Right so after a rather prolonged wait I'm finally getting around to covering the men's matches from the first six days (yep that's right six!) of the 2014 Wimbledon championships of which Andy Murray is the current defending champion. But there is a lot to get through so let's start....
OK so starting with Day 1 in fine tradition the defending champion always opens play on centre court so Andy Murray had the privilege of doing so in his first match as he played the Belgium player, David Goffin to get his title defence under way. And Andy couldn't have made a better start as he broke the young Belgian twice in the opening set to take the early lead. In the 2nd set however Goffin started to relax into his grove a bit more as he fell behind a break again to Andy but he showed more promise, as the Scot took a two set lead. And in the 3rd set things were more tight and went by serve until 5-5 when Andy made the break and then served it out confidently to reach the 2nd round with a 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 victory. This was about as good a start as you could hope for Andy who looked in full charge of his game and back to his very best as if last year's Wimbledon was just yesterday. Goffin did his best but given that he has only won three matches all year, the young Belgian's confidence wasn't too high overall, but he did well enough in the 2nd and 3rd sets. But for Andy this was a confident start in the right direction to defending his title again.
Next up we had Novak Djokovic who took Andre Golubev of Kazhakstan, and Nole expressed his intentions to do well at Wimbledon straight off as he ruthlessly dominated Golubev from the first point handing out a bagel set to his opponent and in the 2nd set it was close to more of the same as Nole conceded only one game. Golubev however started to find some range as he held onto his serve until 4-4 when Nole got the break and slammed the door shut in his face as he raced to victory with a convincing 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 result. This was a very solid start from Novak and he too is looking formidable as a former champion and finalist last year, he knows how to win and reach the latter stages of the biggest events, so we will see how he progresses.
In other matches Grigor Dimitrov made a good start against Ryan Harrison as he swept the young American aside in straight sets 7-6, 6-3, 6-2. With Dimitrov having won the title at Queens two weeks ago he is looking very good on the grass courts and his game is well suited to it, which makes him a serious threat to everyone else out there including the big four. Tomas Berdych also got to a winning start but he didn't have it all his own way as he had to fight past Victor Hanescu of Romania in four sets 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. And lastly Dan Evans suffered an early exit at the hand of the Russian player, Andrey Kuznetsov in four sets 6-1, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6.
Moving onto day 2 Rafa got his campaign under way against a tough opponent, the Slovak player, Martin Klizan, a big hitter, who gave Rafa a bit of scare as he confidently took the opening set against the World No.1. Klizan continued to pose a threat to Rafa in the 2nd, but once Rafa got the break he never really look back, despite some plucky play from the Slovak, Rafa avoided another first round exit as he beat the Slovak 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. This was a tough opener for Rafa but it saw him get a much needed win on grass as it was the first match he had won on grass at Wimbledon in two years! But this no doubt would be a settler for the man from Mallorca and if he finds his groove then it will be mighty tough to stop him.
Then next up was Roger Federer, the seven time champion, who got off to a great start against the Italian, Paolo Lorenzi, who dismissed in fine style in straight sets with a very convincing 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. Lorenzi put up a decent in the 3rd set but in the end it was too little too late and Roger sealed the deal with great ease, which sees him signal his intent that he is hungry for an 8th title at SW19. Stan Wawrinka who also suffered an early exit last year and in the French open this year, made up for that in his match against Joao Sousa who he beat 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the 2nd round. Milos Raonic continued his run of form this year with a straight set win over the Aussie, Matthew Ebden in 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. And lastly Jo-Wilfried had to battle it out against a nightmare first opponent, Jurgen Melzer of Austria in a very entertaining match, which had a bit of drama as Melzer was suffering a stomach bug and went off court a couple of times and the match itself was suspended due to bad light at two sets all with Tsonga a break up, which he went on to win the next day serving it out in ease 6-1, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Onto Day 3 now Grigor Dimitrov kicked off play as he took on Luke Saville of America, who he beat with ease in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and reaffirmed again this is a contender for the title. Andy Murray also went on to improve on his first round with an even more impressive 2nd round performance against Blaz Rola, who he destroyed in straight sets, dropping only two games on his way to victory in 6-1, 6-1, 6-0. If this performance is anything to go on, this is the best tennis I have seen Andy play since Olympics which means everyone else better watch out as so far he really is showing that means business and is out to defend his title, which he might just do yet, but we'll see. Tomas Berdych however had a much tougher test against the Aussie, Bernard Tomic who pushed the big Czeck hard, and Berdych had to rally from a set down to beat the Aussie in four sets 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-1. And in the biggest shock of the day, David Ferrer suffered an early exit at the hands of the Russian player, Andrey Kuznetsov, as the young Russian showed real determination against the Spaniard, and stunned him with a remarkable five set victory, winning in 6-7, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. This was quite a shocker of a result for Ferrer, but I think he has been struggling with injury lately as well, however you can take anything away from the young Russian's performance as he made the win of his life here.
And lastly we had the match of the day which was between Novak Djokovic and Radek Stepanek, the Davis cup hero, which promised to be a very entertaining match and it proved to be just that. It looked like easy street early on though for Djokovic as he quickly sped into a two set lead, but from there Stepanek started his fightback and play went by serve in the 3rd, which went into a tense and thrilling 3rd set tiebreak, which Steppy won to push the match into a 4th. And in the 4th set it was more of the same as both guys thrilled the crowd with some wonderfully points as Stepanek slipped and slided on the grass and play went to a tiebreak again, but this time Stepanek's luck ran out as his forehand went wide on match point and a very relieved Djokovic made it into the 3rd round with a tough but very entertaining 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 result. There was no doubt this was going to be a crowd pleasing match given Stepanek's on court antics and he did a terrific job in pushing the former World No.1 as far as he did, but again it shows Nole's toughness in the face of adversity that he came through it.
Now onto Day 4, which saw Rafa start proceedings on centre court as he had a rematch against his nemesis of two years ago, Lukas Rosol, who put out Rafa in the same stage, which caused massive shockwaves in the tennis world. And given the way Rosol started it looked like it was going to be the same result, as Rosol was ruthless from the get go and his forehand was on blistering form as he broke Rafa to take the first set. In the 2nd set, Rosol broke Rafa again and went 4-2 up, but at that point momentum swung as Rafa dug deep and started his fightback as he broke to level and pushed the match into a tiebreak, which saw momentum swing to and fro, and Rafa saved set point and secured the breaker 8-6 to level the match. In the 3rd set however Rafa started to stamp his authority on the match and he broke Rosol who started to go for too much and make more errors and Rafa took a two sets to one lead. And it was the same in the 4th as Rafa sealed he deal with a break and he celebrated with much relief and a big fist pump as he conquered his nemesis and won the match in 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. This really was a test Rafa had to survive and once again he proved his champion qualities as he dug real deep to keep the at times inspired Rosol at bay, which now means Rafa has a real chance to go deep in Wimbledon and he could look to be on course for the second week.
After that we had Roger Federer who continued his serene progress through the rounds and he faced Gilles Muller of Luxembourg in the 2nd round, who can be a tricky customer on serve, but in the end he couldn't threat Roger's sharp play and he fell to the Swiss in straight sets as the maestro ease to victory in 6-3, 7-5, 6-3. Stan Wawrinka, Roger's Swiss buddy, however had a tough time of it against the Chinese player, Lu Yen-Suhn as he needed four sets to battle past him in 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 but at Stan remains on course where he could have a potential quarter final clash with his Swiss compatriot, now there's a match! Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had to endure another tough battle as well in a brutal early draw as he faced the big American, Sam Querrey in another match that had to stretch over two days as Tsonga fought back from a two sets to one deficit to level the match and both men played a lengthy 5th set, which was suspended due to bad light. But Tsonga came back the next day and finished it off as it saw him as the only guy to have spent four days on court in a row, but he got the win in 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 14-12. This was quite an impressive fightback from Tsonga, who has a good five set record, but it meant he would need to go on court the following day to start his 3rd round match, which means he would spend five days in a row on court! And lastly Richard Gasquet became the next biggest casulaty in the men's draw as the 13th seed, he fell at the hand of the rising talent, the Australian, Nick Kyrgios, who Andy Muray had tipped for big things. And Kyrgios certainly showed that promise against Gasquet as he battled back from two sets down to pull of an incredible five set win in 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 10-8.
Moving onto day 5, Novak Djokovic started play on centre court against the tricky French player, Gilles Simon. However Nole had the measure of Simon for the most part and after a tight first set, Novak broke to take the first set and he broke Simon twice in the 2nd to take a quick two set lead. In the 3rd set however there was some drama on court, as Novak took a nasty tumble on the grass and injured his shoulder, which saw him have to take a medical timeout, and Simon also managed to nab an early break. However it didn't last long as Novak broke back and went onto break Simon's spirit and serve to serve out the match and reach the 3rd round in 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. This was a bit of a scare for Nole as his fall looked pretty bad, but apparently his shoulder after was ok and given that he now has two days off before he plays his fourth round match on Monday, he should be alright for his next match. And Djokovic will next face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who managed to get a much needed straight sets win against a qualifier, Jimmy Wang, in the 3rd round in 6-2, 6-2, 7-5. This promises to be quite a cracker, however their last meeting fell way short of expectations at the French open, where Novak just demolished a desparately under par Tsonga, but hopefully this time Tsonga will do better. But whatever happens I'm certain that Djokovic will come through that one to reach the quarter finals.
Next up after that was Andy Murray who after two easy rounds, faced his first potential challenge as he played the in form Spaniard, Roberto Bautista-Agut, who is a good grass court player and won his first title the week before in Holland. But despite expectations, Andy quickly snuffed them out as he raised his level even more to dominate the Spaniard and at times he even toyed with him as he broke his serve twice in the first set. In the 2nd set Andy continued his reach vein of form but he did drop serve rather carelessly at one point, but Agut still had no answer for Andy's superb form. And in the 3rd set, Andy remained on course and broke the Spaniard twice again as he pulled off another very convincing victory as he reached the last 16 with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 result. As far as starts in a grand slam go, this is the best Andy Murray has ever played so far, and it also sees him go into the 2nd week without even dropping a set! And if Andy keeps up this form he will have a strong chance of defending his title as so far he looks almost like the man to beat at Wimbledon. But sterner tests lie are ahead for Andy however, as he will next face the South African giant, Kevin Anderson, who also has been playing very well, but given Andy's great form I can't quite see the big KA KO Andy, so we should probably see Andy in the last eight, but I guess we'll soon find out. So after that things will get tougher for Andy, with Dimitrov as a possible quarter final opponent and Djokovic maybe in the semis, but the defending champion so far looks up to the task and in ominous form.
In fact alot of pundits are already underestimating Andy's chances to win the title again, most likely because of his struggle to find form earlier this year, and the fact that he has recently come back from his surgery last year. However so far in the championships Andy has by far been the best player in terms of form and sharpness, well in the first week anyway and if he can continue that form I don't think anyone can stop him, which is partly the reason why I struggle to see Djokovic as the favourite for the title, who most pundits have tipped to win it. And not only that Andy has a 2-0 record against Djokovic on grass and has won both their previous matches at Wimbledon in straight sets, but things do change and there is no question that Djokovic has a chance to win the title, but right now I don't quite see it, but then that's just my opinion. However if Andy goes on to face Rafa in the final then I would have to favour Rafa simply because of their head to head, but that's all ahead of us, so I'll get to that later when the time comes.
In other matches Grigor Dimitrov faced his first big test as he played the talented Ukrainian player, Alexandr Dolgopolov on No.1 Court. And in the match Dolgopolov (or the Dog as he's nicknamed) came out sharp and made the better start and grabbed a two sets to one lead and threatened to break Dimitrov in the 4th to move ahead to seal the match. But Dimitrov fought his way back in and broke the Dog's serve at 4-4 with a superb lob and after that he levelled the match at two sets all. And in the fifth set, Grigor stepped up the gears and he wasted little time to break the Dog twice and he reached the last 16 for the first time at Wimbledon winning in 6-7, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. This was quite an impressive fightback from Dimitrov and with every match he is showing his potential that he can go all the way. However if Dimitrov is to go all the way he will need to go through the defending champ, Andy Murray, to do so and that will be a very big ask, but if they meet in the quarter finals it promises to be quite a match. And lastly big Jerzy Janowicz came up against Lleyton Hewitt, the former champion in what turned into a real contest and in typical fashion, Hewitt battled away but eventually fell at the hands of the big Pole in 5 sets, 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3.
And FINALLY we get onto Day 6, which saw play disrupted by rain on the outer courts for most of the day, however play still carried on under centre court as they closed the roof to ensure matches would be played out. So the action started with Rafael Nadal, who having survived his first two tests, went on to face the Kazhak player, Mikhail Kukushin, which promised to be an easier match for the Spaniard. But things didn't quite start that way as Kukushin suprisingly came out sharp and pushed the match into a tiebreak, which yet again saw Rafa drop the opening set. However it turned out to be no more than a blip as Rafa after that didn't look back and the Kazhak had no answer for Rafa's brilliance and had no plan B to back up his big hitting, which misfired as the match carried, which saw Rafa seal the deal in four to reach the last 16 in 6-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. Now that Rafa is in the 2nd week he is in a good position to potentially reach the final and it wouldn't surprise me if he does, but he still does have some tricky customers in his way, but as play carries he can only get better and I would be surprise if he didn't make it to the final round.
And after this was had Roger Federer who played the Colombian player, Santiago Giraldo, another big hitter, who has shown good form this year and even beat Andy Murray earlier this season on the clay. But this is grass and Roger Federer was his opponent, so the odds were against him, and like Kukushin, Giraldo had no real plan B, despite some impressive groundstrokes and some good rallies, the Colombian had no answer for Roger's incredible grass court form and he fell in three easy sets and saw Roger reach the fourth round for the first time in two years with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 result. Well so far, Roger and Andy have had the easier draw of the big four and next week things will get tougher for both of them, with Roger facing Tommy Robredo, who beat him in the 4th round of the US open last year and maybe his Swiss pal, Stan Wawrinka in the quarters. But I think Roger given his grass court pedigree (hate that word!) I think he will be able to at leat reach the quarter finals and maybe even the semis where he could face his old nemesis Rafa, but we can leave that for another day.
As for the other matches scheduled for Day 6 well they were cancelled or suspended due to rain so those matches will be played out on Monday as there is no play today on the first Sunday of the tournament (why don't the other slams do that eh????).
So after that LONG exhaustive post I shall leave it there and be back in a couple of days with more results.
Till then bye the now.
Sunday 29 June 2014
Friday 27 June 2014
Wimbledon 2014 Part 1: Ladies event...Getting into the swing of things....
So welcome to my first post on Wimbledon 2014, its a bit late in the day as we are already five days into the tournament! But I thought I would make a start anyway on first up I'll have a look at the ladies matches over the last five days, which I will summarise as quickly as I can. So let's give it a look....
So Day 1 began with Li Na on centre court who had a bit of resistance from her opponent Paula Kania in the first set, but in the 2nd Li broke twice to close out the win in 7-5, 6-2. Victoria Azarenka, who recently made her return to the tour last week in Eastbourne, also managed to get her first win in a major tournament since her defeat back in Melbourne at the Australian open quartrer finals. In the match however Vika did have some trouble against her opponent Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, as after taking the first set, Vika had to recover from a break down in the second before she went on to break herself and win the match in 6-3, 7-5. Venus Williams, the former five time champion also had a test in her opening match as she took on the Spaniard, Maria Teresa Torro Flor and needed three sets to beat her in 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. And lastly Dominika Cibulkova dismissed the Canadian player, Aleksandria Wozniak in straight sets with a 6-1, 6-2 result. Some of the seeds however bit the dust on the first day, with Sam Stosur the first victim, then there was Sloane Stephens, and a surprise exit for the French open Serena Williams conqueror, Garbine Muguruza as well, although I guess clay is her preferred surface.
So moving onto day 2 play opened up on centre court with Sabine Lisicki, the finalist from last year, who got her campaign off to a fine start as she swept past Julia Glushko 6-2, 6-1. Serena Williams also got off to a winning start (well no change there!) as she brushed aside Anna Tatishvilli with a 6-1, 6-2 rout, which shows Serena is in a no-nonsense frame of mind and she will be determined to make up for her early loss at the French Open. Maria Sharapova wasted even less time and games as she played the British wildcard, Samantha Murray and conceded just one game to hand a 6-1, 6-0 drubbing to the Brit. Eugenie Bouchard, the fast rising young Canadian star, who already has reached the last four of this year's first two majors, made a great start here as she took out the Slovak, Daniella Hantuchova in 7-5, 7-5. Bouchard really is looking like a potential future slam winner and she has proven over the last six months or so she really has got a big match mentality, so I'm sure she can go deep here. And there was Ana Ivanovic who was up against Francesca Schiavone, both former French open champions, who played a very entertaining match on Court No.1, but in the end Ivanovic kept her perfect record over Schiavone as she won a tight match in 7-6, 6-4. And lastly Agnieszka Radwanska breezed her way into the 2nd round as she took down Andreea Mitu in 6-2, 6-1 and Angelique Kerber also got off to a winning start against Aga's younger sister, Ursula Radwanska, with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Moving right onto day 3, Agnieszka Radwanksa opened up play on centre court with another easy win as she beat Casey Dellacqua of Australia in 6-4, 6-0. Petra Kvitova who won her first round match, went on to win her 2nd round one with great ease by dismissing the German player, Mona Barthel in 6-2, 6-0. Caroline Wozniacki, who has suffered a poor run of form in the majors lately, seemed to put that behind her as she got off to a good start, having won her first match she went on to defeat the british player, Naomi Broady in 6-3, 6-2. Li Na continued her run at the championships as well as she beat the Austrian player, Yvonne Meusburger with a 6-2, 6-2 scoreline. And lastly the former Wimbledon finalist, Vera Zvonareva announced her return to SW19 and battled it out to secure her first round win against the british player, Tara Moore after a tough three set battle in 6-4, 6-7, 9-7.
So next up is day 4, which saw Angelique Kerber take on Heather Watson, the British No.1 in what turned out to be a tight scrap on centre court. After Kerber dominated the first set, Heather fought back and broke the German to take the 2nd set to level the scores, but in the 3rd, Heather despite some fighting spirit, dropped her serve and made too many errors, which saw Kerber win the match in 6-2, 5-7, 6-1. Serena Williams on the other hand wasted no time in her usual way as she crushed the South African player, Chanelle Scheepers with a 6-1, 6-1 rout. Maria Sharapova also steamrolled her way into the 3rd round against Timea Bascinszky as she drubbed her with a 6-2, 6-1 score. And last but not least Eugenie Bouchard continued on course for her first major title as she beat Silvia Soler Espinosa 7-5, 6-1.
And finally now I'll get onto day 5 and play started with two former ladies champions, Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova go at it hammer and tongs on centre court for a place in the 4th round. And right through the match there was very little in it between the two of them, and at a set all, played went by serve in the 3rd and it was Petra that got the break to finally close out an intense two and a half hour battle in 5-7, 7-6, 7-5. This sees Petra win yet another match in three sets as she has had winning record of 13 matches this year alone that she has won in the deciding set. But whether or not Petra can go on to win the title is another question altogther as there are some tough customers ahead for her.
As for other matches we had the first big seed of the tournament fall as Li Na suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova who won a tight straight set match in 7-6, 7-6. Simona Halep, the French open finalist, had to battle her way into the 4th round as she faced Leisa Tsurenko and eventually outlasted her after winning in 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. And lastly Agnieszka Radwanska breezed her way into the 4th round as she defeated Michelle Larcher De Britto with a convincing 6-2, 6-0 score.
Right so that's it for now on the ladies side of the tournament and I'll be back quite soon with the men's tournament.
So see you soon.....
So Day 1 began with Li Na on centre court who had a bit of resistance from her opponent Paula Kania in the first set, but in the 2nd Li broke twice to close out the win in 7-5, 6-2. Victoria Azarenka, who recently made her return to the tour last week in Eastbourne, also managed to get her first win in a major tournament since her defeat back in Melbourne at the Australian open quartrer finals. In the match however Vika did have some trouble against her opponent Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, as after taking the first set, Vika had to recover from a break down in the second before she went on to break herself and win the match in 6-3, 7-5. Venus Williams, the former five time champion also had a test in her opening match as she took on the Spaniard, Maria Teresa Torro Flor and needed three sets to beat her in 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. And lastly Dominika Cibulkova dismissed the Canadian player, Aleksandria Wozniak in straight sets with a 6-1, 6-2 result. Some of the seeds however bit the dust on the first day, with Sam Stosur the first victim, then there was Sloane Stephens, and a surprise exit for the French open Serena Williams conqueror, Garbine Muguruza as well, although I guess clay is her preferred surface.
So moving onto day 2 play opened up on centre court with Sabine Lisicki, the finalist from last year, who got her campaign off to a fine start as she swept past Julia Glushko 6-2, 6-1. Serena Williams also got off to a winning start (well no change there!) as she brushed aside Anna Tatishvilli with a 6-1, 6-2 rout, which shows Serena is in a no-nonsense frame of mind and she will be determined to make up for her early loss at the French Open. Maria Sharapova wasted even less time and games as she played the British wildcard, Samantha Murray and conceded just one game to hand a 6-1, 6-0 drubbing to the Brit. Eugenie Bouchard, the fast rising young Canadian star, who already has reached the last four of this year's first two majors, made a great start here as she took out the Slovak, Daniella Hantuchova in 7-5, 7-5. Bouchard really is looking like a potential future slam winner and she has proven over the last six months or so she really has got a big match mentality, so I'm sure she can go deep here. And there was Ana Ivanovic who was up against Francesca Schiavone, both former French open champions, who played a very entertaining match on Court No.1, but in the end Ivanovic kept her perfect record over Schiavone as she won a tight match in 7-6, 6-4. And lastly Agnieszka Radwanska breezed her way into the 2nd round as she took down Andreea Mitu in 6-2, 6-1 and Angelique Kerber also got off to a winning start against Aga's younger sister, Ursula Radwanska, with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Moving right onto day 3, Agnieszka Radwanksa opened up play on centre court with another easy win as she beat Casey Dellacqua of Australia in 6-4, 6-0. Petra Kvitova who won her first round match, went on to win her 2nd round one with great ease by dismissing the German player, Mona Barthel in 6-2, 6-0. Caroline Wozniacki, who has suffered a poor run of form in the majors lately, seemed to put that behind her as she got off to a good start, having won her first match she went on to defeat the british player, Naomi Broady in 6-3, 6-2. Li Na continued her run at the championships as well as she beat the Austrian player, Yvonne Meusburger with a 6-2, 6-2 scoreline. And lastly the former Wimbledon finalist, Vera Zvonareva announced her return to SW19 and battled it out to secure her first round win against the british player, Tara Moore after a tough three set battle in 6-4, 6-7, 9-7.
So next up is day 4, which saw Angelique Kerber take on Heather Watson, the British No.1 in what turned out to be a tight scrap on centre court. After Kerber dominated the first set, Heather fought back and broke the German to take the 2nd set to level the scores, but in the 3rd, Heather despite some fighting spirit, dropped her serve and made too many errors, which saw Kerber win the match in 6-2, 5-7, 6-1. Serena Williams on the other hand wasted no time in her usual way as she crushed the South African player, Chanelle Scheepers with a 6-1, 6-1 rout. Maria Sharapova also steamrolled her way into the 3rd round against Timea Bascinszky as she drubbed her with a 6-2, 6-1 score. And last but not least Eugenie Bouchard continued on course for her first major title as she beat Silvia Soler Espinosa 7-5, 6-1.
And finally now I'll get onto day 5 and play started with two former ladies champions, Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova go at it hammer and tongs on centre court for a place in the 4th round. And right through the match there was very little in it between the two of them, and at a set all, played went by serve in the 3rd and it was Petra that got the break to finally close out an intense two and a half hour battle in 5-7, 7-6, 7-5. This sees Petra win yet another match in three sets as she has had winning record of 13 matches this year alone that she has won in the deciding set. But whether or not Petra can go on to win the title is another question altogther as there are some tough customers ahead for her.
As for other matches we had the first big seed of the tournament fall as Li Na suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova who won a tight straight set match in 7-6, 7-6. Simona Halep, the French open finalist, had to battle her way into the 4th round as she faced Leisa Tsurenko and eventually outlasted her after winning in 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. And lastly Agnieszka Radwanska breezed her way into the 4th round as she defeated Michelle Larcher De Britto with a convincing 6-2, 6-0 score.
Right so that's it for now on the ladies side of the tournament and I'll be back quite soon with the men's tournament.
So see you soon.....
Saturday 14 June 2014
2014 Wimbledon men's predictions
Well its not too long now before the third grand slam and most prestiguous tournament in the world of tennis get's under way at London SW19 in the town of Wimbledon, as the Wimbledon championships nears us once more. Last year Andy Murray made history by becoming the first British singles player to win the title in 77 years so he goes in as the defending champion. But as Wimbledon has been a tad unpredictable the last couple of years its hard to pick out the regular favourites, i.e. Djokovic or Nadal being the outright champions. So here are my predictions, which will probably not be that accurate but for what its worth here they are.
Novak Djokovic
Well believe it or not but I'm putting Novak Djokovic right at the top of this list and that's because in terms of consistency he has been the best player in the world over the last two or three years in the majors and most tournaments. And while Nole has struggled on the grass since his Wimbledon victory three years ago, he still has an excellent chance of winning should he reach the final and I think he will reach the final this year as he has been in the last four out of six major finals over the last year! However despite his consistency in his results, Novak has to yet win a slam this year and he hasn't won one since his win over Andy Murray in the Australian open final last year, so there is still a question mark over his head. And should Rafa reach the final then there is a fair bet that Rafa will win it given he has won their last four grand slam meetings. But given Rafa's back injury and very limited time to adjust to the grass, I can probably see Novak having a better chance of reaching the final than Rafa has. The other complication for Novak is of course Andy Murray, whom he has never even won a set against on the grass at Wimbledon never mind a match, so if the Scot finds his best form in the final again, well Nole is sure to be second best. However if neither Rafa, Roger or Andy reach the final then I think Novak will have his best shot at winning the title again for the 2nd time and as he has no fitness issues like Rafa has or has not had to have surgery like Andy and Roger might be getting a bit long in the tooth to go all the way. So the way I see it, Nole is a top contender with a real shot. Prediction: finalist or champion.
Andy Murray
Next up is the defending champion, Andy Murray, who made his mark in history by being the first British player to win the singles title in 77 years since Fred Perry back in 1936, which is in itself an incredible feat. However Andy after having come back from his back surgery isn't quite the same player this year and despite some good results in the slams so far with a quarter final result in Melbourne and the semis in Paris, he is yet to find his top form and hasn't won a title since Wimbledon last year or reached a final either. Andy also had a troubling dip in form this week at Queens club where he was the defending champion there too and he went out early in the 3rd round to Radek Stepanek, the Davis cup Czeck team hero. However we could attribute this to a bit of fatigue from Andy after having played such a gruelling yet promising campaign at the French open, which despite his drubbing from Rafa, saw his ranking bump up three places to No.5 in the world. But there is still a big question mark hanging over Andy as to whether or not has can defend his title this year, and despite hiring a new coach, Amelie Mauresmo (funnily enough they both have the same initials!) it remains to be seen how they will get on as a partnership. So there is much uncertainty ahead for Andy going into Wimbledon, however I don't think his result at Queens will be a true reflection of how he will play at Wimbledon and I think he will go pretty deep into the tournament. Can he win it this year??? I'm not entirely certain he will but I would really like to see Andy do it, and he just might with Mauresmo's help, who herself is a former Wimbledon champion and she has done very well at overcoming adversity in her career. There is also of course the issue of Andy's serve as his first serve percentage isn't high enough most of the time and his 2nd serve at Wimbledon will most likely get pummelled by his opponents, and whether or not Mauresmo can help with that or another is again another matter altogether. So a title defence for Andy is tough at this stage to predict but I do think Andy will be in the last four or final two. Prediction: semi finals or finalist
Roger Federer
So after Nole and Andy I have gone for Roger Federer, the seven time Wimbledon champion, who normally in the past you would bet your mortgage on each year that he would come out on top in his favourite tournament. But the problem for Roger this year is his schedule has taken a bit of a setback due to his wife Mirka, having given birth to their twins, it saw an impressive run from Roger earlier in the season disrupted. Roger is generally considered the greatest player of all time and it would be hard to argue with that, however in terms of fitness he isn't the same player he was, and in the slams he results over the last year or so haven't been that stellar and he made a surprise exit to Ernests Gulbis at the French open in the 4th round this year. Despite that I think Roger can still enjoy a pretty good run of form at Wimbledon and there is no doubt he will be sharper and more on his game this year than he was a year ago so it wouldn't be surprise he went real deep into the tournament. I don't see him as the champion, but I think he will still make an impact. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
Rafael Nadal
Right so you might ask why I have put the world no.1 at the bottom of the "big four" and the reason why is because while Rafa is at the top of the men's rankings and the undisputed king of clay having just won his 9th French open title, when it comes to grass over the last two years, if you will pardon the pun, he just hasn't been cutting it (sorry!). This might well be to do with the very short turnaround time between the French and Wimbledon, which at a mere two weeks is simply too short. especially given the fact there are months in between the other slams in comparison. And this has left Rafa turned and fatigued from his French open campaigns and without match practice for the grass courts. Rafa did travel to the tournament in Halle this year after his sucess at Roland Garros but he went out in his very first match to the German player, Dustin Brown, which showed his lack of match play on grass was evident and also a concern. So his success at Wimbledon will purely depend on how well he can put together a good run of form and also find a way to win his matches. If Rafa can survive the first week, I'd give him a good shout at reaching the semis or even the final, but if he plays a much fresher Novak Djokovic for example in the final, then I think we could be looking at the Serb lifting the title instead. There is also the issue of Rafa's back, which had been troubling him during the French open again, and given the sudden change in surface, this could prove a problem again. So as far as Rafa is concerned he's a difficult one to root for in Wimbledon this year as it will depend purely on his fitness, form and ability to find a way to get his matches won even if he isn't up to par. But if he get's into the second week then he's got a good shot at making a run to the title. Prediction: 2nd round, semis, final or champion.
Grigor Dimitrov
Next is Grigor Dimitrov who I thought would do a great job at the French open, however his campaign there didn't go as planned at all as he exited in the first round. But this time I think Grigor will go much deeper and he won his first grass court title today at the Aegon championships today at Queens club in London and there he proved he has the belief to tough it out and win. Grigor also has a game that is well suited to grass as well which will make him a very dangerous player at SW19 and should he make a good start then he's got every chance of pushing himself into the second week of the tournament. Can he win it???? Not so sure but unlike the French open I think he can make a better impact there than he did on the red dirt. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
David Ferrer
My next pick would be David Ferrer who quite alot of people would see morely as a clay court specialist, but this guy is no specialist, Ferrer can play great on every surface. Ferrer may not yet have won a slam but he has shown remarkable consistency in his results over the years on all surfaces and he has also reached the quarter finals at Wimbledon over the last two years, which shows the Spaniard's game translate well to grass. Ferrer however despite his tremendous foot speed, athletic ability and sublime return game, lacks the big weapons to take down any of the big four on grass and he might be at risk to one or two other top players as well, which most likely will stop his progress at SW19. However I do think that Ferrer will once again show his consistency and it would be surprise me if the Spaniard will go deep and another quarter final most likely be on the cards and perhaps he might go a little further, we'll see. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
Tomas Berdych
Then there is Tomas Berdych who was a former finalist back in 2010 at Wimbledon and he is also a very solid and consistent performer at SW19 over the years and with his big game and powerful serve he is a real threat to anyone on his day. However Berdych also lacks the mental edge that's needed when he get's closer to the finish line and he has often put himself in a position where he could go deep but then he squanders more often than not. So I don't quite see the big Czeck win the title but he definitely could make it into the second week given his pedigree on grass, he is a danger to anyone out there when he's on his game. Prediction: quarter finals.
Kei Nishikori
Kei deserves to be on this list as well as he is quite some player in his own right and he too has made it into the quarter finals of the slams in Australia, and he also recently reached the semi finals of the Gerry Webber grass court tournament in Halle (where Federer plays every year). The only issue with Nishikori will be his fitness as he had some back trouble during the clay court season where he managed to reach the final in Madrid, where he was a set and a break up against a less than convincing looking Rafa, before he was forced to throw the towel in because of his back injury. And if Kei's back flares up again well things might not be that good for him, but if it doesn't then I can definitely see the Japanese player reach the last eight or at least the final 16. Predictions: 4th round or quarter finals.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Then we have Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has been two times a former semi finalist at Wimbledon, and he has also reached the final at Queens club three years ago as well, so Tsonga's quality as a grass court player is undeniable. Tsonga however hasn't been having the best year as he has really been struggling with form and he made a puzzling exit at the French open in the 4th round against NOvak Djokovic, where he was sure to give the Serb a real match, but instead he faded badly, making a rash unforced errors he won only six games, perhaps he folded under pressure. And that is the problem with Tsonga as he is an all or nothing player, when his game is on, he can just about beat anybody, but when its off, and half the time it is off, then Tsonga really struggles to do anything well. So Tsonga if he can refind his form will have the chance to do well at Wimbledon, like he has in the past, but if he plays like he has so far this year, then he hasn't a chance, but despite that Tsonga could still pull himself together at SW19. Whether or not he does in time remains to be seen, but he could do well and get into the 2nd week. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
Stan Wawrinka
And then we have Stan Wawrinka who's season has enjoyed mixed fortunes, he started off the possible way by winning the Australian open, his major title and then went on to claim his first Masters title at Monte Carlo. But since then Stan has struggled to find consistency and he also suffered a few early exits, the most notable one being his departure at the French open in the first round. But what can be said for Stan is when he finds his form, he is very dangerous and difficult to stop, especially given the power of his game, with a big serve and the perhaps the best single handed backhand of all time. So Stan's progress at SW19 will again purely depend on him finding his form at the right time, he sure will want to make up for his early exit at the French open and I'm sure he will. Can he win it??? No don't think so because his game isn't really tailor made for grass but he can possibly make the second week if he plays well enough. Prediction: 4th round, quarter or semi finals.
John Isner
And last of all we have big John Isner, who is already a star at Wimbledon because he played that incredible match against Nicholas Mahut four years ago, which lasted well over 11 hours and the final set alone featured 138 games! So Isner has got a decent chance of doing well at Wimbledon given his powerful and largely accurate serve as well as a good net game, as long as Isner isn't drawn into big long rallies he may have a good chance of preserving himself for the latter stages. However the problem for John is that he is quite often drawn into big long matches and if he has to endure two five setters in a row it could really impinge on his chances to go any deeper. But with a decent 4th round result at the French open already this year, I can see the big man reach the second week this year as well at SW19 and if his serve is on, there's not much anyone can do. So he won't win it, but John is still a threat (and a very big one!). Predictions: 4th round or quarter finals.
So that's it for my look at my Wimbledon predictions, so I guess we'll soon see how they pan out. I'd personally rather see a repeat of last year's final between Andy and Nole, which could give Andy a good chance of winning again. But I'd rather not see Rafa and Novak in the final as its all too familiar and Wimbledon has been the slam that has shaken things in the last two years, so let's hope things are shaken up once more.
So my next post will cover the start of the Wimbledon championships so we will see how it goes, it should be fun.
Until then bye for now!
Novak Djokovic
Well believe it or not but I'm putting Novak Djokovic right at the top of this list and that's because in terms of consistency he has been the best player in the world over the last two or three years in the majors and most tournaments. And while Nole has struggled on the grass since his Wimbledon victory three years ago, he still has an excellent chance of winning should he reach the final and I think he will reach the final this year as he has been in the last four out of six major finals over the last year! However despite his consistency in his results, Novak has to yet win a slam this year and he hasn't won one since his win over Andy Murray in the Australian open final last year, so there is still a question mark over his head. And should Rafa reach the final then there is a fair bet that Rafa will win it given he has won their last four grand slam meetings. But given Rafa's back injury and very limited time to adjust to the grass, I can probably see Novak having a better chance of reaching the final than Rafa has. The other complication for Novak is of course Andy Murray, whom he has never even won a set against on the grass at Wimbledon never mind a match, so if the Scot finds his best form in the final again, well Nole is sure to be second best. However if neither Rafa, Roger or Andy reach the final then I think Novak will have his best shot at winning the title again for the 2nd time and as he has no fitness issues like Rafa has or has not had to have surgery like Andy and Roger might be getting a bit long in the tooth to go all the way. So the way I see it, Nole is a top contender with a real shot. Prediction: finalist or champion.
Andy Murray
Next up is the defending champion, Andy Murray, who made his mark in history by being the first British player to win the singles title in 77 years since Fred Perry back in 1936, which is in itself an incredible feat. However Andy after having come back from his back surgery isn't quite the same player this year and despite some good results in the slams so far with a quarter final result in Melbourne and the semis in Paris, he is yet to find his top form and hasn't won a title since Wimbledon last year or reached a final either. Andy also had a troubling dip in form this week at Queens club where he was the defending champion there too and he went out early in the 3rd round to Radek Stepanek, the Davis cup Czeck team hero. However we could attribute this to a bit of fatigue from Andy after having played such a gruelling yet promising campaign at the French open, which despite his drubbing from Rafa, saw his ranking bump up three places to No.5 in the world. But there is still a big question mark hanging over Andy as to whether or not has can defend his title this year, and despite hiring a new coach, Amelie Mauresmo (funnily enough they both have the same initials!) it remains to be seen how they will get on as a partnership. So there is much uncertainty ahead for Andy going into Wimbledon, however I don't think his result at Queens will be a true reflection of how he will play at Wimbledon and I think he will go pretty deep into the tournament. Can he win it this year??? I'm not entirely certain he will but I would really like to see Andy do it, and he just might with Mauresmo's help, who herself is a former Wimbledon champion and she has done very well at overcoming adversity in her career. There is also of course the issue of Andy's serve as his first serve percentage isn't high enough most of the time and his 2nd serve at Wimbledon will most likely get pummelled by his opponents, and whether or not Mauresmo can help with that or another is again another matter altogether. So a title defence for Andy is tough at this stage to predict but I do think Andy will be in the last four or final two. Prediction: semi finals or finalist
Roger Federer
So after Nole and Andy I have gone for Roger Federer, the seven time Wimbledon champion, who normally in the past you would bet your mortgage on each year that he would come out on top in his favourite tournament. But the problem for Roger this year is his schedule has taken a bit of a setback due to his wife Mirka, having given birth to their twins, it saw an impressive run from Roger earlier in the season disrupted. Roger is generally considered the greatest player of all time and it would be hard to argue with that, however in terms of fitness he isn't the same player he was, and in the slams he results over the last year or so haven't been that stellar and he made a surprise exit to Ernests Gulbis at the French open in the 4th round this year. Despite that I think Roger can still enjoy a pretty good run of form at Wimbledon and there is no doubt he will be sharper and more on his game this year than he was a year ago so it wouldn't be surprise he went real deep into the tournament. I don't see him as the champion, but I think he will still make an impact. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
Rafael Nadal
Right so you might ask why I have put the world no.1 at the bottom of the "big four" and the reason why is because while Rafa is at the top of the men's rankings and the undisputed king of clay having just won his 9th French open title, when it comes to grass over the last two years, if you will pardon the pun, he just hasn't been cutting it (sorry!). This might well be to do with the very short turnaround time between the French and Wimbledon, which at a mere two weeks is simply too short. especially given the fact there are months in between the other slams in comparison. And this has left Rafa turned and fatigued from his French open campaigns and without match practice for the grass courts. Rafa did travel to the tournament in Halle this year after his sucess at Roland Garros but he went out in his very first match to the German player, Dustin Brown, which showed his lack of match play on grass was evident and also a concern. So his success at Wimbledon will purely depend on how well he can put together a good run of form and also find a way to win his matches. If Rafa can survive the first week, I'd give him a good shout at reaching the semis or even the final, but if he plays a much fresher Novak Djokovic for example in the final, then I think we could be looking at the Serb lifting the title instead. There is also the issue of Rafa's back, which had been troubling him during the French open again, and given the sudden change in surface, this could prove a problem again. So as far as Rafa is concerned he's a difficult one to root for in Wimbledon this year as it will depend purely on his fitness, form and ability to find a way to get his matches won even if he isn't up to par. But if he get's into the second week then he's got a good shot at making a run to the title. Prediction: 2nd round, semis, final or champion.
Grigor Dimitrov
Next is Grigor Dimitrov who I thought would do a great job at the French open, however his campaign there didn't go as planned at all as he exited in the first round. But this time I think Grigor will go much deeper and he won his first grass court title today at the Aegon championships today at Queens club in London and there he proved he has the belief to tough it out and win. Grigor also has a game that is well suited to grass as well which will make him a very dangerous player at SW19 and should he make a good start then he's got every chance of pushing himself into the second week of the tournament. Can he win it???? Not so sure but unlike the French open I think he can make a better impact there than he did on the red dirt. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
David Ferrer
My next pick would be David Ferrer who quite alot of people would see morely as a clay court specialist, but this guy is no specialist, Ferrer can play great on every surface. Ferrer may not yet have won a slam but he has shown remarkable consistency in his results over the years on all surfaces and he has also reached the quarter finals at Wimbledon over the last two years, which shows the Spaniard's game translate well to grass. Ferrer however despite his tremendous foot speed, athletic ability and sublime return game, lacks the big weapons to take down any of the big four on grass and he might be at risk to one or two other top players as well, which most likely will stop his progress at SW19. However I do think that Ferrer will once again show his consistency and it would be surprise me if the Spaniard will go deep and another quarter final most likely be on the cards and perhaps he might go a little further, we'll see. Prediction: quarter or semi finals.
Tomas Berdych
Then there is Tomas Berdych who was a former finalist back in 2010 at Wimbledon and he is also a very solid and consistent performer at SW19 over the years and with his big game and powerful serve he is a real threat to anyone on his day. However Berdych also lacks the mental edge that's needed when he get's closer to the finish line and he has often put himself in a position where he could go deep but then he squanders more often than not. So I don't quite see the big Czeck win the title but he definitely could make it into the second week given his pedigree on grass, he is a danger to anyone out there when he's on his game. Prediction: quarter finals.
Kei Nishikori
Kei deserves to be on this list as well as he is quite some player in his own right and he too has made it into the quarter finals of the slams in Australia, and he also recently reached the semi finals of the Gerry Webber grass court tournament in Halle (where Federer plays every year). The only issue with Nishikori will be his fitness as he had some back trouble during the clay court season where he managed to reach the final in Madrid, where he was a set and a break up against a less than convincing looking Rafa, before he was forced to throw the towel in because of his back injury. And if Kei's back flares up again well things might not be that good for him, but if it doesn't then I can definitely see the Japanese player reach the last eight or at least the final 16. Predictions: 4th round or quarter finals.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Then we have Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has been two times a former semi finalist at Wimbledon, and he has also reached the final at Queens club three years ago as well, so Tsonga's quality as a grass court player is undeniable. Tsonga however hasn't been having the best year as he has really been struggling with form and he made a puzzling exit at the French open in the 4th round against NOvak Djokovic, where he was sure to give the Serb a real match, but instead he faded badly, making a rash unforced errors he won only six games, perhaps he folded under pressure. And that is the problem with Tsonga as he is an all or nothing player, when his game is on, he can just about beat anybody, but when its off, and half the time it is off, then Tsonga really struggles to do anything well. So Tsonga if he can refind his form will have the chance to do well at Wimbledon, like he has in the past, but if he plays like he has so far this year, then he hasn't a chance, but despite that Tsonga could still pull himself together at SW19. Whether or not he does in time remains to be seen, but he could do well and get into the 2nd week. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
Stan Wawrinka
And then we have Stan Wawrinka who's season has enjoyed mixed fortunes, he started off the possible way by winning the Australian open, his major title and then went on to claim his first Masters title at Monte Carlo. But since then Stan has struggled to find consistency and he also suffered a few early exits, the most notable one being his departure at the French open in the first round. But what can be said for Stan is when he finds his form, he is very dangerous and difficult to stop, especially given the power of his game, with a big serve and the perhaps the best single handed backhand of all time. So Stan's progress at SW19 will again purely depend on him finding his form at the right time, he sure will want to make up for his early exit at the French open and I'm sure he will. Can he win it??? No don't think so because his game isn't really tailor made for grass but he can possibly make the second week if he plays well enough. Prediction: 4th round, quarter or semi finals.
John Isner
And last of all we have big John Isner, who is already a star at Wimbledon because he played that incredible match against Nicholas Mahut four years ago, which lasted well over 11 hours and the final set alone featured 138 games! So Isner has got a decent chance of doing well at Wimbledon given his powerful and largely accurate serve as well as a good net game, as long as Isner isn't drawn into big long rallies he may have a good chance of preserving himself for the latter stages. However the problem for John is that he is quite often drawn into big long matches and if he has to endure two five setters in a row it could really impinge on his chances to go any deeper. But with a decent 4th round result at the French open already this year, I can see the big man reach the second week this year as well at SW19 and if his serve is on, there's not much anyone can do. So he won't win it, but John is still a threat (and a very big one!). Predictions: 4th round or quarter finals.
So that's it for my look at my Wimbledon predictions, so I guess we'll soon see how they pan out. I'd personally rather see a repeat of last year's final between Andy and Nole, which could give Andy a good chance of winning again. But I'd rather not see Rafa and Novak in the final as its all too familiar and Wimbledon has been the slam that has shaken things in the last two years, so let's hope things are shaken up once more.
So my next post will cover the start of the Wimbledon championships so we will see how it goes, it should be fun.
Until then bye for now!
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