Cry-baby
One of the more bizarre moments in tennis in 2014 came during the semi-final of the ATP Tour Finals between Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka. In the third set, with the game locked at 3-3, Wawrinka complained to the umpire that he was being put off by someone shouting ‘cry-baby’ at him from Federer’s box.
Farewell Li Na
China’s Li Na announced her retirement from tennis in September, just months after winning the Australian Open. Having initially left the tennis scene in 2002, Li returned in 2004 and went on to win a total of nine WTA titles including the French Open in 2011, and the Australian Open in 2014.
Serena back to her best?
Serena Williams ended 2014 ranked number one, the same position she was in this time last year. She started the year at the Brisbane International, where she reached the final, but was ultimately defeated by Victoria Azarenka. Despite being heavy favourite for the Australian Open, she was knocked out in the fourth round by Ana Ivanovic. Again, Williams was favourite for the French Open, but suffered bitter disappointment as she couldn’t make it past the second round. She suffered another huge blow after she was beaten in the third round of Wimbledon, but she managed to put the year’s disappointment behind her, looking unbeatable at the US Open, which she went on to win, making that her 18th Grand Slam title.
It’s hot down under
The heat at this year’s Australian Open left a lot of tennis players struggling to cope. The heat reached 43.9 degrees celsius at one stage, and players claimed the severe temperatures were affecting them, while others claimed their shoes and and bottles were melting. Nine players retired during the second day of play due to the heat, many required medical attention at some stage and Ivan Dodig even collapsed during play, before retiring.
Stanislas Wawrinka’s resilience
2014 is a year that Stanislas Wawrinka will remember for the rest of his life. He started the year by winning the Aircel Chennai Open, as preparation for the Australian Open. He reached the final, where he faced world number one Rafael Nadal. Wawrinka won in four sets – his first Grand Slam title. In April, he faced compatriot Roger Federer in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Wawrinka beat Federer in three sets. However, the French Open wasn’t quite so successful, and he was knocked out in the first round. At Wimbledon, he faced Federer in the quarter-finals, and was beaten in four sets. Again, at the US Open he was beaten by Kei Nishikori in the quarter-final in five sets. And then, he once again came up against Roger Federer at the semi-final of the World Tour Finals in London, and was beaten.
Is Rafael Nadal back?
Having struggled with injuries throughout the 2013 season, Nadal began 2014 by winning the Qatar Open. He then advanced to his 19th Major final at the Australian Open, but lost to Wawrinka, who had never beaten him before. Shortly afterwards, he won the Rio Open. His form continued to dip, as he was beaten in the third round at Indian Wells, the final of the Miami Masters, the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters and quarter-finals at the Barcelona Open. He then won the Madrid Open, but faced Novak Djokovic in the final of the Italian Open and couldn’t beat the Serbian. He picked up form once again, though, and won his ninth French Open title, beating Djokovic. He then had to withdraw from the US Open due to a wrist injury. Despite his come back for the China Open, he struggled for the rest of the season with appendicitis and was then forced to withdraw from the Canadian Open, the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open.
Match of the year?
The men’s final at Wimbledon between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will certainly go down as a classic. Federer took the first set, 9-7 after 51 minutes, before Djokovic came back to take the next two sets. In the fourth set, the Serbian had a 5-2 lead, and even had Championship point at 5-4, but Federer wasn’t going to be kicked out that easily, and he came back to win the set, making it 2-2. Djokovic then managed to fight off Federer to take the Championship.
Andy Murray’s split with Ivan Lendl
In March, it was announced that Andy Murray and coach Ivan Lendl had parted ways, because Lendl no longer had sufficient time. Murray admitted that he was left feeling gutted after the split. It was a disappointing year for Murray, as he failed to have an impact in the Grand Slams. He did, however, win the Shenzhen Open, the Erste Bank Open and the Valencia Open.
