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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Sorry for the lack of posts, I’ve been kind of busy lately. Well, May is nearly at a close and that means the French Open is about to start. I’ve always liked how the French Open begins at the end of the school year. It’s sort of a cool way to usher in the summer.

So, what has changed in the line up for this year’s Roland Garros? Quite a lot actually. Nadal, has ended his losing streak against Novak Djokovic. In fact he’s beaten him twice now on clay, reestablishing himself as the best player in the world, on this surface.

I’m picking Nadal to win the French Open, although in my estimation, he’s no longer invulnerable to being upset. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are leading contenders to knock off the king of clay but another dark horse looms in the shadows. Milos Raonic. He’s proven that his aggressive all court style can translate on clay. Raonic, is a formidable threat on every surface and I wouldn’t put it past him to give Nadal all he can handle.

Roger Federer, is the new world number two. Congratulations Rog. I have to admit, I never expected him to get back to being ranked ahead of Nadal. But he’s proven me wrong, so now I’m looking forward to seeing him in action at Rome this week.

If he does well and carries this momentum through the French Open and into Wimbledon, I believe he could win his 17th slam at the All England Club. Is it likely to happen? No. Although I like his chances more right now than I did a few months ago. Same goes for his prospect at an Olympic gold.

Roger, pulled out a very tough win against Berdych. The match could have gone either way, many times. In the first set Berdych was able to overwhelm Federer with his power. As the match wore on Roger was able to get ahead but he couldn’t keep the lead when serving for the set. Berdych, got the break back both times but still floundered in the end. Roger managed to eek out a 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over the Czech player. A very high quality match and a real nail biter.

Incidentally, I should mention that Roger will move up to two in the world if he wins the finals. This would be the first time he’d be ranked higher than Nadal in two years. That and it would tie his record for masters series titles with Nadal at 20 each. Given the significances of this match and Berdych’s comparative lack of experience in finals. I think Federer is a likely winner in their face off.