Andy Murray: Gigi Salmon provides her tackle the Scot’s teaching partnership with Novak Djokovic | Tennis Information

In her newest Sky Sports activities column, Gigi Salmon discusses Madison Keys’ unimaginable run to Grand Slam glory, Jannik Sinner’s vice-like grip on males’s tennis and what might be subsequent for Novak Djokovic after his work with Andy Murray on the Australian Open…

An eight hour flight delay on the finish of a Grand Slam is not supreme, but it surely provides me an opportunity to sit down down and assume again on the 2 weeks that we’ve got had at Melbourne Park. By way of leaving Australia we’ve got timed it properly, with the temperature hitting 42 levels as I left for the airport.

It’s extremely straightforward to know the place to start out and that is with new Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who’s a participant many people have been expecting years questioning if she would fulfil her potential.

“I felt like from a pretty young age, if I never won a Grand Slam, then I wouldn’t have lived up to what people thought I should have been,” Keys mentioned after her victory. “That was a pretty heavy burden to kind of carry around.”

At 29, newly married and with husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo in her nook, she not solely did it however she did it in type!

Bruising run to Grand Slam glory for Keys

To develop into a Grand Slam Champion you must win seven matches, you’ll come throughout obstacles alongside the way in which, but it surely’s laborious to think about a harder attract current instances than the one Key confronted.

It included former Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins within the third spherical adopted by former Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina, then it was Elina Svitolina earlier than following these bruising encounters by taking out the world No 2 and world No 1 in successive rounds.

A spotlight of the second week was Key’s semi-final conflict with Iga Swiatek, the place she closed it out in a match tie-break within the third. Apparently, from chatting with numerous folks, they had been cut up with what they made from the ultimate when it comes to high quality of tennis.

For me personally, whereas I do not assume that by the top of the 12 months will probably be in my high 5 WTA matches of the 12 months (the semi-final will), if I put collectively a ‘what it means’ or ‘how they closed it out’ high 5 then I am undecided will probably be crushed!

Keys additionally spoke afterwards very actually about her journey to turning into a Grand Slam champion, which has been stuffed with accidents and expectation, the place she credited remedy with getting her to the place she is now.

“Just being really honest and actually getting help and actually talking to someone, and not just about tennis but about how I felt about myself,” Keys defined. “I honestly think that had I not done that, then I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

Folks have additionally been fairly vocal about Sabalenka’s response to shedding which noticed her smashing her racket on the bottom, whereas Keys was taking within the applause of the group.

Now, whereas – in a perfect world – Sabalenka would not have achieved that, none of us can put ourselves in her place. The emotion, the adrenalin – that is what she lives and breathes each single day, so I believe we are able to let her off this as soon as!

So my tip for the ladies’s title fell on the last hurdle, however my tip for the boys’s sprinted to the end and barely broke sweat within the last!

Sinner performed with ‘clear thoughts’ forward of CAS listening to

Jannik Sinner did not face a single break level as he accomplished the profitable defence of his title in a straight units win over Alexander Zverev, who mentioned after he collected his runner-up plate: “I’m just not good enough.”

Sinner has now received 37 of his final 38 matches, having dropped simply two units by means of seven rounds, leaving him in a snug place on the high of the world rankings with a complete of 11830 factors – 3,695 away from second positioned Zverev.

It is a good lead for now but it surely’s one he may have, with the date set for WADAs (World Anti-Doping Company) enchantment towards the choice to not ban Sinner for his failed drug checks in March. That might be heard at CAS (Court docket of Arbitration for Sport) on April 16-17, behind closed doorways.

Sinner has mentioned that he has been capable of play in addition to he has attributable to a ‘clear thoughts’ in regards to the occasions that led to the failed take a look at. With the enchantment listening to going down round a month earlier than the French Open, a ban might rule him out of each the French and Wimbledon and that is if it is on the quick facet!

What subsequent for Djokovic and Murray?

There was no threepeat for Sabalenka as I assumed there could be and we’re nonetheless ready to see if the Novak Djokovic-Andy Murray partnership will proceed, following Djokovic falling quick in his bid for a record-extending twenty fifth Grand Slam victory.

“Novak and I agreed that after the tournament we would speak – and we will do that,” Djokovic mentioned after his exit.

The sensation round Djokovic is that Wimbledon might be his subsequent finest probability to win Grand Slam title quantity 25, offering his physique heals by then.

If you wish to see the injury that was achieved in his quarter-final towards Carlos Alcaraz, check out social media. You can see his scan and he felt the necessity to add it, with so many individuals doubting the severity of his damage or if he was injured in any respect!

He’s all the way down to play in Doha subsequent month, which you’ll watch reside on Sky Sports activities Tennis, though that appears a bit quickly.

One factor is for sure is that if he’s to win one other title – at no matter stage – he might want to play matches, but it surely’s discovering that steadiness between enjoying matches and listening to your physique.

We have seen a few high-profile teaching modifications in current weeks, with Elena Rybakina splitting with Goran Ivanisevic. That is one thing that appeared inevitable as quickly as Rybakina posted on Instagram saying that she was welcoming again her former coach Stefano Vukov to the staff.

‘Three’s a crowd’ springs to thoughts, in what’s a messy state of affairs, and will probably be fascinating to see if Ivanisevic stays on the WTA tour.

There can even be a brand new coach for Emma Raducanu, after Nick Cavaday stepped again to prioritise his well being.

British success in Melbourne

There was British success on the Australian Open for Henry Patten and his companion Harri Heliovaara, successful their second Grand Slam doubles title. Whereas Henry promised Tim Henman, Laura Robson and I he would work on his celebrations after they win, I can verify that Harri remains to be the stand out within the division.

Andy Lapthorne received an eighth quad wheelchair males’s doubles title, whereas Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett continued their domination within the males’s wheelchair doubles occasion with their sixth successive title.

Tears flowed for Alfie after he secured a straight units win over high seed and his on court docket nemesis, 18-year-old Tokito Oda, who received Paralympic gold over the Brit final summer time and has received their final three main finals.

“To try and beat this guy in a final is an impossible task it seems, so I am very happy and overwhelmed with emotion to get my hands on this trophy,” Hewett mentioned.

In order that’s now 10 Grand Slam singles titles to go together with his Paralympic silver, 22 doubles titles along with Paralympic gold and on the age of 27, nonetheless a lot extra tennis to be performed!

Some excellent news is that I wasn’t fired as Daniela Hantuchova’s coach, and whereas almost falling into the river Yarra on one in every of my morning runs whereas nonetheless jet lagged and with out my contact lenses in I managed to remain on dry land!

There may be a lot to speak about on the subject of tennis in the mean time, however I’ll cease earlier than I’m going on for too lengthy!

I might be seeing Tim and Laura later this week which I am actually trying ahead to. That is when Sky Sports activities Tennis actually comes into it is personal, following the tour from occasion to occasion and showcasing the gamers and the tales as they give the impression of being to construct on what occurred in Australia.

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