In Melbourne

IT'S my first day at my seventh Australian Open, which is the most relaxed of the four grand slam events.

In glib terms, Wimbledon is traditional and sober, the French is stylish, the US Open is raucous, and the Australian is laid back.

This afternoon at the courts I saw a burly fellow wearing tiny shorts, his body painted blue and with a white contraption on his head which was supposed to be a beak. Only in Australia!

Nevertheless, this country has a grand tennis history and Indian veteran Leander Paes told me last week he likes playing here because Australia has the "most educated fans". 

It's a perfect day, but of course. Blue sky, light breeze and Mats Wilander walking the corridor in ugly shorts. Winner of three Australian Opens, three French Opens and one US Open, the retired Swede also has a mind sharper than a machete and is cooler than a beer-drinking Eskimo.

But it's difficult to sit and chat when the courts are echoing with slapped forehands and cries of despair, as if Melbourne Park is the set of some vast athletic opera.

So after a quick chat with Mats, I run to watch Ana Ivanovic, about whom the official Women's Tennis Association handbook says: "Has the most visited website of any sportswoman". There are no prizes for guessing that that is not just because of her fine tennis. 

Days at the Open, like Wednesday, are spent scurrying around, for Safin is playing, so is Djokovic, so is Federer, and all must be watched.

Journalists sit in the bowels of the stadium, virtually below centre court which is called Rod Laver Arena, and keep glancing at the TV monitors on every desk which relay the scores from every contest, allow you to hear the press conferences and let you watch matches on a series of courts. You can virtually cover the Open from your desk but that would be sport without pleasure. Better to sit in the stands and watch Federer do some magic in the sun. 

After watching Ivanovic and Djokovic (subjects of my ST sports column for Thursday), I race back down to the interview room. Safin is speaking and Safin is always fun. One year in Melbourne, he filled the player's box with pretty girls (usually players' coaches or family sit there) and peppered the court with sweetly timed shots.

And then, on a famous, fabulous, emotional night here in 2005, he beat Federer in the semi-finals, won the tournament, and made us believe his career was reviving.

How will he do this time?
Source: AFP

Asked how his life had changed after that 2005 match, the Russian said, almost ruefully, in his fractured English: "Well, his (Federer's) life also changed. Didn't went too bad. He won a couple of grand slams afterwards. And me, I got injured. So we went in different ways. He got much more confident throughout the years and I had to recover from injury. So I want to be in his shoes."

Now both men meet again on Friday. But they are no longer equals and Safin knows it.