I was interested in the outcomes of the first-round matches home favorites Jelena Dokic and Casey Dellacqua were playing on day one of the 2009 Australian Open.
Dokic, who had earned a wildcard into the main draw, registered her first win at Melbourne Park in a decade by beating Austria’s Tamira Paszek 6-2 3-6 6-4.
“I went through hell and back,” said Dokic, her voice cracking as tears welled in her eyes.
“I pretty much lost my family. I had no-one there. I was really struggling.
“I battled severe depression for about two years. I didn’t play for months at a time. I was really seriously thinking about not playing. It was a tough time in my life.”
I’m really happy for Dokic, I would like this Wimbledon semifinalist and former world number four to revive her shattered career. She has just made an excellent step forward.
Dokic’s next opponent will be 17th seed Anna Chakvetadze, who went past British No.1 Anne Keothavong.
Last year’s Australian sensation, Casey Dellacqua, was defeated in the first round 7-6(11) 6-4 by Slovakian No.9 seed Daniela Hantuchova. In 2008 Dellacqua reached the fourth round, having beaten two Top 20 players en route.
Let’s just mention which seeds fell on the first day. Hungarian hope Agnes Szavay, seeded 23rd at the Australian Open, continued her slide with a loss to world No.95 Galina Voskoboeva 6-3 3-6 6-4. Gorgeous Stella McCartney designs again didn’t get enough exposure, as No.27 seed Maria Kirilenko couldn’t make it past round one, losing to Sara Errani 6-0 6-4. No.24 seed Sybille Bammer was beaten by Lucie Safarova 6-3 6-1.
Well done, Jelena! I am very happy for her.
I’m delighted too. I’m looking forward to watching her play more often.
I was so nervous in that final set for Jelena I was so happy when she was able to pull out the win. This was a big moment in her comeback.
I hope this is just a beautiful start of her new tennis career.