2012 Wimbledon finals

Hey everyone, sorry for the extended delay of this post. My busy schedule sometimes keeps me away from my blog. But I’m back to talk about the Wimbledon final between Federer and Murray. Federer and Murray? Yeah, what an odd combination. For the last four slams it’s been Djokovic/Nadal but finally we have some new faces. Well maybe not new but atleast different. 

The match was very good. The kind of high quality you’d expect from a Wimbledon final. Andy Murray, has long been pursuing his first grand slam title. Just like Agassi was, twenty years earlier. The ironic thing is that both Andy and Andre had lost there previous slam finals before making the breakthrough at Wimbledon. Both were considered to be the underdog and neither player was considered a likely candidate to win this tournament. Andre, won his final against Goran Ivanisevic. Would history repeat itself for Murray? 

As the match unfolded Murray found himself quickly in control. He broke Roger at the start of the match, then a tug of war ensued between them. They exchanged breaks of serve but ultimately Murray closed out the first set 6-4. 

In set two, Murray had real opportunities to get a stranglehold but seemingly floundered his chances. He was making inroads on Roger’s serve and it looked like he might be able to take the second set in a tie-break. A few lucky points from Roger gave him the second set 7-5.

Set three went to Federer after an incredible battle at 3-2. Murray, threw everything he had at the Swiss but it wasn’t enough. After losing this game and conceding the break the momentum of the match was clearly with Federer. He blew through the third set with very few mistakes. Roger won the third set 6-3.

In the fourth set Roger, got an opportunity early on and pounced on it. From then on it was a forgone conclusion. Murray, had too much hill to climb, though he never stopped trying. Roger served out the match at 5-4 to win his seventh Wimbledon and seventeenth slam overall. 

After giving an emotional post match interview Andy Murray was cheered on by his home crowd. Roger, praised Murray’s performance, saying he was certain Murray would win a slam at some point in his career.

I agree with Roger. Murray, played great. It wasn’t like in the other slams where he stormed in playing brilliant tennis and then seemed to whither up and die in the finals. Murray, competed hard from start to finish. Were he able to win the second set, I think he would taken the match from Roger. In the future he will remain a viable contender to win slams. I believe he’s going to have a lot more opportunties.

Federer, winning his seventeenth slam at Wimbledon, just staggers me. No one has ever come close to that kind of number, I mean Pistol only had fourteen. Roger, is now in a class by himself. How many more. can he get? Could he reach twenty? At 30 years old I don’t think it’s likely but with a couple more Wimbledons and the US Open Federer could end up with twenty slams. Or more. Scary isn’t it?

Thanks to the win, Roger is ranked on top again and has broken Pete’s record of most weeks at number one. (Poor Pete, his records are just getting trashed this month.) I admit, that’s a record I didn’t think he’d be able to pull off when he lost the top rank to Nadal two years ago. I and a lot of others thought that Fed’s days at number one were over. Turns out we were wrong, Fed surprised all of us and now he’s number one again. 

With the US Open series starting next month, the players will be returning to the States to duel it out across North America. Expect the number one ranking to be up for grabs in the weeks to come.

Wimbledon semi-final preview

It’s been a long slog for these guys but they’re nearly at the finish line now. The only thing standing between them and the Wimbledon trophy is each other. Blocking Roger Federer’s path is the top seed Novak Djokovic. While Andy Murray, has to go through Jo Wilfried Tsonga.

It should go without saying that Roger Federer, is a fantastic grass court player. Will his past experience and success at Wimbledon be enough to overcome the athleticism and power of Novak Djokovic? I think so. Grass, is a rewarding surface for players who like to attack. The ball doesn’t bounce as high and it moves through the court quickly. Roger, will be able to play the match on his own terms without having to out-grind a younger and more physical opponent from the baseline.

Andy Murray vs Jo Wilfried Tsonga, is a tough one to call. Tsonga, is the better grass court player but he’s not as consistent as Andy Murray. It’s going to be decided based on how well Tsonga plays. If he comes out flat and doesn’t light up the crowd with his shot making, the match will go to Murray. But if he’s bombing aces and crushing forehands, then it should fall to Tsonga.

My prediction is Federer will play Tsonga for the Wimbledon championship this Sunday.

Alex’s review of the Wimbledon quarters

We’ve now reached the quarter-finals stage of Wimbledon. Let’s take a look at the draw and see how my predictions went.

The ones I got right are in bold.

1. Novak Djokovic vs 18. Richard Gasquet

3. Roger Federer vs 8. Janko Tipsarevic

9. Juan Martin Del Potro vs 4. Andy Murray

5. Jo Wilfried Tsonga vs Benoit Paire

So I was four for eight. Not bad, but not too great either.:( I was right with which top seeds would make it through but got the lesser ranked players horribly wrong. I didn’t expect so many upsets, but it has made the tournament more interesting. Shining the spotlight on guys like Phillip Kolhscrieber and Leonardo Mayer, who would normally be out by the quarter-finals.

The four lower seeds, are at a distinct disadvantage. Only one had made the quarter-finals before (and that was eight years ago.) Tsonga, Federer, Djokovic, and Murray have all gone deep in the draw, many times. Their supperior in weaponry, versatility, and experience. Honestly, I can’t see the lower seeds having much of a chance against them. Even with some astonishing upsets, I expect the remaining top seeds will make it through this round without too much difficulty.

They stole my idea!

A couple months ago, I stumbled across this thread on tennisopolis. The op was a t-shirt designer,  looking for tennis related sayings to put on his product. I came up with “You got served” posted it, then forgot about it until last week when I was flipping through an online tennis store and found a t-shirt with the exact same saying. Well, pretty much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to laugh when I saw this. Apparently Nike thought it was a good idea as well.:)

Seeds take heavy cassualties on day four. Nadal is out!!!!!!!!

What just happened here. Am I seeing things or did a qualifier just knock off the two time Wimbledon champion? As unbelievable as it may sound Lukas Rosol, ranked #100 in the world, took out Nadal in a five set match. I picked Nadal to win Wimbledon, so not only does this victory give Rosol, a massive confidence boost but it opens up the draw and gives players like Brian Baker and Phillip Kohlscrieber a realistic look at reaching the quarter-finals. Rosol, has done what every qualifier dreams of doing. Playing the match of his life against a highly revered legend and grinding out the win in a furious five set showdown. I had to look up the last time Nadal lost this early. It was Wimbledon 2005. Can you believe that? Seven years of reaching the finals or winning (not including ’09.) This is the first person, aside from Djokovic to have beaten him at a slam, in over a year and he wasn’t even ranked inside the top 100.

So, yeah this upset opens up the draw quite a bit. Of the bottom half players, Tsonga or Murray are the two most likely to benefit from this. Even though I had originally predicted Murray to lose early, it looks like I’m going to have to revise my statement.

Murray, put up an impressive win over Karlovic and with no Nadal in his section, Andy’s road suddenly looks a lot better. Things are shaping up nicely for him.

There were a few surprising upsets in the top half as well, with Ernst Gulbis knocking off the tenth seed Tomas Berdych in three tie-breaks. He then fell to Jerzy Janowizic in a close five setter. Another guy, who you’ve just never heard of before. Makes you wonder if it’ll be a turning point in their careers? Certainly, in Rosol’s case. He’s going to have his name etched in history as the guy who ended Nadal’s run at the finals.

As far as the top half is concerned. Federer and Djokovic look the most promising to advance. That doesn’t come as a surprise. Djokovic, may have to go through his Davis Cup buddy Victor Troicki, to reach the quarter-finals. Troicki has only beaten Djokovic once, but he has been known to give him competitive matches.

I can’t see anyone getting the better of Roger, until the semis. He’s looked sharp so far and again with Nadal out he’s got a good chance at winning another slam. If he can get past Nole, he can handle anyone else, left in the draw.

Now, for my revised prediction. First the quarter finals:

1. Novak Djokovic vs 18. Richard Gasquet

3. Roger Federer vs 8. Janko Tipsarevic

9. Juan Martin Del Potro vs 4. Andy Murray

5. Jo Wilfried Tsonga vs Benoit Paire

from there to the semi-finals

1. Novak Djokovic vs 3. Roger Federer

4. Andy Murray vs 5. Jo Wilfried Tsonga

and then the finals

3. Roger Federer vs 5. Jo Wilfried Tsonga

With the Wimbledon winner being Roger Federer.

Who looks ready for Wimbledon

 

 

 

 

 

This may be the first time in quite a few years, that Wimbledon is up for grabs. Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer are all leading contenders and I don’t feel there’s a clear favorite among them. Nadal has momentum going in, while Novak appears to have lost his and Roger, is hanging right in there with them.

They are so close in points right now that either Federer or Nadal could reclaim the number one ranking if Nole, loses before the semis and one of them wins the tournament. If Djokovic loses Wimbledon, it’s going to put his ranking in serious danger over the next few months, where he has a lot of points to defend.

Now, I’ve got to say something about this draw. We’ve got Federer and Djokovic in the same half again, while Nadal gets Murray in his section. At this point I have to ask why the number one player is always playing the number three and the number two always gets the number four? They’re supposed to have a fifty/fifty chance to play each other but Djokovic has drawn Federer at six of the last seven slams. Six of the last seven slams. Does that mean the draw’s fixed? Maybe that would explain why Mahut is supposed to meet Isner in the second round. Yep, for the third year in a row they’re scheduled to meet early at Wimbledon. Obviously it can’t all be a coincidence. There’s no way, the same two guys are going to keep drawing each other in the first two rounds, without some kind of tournament intervention. It’s all a bit too strange, don’t ya think?

Anyway, I’m picking Nadal to win Wimbledon. His draw is not terribly easy with Haas and Kohlschrieber (the guy who recently beat him) scheduled to meet in round three but Tsonga is probably going to be his first real test.

I haven’t said much about Andy Murray and that’s because I’m not expecting anything new from him. Murray, is a three time semi-finalist at Wimbledon. His results are consistently good but of the top four players, he’s been the most shaky. Milos Raonic, is lurking in his quarter and I could see him taking Andy Murray out. For some reason, I get the feeling he’ll be out early this year.

Nadal prevails in Paris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After an action packed final between the best two players in the world, it was Rafael Nadal who emerged victorious to claim his seventh title at Roland Garros. It’s amazing, when you think about how the French Open has played such a pivotal role over the last 8 years. It’s been the tournament that has foiled most of the runs at the calendar year grand slam. If anything, that should demonstrate how different clay is from the other two surfaces.

I’m sure Nadal, was thankful for the rain delay at 1-2 in the fourth set. Had the match not been postponed, it would have been Nole who hoisted the Coupe de Mousquetaires.

Now, with his quest for the grand slam over. Novak will be setting his sights on Wimbledon. Nadal, will be back to challenge him, as will Federer, Del Potro, and Murray. But this year, it’s up for grabs. Any of these guys are capable of winning it.

Del Potro is a little bit of a question mark. His best results have not come on grass and the knee issue make his chances of going far, even more questionable. Still, he has one of the best forehands around and his serve is an absolute bomb. With tools like these he’ll be a tough force to stop on grass.

Halle, will be starting this week, and Federer and Nadal have both entered in. This is the first time they’ve played the same grass court warm-up in seven years. It’s a pretty irrelevant stat but Nadal’s record at Halle is 0-1. Although with Luckas Lacko as his first round opponent, I’m pretty sure the two time Wimbledon champion will be improving that record soon.

Federer, has a dangerous opponent in the quarters. Milos Raonic, who despite losing twice to Roger, has taken him the distance in both of their meetings.

Look for some exciting action to take place over the next few weeks.