Australia’s Monday Blues

SINGAPORE -- It was Monday morning in Melbourne. Glorious blue skies and warm temperatures greeted thousands on opening day of the Australian Open.

There was a real buzz across Melbourne Park as tennis fans made their way through the turnstiles to catch the likes of world number 1 Novak Djokovic, who began his title defence with a straight-sets pummeling of Paul-Henri Matthieu, and the relentless Maria Sharapova, who served up a double-bagel against her 107th-ranked Russian opponent Olga Puchkova.

It would have been a perfect day out for fans Down Under but for one little setback. It was a day of absolute carnage for the Green and Gold as only one out of 9 Australian singles players on opening day made it through to the second round.

For all his grit and passion he displayed, Australia’s favourite son Lleyton Hewitt could not take a set off Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic. Matthew Ebden went crashing as did Casey Dellacqua and six more of their compatriots.

The sole Aussie survivor on day one was a nervous Samantha Stosur, though China’s Zheng Jie ended her journey in the next round.

By Day 6, Bernard Tomic was the last Australian left standing, but his third round opponent Roger Federer will likely see to it that no local players enter the second week at Melbourne.

Yes, Australian tennis is in crisis.

It wasn’t too long ago that the land down under was a mighty powerhouse and the envy of every other nation. Names such as Laver, Court, Emerson, Newcombe, Hoad and Rosewall dominated the rankings in the 1950s through to the early 70s.

A look at Australia’s Davis Cup record speaks volumes of their one-time dominance: 29 titles in all, which is second only to the United States.

But those halcyon days of the sport in Australia are now long gone. While there have been a few signs of life thanks to Stosur, who won the 2011 US Open title, and the up-and-coming 20 year old Bernard Tomic, a return to the golden age of tennis remains a distant dream.

So the question is, what led to the decline of Australian tennis?

The reasons given are varied. Ken Rosewall, who won 8 Grand Slam singles titles, believes that the rest of the world has simply caught up. He made the point that once tennis was made a medal event at the Olympic Games in 1988, it opened up funding in a host of countries that didn’t have a big tradition in the game before. This led to an explosion of new talent and subsequently new stars.

Former world number 8 John Alexander says the loss of tennis courts around the country is also to blame.  Thousands of courts in Sydney and Brisbane have been removed over the last 20 years, and according to Alexander, without courts, participation levels naturally fall.

But the reason why so many tennis facilities were closed is in large part due to the declining interest in the sport. The game simply isn’t getting the recruits it needs.  Australia’s most talented athletes no longer veer towards tennis anymore. Other disciplines such as Aussie Rules, football, cricket and rugby have won that contest.

Even among those who play the sport competitively, renowned coach Darren Cahill believes they are not serious enough. Young Australian tennis players are not willing to put in the hours, sweat and toil required to be a world beater.

While Tennis Australia is happy to supply coaching and funding to nurture prospective talents, Cahill says these hand-outs also make life too easy for Australia’s talent pool. He noted that some European countries worked much harder than their Australian counterparts, because for them tennis was a ticket to a better life.

While Australia may never get back the level of dominance it once enjoyed, it could definitely be doing better than what it is today.  But if Stosur can manage her nerves and if Tomic stays focused on his game, that will at least give those mad, passionate Aussie fans something to cheer for.

“Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!”

Colette Wong is a SportsCenter anchor on ESPN every weeknight at 7.30pm. Catch the Australian Open on STAR Sports and in high-definition on ESPN HD