Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are going to be cheered on from January 16. Young tennis buffs across the country are immensely excited about catching the Australian Open on their televisions screens.
“This is the first Grand Slam of the year, so it is more exciting in comparison to the rest of the tennis tournaments through the year,” says Siddarth John, a relationship manager. After the US Open in September every year, this is the next big tournament. The long gap increases the enthusiasm amongst people.
The singles of this tournament seem to be eyeballs snatchers. “I am looking forward to the men’s singles that will keep me glued. All the big guns are playing in this tournament,” says Siddhanth Jayram, a student.
The good thing about this tournament is that you cannot predict what might happen from the matches. “Every match is important. One cannot tell what happens till the last serve. Every week, the rankings of the players also changes. I would like to catch every game on TV,” says Poojashree Venkatesha, an international tennis player.
This tournament has brought many new faces into the market. Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are examples of this. “Sania Mirza made her mark at the Australian Open in 2005,” says Poojashree.
Everyone has their hot favourites. Siddarth says, “Djokovic has to be the best because of his previous records. He should totally retain his title.” While Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are top contenders in the big fight, Nishant Vempati, a consultant says, “Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a player who plays well when he is fit.” Some people are making their bids on our Indian players. Pooja says, “Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza and Leander Paes will definitely do well on the court.”
While some players have been constantly performing well, there are a few that are not sustaining their game. “The players seem fatigued, Nadal and Djokovic in particular. I really hope Federer makes a bit of a come back,” says Nishant.
Youngsters are really looking forward to new things emerging at this tournament. Siddarth says, “I really hope that a new world champion emerges this time.”