A season of mixed emotions

The new tennis season is pregnant with possibilities. This time, in a literal sense, as Naomi Osaka has posted on her social media handle that she will be having a child in 2023. The best part is that the superstar from Japan plans to withdraw from the Australian Open in 2024.

Women’s tennis has seen several players evolve and return to the sport as super moms. The list is long, with Serena Williams being the prime example. Before that, Kim Clijsters — another champion at the Majors — also did the same. Women’s tennis is under focus for various reasons. The best part is, they bring huge variety to the tennis court as personalities and ladies who do so much in life. Tennis happens to be just a key part of it.

Since the time the Australian Open was announced, among the list of absentees this January, conflicting versions around the name of Naomi Osaka were doing the rounds. For those who have followed the career of Naomi Osaka, she has been a sensational player. Yet, from 2021, when she spoke of mental health issues and refused to address press conferences at the French Open, there was turmoil.

All those who have faced similar issues — men and women — came out in support of Osaka. After all, we still hear about swimming legend Michel Phelps discussing his own travails with mental health. In the case of Osaka, who had left fans and organisers guessing over her health, the news of an addition to her family is a great thing. It will shut up many “mental health experts and sports psychologists” who gave opinions on Osaka as if she is their client! Osaka did face issues but her focus on her love life and family is great news in 2023.

To be sure, the tennis season is bound to miss many greats of tennis, with the names of Serena Williams and Roger Federer coming to mind promptly. Agreed, these two giants of tennis were off and on in the last few years, but tennis will never be the same without them. Call them Romantic Relics or call them omnipresent, the presence of these two icons made tennis so refreshing. As much as people have an ultra-dig on a possible Serena comeback, she needs to stay away as a player. Her repeated attempts at winning just one more Grand Slam, to come at par with Margaret Court’s 24 Majors in singles, were failures. Serena came close many times, slipped, faltered. It hurt her, it hurt her fans. None wants to see her in tears.

The same with Federer, who has even turned down an appearance from the AO organisers to be a star guest at the Australian Open this time. Federer bid adieu tearfully last year at the Laver Cup. His absence will be missed, as he brought to the tennis arena a giant personality and top etiquette. Images of Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, together at the Laver Cup, depicted friendship last year. It brought tears and showed that rivalry was just on court.

Back to women and retirements, this will be our own Sania Mirza’s last hurrah. Sania was to retire at the US Open in 2022, but an injury prevented her from competing in New York. Sania has been coping with injuries and rehab, and has made it clear that this will be her last Grand Slam. She will retire, the final wave will come at the Dubai WTA event in February. A role model, an icon, a Super Mom, an Indian who scaled great peaks, you run out of superlatives when you talk of Sania. What she did for India as a tennis player and brand ambassador is, and will remain very special.

Sania had her share of being dragged into needless controversies, yet, it is her tennis and never-say-die approach which leaves fans with such rich memories. Indian tennis is in the dumps, vis-à-vis singles. Sania and Rohan Bopanna, just 42, will be playing mixed doubles in Melbourne. Given the chemistry between them in the past, they will tug at the strings of many hearts when they play in their last Major together.

How does one define Sania the superstar? Well, what she has been showing on the court is inspirational. From the old charm city of Hyderabad to showcasing her skills the world over, Sania had to answer all kinds of questions from the Western media. It was related to tennis, plus more on her religion, needlessly. That Sania handled it all with poise, showed what a great athlete and brand ambassador she is, someone in the mould of Vijay Amritraj.

Sania’s last Grand Slam at Wimbledon, 2022, where she lost in the semi-finals in mixed doubles with Matt Pavic, offered glimpses into her form. She is destined to do more in tennis, which will include serving in academies in India and abroad. Given her natural flair in speaking and observation skills, she can definitely have a career in the media as well. Till then, enjoy what Sania has to offer in her last two tennis events.

Women’s tennis is churning, literally. The retirements and drop-outs are high. Someone like Ash Barty walked away, so young. Weighed against this backdrop, how Iga Swiatek, the World No.1, handles the pressure in 2023 will be interesting to watch. Iga, from Poland, took the tennis world by storm in 2022, winning two Majors. The first Grand Slam will be important for her as well as for younger players like Coco Gauff and company. Winning a Grand Slam means winning seven rounds. It tests the calibre and capacity of a player to the hilt. How often Iga can do it in 2023 will be watched closely.

That brings us back to the champions, the masters, the all-time greats, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. These two men, from Spain and Serbia respectively, have been the real jewels of world tennis. Sadly, their rivalry is hyped, blown out of proportions, and the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate continues to plague tennis fans. You get dragged into it needlessly, for both the players are maestros in their own right. Only when one of them retires will fans feel the impact of how wrong they were in making comparisons, off and on.

What Australia did to Novak in 2022 cannot be forgotten. Yes, his seemingly anti-vaccine stance in January 2022 was dangerous. At that time, Down Under, it was crazy. Not all the Aussies were taking the Covid vaccine shots plus they were fighting stupid, hard lockdowns. And for the highest court of law in Australia to cancel Novak’s visa and deport him was sad, in hindsight. That the Aussies bent backwards and invited him, gave him a visa and are now goading him to win his 10th Australian Open this January is tennis plus commerce. Novak brings great value to the Majors; there are sponsors willing to put the megabucks on the Australian Open when the big stars are there. After all, Novak draws crowds, and so does Rafael Nadal. Forget gate money, the TV deals are big business that needs to be understood. No Grand Slam is doing charity.

Australia, as a whole, has been in the news for racial slurs even recently, which even includes an Indian cricket writer/lover settled there. If the Aussies can be harsh with Novak, and the Australian Open can deny a bona fide Indian journo (yours truly) media credentials for the Major in 2023, you know something is wrong. Hope, the Aussies will show they are not discriminating on the basis of race and colour. That’s something tournament director Craig Tiley needs to answer.

That brings us to Rafael Nadal. For the top seed and defending champion, this is going to be one hell of a campaign. He had dealt with major fitness issues in 2022, a foot problem needing nerve blocker injections, and an abdominal tear which cut short his campaign at The Championships in Wimbledon.

Nadal has rubbished all talks of retirement. How do you talk of such things when he won two Majors — the Australian Open and the French Open — in 2022. His service action motion has been modified and he is working on preserving his precious body. He may have lost a few matches at the end of 2022, but in Grand Slams, which are best of five sets, he is still a beast. You cannot tame him so easily.

The outdoor Australian Open courts are not his favourite surfaces, yet he does not mind the Melbourne heat. Papa Raffa is a mature man and will play his heart out. He still causes a flutter among girls’ hormones. Certainly, the rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic will be played out. Hopefully, despite not being vaccinated, Djokovic will not be black-listed by any Grand Slam nation host. What happened in 2022 was not good.

Here, it is hoped that the 2023 tennis season will be free from bias and discrimination. Sport has to offer a level-playing field in all ways! Love All.