2008 Australian Open

2008 Australian Open
Date:   January 14 – January 27
Edition:   96th
Category:   Grand Slam (ITF)
Location:   Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Champions
Men's Singles
Serbia Novak Djokovic
Women's Singles
Russia Maria Sharapova
Men's Doubles
Israel Jonathan Erlich / Israel Andy Ram
Women's Doubles
Ukraine Alona Bondarenko / Ukraine Kateryna Bondarenko
Mixed Doubles
People's Republic of China Sun Tiantian / Serbia Nenad Zimonjić
Boys' Singles
Australia Bernard Tomic
Girls' Singles
Netherlands Arantxa Rus
Boys' Doubles
Chinese Taipei Hsieh Cheng Peng / Chinese Taipei Yang Tsung-hua
Girls' Doubles
Russia Ksenia Lykina / Russia Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Wheelchair Men's Singles
Japan Shingo Kunieda
Wheelchair Women's Singles
Netherlands Esther Vergeer
Wheelchair Quad Singles
United Kingdom Peter Norfolk
Wheelchair Men's Doubles
Japan Shingo Kunieda / Japan Satoshi Saida
Wheelchair Women's Doubles
Netherlands Jiske Griffoen / Netherlands Esther Vergeer
Wheelchair Quad Doubles
United States Nick Taylor / United States David Wagner
Australian Open
 < 2007 2009 > 

The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from January 14 through January 27, 2008.

After twenty years of playing on Rebound Ace, the courts were changed to Plexicushion, a marginally faster surface. The new surface is notably thinner, and therefore has lower heat retention. This decision was made in a bid to reduce the "stick" of the court and the frequency of the extreme heat policy being invoked.[1] However, the new surface faced criticism for being too similar to DecoTurf, the surface used at the U.S. Open.[2] Player reaction to the change of surface was generally ambivalent.[3][4]

For the mixed doubles, in every game, the first team to score four points, wins the game. In other words, should a deuce happen in a game, the team who wins the next point wins the game.

Contents

Notable stories

Surface change

On 30 May 2007, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley announced that as of the 2008 Australian Open, the Rebound Ace surface that had been used since 1988 would be replaced by a newer, faster Plexicushion surface. The Rebound Ace surface had been criticized for several years, from players including Andy Roddick and Mark Philippoussis, who claimed that the "stick" of the court was a contributing factor in many players injuring themselves.[5] This "stick" was a result of the thick rubber mat (10 mm) laid beneath the surface,[2] the high heat retention because of this, and the high temperatures present during the Australian summer, which intermittently resulted in the extreme heat policy being invoked. Conversely, players such as Pete Sampras and Marat Safin put the high number of injuries down to lack of preparation from players; partly due to the fact that the tournament is held so early in the year, but also because there were so few tournaments preceding it. Rebound Ace was also chastised by Lleyton Hewitt for having an inconsistent bounce, in terms of height and pace (shock absorption); and claimed that these factors varied depending on the weather.[6] The heat retention of the surface had also been a point of contention between players.[7]

In announcing the change, Tiley said Plexicushion would have a "lower rubber content than Rebound Ace, was firmer under foot and retained less heat through its thinner top layer."[8] Tiley later said that the change of colour, from green to blue, would also benefit players and officials,[1] although this change was quite arbitrary. The manufacturers of Rebound Ace derided the new surface, with director Paul Bull saying that, "We had an Australian icon event with a unique Australian product and now we are just going to become a clone of the U.S. Open." Bull also said that the inconsistencies in pace were down to the organizers' imperative, who kept asking for the pace to be adjusted to pander for certain players, such as Hewitt. Bull, however, conceded that a change was needed; and said that the suggestion of a Rebound Ace court with a rubber mat thickness of around 5 mm was made.[2]

The Plexicushion surface received a relatively mixed reception from players. Lleyton Hewitt, Justine Henin and Serena Williams were all keen to endorse the new courts; with Hewitt's appraisal focused on the greater consistency of the courts.[1] Henin called it a "good surface" but said she did not find it markedly distinguishable from Rebound Ace, saying the biggest difference was the change of colour. Williams claimed that the court was not as "bouncy" and was causing less physical strain on her feet and ankles.[3] One source of criticism from players was the slower than expected pace, although many of these comments came prior to the event's commencement. Players were exposed to the new courts through other tournaments, played in advance of the Open; and practise on the new surface. Roger Federer described it as slow, with Novak Djokovic, Jelena Janković and James Blake all corroborating this opinion, albeit from experience in preliminary tournaments.[4] Pundit and former World No. 1 Pat Rafter said it was possible that the courts would speed up in time.[9]

Implementation of anti-corruption policing

Novak Djokovic became the first Serbian man to win a slam title.

On 21 December 2007, organizers of the event announced that the tournament would be watched under the scrutiny of anti-corruption officials.[10] A partnership was formed with the Victoria policing department. This announcement came in the wake of a series of scandals to hit the sport, including World No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko coming under suspicion of match fixing; with at least a dozen other players coming forward about having been approached to influence matches in an unethical manner.[11] Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood commented that, "Match-fixing and illegal gambling are a threat to the integrity of sport. We're putting our policies, procedures and programme in place to protect it."

This was followed by a statement from the wider community of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and organizers of all four Grand Slams that they would review their anti-corruption policies in the future. This announcement came six days prior to the start of the Open, on 8 January 2008.[12]

Crowd trouble

On 15 January, Day 2 of the tournament, the Victoria state police had to intervene when Greek Australian supporters, following Greece's Konstantinos Economidis in his match against Chilean Fernando González, became unruly.[13] The match, in progress at the Margaret Court Arena, was suspended for ten minutes as the police attempted stop the "offensive chanting" and eject certain fans. Approximately forty supporters, heavily outnumbered by Chilean fans,[14] were warned of their disorderly conduct prior to the police deploying pepper spray. The police regiment was heavily outnumbered, with a BBC Radio employee commenting that, "[there were] two guys against maybe 70-80, that's not good."[13] Tournament officials said that 3 people had been sprayed and 5 evicted; a small proportion of the Greek fans left the arena, upset at how events were transpiring and fearing for their safety.

Both players said that the trouble was not something they had witnessed before; and Economidis condemned his supporters, saying that, "It was a really nice atmosphere until this moment. I am really unhappy." Some witnesses have implicated Cypriot and Serbian supporters in the trouble.[15]

Australian Open director, Craig Tiley, had announced in the week preceding the event that police and security forces would "impose a 'zero-tolerance' policy on anti-social behaviour". This statement appeared to be a delayed reaction to the trouble that marred the event in 2007, with Australian youths of Greek, Serbian and Croatian origins involved in mutually abusive sparring. However, the problem was much more pronounced in 2007, with violence breaking out and around 150 fans ejected.[16]

Sexual assault

Police were called to investigate a report that a 12-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a drunk man at the Australian Open.[17]

In a brief statement, Victoria Police said they received a report that the girl was inappropriately touched on the buttocks on Monday.

"The matter was reported to police this morning and the incident is currently being investigated," the statement said. This event mirrors a series of incidents that occurred at last year's event, when several men attending the tournament were arrested for taking upskirt photographs.[18]

Marcos Baghdatis video controversy

During the Open, a video posted on YouTube almost a year earlier made headlines in the Australian media. The video shows the 2008 fifteenth seed, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, at a barbecue hosted by his Greek Australian fans in Melbourne in early 2007. In it, Baghdatis is holding a flare and taking part in chants against the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Melbourne's Turkish Cypriot community called for Baghdatis to be expelled from Australia,[19] but in a statement issued through his manager, the Cypriot player said he was "supporting the interest of my country, Cyprus, while protesting against a situation that is not recognized by the United Nations".[20]

Day by day

Day 1

The Rod Laver Arena with the new, blue Plexicushion surface.

Day 1 saw few upsets, as favourites Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Tatiana Golovin, Maria Sharapova, Shahar Pe'er, Amélie Mauresmo, Nicole Vaidišová, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, and Mikhail Youzhny all advanced. Jelena Janković, world #3, also advanced but was heavily tested by Tamira Paszek, having to win 2–6, 6–2, 12–10 in three hours, saving three match points; the match featured an exceptional 15 breaks of serve.[21] Finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga scored his best victory to that point in a four set win over number 9 seed Andy Murray, 7–5, 6–4, 0–6, 7–6. Home favourite Alicia Molik also advanced in to the second round.

Day 2

Favourites Roger Federer, Tomáš Berdych, James Blake, Novak Djokovic, Fernando González, Lleyton Hewitt, Marcos Baghdatis, David Nalbandian, David Ferrer, Marat Safin, Venus Williams, Ana Ivanović, Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela Hantuchová, and Svetlana Kuznetsova all advanced. Other seeded players such as Li Na, Nadia Petrova, Sania Mirza, Agnieszka Radwańska, Dmitry Tursunov, and Juan Carlos Ferrero also advanced. Sofia Arvidsson caused the upset on the women's side, as she defeated #10 Marion Bartoli 6–7, 6–4, 6–3. On the men's side, the upset of the day came when Dutch qualifier Robin Haase defeated #17 Ivan Ljubičić 6–7, 6–3, 6–0, 7–6. Day 2 saw the completion of all the remaining first round matches.

Day 3

The Australian crowd were treated to an upset from one of their own as Casey Dellacqua sent #15 seed Patty Schnyder crashing out in the women's draw, while #13 Tatiana Golovin and #19 Sybille Bammer also struggled, losing to Aravane Rezaï and Hsieh Su-wei respectively. Maria Sharapova defeated comeback queen Lindsay Davenport in somewhat easy fashion 6–1, 6–3,[22] and Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Jelena Janković also advanced with wins. Joining them were numerous lower seeds including Elena Dementieva, Nicole Vaidišová and Amélie Mauresmo. In the men's draw, Mardy Fish dominated #11 seed Tommy Robredo to send him crashing out 6–1, 6–2, 6–3, while Stanislas Wawrinka retired against Marc Gicquel down two sets to one. Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick and Richard Gasquet all progressed in straight sets, whilst Mikhail Youzhny was tested before eventually winning 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 7–6. The doubles competition also began on Day 3.

Day 4

In the pick of the second round matches, former finalist Marcos Baghdatis dispatched former champion Marat Safin in five sets; 6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 3–6, 6–2. Seeds Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Fernando González, David Nalbandian, Tomáš Berdych and James Blake all came through unscathed; with Federer dropping only 3 games against Fabrice Santoro. Nineteenth seed and home favorite Lleyton Hewitt came through in typically gritty fashion, defeating Denis Istomin 7–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–1.[23] On the women's side, Ana Ivanović defeated Tathiana Garbin 6–0, 6–3 in the night match preceding Baghdatis vs. Safin. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Venus Williams, Daniela Hantuchová, Nadia Petrova and form player Li Na all navigated their way in to the third round too.

The total attendance figure for Day 4 was 62,885, setting a new world record for a combined day/night attendance at a Grand Slam event. The previous record was 61,083, set during the 2007 U.S. Open.[24]

Day 5

The first match of the night session on the Rod Laver Arena saw local player Casey Dellacqua, who had previously never progressed beyond the first round at the Australian Open, defeat former champion Amélie Mauresmo 3–6, 6–4, 6–4. Justine Henin struggled to get to grips with Francesca Schiavone before winning; and Nicole Vaidišová and Serena Williams set up an intriguing fourth round match.

In the last match of the day, Philipp Kohlschreiber, the 29th seed of Germany, defeated the 6th seeded Andy Roddick in 232 minutes: 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 8–6; with the match reaching its conclusion past 02:00.[25] Roddick was visibly perturbed during the match, which resulted in his earliest exit at the Australian Open since 2002.[26] During the match, Roddick called umpire Emmanuel Joseph an "idiot" and received a retrospective fine of $500 for racquet abuse.[27] Kohlschreiber entered the tournament in good form, having won the 2008 Heineken Open.[28] Rafael Nadal faced world number 33 Gilles Simon, and had to save six set points in the first set. Simon squandered the first three to unforced errors, but it was Nadal who produced two aces and a drop shot to save himself at 4-5, 0-40.[25] Paul-Henri Mathieu, under the stewardship of Mats Wilander,[29] progressed after surviving a five-set thriller versus Stefan Koubek.[25] Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, Mikhail Youzhny, Jarkko Nieminen and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also advanced.

Day 6

Day 6 in Melbourne was plagued by rain and consequently matches could only take place on the indoor courts. In the women's competition, Ana Ivanović made light work of Katarina Srebotnik whilst Venus Williams was more sternly tested by Sania Mirza.[30] However, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze both saw their tournaments ended in the third round by Agnieszka Radwańska and Maria Kirilenko respectively.

The men's competition featured two prolonged five-set matches. In the first, #1 seed Roger Federer was pushed to the limit by Janko Tipsarević before triumphing; 6–7, 7–6, 5–7, 6–1, 10–8 in 267 minutes. The second featured Australian hopeful Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Marcos Baghdatis 4–6, 7–5, 7–5, 6–7, 6–3 in a match that provoked discussion about the validity of night matches;[31] the players did not finish play until 04:34,[32] 282 minutes since it started at 11:52. Significantly, the match extended further into the evening than any other in the history of the Australian Open. The Federer-Tipsarević match, which lasted 267 minutes, overlapped in to the night session and this delayed the commencement of the women's singles match between Venus Williams and Sania Mirza until 10:00. Rules had previously been put in place so that a men's singles match would not start if other matches had played past 11:00;[33] however, with the home crowd growing anxious, the organizers decided to go ahead with the Hewitt vs. Baghdatis match.

In other matches, the 2007 finalist Fernando González made an early exit to Marin Čilić; Novak Djokovic, James Blake and Tomáš Berdych all progressed as well.

Day 7

Nikolay Davydenko became the highest-seeded male player out so far, losing to fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny, setting up a quarter-final tie with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who dumped out No.8-seeded compatriot Richard Gasquet 6–2, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3 in just over three hours. Jarkko Nieminen also advanced to the last eight. Maria Sharapova easily beat Elena Dementieva[34] and she joined Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Jelena Janković, who eliminated home favourite Casey Dellacqua, in the quarter finals. Li Na said goodbye to the tournament, losing to qualifier Marta Domachowska. Rafael Nadal advanced to the quarter finals as opponent Paul-Henri Mathieu retired with an injured left calf muscle; the second-ranked Spaniard was ahead 6–4, 3–0. David Nalbandian, the number 10 seed also suffered a straight-sets defeat at the hands of former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero.

World number 4 Jelena Janković was handed a US$2,000 fine after allegedly receiving coaching from her mother, Snežana, during her third round match with Virginie Razzano of France. The game took place on Day 3 of the event. Umpire Maria Alves spotted the infringement during the match, and although unable to understand what had been communicated, dealt Janković a code violation for illegal coaching.

Janković denied the allegation, saying that she simply shouted 'C'mon' in Serbian. The practice of coaching during a match is banned at all WTA and Grand Slam events.[35]

Maria Sharapova was fined the same amount at the 2007 Australian Open, also for receiving illegal coaching, with the same umpire, Maria Alves, in the chair.[36]

Day 8

Novak Djokovic powered his way into the quarter-finals, defeating Lleyton Hewitt 7–5, 6–3, 6–3 in a fourth-round clash. Roger Federer finished Tomáš Berdych's tournament in 1 hour and 59 minutes, 6–4, 7–6, 6–3. He faces James Blake next, who scored a 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 win over 19-year-old Croat Marin Čilić; a victory which saw him advance past the fourth round here for the first time. Venus Williams fought back twice from service breaks in the first set to secure a place in the quarter-finals; with a 6–4, 6–4 win over Marta Domachowska. She next faces #4 seed Ana Ivanović, who put together a 6–1, 7–6 win over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki. No. 9 seed Daniela Hantuchová beat No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 1–6, 6–4, 6–4 and will next play Poland's Agnieszka Radwańska, who upset No. 14 Nadia Petrova 1–6, 7–5, 6–0.

Day 9

Jelena Janković in her quarter-finals match.

Jelena Janković survived a straight set win over defending champion Serena Williams, making the semifinals of her 3rd different major. Rafael Nadal won his quarter final match against Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets, putting him into his first semi-final at the Australian Open. Maria Sharapova defeated No. 1 seed Justine Henin in a repeat of the 2007 WTA Tour Championships final. On this occasion, Henin was unable to win even a set as Sharapova eased to victory; 6–4, 6–0.[37][38] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his match against 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny and booked his spot in the semi-finals.

In a day that was relatively free of controversy on the court, several media outlets focused on allegedly unsavoury aspects off it. Sharapova's father, Yuri Sharapov, came under intense scrutiny from Australian media after he made a throat-slashing gesture shortly after his daughter's match against the world No. 1 Justine Henin.[39] Sharapova had earlier joked that her father's camouflage hoodie made him look like "an assassin".[40] The WTA claimed that the gesture was simply a joke between the pair, pertaining to this comment.[41]

Day 10

Novak Djokovic defeated David Ferrer 6–0, 6–3, 7–5 in a closely fought third set, which advanced him to his fourth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final.[42] Ana Ivanović progressed to her first Australian Open semi-final after defeating Venus Williams 7–6, 6–4, a result that was Ivanović's first triumph over Williams.[43] She set up a tie with Daniela Hantuchová, who advanced to her first Grand Slam semi-final after dispatching Agnieszka Radwańska 6–2, 6–2. Roger Federer defeated James Blake 7–5, 7–6, 6–4 in just over 2 hours. Federer's progression marked his 15th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final, a record.[42]

Day 11

Ana Ivanović reached her first Australian Open final.

In the first women's semi-final match, fifth seeded Russian Maria Sharapova defeated third seeded Serbian Jelena Janković in a two sets, 6–3, 6–1 to clinch the first spot in the finals. Janković later conceded that she "wanted to withdraw", but played on for the crowd's benefit.[44] Fourth seeded Ana Ivanović also progressed to the final after defeating Daniela Hantuchová in three sets, 0–6, 6–3, 6–4. Ivanović had lost the first eight games of the match before rectifying her game.[45] However, Hantuchová was critical of Ivanović's tactics during the latter stages of the match. Hantuchová claimed that Ivanović resorted to gamesmanship by shuffling her feet prior to her serve, thereby causing a distraction. Ivanović said that any possible noise was a result of the new court surface; and tried to offer an explanation of Hantuchová's motives, saying, "Maybe she was just trying to pick on something, to get upset."[46] Unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated second seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the first men's semifinal, in straight sets, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2 in less than 2 hours. Journalists expressed shock, not only at the victory, but at the comprehensive manner in which the nascent Tsonga won it.[47] Tsonga hit a total of 49 winners to Nadal's 13 and served imperiously: Nadal was unable to force a break point until the third set.

Day 12

In the second men's semi-final, between #1 Roger Federer and #3 Novak Djokovic, Djokovic won in just over 2 hours; completing the victory in straight sets, 7–5, 6–3, 7–6 to reach the second grand slam final of his career. This broke Federer's record run of appearing in 10 consecutive grand slam finals. In the women's doubles final, Alyona and Kateryna Bondarenko beat Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Pe'er 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 to win their first Grand Slam title.

Day 13

Maria Sharapova of Russia won the Women's 2008 Australian Open over Ana Ivanović of Serbia in straight sets; 7–5, 6–3. It was Sharapova's third slam title and her third different slam; leaving her needing a French Open title for a career grand slam. Sharapova also achieved the feat of not dropping a set the entire tournament. In the men's doubles final, the Israeli pair, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram beat Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra of France 7–5, 7–6 to win their first Grand Slam title.

The juniors competition also reached its conclusion on Day 13. Australian Bernard Tomic defeated Taiwanese player Yang Tsung-Hua; 4–6, 7–6, 6–0 to win the boys' event. Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands defeated the other Australian hopeful, Jessica Moore, 6–3, 6–4 to claim the girls' singles crown. In the women's wheelchair event, Esther Vergeer won her third consecutive title, beating fellow Dutchwoman Korie Homan 6–4, 6–3. Shingo Kunieda won his fourth slam in a row in the men's wheelchair competition, defeating former champion Michael Jeremiasz 6–1, 6–4.

Day 14

Third seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in four sets; 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6, becoming the first Serbian man to win a grand-slam singles tournament title. For Djokovic, this was his first slam victory; making him the 2008 Men's Australian Open Champion.

Sun Tiantian of China and Nenad Zimonjić of Serbia were crowned the 2008 Mixed Doubles champions after defeating Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi of India in straight sets; 7–6, 6–4.

Seniors

Men's Singles

Tsonga stunned the tennis world by reaching the final.[47][48]

Serbia Novak Djokovic[49] def. France Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(2)

Women's Singles

Russia Maria Sharapova[50] def. Serbia Ana Ivanović, 7–5, 6–3

Men's Doubles

Israel Jonathan Erlich / Israel Andy Ram def. France Arnaud Clément / France Michaël Llodra, 7–5, 7–6(4)

Women's Doubles

Ukraine Alona Bondarenko / Ukraine Kateryna Bondarenko def. Belarus Victoria Azarenka / Israel Shahar Pe'er, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4

Mixed Doubles

People's Republic of China Sun Tiantian / Serbia Nenad Zimonjić def. India Sania Mirza / India Mahesh Bhupathi, 7–6(4), 6–4

Juniors

Boys' Singles

Australia Bernard Tomic def Chinese Taipei Yang Tsung-Hua, 4–6, 7–6(5), 6–0

Girls' Singles

Netherlands Arantxa Rus def. Australia Jessica Moore, 6–3, 6–4

Boys' Doubles

Chinese Taipei Hsieh Cheng Peng / Chinese Taipei Yang Tsung-hua def. Canada Vasek Pospisil / Mexico César Ramírez, 3–6, 7–5, [10]–[5]

Girls' Doubles

Russia Ksenia Lykina / Russia Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Romania Elena Bogdan / Japan Misaki Doi, 6–0, 6–4

Wheelchair

Wheelchair Men's Singles

Japan Shingo Kunieda def. France Michael Jeremiasz, 6–1, 6–4

Wheelchair Women's Singles

Netherlands Esther Vergeer def. Netherlands Korie Homan, 6–3, 6–3

Wheelchair Men's Doubles

Japan Shingo Kunieda / Japan Satoshi Saida def. Netherlands Robin Ammerlaan / Netherlands Ronald Vink, 6–4, 6–3

Wheelchair Women's Doubles

Netherlands Jiske Griffioen / Netherlands Esther Vergeer def. Netherlands Korie Homan / Netherlands Sharon Walraven, 6–3, 6–1

Wheelchair Quad Singles

United Kingdom Peter Norfolk def. United States David Wagner, 6–2, 6–3

Wheelchair Quad Doubles

United States Nicholas Taylor / United States David Wagner def. Canada Sarah Hunter / United Kingdom Peter Norfolk, 5–7, 6–0, [10]–[3]

Seeds

These were the seeds for the 2008 Australian Open.[51]

On the women's side of the draw, all of the world's top thirty-two players were present; whereas in the men's draw Tommy Haas and Guillermo Cañas were both forced to withdraw due to injury.[52] On the date that the seeds were announced, January 11, 2008, Haas was No. 12 in the world and Cañas No. 17.[53]

Men's Singles

  1. Switzerland Roger Federer, (Semifinals, lost to Novak Djokovic)
  2. Spain Rafael Nadal, (Semifinals, lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga)
  3. Serbia Novak Djokovic, (Champion)
  4. Russia Nikolay Davydenko, (4th Round, lost to Mikhail Youzhny)
  5. Spain David Ferrer, (Quarterfinals, lost to Novak Djokovic)
  6. United States Andy Roddick, (3rd Round, lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber)
  7. Chile Fernando González, (3rd Round, lost to Marin Čilić)
  8. France Richard Gasquet, (4th Round, lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga)
  9. United Kingdom Andy Murray, (1st Round, lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga)
  10. Argentina David Nalbandian, (3rd Round, lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero)
  11. Spain Tommy Robredo, (2nd Round, lost to Mardy Fish)
  12. United States James Blake, (Quarterfinals, lost to Roger Federer)
  13. Czech Republic Tomáš Berdych, (4th Round, lost to Roger Federer)
  14. Russia Mikhail Youzhny, (Quarterfinals, lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga)
  15. Cyprus Marcos Baghdatis, (3rd Round, lost to Lleyton Hewitt)
  16. Spain Carlos Moyà, (1st Round, lost to Stefan Koubek)
  17. Croatia Ivan Ljubičić, (1st Round, lost to Robin Haase)
  18. Argentina Juan Ignacio Chela, (1st Round, lost to Guillermo García López)
  19. Australia Lleyton Hewitt, (4th Round, lost to Novak Djokovic)
  20. Croatia Ivo Karlović, (3rd Round, lost to Mikhail Youzhny)
  21. Argentina Juan Mónaco, (3rd Round, lost to Tomáš Berdych)
  22. Spain Juan Carlos Ferrero, (4th Round, lost to David Ferrer)
  23. France Paul-Henri Mathieu, (4th Round, lost to Rafael Nadal)
  24. Finland Jarkko Nieminen, (Quarterfinals, lost to Rafael Nadal)
  25. Spain Fernando Verdasco, (2nd Round, lost to Janko Tipsarević)
  26. Switzerland Stanislas Wawrinka, (2nd Round, lost to Marc Gicquel)
  27. Spain Nicolás Almagro, (1st Round, lost to Marin Čilić)
  28. France Gilles Simon, (3rd Round, lost to Rafael Nadal)
  29. Germany Philipp Kohlschreiber, (4th Round, lost to Jarkko Nieminen)
  30. Czech Republic Radek Štěpánek, (1st Round, lost to Vincent Spadea)
  31. Russia Igor Andreev, (3rd Round, lost to Richard Gasquet)
  32. Russia Dmitry Tursunov, (2nd Round, lost to Sam Querrey)

Women's Singles

  1. Belgium Justine Henin, (Quarterfinals, lost to Maria Sharapova)
  2. Russia Svetlana Kuznetsova, (3rd Round, lost to Agnieszka Radwańska)
  3. Serbia Jelena Janković, (Semifinals, lost to Maria Sharapova)
  4. Serbia Ana Ivanović, (Final, lost to Maria Sharapova)
  5. Russia Maria Sharapova, (Champion)
  6. Russia Anna Chakvetadze, (3rd Round, lost to Maria Kirilenko)
  7. United States Serena Williams, (Quarterfinals, lost to Jelena Janković)
  8. United States Venus Williams, (Quarterfinals, lost to Ana Ivanović)
  9. Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová, (Semifinals, lost to Ana Ivanović)
  10. France Marion Bartoli, (1st Round, lost to Sofia Arvidsson)
  11. Russia Elena Dementieva, (4th Round, lost to Maria Sharapova)
  12. Czech Republic Nicole Vaidišová, (4th Round, lost to Serena Williams)
  13. France Tatiana Golovin, (2nd Round, lost to Aravane Rezaï)
  14. Russia Nadia Petrova, (4th Round, lost to Agnieszka Radwańska)
  15. Switzerland Patty Schnyder, (2nd Round, lost to Casey Dellacqua)
  16. Russia Dinara Safina, (1st Round, lost to Sabine Lisicki)
  17. Israel Shahar Pe'er, (3rd Round, lost to Elena Dementieva)
  18. France Amélie Mauresmo, (3rd Round, lost to Casey Dellacqua)
  19. Austria Sybille Bammer, (2nd Round, lost to Hsieh Su-wei)
  20. Hungary Ágnes Szávay, (1st Round, lost to Ekaterina Makarova)
  21. Ukraine Alyona Bondarenko, (2nd Round, lost to Caroline Wozniacki)
  22. Czech Republic Lucie Šafářová, (1st Round, lost to Catalina Castaño)
  23. Russia Vera Zvonareva, (1st Round, lost to Ai Sugiyama)
  24. People's Republic of China Li Na, (3rd Round, lost to Marta Domachowska)
  25. Italy Francesca Schiavone, (3rd Round, lost to Justine Henin)
  26. Belarus Victoria Azarenka, (3rd Round, lost to Serena Williams)
  27. Russia Maria Kirilenko, (4th Round, lost to Daniela Hantuchová)
  28. Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik, (3rd Round, lost to Ana Ivanović)
  29. Poland Agnieszka Radwańska, (Quarterfinals, lost to Daniela Hantuchová)
  30. France Virginie Razzano, (3rd Round, lost to Jelena Janković)
  31. India Sania Mirza, (3rd Round, lost to Venus Williams)
  32. Ukraine Julia Vakulenko, (1st Round, lost to Elena Vesnina)

Gallery

Ana Ivanović serving in her quarter-finals match.

Jarkko Nieminen and Robert Lindstedt attack the ball.

A doubles match on the outdoor courts.

Jarkko Nieminen serving.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "On-court blues for Aussie tennis?". BBC SPORT, Chris Bevan. 2008-01-11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/tennis/7178646.stm. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Fears of second-rate US Open". The Australian. 2007-05-31. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21823655-2722,00.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Federer unimpressed by Plexicushion". Fox Sports (Australia). 2008-01-14. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23046792-23216,00.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Top players unimpressed by Australian Open surface". The Guardian, Simon Cambers. 2007-12-29. http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7184355,00.html. 
  5. ↑ "Tournament chief defends court surface". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/australian_open/1765862.stm. 
  6. ↑ "Hewitt supports new court surface". Tennis.com. 2007-06-01. http://www.tennis.com.au/pages/News.aspx?id=4&pageId=11499&HandlerId=2&archive=false&newsid=3003. 
  7. ↑ "Australian Open plans new surface". BBC SPORT. 2007-05-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/australian_open/6703267.stm. 
  8. ↑ "Open drops Rebound Ace for new surface". The Age. 2007-05-31. http://www.theage.com.au/news/tennis/open-drops-rebound-ace-for-new-surface/2007/05/30/1180205342716.html. 
  9. ↑ "Doubts on new Oz Open surface". Brisbane Times. 2007-12-23. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/sport/doubts-on-new-oz-open-surface/2007/12/22/1198344862355.html?page=2. 
  10. ↑ "Aussie Open takes anti-fraud step". BBC SPORT. 2007-12-21. http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7155445.stm. Retrieved 2007-12-22. 
  11. ↑ "Tennis Australia targets match fixing". Alison Caldwell (reporter). PM. ABC Australia. Radio National. 2007-12-21. Transcript. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
  12. ↑ "Tennis launches corruption review". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7176539.stm. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Crowd unrest mars Australian Open". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7189615.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-16. 
  14. ↑ "Crowd trouble hits Australian Open". Al-Jazeera English. 2008-01-15. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A004AC5A-9B7C-4E16-BD66-2D5F41D4796A.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-16. 
  15. ↑ "Crowd trouble at Australian Open". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-01-15. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/crowd-trouble-at-australian-open/2008/01/15/1200159452093.html. Retrieved 2008-01-16. 
  16. ↑ "Serbs, Croats clash at Open". The Sydney Morning Herald, Jessica Halloran. 2007-01-15. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/serbs-croats-clash-at-open/2007/01/15/1168709659893.html?page=fullpage. Retrieved 2008-01-16. 
  17. ↑ "12-year-old reportedly molested at Australian Open". Herald Sun. 2008-01-16. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23061194-661,00.html. 
  18. ↑ "Third up-skirt incident mars Australian Open". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 2007-01-24. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/sports/view_article.php?article_id=45327. 
  19. ↑ "Kick out Baghdatis, say Turkish Cypriots". News.com.au. 2008-01-18. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23071537-29277,00.html. 
  20. ↑ "Ban Baghdatis, say Turks". The Age, Reko Rennie. 2008-01-18. http://www.theage.com.au/news/tennis/banish-baghdatis-say-angry-turks/2008/01/18/1200620184170.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1. 
  21. ↑ "Australian Open 2008". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7186041.stm.  Retrieved February 24, 2008
  22. ↑ Australian Open Day 3 – Sharapova powers past Davenport ITF website
  23. ↑ "Clinical Federer thrashes Santoro". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7193182.stm. 
  24. ↑ "AO 2008 achieves Grand Slam world record attendance". Tennis Australia. 2008-01-17. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2008-01-17/200801171200571304801.html. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 "Roddick dumped out after gruelling duel with Kohlschreiber". The Guardian, Paolo Bandini. 2008-01-18. http://sport.guardian.co.uk/australianopen2008/story/0,,2242933,00.html.  Retrieved February 24, 2008
  26. ↑ Andy Roddick playing activity ATP Tour website. Retrieved February 21, 2008
  27. ↑ "Roddick's serve for all". Fox Sports (Australia), Leo Schlink. 2007-12-15. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23079412-23216,00.html.  Retrieved February 21, 2008
  28. ↑ "Kohlschreiber wins Heineken Open for second ATP singles title". ESPN, Reuters. 2008-01-12. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3192781.  Retrieved February 21, 2008
  29. ↑ "Mathieu to team up with Wilander". Yahoo! Sports, Eurosport. 2007-12-04. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/04122007/58/atp-tour-mathieu-team-wilander.html.  Retrieved February 24, 2008
  30. ↑ "Kuznetsova makes shock early exit". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7197439.stm. 
  31. ↑ "Organisers defend Hewitt-Baghdatis late late show". Reuters UK. 2008-01-20. http://uk.reuters.com/article/tennisNews/idUKB69007420080120. 
  32. ↑ "Saturday Night Fever". Tennis Australia. 2008-01-20. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2008-01-20/200801201200788933421.html. 
  33. ↑ "Hewitt outlasts Baghdatis in marathon". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-01-20. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/hewitt-beats-baghdatis-in-thriller/2008/01/20/1200764046417.html. 
  34. ↑ "Henin through to face Sharapova". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-20. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7198553.stm. 
  35. ↑ "Jankovic fined despite innocence plea". The Australian. 2008-01-20. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23080328-5010361,00.html. 
  36. ↑ "Maria Sharapova Fined for Illegal Coaching". Toronto Daily News. 2007. http://www.torontodailynews.com/index.php/SportsNews/2007012606maria-sharapova. 
  37. ↑ "Brilliant Sharapova hammers Henin". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7201953.stm. 
  38. ↑ Sharapova vs. Henin head-to-head WTA Tour website
  39. ↑ "Yuri Sharapov needs to face music". Herald Sun. 2008-01-24. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23099557-3162,00.html. 
  40. ↑ "Yuri Sharapov pretends to slit throat at Maria’s match". Mesh Tennis. http://www.meshtennis.com/blog/2008/01/22/yuri-sharapov-pretends-to-slit-throat-at-marias-match/. 
  41. ↑ "Yuri Throat-slit gesture was a joke, claims WTA". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-01-24. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/throatslit-gesture-was-a-joke-claims-wta/2008/01/23/1201024992628.html. 
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic Australian Open Preview Tennis x, January 24, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2008
  43. ↑ Ivanovic vs. V. Williams head-to-head WTA Tour website
  44. ↑ "Sharapova too strong for Jankovic". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206187.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
  45. ↑ "Ivanovic sets up Sharapova final". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206194.stm. 
  46. ↑ "Hantuchova blasts Ivanovic tactic". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206368.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 "Tsonga stuns Nadal to reach final". BBC SPORT. 2008-01-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206398.stm. 
  48. ↑ "Tsonga advances to Australian Open final in stunning fashion". ESPN, Associated Press. 2008-01-24. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/aus08/news/story?id=3210247. 
  49. ↑ Djokovic became the first Serbian player to win a Grand Slam men's singles title.
  50. ↑ title.
  51. ↑ "Australian Open Seeds". International Herald Tribune, Associated Press. 2008-01-12. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/12/sports/TEN-Australian-Open-Seeds-List.php. 
  52. ↑ "Haas Withdraws From Australian Open". OnTennis.com. 2008-01-10. http://www.ontennis.com/news/haas-withdraws-australian-open. 
  53. ↑ ATP Rankings for January 7, 2008 ATP website

External links

Preceded by
2007 Australian Open		 Australian Open Succeeded by
2009 Australian Open
Preceded by
2007 U.S. Open		 Grand Slams Succeeded by
2008 French Open
Australian Open
1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 (Jan)
1977
(Dec)		 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 NH 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010 2011
2008 in tennis
Grand Slam events
Australian Open · French Open · Wimbledon · US Open
Tours
Men: ATP Tour (Tennis Masters Cup · ATP Masters Series) Challenger Series
Women: WTA Tour (Tour Championships · Tier I Series) ITF Circuit
Olympics
National teams
Davis Cup (World Group) · Fed Cup (World Group) · Hopman Cup · World Team Cup