Rate the 2021 Australian Open

[tonylg]

0 great matches. Djoko-Zverev was literally the best quality match of the tournament rofl.

The first week wasn't bad: Shapovalov v Sinner, Tsitsipas v Kokkinakis and Kyrgios v Humbert were all good matches.

As boring as Karatsev plays, it was nice see a qualifier go so deep.

I'd give the second week a 1, but the first week a 5. Overall score of 3.

 

[Bartelby]

Being outside the holiday zone, and with depleted crowds adding only a small measure of atmosphere, was a downer.

Along with the constant complaints and covid interruption, which culminated in no crowds, this made the event too disjointed.

The end was two easy victories, which no one likes, and then there was Djokovic's victory in a final with Medvedev, which was ratings hell.

 

[jussumman]

I slept through the final. I woke up 2 hours (5:30AM here) thinking they would be in the 3rd set. But it just ended a few minutes earlier.

 

[Bartelby]

Baseliner versus baseliner is less likely to produce an interesting match than when there is a contrast of styles. But here Djokovic was a cut above the rest.

The BIG ONE finally got his head screwed on right.

 

[BGod]

Abysmal. Makes me happy I largely skipped watching USO.

I guess a 4.

 

[Raul_SJ]

Along with the constant complaints and covid interruption, which culminated in no crowds, this made the event too disjointed.

There was the ridiculous spectacle of hapless spectators being cruelly thrown out of the Rod Laver Arena at 11:30 pm and being denied the dramatic fifth set. Can't let them stay an hour longer. No, that is unthinkable. The virus comes out promptly at midnight.

It is little wonder that Melbournians loudly booed the Victorian government during the ceremonies.

Are you going to finally address this incompetence and covid hysteria or do you wish to continue playing dodgeball like a Victorian apologist?

 

[Raul_SJ]

there was Djokovic's victory in a final with Medvedev, which was ratings hell.

Medvedev was the hottest player in the world.This final was one of the most anticipated Final in years. Match was disappointing but ratings were just fine.

 

[Daniel Andrade]

Pretty low.
I don't know how I was able to fool myself thinking something different was going to happen.

 

[Bartelby]

Ratings were not fine in Australia. I'm afraid Serbia v Russia doesn't play well. It's ethnocentrism, of course, but that's a TV audience.

Medvedev was the hottest player in the world.This final was one of the most anticipated Final in years. Match was disappointing but ratings were just fine.

 

[Cupcake]

Unremarkable matches with maybe one or two exceptions, lackluster final and boring straight setter SFs, even a 6/10 is probably a generous score.

This sums it up for me too. I'm glad they were able to pull the tournament off in such challenging conditions. And it was great to see tennis again. But it was not great tennis IMO. I have new admiration for Djokovic for winning after being injured, though he certainly had some good luck. Most winners have some good luck, but you have to give him some credit.

6/10 is about right with one of those points going for simply pulling it off during a pandemic.

 

[Graf1stClass]

Medvedev was the hottest player in the world.This final was one of the most anticipated Final in years. Match was disappointing but ratings were just fine.

Looking back, one has to wonder why. Everybody has a streak once in a while. To take nothing away from him, but beating a streak of comparative little leagues relates little to playing Djokovic in a final. The danger with streaks is they snap, and it's all mental.. You stand across the net from the #1, and you're suddenly forgetting how and why you were winning for so long.

 

[Raul_SJ]

There was the ridiculous spectacle of hapless spectators being cruelly thrown out of the Rod Laver Arena at 11:30 pm and being denied the dramatic fifth set. Can't let them stay an hour longer. No, that is unthinkable. The virus comes out promptly at midnight.

Are you going to finally address this incompetence?

Bart does not want to answer because there is no answer.
Throwing out spectators during the fifth set.
Their actions were inexcusable and indefensible!

 

[Bartelby]

We already discussed this long ago, so it's time you moved your Trumpian war against covid controls onto new ground.

Bart does not want to answer because there is no answer.
Throwing out spectators during the fifth set.
Their actions were inexcusable and indefensible!

 

[Raul_SJ]

Looking back, one has to wonder why. Everybody has a streak once in a while. To take nothing away from him, but beating a streak of comparative little leagues relates little to playing Djokovic in a final. The danger with streaks is they snap, and it's all mental.. You stand across the net from the #1, and you're suddenly forgetting how and why you were winning for so long.

The Medvedev win streak was really unprecedented. 20 consecutive wins with 12 of those being against Top 10 players. Wow. Ridiculous.

The Mac brothers and Courier all had Medvedev as the favourite. Medvedev just mentally collapsed under the pressure while Djoker the injured warrior raised his level.

How Medvedev Compiled His 20-Match Win Streak
Feb202021
ATP Staff
Russian seeks first Grand Slam title in Melbourne

With his dominant semi-final victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev not only reached his first Australian Open final, he also joined an exclusive club.

The Russian followed in the footsteps of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro as only the sixth active player to claim 20 consecutive tour-level wins. Medvedev has triumphed at three events during his winning streak — the Rolex Paris Masters, the Nitto ATP Finals and the ATP Cup — and is now one win away from his maiden Grand Slam title.

One of the most impressive aspects of Medvedev’s winning run has been the level of opposition he has had to overcome to keep his run alive. Across his 20 wins, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion has defeated 12 Top 10 opponents. Since 2000, only three other players have compiled winning streaks of 12 or more matches against the Top 10. Their names? Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

 

[Raul_SJ]

We already discussed this long ago,

We will explain it to you once again:

Spectators should NEVER have been thrown out during the fifth set at 11:30 p.m.
Does the virus come out only after midnight?

How would you feel if you had bought tickets and then got booted out during the fifth set? You would not be a happy camper.

Hopefully they all received a full refund but inexcusable regardless.

 

[Raul_SJ]

The U.S. Open had no spectators but still managed to generate a profit.
Australian Open sold tickets but is somehow deeply in the red and seeking loans..
Bart will explain to all what a "concessional loan" means.
Sounds like a euphemism for "government bailout".


With crowds also hesitant to attend in the middle of a pandemic the total attendance was just 130,374 spectators — down from 812,174 last year.

Tiley has now admitted the event has wiped out Tennis Australia’s $80 million in cash reserves and will force the event to seek concessional loans.

Despite the heavy hits, Tiley is declaring the event a success after it showcased Melbourne to the world.

 

[Crazy Finn]

I rate it as a good result for Djokovic, Osaka, Karatsev, Brady, Hsieh and a not so good one for everybody else.

Yup.

A couple of surprises, but in the end, the consensus favorites got it done, and it wasn't in too much doubt. A few interesting QF matches.

5.5/10

 

[Raul_SJ]

Tiley is declaring the event a success after it showcased Melbourne to the world.

 

[CHillTennis]

1 / 10.

Honestly, the drama surrounding the mandatory quarantine just killed it for me.

Every other article from the press was an attack on Djokovic or the players that were complaining about the quarantine.

I just decided not to watch.

 

[Bartelby]

Tiley knew it couldn't be a success before it started, but he missed out on a quarter of a million spectators that he was still allowed so that's got to hurt.

I'm sure Trump has received plenty of concessional loans, so you might look at his sorry track-record.

The U.S. Open had no spectators but still managed to generate a profit.
Australian Open sold tickets but is somehow deeply in the red and seeking loans..
Bart will explain to all what a "concessional loan" means.
Sounds like a euphemism for "government bailout".


With crowds also hesitant to attend in the middle of a pandemic the total attendance was just 130,374 spectators — down from 812,174 last year.

Tiley has now admitted the event has wiped out Tennis Australia’s $80 million in cash reserves and will force the event to seek concessional loans.

Despite the heavy hits, Tiley is declaring the event a success after it showcased Melbourne to the world.

 

[Robert F]

If rating just the Men's event I'd give it a 4/10. The women's draw elevates it to a 6/10.
Some fun early and mid matches on the men's side, but as the weeks went on it almost seemed like the quality went down.
Props to Djokovic for hanging in there. He was able to up his consistency from Average to Good and served great to take the title from opponents who didn't bring their A game.
If Djoker was able to play lights out for all 7 matches, he probably would've elevated the score. But he didn't have to to win. Can't blame him for just getting by when no one really pushes him unless injured.

Both Men's and Womens' finals were lackluster, but Women's Semi's and quarter's were decent. Williams vs. Sabalenka and Halep were good quality matches, and Osaka played pretty solid throught the tourney and kept elevating her game.

I wish the networks would choose quality tennis and competitive matches over playing the stars in the first round. ESPN drove me crazy with split screens. Just stick with a good match and if Djoker or Nadal is in trouble then flip to their match. I think it might be wise to at least have a daily doubles clip show and maybe in the 2nd week highlight some doubles matches. Would it be wise to have the doubles draws start early and end on the 1st weekend?

 

[Bumbaliceps]

Kyrgios-Humbert, Kyrgios-Thiem, Nadal-Tsitsipas, Sinner-Shapovalov

Not all slams have this much total epics...

+ the breakthrough of Karatsev, Djokovic drama, Medvedev almighty then being brought back to reality by a masterclass frop the king of the woods, Kokkinakis coming back to life in front of the Aussie crowd and challenging Tsitsipas, Tsitsipas having a reference match against Nadal, Auger-Aliassime finally putting on a great match (not playing stupid !!!) against a strong opponent in a slam, the crowd getting mad for Kyrgios-Humbert in this no-crowd-era... I'm sure I'm forgetting things.

It was a very cool slam!

 

[canta_Brian]

1st week good, suggested the old guard would be challenged.
2nd week bad, new guard showed they are still weaker than challenger level from the late 90s. Add to that a Tomic like tank job in the final and you get some poor quality.

 

[canta_Brian]

The Medvedev win streak was really unprecedented. 20 consecutive wins with 12 of those being against Top 10 players. Wow. Ridiculous.

The Mac brothers and Courier all had Medvedev as the favourite. Medvedev just mentally collapsed under the pressure while Djoker the injured warrior raised his level.

How Medvedev Compiled His 20-Match Win Streak
Feb202021
ATP Staff
Russian seeks first Grand Slam title in Melbourne

With his dominant semi-final victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev not only reached his first Australian Open final, he also joined an exclusive club.

The Russian followed in the footsteps of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro as only the sixth active player to claim 20 consecutive tour-level wins. Medvedev has triumphed at three events during his winning streak — the Rolex Paris Masters, the Nitto ATP Finals and the ATP Cup — and is now one win away from his maiden Grand Slam title.

One of the most impressive aspects of Medvedev’s winning run has been the level of opposition he has had to overcome to keep his run alive. Across his 20 wins, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion has defeated 12 Top 10 opponents. Since 2000, only three other players have compiled winning streaks of 12 or more matches against the Top 10. Their names? Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

Blimey, the current top 10 must be weak.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

The final sucked as far as a competitive situation goes but have to appreciate Djokovic. Not as hard to watch when it isn't Murray being defeated once more. Even if I did imagine Murray at the other end of the court at times when another Medvedev shot went into the net.

 

[fishpiefriday]

8/10. I wanted Osaka to win so I was happy with that and I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of the matches I watched, with Kyrgios v Thiem being my favourite. Would have preferred a more competitive men's final but Djokovic was a joy to watch, even with his injury.

 

[SonnyT]

'21 AO was terrible. Djokovic was tested early, by a tear more than anything else. The only compelling match was the Nadal-Tsisipas QF.

The only Covid Slam worth a damn was the first one, when the Big3 went missing for different reasons!

 

[Visionary]

5 out of 10. The irrational draw in which some great players were matched into the first week took 3 points. The COVID restrictions, quarantine and miscommunication prior to the arrival of players that were clearly frustrated took 2 points.

 

[Dedans Penthouse]

You are such a homophobe, old chum, you need to get out and see more of the world!

Acknowledging your queenship should never be arbitrarily conflated with non-existent homophobia especially for cowardly, self-serving purposes.

Narcissists such as you freak out in the face of any contrarian viewpoint.
For example, when have you ever in your life self-reflected and then thought: "you know what?..I never thought of it from that angle...why you're right!" let alone here in TT-land?

So throw another log of vacuous, empty-headed rhetoric on your bonfire of useless thought Lance Bartelby....I'm sure that pyre's flames will be kissing the clouds in short order.

Me? I am walking away (you're repetitive and boring) and I'm leaving the last "I must respond!" 'move' to you because I am capable of doing so, you self-centered, thin-skinned prig.

Adios, Miss Priggy!

 

[Druss]

Some great matches in the earlier rounds, but the SFs and F were incredibly disappointing. Therefore 6/10.

 

[Winners or Errors]

Meh, once again the younger generation(s), plural, failed to show up. Just how old do Djoker and Rafa have to get for the 20 somethings to start winning against them? It's embarrassing for the sport. These guys make Djokovic look like he could go another 5 years. So, for me, on the men's side of the draw ...5/10.

 

[Robert F]

It's this sad irony as the big 3 make their legacy, the worse it looks for tennis's future.
20 years from now if no one comes close to 20 slams, what will the experts say--"It was the greatest tennis ever back then, guys now are good but can't compare." or "Today's guys are so competitive it's impossilbe to get 20 slams compared to the old days when only a few players could play like todays' greats."

 

[tonylg]

Some great performances (e.g. Tsitsipas, Osaka, Djoko). Some not-so-great:

- the dickbag Aussie fans booing during the men's awards ceremony.
- Tennis Australia's smug, affronted executive Jayne "Karen" Hrdlicka unable to resist the urge to mock the dickbags in return with her "you are an opinionated group.." swipe.
- Both were total assholes.

Didn't watch either the final or the presentation, but I was informed the booing came in response to the mention of vaccines. Fair bet that the majority of those doing the booing don't actually identify as "Aussie". I've seen the behaviour of fans of a certain anti-vaxxer first hand and although I have little time for the TA execs, calling those drunken thugs "opinionated" is being generous.

Best of the post-COVID slams to date, but not as good as the AO usually is. The USO was dire and the FO didn't have any really memorable matches for me.

• Tsitsipas-Nadal was high quality and the best match of the tournament. Tsitsipas-Kokkinakis, Kyrgios-Thiem, and Popyrin-Goffin were also very good.
• Karatsev's run was great to watch, especially in the earlier rounds

Kyrgios-Humbert, Kyrgios-Thiem, Nadal-Tsitsipas, Sinner-Shapovalov

Not all slams have this much total epics...

+ the breakthrough of Karatsev, Djokovic drama, Medvedev almighty then being brought back to reality by a masterclass frop the king of the woods, Kokkinakis coming back to life in front of the Aussie crowd and challenging Tsitsipas, Tsitsipas having a reference match against Nadal, Auger-Aliassime finally putting on a great match (not playing stupid !!!) against a strong opponent in a slam, the crowd getting mad for Kyrgios-Humbert in this no-crowd-era... I'm sure I'm forgetting things.

It was a very cool slam!

Spot on by both of the above. Week 1 had more good matches than any slam in the last few years. Week 2 was just the usual dross we get these days.