Australian Open 2021: The winners and losers

After an exciting Australian Open 2021 we have picked the winners and losers from the competition.

MEN’S DRAW!!!

WINNERS:

Novak Djokovic

The world No 1 reigned supreme in Melbourne once again. He becomes only the second man ever to have won nine grand slams at just one venue.

He has constantly showed his incredible dominance down under. If ever there was a year for another valid challenger it was this year.

The Serbian looked in real danger in his third-round tie due to an abdominal injury. But, Taylor Fritz couldn’t hold his nerve to win the match and compile insult to injury for Djokovic.

The roar at the Australian Open 2021 that followed after match point showed that the Serbian wasn’t going to give up his title easily. There was only ever going to be one outcome from then on.

Aslan Karatsev

At 27-years-old Aslan Karatsev made history by reaching the semi-finals in his first ever grand slam appearance.

The Russian had never made it beyond the qualifying stage of any of the slams. But once he did… he sure put on a show!

Karatsev defeated the likes of Diego Schwartzman and Grigor Dimitrov on route to the final four. Where he eventually succumbed to the champion Djokovic.

The Russian highlighted his solid overall game with aggressive tennis. He hit winners off both wings and forced his opponents on the back foot.

It was the first time in the open era that three Russian players had made the quarter finals of a grand slam.

The Australian Open 2021 qualifier was joined by Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in the last eight. In general was a very successful tournament for the world’s largest country.

LOSERS!!!

Dominic Thiem

The US Open champion failed to find a spark in his tennis to mount the challenge that many thought he would.

The Austrian pushed Djokovic to the very limit in the 2020 final eventually losing in five-sets.

It was a distant memory as he slumped out of the tournament suffering a bagel to lose in straight-sets against Dimitrov in the fourth round.

Thiem did mount an extraordinary comeback against the home favourite Nick Kyrgios in the previous round.

He was fortunate that the Australian’s level dropped in the final three sets and the Austrian even admitted he had accepted defeat during the match.

Thiem dropped down to world no.4 due to his poor run. he has been overtaken by Medvedev.

There is no doubt that Thiem is the biggest threat to the ‘big three’ when in form but does he still have the same drive now that he has his first grand slam under his belt.

Rafael Nadal

The 20-time grand slam champion would’ve been disappointed by his run in Melbourne. Even though he entered the tournament with fitness concerns.

The Spaniard cruised through to the quarter-finals of the tournament but for only the third time in his career he was defeated having had a two-set lead.

Nadal was outfought by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final set. Just two hours earlier he looked set to become the only player in the semi-finals that was yet to drop a set.

The Australian Open has been earmarked by his fan base as a cursed venue for the Spaniard. He has been plagued with injuries and unfortunate five set losses at the venue.

It was the eighth time that Nadal had failed to become the only man in the open era to complete the career grand slam twice in his career.

Adding to that, he was also challenging for the record breaking 21st grand slam title.

It will feel like an opportunity missed for the Spaniard due to having an off-peak Djokovic waiting in the final.

It becomes yet another story of what could’ve been down under for Nadal.

Women’s Draw

WINNERS!!!

Naomi Osaka

The Japanese player once again asserted her authority in the women’s game!

She made it four grand slam wins from the last six on hard courts.

Osaka moved up a level to save a match point against Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round and never looked back.

She was imperious in her straight-set victory over 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams in a match that felt like a changing of the guard.

Osaka has been widely tipped to dominate the women’s game when Williams eventually calls it quits and with the ruthless nature of her game you can see why.

The 23-year-old has won all four of the grand slam finals that she has been involved in.

With that level of mental toughness she is going to be a steep challenge for anyone who crosses her path.

Jennifer Brady

The rise of Jennifer Brady has gone under the radar until her 2021 Australian Open campaign.

The American has been on an upward curve ever since she turned pro in 2014. Having reached her first ever grand slam final she also achieved her highest ever ranking of 13th in the world.

It comes as no surprise that her opponent in the final Osaka, reiterated that the 25-year-old is one of the toughest challengers she has faced on tour.

She expects her to continue to be a growing challenge as she progresses further.

Despite being constrained to her hotel room and being forced to hit balls off her wall to train during a 14-day quarantine when entering the country, Brady astonishingly made the final and showed her quality throughout the tournament.

LOSERS!!!!!!

Serena Williams

Despite seeming competitive and as athletic as ever in her run to the semi-finals. But, Williams’ reaction in the post-match press conference makes you question how much fight she has left in her.

At the age of 39 because there is no doubt she is in the twilight of her career.

The Australian Open marked the American’s 11th failed attempt to level Margaret Court’s record of 24 major titles.

While it may seem like the effort is draining out of the 39-year-old and retirement questions becoming ever more frequent.

It was the most competitive Williams has looked in quite some time and despite losing time to achieve that feat.

That said, you would not bet against her equaling or breaking that record this year if she can maintain that level of play.

Ashleigh Barty

The world no.1 is still search for an elusive home grand slam after failing for an eighth time to win the title.

She came into the tournament as one of the hot-favourites due to her form in the past two years which has seen her rise to the top spot in the rankings.

Having won her first grand slam in 2019 at the French Open many believed that she would mount a seismic charge to the title in Melbourne with the backing of the home crowd.

However, she slumped out of the tournament in the quarter-finals to underdog Karolina Muchova and you can begin to question if she can deal with the pressure of the expectant Aussies.

Yet despite all of this, the biggest winner of the tournament was humanity against COVID-19 after nearly a year of the pandemic.

The most beautiful sight was seeing thousands of fans inside the stadiums none more so evidently than the match between home-favourite Kyrgios and Thiem.

The first two sets the Australian played scintillating tennis ripping winners and returning some balls despite it seeming impossible to do so.

The crowd roared with every point that went the charismatic Kyrgios’ way. It brought a welcomed relief from the slightly eerie fake crowd noise that we’ve become so used to in the past year.

Yet in typical Kyrgios fashion the match wasn’t complete without some drama. The comeback mounted by Dominic Thiem saw two huge-hitters go head-to-head in a five-set slog.

For the tournament’s engagement the match probably had the wrong winner as the last remaining Australian in the men’s draw crashed out.

However the match produced some spine-tingling moments that make you reminisce on what life was like before the coronavirus and eagerly anticipate what life will be like post-pandemic.