Before the start of the tournament, Mats Wilander explained in the team's columns that the Australian Open is undoubtedly a Grand Slam where more shots are played, which is responsible for its early position on the calendar. Still uncertain form among top players.
Although the Australian Grand Slam has tended to decline over the years compared to when it was the worst relationship of the four majors, we realize that this trend remains true. In Melbourne, it's certainly not unusual to see all kinds of surprises, sudden bursts or delayed developments. And the French were not the last to give up their role to the dog.
This year, the French surprise – and even the surprise of the tournament – came from Arthur Kazaks, who at age 21 became the eighth wild card to join Australia in the second week after Pat du Pree (1981) and Tomas Smit. (1983) , Jason Stoltenberg (1988), Simon Yule (1990), Mats Wilander (1994), Leighton Hewitt (2012) and Denis Istomin (2017).
In good memory of Tsonga, Clement, Pouille, Escude…
Of this list, Smit was the only one to push the envelope to reach the quarter-finals, at which time the tournament was still played on grass, in Kooyong. Tonight, against Hubert Hurkacz, the Montpellier resident will try to do the same.
If there were reasons to believe in the achievement, they did not find their source in the incredible quality of tennis offered by the Cossacks from the start of the fortnight. They are also in memory of these wonderful epics that French players were often able to sign in Australia.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's 2008 final against Novak Djokovic, when he was “only” 38th in the world and 22 years old, was most famous. But there were others, apparently. Most recently, in 2019, no one has forgotten Lucas Pouille's semi-final defeat by Novak Djokovic.
Need we remind you of the mighty tale of “friends in passing” Arnaud Clement and Sébastien Grosjean who played against each other in a dramatic brotherly semi-final in 2001? Or Nicolas Escude's triumphant ride in 1998, winning three marathons in five sets to reach the semifinals before collapsing against Marcelo Rios?
In another record, in 2006, there was the final blow of Fabrice Santoro, who reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the age of 33, already in the twilight of a life without a day of bread.
In short, moves are indeed being made in Melbourne, and without obviously detracting from its merits, it is not forbidden to think that the Cossacks are also benefiting from this effect. An effect that Escudey certainly felt when he played. “The approach to the Australian Open was very special, and for us French people, it was great to be there in the heart of the Paris winter. It was one of the first tournaments of the year and there wasn't enough tennis to be ready at that time, so we were like, 'Maybe there's something to do,'” “Skud” testified a few years ago at Eurosport.
If Melbourne has the potential to create surprises, the French aren't the only ones using them. Let's not forget unexpected winners in Melbourne like Petr Korda in 1998 or Thomas Johansson in 2002. Or surprise finalists like Clement and Tsonga, but also Rainer Schuettler in 2003 or Marcos Baghdatis in 2006.
Also, playing in your first Australian Open (like Arthur Kazaks) doesn't make it to the quarter-finals or better: Ben Sheldon did this last year, as did Aslan Karatchev (semi-final), who qualified in 2021. Dennis Sandgren 2018 was the year two unranked players made it to the last four: Britain's Kyle Edmund and South Korea's Hyeon Chung (the same was the case with Tommy Ball last year).
Ironically, since its inception at Flinders Park in 1998, unlike other Grand Slam tournaments, no unseeded player has won in Melbourne and no wild card has reached the final four. In his madness, we tell ourselves, there is no reason why Arthur Cossacks should not lower this figure.
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