Archive for the ‘Wimbledon’ Category
A Round Up
What with the Isner/Mahut match, the rest of the opening stages of the tournament have been rather eclipsed. But there have been some scares, some winners and some losers.
Something that is actually more unbelievable than a 70-68 scoreline is the story that two former champions had sets taken off them in their opening matches. Tennis fans watched stunned as Roger Federer had two sets whipped off him by a plucky Falla. It seemed down to Federer’s superior experience and frame of mind that he was able to get the match back at all, with Falla winning the first two sets 5-7 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-1) 6-0. As the scoreline suggested, Falla began to ran out of steam towards the end, but he was brutal and unforgiving as he outplayed Roger on what is arguably his court. Sunny Centre Court was buoyed by the eventual return to winning ways by the Swiss; we like shockers but something that shocking would have simply been too much. Federer didn’t exactly have an easy way into the third round either, with Serbian qualified Ilija Bozoljac really engaging the crowd as he played. The eventual scoreline went Federer’s way: 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-5).
Rafael Nadal has also had a scare, losing two sets against Robin Haase, ranked 151st in the world. Rafa eventually won the game 5-7 6-2 3-6 6-0 6-3, but there were some rocky moments out there for the Spaniard before he finally kicked his game into gear. Nadal needing five sets to beat somebody in a match that isn’t the semis/finals? I’m not sure t 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 »
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.
