TENNIS: Australian Open finals 2017
Jan. 29th, 2017 03:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllBy way of the BBC's hightlights programmes!
Ladies
I did know that Serena Williams had beat her sister (and Steffi Graf) before sitting down to watch the highlights programme, which made a huge difference to my enjoyment of it. In the first set, there was pressure on both players' serves because the returning was so good. I hadn't seen Venus play for the past few years, or so it felt like, and it was good to see her back on form, showing signs of excellence. But Serena - the favourite after her form coming into the final - started taking control. It was competitive, and both players obviously wanted to win. Being there against each other (after last year's Wimbledon failed to reignite Serena's path to historical domination) clearly meant a great deal.
Gentlemen
I made sure to avoid knowing the result today, therefore, but when I saw the highlights programme was an hour and a half when I'd expected an hour, I deduced that it would be a five-setter, which I think everyone bar the players wanted. The quality of the tennis was even higher, some outstanding rallies, audacious shots and great match play. Added to it all was the delight and surprise of being able to see these two greats back at a grand slam final, playing against each other after we and they had given up on it. What a turnaround, in the fifth set and in general. (I was rooting for Nadal, because I always do, but I'll chalk this one down to a win for tennis, though I'm sure Murray, Djokovic and the pretenders in the rest of the back are delighted that Federer and Nadal are showing signes of Indian summers...)
Ladies
I did know that Serena Williams had beat her sister (and Steffi Graf) before sitting down to watch the highlights programme, which made a huge difference to my enjoyment of it. In the first set, there was pressure on both players' serves because the returning was so good. I hadn't seen Venus play for the past few years, or so it felt like, and it was good to see her back on form, showing signs of excellence. But Serena - the favourite after her form coming into the final - started taking control. It was competitive, and both players obviously wanted to win. Being there against each other (after last year's Wimbledon failed to reignite Serena's path to historical domination) clearly meant a great deal.
Gentlemen
I made sure to avoid knowing the result today, therefore, but when I saw the highlights programme was an hour and a half when I'd expected an hour, I deduced that it would be a five-setter, which I think everyone bar the players wanted. The quality of the tennis was even higher, some outstanding rallies, audacious shots and great match play. Added to it all was the delight and surprise of being able to see these two greats back at a grand slam final, playing against each other after we and they had given up on it. What a turnaround, in the fifth set and in general. (I was rooting for Nadal, because I always do, but I'll chalk this one down to a win for tennis, though I'm sure Murray, Djokovic and the pretenders in the rest of the back are delighted that Federer and Nadal are showing signes of Indian summers...)
