Gerard’s Grand Slam wait ends at Australian Open
At last, Joachim Gerard has a Grand Slam singles title to his name. Five years after his first Major final appearance, and five months on from his heart-breaking loss in Paris, the 32-year-old became Belgium’s first wheelchair tennis Grand Slam champion on a day of high drama at the Australian Open.
Gerard avenged last year’s Roland Garros final defeat by Alfie Hewett with a 6-0 4-6 6-4 victory in Melbourne, a scoreline that tells only half the story of a contest that began with a 10-game surge and ended on a seventh match point, sparking an outpouring of raw emotions from the champion.
“I’m so happy,” said Gerard. “I waited for it for so many years, so much work at home with my coaches, with my physio, with my trainer, with everyone who is around me. It means a lot, so much to me. I just wanted to let everything out. There’s really so much work behind it that I had to show with my roar – not only one, but two I think I did. It was happiness when it went out.”
Already a four-time NEC Wheelchair Masters champion, former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam doubles champion, Gerard now has one of the titles he has worked tirelessly to hold – and earned it the hard way, clocking up almost seven hours on court in his wins over Stephane Houdet, Gordon Reid and Hewett.
But for the Belgian, it was the mental side of the game rather than his physical conditioning that had been the barrier to success up to now.
“I think I wasn't ready in my head,” Gerard said. “I thought I was, but the work that I was doing was not enough. For around one year now, I'm with a new tennis coach who helped me a lot to be ready on every point – not only tennis, not only physical, but tennis, physical and mental. That's why I'm getting better and better every tournament, and that's one of the reasons why today I can lift this trophy.
“I think I still need to work a lot because if I was ready, I could not have lost so many games in a row and could manage to do better in the second set.”
It was a remarkable contest for its wild swings in momentum. Gerard raced out to a stunning 6-0 4-0 lead before Hewett finally got on the board with a hold of serve – and just like that, the Briton took charge, winning seven games in succession to send the match into a final set.
Memories of Paris, where Gerard had three points to lead Hewett by a double break in the deciding set might have drifted into his mind, but after breaking for a 3-2 lead he dug in to consolidate and brought up his first points for the title on the Briton’s serve at 5-3 before having to serve it out a game later.
“The three first match points, I wanted to finish the point, and that was not the deal,” said Gerard, whose serve was exemplary in the closing stages. “Alfie was maybe thinking more of not doing mistakes, and I did the mistakes all the time. The last one, I was so happy that this ball went out!”
De Groot regroups for emotional win over Kamiji
“It’s maybe like a mini Nadal-Federer, a tiny version,” world No. 1 Diede De Groot said of her rivalry with Yui Kamiji after sealing her third Australian Open singles title by the tightest of margins, 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(4).
“Both of us, we bring the best out in each other. We always try to improve to the next game. We know each other very well and we will always try to be better for the next match.”
This was the 34th showdown and third in the title match at Melbourne Park between the pair, who have won 14 of the last 15 Grand Slam singles crowns – though the 2021 edition was a far cry from the 2019 clash dominated by the Dutch world No. 1 for the loss of just two games.
Kamiji, the 2020 champion, recovered from a set down and fended off a second-set fightback from 5-3 up to reach a final-set tiebreak that delivered its own drama as De Groot, forgetting she needed to win 10 points and not seven, had to regroup after celebrating her victory early.
“I don't think anyone out there – not my opponent, not the people watching, nobody at home, not myself – knew that it was a 10-point tiebreak,” said De Groot. “I really had to refocus and go back and think to myself I can do it to 7-4, I can do it to 10. I just had to be tough, I guess – I managed to do it.”
After trading early breaks De Groot took charge in the opening set and quickly opened up a 2-0 lead in the second. But Kamiji won five of the next six games to turn the match on its head, levelling up with the tiebreak and setting up a tense finale.
“I think what Yui does really well is she notices certain things,” De Groot said. “In that second set, even though I was in the lead, I wasn't feeling as confident as I was in the first set. She really picks up on it, she's back in the right game. She really took advantage of that.
“Yui really pushed and pushed me. She really made me have to play my best game. The way the score was, as well, it really made it that we had to bring the best.”
There were tears when the match finally ended for De Groot, having clinched her ninth Grand Slam singles title at the same venue as her first major victory.
“For a long time my first Australian Open was really the win that I appreciated most,” she said. “That first one was really something I had to fight for. It was a mental match. It really made it maybe even the most important win of my career.
“This one, it might level it, it might be even better. It's tough to only play three tournaments last year, then start the year off here in Australia reasonably normal, to sort of be there straightaway. You can't leave anything behind. I didn't do that, so I'm really proud of myself.”
Alcott seals magnificent seventh Australian Open singles crown
Dylan Alcott completed his sweep of the Australian Open quad singles and doubles titles for a fifth successive year with a dominant 6-1 6-0 victory over Sam Schroder in the final, securing his seventh singles title at Melbourne Park and 12th Grand Slam singles crown.
With Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas's quarter-final clash going the distance on Rod Laver Arena, the final was moved to the neighbouring stadium shortly after 11pm local time. Once on court, Alcott wasted little time in dictating proceedings, denying the Dutchman a foothold in the final.
Schroder came into the match with memories of his stunning US Open triumph on debut in September, sealed with victory over Alcott in the final – but there would be no repeat of the New York result here. Alcott has gone unbeaten in singles since, including a win over the 21-year-old en route to the Roland Garros title.
The 30-year-old was untouchable in the duo’s seventh meeting, sealing victory in just 63 minutes to the delight of his support crew in the stands.
“I feel extremely lucky to be doing my job at the moment, even if it is 12:35am now,” Alcott said during the trophy ceremony. “I’d come and play at 3am in the car park, to be honest, because it’s such a privilege to be able to play at the Australian Open.”
Turning to Schroder, he added: “I think we’ll be playing as lot of finals together – you pumped me at the US Open – and I’m looking forward to the battles to come.
Alcott was sure to pay tribute to the tournament organisers for not only staging the Australian Open during a pandemic but also increasing the quad field from four to eight players – a Grand Slam first.
“I’m from Australia, I’m from Melbourne, and I know how much hard work went into this, so thank you – and thanks again for backing it up with expanding the draw size,” he said. “I think the tennis spoke for itself. I don’t know how many more I’ve got left in me, but maybe I’ll have to do one more with crowds.”