1. Sometimes, heart is not enough
Thanasi Kokkinakis has avoided black cats and walking under ladders but still found disaster on Tuesday, forced to retire against Taro Daniel in the second set after winning the first 7-5. Ranked 155 and after coming through three qualifying matches, the big-serving South Australian had on-court treatment for a pectoral injury, in clear distress.
MORE: Five things we learned on Day 1
“It’s the first time I’ve qualified for a Grand Slam,” said Kokkinakis, who also qualified in Brisbane. “I think it’s really hard to do. I was really proud of that, but also, maybe if I’d got straight in, then I would have had a bit more time to rest and recover and be 100 per cent for my first-round match.”
Another qualifier hard-luck story unfolded at Margaret Court Arena, with No.176 Kamil Majchrzak threatening a massive upset after taking a two-sets lead over No.8 seed Kei Nishikori. Racked by cramps and struggling to grip the racquet, the 23-year-old retired after two hours and 48 minutes, the final score 3-6 6-7(6) 6-0 6-2 3-0.
MORE: Nishikori taken to the brink
The Pole was playing his first Grand Slam main draw and had never played a five-setter before.
2. The mother of all juggling acts
Babies and baselines: the mother of all juggling acts. Four mums are in the draw here; two were eliminated Tuesday, with Serena Williams, back at Melbourne Park for the first time as a mother, defeating neighbour and fellow mum Tatjana Maria, whose five-year-old daughter Charlotte is playmates with Olympia, Serena’s 16-month-old. Despite being consoled by Serena after taking just two games in their Rod Laver Arena clash, 31-year-old Maria is one tough mother. She led the tour in 2017 with an arduous 33 events, daughter in tow. Last season she hauled 30 events (Serena, in comparison played 24 matches).
MORE: The history books beckon for Serena
Later in the day, Victoria Azarenka was another tennis mum fighting off tears after losing to Laura Siegemund 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2: “I’ve been through a lot of things in my life and sometimes I wonder why I go through them,” said the former No.1, who went through injury, depression and a custody dispute over son Leo, now two, since winning dual Australian Open titles in 2012-13.
MORE: Azarenka’s Melbourne comeback ends
Azarenka, ranked 53, is yet to make a final as a mum.
“I have improved, I’m just really struggling to do it in the matches. It’s just not coming together. I need to continue to work hard and try to find a solution but I’m struggling right now to do that.”
3. Never write off Venus
Early evening at Margaret Court Arena, it was looking like the eclipse of Venus as No.25 seed Mihaela Buzarescu served for the match at 7-6 5-3 against Venus Williams. Not much shape on the ball in this sharp-shooting encounter between two spectacular athletes. But for the umpteenth time in her two-decade-plus career, we saw that you never write off Venus, even at age 38. She gritted it out to win 7-6(3) 6-7(3) 6-2.
Unseeded at a major for the first time since 2014, Venus is competing in her 81st Grand Slam – a record for the professional era, and despite the challenges of an autoimmune disease. Half the women’s field wasn’t even born when she made her pro debut in 1994. She takes on Alizé Cornet next.
4. Sascha’s too sexy for this shirt
“My body is close to perfection right now.” We think Alexander Zverev was telling Jim Courier that he’s over the injury niggles – after easing into the second round with a 6-4 6-1 6-4 result over Aljaz Bedene at Rod Laver Arena. We think. But then this sledge at 48-year-old Courier, the 1992-93 AO champion: “It just looks so good ‘cos I’m standing next to you right now.” Zverev is the feisty Next Gen leader after all …
The 198cm, 90kg star (sorry, we don’t have his chest and bicep measurements) is happy with the advice he is getting from former No.1 Ivan Lendl, though a doddering 58, while not divulging what they are working on.
“I’m No.4 in the world but there are a lot of things I can still improve,” said the 21-year-old. “That’s very motivating for me. I still feel like I have so many holes in my game where I can improve.”
MORE: Zverev zips into top gear
The physique, however, is bang-on. Zverev takes on Jeremy Chardy next.
5. Osaka is endearing
The game’s newest Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka, was the last woman into the second round, easing past Magda Linette 6-4 6-2 at Rod Laver Arena. As she prepared to serve for the match, Osaka called on a ballboy to trap some bugs near the baseline, smiling apologetically.
“For me, I’m not really that great at catching [bugs],” she explained in her sing-song voice. “Like, I would accidentally squish it, maybe.”
MORE: Osaka speeds into second round
The 21-year-old is wowing fans not just with her smooth-hitting game but her droll humour. The word that keeps coming up is endearing.
What does she love about Australia? “You guys are always really friendly and I don’t talk that much so it’s pretty easy to, like, have a conversation.”