SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2014 Nadal poses biggest threat to Djokovic’s reign SYDNEY: After staging a remarkable comeback in 2013, finalist in three of the last four years, cannot be written Murray, meanwhile, is on the comeback trail after Spanish buccaneer Rafa Nadal has his eye on more off, Nadal looks the man most likely to usurp Djokovic. four months on the sidelines in the wake of surgery on grand slam silverware this year and is shaping up as the Nadal opened the new season with another title win in his lower back and the consensus is that he might biggest threat to Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open Qatar and few tennis fans would be too disappointed if struggle with five-set matches so early in his return. Del reign. While Nadal reasserted his hegemony over the two weeks of competition at Melbourne Park, Potro and Lleyton Hewitt are the only grand slam Roland Garros with an eighth French Open triumph last which start on Monday, climax with a re-match of his champions apart from the “Big Four” of Djokovic, Nadal, year and Roger Federer has won seven Wimbledon six-hour 2012 final defeat to Djokovic. Federer and Murray still active but the Argentine has crowns, Djokovic has made Melbourne Park his own The Spaniard certainly has the tougher draw with not produced his best form consistently since a wrist grand slam banker with four titles in the last five years. the talented but inconsistent Australian Bernard Tomic injury that nearly ended his career in 2010. The Serbian last tasted defeat on the banks of the Yarra up first and Juan Martin del Potro, who beat him at the The tall Argentine, still only 25, is seeded fifth after River almost four years ago and if he can extend his Shanghai Masters last October, his potential opponent showing signs that he might be on the verge of being a unbeaten run on the blue plexicushion to 28 matches in the last eight. While Nadal has never been coached grand slam contender last year with four titles and runs this year, would become the first man in the profession- by anybody other than his uncle Toni, Djokovic has fol- to the finals of the Masters tournaments at Shanghai al era to take the title five times. lowed the trend of elite players adding former tennis and Indian Wells. Third seed David Ferrer has reached “The Australian Open is definitely my most success- greats to their support staff by taking on six-times the semi-finals in two of the last three years but beat an ful grand slam, my favorite grand slam. I love spending grand slam champion Boris Becker. “He is not happy injury-hampered Nadal to do so in 2011 and this year’s time here,” Djokovic said after being drawn to face with six grand slams, even though that is an incredible draw looks tougher than the fairly easy ride he had in world number 90 Lukas Lacko in the opening round record in itself,” Becker said yesterday. “He wants to win 2013. yesterday. “It’s the start of the season and I think most more and he is having a good team around him that Tomas Berdych, Stan Wawrinka and 2008 losing of the players are sharing the same opinion. We love tries to make him better.” finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are the other players who the atmosphere, the easy energy that flows around, might provide an upset or make a run but few are look- and of course the tennis fever.” Nadal missed the tour- TOO SOON FOR MURRAY? ing beyond Djokovic and Nadal. Although Nadal beat nament in 2013 when a bout of stomach flu capped a Briton Murray started the trend with his recruitment Djokovic in the US Open final, the Serbian got engaged miserable run of injuries but made a remarkable return of Ivan Lendl and Federer recently followed suit by per- to long-term girlfriend Jelena Ristic straight afterwards with 10 titles, including his 12th and 13th in grand suading Stefan Edberg to join him in Melbourne. and has been unbeaten since. “Since I got engaged I slams, to knock the Serb off the top of the world rank- Federer, 32, is looking to the Swede for inspiration as he haven’t lost a match, so I guess the wedding should ings. tries to arrest last year’s decline that saw the Swiss fail come soon. I should give credit for that,” he said of a So while Federer, also a four-times Australian Open to reach at least the quarter-finals at successive grand run which included thrashing Nadal to win the ATP champion, and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, a slams for the first time since 2003. year-ending championships in London. — Reuters Pironkova stuns Kerber Serena eyes her in Sydney for first title 6th coronation MELBOURNE: If players, pundits and bookmakers are to be Del Potro sets up Tomic final; Ferrer falls short in Auckland believed, Serena Williams has already sewn up her sixth Australian Open title and the other 127 women in the draw may as well pick up their racquets and head home. Riding a 22-match SYDNEY: Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova’s fairytale run at the Sydney winning streak, the American juggernaut arrives in Melbourne International ended with her first WTA title Park fit, fresh and ravenous for more grand slam success at a when she stunned world number nine tournament where injuries and illness have robbed her of yet Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-4 in the final yester- more silverware in the past three years. day. Pironkova had already beaten world Age has not wearied the 32-year-old, who after winning her number six Petra Kvitova and number seven second French Open crown last year became the oldest woman Sara Errani in the seven matches it took her to win the US Open when she raised her 17th grand slam trophy to get the final and rode a second set fight- at Flushing Meadows. The winner at Melbourne Park in 2003, back from her German opponent to claim 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010, another triumph would see Williams the victory. “Mum and Dad, we have a tro- equal Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert’s tally of 18 major titles phy,” the 26-year-old former Wimbledon and draw her closer to German great Steffi Graf’s 22. Australian semi-finalist beamed after her triumph. Margaret Court leads the all-time list with 24. Juan Martin Del Potro earlier underlined Williams’s place in the tennis pantheon is assured but her his status as a dark horse for next week’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes the American could secure a Australian Open by hammering Dmitry calendar grand slam, which would make her the third woman Tursunov to set up a men’s final against after Court in 1970 and Graf in 1988 to achieve the feat in the Bernard Tomic. Men’s world number three open era. “Look at the level she plays at the moment,” David Ferrer was also the victim of a shock, Mouratoglou told the BBC this week. “She’s beaten all the top however, when his bid for a fifth Auckland players many times, so you can aim that high.” In contrast to the Open title was ended in the semi-finals by a men’s tour, which has been blessed by the power struggles 6-4 7-6 (7-4) loss to Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun. At between Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy the Kooyong Classic exhibition, France’s Murray in recent seasons, the women’s tour is crying out for a Gilles Simon turned his ankle badly and was SYDNEY: Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria holds the winners trophy after defeating genuine challenger to Williams. forced to retire while trailing compatriot Angelique Kerber of Germany in the women’s singles final at the APIA Sydney Second seed Victoria Azarenka, who will bid for a hat-trick of Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-3) 1-0. International tennis tournament yesterday. — AFP titles at Melbourne Park, and third seed Maria Sharapova are Simon will have scans on the injury but made heavy work of coming from behind to Sam Stosur, another former US Open again the most credible threats. Azarenka underlined her tough- his participation in the Australian Open, beat Ukrainian qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky 6- champion, went down 6-3 6-2 in the semi- ness last year with an impressive title defense, beating China’s Li where he is seeded 18th, must be in serious 7 (4-7) 7-5 6-3. Del Potro is seeded to meet finals of the Hobart International to Klara Na in front of a hostile crowd in Rod Laver Arena. The powerful doubt. Tall Argentine Del Potro, who will be world number one Rafa Nadal in the quar- Zakopalova, who she will meet again in the Belarusian proved a worthy winner, after having weathered a seeded fifth in Melbourne, hit nine aces as ter-finals of the year’s first grand slam, while first round at Melbourne Park. Zakopalova storm of criticism for taking a prolonged medical time-out dur- he brushed aside Tursunov 6-4 6-2 in just Tomic was revealed as the Spanish 13-times will first face Spain’s Garbine Muguruza ing a tense passage of play late in her semi-final against over an hour to reach his seventh final in the grand slam champion’s opponent in the Blanco in the Hobart final after she American Sloane Stephens.