Wimbledon 2007 got a men’s final it didn’t deserve. After two weeks of incessant rain delays, arguments about scheduling, complaints about tradition, and a rather very one-sided woman’s final, we got to see 4 hours of glorious tennis.

And at the end of all that, Roger Federer stood Wimbledon champion and for the fifth time in a row. Now he is just 3 grand slams away from Pete Sampras’s record of 14 and chances are he might do it as early as next year. Federer edged the final in five tough sets 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. He did admit that luck had played a big part cause Nadal had 4 break points in the fifth set but couldn’t convert any of them.

Rafael Nadal might have ended up with the silver plate, but there is no doubt that we were seeing a future Wimbledon Champion. Now, I can’t wait for the U.S. open; to see these two to slug it on a surface other than grass or clay. Nadal still holds the edge 8-5 in the head to head. And for years we have been wondering if Federer will win the French and achieve the career Grand Slam, but now I feel there is an equally good chance that Nadal might do the same. In fact, the odds on Nadal are achieveing it are about as good.

India’s Sania Mirza and Israeli Shahar Peer’s run at Wimbledon came to a halt today as they lost to top seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in three sets. For Mirza this is another bullet point in the list of controversies she has found herself in. Be it for her T-shirts, religious fatwas or for her comments on pre-marital sex, Sania has managed to stay in the news for more reasons away from the tennis court.

But full credit to the girl for doing what she thinks is right. This partnership with Israeli Shahar Peer is particularly significant considering the two were criticized by religious groups for pairing in the Japan Open in 2005. I had hoped the two would do well and shut people up, too bad they had to run into the top seeds so early in the tournament!

I don’t care too much for what religious fundamentalists have to say but stay the hell out of sport!

Not the first controversial pairing:

However, the Mirza-Peer team is not the first controversial pairing in the world of tennis. That title should definitely go to the duo of Althea Gibson and Angela Buxton. Althea Gibson is well known for being a breaker of barriers, the first black to play both the US Open and Wimbledon, she was also the first black to win Wimbledon (however her achievements are much less known than those of Arthur Ashe) and was an inspiration to a number of players including the Williams sisters.

However, the Gibson-Buxton partnership is not very well known. Anti-Semitism kept Buxton out of a number of British clubs in the same way racism kept Gibson out of white clubs in the U.S. By the time the two met (in India of all places!), Gibson was nearing 30 and had remained in the sidelines due to restrictive polices in the U.S.

The following French Open found the two without partners (because no one would partner them) and the rest is history. Gibson and Buxton partnered in both the French Open and Wimbledon and would win both quite convincingly. Althea Gibson would go on to win 5 grand slam titles including 2 Wimbledon titles.

And if you had taken our Wimbledon quiz , you would know that in 1995 Gibson wrote a letter to Buxton saying that she was sick, poor and forgotten. Buxton immediately got the letter published (without Gibson’s knowledge) and managed to raise over a million dollars for Gibson.

Lets hope the Mirza-Peer team wins a couple of grand slams before they quit!

 

 

Tennis fans were in for a rude shock over the weekend when Asian Channel- Star Sports decided to telecast the Paes-Damn doubles match at Wimbledon over the much anticipated and eagerly awaited third round encounter between Roger Federer and Marat Safin. It’s a little tough to find any semblance of rationale in the manner in which this choice was made. The channel then telecast the Sania-Peer doubles match, without giving any importance to the Federer-Safin match.

Tennis websites across the world mentioned the Federer-Safin match as the featured match of the day as well as a prominent match for the first week of the tournament. Here are some of the reasons why I think the channel decided to telecast the doubles matches over both the Federer and Serena matches.

1. The channel thought that a match featuring an Indian was a reason good enough for telecasting it and giving it a greater importance than a match featuring the four-time defending champion.

2. So what if Sania lost in singles, a doubles match featuring her would be good enough to sky-rocket the viewership of the tournament.

3. A sudden awakening of “Star Sports’ “political consciousness” in promoting the Indo-Israel and as an after thought the Indo-Czech Republic relations.

4. Federer is anyway going to win the title, so we can directly telecast the final?

Hope the channel does not repeat these sort of choices for the coming rounds and keep in mind that tennis enthusiasts in India do want to watch players other than Paes, Bhupathi and Sania.

Roger Federer

The world no.1 and four-time defending champion would be gunning for his fifth straight Wimbledon title, thus match Bjon Borg’s record. This is his favorite tournament and he loves to come here every year and assert his supremacy. We first had a glimpse of his grass court tennis prowess back in 2001, when he took down the greatest Wimbledon Champion of all time Pete Sampras in five tough sets. He was a favorite for the title a year later, but the expectations took their toll on him and he lost in the first round to Mario Ancic in straight sets. Since then the Swiss champion has been unbeaten here. A win here might not completely dissolve the Roland Garros disappointment, but would surely be very precious for Roger.

He starts the tournament as a clear favorite, in spite of skipping the warm-up even at Halle-   the Gerry Webber Open, an event which he had won four times. So when he steps on the Centre Court at Wimbledon he would be playing his first grass court match of the year, while his rivals have played at the warm-up events. As for the draw, it could not have been tougher than last year, where he faced some very good grass-court players on his way to the title.

2. Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick, the third seed and twice-finalist at Wimbledon is the second best grass court player in the world. In the 2004 final, Roddick was up a set and was on the verge of taking set 2 when rain played havoc with his plans. Things were not the same for either players after the break as Roddick saw a slight dip in his level, while Federer started playing better. That was the closest Roddick got to the title.

This year Andy arrives at Wimbledon in fine form, having clinched his 4^th Queen’s Club title in London 2 weeks before the Championships. He had some tough matches in the tournament and in the final he saved a match point against Nicolas Mahut and clinched a thrilling victory. Last year he was beaten in the third round by the British star Andy Murray, who is seeded 8^th this year.

 

3. Novak Djokovic:

The world no.4 player’s performances have been a revelation this year, having performed well in the hard court tournaments – he won the Miami Masters beating Rafael Nadal in the finals – and reaching the French Open semifinals. Djokovic, nicknamed Nole, has an aggressive game and is often called the best all court player after Roger Federer. He is solid with both his forehand and his double-handed backhand and does not hesitate to venture to the net, a clear advantage he has over most other players on this surface.

4. Rafael Nadal

The three-time French Open Champion and last year’s losing finalist is not what one whom people would refer to as a grass-court specialist. But he shocked everyone by reaching the Wimbledon finals last year and also managed to take a set of Federer in the final. This year, Rafa is playing a more aggressive game, a factor that was the key for his victory in the Indian Wells Masters. Nadal though tired when he reached the Queen’s Club event, did manage to win a couple of matches before losing to eventual finalist Nicolas Mahut.

The player with the best outside chance:  This has to be Andy Murray. Last year, he reached the fourth round where he lost to Marcos Baghdatis and if he recovers completely from his wrist injury before the tournament starts, he could pose a problem to anyone on his day.

1.Serena Williams

Just like last year there is no clear favorite for the women’s singles title. In this new millennium, the Williams sisters have largely dominated the Championships, with Serena winning two and Venus taking the trophy thrice. This year too there is a Williams in strong contention for the title and her first name is Serena, the current Australian Open Champion. Serena has a game that’s very suitable for grass; her sharp serves and strong forehands could do a lot of damage to anyone. Seeded eighth this year, Serena would like to put aside her French Open disappointment where she was beaten in the quarters by eventual winner Justin Henin. As is her practice, Serena has skipped the warm-up tournaments, but is playing doubles at Wimbledon partnering her sister Venus.

2.Justin Henin

Wimbledon is the only Slam that Henin has not won. She came close twice, losing in the finals on both occasions. In 2001, she lost to Venus Williams, the then defending Champion in three sets and met the same fate last year at the hands of Amelie Mauresmo. Henin is playing a much more aggressive game now and is regarded as one of the best all-round players in the women’s circuit. She knows that though she herself has become a powerful striker of the ball, it’s wise to make forays to the net whenever possible to keep the rallies short, especially on grass.

3.Maria Sharapova

One of last year’s losing semi-finalists and the tournament second seed Maria Sharapova is a former Champion at Wimbledon. She triumphed in 2004, beating Serena Williams in straight sets in the finals. Maria arrived at DFS Classic, a pre-Wimbledon tournament after a semi-final appearance at the French Open on her least favorite surface – clay. She reached the final of the DFS Classic, losing to Serbian star Jelena Jankovic in a tight three-setter. Maria’s power-packed game is highly grass-friendly and she is very keen on repeating her 2004 success.

4.Amelie Mauresmo

The defending champion Amelie Mauresmo is seeded fourth this year. So far this year, Amelie has not shown signs of the form that has allowed her to win 2 slams last year. But the genial Frenchwoman would be no pushover at her favorite tournament. One of the few players on the women’s tour who can play a classis game of serve and volley, she used that style to great advantage last year when she bet Henin in three entertaining sets to clinch the title. She seems to have recovered from her Appendicitis and is hungry to bring-out her wide range of shots to win a second title here.

The player with the best outside chance : Never discount the chances of Venus Williams at Wimbledon. She was not one of the favorites at the 2004 edition of the tournament, but that did not stop her from winning the title. If she manages to keep a tab on those unforced errors and plays her game, she is one player everyone would dread to face at any stage of the tournament.Technorati Tags: Venus, Williams,, Serena, Williams,, Sharapova,, Mauresmo,, Henin,, Tennis,, Wimbledon

The world’s most famous tennis tournament start next week in SW 19 in London. Test your knowledge of Wimbledon.

A big thanks to Meera for helping out with some of the questions. It certainly helped that she has been at Wimbledon and got to do the official tour!
1-pointers

1. How do we know the area officially known as Aorangi Terrace better? If you need a clue, it got its name only during the late 90s after the BBC erected a big video screen for people to watch the matches on.

Henman Hill

2. Another sitter, after years of trying to win Wimbledon, who famously muttered in frustration ‘Grass are for cows’ resulting in one of the most repeated quotes of all time?

Ivan Lendl

3. Obvious question, who partnered Alisa Kleybanova to win the Junior Girls Doubles title at Wimbledon in 2003?

Sania Mirza
4. The 2006 Women’s Double Champions came from the same country. Which one? Bonus points if you can name the players.

China
5. What unique achievement is common to Bjorn Borg, Pat Cash, Stefan Edberg and (obviously) Roger Federer?

Won both Junior and Senior Wimbledon Mens Singles titles

_______________

2-pointers

1. One of the most charismatic champions ever, he had a list of 10 rituals he felt he had to follow before every match in the year he won the title. The oddest among them being watching Teletubbies every morning. His favourite Teletubby being Tinky Winky. Who?

Goran Ivanisevic in 2001- during that magic run which got him the title!
2. One of the most admired Wimbledon Champions of all time, he was arrested outside the White House in 1992 for protesting the U.S. treatment of Haitian refugees. Another clue? He defeated Jimmy Connors to win his only Wimbledon title. Who?

Arthur Ashe
3. This sponsorship deal between the company and the organizers of Wimbledon, dating back to 1902 is the longest ever unbroken sporting sponsorship in the history of sport. Which company?

Slazenger
4. A future Wimbledon champion caused a major stir when he remarked - “Eighty percent of the top 100 women are fat pigs who don’t deserve equal pay.” Later he clarified his comments saying “What I meant to say was that only 75 percent are fat pigs.” Who?

Richard Krajiceck

5. The Rolex watch in the centre court of Wimbledon is very unique. Why?

Only digital Rolex Watch

_____________

3- pointers

1. After a series of disputed calls in a match during the 1995 edition of Wimbledon, this American stormed off the court thereby defaulting the match. Later his wife went up to the umpire and slapped him resulting in the player being suspended the following year. Who?

Jeff Tarrango
2. This Wimbledon Champion and Tennis Legend fainted on hearing that she had (unknowingly) kept the Queen waiting in the royal box for her appearance. She withdrew from the tournament and never played Wimbledon again. Later she died at the very young age of 39. Who? Lesser known facts: She wept openly during matches and also sipped brandy between games to reduce tension.

Suzanne Lenglen
3. According to Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club Museum Curator, Honor Godfrey “It’s very important that when we are collecting from players that we collect for very particular reasons”. What item, in 2005, did he think was “absolutely amazing and that was an item that I was really pleased to get in the collection” because it had not been seen in the tournament since 1927?

Rafael Nadal’s pirate pants
4. This tennis player famously bet $500 on himself winning the men’s singles, men’s doubles and the mixed doubles title in the same year. And he won all three and ended up making more than 100,000 pounds. However, he is more famously known for another match that he played nearly 30 years later. Who is this gambler?

Bobby Riggs
5. This champion tennis player found herself bankrupt in the early 90s and living on welfare. She sent a letter to her doubles partner (and they had won the championship) and friend describing her situation and the fact that she was on the brink of suicide. Her partner arranged for the letter to be published in a tennis magazine without the former’s knowledge. The response was incredible and the tennis player in question ended up getting cash worth more than a million dollars from fans all around the world. Who?

Althea Gibson

Z

Nadal trumps Federer on Clay (again)

 

Roger Federer will have to wait at least one more year for another shot at winning the French Open title. On Sunday, Federer hurled everything at Nadal and still was found wanting as Nadal bet him 6-3.4-6,6-3,6-4 in a high quality match that lasted more than 3 hours. Nadal consistently attacked Federer’s backhand, sometimes more than 5-6 times in a single rally.

Federer did hit some incredible winners during the course of the match, but there were far to many unforced errors (60 on the whole to Nadal’s 28). By winning the title Nadal has become the first player since Bjorn Borg to win three French Open titles in a row. Now Nadal is one win away from equaling Henri Cochet’s 4 titles and once he reaches that milestone, the next big question would be if he could match Borg’s six French Open men’s singles title. As for Roger, he is already  looking ahead to Wimbledon. His coronation to the throne of greatest player of all time will just have to wait.

Henin demolishes Ivanovic

The Women’s final was a one-sided affair between World No.1 Justin Henin and the No.7 Ana Ivanovic. Ivavonic started well by breaking Henin’s serve in the opening game and was serving at 40-0 when nerves took hold of her and lost the next three points. Henin managed to win the game and from then on it was Henin all the way. The shots that would have been clear winners  against her semi-final opponent Maria Sharapova were tracked down by Henin. Also, Henin showed her usual willingness to come to the net and finish points on certain crucial occasions like on the match point. After an hour and 5 minutes the score read 6-1, 6-2 in Henin’s favor, her fourth French Open title and her third in row. She has not dropped a set here in her last two outings here and has not dropped a set in her four title matches here. Only Steffi Graf (6) and Chris Evert (7) have more single’s French Open titles than Justin Henin.

The French Open began on the 27th in less than perfect conditions. The tournament this year has been affected by rain, cloudy skies and windy conditions, reminding us of the tricky weather situation last year when the first week had damp conditions and the second week of the tournament was bright and sunny. The first 2 rounds went as per predictions with a few upsets thrown in.

The biggest upset so far has been the straight set elimination of Fernando Gonzalez, the fifth seed at the hands of Radek Stepanek. Stepanek went on to lose to unheralded French player Edouard Roger-Vasselin in five sets in the next round.

Americans not finding their feet on clay

Seeded American players were also bitten by the upset bug, as third seed Andy Roddick and eighth seed James Blake were sent packing by Igor Andreev and Ivo Karlovic respectively. Seven more American followed their two high-profile countrymen out of the tournament. Andre Agassi was the last American men’s singles champion at the French Open in 1999 and the only champion before him was Courier in 1992. It looks like there wont be an American champion for quite some time to come.

But there is good news for American tennis as the Williams sisters are playing their part pretty well. Both progressed to the third round where Venus would play Jelena Jankovic (who has already beaten Venus this year) - and Serena plays Michaella Krajicek.
Elsewhere, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the prime contenders for the title are making good progress, with neither dropping a set in their first two matches. Federer might face his first challenge in the form of former Roland Garros Champion Juan Carlos Ferrero or Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round, while Nadal’s fourth round foe could be former world no.1 Lleyton Hewitt.

Sania Update
From the Indian perspective, Sania Mirza was knocked out in straight sets in the second round by Anna Ivanovic. Not really a surprise considering how much she hates playing on clay and the fact that she has been recovering from an injury. She should do much better in the grass in England.

The contenders for the men’s singles title:

Rafael Nadal:

Till the Hamburg final it looked like dethroning the King of Clay would be next to impossible. But after a defeat in the Hamburg finals, it looks like there could be a serious rival for Nadal’s title defense in the form of Roger Federer. Nevertheless, taking the Spaniard’s supreme confidence on the surface, his custom-made game for the surface and his unbeatable record at Roland Garros, it would be unwise to not place the world no.2 as the title favorite. Rafa goes into the tournament without the burden of having to extend his 81-match winning streak. While his side of the draw is ridden with tenacious and top-notch competitors like Hewitt, Djokovic, Verdasco and Ferrer, Nadal is expected to rise to the occasion and clinch his third French Open title.

Roger Federer:

In his Hamburg triumph it looks like Federer has finally managed to implement all his “How-to-Conquer-Nadal” plans. He steps into French Open with his confidence at a real high level and he knows that this is the best year for him to clinch the one slam that has eluded him. While there are some tough clay courters like Canas, Ferrero, Safin and Volandri in his half of the draw. If he plays at the level he has managed to play in Hamburg, he should be able to put in some real strong performances in his path to the semi finals. His opponent there could well be the inform Gonzalez or the Russian fourth-seed Nilokai Davydenko.

Fernando Gonzalez:

Gonzalez lost to Nadal in the two clay court Masters tournaments in Rome and Hamburg. While in the first match he gets completely outplayed and manages just four games, in the second match the following week he won 8 games. He was able to point out his problem against Nadal – his inability to match Nadal shot for shot in long rallies on clay. Maintaining a high level of game for the span of 5 sets could pose a problem for Fernando. However, if he manages to play the brand of aggressive tennis that he usually does and if his giant forehand clicks, his chances cannot be completely ignored. If the form-book holds good, he should be facing Federer in the semifinals.

Nikolay Davydenko:

Last year’s French Open quarterfinalist and current World No.4 Nikolay Davydenko has so far been unable to replicate the kind of success he had last year, where he managed to win five titles and did consistently well in most of the tournaments he participated in. This year his start has been pretty good with him reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals. But he has played his best match against Spanish World No.2 Rafael Nadal in the Rome semifinals. He matched Rafa consistently and was successfully in hitting clean winners in some keenly contested rallies. In that match he was the one who dictated the terms stepping well within the baseline while Nadal was pinned on the baseline or a few feet behind it in most of the rallies. Such tactics would pay off well against most of the clay-courters whose retrieving skills are at a level slightly less than that of Nadal. But his lack of experience on the big stage could be a factor that could hamper his chances. But anyone who has seen the wiry Russian take Nadal to three tough sets should not discount his chances.

The contenders for the Women’s singles title:

Justine Henin:

The two time defending champion and the three time winner of the French Open is the firm favorite for the title. Clay is Henin’s best surface and she has always been at home at the Roland Garros. In the tune-up to the French Open she just played two events. She won one and reached the semifinals at the other, not an ideal preparation by the Belgian world no.1’s standards. The Belgian is however in fine form and her past successes here should make her really confident about her chances.

Svetlana Kuznetsova:

Kuznetsova has not been able to replicate her 2004 Grand Slam success after winning that year’s US Open. She came close to that last year when she reached the final of the French Open, losing to Henin in straight sets. The Russian third seed is very comfortable on the surface, having trained on the surface for 5 years in Spain. In the final last year, she did try to overpower Henin on many occasions, a ploy that did not work too well on account of the Belgian’s superior retrieving skills. But she did beat Henin this year in the semifinals of the German Open in a tough three-setter and that win should boost her confidence for a second shot at the title.

Serena Williams:

The Australian Open this year underlined one line of thought – “never underestimate a Williams, especially if her first name is Serena.” Clay though not her favorite surface, the younger of the two Williams’ sisters did taste success on the surface in 2002, winning the title by defeating Venus in the finals. This year she is seeded 8^th and is expected to meet Henin in the quarters. She is the only player in the draw who can actually beat Henin even on a day when the Belgian is playing her best tennis.

Jelena Jankovic:

The Serbian has been a revelation this year, winning two titles and reaching a couple of semifinals. Her strong backhand, excellent court-speed and physical strength should be her key strengths, while on the flipside her lack of big match practice and her supposed “nerves” might cause a problem or two. She is in Henin’s half of draw and if form permits she should be in the semifinals. But Jelena must first be focusing on a likely third-round showdown with Venus Williams.

Before playing Nadal in the second round of the Rome Masters, Daniele Bracciali’s team asked Federer to suggest how Nadal could be tackled on clay. Federer’s suggestion was simple- play a super-offensive game and it might pay dividends. While Bracciali did play an aggressive brand of tennis, he could not manage to dent Nadal’s reputation on clay. As for Federer, it appears like he has finally found the recipe for beating Nadal on clay, after coming agonizingly close on a couple of previous occasions. He finally ended Nadal’s 81-match streak on clay, beating the Spaniard 2-6,6-2,6-0 in the Hamburg Masters final.

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