The Hat-Trick Man

Novak Djokovic is like a cat that has nine lives. Just when you think he’s knocked to the ground, he finds a way to get back up again stronger than ever. This is what happened during this year’s Australian Open, when the Serb barely survived Wawrinka’s spirited performance in the last 16th, to then make it all to way to winning the title. 

Many thought the Serb will not be able to recover after his gruelling encounter with the Swiss, but a day off and some trendy ice baths did the trick and Novak was back to his usual best just in time for his quarterfinal match with Czech Tomas Berdych. And the world number 1 was in total control from start to finish, dismissing Berdych’s challenge to advance to the semis. 

This was where faith threw in a helping hand, as he faced an exhausted David Ferrer next. The hard-working Spaniard was wrecked following the marathon win over Nicolas Almagro, so his body could not cope with Djokovic’s immense pressure. The ranging bull totally dominated the dispute, winning it 6-2,6-2,6-1 to advance to the final. 

Novak is one lucky guy. While he benefitted from an easy day at the office, his opponent in the final, Briton Andy Murray, had to endure a titanic battle with all time great, Roger Federer, in the semifinals. Although he was able to stay with Djokovic for the first two sets, Andy’s body eventually collapsed early on in the third, facilitating a successful defence for Novak who has now won three successive titles Down Under. 

The final, a repeat of last year’s US Open final, gave the Serb the perfect opportunity to avenge that loss. He now leads 11-7 in head-to-head meetings with the Brit, who has lost his third Melbourne final and is now 1-5 in Grand Slam finals. 

Moving past the drama of their previous clashes, Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray in four sets to claim his third consecutive Australian Open title. Visibly affected by his marathon semi with Federer, Andy failed to live up to the occasion. 

The proud Serb did not shy away from celebrating his success with the rest of the world

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The Legendary Brothers

The world's most popular doubles team wrote history once more at this year's Australian Open, as they cruised past the Dutch pairing of Robin Haase and Igor Sjisling to collect a record-breaking 13th Grand Slam title. The Bryan brothers now stand alone as the most prolific doubles team of all time, breaking their previous record, one they shared with Aussies John Newcombe and Tony Roche. 

Asked to comment on the team's amazing results, Mike said: "We never really think we're that good. We've put our head down every day. We just don't let each other slack off. If one guy is playing a little worse, the other guy is on him. We just don't let our level drop. We just let [the media] talk about how good we are. We don't really go, ‘We're amazing.’ We don't go home and talk about our records. It's fun to look at our trophies once in a while, but we're always just trying to push the bar a little higher and get better. To be a part of history is pretty special. We weren't thinking about it much out there, but now that we have it, it's going to be fun to look back on our career and say we have the most Grand Slams."

Although they've won every Grand Slam at least once, the twins have always felt most comfortable Down Under where they contested nine of the last ten finals and won sixth crown. Talking about their special connection with the 'Happy' Slam, Mike said: "I think we're so successful at this tournament because we spent the offseason mainly in the same spot working toward the new year. We come into these tournaments with momentum." 

After finishing at number 1 for seven of the last eight seasons, no one can argue the Bryans are probably the most dominant force in men's doubles of all time. In 2012 they achieved their biggest dream by winning the Olympic gold medal in London, and they immediately announced they plan to defend it in Rio in 2016. So, although they've won basically everything, it seems they have no plans of hanging up their racquets just yet. According to Bob: "As far as records, there's not much left to achieve. But like we've told you before, we're competitors. We hate to lose. We want to finish No. 1." And judging by the perfect start to the 2013 seasons, i.e. they've lifted titles in Sydney and Melbourne, the Americans show no signs of giving up their position anytime soon.

The Bryan brothers became the most prodigious doubles team of all time, winning their 13th Grand Slam title after defeating Dutch duo, Robin Haase and Igor Sjisling in the Australian Open final.

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Vika Against the World

Vika has never been a really popular tennis player, but although many were quick to call her "the most unpopular world number 1," the Belorussian has done a great job in winning hearts recently. During her sensational 2012 season, people got to appreciate the real Victoria, a great champion on-court and a funny and edgy personality outside. However, from time to time her bad habits resurface and that's what pushes people off. 

Azarenka is an atypical player. She is vocal on the court, she doesn’t hold back from speaking her mind, she withdraws from numerous tournaments citing all sorts of not-so-credible excuses and she has a cocky 'F-you' attitude whenever something or someone messes with her. And this was never more obvious than at this year’s Australian Open. After her doubtful withdraw from Brisbane, where she claimed she was suffering from a foot infection 30 minutes before her semifinal clash with arch-rival, Serena Williams, Vika was the subject of many controversies in Melbourne. 

First it was the third round scare against Jamie Hampton. She didn’t do anything wrong that match, but her opponent won over the crowd with her fearless display. The American's injury didn’t help her cause either, as her win was severely questioned because of it. Leaving aside her noisy game that is turning off viewers all over the world, the Belorussian pulled a huge stunt during her semifinal with teen sensation,Sloane Stephens. After squandering five match points, she called in the trainer and ended up benefitting from a 10 minute medical time out that apparently affected her opponent. Vika cleared her head and broke in the next game, sealing the victory. She may have booked her place in the final as a result, but the manner in which she finished the match brought in a large amount of negative publicity. Worldwide media launched a heavy campaign against her, accusing the world number 1 of gamesmanship. Now maybe her gesture denotes a lack of fair play, but let’s not forget she was still in total control when she had the MTO. The reality is that with or without the delay, she would have eventually defeated Stephens. 

What I like most about Vika is that she really doesn’t care what people say. She plays tennis for herself. She loves the sport and she loves to win. She of course loves her public, but she doesn’t make any compromises to win it. If they love her back, then it’s awesome, if not, she’s gonna carry on doing her thing, playing her tennis and fighting hard to win each match for herself and her team. Is that the definition of an egocentric? Maybe it is, but Vika is such a strong competitor and I truly think that her hunger is what makes her such a great champion.

This is exactly what she did in the final. Facing Aussie sweetheart, Na Li, Azarenka was falling behind in the early stages of the dispute. The Chinese was playing the best tennis of her life during the fortnight. She was in dominant form en route to the final, stunning Julia Goerges, red-hot Agnieszka Radwanska, and second seeded Russian, Maria Sharapova, without dropping a set. She started aggressively, whipping the lines with some tremendous shots that left defending champion struggling to find answers. If there’s a weak point in Li’s game though, that’s her weak mental capacity to cope with the big occasions. The Chinese suffers severe concentration lapses during important matches that usually prove extremely costly. It happened again in this final, and at the start of the second set, Azarenka was already 3-0 up. Li twisted her ankle at 3-1 down and asked for the trainer. The break did her good and she recaptured some of the momentum, levelling at 4 all. Vika maintained a clear head and wrapped up two consecutive games to push the final into a decider. The drama continued on the Rod Laver Arena, as Li twisted her damaged ankle for the second time, while also hitting her head in the fall. The doctor was called once again and when the Chinese trailblazer decided to carry on, the crowd went mad with admiration. Azarenka was less impressed however. She continued her march towards the title, winning the fierce battle 4-6,6-4,6-3.

Although both players gave it their all, all credit should go to the Belorussian for being the worthy winner of the Daphne Akhurst cup. Li played a more spectacular tennis, but overall Victoria was more consistent, tougher mentally and less emotional. She freed herself only after that last point was won. Soon after realising her achievement, tears of joy and relief started rolling down her face as she run to celebrate the triumph with her staff. However, on the other side of the net, Li had different tears in her eyes. After falling to Kim Clijsters in 2011, she now lost her second Australian Open final in a similarly dramatic fashion.

If anyone needed proof, Victoria Azarenka showed she is in for the long term. A double major champion now, the Belorussian also kept her number 1 ranking, which was seriously threatened by Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Well done, Vika! Congrats on a fabulous fortnight!

On stepping onto the Center Court, Azarenka looks like a bower going into the rig to knock out her opponent.

At the end of a real dramatic battle, Victoria succumbed injured Na Li to successfully defend her Australian Open title. She won the match 4-6,6-4,6-3.

Immediately after sealing the victory, all the emotions took over. Victoria cried tears of joy as she's shown to the world just why she's the best player. It's been a tough two weeks for the Belorussian, but she's proven she is a genuine champion.

A delighted Azarenka enjoyed her moment into the limelight, posing with the trophy and waving smiles to the not-so-friendly Aussie crowd. Once more, she's shown she's here to win titles, not to make friend.

photos (top-down): GETTY IMAGES, Ben Solomon, GETTY IMAGES (x2), Ben Solomon (x2), GETTY IMAGES

Introducing Sloane Stephens

One of the breakthrough stories of the 2013 Australian Open was written by American Sloane Stephens. The world's best teenager played unbelievable tennis throughout the fortnight, upsetting the odd en route to her first Grand Slam semifinal. 

Stephens started the week strongly, quickly dismissing Romanian Simona Halep 6-1,6-1 in the first round. She followed that up with another comfortable win over fellow teen, Kristina Mladenovic, 6-4,6-3. Hoping to reinforce her credentials as the best youngest on the tour, Sloane took on Briton Laura Robson. Laura, coming off a huge triumph over Petra Kvitova, could not find a way to break the American's solid game and ended up losing the battle 7-5,6-3. After the match, Stephens said she hopes the two will emulate the 'Federer-Nadal' rivalry one day: "Laura and I are good friends. She's obviously a good player. We're going to have a rivalry, all that good stuff. We're turning into the Fed-Nadal rivalry."

Playing in the second week of a Slam for the second time in her career (she reached the fourth round at last year's French Open), the American delivered her best tennis, coming from behind to eventually overcame another bright prospect, Serb Bojana Jovanovski. She won a tight three-setter, 6-1,3-6,7-5 to book her place in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. 

Although no one fancied her chances against the great Serena Williams, Sloane was confident she can cause the upset. Taking advantage of her opponent's back injury, she turned the tables in the second set, pushing the match into a decider. As Serena struggled to serve, she basically annihilated her biggest weapon. This opened the door to her younger compatriot who seized the initiative serving out a tremendous 3-6,7-5,6-4 success against her idol. "This is so crazy," a shocked Stephens said in a post-match TV interview. "Oh my goodness. I think I'll put a poster of myself (up) now."

Her popularity hit sky-high after the victory, her twitter followers doubling immediately after the match (from around 17k to approximately 40k). Her newly gained supporters comprised some famous figures. John Legend offered to sing at her wedding, Shaquille O'Neal messaged her saying "When u defeat a legend you become a legend", while Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki was amazed by her "amazing defence".

Sloane is a really mature player for her age though. Not letting fame get in her way, she got back to business in her semifinal against world number 1, Victoria Azarenka. The defending champion started strong, cruising through the first set, 6-1. However, Sloane was not done yet. She fought her way back in the second set, saving five match points at 3-5 on Azarenka's serve before saving the game. Visibly irritated by her inability to close out the match, the Belorussian suffered a 'panic attack'. She called out the trainer, accusing chest problems that prevent her from breathing. The lengthy medical time out turned the momentum in her favour and she was able to break Stephens decisively when the play resumed. She won the match 6-1,6-4 to book her place in her second consecutive Australian Open final.

Gracious in defeat, the American refused to get caught in the controversy, opting to take out the positives from her sensational adventure Down Under. "I've obviously had three losses in three weeks, but Serena is one of the greatest players to me, and Vika, No.1 player in the world, not bad - and Vesnina, who won the tournament in Hobart last week. I'm obviously coming out of the Australian summer with amazing momentum, knowing I can pretty much hang in there with anybody out there and even beat some of the best players in the world."

Hailed as the next big thing, Stephens now faces the though challenge of confirming her fairytale run at Melbourne.

In the battle of the teenagers, Sloane Stephens defeated Laura Robson to book her place in the last 16th. The win marked the second time the American reached the second week of a Grand Slam. She also did so at last year's French Open.

The young American pulled off the biggest victory of her career, stunning a suffering Serena Williams to reach the semis. Serena, who is Sloane's idol, injured her back in the second set and was visibly in pain throughout the encounter. All credit goes to her younger compatriot though for closing out the win.

Following a controversial medical time out, Victoria Azarenka eventually closed out her match against Stephens, winning 6-1,6-4 to reach her second Australian Open final.

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Sveta Gets Back to Business

She may have lost her quarterfinal clash with world number 1, Victoria Azarenka, but during the fortnight Svetlana Kuznetsova produced a vintage display to announce her return to top form, following a knee injury that forced her to miss the second half of 2012. In just her third tournament back, Sveta equalled her best showing at the Australian Open, where she has been a quarterfinalist twice before, in 2005 and 2009.

"After a long break, not such a long preparation, I did quite well I think," declared the rejuvenated Russian. "In the important moments I just knew I had to go one ball at a time, and just try to do my best. It's amazing. It's my best result. I have been to the quarterfinals here two times, so I'm just kind of replaying that."

Kuznetsova experienced quite a good run Down Under, battling through qualies in Sydney before stunning Julia Goerges and Caroline Wozniacki en route to the last eight. The Dane was her victim again in Melbourne, as Sveta put forward some of her best tennis to overcome her opponent's stiff resistance, 6-2,2-6,7-5 in their fourth round encounter. "If you asked me before coming to Australia if I would be in the quarterfinals, I would say - well I would laugh, definitely. I wouldn't be so sure about it," she said.

Asked about her love for the game and the tough recovery months that followed her surgery, she declared: "I never thought of stopping tennis," the Russian explained. "I was just laying in bed, and I was thanking my knee so at least I could rest. When the knee was sore it was so annoying to walk with the crutches all day long. I went to Thailand, I went to Bali, on the beach with crutches, all day long, and I had blisters on my hands. That was the most annoying thing, then doing the recovery afterwards too. But anyway, I had time at home and refreshed my mind, and I just knew that I want to play this game. I always loved it, but I wanted to have this desire to bring me back. That's what happened."

Even though she's currently ranked at no.75 in the world, the Russian is no stranger to Grand Slam success. She became the first Russian to win the US Open in 2004, before collecting a second trophy at Roland Garros in 2009. In Melbourne, she gave defending champion a run for her money, rising to a 4-1 lead in the first set. Azarenka got back into the match though and won the tight opener, before cruising through victory in the second act.
Although she bowed out of the tournament, Kuznetsova remains positive for the rest of the season: "It's a very good result for my first Grand Slam tournament back. I played a lot of matches in Sydney, and played quite good matches here too, and that's all I needed. I feel like I have game. I can play. But I need to improve my fitness, my consistency, my serve - there's a lot. And then we'll see where I can be at."

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The 2013 Fashion Scoop from DOWN UNDER

Compared to 2011 and 2012, this year's Australian Open recorded a tremendous fashion victory. If I needed one word to describe the 2013 edition that would certainly be "yellow". There were so many sunny outfits gracing the Melbourne courts, that the Happy Slam seems happier this season. 

AdiZero set the yellow & grey trend, but fashion giants Maria Sharapova and Stella McCartney were quick to follow. While the Russian continued her recent string of mishits, Adidas by Stella McCartney saw a much needed boost when it acquired the Barricade division. It got thus new ambassadors, with old love, Maria Kirilenko, and teen sensation Laura Robson joining the ultra exclusive team. Nike opted for a much bolder statement, showcasing a rather risky orange and purple combo that only Serena Williams could pull off. Roger Federer turned back the years with his pink shoes, while Venus Williams retained her fashion credentials in a stunning watercolour EleVen dress.

Yellow is the new BLACK

Ana Ivanovic - Adidas AdiZero

Sorana Cirstea - Adidas AdiZero

Angelique Kerber - Adidas AdiZero

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Adidas AdiZero 'Day Look'

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Adidas AdiZero 'Night Look'

Fernando Gonzales - Adidas AdiZero

AdiZero set the trend once again, delivering a fresh yellow and grey collection that turned heads in Melbourne. Relying on strong ambassadors like Ana Ivanovic, Sorana Cirstea or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, AdiZero strengthened its credential as the youngest, hippest and coolest tennis apparel brand. 

Maria Sharapova - Nike 'Maria Sharapova' Group

Unfortunately for the Maria, she continues to disappoint. Although she's wearing a trendy dress, I really don't get the orange marker beneath her breasts. There are just too many details on that upper part, making the dress really heavy. Plus, as mentioned several times, I strongly believe that this shape does not flatter Sharapova's body. I really liked the Russian's ultra sophisticated looks, so I am not a fan of these sporty pieces.

Nicolas Almagro - Lotto

David Ferrer - Lotto

For the first time in a long period, Lotto managed to showcase a hip collection that put them in the same league with fashion titans, Adidas and Nike. Their yellow and white garments looked cool on the brand's leading men, David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro. The latter was a recent addition to the team, following his split with previous sponsor, Reebok.

Sabine Lisicki - NIKE

After Maria's mishit, Nike eventually produced a winning yellow look with its mainstream line wore among others by Sabine Lisicki and Czech Lucie Safarova. This is actually a rather cool outfit that is not over designed. Plus I like the striped tank top.

Maria + Stella = Neverending <3

Maria Kirilenko - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Caroline Wozniacki - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Maria Kirilenko, the best dressed player on the WTA tour, was stripped of her exclusive deal with top designer, Stella McCartney, in 2009, when Caroline Wozniacki became the leading lady. The switch proved inspired though, considerably increasing the brand's visibility. Caroline reached the US Open final that year and went on to top the rankings for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011. However, following the Dane's recent drop in form, a new strategy was required. This led to the merger of two Adidas divisions, Barricade and Adidas by Stella McCartney, the latter taking over the first. This implied that Adidas by Stella McCartney would welcome Barricade's ambassadors, among them none other than Russian Maria Kirilenko. 

It was so great to see Maria back in Stella McCartney garments and the Russian totally killed it. I totally love her dress and the entire collection to be honest. It's a smashing hit and having all these young fashionistas onboard should totally boost the brand.

Laura Robson - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Another beneficiary of the merger was young gun, Laura Robson, who successfully debuted her new garment with a stunning victory over former Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, in the second round.

Where's the EDGY Vika?

Victoria Azarenka - NIKE

I cannot but feel that in comparison with the stunning outfit from last year, this peachy Nike dress looks rather dull on world number 1, Victoria Azarenka. Sometimes keeping things simple can prove a wise thing to do, but that's quite not the case with Vika. This boring dress just does not translate her edgy, outspoken persona. 

Flamboyant Serena

Serena Williams - NIKE

Serena wouldn't be Serena without going over the top with her on-court fashion. Even though I am not a huge fan of her purple & orange outfit, I need to give credit to the American for always wearing any dress with a killer attitude. It's her tremendous attitude that helps her land on the best dressed list. They say you should always wear the dress; the dress shouldn't wear you. That's never been truer than in Serena's case. 

Petra Kvitova - NIKE

While the American always pulls it off, that's never the case with former Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova. The Czech always looks floppy and uncomfortable, especially when she goes for such bold statements. The clothes look ill-fitted and wrongly matched.

Pretty in Pink

Roger Federer - NIKE RF Group Day Look

Roger Federer - NIKE RF Group Night Look

At this year's Australian Open, tennis legend, Roger Federer, proved he still has what it takes to cope with his younger rivals; he defeated both cocky Australian, Bernard Tomic, as well as Canadian powerhouse, Milos Raonic. The Swiss, one of the best dressed players on the tour, has also upped his fashion credential, showcasing a daring night look that featured touches of pink. I think that's actually really cool from the 31 years old maestro.

Venus EXPANDS

Venus Williams - EleVen

Although she toned down her on-court persona since battling Sjogren's syndrome, Venus Williams remains the undisputed fashion queen of the tour. Her brilliant watercolour dress represents just another great example of her creative power. The floral print is stunning and the black linings are wisely disposed to create a perfect contrast with the fading colours. The only thing I don't like is the cap and its white margins. 

Venus is also interested in expanding her EleVen brand on the WTA tour, so she recruited fellow American Varvara Lepchenko and Australian Jarmila Gajdosova. 

Jarmila Gajdosova - EleVen

Varvara Lepchenko - EleVen

The Movers

Julia Goerges - FILA

Svetlana Kuznetsova - Qiaodan

Milos Raonic - New Balance

Julia Goerges ended her powerful partnership with Nike to join Italian manufacturer, Fila. Fila is struggling to cope with Kim's withdrawal, so Julia's arrival comes at the best moment. Remaining faithful to the brand's trademark style, the German wore a nice all-blue ensemble, which perfectly complimented her beautiful eyes. 

While one player joins the team, someone else deserts it. Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova ended a lengthy collaboration with Fila to become Qiaodan's main ambassador. The move raised eyebrows, but the most surprising thing of the switch was to see Sveta wear a dress for the first time in years. It wasn't a great dress, but it marked a nice transition for the boyish looking Russian.

Teen sensation, Milos Raonic, also flipped boats, signing a multi-year sponsorship deal with New Balance.

The Disaster

Galina Voskoboeva - Peak

Yanina Wickmayer - Erke

Mona Barthel - Denise Cronwall

Although the 2013 Australian Open put forward a great fashion display, there have also been some not so fortunate case. Hopeless Galina Voskoboeva and Belgian Yanina Wickmayer made it again on the worst dressed list, but probably the biggest disaster came from German Mona Barthel. Sorry Mona, but that lace dress is just awful. I think she made a terrible mistake leaving Nike for Denise Cronwall.

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