Archive for the ‘Female Players’ Category
The Women’s Final
The women’s semi final battles have borne another thrilling French Open semi final. The controversial side of me wants to say that this could be because the Williams sisters are not a) able to play or b) at their top form. The women’s side of tournaments has been bemoaned as boring simply because the Williams sisters dominate it so much. This is probably less true with the comeback of Kim Clijsters and a host of lower ranked players emerging as the Williams sisters slowly lose some of their form.
Two of these such exciting names are Francesca Schiavone and Li Na. These are the two players that promise to make the women’s finals one to watch. One thing about these two players is their age; their combined years is the biggest in a Grand Slam final since 1998, when Jana Novotna and Nathalie Tauziat battled in the Wimbledon finals. Schiavone, who won the French Open last year, is 30, and LI Na is 29.
Schiavone looks top favourite as a returning champion. But Li Na has a Grand Slam final under her belt as well – the Australian Open this year – after she battled through to the finals where unfortunately she fell to Kim Clijsters. Li promises to bring in the Chinese fans of the sport, who have been growing in number as Li’s form has started to grow more and more impressive. And the two players are both so interesting and exciting to watch, that this could be a strong showing in the crowd seats. Which would be fantastic; the women’s game has lacked some support over the last f more »
The French Open excitement is well under way
As I brace myself to write my first blog since the end of the Australian Open, I can feel that familiar wash of nostalgia and enjoyment come over me. Things have changed, quite hugely, since the end of the Australian Open, but coming back to the sport after such a long time is like putting on your comfiest pyjamas, pair of slippers, and favourite television show. It just feels right.
Like I said, things have changed since the last Grand Slam, particularly in the men’s side of the game. Where did this fantastic form of Djokovic come from? 36 straight wins? I wonder what sort of pep-talk this man had with himself on New Year’s Eve. We were all pleasantly surprised by his win at the Australian Open; Djokovic has always hovered around the top end of the rankings, but he has only had one title to his name and after a while people started to wonder how long it will be before he started to drop like a stone. And then he nabbed the Australian Open title seemingly from the blue.
A few months down the line, and he has yet to come down from his superb high. We’ve had another sign of the Apocalypse as well: Novak Djokovic even managed to beat Rafael Nadal on clay in Madrid last week. My face still hurts from the slack-jaw that news gave me. Nadal had been on a two year-winning streak when it came to clay. For all intents and purposes the man’s official name was Rafael Nadal King of Clay. And then Djokovic, who had always been much better on the hard courts and was rarely ‘the one t more »
Tennis stars come together for another good cause
Sport is always a great way to bring awareness and knowledge to wide range of issues. Over the years it has been used to promote understanding about health, fitness, social injustice, and issues of race and ethnicity. It is also a great tool for helping people in moments of crisis. With the power of sport and its celebrity players, a lot of money and awareness can be raised to benefit so many people.
With tennis players now playing in Australia at the first Grand Slam event of the year, the devastating floods that have wreaked havoc across Australia are suddenly brought home to many tennis stars.
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were amongst other tennis stars who played exhibition matches at Melbourne Park on Sunday 16th to try to do their bit in helping to relieve the devastating affects of the floods. With communities and lives washed away, tennis players did what they have done many times before, and came together for a good cause.
The “Rally for Relief” event was held at the Rod Laver stadium in Melbourne, a place that will be the scene of so many more matches over the fortnight, but for one Sunday was used for the good of a crisis-stricken nation. Of course for some players, the affects of the floods don’t need to be brought home. Australian players like Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur were at the heart of the Rally for Relief matches, and were eager to put their sporting talents to good use in helping their fellow Aussies in a tim more »
The Most Wide-Open Women’s Draw in Years?
Isn’t it amazing how much the absence of one player can change things. With Serena out with an injury, suddenly it seems like anybody’s tournament. Or is it, really?
Clijsters was already the favorite, though by no means an overwhelming one, before the draw was made. Now, because of her soft draw, she has to be considered more likely to win it all.
Safina may look like a tough first round match, but these days Dinara often seems a shadow of her former self. She has not played well of late. Should Clijsters come through that match — and I am convinced that she will — she should have three fairly easy matches in a row, due to Petrova’s out-of-form play of late. Maybe four. I would like Radwanska to come through and give Kim a tough match if she were healthy. Jankovic has not been in top form for quite awhile now. I don’t think she is as highly motivated as she once was. It looks like a stroll to the quarters for Clijsters.
No doubt her semifinal opponent (Zvonareva or Stosur or Peer or Pennetta or maybe Jovanovski or Kvitova) will present a challenge. When she’s playing at the top of her game and doesn’t melt down mentally, Zvonareva can beat everybody. It would be no surprise if she won the tournament. Still, you have to wonder how Vera will handle the added pressure that goes with being the #2 seed. She has come far in overcoming her emotions, but I am not yet sure that she has entirely conquered those demons. If she has, maybe she should be the favo more »
US Open Preview
Well ladies and gentleman, it’s late August and for a tennis fan that can only mean it’s US Open time. The last ‘Slam of the year, hosted by America’s most famous city in a time of transition. Back to school for the kids, Summer passing the torch to Autumn. In this time of transition, however, there is one constant. Every year at this time the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center springs to life for one last grandiose event of the season. One last event for someone to make history, to turn a good season into a great one or a bad season into a spark for next season. So, with the tournament only a few hours away, the questions on everyone’s minds are simple: who are the tournament favorites, who is most likely to be upset and of course, who will be the cinderella story. Well, without further ado, let’s get into those topics.
Starting with the men’s field, let’s delve into some of the favorites.
1. Rafael Nadal – Rafa will get another chance to tackle the only ‘Slam that has eluded him in his young career. Nadal comes in with a sparkling hardcourt record on the season, but he has had trouble finding his game in Toronto and Cincinnati. Is it possible Rafa is out of gas, much like he has been at the US Open in the past? Final prediction – Semis
2. Roger Federer – 5-time champion Roger Federer will look to become King of New York again after a stunning defeat last year. Federer comes in riding high, winning the more »
