Daniela Hantuchova loves Melbourne. It is evident in her results at Melbourne Park, and in her reaction to arriving in the city for the year’s first major.
“I couldn’t wait to get started at the Australian Open, after having so many great memories from last year,” she said. “I’m just very excited to be here, to be playing one match at a time and really having fun.”
Last year, the glamorous Slovak won through to the semifinals, the first time she had progressed that far at a major. She got past Maria Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwanska before falling to Ana Ivanovic, a match in which she led 6-0, 2-0 before succumbing.
She also made the quarterfinals in 2003, the fourth round in 2006 and 2007, and has started the 2009 event strongly, winning her first two matches.
Hantuchova’s defeat of local favourite Casey Dellacqua was a dramatic opening-night match on Rod Laver Arena that extended to nearly two hours. Both women had several chances to claim the first set in a tiebreak before Hantuchova, the 19th seed, prevailed 13 points to 11. She went on to take the match 7-6(11) 6-4.
She said her 6-4 4-6 6-3 win over Frenchwoman Mathilde Johansson in her second round match was a much more satisfying performance.
“It was a good fight. There were some great points on which I think I played well … I felt like I was really hitting my shots, and going for more and I felt like I was moving better, just overall I was less nervous [than against Dellacqua],” she said.
In many ways, Hantuchova’s career results – three titles and one Grand Sam semifinal showing – are a loose translation of her talent.
After bursting onto the tennis scene in 2002 by defeating Martina Hingis in the final at Indian Wells and rising to world No. 5 in early 2003, Hantuchova went into a tailspin. She lost form and confidence, languishing outside the top 50 by mid-2004.
To her credit, she was able to work her way back up the rankings ladder before putting in a brilliant performance in 2007, winning Indian Wells again to effectively see her career come full circle. That year she also won her third career title in Linz and qualified for the Tour Championships.
The Slovak said she is accustomed to the nerves that come with playing on the professional circuit. “It’s natural; I think if you weren’t [nervous] it wouldn’t be normal. It shows that I care,” she said.
“But it’s [also] about how you’re able to manage it and I think I handled it pretty well today [against Johansson] … in the first few rounds of a Grand Slam it’s always tough.”
If there was ever a time that nerves could affect her, it should be here at Melbourne Park. After making the semifinals last year, Hantuchova stands to lose a large bundle of points if she does not replicate that performance in 2009. However, she said she did not view the situation in that way. “It’s actually the opposite; I feel very honoured to be able to be in this position,” she said.
It is a situation she would like to find herself in more often if she is to rebuild her ranking following an injury-plagued 2008, during which slipped to world No. 21. Hantuchova said she has worked hard on her fitness during the off-season, and aims to again qualify for the season-ending WTA Tour Championships in 2009.
Should things not go her way on the tennis court, Hantuchova has many interests to keep her occupied off it. She is an accomplished classical pianist, speaks four languages, and loves rollerblading, jet-skiing, swimming and cooking.
But she is yet to indulge in these interests so far in Melbourne this year, preferring instead to concentrate solely on her tennis. “I try to save my energy for my matches and I try to stay focused,” she said. “On my days off, I practice in the morning and have a massage, and just kind of relax.”
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