A Look Back at January 2016 — Stunning Upsets, the German Uprising, and Bad Tennis Omens
As Australian Open 2017 begins, full of promise of victorious reigning champions, young, flashy upstarts, and unexpected upsets, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at where we were one year ago.
The beginning of the tennis season always feels like a fresh beginning, where anything might be possible. While there were some amazing moments in 2016 that foretold even greater tennis achievements ahead, there were already signs in January that a tough year for the sport was ahead.
The match-fixing allegations threatened to cast a shadow over the Australian Open, and while it did cause a flurry of discussion on everything from major networks to small social media channels and blogs, it involved a lot of insinuation and guesswork and not much of anything concrete.
So we’ll focuse more here on the tennis highs and lows, the humor, the sex appeal, the fashion…the thrill of victory and the agony of…looking like a total arse in front of millions of people…erm…well, you get the idea.
Shall we begin?
The big news at the start of 2017 is of course Roger Federer’s return to the tour after a bad knee sidelined him for much of 2016. The fans at Hopman Cup welcomed Roger with open arms and record numbers in the stands, and the Maestro had a good time being back in the spotlight, including wins in singles and mixed doubles with compatriot Belinda Bencic (who also had injury troubles in 2016).
A year ago, Federer was tantalizing crowds in Brisbane, which included some promotional appearances in what we affectionately referred to as “ballet pants”. The man who just won a “Most Stylish” poll by GQ in 2017 learned the hard way in 2016 that snug leggings paired with short shirts can have…consequences.
Those consequences included some hardcore flirting and swooning by the staff and dignitaries he encountered on his PR tour.
Brisbane lady in green dress sitting next to dreamboat Roger Federer on romantic boat ride Periscope vid… pic.twitter.com/uderxIVL9z
— Tennis Inside Out (@TennisInsideOut) January 2, 2016
After the boat ride with Roger… pic.twitter.com/kVZiwfAn92
— Tennis Inside Out (@TennisInsideOut) January 2, 2016
You can also check out a portion of the Periscope video Rog participated in, where he shares his thoughts about his hopes for 2016 (oh how hopeful we all were then!) and reminiscing about 2015.
this is the q and a part of the periscope video https://t.co/htFfPZvplD
— Pika (@pikaaachoo) January 2, 2016
(Article continues below)
Despite the fun Fed fans had with his Brisbane appearances, they still suffered a bit of a shock loss by Roger in the final. If you want to relive the highs and an amusing perspective of the lows, you can check out our Brisbane post from last year:
Meanwhile, Rafa had kicked off the year with an exo trophy and this adorkable photo…
Trophy Bite Number 1/2016 – Abu Dhabi pic.twitter.com/XzF2lSANO6
— Stroppa Del (@stroppadel) January 2, 2016
Belinda was in Brisbane in 2016 as well, likely unaware that a year later she’d be sharing a court with a Swiss hero.
Practice fun: @BelindaBencic on the court in Brisbane on Saturday pic.twitter.com/sRjbtwfAex
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) January 2, 2016
Go on to PAGE 2 for more lively ladies and fun from Down Under!!!
