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A 1-point grand slam is unlikely to be a one-hit wonder.
During his official pre-match press conference on Friday, Jannick Sinner jokingly asked how he could hope to win his third straight Australian Open title if he couldn’t beat the amateurs in a one-point exhibition match.
“Yeah, wish I had more control over three of the five sets!” said Sinner.
The second issue also had to do with the immediate make-or-break pressure of a match that featured stars versus club players, women versus men, and was ultimately won by little-known local amateur Jordan Smith before a sold-out Rod Laver Arena.
The game format includes a rock-paper-scissors game to see who wins a one-point game.
“I wasn’t a big fan to begin with, but when you play there and watch other games, it’s so much fun,” he said. “It’s great to have a packed stadium before the main event.”
He also likes results against all odds.
“I would say there couldn’t have been a better ending, especially for the first edition, with the amateurs winning,” he said. “He does need it in a very positive way.”
like a game show
The show-style finals of the million-dollar winner-take-all tournament attracted seasoned pros and spectators on Wednesday. roger federer Said he was fascinated by it and wanted to try it.
It became one of the talking points of the day as the world’s leading tennis players appeared at a news conference two days ahead of Sunday’s season-opening Grand Slam.
Iga Swiatek, Coco Gough and Amanda Anisimova is one of the women’s tour stars who loves the sport.
For celebrities, the most stressful part is the unknown.
“It’s different… because you’re not hot, you wait 40 minutes and then you might only play one point, or you don’t even play because someone made a mistake,” said Sinner, the two-time defending Australian Open champion. “It’s fun to play, but most importantly to watch.”
Swiatek is ready
Unlike Sinner, Swiatek did warm up — “I’m ready,” she said — and then she took out a few guys. To advance, players only need to win one point. So, miss the second serve and you’re out.
“It’s awesome. I think it’s super fun. Everybody’s watching, honestly. Like off the court, everybody says they’re super excited about it,” Swiatek said.
She had just won the Confederation Cup with Poland and was on course to complete a career grand slam by winning the Australian title for the first time, so it was a refreshing distraction.
“It’s something new and refreshing,” she said. “I think that’s what tennis needs sometimes.”
Anisimova, who reached the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals last year, said she would like to see the one-point slam expanded to all four majors.
“It’s so funny because we’re all equally very, very nervous,” she said. “We were just talking about how nervous we were.
“I think it was mostly because we didn’t want to miss the first shot because that would have been awkward — we all felt the same way. At the same time, it was just so fun to laugh with each other before the big two weeks.”
Coco’s goal is to come back
Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff said she hopes to have a chance to redeem herself if the tournament is held next year.
“I didn’t expect to win. I told everyone it wasn’t going to happen. People would ask, ‘What are you going to do with the money?'” she said. “I did say I wanted the amateur to win. I think the best happened.”
Smith beat No. 117 women’s Joanna Garland from Taiwan, who Gauff said “became like a celebrity overnight.”
She thinks it’s good to hear the stories of those who play tennis but have never been seen in public, and suggests qualifying tournaments held at local tennis clubs around Australia should also be televised.
“I had some cool stories that happened in the qualifiers and I hope someone gets to see Rod Laver’s story,” Gauff said.
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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis