One by one, they took a press conference Thursday to describe their victories or losses on the court.
One by one, the athletes competing in the Australian Open decided that any conversation about serves and volleys could wait until after their tributes were paid to a man who was suddenly and tragically no longer in the room.
On Wednesday, the desperately sad news spread for the first time that Mike Dickson, Mail Sport’s peerless tennis correspondent, had died aged 59 while covering the tournament in Melbourne.
The outpouring of sadness and fond memories of ‘Dicko’ has been overwhelming, both within the media industry and beyond, but it is a mark of the esteem in which he was held that those he wrote about, for more than thirty years, have been. moved.
It can be a strange and combustible dynamic shared between reporter and subject. The need for criticism, which Dicko has never shied away from, makes this so. But such was his decency, honesty and honesty that he had few equals on the tightrope.
Mail Sport’s legendary tennis correspondent Mike Dickson has sadly passed away at the age of 59
Emma Raducanu paid tribute to Mail Sport’s tennis correspondent Dickson after her second round defeat
The sincerity of the comments from the game’s great and good, from Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King to Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu, shows how well he walked it.
Raducanu was a particularly poignant voice among many, as she was the subject of Dicko’s last message from the court, when he reported on her progress to the second round on Tuesday. As she dealt with her disappointment at leaving the championship, she went straight to the bigger picture.
“First of all, I would like to express my condolences to Mike’s family,” she said of a journalist who documented her New York fairy tale and all the difficulties that followed, and had written a book about a sports story unlike many others.
‘I heard the news this morning. To be honest, I was quite surprised because he was here two nights ago and everything was normal. It shows how precious life is and puts everything into perspective.
“I know I lost three sets, but compared to what just happened, I was surprised. It is a very sad day for everyone and their families. I really hope you can stay as strong as you can.”
Fellow Briton Cameron Norrie struck a similar tone after compartmentalizing the euphoria of coming from two sets down to beat Giulio Zeppieri.
“First of all, I would like to share my condolences with the family of Mike Dickson,” he said, before detailing the efforts Dicko turned to when his parents moved to London from New Zealand.
‘It’s so hard. He was always very honest with me, very nice to me. He went out of his way to help my parents move to London and settle in London. It’s a big shock. It was so hard to wake up and find out that news.”
British No. 1 Katie Boulter expressed her “deepest, deepest condolences” to Dickson’s family
Jack Draper – who was also defeated on a chastening day for the British – told how ‘supportive’ Dickson had been in his early career
British No. 1 Katie Boulter added after her second-round loss: “I would like to start by sending my deepest condolences to the family of Mike Dickson. It was a shock to everyone when he woke up this morning. It reminds us all of the important things in life. It really touched me.’
Jack Draper also found time to pay tribute after his defeat. He wrote on I didn’t know Mike very well, but he was always supportive of my young career.
‘He was very passionate about tennis and all I hear is that he was an incredibly nice, genuine person. Rest in peace Mike.”
There were some tributes from British stars, along with one from world number 1 Iga Swiatek. She also opened her press conference with a comment about a journalist who covered each of her four Slam victories. “I was really sorry to hear it,” she said, speaking for many.
From Nadal, absent in Australia but whose glorious career produced some of Dicko’s best reporting, there was a moving message on X.
He wrote: ‘I am very sorry to hear about the passing of Mike, who has followed tennis for all these years. My thoughts go out to his family and our tennis family for your loss. Rest in peace.’
Novak Djokovic offered his condolences to Dickson’s wife and family in his own tribute
Nadal is absent from the Australian Open due to injury but was quick to pay tribute to Dicko
Boris Becker, with whom Dicko worked closely and had a good relationship during and after the German captivity, added: ‘Terrible news from Melbourne. My sincere condolences to the family of Mike Dickson who passed away this morning… RIP Mike.’
Djokovic also sent his condolences to Dicko’s wife, Lucy, and three children, Sam, Ruby and Joe. Just a side note about Djokovic: during the Rome Ryder Cup he saw Dicko in a working environment that was less familiar to both of them.
Despite the attention of some of the world’s best golfers and a large number of fans and media, Djokovic headed straight to Dicko for a catch-up. He just had that effect on people.
As Greg Rusedski wrote, “He will be truly missed.”