Ok so here is yet another post that is to do with my review of some of the best matches from the grass court season this year, and while the season is still actually ongoing as the Olympics is held at Wimbledon just now, I will probably add any further matches from that if any are deemed worthy enough. ;-) So without a further ado here it goes...
5. 2012 Olympic Games, semi final, Andy Murray d. Novak Djokovic, 7-5, 7-5.
Starting with this very entertaining match, we saw Andy Murray, the GB hope who was going for his first Olympic medal, but one man that stood in his way from reaching the final was Novak Djokovic. And on paper Djokovic was the natural favourite to win the match, however it proved to be quite the opposite, as Andy was on absolute fire in this tournament and he came out firing on all cylinders as he took it to Nole. This match saw Andy and Novak's fledgling rivalry that was blossoming throughout 2012 carry on in fine style, and in the match both men traded some exciting rallies, but it was Andy that came out on top of most of them, and he also managed to hold onto his serve in the crucial moments, avoiding break points on several occassions, as didn't let Nole into the match. And it was Andy that managed to get the key break in each set, which after the 2nd set, he sank to his knees in delight, as the crowd on Wimbledon centre court erupted in delight at their home favourite reaching the final to play Roger Federer. But this was definitely one of the most enjoyable matches of the grass court season.
4. Wimbledon championships, semi final, Andy Murray d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
This match couldn't really not be in this list because it ranks as one of the most memorable and above all historic matches in recent years, particularly in grand slam history, as Andy Murray was bidding to become the first British singles player to reach the Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin in 1938. In the match itself, Andy for the first two sets, probably played the best match of his career, serving and returning magnificently to take a 2 set lead. However in the 3rd set Andy's level dropped as he lost serve to let Tsonga find his way into the match after being on the receiving end of the Muzza, and Tsonga went on to win the 3rd set. The 4th set however must rank as one of the most nerve shredding sets of tennis ever played, as Andy knew what was at steak he battled with Tsonga, breaking at one point, but only to have Tsonga break back, and both men held serve until 6-5, with Tsonga serving to take the match into a tiebreak, Andy managed to get the most crucial break of his career to take him into his first ever Wimbledon final. You could almost say this was a match of two halves, with Andy in firm control for the first two sets, and in the 2nd two sets, we got a real battle, as both men knew what was at steak But in the end it was Andy's day and he became the first British man to reach the Wimbledon final in 74 years, and his 4th slam final overall, just a pity he came second best in that one.
3. Wimbledon championships, quarter final, Andy Murray d. David Ferrer, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 7-6
When you watch Andy Murray's matches, there are several different varieties, and there are matches that are bad for your nerves to watch, and then some, and this is probably is the single most nerve wracking match of Andy Murray's career. The main reason for this is because of the form of David Ferrer in the tournament was formidable, who played superbly in the tournament, and had previously beaten Andy in their two meetings, most recently at the French, and there were moments in this match where it could have been the same. After dropping the first set, and taking the 2nd set to a tiebreak, Andy was a mini break down, but managed to play the vital points to level match. After winning the 3rd set, it was even Steven in the 4th set, with Ferrer staying close with Andy, with the play going to another tiebreak, but this time Andy found a break, and went on to seal the win with an ace down the T, ending an exhaustive, brutal match. This really was one of those matches I could scarcely watch at times because it was so utterly intense throughout, and it really could have gone Ferrer's way, but Andy deserves nothing but credit for his tenacity and improved ability to play under high pressure, which couldn't have been more intense than it was here. And both players played some of their best tennis throughout the match as well, which must have kept the audiences off the edge of their seats, in fact they must have fallen off onto the floor! But after this match you kind of knew Andy had already done the hard work in order to reach the final, Ferrer was the real hurdle, and he made it
2. Wimbledon championships, Final, Roger Federer d. Andy Murray, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
Well this was the match many people had been waiting for, for quite a while and it was one match I'm sure that Andy Murray was waiting his life for, to reach the Wimbledon final. However his opponent was only the 6 time champion, Roger Federer, who played some of his best tennis in the previous two matches, so it was a tall order to beat him. And after 3 successive slam final defeats, Andy hoped to turn that around, and he got off to a strong start as he managed to win his first ever set in a major final, and he also managed to maintain his intensity level in the 2nd set, with a few break point chances against Fed. But Roger being Roger, managed to pull out a few genius shots to break Andy to grab the 2nd set, and at the start of the 3rd the cruel fate of the Gods saw the rain come on, which meant one thing, closing the roof. And given Roger's incredible record for winning indoor matches, and with no outside elements to deal with, Fed went on to take control of the match, winning the 3rd set, and breaking in the 4th to seal his 7th Wimbledon title.
After the previous disappointment of the last two Wimbledon finals of 2010 and 2011, this final more than made up for that, as both players played some high quality tennis for the energised crowd. And for once in a grand slam final, Andy Murray showed up, and after suffering the inglorious defeat last year at the hands of Djokovic, winning a mere 9 games, this time Andy doubled his luck, winning 18 games. In this match we also saw Andy play some aggressive tennis that showed the progress he really has been making since Ivan Lendl took over the coaching duties. But it was Roger that provided the moments of genius that ensured the title was his, and at 30, he is still the greatest player of all time, and with 17 slams who could argue with that. And despite Andy's loss, his heartfelt speech during the award ceremony, saw him win over the British public and the nation realised just how much he cares for the sport, as well as his terrific gutsy effort in the final. And that for me stands out more than Roger's victory here, as Roger may have won the tournament, but it was Andy that won over the crowd and the public. Great stuff as I often say.
1. 2012 Olympic Games, semi final, Roger Federer d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 3-6, 7-6(7-5), 19-17.
Well if the Tsonga vs Roanic match broke new ground with being the longest match in the Olympic tennis history up until that point, well Roger and Delpo decided to go one better here as they played an incredible and exhaustive epic of a match in front of the Wimbledon centre court. And for the most part of the season, Delpo had been beaten quite easily by Roger, up until the French Open, where Roger prevailed after 5 sets, with Delpo being injured his challenge dwindled toward the end of that match. However this match couldn't have been different as Del Potro came out swinging straight away, and broke Federer to take the opening set. And in the 2nd set Roger struggled to break the big Argentine's serve and it took a tiebreak to separate the two men, with Rog levelling the match to take the 2nd. But the 3rd set was a massive encounter with both men playing some very high level tennis, and for the most part neither player was able to break, however Roger had his chances to serve it out at 11-10, but Delpo seized the initiative to break back again. And after more play Roger finally secured the crucial break at 17-17 all, and finally served it out to secure his first Olympic games final. This really was quite a match and it would have been impossible for either player to have put in anymore, and at 4 hours and 25 minutes, it is the longest match in Olympic game history. And at the end it was a pity there had to be loser, and Delpo himself looked inconsolable as he walked off court, with Federer filled with emotion also at reaching the final. But for once in the final, the man who has it all, came up short, but that's another story.
So that's it for now, and yup all these matches were from Wimbledon, but where else will you get the best matches on grass.
And that's eeeet.
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