The first Grand Slam of 2021 provided the tennis world with plenty of tears and jubilation throughout it’s two-week period. There was epic match comebacks, injury misfortunes and victories for those who has been absent from the game in recent months due to a variety of issues. UbiTennis looks back at those emotional moments that took place during the Australian Open.
Gael Monfils in tears after his first round loss
Prior to the pandemic, Monfils had won two consecutive titles in Montpellier and Rotterdam. But since the tour restart, he’s now 0-6, and lost in five sets in the opening round to Emil Ruusuvuori. His comments are in French, but he was asking for “mercy” during his press conference.
“I don’t have any confidence. I would like to get out of this nightmare but I can’t,” Monfils said.
“I don’t know when it’s going to end. It’s hard. Every time I get here I feel judged, I’ve lost again. I can’t serve, I’m playing badly. I’m being honest and it’s going to take time.”
Bianca Andreescu wins her first match in 16 months
The 2019 US Open champion didn’t play at all in 2020, due to injuries and pandemic restrictions. She’s described many low moments she experienced during that time. And after going through 14 days of hard quarantine upon arrival in Melbourne, with her coach testing positive for COVID-19, the Canadian was holding back tears after winning her opening round in three sets.
“I feel pretty damn good,” Andreescu said afterwards in an on-court interview. “I mean the match wasn’t easy at all and I’m super, super happy with how I fought it out, especially towards the end.”
Alexei Popyrin saves match points to stun David Goffin
This was the first exciting match to take place in front of a full audience in nearly a year, as Aussies packed Court 3 to cheer on the comeback win of the 21-year-old Australian. Popyrin saved four match points in the fourth set tiebreak, and the crowd reaction to his victory sounded amazing.
“I think it just shows that the work I did in pre-season, the mentality that I’ve taken on this year is all paying off, and my game is improving, and I can feel that,” Popryin commented on his victory.
Thanasi Kokkinakis wins his first match since 2019
Kokkinakis’ struggles with injuries over the years are well-documented, so it’s understandable the 24-year-old Aussie was brought to tears in picking up his first tour-level win in 18 months, especially at his home Slam.
“At 5-0 (in the third set) I felt this massive roar and cheer from the crowd and I started tearing up,” Kokkinakis said.
“It was a bit of a soft moment but there was just so much stuff behind the scenes to get back to that point that not a lot of people realise.
“I definitely got a bit emotional.
“I had a lot of friends and family there watching. They probably made up about 90 per cent of the stands, so I’m appreciative of that.
“Just playing with that energy and crowd and being able to win – there was so much work behind the scenes and so much pain – it’s just a massive relief.”
In the second round Kokkinakis took Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets before getting knocked out of the tournament.
Venus Williams suffers a nasty ankle injury
This was hard to watch. Venus screamed out in pain and hobbled around the court after injuring her ankle. And she had arrived on court with an injured knee. After a long timeout to address both injuries, with a despondent Venus in tears, she showed her grit by finding a way to finish out the match in the event’s most inspiring moment.
“You can’t always prepare for the triumph of the disaster in sports or in life. “You can’t control it all. What you can control is how you handle the ups and the downs,” Williams later wrote on Instagram.
“No matter the outcome I always hold my head high and I leave everything I have on the court.
“I never look back in regrets because no matter the odds I give it all.
“You don’t have to look back when you leave it all out there. Always look forward, the deepest dream you could be…”
Nick Kyrgios saved two match points in a five-set epic
In another emotional moment involving an Australian, Kyrgios’ epic 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 win over Ugo Humbert was a thrilling affair on Nick’s favorite court, John Cain Area.
“If you were in my head, I was just thinking about all the s*** I was going to cop if I lost that match,” Kyrgios told the Nine Network after the match.
“I don’t know how I did that, honestly, it’s one of the craziest matches I’ve ever played.”
Kyrgios lost in the third round to Dominic Thiem.
Donna Vekic in tears after ousting Kaia Kanepi
Vekic was immediately in tears after converting her own match point, advancing to the second week of the tournament despite losing six straight matches coming into this event.
Matteo Berrettini battles through pain to defeat Khachanov
The Italian suffered an abdominal injury during the third set, and was teary-eyed after closing out the match in straights. He would have to withdraw from his fourth round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas due to the injury.
““I felt something on my ab. I thought that [it] wasn’t something really big, but the next day when I woke up I felt it was big. So I spoke to the doctors and they told me, ‘Look, it can get [much] worse’. So it’s not worth trying. I’m not 100 per cent. To beat these guys, you have to be 100 per cent. I think it’s not really professional to step [onto court] when you’re not the best.” Berrettini commented on his injury.
Stefanos Tsitsipas fights back to defeat Rafael Nadal
Tsitsipas became only the second man to ever do so at a Grand Slam event, and described himself as “speechless” when interviewed after the match.
Serena Williams’ wave goodbye after her semifinal loss
This felt like more than simply “See you next year, Melbourne.” Serena stopped her stride as she exited the court, waving and placing a hand to her heart. After being asked about the moment in press, she broke down and quickly exited the room.
