And Wimbledon gets under way
Yes it’s day two of Wimbledon already. The delightful (sometimes) British summer is now host, and we are at its mercy now until the awards ceremony. So far the weather has behaved itself, with only a few disruptions due to drizzle, and organisers will be hoping for that to remain the same all through the tournament.
The British institution has yet to throw up too many surprises, and all things seem to be running smoothly for the well known players. Britain suffered a simultaneously mild cardiac arrest when Andy Murray dropped his first set, but he soon found the rhythm to make it past Daniel Gimeno-Traver. The Spaniard won the first set 6-4, but the Scot eventually got his head into gear and shifted his tactics according to the man on the other side of the court; which is always helpful.
Other big names: Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Roddick, Ivo Karlovic, Federer and Rafa included, also made it through. Roddick was on impressive form after his disappointing exit at Queen’s and looks set to continue through the tournament with ease at least for now. Delpo looked happy and comfortable with his game which is a relief for his fans after the long wait for recovery. Gilles Simon also made it through to the next round but had a battle on his hands with the feisty Edouard Roger-Vasselin who took him to four sets.
The rematch of all rematches will also take place in day 2, with John Isner and Nicolas Mahut facing one another one year after that mind-boggling score line last ye more »
Written by:Wimbledon just days away
Yes that’s right, we’ve barely had time to catch our breath and already Wimbledon is bearing down on us. We’ve hardly had time to get over our sunburn from the French Open and soon we’ll be on the cool grass of the All England Tennis Club. For us Brits, this is the official start to our summer, and for the rest of the world it is the true start of the grass season and a great midway point in the tennis calendar. Standing at number 3 of the four grand slams, we start to see new faces emerge as those with grass court specialities come to the fore.
But what has been happening in this short rest between the two grand slams? In Eastbourne, the women’s players have been battling it out to prove their mettle in their warm up tournament before Wimbledon. One piece of exciting news is that both Serena and Venus Williams are back in the tournament, which is a particularly special moment for Serena after having a blood clot scare on her lungs during her injury absence.
Despite cries that their return will just place the rankings back into that usual Williams vs. Williams battle, I have faith that in the Williams sisters absence some amazing players have grown and blossomed. They definitely have more competition on their hands this year. Unfortunately, one player that won’t be able to give the Williams sisters a run for their money is Kim Clijsters. She has been ruled out of Wimbledon after injuring her foot, which is a real shame just before the start of one of the most exciting t more »
Written by:Tennis moves to the grass
We’re at that strange stage of the year where very important tournaments start to step on each other’s toes. No sooner has the biggest event of the clay court season culminated in two exciting, breathless finals, has the grass court season started in earnest with Queen’s. Play started on Monday, only 24 hours after Roger and Rafa battled for the title, so it’s understandable that a number of players are slightly lagging. Still, Queen’s is a great way to help round up the clay court season whilst simultaneously kicking off the grass season.
Rafael Nadal is proving his worth as a champion by progressing quickly and effectively through the tournament. After a minor wobble against Radek Stepanek, he made it into the quarter-finals only days after competing against Federer for his 10th Grand Slam title. He won the match 6-3 5-7 6-1, and looks impressive as he heads towards the finals.
Andy Roddick has won at Queen’s 4 times, and is still on a positive course after beating Kevin Anderson 6-4 6-4. He now faces Fernando Verdasco. The other Andy, Andy Murray, is also on a steady course, making the quarter finals after a confident win against Janko Tipsarevic 6-4 7-6 (7-3). The tendon in his right ankle is still giving him problems, but so far it appears to be possible to play well with it. He is much more comfortable and at home at Queen’s, so his fans are hoping he can start a good build up for Wimbledon here.
So in what ways are these opening rounds of Queens a more »
Written by:Rafa a Champion again
So once again it was the Clash of the Titans, The Rivalry To End All Rivalries: the finals of the French Open with Rafael Nadal facing up to Roger Federer. Now the excitement wasn’t because this was a new and intriguing clash. In fact, it was one of the oldest rivalries in the book. The match up has been perfectly established as a great in the modern history of sport, and looks set to continue. Maybe that was why it drew the crowds. Not only that it has had so much coverage and talk over the last few years, but that it was continuing to do so. After a few iffy seasons from Federer and injury from Nadal, it looked doubtful for a while whether a Grand Slam would once again culminate in the Great Rivalry.
This time, many were thankful to see, it did. All other pretenders to the throne were cast aside and it was just Roger and Rafa. Of course, they are quite different to how they used to be when the rivalry was at its peak. Roger was number one in the world most of the time back then; now he is number 3 after Djokovic has muscled his way through the rankings. Rafa used to be the undisputed King of Clay, but he has been beaten on his favoured surface. Shock horror.
So the two men were very different; time had passed, it felt, as they walked onto the court. It was packed, unsurprisingly, and they were in a for a treat. Instead of a five set contest, they got a 4 set one, but that doesn’t mean that it was any less thrilling to watch. The Spaniard started off well, with Fed more »
Written by:Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal for the French Open title
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are once again to meet in a Grand Slam final after the two players won their semi final matches. Rafa was sublime against Andy Murray, beating the battling Brit in straight sets, 6-4 7-5 6-4. It took him just over three hours though, and Murray had moments where one of his trademark comebacks seemed imminent. But when Rafa gets his head down he is like a bull with its horns down on charge: determined and dangerous.
Andy Murray found himself speared with that clay court magic from the very first set, with Nadal being so comfortable on clay that no matter what Murray pulled out of the bag Nadal found something just a little bit better. Still, Murray pushed Rafa to some impressive break points, but he never managed to win them when it mattered. He is an improved man on clay, but it looks like he has a long way to go before he is able to beat the world number one on his favourite surface.
As for the Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer match, not many people knew where to place their bets. Most guessed it would be a five set battle, but with Roger Federer looking back to his old self and Djokovic on an impressive run, the outcome was unsure. But ultimately, it was Roger’s day. Despite winning the third set, Djokovic seemed a little tired and lacking in that magic that has got him the 43 winning streak. Federer, on the other hand, came into his own and moved into that silent, focused mindset that has won him his raft of Grand Slam titles.
Novak more »
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