MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
It was a somewhat predictable opening day at the Australian Open on the women's side, but not one without angst.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams made quick work of Sarah Errani, but given that it was her first tour match since the US Open, she was looked at by some as upset fodder and still must show she is actually healthy and capable of playing high-level tennis again.
Caroline Wozniacki entered the tournament in a very shaky position, a Slam-less No. 1 who had lost three exhibition matches and been shuttled out of Sydney in the first round. She did a good job of stopping giant killer Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-4, but she had some very tense moments in the up-and-down 100-minute contest.
Maria Sharapova, the 2008 Aussie Open champion, said she felt nervous early in the first set of her 6-1, 6-3 victory over Tamarine Tanasugarn as she couldn't shake the memories of her 2010 loss to Maria Kirilenko. But Sharapova eventually found her range off the ground and with her return, though it was once again very sporadic.
Sharapova admitted later that since shoulder surgery there are days her arm isn't loose enough and she can't feel the spin on the ball. Pre-surgery, Sharapova could just walk up to the line and blast an ace. Now she has to focus on her mechanics each and every time out.
Venus hit the court in a new, super-short aqua dress that may be more revealing that her skimpy 2010 outfits that caused such a scandal. She took a while to get cranking, but once she did, looked nearly as good as she did in her well-played defeat to eventual champion Kim Clijsters in the US Open semifinals.
Despite her No. 4 ranking, Venus cannot be considered a top contender for her first Aussie title until she shows consistent lethal form for a good five matches. She has been injured so many times and dropped so many big matches over the past three years that thinking she'll regain the consistent, standout form she showed at the beginning of the century would be foolhardy.
“It's been so long,” said the 30-year-old Venus. “Of course, I have a lot of expectations for myself, what I want to do out there on the court, but you never really know how it's going to go until you hit the court and the match starts. It definitely felt good today to go out there and play pretty clean tennis. I was able to keep my errors pretty low. I felt like in general I was able to play aggressive tennis and just kind of win the most important points most of the time. It's just important to play consistent and aggressive for me.”
Even though she won't cop to it, Wozniacki is clearly feeling the heat of her ranking. Whether she deserves the constant questioning or not (it's not as if she asked Serena Williams to get hurt and sit out the last six months), she has to face the fact that every No. 1 on both tours are expected to win majors.
“I don't feel I need to prove anything to anybody," the flustered 20-year-old said. "You don't become No. 1 winning small tournaments or doing bad results. I'm a good player. I've done great results. Won six tournaments last year. I don't have to prove anything.”
Actually she sort of does, not by necessarily winning the Aussie Open, but at least winning those matches she's supposed to win and then when she faces veteran players who are better than her, to at least play them close. That's what she did in the WTA Championships final when she fell to Kim Clijsters, as she made it a real match and really tried to change things up to threaten the Belgian. There, she went for her serves, she came in to net, she leaned into her weaker forehand and used her devastating backhand as a weapon.
Against Dulko on Monday she was mostly defending and while her speed and tireless legs have carried her to numerous victories, playing pure defense the rest of the tournament isn't going to get it done. At least for now, her fans can assume she's willing to change things up on demand. But the proof will be if she's still standing late in the second week.
“The good thing is that I can play a mixed game,” she said “I don't have to play aggressively. I can also play defensively because I know I can run a lot of balls down. I can mix it up. Of course, I always want to build on what I already know how to do.”
Sharapova's split with her longtime coach Michael Joyce has also made waves, as the two close friends decided to take what will very likely end up being a permanent break just a week and half ago. Sharapova is said to be concerned with Joyce's state of mind and agreed that he needed a rest after six and half years on tour with her, let alone his own long career on the ATP Tour, so she will continue to compensate him. But her move to hire Li Na's former coach Thomas Hogstedt during the offseason hasn't sat well with the Chinese media, who claim that Li was unaware of the hire until she read it in the media, a charge the Sharapova camp denies.
Whatever the case, Sharapova decided she needed to shake things up and now the pressure will be on Hogstedt to show that he can do as well as Joyce did, having coached her to No. 1 and two Grand Slam titles.
“After a really long period of time, I think a few things become a routine,” Sharapova said. I think from both of our perspectives it was really a good move to bring in a new voice, a fresh perspective into the team. Obviously it's different not having him at a tournament after so many years. But it's part of an athlete's career . . . It's been going really well with Thomas. I like the work ethic that he's brought on the court. I'm happy so far, but you never know where things will take you. So far everything is great.”
All of the aforementioned stars ended their days well, but not without a bit of gnashing of the teeth. It was a typical day on the WTA Tour at a Grand Slam, full of question marks and hopes, both real and illusory.
Roger Federer doesn't look very happy after the 2008 French Open Final, but he may have a reason to smile on Sunday.
The matchup the tennis world has been hoping for has come into fruition. After a bout of absences from each side intermittently for the past two years, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadalwill meet in the French Open Final once again. 
