Archive for the ‘Tennis News’ Category
Coaches and glass
Davis Cup
There’s been a lot of Davis Cup matches going on since the end of Wimbledon, with the matches heating up as it comes closer to the culmination of the year. Serbia have reached their first Davis Cup final after a tense battle with Croatia. Novak Djokovic eventually got to celebrate with his team mates after sealing a 6-3 6-3 6-2 victory over Marin Cilic. The match took place in the Croatian city of Split, and the final clash was between Janko Tipsarevic against Croatia’s Antonio Veic, with the Serb winning 6-2 7-6 (7-5). France have also made it into the semi-finals after a 5-0 battering of the defending champions Spain (admittedly with a very diminished team). Giles Simon got the score to 4-0 and Julien Benneteau took the final defeat against Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (7-3) 6-4. The Czech Republic has also made it through the semi-final after beating Chile. Argentina will now face France, after their close win against Russia in Moscow. In Eastbourne, Great Britain trumped Turkey 5-0 in therirDavis Cup Europe/Africa Group II play-off…well, at least it’s something.
Delpo ‘expected’ at US Open
Good news for all of us Delpo fans, Juan Martin del Potro is ‘expected’ to return to Grand Slam tennis at the US Open. He hasn’t played since leaving the Australian Open back in January, and the 21 year old had at first downplayed the idea of him coming back to defend his title, wanting to take the healing process slowly. But according to hi more »
Looking forward to the US Open…
So for the next Grand Slam, the players will be making the pilgrimage to America, where the US Open starts on 27th August. Who will be the ones to watch, and what things should we be looking out for, when the tournament gets under way?
1. Star appearances
You can always guarantee the stars will be out in force whenever there’s a top player on the court, particularly in the final stages. Maybe the big man himself Barack Obama will grace Flushing Meadows with his presence? Or maybe not.
2. Kids Day
Talking of stars, which stars will elect to appear at Kids Day, the fun and games opening to the tournament? Big names in tennis, comedy and acting do their best to make the day special for the kids lucky enough to get tickets to the event. Maybe Barack Obama can umpire a match of McEnroe verses Federer? Again, maybe not.
3. Absent del Potro
It’s sad to say, but the one person we won’t be seeing at Flushing Meadows will be last year’s champion. Juan Martin del Potro is still recovering from a wrist injury; even if at the last moment he decides to play, he has barely played since the beginning of the year. Last reports suggest he hopes to be back for the Paris Indoor tournament not long after the US Open. It’s a shame when a defending champion cannot actual partake in any defence of his title, but as Rafa showed at Wimbledon just because you have a year out of a tournament doesn’t mean you’re done for good. Del Potro lingers at more »
Wimbledon excitement mounting….
Who needs the World Cup, vuvuzelas and incomprehensible off-side rules? For the tennis fans of the world, there’s a special marking on the calendar: it’s the Wimbledon season once again. Strawberries and cream, cardigans, the all-white uniforms for the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club’s biggest two weeks of the year. All of these things get tennis fans and fans of the summer (and cardigans) tingling with excitement. As a biased Brit myself, I have to say I have a glow of pride and exhilaration at the idea of Wimbledon beginning again. Of course it’s helped by the fact it is wedged so close to the end of the French Open. It must be an exhausting schedule for the players, but a bonus for the fans.
So what has been happening whilst we’ve been coming down from a French Open high? Queens conjured a raft of surprises and unexpected defeats, starting with Andy Roddick’s exit to Israeli Dudi Sela. With Roddick being considered a King amongst Kings at this event, the upset was a truly shocking one, at 6-4 7-6 (10-8). Roddick will be disappointed going into Wimbledon with a poor warm up at Queens, particularly at a tournament he dominated at for so many years.
Another Andy went awol at the AEGON Championships: Andy Murray was defeated by American Mardy Fish 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-2). This was a blow for the top British player; Wimbledon is the one tournament where even Murray doubters have to admit he is dangerous, and yet he is going into it with more »
Roger Federer out of the French Open
When writing these blogs, I always set aside one or two for things that may come up unexpectedly in the tournament; newsworthy side anecdotes, steamy revelations, thrilling upsets. This time last year I had to squeeze in one about Rafael Nadal being beaten by a certain Robin Soderling, and that was probably the most shocking bit of news I have so far had to write about, up there with Juan Martin del Potro winning at the US Open.
Well what happened only about an hour ago, in my eyes, beats Nadal going out of the French Open early, beats Delpo taking the US title. Roger Federer, the world number one, has been ousted from the tournament in a stunning upset, and who was the orchestrator of his demise? Robin Soderling, again. The phrase ‘pulling a Soderling’ seems offensive now; this man is not just a one-trick player, he has a real mental and physical strength that could outstrip an on-form Federer at a Grand Slam.
Things seemed business as usual at the start of the match, with Federer taking the first set 3-6. But nobody beats Robin Soderling 13 times in a row. It didn’t take long for things to start swinging the Swede’s way. He broke Federer in the second set and took it 6-3, and soon the momentum was picking up and Federer seemed unable to stop it. His serve faltered, and the Swede’s serve only got better and better. Federer handed him a few opportunities with some unenforced errors, and Soderling picked more »
The Night Before the Day Before
Tomorrow, my university exams begin. Tomorrow, the players will be waking up with a sensation in the pit of their stomach that tells them that a Grand Slam is starting soon. Of course I would rather be in a position to play some fabulous tennis under the hot French sun instead of sitting an exam, but we all have our lot in life. And over the next two weeks whilst I will be slogging through timed essays, the top tennis players in the world will be taking part in second Grand Slam of the year at Rolland Garros.
The draw came out today, and so now the players know their fate as to how the tournament may play out for them. Two casualties have already altered everyone’s view of what the final may be; Juan Martin del Potro will be out for what looks like all of the Grand Slams this year, with his wrist still recovering from surgery. And the Henin/Clijsters final we have all been waiting will have to be postponed, with Kim Clijsters out with an injury sustained in the Davis Cup.
So what should be affecting your favourites for this year’s French Open?
Some are questioning Roger Federer’s ability to take his next in a long string of Grand Slam titles with other strong players nipping at his heels, and a difficult half of the draw. After all, Rafael Nadal is back on blistering form, having taken a host of titles after his 11 month dry spell. With Nadal’s more »
