Champions are made
of sterner stuff !!
Tennis fans enjoyed
2019 Australian Open which was 107th edition of the tournament. The tournament is run by the International
Tennis Federation (ITF) and is part of the 2019 ATP Tour and the 2019 WTA Tour
calendars under the Grand Slam category. The tournament consists of both men's
and women's singles and doubles draws as well as the mixed doubles events. This is a tournament played on hard courts, across a series of 25 courts, including the
three main show courts Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Arena and Margaret Court
Arena.
Just
before Wimbledon, at a WTA Tour function by the Thames, Petra Kvitova met
Monica Seles, with whom she has much in common for a reason both would like to
forget. .. .. and that had a link in the place where Australian Open was fought
!
Guess what ?
The Australian Open
has, for years now, been the scene of thrilling breakthroughs and the making of
stars in the women’s game. It’s where Martina Hingis won her first Grand Slam
title in 1997, aged just 16. It’s where a teenaged Amelie Mauresmo announced
herself to the world with a run to the final in 1999. In more recent years, it
was where a trio of 19-year-olds – Sloane Stephens, Eugenie Bouchard and
Madison Keys – made exciting runs to the semifinals in 2013, 2014 and 2015
respectively.This year, Naomi Osaka was
the latest young champion, improving in a big way on her fourth-round run in
2018 by going all the way to the title.
Naomi Osaka won the title, defeating Petra Kvitová 7–6(7–2), 5–7, 6–4 in
the final. Serena Williams was attempting to equal Margaret Court's all-time
record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, but lost in the quarterfinals to
Plíšková. Amanda Anisimova became the first player
born in the 21st century to
advance to the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles tournament.
2019 Australian
Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park from
14 to 27 January 2019. It was the 107th edition of the Australian Open, the
51st in the Open Era, and the first Grand Slam of the year. As in previous years, the tournament's main
sponsor was Kia. This was the first
Australian Open to feature final set tie-breaks, which have been introduced for
all match formats. If the match reaches 6–6 in the final set, the first player
to score 10 points and be leading by at least 2 points wins the match.Katie
Boulter and Ekaterina Makarova were the first players in a main draw to compete
in the new tie-break format.
For the first time in the men's
singles competition, a 10-minute break due to heat was allowed after the third
set when the Australian Open Heat Stress Scale reaches 4.0 or higher. In a
five-year deal starting at the 2019 tournament, Dunlop took over from Wilson as
the suppliers of the tennis balls.Hawkeye
was extended to be included on all courts. Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki were the
defending men's and women's singles champions, but were unsuccessful in their
title defense, with Federer losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round
and Wozniacki losing to Maria Sharapova in the third round.
This
is a post on the losing finalist Petra Kvitova !!~She
has estified in the Czech Republic at the trial of the man who allegedly knifed
her in her home.After
the December 2016 attack in Prostejov, Kvitova had surgery lasting over four
hours to injuries to her playing left hand. It took the tennis star more than
five months to recover.Her testimony
was requested by a lawyer for the suspect, the 33-year-old Radim Zondra. The
suspect, faces
12 years in prison if he is found guilty.
'I screamed, there
was bloody everywhere,' Kvitova was quoted as saying by the CTK news agency. 'I
had a knife on my neck from behind.' Kvitova didn't enter the courtroom where
the trial took place on Tuesday in a regional court in Brno, but testified from
a separate room to avoid facing the suspect. The suspect posed as a utility man
seeking to read a meter to gain access to the apartment in Prostejov before a
struggle ensued. Kvitova was at home awaiting a routing doping test. It is
understood the knife was put to Kvitova's throat after being asked run hot
water in the bath and her left hand was injured as she pulled the weapon away. When she later offered him money, he accepted
10,000 Czech crowns (£343) and left.
It was reported
after the attack in 2016 that Zondra had not specifically targeted Kvitova.Speaking at a press conference after the
attack in 2016, Kvitova said: 'While what happened to me was very scary I do
not see myself as a victim, I do not feel sorry for myself and I will not look
backwards.'I will use all my energy to
focus on my recovery and will do everything I can to return to the sport as
soon as possible.' Only 10 days ago in
Melbourne, Kvitova reached her first Grand Slam final since her second
Wimbledon title in 2014, and lost a three-set thriller to Naomi Osaka. In an emotional speech to the crowd after the
match, Kvitova said: ''I can't really believe I played the final of a Grand
Slam again.'I've been through many,
many things. Not really great ones. I didn't know if I was going to hold the
racket again. I'm holding it, so that's good.'
Just
before Wimbledon, at a WTA Tour function by the Thames, Petra Kvitova met
Monica Seles, with whom she has much in common for a reason both would like to
forget. The two champions have been victims of knife attacks that could have
ended their careers, something they fought hard to ensure would not become the
case.Saturday's Australian Open final place
was where Seles won a Grand Slam in 1996
more than two years after she was stabbed by a deranged fan in Hamburg.
Some
are made of steel !
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
5th Feb
2019.