost vs. Julian Boutter in R128.
Winner – Thomas Johansson (16)
2000 US Open – Agassi (1.) lost vs. Arnaud Clement in R64, Kuerten (2) lost vs. Wayne Arthurs in R128.
Winner – Marat Safin (6)
1967 Wimbledon Championships – Manuel Santana (1.) lost Charlie Pasarell in R128, Roy Emerson (2.) lost vs. Niki Pilic in R16.
Winner – John Newcombe (3)
Note: statistics provided by Andras Ruszanov.
