An eight hour flight delay at the end of a Grand Slam isn't ideal, but it gives me a chance to sit down and think back on the two weeks that we have had at Melbourne Park.
In terms of leaving Australia we have timed it well, with the temperature hitting 42 degrees as I left for the airport. It's very easy to know where to start and that's with new Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who is a player many of us have been watching for years wondering if she would fulfil her potential. At 29, newly married and with husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo in her corner, she not only did it but she did it in style!
To become a Grand Slam Champion you have to win seven matches, you will come across obstacles along the way, but it's hard to think of a tougher draw in recent times than the one Key faced. Stream tennis and more sport with NOW. Latest tennis scores and upcoming matches. Tennis videos - highlights and best shots. It included former Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins in the third round followed by former Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina, then it was Elina Svitolina before following those bruising encounters by taking out the world No 2 and world No 1 in successive rounds.
A highlight of the second week was Key's semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek, where she closed it out in a match tie-break in the third. Interestingly, from speaking to a number of people, they were split with what they made of the final in terms of quality of tennis. For me personally, while I don't think that by the end of the year it will be in my top five WTA matches of the year the semi-final will , if I put together a 'what it means' or 'how they closed it out' top five then I'm not sure it will be beaten!
Keys also spoke afterwards very honestly about her journey to becoming a Grand Slam champion, which has been full of injuries and expectation, where she credited therapy with getting her to where she is now.
