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.
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