The first grand slam of 2019, Australian Open was not only exciting but also a mixed package of unexpected results, heartbreaks and some unbelievable achievements. Even though the tennis fans are eagerly waiting for the men's singles final, which will be played between the top two players Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on Sunday, it is true that this year all the top 10 players were knocked out by the lower ranked players, including the GOAT, Roger Federer.
The most favourite
The Swiss legend Federer, who claimed 20 grand slam titles in the open era, defeated the Uzbek ace Denis Istomin in the round of 128, followed by British Dan Evans in the round of 64 and American Taylor Fritz in the round of 32. But, the Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas, current world rank 15, stunned the 37-year-old legend as he beat Federer in the round of 16. It was a complete shock for the Federer fans, who did not expect such an early exit of 2017 and 2018 Australian Open champion.
The German superstar
The 21-year-old Alexander Zverev made headlines, soon after the defeat by the current world rank 17 Milos Raonic in the round of 16. Even though Zverev has only made the quarterfinals once at the majors, his fans had high expectations from the world No 4, who claimed, four victories in 2018, most notably the ATP Finals, where he defeated world No 1 Djokovic. After his defeat, an American author, Justin Bryant wrote on Twitter that "This is just garbage tennis from Zverev. My God. Stop telling me he's the future of tennis. If that's true, there is no future."
The sunshine of South Africa
The world No 6, Kevin Anderson, who played the men's final in 2018 Wimbledon tournament against Serbian ace Djokovic after beating John Isner and Federer, was stunned by the world No 39, American Frances Tiafoe in the round of 64. After sealing match point, Tiafoe said, "It means the world to me, I lost to Kevin three times last year. I would love to get to the second week of a slam and if you guys get behind me like you did again, then it's going to be pretty easy for me."
The finalist of Australian Open 2018
The Croatian star, Marin Cilic was the finalist of 2018 Australian Open men's final, where he faced Federer and later he also reached to the quarterfinals in French Open, where he was defeated by Argentine Juan Martin del Potro. But, this year, the season first grand slam tournament turned out as a nightmare. Due to a knee issue, the current world No 7 failed to claim a victory against the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, world rank 24 in the round of 16 and had to leave the Melbourne court.
The ambitious Austrian
Dominic Thiem, who once revealed that his generation players, including him, can beat the top three giants, Djokovic-Nadal-Federer, to claim a grand slam, had to end his Australian Open journey after the world No 149, Aussie teen Alexei Popyrin smashed the world No 8 in the round of 64. The early exit was as shocking as painful for the 25-year-old player, who was the finalist of 2018 French Open.
Longest tennis match record holder
The world No 10, John Isner, was the 2018 Wimbledon semifinalist, was eliminated from the 2019 Australian Open after his compatriot and world No 97 Reilly Opelka defeated him in the first match of the tournament.
Australian Open 2019: The Final Battle
However, the tennis fans from all around the world are ready to witness the much-awaited men's tennis finals match between the top two players. The 'king of clay' Nadal, who did not drop a single set in this entire tournament, will be facing the aggressive and 2018 Wimbledon and US Open champion Djokovic on Sunday at Rod Laver Arena.
On Saturday, the Japanese star, Naomi Osaka, who won the 2018 US Open after defeating the American queen Serena Williams, claimed her first Australian Open title, as she beat two times Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the women's final.
