Things get significantly quieter towards the end of a Grand Slam as the hallways, players’ restaurant and lounge get emptier and the schedule gets thinner with most of the competitors in the draw already sent packing.
Still, you get to see lots of interesting things when you walk around and I stumbled upon a great game of mini-tennis between Swedish quartet Magnus Norman, Thomas Enqvist, Jonas Bjorkman and Thomas Johannson in the indoor courts.
Norman and Enqvist were playing against Bjorkman and Johansson and each team got two hits to get the ball over the net.
For one reason or another it was incredibly soothing to sit there and watch the four of them torture each other with the smoothest of volleys and drop shots.
Their Legends’ match was cancelled due to the rain but luckily, I got my own private viewing and it was definitely entertaining.
Meanwhile, the action on Rod Laver Arena between Milos Raonic and Andy Murray lasted more than four hours and one fun aspect to a Murray match Down Under are the chants you get to hear from his Aussie fans.
They’re always creative with what they’re singing and this fortnight a regular chant has been “Andy Murray is the best on earth”, sung to the tune of Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a place on earth”.
Over in the interview room, Serena Williams was doing her pre-final press conference and revealed she was asked which other athletes she admires.
After naming Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, one surprise name came up.
“I don’t watch a tremendous amount of sport, outside of football, American football. I like (Lionel) Messi a lot. I think he’s a pretty amazing player, footballer,” said the world No.1.
Who knew Williams followed football? Or does she simply know Messi from the Pepsi connection?
Also on Friday, Angelique Kerber was handed a surprise when she started practicing for the final but found none other than her opponent, Williams come and practice right next to her.
The German lefty said she had to play it cool and wait for Williams to leave before she could start working on her game plan.
“I was waiting until she left,” laughed Kerber. “I was practicing my normal practice. Of course, then she left the court and then I was starting to practice my game plan.”
