AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2012
Down Under Diary, Day Four
Melbourne, Australia
Best of mates: Peter Luczak and Lleyton Hewitt.
ATPWorldTour.com takes a look at the news and talking points at the Australian Open on Thursday.
PAIN BARRIER WON'T STOP MATES SWANSONG
Australian Lleyton Hewitt, a man notorious for his lion heart, proved his heart is also in the right place, as he battled through pain and injury to help his great friend Peter Luczak advance to the doubles second-round in his final appearance at the Australian Open. “I said ‘Mate, we are not playing doubles tomorrow, you have got to get ready’ [for your singles against Roddick]” advised Luczak in The Australian newspaper. Hewitt, after his win over Roddick, said, "I'm not playing it for fitness. It's just a bit of fun to go out there." The duo will next play Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.
MURRAY SEEKS A SPARRING PARTNER
In a week when boxing legend Muhammad Ali turned 70, one of his biggest fans, Andy Murray, admitted to feeling a little bit jealous of the tempestuous relationship he had with his fiercest rivals. "One of the things I enjoyed the most about Ali was the way he tried to get under their skin by taunting and teasing them," wrote the World No. 4, in his newspaper column, for . "He used to slam Joe Frazier and the way he goaded George Foreman before the Rumble In The Jungle was very funny."
Drawing on the numerous comparisons between the two sports, namely the one-on-one combat and tactical manoeuvring, Murray realises this ‘mental sparring’ could have been a privilege bestowed on him, had he plied his tennis trade in new coach Ivan Lendl’s era. "Nowadays, it's not really something that is done. The game has become quite conservative. He [Lendl] and John McEnroe would always be into each other verbally in the hope of getting an edge. For the time being, I guess I’ll have to make do with whacking tennis balls instead."
RAONIC RACQUET MANUFACTURES DREAM
In an era where players can feasibly go through seven or eight racquets in one match, it was a surprise to hear big serving Canadian Milos Raonic pinning his entire Australian Open campaign on the reliability of a similar amount “I have 10 racquets. I need to play with 10 racquets,” confirmed the No 23 seed, after he advanced to the third round with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 win over Philipp Petzschner of Germany. However, judging by his track record that should be more than enough “Last year, I played the first half of the year with three racquets and the second half with four racquets,” said the economical Raonic.
TSONGA ENJOYS ON COURT 'NEIGHBOURS'
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga has admitted he is enjoying the on-court company of a different kind at this year’s Australian Open. “I played last night with bugs against [Denis] Istomin,” confirmed the Frenchman when asked about the increasing number of insects arriving on court during the night sessions. “If it’s not dangerous, that’s fine,” he continued. “Good Neighbours.”
MATCH OF THE DAY
World No. 92 Mikhail Kukushkin, playing just his sixth Grand Slam championship, kept his nerve to beat No. 19 seed Viktor Troicki of Serbia 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in three hours and 38 minutes to reach the third round for the first time. The best win of his career came in September 2010, when, on Davis Cup duty for Kazakhstan, he defeated then World No. 20 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in five sets.
UPSET OF THE DAY
Julien Benneteau, 30, broke a three-match losing streak against his French compatriot, No. 12 seed Gilles Simon, with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6(8), 1-6, 3-6, 6-2 in four hours and 12 minutes. World No. 39 Benneteau's best performance at a major championship came in 2006, when he reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals (l. to Ljubicic).
AROUND THE GROUNDS
Cover band Cedar entertained fans throughout the afternoon, while Bernard Tomic enjoyed an interview opportunity at the Grand Slam Oval. An array of Australian sports stars were also in attendance on day four. Surfer Jack Perry enjoyed the day session on Rod Laver Arena, which saw Novak Djokovic defeat Santiago Giraldo. Meanwhile, Collingwood AFL captain Nick Maxwell and Opals basketball players Elizabeth Cambage and Rachel Jarry all turned up to lend support to Hewitt as he took on Andy Roddick in the evening session.
RECORD DAY FOUR ATTENDANCE
During the day session, a record 47,471 spectators passed through the gates to watch the tennis; bettering 43,934 fans on the previous record Thursday in 2008.
