2023 AUSTRALIAN OPEN

That Murray win is medical science producing miracles.

This is the Slam I can only follow by score app or radio; at 6-1 in the breaker I figured I could just about cope with 5 Live Sports Extra in the kitchen (it's usually R3 or some sort of Budd/Eno playlist to get me through last night's washing-up at that time). Tense!

Look forward to that Netflix series.

It’s worth noting in the wake of Berrettini’s loss that there is some chatter going around Melbourne Park and social media about a Netflix curse. The thinking is that if you were featured in the Netflix series “Break Point,” the tennis gods are coming for you.

Nick Kyrgios, Paula Badosa, and Ajla Tomljanovic all featured heavily in “Break Point” and had to pull out with injuries. Now Berrettini is out. Then again, Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime have survived. Eventually, the tennis gods come for everyone except one woman and one man.

What is happening

5h 08m - This is now the longest career match for Andy Murray (5 hours and 8 minutes): the previous longest was in Davis Cup 2016 against Juan Martin Del Potro (5 hours and 7 minutes - he lost 6-4 5-7 6-7 6-3 6-4). Hero.#AusOpen #australianopen2023 pic.twitter.com/62cfWEdpBJ

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 19, 2023

Netflix curse takes out another

Ridiculous performance. Now out on his own with 11 recoveries from 0-2 (Krickstein, Becker and Federer with 10). 10+ hours in two rounds. Bautista-Agut next, who also came back from 0-2 today (yesterday? Whatever).

Was aware Korda's son played but didn't know much about him before this

Would be perfect if won this, 25y after Dad.

As he says, with mum Regina Rajchrtová being ranked 26 in her time, and his sisters elite golfers, he's "the worst athlete in the family". Had mp vs Djokovic in Adelaide final a couple of weeks back. He's blooming a little later than some of his contemporaries but he's on his way now.

Disappointed Tiafoe couldn't extend Khachanov to a fifth - had a bunch of set points. Sakkari locked at 4-4 vs Zhu in the decider. It's only 1:30am, plenty of time.

Zhu has done it

Women's draw looking tasty. Give up my sleep for Rybakina and Swiatek. Then Gauff Ostapenko.

Ya, really looking forward to those matches.

Zhu was fantastic in that final set against Sakkari, blasting winners everywhere and didn’t flag even when it looked like Maria was threatening a comeback. Lovely to see.

Great stuff from Korda as well

Murray-RBA match delivering as expected, even if Andy is practically limping at this point

Dimitrov trying hard to give Djokovic a hard time but can’t quite cut it on the big moments, also expected

Murray spent 14 hours on court.

Hope he can one final deep run at a slam.

2 days ago I randomly bumped into the doctor who in 2017 told me “the good news is the problem you have in your hip can be fixed but you won’t be able to play professional sport again.” I think we dispelled that myth the last 5 days.😉Goodnight ❤️

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 21, 2023

Rybakina Ostapenko might be a Nirvana-level event, with their groundstrokes.

Not to mention the contrast in their personalities lol

Ostapenko was just brutal against Gauff, Coco was playing pretty well but just couldn't get traction.

meanwhile, Azarenka-Zhu is a real battle, Zhu just made it 4-3 in the third, the first to hold serve in this set.

…but that didn’t work out for her. Azarenka takes the next two games and is now serving for the match

two bps for Zhu, but Azarenka takes it. great match!

This piece on Sabalenka and biomechanics to sort out her serve is great and another instance of how other tools are helping out talent to flourish.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jan/23/aryna-sabalenka-serves-up-a-storm-at-australian-open-after-biomechanics-help

Rybakina opens her SF with a double-fault... and then an unreturned serve and three aces in a row. let's gooo

meanwhile, the Djokovics are being dicks once again: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/novak-djokovic-father-video-putin-flag-fan-long-live-the-russians-2107680

1st set going to tie break with an exchange of breaks. Looks worthy of a final.

Rybakina wins and seems to have found her serve again. Ominous.

Azarenka gets a break back but needs one more, unfortunately for her.

Doesn't get there. Rybakina breaks for set and match!

Very happy for Rybakina, that was convincing

Second SF also going to a TB

Which Sabalenka wins with ease.

Sabalenka wins the next set 6-2, so that's our final!

Tsitsipas through.

Paul has recovered from a double break down in the 1st against Djoko..

Breaks again for the set. 7-5

Djoko wellon his way with a break in the 2nd. He has barely sweated his way through the draw with 1.5 legs

Final should be a match though.

Entirely sick of this third act of ND's career. Wish he'd stayed at his post-surgery early-2018 level for good and faded away.

Also: almost to make up for last year, he gets to play every match on the same court, at the same time, under lights (I think, maybe he's been second on some nights). No dealing with 35C heat, sun & shadows, interruptions, delays, awkward scheduling, the usual stuff the other 400+ players at a Slam deal with. I know, it's always been like this for the elite, Federer got star treatment everywhere he went for the last 15 years of his career, but it really does smooth out a lot of the stuff that makes it especially tough to win an event like this.

That's just slams being slams though. They are mostly lazily, badly run. The four countries that have them will never lose slam status so no incentive to change.

I doubt the administrators have the skills to effect any changes either. A big part of that would be to dictate to media companies that these are the changes etc.

Having said that Novak is so so good in Australia though. One thing is having an advantage, another is to take it time and again. Shame he is such an utter cunt.

Yeah, sometimes it feels like a re-introduction of the Challenge Round - everyone else scrabbles around in all conditions, then you get to meet The King at 7pm on Rod Laver.
Dimitrov had him (and his hamstring) in trouble, but you can't really argue with the beatings he handed De Minaur and Rublev. Rune might have been a different story, but nah - this isn't Bercy. And, by that token, I don't really expect the final to be as close as the ST-ND semi there.

Rybakina takes the first set. Not loving this final so far, neither of them are serving consistently - Sabalenka DF-ing to hand back the break to Rybakina kinda showing the limits of biomechanics here

Sabalenka really stepping up in this second set, attacking Rybakina’s serve and forcing her to move around the court

this is very good now, both of them are such massive hitters

God this looks like a great final :-(

Sabalenka serving for the match

All the way...Sabalenka wins

And she takes it in one hell of a final game - fighting off her nerves, the untimely reappearance of her serving yips, rybakina’s return. good stuff.

Bummed for Rybakina but she’s in the top 10 now finally, where she belongs.

impressive stuff from Sabalenka. very happy for her.

congrats to nole

besides the bit of murray excitement, this tourney was abt as dull as possible on the mens side

Pretty much, yes.

Very little stopping him from Court's 24 slams in the next 12 months. Alcaraz to recover, maybe Sinner finding an extra gear, and I'm sure there is someone I don't know about otherwise the men's game being dominated like this by the little shit is about as unpleasant as it can get.

yeah aside from the murray matches I just couldn’t bring myself to care about this tournament. I’ve defected to pickleball

The women's side is going to be a lot more interesting than the men's until Djoko's invincibility inevitably wanes. Which could happen quickly or take several years, he's probably just one serious injury away from it starting to slide.

Clay court season is demanding a maverick run.

The women's game is fantastic rn. Awed by the talent and depth.