For the first time since 2003, the men’s semi-finals of the Australian Open won’t feature either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.
It’s too early to say that a spectacular era is over, with the other two members of the big four in men’s tennis, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, still very much in contention.
However, there are signs that the group below may be closing the gap in grand slams, especially Tomas Berdych, who ended Nadal’s tournament yesterday, dismantling the 14-time major winner in straight sets.
Berdych went into the match having not beaten Nadal in their past 18 matches stretching back to 2007 and although he was playing in his 12th quarter final in grand slam tournaments, he hadn’t yet been able to make it to the highest level on a regular basis, with mental fragility seen as his weakness.
He looked like he was going to take the game by storm when he charged into the Wimbledon final in 2010 upsetting a number of highly fancied opponents, particularly Roger Federer, but he hasn’t bettered that achievement since.
He is 29 years old and time is starting to run out for Berdych to win a major. You get the impression that he is taking the attitude that this year it’s now or never and he’s in career-best form at this Australian Open so far, where he is yet to drop a set.
It was vital he got off to a good start against Nadal and that his big serve and heavy ground strokes were on song. Berdych won the first set and then no doubt shocked everyone including himself by taking the second 6-love. It’s the first time in four years Nadal has failed to win a game in a set.
However, Rafa is a proud man and a very intense competitor and he was going to go down fighting. The Spaniard started to play with that tremendous belief he’s renowned for, running down every ball and making Berdych play an extra shot in rallies, hoping that it would put doubts in his mind.
Berdych though seems to be made of sterner stuff these days and held firm even after he let two match-points slip when up 6-5 in the third.
That set went to a tie break and there was a feeling around the media centre at Melbourne Park that if Nadal could win the breaker, he would find a way to win an epic in five sets, but Berdych closed out the third set in a clinical performance.
Nadal wasn’t at his best, having played very little tennis since Wimbledon due to illness and injury, and he made a slow start to this tournament, which included scraping home in five sets over little-known American Tim Smyczek.
He had been sick during that contest, but found a way to win and then looked to be hitting his straps in the third and fourth rounds, before running into a red-hot Berdych.
It doesn’t though get any easier for Berdych as he takes on Murray in the semis. But he has the belief that this is his time to win a major – he certainly would have earned it.
Meanwhile women’s number 10 seed Ekaterina Makarova is in a similar boat to Berdych. She had been fairly consistent in recent grand slam tournaments, making the semis at the US Open last year and three quarter-finals at the past four Australian Opens, but appeared to be flying under the radar at Melbourne Park despite not conceding a set in her first four matches.
She took on the most improved player in women’s tennis, number 3 seed Simona Halep, who has risen an incredible 141 places in the rankings since May 2013.
This match represented contrasting styles, with the powerful left-handed ground strokes of Makarova against the mercurial retrieving abilities of Halep. But Makarova burst out of the blocks to completely dominate Halep and dropped just three games to advance to the final four.
Her opponent will be the number 2 seed Maria Sharapova, who wrote the book on self-belief. She was equally impressive in eliminating Eugenie Bouchard in the quarters and has found her range after that scare in the second round when she had match points against her.
Sharapova will be favourite, but Makarova has nothing to lose and should have plenty of self-confidence after a wonderful tournament.
Like Berdych, Makarova has been on the tour for several years and is peaking at the right time.
There’s still plenty of work for these two to realise their dreams, but they can almost taste it now.
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