TennisNH

Court dramas allow Australian Open to overrule controversies

30-Jan-2023 12:15:54 | Guardian

Two worthy champions in Djokovic and Sabalenka plus Murray’s heroics helped make it a Happy Slam again

Another Australian Open is in the books with worthy champions crowned, new names welcomed to the top level and record crowds having enjoyed the first grand slam of the year. Having begun with fear over what kind of reception Novak Djokovic would receive on his return, after his deportation last year over his decision not to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the tournament ended with the Serb winning the title for a 10th time and equalling Rafael Nadal’s men’s record of 22 grand slams. Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, picked up her first slam title after an outstanding final against the Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina.

For all the talk of the “Happy Slam” (a term coined by the now-retired Roger Federer), the Australian Open has had more than its share of controversial moments over the past 20 years. From 2005, when a Belgian sports minister said Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova had failed a drugs test at a pre-tournament exhibition (she was cleared); to two strike threats, a match-fixing scandal in 2016, bushfires in 2020, Covid-19 in 2021 and 2022 and the debacle that was the handling of the Djokovic case, things have not always gone smoothly.