Archive for May, 2012

 

Roland Garros “2012″ – The History Making Championships!

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

After four days of intense Grand Slam competition at Roland Garros in Paris the 2012 version of this popular major championship looks like it may well be remembered as the history making championships, already we have seen history created by two of the greats of the game, Roger Federer and Serena Williams.

Federer’s 2nd round victory over Romanian Adrian Ungur meant that the Swiss Maestro surpassed the open era record for number of match wins at Grand Slam events, he was tied with American Jimmy Connors on 233 match wins prior to his round two clash with Ungur but The Fed Express now has his name beside yet another piece of tennis history compiling 234 Grand Slam match victories and still counting. Williams has also created history at this year’s championships but it’s hardly the type of history that she would enjoy reading out to her grandchildren, after previously winning 46 times from 46 attempts in the first round of all Grand Slam events that she has entered, Williams created history by losing her great first round record at the Slams going down in a stunning upset to the world No.111, French veteran Virginie Razzano 6-4, 6-7, 3-6.

The other William’s sister Venus has also departed the championships at Roland Garros, her 2nd round defeat at the hands of Agnieszka Radwanska has created even more history, it marks the first time in 43 major championships in which both Williams sisters have participated that neither player has made it to the third round, while Venus’ more »

 

The Blue Clay Experiment In Madrid, Was It Worth It?

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

After Roger Federer had recorded his third win at the Madrid Masters in Spain last week and joined fellow record holder Rafael Nadal with 20 Masters titles, attention quickly focused to whether or not the experiment with the blue clay in Madrid was actually worth it.
From a pure viewing perspective the blue courts certainly ticked the box for me, the ball can be seen so much clearer on TV than when it’s played on the traditional red dirt, the blue court contrasts well with the yellow tennis ball and it certainly makes for a more enjoyable viewing experience.
I even enjoyed the pace of the court and I actually wish the tour had more variety in it’s surfaces throughout the year, watching a slow to medium court where players rally from the baseline for long periods can get a wee bit tedious at times, so the pace of the court in Madrid also ticked the box for me.
It was also a refreshing change to see attacking play and players being rewarded for their endeavours, mind you that may have had something to do with the third aspect I will now look at, the court surface.
The court surface at the Mutua Madrid Open was clearly responsible for the majority of the criticism that the tournament received, most players complained that the courts were far too slippery and did not allow for firm footing which ultimately could have led to accidents and injury.
The most vocal of more »