Archive for the ‘Wimbledon’ Category
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 »
If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run…
Even some poetic license and an already poetic title wouldn’t let me get away with starting this blog: ‘It was a rainy day in Austin, Texas’. Probably better to say:
It was another scorcher of a day in Austin, Texas.
Returning from a family holiday after a dire low point in his career, Andy Roddick sat in the arrivals lounge in the airport of his home city. He had just lost in the third round at Wimbledon, and it obviously hurt. He had gone home to see have a serious think about what exactly he needed to do with his career.
And on the TV in that Arrivals lounge? The Federer/Nadal final of 2008 that will remain a constant reminder of the greatness of the game of tennis and its champions, but a match that Roddick had initially wanted to avoid watching. The humiliation of going out too early still stung. But, as so many were, he was drawn into that match and remained there to watch. And, according to Roddick, it was there that he decided to get back into his game.
The Andys Make an Impact
But it wasn’t just the two Andys in action today. It will go largely forgotten, but Tommy Haas and Roger Federer also came head to head for the coveted final place:
Federer vs. Haas
A different story to the semi-final about to be discussed, but a semi-final nonetheless. Roger Federer came out onto Centre Court under a cloudy sky with a cool breeze following. It seemed quite obvious to all watching, even Boris Becker himself, that it was doubtful the German would give the Swiss much of a scare.
In the end, Federer moved to his seventh final at Wimbledon with 3 sets: 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-3. Not a walkover by any means, but Tommy Haas soon became frustrated at his inability to make a dent Federer’s game. He didn’t give Federer a single break point in the two hours but Federer couldn’t break him until for almost two sets. Still, Haas played well and tested Federer, even if only for a three set semi-final.
A Sisterly Affair
Wimbledon 2009 will once again be a sisterly affair, with both Venus and Serena making their way through. The matches they played to achieve this, however, could not have been more different. Whilst Serena slogged through an intense two hour 48 minute match that tested the nerve and mental stamina of both players, Venus’ match against Dinara Safina was over in a blink of an eye.
The world no. 1 even bagled in her last set, the final score being an embarrassing 6-1 6-0. The American trampled all over the Russian’s game, and no-one could help but agree with Safina when she said about her opponent ‘She’s just too good on grass’.
Looking at the statistics, there wasn’t much chance of Safina being able to fight past Venus. Whereas this is now Venus’ 8th final, this was Safina’s first semi-final at Wimbledon. Her mental strength and play were simply blown away by Williams’.
The word ‘whopped’ comes to mind.
The Semis Are Set Up
Today’s matches determined the places for the semi-finals; the final four all gunning for the final frontier.
1) Roger Federer battled against the mighty Croat Karlovic and his even mightier serve. Despite the breath-taking force and speed of Ivo Karlovic’s serves, Federer found a way to break it on a number of occasion. Whilst Karlovic pounded around the court as though his height and build created some sort of impassable air resistnace, Federer was dancing on the air with his characteristic athleticism. Karlovic is certainly a lean mean serving machine, but it was Federer class of play that allowed him to move the Man Mountain. He will play Tommy Haas for the final.
