<% ns_puts [mkm_getnavbar] %>
|
|
Who's Hot and Who's Not, Down Under:
The Men - The Women
by A.J. Chabria
Photographs by J.Gregory Swendsen
Click here for Jim McLennan's picks |
|
Who's getting enough match play at the moment? Who's riding confidence from last fall? Which players are ready to peak for two grueling weeks in the Australian summer? Who has been hitting more beers than backhands?
The Men - Favorites
Lleyton Hewitt: 3-1
Tennis' newly minted king, 20 year old Aussie Lleyton Hewitt is the favorite. Even with a high fever at the Hopman Cup last week, the guy managed a decent win in singles and in mixed doubles. As the reigning Masters Cup champ (Sydney 2001), Hewitt has shown he can win a big event amid the pressures of a home crowd. Moreover, the medium-paced, high-bouncing Rebound Ace surface seems tailor-made for his relentless counter-attacking game. Recently diagnosed with Chicken Pox, his health is questionable. But if he's feeling even remotely strong, he will be on the court and if he's on the court he'll be tough to beat. 3-1 odds for the first Aussie to win his home Slam since Mark Edmondson in '76.
Sebastien Grosjean: 4-1
Sporting a flashier version of Hewitt's style is the Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean. A semifinalist last year, Grosjean should feel at home at Melbourne Park again. He'll be confident from his storybook run to the Masters Series-Paris crown and the Masters Cup final at the season's end. Though he didn't chalk up any wins in France's dramatic Davis Cup victory over Australia, you'd have to give him an assist for helping wear down Rafter's arm in singles. Word is, he worked out pretty seriously over the holidays at home in Florida -- just like last year. 4-1, to make the Australian public positively sick of French tennis.
|
Juan Carlos Ferrero: 5-1
Spain's Davis Cup hero from 2000, Juan Carlos Ferrero has the game and the fitness to claim his first Slam this month. This kid is poised for a heck of a career on hard courts, and you can bet that he's sufficiently inspired by Hewitt's recent success. Could this be the year he quits choking in the second week? If the rains hold off, leaving the roof open to the elements, look for the Mosquito to go far.Andy Roddick: 6-1
World number 15, Andy Roddick's ultra-high voltage game has lit up the past three Slams. He has delighted fans with incredible matches against Chang and Hewitt at Roland Garros, a serious battle with all three Gorans at Wimbledon and a five set thriller against Hewitt under the lights in Flushing. Roddick possesses the most exciting game on the circuit since Becker in the mid '80's and like all the great ones, he seems to learn valuable lessons from each loss. Andy's never played the Australian Open, but the kid has a knack for the big stage and sports big-time numbers in finals. I'm going out on a limb here: 6-1.Andre Agassi: 7-1
Never, ever count out Andre Agassi in a Slam. Tennis' most famous new dad may not be his supremely confident self as he returns to Australia after a dismal week at the end of 2001. But surely he's eager to exact a little revenge against the likes of Grosjean and Hewitt for their triumphs over him at Roland Garros and Sydney -- and ready to work his familiar magic against Kafelnikov et al. You'd have to forgive a man of Dre's wisdom and perspective for having a busy off-season with his wife and baby. On the other hand, there's a good chance his wife has shown him more about the art of the slice backhand back at the homestead. 7-1 to make it three in a row in Melbourne.
|
The Contenders: (all 9-1)
Yevgeny Kafelnikov, tennis' self-appointed aging ironman always thrives in Australia. He's been to two finals here (won it over Enqvist in '99) and took an Olympic Gold Medal in Sydney in 2000. Fit, smooth as ever and having something to prove against the ATP's "New Balls, Please" Stars, look for the big Russian to play more and more attacking tennis -- all the way into the second week for the fourth time in four years.Tim Henman is match-tough and fresh from edging Mark Philippoussis in the finals of Adelaide. Both players are more than due for their first Slam. The Australian fans will warmly welcome the Scud back, especially after a disappointing Davis Cup final loss at the hands of the visiting Frenchmen. Seems like they can only win with Mark (he was the hero of the final in '99), and they'll be supporting him fiercely, especially in Rafter's absence.
Tommy Haas, the gifted young German travels south with a lot of training under his belt and a ton of confidence from a November to remember back in Europe.
Roger Federer and Marat Safin may lack the patience and match toughness to go deep in the draw, but they've both demonstrated the weapons to take down the very best.
The Sentimental Favorites
 |
 |
Former number one's Sampras and Kuerten may be little more than sentimental favorites in Australia |
|
Hopefully his groin injury has healed and he's been able to get some training and match play in this past month. If not, his legions of fans will be disappointed, but he'll be back this spring. 18-1.
Seeded outside the top 8, Pete Sampras will need a better draw than he had in New York to get to the second Friday. Then, he'll need a day off after the semifinal. Then he'll need a final opponent who has a tougher time with his serve than Hewitt or Safin did in Pete's last two Slam final appearances. The odds of that happening are slim, but after all, he is one of the all-time greats, and he did win his first Slam seeded outside the top 8 ('90 U.S. Open). 18-1.
The Darkhorses
Talk about match toughness and a patient game: Guillermo Canas just overcame the heat in Chennai, India to win the tour stop there last week. With a Guga-esque attitude and wheels like Hewitt, this guy is ready for a breakthrough in a Slam. Canas is one of the new breed of South Americans who feel at home on hard courts. I'm rooting for him...30-1Just because they're fun to watch and they seem to do well in the heat of Australia; a nod to the fiery little lefties with sublime footwork and exquisite feel - Marcelo Rios (the '98 finalist) and Hicham Arazi. Both 40-1.
Props to my favorite young American players, James Blake and Taylor Dent. Blake will be bringing confidence from his recent Davis Cup success and his five setter against eventual champ, Hewitt at the U.S. Open last fall. Dent's dad, Phil hails from Australia and don't expect the fans to forget that. They'll back him through some tough matches into the second week. Unfortunately, the Rebound Ace doesn't favor either of their attacking styles, but I think they'll both lay some good groundwork for the rest of the year. 50-1.