Australian Open, 2014

Out With Old, In With the New

By DownTheTee | January 13, 2014

By Jane Voigt When temperatures reach 1100 F this week in Melbourne, maybe Venus Williams will be grateful she lost in the first round.  Maybe so will Kimiko Date-Krumm and Roberta Vinci, not to mention the 2006 finalist at The Australian Open, Marcos Baghdatis. Their exits carried a poignant message. That as good as these tennis…

What If An Extra Terrestrial Landed in Oz?

By DownTheTee | January 12, 2014

By Jane Voigt What if an alien landed at Melbourne Park, home of The Australian Open?  Our ET gazes at the Australian grounds and smiles. What a lovely setting for tennis. The extra terrestrial has not hit a ball in eons, gravity at home is a bit too light.  But the alien — the badge…

And Away We Go

By DownTheTee | January 11, 2014

By Jane Voigt Joe Nardini Jr., a rising junior tennis talent, has joined Down The Tee as a guest contributor. He is 15 years old, ranked No. 20 in the Mid-Atlantic for 16 & Unders, and 94 for all freshman in the United States. He loves the game and has been playing tennis since he…

Where Do They Go From Here?

By DownTheTee | January 19, 2013

By Jane Voigt There’s a change in the air Down Under. Serena Williams is out. Her loss to former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic was not expected. No one was expected to beat the 17-time Grand Slam winner.  Victoria Azarenka was considered a contender from day one, as was Maria Sharapova and Li Na. They…

Retirements, Heat and That Delicate Balance

By DownTheTee | January 14, 2013

By Jane Voigt Patrick McEnroe told listeners, “you better do everything right.” Meaning what? McEnroe’s comment was a reaction to Bernard Tomic’s retirement with a groin injury after 43 minutes. He had given the match to the No. 1 see Rafael Nadal after one set, 6-4. Tomic left Rod Laver Arena to a mixture of…