It’s hot and heavy down under!
The first Grand Slam of the season and we’re losing players left and right to the heat. The tournament referee seems quite content to test out the human body’s capacity to endure heat. Tournament doctor Tim Wood said this:
“We know that man is well-adapted to exercising in the heat. If you take us back a few thousand years, we evolved on the high plains of Africa chasing antelope for eight hours under these conditions.”
Actual quote. Unbelievable. So I guess the tennis ball is a straight swap for antelope? Well, until someone dies, let’s review the players left in the draw!
Let’s break it down:
Level: ITF Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Defending Champion: Novak Djokovic – Easy passage until possible encounters with Wawrinka and Berdych. Looking good so far.
Nasty Floater: Florian Mayer – Upended Youzhny and gets a tired Janowicz in the next round.
Veteran Watch: Tommy Robredo – Upset Gasquet and takes on Wawrinka. Could be tight.
Up and Coming: Roberto Bautista Agut – Stunned Del Potro and is on fire, literally.
Slumping: David ‘The Wall’ Ferrer – Hanging on after a win over Chardy, but in a tough quarter of fellow middleweights.
On Fire: Donald ‘Duck’ Young – Turning things around with a big 5 set win over Seppi.
My pick: Rafael Nadal – Would love to win down here and can handle the heat better than anyone.
Did You Know? The last unseeded winner was Mark Edmonson, way back in 1976.
Watch: Australian Open Uncovered
Thanks for reading and check back in 2 weeks for more!
