2009 Australian Open – Men's singles final Open victory, Federer had not beaten Nadal in a Grand Slam since the 2007 Wimbledon final and many analysts pointed to the 2009 Australian Open final as the match which severely compromised Federer's belief that he could win against Nadal in a major. Mats Wilander proposed that Federer had developed a mental block while playing against Nadal and that their rivalry had become one-sided and predictable after this match. Tennis Channel commentator Justin Gimelstob referred to Federer's loss as a type of 'collateral damage' in which Federer not only lost a tennis match but also lost his last remaining stronghold
2009 Maria Sharapova tennis season 2009 Maria Sharapova tennis season Results and statistics from Maria Sharapova's 2009 tennis season. At the beginning of the year, Sharapova was forced to concede the defence of her Australian Open title, a decision which would see her drop out of the WTA's Top 10 for the first time since winning Wimbledon in 2004. Her continued absence from the Tour also cost her the titles she won in Doha and Amelia Island last year; she also missed both the Premier Mandatory events at Indian Wells and Miami, and subsequently saw her world ranking drop to No. 65. Sharapova first attempted