{"id":448310,"date":"2026-01-30T22:54:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/448310\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T22:54:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:54:13","slug":"ashes-australian-open-tennis-and-watching-liv-die-what-a-great-way-to-start-my-40th-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/448310\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashes, Australian Open tennis and watching LIV die \u2013 what a great way to start my 40th campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

As to Jannik Sinner, I don\u2019t want to be unkind, for I am sure he is a fine man, who is nice to his mother, which is what counts after all. But if you had to put together a player who was a mix of the truly dull \u2013 an iceblock, a flat footpath, a drab day in June and a column saying the Las Vegas NRL match will be the most exciting thing ever \u2013 wouldn\u2019t you come up with Sinner?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t mean to be unkind, I said!<\/p>\n

My point is that for all Sinner\u2019s stunning skill, his stamina, his will to win \u2013 all of which are admirable \u2013 I simply cannot recall another world-famous sporting identity that is so dull to watch.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be in my trailer.<\/p>\n

Legends about legends are hit and myth<\/p>\n

The link between Sir Donald Bradman, Muhammad Ali and Michael Schumacher \u2013 beyond being sporting icons of course \u2013 may not be obvious at first glance, I grant you. But try this …<\/p>\n

For all three, a large part of their life was such a blank canvas that their adoring fans could paint upon it whatever they liked, without fear of contradiction. Because their sporting feats were so admired, and there was simply no counter-narrative out there \u2013 least of all from the men themselves, or those close to them \u2013 the sporting adoration they enjoyed markedly altered their public picture.<\/p>\n

\"Don<\/p>\n

Don Bradman bats for Australia against England in 1930. But what was he really like?Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Sir Donald\u2019s fame in Australia was such that his image was a bright shining light of wisdom, kindness, generosity and sagacity. As he only gave one substantial interview in his post-cricket life \u2013 to Ray Martin \u2013 when it came to what sort of man he actually was<\/a>, we had so little to go on that the sometimes bitterly critical counter-narratives offered by the likes of Bill \u201cTiger\u201d O\u2019Reilly, Ian Chappell and Keith Miller never went far.<\/p>\n

We so wanted to love Bradman, that we didn\u2019t want to hear stories of him being selfish, vindictive or mean-spirited. And even those critics never went too hard, in public, because as O\u2019Reilly is reported to have quipped: \u201cYou don\u2019t piss on statues\u201d.<\/p>\n

When it came to Muhammad Ali, the issue was the brain damage done by being hit in the head<\/a> for three decades or so. The public did not want to believe that such a loquacious, brilliant, witty, courageous, fantastic man as Ali could be suffering from something so maudlin and plebeian as being punch-drunk \u2013 so we pretty much refused to believe it.<\/p>\n

Therefore, that simple, stark truth never made headway against every other absurd narrative going. Do you remember how it was?<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The famous photo of Muhammad Ali knocking down Sonny Liston in the first round of their second bout on May 25, 1965. Three decades of blows to the head robbed Ali of his latter years.Credit: AP<\/p>\n

Far from having brain damage, Ali, as the most famous man on the planet, had just withdrawn inside himself to get a little peace. Or, in fact, it was the pesticide that was being used on the garden at a training camp he went to that had done the damage. Oh, and the Parkinson\u2019s disease he suffered from could have hit anyone! The fact it hit Ali was just coincidence.<\/p>\n

Yeah, nah.<\/p>\n

Ali finished punch-drunk, done down by too many fists to the head, and you and me \u2013 for it was our love for him that kept him boxing long after he should have stopped.<\/p>\n

Which brings us to Michael Schumacher. Since his catastrophic ski accident in 2013<\/a>, when his helmet and head hit a rock at speed while going off-piste at Meribel in France, he has had such severe brain damage that he has never been seen by anyone other than intimates since.<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Michael Schumacher celebrates winning the Chinese F1 GP in 2006.Credit: AP<\/p>\n

But say it ain\u2019t so, Joe!<\/p>\n

Schumacher, you say, who raced at speeds of more than 300km\/h was finally done down while skiing? It can\u2019t be! Not him. <\/p>\n

With no counter-narratives, it means that every few months we get an unattributed bit of good news, always from an unnamed source: he\u2019s sitting up; he knows what is going on around him; he can communicate with his wife.<\/p>\n

The latest, this week, from the Daily Mail \u2013 no, really \u2013 was to the effect that \u201cMichael Schumacher is no longer bedridden\u201d. See, he\u2019s doing so well, he can even be pushed around in his wheelchair, in his properties by Lake Geneva and on Majorca.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Ferrari crew cheer home Michael Schumacher as he takes victory in the Australian GP in 2000.Credit: AP<\/p>\n

Great news! Worth a run. Worth talking about. And no counter-narrative, so what\u2019s the problem?<\/p>\n

Still, a bit weird, yes? Not only being pushed around in a wheelchair, but well enough to be moved between countries. And yet no photos at airports, private hangars or being moved from an ambulance have ever emerged. Odd.<\/p>\n

You know what, he might be so well he was even able to attend his daughter\u2019s wedding, as was reported last year! Again, weird that no photos from guests showed any such thing, but there you go.<\/p>\n

Look, he might be soooooo well, he could even give an interview?<\/p>\n

Such was the claim three years ago, when the German publication Die Aktuelle, ran a picture of him on its front page under the banner headline: \u201cMichael Schumacher, The First Interview, World Sensation.\u201d The edition sold out quickly \u2013 only for it to be revealed that the whole interview was AI-generated and never actually took place.<\/p>\n

So it goes.<\/p>\n

So it will go.<\/p>\n

The Schumacher family has chosen to give the family patriarch the dignity of complete privacy in the catastrophe he has faced \u2013 their perfect right. The job for the rest of us is to not believe anything, just because it fits the narrative we want.<\/p>\n

Land of the rising sons<\/p>\n

Meantime, let\u2019s hear it for the Kiama Cavaliers fourth-grade team, composed \u2013 as reported by the Kiama Bugle \u2013 of no fewer than seven father-son pairings. Step forward Shane Wilson and his son Oliver, Adam McCrone with sons Harry and Riley, Andrew Marsh with Heath, Giles Brown with Milo, Brett Nortje with Marlow, Col Bayley with Hayden, and Glenn Coghlan with his son William.<\/p>\n

Can any other team out there match them?<\/p>\n

And, seeing as you ask, this year I want to do more \u201cGotta love this city\u201d stories \u2013 yarns from the grassroots. If you have any, or any opinions whatsoever that you want to share, email me at pfitzsimons@smh.com.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Good to be back.<\/p>\n

What they said<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff on her post-match racquet smash meltdown: \u201cI tried to go somewhere where they wouldn\u2019t broadcast it but, obviously, they did. So, yeah, maybe some conversations can be had, because I feel like at this tournament the only private place we have is the locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Coco<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff displays her pure frustration in Melbourne.Credit: Channel Nine<\/p>\n

Iga Swiatek on it: \u201cThe question is, are we tennis players or are we, like, animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop, you know?\u201d You\u2019re tennis players. But part of your extravagant remuneration comes from the networks being able to put cameras where they can capture the emotions that sell.<\/p>\n

Alex de Minaur on another grand slam quarter-final defeat: \u201cI\u2019m playing out of my comfort zone and at times out of my skin. Of course, for me to take that next step, I\u2019ve got to be comfortable in playing that sort of way for the whole match. That\u2019s what it takes to take it to the next level, especially against these types of guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the world\u2019s finest basketballers, and good man, Steph Curry in full support of those protesting the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) killings of American citizens on the streets of Minneapolis: \u201cIn negative 10 degree weather it was beautiful to see that turnout. Speaks to how important it felt to those people to have their voice heard, and in those elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A mass protest against ICE and the Trump administration in Minneapolis on Friday, January 23, the day before Alex Pretti was killed.Credit: Bloomberg<\/p>\n

Las Vegas cop Kendall Bell on Australians being safe in Las Vegas: \u201cThere have been a lot of headlines about ICE \u2013 but they\u2019re not targeting Australians. They\u2019re looking for different nationalities, or people from different countries \u2013 Australians are perfectly fine.\u201d At least if the Australians don\u2019t look Hispanic, or step forward to try and save protesters being bashed.<\/p>\n

German Football Association vice president Oke Gottlich thinks the World Cup in America next year should be boycotted: \u201cI really wonder when the time will be to think and talk about this [a boycott] concretely. For me, that time has definitely come. What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s? By my reckoning the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion.\u201d <\/p>\n

Golfer Patrick Reed on leaving LIV to return to the PGA Tour: \u201cI am moving forward in my career, and I look forward to competing on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. I can\u2019t wait to get back out there and revisit some of the best places on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Novak Djokovic after Lorenzo Musetti had to retire with a two-set lead in their Australian Open quarter-final: \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say except I feel very sorry for him. He was the far better player. I was on my way home tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lorenzo<\/p>\n

Lorenzo Musetti reacts after retiring from his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly on Rabbitohs fans taking their picture wearing a Bunnies jersey out and about: \u201cSo the \u2018Random Souths Guy\u2019 is just that, it\u2019s a phenomenon that\u2019s unique to our club and in some ways unique to Australian sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Australian Maddison Inglis following her straight-sets loss to world No.2 Iga Swi\u0105tek in the fourth round of the Australian Open: \u201cEven though today didn\u2019t go like I had planned, it was an incredible two weeks. Pretty life-changing for me. The best result of my career, so super happy. I\u2019m looking forward to taking it into the rest of the year.\u201d When asked what she was going to do with the lazy half a million dollars she won, Inglis said she fancied a new toaster.<\/p>\n

Team of the week<\/p>\n

Sophie Molineux. Australia\u2019s new all-format cricket captain, replaces the retiring Alyssa Healy, who has been outstanding in the role.<\/p>\n

New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Will contest this year\u2019s Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

Don Bradman. His baggy green from the 1947-48 series against India just sold for $460,000.<\/p>\n

Maddison Inglis. The 28-year-old journeywoman picked up a tidy $480,000 for her Australian Open efforts.<\/p>\n

Loading<\/p>\n

Scottie Scheffler. Won again on the PGA Tour. Hottest golfer in the world, and has been world No.1 for the past 141 weeks. At his height, Tiger Woods managed that feat for 281 weeks.<\/p>\n

Perth Scorchers. Won the BBL \u2013 again. Be still, my beating heart.<\/p>\n

Jay Vine. Was knocked down by a kangaroo on the final stage of the Tour Down Under cycle race in Adelaide, but bounced back to win it. (I\u2019m here till Thursday. Try the veal!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As to Jannik Sinner, I don\u2019t want to be unkind, for I am sure he is a fine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[64,63,85,747],"class_list":["post-448310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}