Right, OK, I figured I might as well do this post in a oner and cover both the mens and ladies finals of the Wimbledon championships. So, without any further ados let's take a look and see who emerged the champs on either side of the gender net...
LADIES FINAL
Well, the ladies final was of course between the five time champion, Venus Williams and the 2015 finalist, Garbine Muguruza, who had previously lost to "little sis" or rather Serena Williams. So, Venus actually went into this match as the favourite given the form she had shown going into the final, she looked poised to win her 6th Wimbledon title and end her major drought.
However...the match itself went a bit differently than planned as both players locked horns in a tight opening set, it saw in fact Venus get two set points against Muguruza at 5-4 in the match, however Garbine saved them both. And Garbine then went on herself to break Venus and with it she took the opening set and was half way there to claiming her first Wimbledon title. And in the 2nd set, something happened with Venus as she appeared to collapse under pressure or expectation (or so it seemed) as she made a series of errors that cost her the match and the title, which saw Muguruza win her first Wimbledon title with a convincing 7-5, 6-0 victory.
Well, its a pity the way this match turned out after a gripping first set, Venus inexplicably fell away from the contest and it became one-way traffic pretty quickly as Garbine ruthlessly sped to the finish line. Perhaps its could have been a mix of nerves or even fatigue from Venus that caused her collapse in the 2nd set but whatever it was, it was a pity she never managed to get herself back in the match as she kept going for too much on her shots.
As for Garbine Muguruza, well this was terrific win that will see her climb back into the top 5 in the world and now that she has two major titles to her name with the French open also from last year, Muguruza will surely see her win more in the future. So, Garbine deserves all the credit for having played a great tournament and it was great to see her fun side come out after the trophy presentation as she balanced the champion's dish on her head for a laugh as she walked off court! So, not only is Garbine a great player, she is also a great character for the game and her bright and bubbly personality is a breath of fresh air. So, congrats to Garbine, you deserve it.
MEN'S FINAL
Now we get onto the men's final, which was a much anticipated match between Roger Federer, the seven time champion and debut finalist, Marin Cilic who were playing a re-match of their epic five set match in last year's quarter final. So, this match promised to deliver much based on their previous one and given Cilic's form so far in the tournament he was sure to be the man to give Roger his sternest test.
However.....again.....the match itself it was a bit of a damp squib in the end as despite a promising start from Cilic, he just couldn't keep up with Roger, who piled on the pressure in the 1st set as he broke the Croat and then went on to win the set. In the 2nd set it was more of the same as Cilic quickly went down a break and at the sit down between games, 3-0 down, Cilic's poor form in the match started to takes it toll on him emotionally as he was shown to be in tears. As the match progressed, Cilic soon found himself a double break down in the 2nd set that was enough for Roger to grab the set and the match by the scruff of the neck. And in the 3rd set it was apparent that Cilic that was struggling with an injury as he had a medical timeout we saw he had a blister on his foot that was hampering his movement so far. And despite Cilic's best efforts he went down another fatal break that spelled the end for the big Croat as Roger went on to serve the match with ease and claimed his 8th Wimbledon title with an emphatic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 win.
Well, as far as finals go, this one sure was a bit of a letdown as Cilic needed to be no less than 100% to beat Federer in this match and after the 1st set and a break it was pretty evident there was no way back for Cilic. Its a pity for Cilic of course as he battled to be in the final and to be fit for the match but as it wore on, he needed the trainer on court to treat his blistered foot and trying to beat the greatest player of all time on his favourite court in the best of form of his life, was too much to ask.
However despite the disappointment of the match being not as competitive as we'd hoped you still can't take away from Roger Federer's incredible achievements this year and indeed here at Wimbledon where he clinched his record 8th title to surpass Pete Sampras's seven titles record. And what is even more remarkable for Roger is that he did it without even dropping a set, which is the first time he had done this at Wimbledon. And this win puts Roger way ahead of any of the other greats in the game just now and he really is the GOAT (Greatest of all time) with 19 majors to his name, its a record that I don't think will be beaten by Rafa or Novak Djokovic.
And looking ahead to the US Open you would have to say that Roger would be the favourite to win the title there also and if he does then he will take his tally to 20 slams, which would be unbelievable if he can do that. It would also see Roger claim three out of the four slams in the one season, which is something he himself hasn't done for 10 years and not only that but he will surely be the favourite to reclaim the World No.1 ranking from Andy Murray, who holds onto it for the time being despite his quarter final defeat at Wimbledon.
As for Marin Cilic, well it was a bitterly disappointing end to a great tournament for him and he came away empty handed from SW19 as he did at Queens but the signs ahead for Cilic look very promising, especially as we head into the North American hard court swing leading into the US Open. And at the US Open, this is where Cilic has already won his first and only grand slam so far and given the form he has shown in 2017, there is no reason not to pick him as one of the favourites to win the title there also. So, if we see Cilic lift a 2nd US Open title by the end of the two weeks at Flushing meadows, I would not be surprised.
WHAT ABOUT ANDY????
And before I finish up, I thought would say a bit about Andy Murray and his chances of playing for the rest of the season, which right now looks to be in serious doubt as Andy attended a hip specialist clinic in Switzerland to assess the damage to his hip. And based on the results, Andy will then plan out his rehab and schedule for possibly coming back to play.
And right now I can't say with any accuracy just when Andy might be expected to come back to play on the tour but I would certainly say it would be very doubtful that we would see him before the US Open and I would dare even say that even his appearing in New York would be in doubt also. Andy had attended Wimbledon yesterday to support his brother, Jamie who played in the mixed doubles with Martina Hingis as they went on to win the title there. However on leaving the club, Andy was seen to have been limping quite a bit, which to me suggests that he is going to need quite a bit of rehab or indeed even surgery.
So far in the press there has been speculation from hip specialists, who say depending on the extent on Andy's hip injury, he may have to undergo surgery, which could put him out for the rest of the season. Alterantively, Andy could also undergo a series of phyisotherapy and a course of injections to treat his hip, which might see him return to the tour sooner, which I'm sure given the choice, Andy would prefer to take.
However right now we can't say anything without much doubt and will have to wait and see what Andy's results will be and based on that he will have to plan out with his team just when he can make his comeback. But let's just hope for Andy's sake and the sake of his fans that his return will be sooner rather than later but at the same time he shouldn't come back until he is 100% fit, so if he needs to take out the rest of the year then that's definitely for the best.
Anyway in the meantime let's just wish Andy well and hope that his hip will recover in due course.
SIGN OFF
Right, so that's it for now and we finally say goodbye to the 2017 Wimbledon championships and with that I shall say congrats to Roger Federer and Garbine Muguruza on their singles titles. So, it might be a while before I do another tennis post as I will surely put up one prior to the US Open kicking off or indeed with an update on Andy's hip injury but until then I'll be back on my review blog.
Anyway, so for now I'll say goodnight and see you's later!
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