Home wins in the majors? Australia has the longest waits
Ashleigh Barty can end a long dry spell for the home fans with a win against Danielle Collins at the Australian Open 2022 (live on Saturday from 09:30 a.m. on Eurosport and in Austria on ServusTV).
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jan 28, 2022, 05:00 pm
As incredibly great as Roger Federer , Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have done in the recent past: None of the three legends have a home win in a Grand Slam tournament to their credit. Naturally. Because the four majors are located in Australia, France, Great Britain and the USA. And will remain so. So Federer has to be content with successes in Basel when it comes to home games, Nadal at least has Madrid and Barcelona to choose from, Djokovic carved his local event in Belgrade himself.
And so it is up to the players from the four nations mentioned to face up to their own expectations and those of the fans. And Ashleigh Barty is just one win away from Danielle Collins to deliver her masterpiece in Melbourne. It would be the first home win by a woman since Christine O'Neil in 1978. What about the four most important tennis tournaments in general?
Australian Open: It's been a long time!
So O'Neil was able to win the last title in 1978, two years later Wendy Turnbull made it to the final (losing to Hana Mandlikova). Nothing has changed for women since then. In the men's race, the last triumph of an Aussie goes back as far as 1976, Mark Edmondson was so free back then. After all: In 2005 Lleyton Hewitt played his way to the final. But was lost against Marat Safin.
Roland Garros: Yannick and Mary pull through!
Recent French women's tennis history is written by Mary Pierce when it comes to the French Open. In 2000 she won the final against Conchita Martinez, five years later Pierce lost against Justine Henin in the final without a chance. Modern-day French men still have to be measured against Yannick Noah. In 1983 he delivered a festival of good humor in the final against Mats Wilander, five years later Henri Leconte, as the last French finalist, had no chance against Wilander.
Wimbledon: Sir Andy makes the British happy!
Virginia Wade in 1977. That's the list. Since then, no woman has triumphed on Church Road (Wade beat Betty Stöve from the Netherlands at the time), not even making it to the final. Things are looking better for men thanks to a Scot: Sir Andy Murray not only won his first gold medal at the Olympic Games on the holy lawn of Wimbledon in 2012, Murray also won his home Grand Slam in 2013 and 2016.
US Open: No, Serena wasn't the last winner!
In the weddings of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, a dry spell of now more than 18 years was basically unthinkable - but that era is over. With his victory in 2003, Andy Roddick remains the last domestic US Open winner for the time being. Roddick was also the last sniff of a title in Flushing Meadows, but lost the final to Roger Federer in 2006. Sloane Stephens, in turn, is responsible for the most recent home win at one of the majors: in 2017 she beat girlfriend Madison Keys in the final. Serena Williams would have had the chance in the two following years - but lost the decisive matches against Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu.