The first grand slam of the year concluded amidst high drama and compelling action.  The Australian Open 2009 Tennis Championship will go down in history as one of the finest Grand Slam Tournaments.  The event produced some spectacular tennis matches. In the Men’s Draw, power tennis and marathon matches highlighted play while top seeded women fell like a house of playing cards until the inevitable occurred.  When all was said and done, two premier players stood atop the tennis world.

The Men – Rafael Nadal

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain Defeated Swiss Roger Federer by 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 to lift the Men’s Trophy

Before the greatest tennis players in the world migrated to Melbourne, there was speculation that the two most highly rated tennis players were not prepared to cope with new, svelte young guns.  After all, the number two ranked player, Roger Federer, may have won 13 Grand Slam Championships, but he had recently been dominated by the world’s top ranked player, Rafael Nadal, and 4 consecutive times by Scotland’s Andy Murray.

Rafael Nadal was highly regarded as a grass court player, but had been inconsistent on faster surface.  Of course, despite his five Grand Slam titles, he was only 22 years old and had never performed that well during the Australian summer.

And, there was the tempestuous, flamboyant Andy Murray.  Now, here was a fast court player.  Granted Murray had never won a Grand Slam and despite his relative immaturity at 21 years of age, he had been impressive against Federer since the U.S. Open.  Murray, the 4th seed, was installed as the pre-tourney bookmaker’s favorite.

The 2008 Australian Open Champion, Novak Djokovic, was the number 3 seed, but was rumored to have trained poorly.  He would definitely not win this year and the Serb would struggle with the climate.

The reason tennis uses a seeding system is that it works!  Djokovic was not in shape to play.  Murray’s immaturity showed.  Federer kept looking better and better.  Nadal did not lose a set until the semi finals where he was confronted by another hard charging Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who had trained harder than any other player for this event.

In the match of the tournament, Fernando Verdasco fell in five to Nadal, who proved his mettle as a number one seed.  Still, the skeptics reigned.  Federer would certainly put an end to the grass court specialist.  Not quite!

In the finals, Rafael Nadal claimed an emotionally draining five set win over his storied rival.  His mental toughness and conditioning will never be challenged again.  This 22 year old knows how to win and how to commit to victory.  The world’s best tennis player is unquestionably the 2009 Australian Open Champion, Rafael Nadal.

The Women – Serena Williams

USA’s Serena Williams defeated Russia’s Dinara Safina by 6-0, 6-3,to lift Women’s Title

The 2008 Champion, Maria Sharapova succumbed to her shoulder injury and had to withdraw from the tournament.  The Women’s Draw did not feature a defending champion.

The world’s top-ranked player, Jelena Jankovic, had never won a Grand Slam event.  Lately she seemed more intent on re-building her luster than her tennis game. Critics questioned her commitment.

The 2008 Australian runner-up, glamour girl, Ana Ivanovic, had not won in months, had not trained well and was spending a great deal of time in front of the modeling cameras.  On top of that, she had not addressed her service dilemma. She looked shaky in the opening round and critics correctly wrote her off pronto.

Number three seed, Russian Dinara Safina had never won a Grand Slam.  Despite her new training regimen and slimmed down physique, Dinara was regarded as a nervous performer.

Second seeded Serena Williams was installed as the bookmaker’s favorite, but she would have to play through her sister, Venus.  And, Venus had been playing well in recent tune-ups.

Russian Elena Dementieva was seeded second, but had not won a major.  She was pretty and stroking the ball well, but did she know how to win?  Certainly not like the two Williams sisters she would have to play through to reach the finals.

Amazingly, the door crept open when Venus inexplicably lost to soft-baller Carla Suarez Navarro.  But, that still left the hard-hitting tourney-tested betting favorite, Serena Williams.

Serena marched through them all.  She battled the weather, overcame some erratic play and championed the tournament in a ridiculously easy final over Dinara Safina, who beat a lot of players but came up very short against the American powerhouse.  Serena is once again The Queen and world’s top ranked player.  Who really doubted that?

Men’s Doubles – Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan

USA’s Twin Brothers Mark Bryan and Bob Bryan defeated Mahesh Bhupathi of India and Bahamian Mark Knowles in a fierce three set final 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 to win the Double’s Title

Number One seed Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic went down in the second round.  The second seeded Bryan brothers immediately became the tourney favorites.  The American team knows how to win.  They seized the momentum and swept into the finals.

Waiting for them in the finals was third seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles, who cruised through the first set only to come up well short at the end.  The Bryans claimed their seventh Grand Slam doubles title and emerged as the world’s top ranked team.

Women’s Doubles – Serena Williams and Venus Williams

USA’s Serena Williams and Venus Williams defeated Ai Sugiyama of Japan and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia by 6-3, 6-3 to win Women’s title

Who ever doubted that 10th seeded Serena and Venus would get to the doubles finals?  The two fashion gurus play great tennis too!  They dress like champions, play like champions and win like champions.

With their convincing win over Ai Sugiyama and the gorgeous Daniela Hantuchova, the Williams claimed their 8th Grand Slam Doubles Championship.  American swept the Men’s and Women’s Doubles.

Mixed Doubles – Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupati

India’s Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupati defeated France’s Nathalie Dechy and Israel’s Andy Ram by 6-3, 6-1 to lift the Mixed Double’s Title

22 year old Indian Sania Mirza teamed with countrymate and business manager Mahesh Bhupathi to earn her first Grand Slam Trophy.  The team was the runner-up in 2008 and looks poised to challenge for all Grand Slam titles this year.  Bhupathi is the world’s master doubles player and the striking Mirza is a willing protégé.

What an event!  What a year!  Congratulations to all 2009 Australian Open competitors.

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India culminated its finest Grand Slam showing ever with a big win in the 2009 Australian Open Mixed Doubles Championship in Melbourne. Doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi added the Mixed Doubles title to his Men’s Doubles Runner-up trophy while India’s Yuki Bhambri upheld his number one seed and cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over German Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georquodas to claim the Juniors Championship.

For the 22 year old Sania Mirza, the Mixed Doubles Championship is her first Grand Slam win. Mirza reached the third round in the 2008 Singles event but concentrated on her doubles in 2009. The commitment was worth it for the popular 5’8” 126 pound beauty.

In post match interviews, Mirza was generous in praise of her esteemed partner and in the joy of accomplishing her first major title. Mirza felt the hot Australian summer worked to the unseeded team’s advantage throughout the tournament. Bhupathi owns a sports management firm and his company has been managing Sania for several years. The duo began teaming up two years ago. They have now competed in all four Grand Slam events and should expect to get more recognition now that they have a major title.

In the final match, the Indian team took control early and never let up against another unseeded surprise, France’s Nathalie Dechy and Israel’s Andy Ram. Mirza served the match out at 5-1 to complete an impressive string of victories that included resume-building upsets. Among their victims were 6th seeded Czech’s Kveta Peschke and Pavel Vizner, Canada’s highly regarded Aleksandra Wozniak and Daniel Nestor and the semi-finals win over another Czech entry, Iveta Benesova and Lukas Diouchy.

Canada’s Wozniak and Nestor provided the severest challenge to Mirza and Bhupathi. The Canadians claimed the only set the Indian team lost during the tourney. After that win, Mirza played her best tennis to date and showed great speed at the net. Bhupathi coached the pretty brunette well as her mid-court game became more aggressive and her well portioned serves allowed Mahesh to intercept many returns.

The match was played at the Rod Laver Arena and was completed in less than an hour. Mirza and Bhupathi won the first two games of the first set but then lost three straight to trail 2-3. For a brief moment, it looked like they would falter in the finals as they did last year. Mirza and Bhupathi stabilized their backcourt play and reeled off four consecutive games to grab the first set.

On serve in the second set, Mirza saved a break point with a miraculous angles forehand winner and then won her game. Dechy and Ram seemed to lose heart with Sania’s save and the match fell apart quickly.

Mirza and Bhupathi committed only 10 unforced errors in the match. They won 53 points compared to Dechy and Rams’ 33. Perhaps the key to the win was the fact that Dechy and Ram only won 12 of 42 receiving points. Mirza and Bhupathi are scheduled to play in the year’s second Grand Slam in Paris. Perhaps they will get the pre-tournament recognition they have now earned.

Many tennis pundits felt that Rafael Nadal had little chance in the final of the 2009 Australian Open against Roger Federer. Nadal might have been king on the slower surfaces of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, but on Australian hardcourts, many felt that Federer had the advantage heading into the tournament.

When these two remarkable champions did ultimately secure their slots in this title tilt, the calculus seemed to favor the Swiss to an even greater degree. Surely, a rested Federer–given a Thursday semifinal that lasted just over two hours–would have more in the tank than an exhausted Nadal, who played a Friday semifinal that lasted over 5 hours and bled into Saturday morning. Surely, the world No. 1 would not be able to keep up with Federer for five full sets. From the way the chattering classes were talking about this match, Rafael Nadal was going to show up, try his best, absorb a four-set defeat, and be happy about reaching his first-ever hardcourt Grand Slam final.

How utterly wrong the masses proved to be.

If there’s one thing that should never again be said about Nadal, it’s that the Mallorcan should be expected to run out of energy in a Grand Slam final. Circumstances, as worrisome as they may be, will not rattle the 22-year-old–that much should be clear after Nadal won his first Australian Open championship, and his sixth slam overall, with a marvelous 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 victory over a gallant but ultimately inferior Federer. The fiercely-fought battle in Rod Laver Arena took 4 hours and 22 minutes, putting Nadal on court for a total of nearly 10 hours in his last two matches alone. Yet, at the end of this spirited and supreme showdown between the two best players in the world, Nadal was standing tall in his moment of victory, covering the court with ease and retrieving everything an increasingly flustered Federer threw at him. The word “tired” is not a part of Nadal’s vocabulary, and any remaining doubters have to accept that fact.

If fitness and endurance figured to be major factors in this match, they weren’t on Sunday night in Melbourne. Even if such issues were indeed paramount in deciding the winner of this match, they seemed to affect the 27-year-old Federer more than his younger opponent. A pronounced dip in Nadal’s court coverage never really emerged. The fade from full fitness in a fifth set never materialized for the best tennis player on the planet, as Nadal remained steady and fresh while the error-prone Federer–perhaps expecting his foe to relax–lost serve at 1-2 in the fifth to give Nadal a clear path to victory.

Blessed with a cushion and smelling the finish line, Nadal authoritatively held serve on two occasions before breaking Federer to win the match in the first minutes of Monday morning (12:12 a.m. in Melbourne).

Yes, one can rightly point to Federer’s stack of failed break point conversions late in the third set–at 4-all, love-40, and 5-all, 15-40–as the match’s key points, but in those sequences, it needs to be said that Nadal played his customarily airtight and error-free barnd of ball. Federer had a particularly good look at a slow second serve on one of the break points in the 4-all game of the third, but when he did nothing with it, his unshakable rival didn’t allow another inch. Nadal has reached the mountaintop in his sport because of an uncanny ability to play mistake-free tennis in a match’s most significant moments. No matter how much court time he might have logged, Nadal possessed maximum focus and energy whenever he needed to call upon his considerable internal resources. Conventional wisdom suggested that Rafa would need to win this match sooner rather than later. Perhaps for the final time, conventional wisdom underestimated the willpower of this special specimen from Spain.

It’s worth noting–as one tries to place this magnificent match in a larger historical context–that Nadal’s sixth slam championship has been achieved at the age of 22. Federer won his first slam title (the 2003 Wimbledon tournament) just one month before his 22nd birthday. When one then considers that Nadal has now won slams on three different courts, any event-specific questions about his abilities have been put to rest. Nadal will be the favorite at this year’s French Open and Wimbledon events, and he’ll merit co-favorite status (if not the designation of an outright favorite) at the U.S. Open in New York. If this amazing young man’s body holds up, the record books rewritten over the past five years by Federer could soon be transformed again by Nadal.

What, you say? Nadal will pass Sampras and Federer in slams when it’s all said and done? Preposterous, you claim.

Think again.

Federer–while not at his very best in this match, especially on a first serve that sank to a startlingly low 51 percent–nevertheless stayed in the arena long enough to force a fifth set. Displaying defense almost as good as Nadal’s, the Swiss dug out of his own fair share of serving troubles and, behind 71 winners, exhibited a level of play that would have easily defeated every other competitor on the ATP Tour. Against Nadal, however, a really good B-plus effort loaded with spectacular points merely leads to a five-set loss. Federer didn’t play the big points well–a handful of points is the only thing separating these two men–but he competed vigorously throughout this encounter and forced Nadal to continuously run down shots. On a night when two tennis greats lorded their prowess over the rest of the sport, one giant had to make the other giant look small, and that’s what Nadal did to Federer. The losing player didn’t give away the match; the winner took it with two-fisted totality.

Nadal is widely regarded as a warm, humble and gentle soul, a man for all seasons. After this tremendous five-set triumph over Federer, it’s clear that Nadal is more than a man for all seasons–he’s now a man for all surfaces. Hail the new champion Down Under, a man who refused to buckle under in the face of a massive assault from the varied arsenal of a 13-time major champion. With more steely and unflappable performances such as this one, Nadal could rewrite the very record books Federer came so close to changing on an unforgettable night of tennis in Australia.

When Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer lock horns in their first hardcourt Grand Slam final, the biggest key to victory will be the ability to turn weaknesses into strengths. The nineteenth matchup between these two tennis titans will be defined by the attitudes and adjustments of the mighty Mallorcan and the sublime Swiss.

First, let’s look at the challenges facing Nadal on Sunday in Rod Laver Arena. The world No. 1–who will face Federer with a top ranking for the first time (Fed, in turn, will be playing Rafa with a “(2)” beside his name for the first time)–was going to have to shorten points in this would-be matchup, regardless of more specific circumstances. When placed on a hard surface–faster now than the grass of Wimbledon–Nadal lacks the time he enjoys on other surfaces. This is why Nadal has lost his last two hardcourt matches to Federer, in the 2006 and 2007 Masters Cup semifinals. If a so-called “Fedal” final ever materialized at the Australian or U.S. Open, Rafa had to know that shorter points and flattened-out forehands would need to be brought to the battle. Now, however, the world of hypotheticals has become the realm of reality, and so–in addition to the pure Xs and Os of the matchup–Nadal has to contend with his holistic well-being.

As the countdown to “Nadal-Federer XIX” (that’s a tribute to Super Bowl XLIII, which will be played 16 hours after Rafa and Fed do their thing in Australia) intensifies, the need for Rafa to drill his shots has become particularly obvious. On the night of February 1, 2009, the 22-year-old Spaniard is more aware than ever of the need to be aggressive from the ground, because his body and mind need to be engaged in this match from the moment the first ball is struck.

As physically taxing as his 5-hour, 14-minute semifinal classic against Fernando Verdasco proved to be, Nadal–the most physical player in men’s tennis–will compete for every point in a match of such pronounced magnitude. Nadal’s physical hunger shouldn’t be questioned, but what merits concern in the Rafa camp is the ability of the top seed to play a more offensive game on a fast surface, and thereby send a message to the formidable Swiss foe on the other side of the net. The mental side of this match is the truly daunting problem for Nadal, who–in addition to playing a grueling match on Friday night–also had to endure the mental strain of playing a countryman (Verdasco) whom he respects. Rafa openly admitted that, at love-40 in Verdasco’s final service game, he began to cry due to the overwhelming tension of the moment. The hard-fought win featured incredibly punishing tennis, but for one more day, the muscular No. 1 will be able to throw his body into the fray. The hard part for Rafa is to find the mental clarity needed to regroup from the emotions of the Verdasco match and execute a more forceful strategy against the world No. 2. Nadal will be able to run against Federer–his immense pride and relentless style won’t allow anything less–but if the Spaniard leaves balls short on the hard surface, the world-class ballstriker from Switzerland will make him pay, just as he did in the pair of Masters Cup collisions taken by Federer. It might be tempting to say that Rafa needs to keep points short for the sake of keeping his body fresh if the match goes deep into a fourth or fifth set, but the real reason Rafa needs to keep points short is that on hardcourts, the man with a 12-6 advantage in the head-to-head series is actually at a tactical disadvantage. Federer will receive a truer, lower bounce than anything he’d normally get at Roland Garros or Wimbledon, so Rafa’s normal strategy of hitting the high-kicking topspin forehand to Fed’s backhand can’t be relied upon quite as often in Australia. Rafa has to find openings early in points, and beat Federer to the punch in terms of hitting outright winners on shots that are anything less than solid. If Rafa can’t play the kind of game Verdasco used against him on Friday–namely, a higher-risk style that allows more errors in the attempt to rack up a lot of additional winners–he’ll find himself in trouble.

Now, we turn to the challenges facing Mr. Federer, who can claim a 14th Grand Slam title and tie Pete Sampras atop the all-time list with a win in this heavily-anticipated confrontation. The big challenge for Roger, as he faces his personal nemesis, is to be man enough to admit his own vulnerabilities in this matchup.

Federer has usually been content to hit a lot of backhands against Nadal. Realizing how easy it is for Nadal to spin that heavy forehand to his backhand corner, Federer has acknowledged the importance of shoring up his backhand wing. However, in the heat of match play, the willingness to hit backhands–understandable to a point–has become something of a harmful self-fulfilling prophecy for the Swiss. Federer has been so focused on the need to hit backhands against Rafa that he’s been unwilling to construct points that can feed his forehand. Some of Federer’s most vocal critics think that his biggest failing against Rafa has been a stubborn refusal to get to net, but the criticism that possesses real staying power is the view that Fed concedes far too many backhand rallies against the Nadal forehand. This paves the way for Roger’s new gameplan, which emerged in the latter sets of the 2008 Wimbledon final, arguably the greatest tennis match ever played.

In the final three sets of that epic encounter, Federer used his backhand down the line to the deuce court, which steered the ball to Rafa’s backhand corner and thereby set up the forehand. In a weird but real way, Federer gained strength by acknowledging his weakness. He lost that match, but his comeback gained him newfound respect in the tennis world. Sunday in Melbourne, that tactic–if used well–could deliver a piece of history, and erase much of the sting created by the loss in suburban London last July.

Nadal. Federer. Two giants possess incredible tennis strengths. Their matchup in Melbourne will therefore depend on how they handle their weaknesses.

Twin brothers and second seeded Men’s Doubles Team Bob and Mike Bryan have struck gold again. The bookmaker favorite and formidable American doubles team outplayed third seeded challengers Mahesh Bhupathi of India and Bahamian Mark Knowles in a fierce three set final 6-2, 5-7, 6-0. Spectators were left wondering what it takes to beat the American look-alikes. Bhupathi and Knowles threw everything they had at the twins, but the Americans beat back every salvo.

With the Williams sister’s dominance in the Women’s Doubles event, Americans have swept the doubles championships in Melbourne. Siblings seem to be the paring trend in doubles events. The Bryans have made a career and healthy livelihood of playing together. Now the proud possessors of seven Grand Slam Doubles titles and with seven runner-up finishes, there is no disputing the family’s dominance in Men’s Doubles.

Against Bhupathi and Knowles, the Bryans committed only 2 unforced errors and had no double faults. Statistically, the brothers were models of consistency. That consistency marks the key to their success. Individually, they are solid, but not outstanding, singles players, but together they are superlative, seemingly knowing their court positioning and shot selection without communicating. While quick hands help in Men’s Doubles, there is no substitute for proper shot selection and court positioning. The Bryans cut off angles and force teams to play to their strengths.

After breaking Bhupathi and Knowles in set one, the first set was sealed. The third seed rocked back on their heels until the beginning of the second set, where their play stabilized. Bhupathi made two sterling volleys to break Mike Bryan and even the sets at one each.

The Bryans had a mini-strategy session and came out forcefully for the pivotal third set. Well-placed returns kept the Bhupathi-Knowles team on the baseline as the Bryans won more than 60% of the receiving points in the final set to seal the championship and solidify their number one world ranking. At the outset of the Australian Open, bookmakers favored the Bryans and will certainly favor them at the French Open. With only the U.S. Open Doubles Championship under their belts in 2008, the American team was anxious to regain their form in Australia.

Bhupathi, who is also a mixed doubles finalist along with Sania Mirza at Melbourne, complimented the Bryans, declaring them the best doubles tam in the world. Like the rest of the field, Bhupathi and Knowles had no answers for the Bryans. The brothers lost only two sets in the tournament and were hardest pressed by American teammates Bobby Reynolds and Rajeey Ram in the round of sixteen. Reynolds and Ram pushed the Bryans to the limit in the 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 match.

While the Bryans never look over-powering, they always look smooth. The Australian Championship perfectly illustrates their balance coordination. These brothers know how to play together and once again appear to be the team to beat in Men’s Doubles.