The Best Wimbledon Ever

(T. Lovelock)

Notwithstanding the fashion displayed above, Wimbledon 2008 was the finest show of tennis I’ve ever seen. The women’s final was outstanding, but proved to be just an appetizer for the epic final in the gentlemen’s division. The five set encounter between the Swiss #1 and Spanish #2 was – and will likely be – the finest ever played on Centre Court, perhaps even in grand slam history.

On Saturday, Venus Ebony Starr and sister Serena squared off in their third Wimbledon final. The match began with Serena emphatically asserting her presence, easily winning the first two games. The last two finals contested between the siblings were won by Serena, and it looked as though Venus might been headed for another loss to the eight-time major winner. But at 0-2, Venus got her head into the match and showed off why she is the best grass court player of this generation.

Serena played magnificently, but Venus – impeccable.

The match ultimately boiled down to break point conversions: Serena went just 2 for 13. The younger Williams may have been expecting lesser offerings on her sister’s second serve, but Venus averaged 92 mph and won a remarkable 56% points on the second ball. While Serena is a masterful returner, Venus’ serve held up under the pressure.

After 1 hour and 51 minutes, Venus held aloft the Wimbledon rosewater plate for the fifth time. She also entered the number five position in all-time singles titles behind Billie Jean King and Suzanne Lenglen (6 titles), Steffi Graf (7 titles), Helen Wills Moody (8 titles), and Martina Navratilova (9 titles).

On Sunday, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced each over for a record sixth time in grand slam finals. They had previously been tied with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi who faced each other five times over the course of their amazing careers. Federer was poised to eclipse Bjorn Borg as the champion with the most consecutive Wimbledon crowns. He also was trying to turn around a year that had produced only two titles at relatively minor tournaments and, by his standards, was his worst since 2002.

For his part, Nadal was attempting to become the first player since Borg in 1980 to capture back to back French and Wimbledon championships, arguably the toughest feat in all of tennis.

The match was a virtuoso display of power, precision, athleticism, and artistry. Federer blasted winning shots from his serve and forehand wing; Nadal’s backhand was unbelievably consistent, his court coverage was unparalled. All credit to Nadal, Roger was a bit unlucky to find himself down two sets to love for the first time in her career in the finals of Wimbledon.

Unlike his whimpering finish in Paris, Roger stepped up his game. He sharply reduced his unforced errors, and produced an impressive offensive strategy of baseline aggression and penetrating netplay. Even so, Federer still could not find a way to break Nadal’s serve. The third and fourth sets went the distance and are decided in tiebreakers. The third set breaker was exciting, though handily won by the Swiss. The fourth set tiebreaker will go down in history. It was simply the most dramatic and courageous display of tennis I’ve ever seen.

Federer faced two championship points against him, but managed to emerge victorious with pinpoint accurate groundstroke winners. Nadal did not waver in his unrelenting attack. It was Roger who raised his shotmaking to impossible heights. Federer was again on the verge of making history by attempting to become the first man since Henri Cochet in 1927 to come back from two sets to love to win Wimbledon.

The two would battle through a 16 game final set. After nearly five hours of play, Rafa won his first Wimbledon on a final forehand error by the Swiss Mister. The match was pure entertainment, but toss in a heaping of history, the highest level of tennis ever produced between two players over five incredibly competitive sets, and finally a whole lotta emotion, you come up with the best match possibly ever.

Rafa was the consummate sportsman in stating in his acceptance speech that Roger was still the game’s best player. Roger was similarly cordial, but his utter despair was palpable. He should take heart in knowing that even in defeat, he showed off more heart and grit than most commentators ever imagined was possible for him.

It’s a testament to the nature of the game of tennis that had Federer won two more points while at 5-4, 30-all in the fifth set, the sports world would be crowning him the best ever. Instead, we remark on the changing of the guard or otherwise metaphorize ad nauseum on Federer’s defeat.

It was truly an amazing match. Rafa, I predicted you’d win this. Roger, my heart goes out to you. I hope that you will come back and show us why you deserve to be called the Greatest of All Time.

(C. Brunskill)

Raging Rafa

I’ve never given Rafa much credit on grass. In spite of the fact that he has been runner-up at Wimbledon for the last two years, I attributed his success to weakness in the field overall not his on-court prowess per se (Roddick is still impressive on grass but his talents have been eclipsed; Djokovic can play brilliantly but not yet on an entirely consistent basis).

Watching Rafa on grass this week, I’ve been converted. I believe that a clay court specialist can go all the way in London!

Rafa secured his spot at the Tennis Hall of Fame last week when he won his fourth French Open in a row. But his winning ways stayed with him over the English Channel as followed up with his first title on grass at the Artois Championships in England. He fought back an inspired Novak Djokovic, 7-6, 7-5. While it was his third straight win over the Serb, it was the manner in which he won all his matches this week that made me see the light.

Rafa has been simply awesome in striking forehand winners from all corners of the court. His groundies have adapted to the faster surface and his serve is intimidating. He never misses a passing shot and his movement is superb. Most impressive have been his trademark mental fortitude and aggressiveness. He is simply unrelenting.

For instance, in his 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 win over Ivo Karlovic in the quarters, Rafa wasn’t able to break serve a single time, but he still found a way to win. He blasted Roddick off the court in the semis, and while mental fatigue started to creep in during his final match against Novak, he demonstrated true grit and desire.

Many are speculating if Roger can win his 6th straight Wimbledon. I think the buck stops here this year. Rafa is going to be the first player since Borg to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. Can I get an Amen in here?

(www.artoischampionships.com)

Ana clinches #1 and first grand slam

(PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images)

Ana Ivanovic was picture perfect in nabbing her first grand slam title on Sunday. She clearly benefited from the experiences of her prior two runner up finishes in grand slams, including last year’s French Open and this year’s Australian Open. Against Dinara Safina, herself in her first grand slam final, Ivanovic kept her wits and calmly played within her abilities.

Watching Ana in last year’s final against Justine was painful. It was as bad as Mary Pierce’s implosion in 2005. But Ana has clearly grown, matured, and did not let the experience get bigger than her. To her credit, Safina kept the match competitive the whole way through, but her serve, surprisingly timid for her own considerable stature, allowed Ivanovic to pressure her in each game.

Wimbledon will be a good test for Ivanovic. As the pace of the game quickens on grass, she will lose the luxury of time, especially in her stellar return game. Ivanovic made the semis last year, but was taken out by the hard-serving American, Venus Williams. In fact, Ana’s record against big servers is less than stellar (1-4 vs. Venus, 0-1 vs. Serena, and 2-3 vs. Sharapova).

What’s more, through her title run, Ana did not face a single big server in the latter rounds at the French (Safina, Jankovic, and Schnyder), which obviously worked out perfectly. She won’t be so lucky in London, but for now, she can sit pretty with her trophy and a new number 1 world ranking.

(Getty Images)

Justine vs. Steffi

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. As I predicted, Justine Henin lost the number one ranking in the world. Of course, she did so in an entirely unexpected manner by retiring from the sport completely on May 14, 2008. (Well, ok, so I didn’t exactly predict she would lose number one, but just she would have many surprising losses in 2008. And this one sure is a biggie!)

Her departure from tennis has been written on and pondered over by writers the world over. Not too much I can add there. But given the many comparisons drawn between the two over the years, often stated in terms such as commitment to the sport, temperment, and even style of play, I thought I might contribute to the field by offering a comparison of accomplishments of Steffi at age 25 vs. Justine at age 25.

- In 39 slams played, Steffi won 15 (38%). In 31 slams played, Justine won 7 (23%).

- Steffi had won at least one Slam each year from the age of 17-25. Justine won at least one Slam each year from the age of 20-24.

- Steffi won at minimum seven tournaments per year from the age of 17-25. Justine won a minimum of two tournaments per year from the age of 20-25.

- Steffi’s most remembered year was 1988 when, at 19, she won all four Grand Slams and the Olympics, won 11 tournaments, and amassed a 72-3 win-loss record (96%). However, her most dominant year was 1989 when she won 13 tournaments and had a 86-2 win-loss record (98%). Justine’s most dominant year was 2007 during which she won 10 tournaments and picked up a 63-4 record (94%).

- By age 25, Steffi had won 85 singles titles and been runner up in another 25. Justine finished her career with 41 and 16 runner up appearances.

- They both won Olympic Gold for tennis, Graf in 1988 and Henin in 2004.

- At 25, Steffi had finished the year atop the world rankings six times (1987-90, 1993-94); Justine 3 times (2001, 2006-07).

- Steffi was the highest ranked player ever to retire when she was #3 in the world until Justine retired while she was number #1. (That’s the one stat the Justine will have forever over Steffi!)

Adding injury to insult

I admit, I sometimes put some predictions out there that aren’t really too daring. For instance, back in January, I offered that Justine Jenin suffer some surprising losses this year. But, last week, I said that Nadal was going to lose early in the French Open and permit Federer to claim his first championship in Paris. I had and still have absolutely no basis for this other than it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Today, Rafa lost in straight sets to the former Spanish number 1, Juan Carlos Ferrero, at the Rome Masters. It was bad luck as Rafa had some nasty blisters that he got treated down a set and 4-1. But, Rafa had never lost a match in Rome and was the three time defending champion – as he will also be headed into the French Open.

Rafa had been complaining about the shortened clay court season, which is perfectly justifiable given that the clay court season is where he makes history. But his foot problems today just added injury to insult.

Will this deflate his confidence going into Paris? I daresay no. I think that if anything this will motivate him to try even harder to defend his turf. Shucks…..I think Rafa gave me my early loss already and now I bet he will go the distance and take his fourth straight…..

(photo from espn.com)

Roger in perspective

Much has been written of 2008 at the slowest start to a professional season for the world number #1, Roger Federer, since the early part of this decade. Last week, he finally won his first tournament out of five entries this year at Estoril. This past Sunday he was a finalist again, but fell one match short of the title against Rafa Nadal at Monte Carlo. For the time being, it seems like Roger has righted his ship and is headed for a strong season.

Roger’s straight set humbling by Novak Djokovic in the Aussie Open semis set off a spirited debate for the pundits as to whether the Fed Express has been derailed. Whether it was effected by mono or not, Roger’s loss ended a string of 10 straight grand slam finals. It was simply a matter of time before he lost in the championship round, and it was not entirely unsurprising that it came at the hands of the game’s fastest rising star. On a slightly less historic note but pithy all the same, another streak was broken this spring when Andy Roddick held back the wave of a 12th straight loss to Federer in Miami.

With the rarefied air around Federer suddenly breached, it seems like the Swiss could go one of two ways: continue the downward spiral or, play with abandon, pull out the stops, and keep his date with history. Certainly no one expects him to win the French Open this year but, with all the pressure off him and on Nadal, who’s to say that it can’t happen? We’ve seen Roger’s armor crack ever so slightly. Is it hard to imagine that Rafa’s won’t also? Rafa’s gritty performance this Sunday taking down Federer, 7-5, 7-5, might lead most to the contrary opinion (including Bjorn Borg – who thinks that Nadal is going to win the French and Wimbledon), but not yours truly.

To be sure, toiling away the midday sun on the slow, red clay courts of Europe is not Roger’s cup of tea. But I’m not going to even wait for the rest of the clay court season to develop. I don’t care if Rafa has lost only one match in his last ninety-nine on clay. I’m going out on a limb here.  Based solely on the fact that he’s gotta go down sooner or later (yes, highly analytical, I know), Rafa will be bounced before the final at Roland Garros and Federer will, predictably, be there to complete, claim the title, and complete the career grand slam.

After all, how can a guy who hits a shot like this not win in Paris? (photo from espn)

Evolution of a player

Vania King was recruited this weekend by Fed Cup captain, Zina Garrison, to represent the U.S. against Russia. In the same position last year, she tamely came up short against Anna Chakvatadze 6-1, 6-3 on her home turf in Stowe, Vermont. She was easily outplayed by her opponent’s precision backcourt game.

This year, King, the 19 year old daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, demonstrated her development as a player and competitor. While she lost in both her matches (leading to a 3-2 overall defeat in this semifinal tie), King should take heart that she played smartly and very easily could have taken both matches. In her re-match with Chakvetadze, King bravely bashed her backhand into the corners and kept Anna on the run. A few lapses in concentration separated the two players, and ultimately made the difference at the end of each set. She lost 6-4, 7-6. In her second match, King took a set off world no. 13, Vera Zvonareva, but couldn’t close the deal losing, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

(Chakvetadze herself is coming through her own challenges this year, mainly from off court demons. Over the winter break between tennis seasons, Chakvetadze and her family with whom she still lives, were tied up and burglarized in their own home. Earlier this year, she reported posttraumatic stress and difficulty sleeping.)

King has strong potential to be a top 20 fixture on the women’s tour, maybe even top 10. If she can continue to evolve her belief in herself, I have a strong suspicion that within the year, King will be able to topple top 10 players and assert herself near the top of the next generation of American stars.

(photo courtesy www.vaniaking.net)

Serena aims for #1

(courtesy ESPN.com/AP)

Serena Williams wants to be number 1 in the world again.

After years of going through the motions and some surprising losses, Serena has clearly rededicated herself to the sport. To be sure, her accomplishments are already Hall of Fame-worthy. She has the most grand slam wins of any other active player (9), has won more then $19 million on court, and is a household name in most industrialized nations.

But since her self-named “Serena Slam” where she held all four majors simultaneously from 2002-2003, she has struggled with consistency. After her 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Vera Zvonareva in Charleston today, Serena has claimed three titles in a row and will climb to number 6 in the WTA Tour rankings. However, it’s a long way to go to number 1. In her favor is that fact that none of the women ahead of her, Henin, Ivanovic, Jankovic, Kuznetsova, and Sharapova, have their best games ahead of them in the coming months.

Though clay is her backyard, Henin is on the downward slide (expect her to lose number 1 by the end of the clay season). As far as the Serbs, Ivanovic has many points to defend and it shouldn’t be surprising if she falters under the pressure; Jankovic doesn’t have enough weapons to climb any higher than her current position (and I anticipate that her constant playing week in week out is going to eventually sideline her with injuries – I don’t care how flexible she is!). Svetlana does not excel on clay; neither does Maria Sharapova, though she should be commended for grinding out her first-clay court victory at Amelia Island last week.

Aranzazu Sanchez-Vicario commented before today’s final on ESPN2 that Serena lacks the relentless intensity that she had when she was utterly dominating in the early part of this decade. Can she get it back? I think so.

Serena’s course is highly reminiscent of the ups and downs that Andre Agassi has had in his career. His ranking had dropped so low at one point that he was playing challenger tournaments in the mid-90s. But, he turned his fortunes around, and after a four year dry spell in the majors between his title at the 1995 Australian, he came back in a big way and won two Slams in 1999. He won three more Aussie Opens after that.

Serena never went away for that long. When she decides to play, she is head and shoulders above the rest. Her wins at the 2005 and 2007 AOs were jawdropping performances, but she has proven that sustaining that level throughout the rest of the year was too much of a commitment.

2008 is a perfect year for her to launch this campaign to return to the top of the rankings. It’s a refreshing change from the standard line of most great players who, at a certain point in their careers, say that they play only to win the Slams (think Pete Sampras in his twilight years on the tour). Serena is aiming to confirm on the computer what the rest of the world knows when we see her play: that she is best female tennis player on the planet.

Illness strikes the WTA

Lots of news this week as women on the WTA tour battle severe illnesses. The most shocking is the passing of Austrian doubles player, Daniela Klemenschits, at just 25 years of age to abdominal cancer. She and her sister were once ranked as high as 95 just a few years ago.

(www.topnews.in)

Ashley Harkleroad, 22 years old, is currently recovering from surgery that removed an ovary due to a blood filled cyst.

And Venus Williams is undergoing medical testing for an undisclosed condition that will keep her sidelined for a few months.

Condolences to the Klemenschits family – and I hope Ashley and Venus have speedy recoveries!

Kimiko Date comeback!

One of my favorite players has decided to un-retire from tennis, according to AP reports today.

Kimiko Date, 37, recently defeated fellow retirees Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova in exhibition matches in Japan. Inspired by Lindsay’s comeback perhaps?

Whatever the case, I am excited to see her take the court again. She, like Jelena Jankovic, is naturally left-handed, but plays right-handed, so on occasion you can see her hit forehands off of both sides. How cool is that!

In her heyday, Kimiko reached as high as no. 4 in the world, reached the semis at the French and Wimbledon, and had wins over grand slams winners, Steffi, Novotna, Sabatini, Davenport, Sanchez Vicario, Iva Majoli, Conchita Martinez, and Seles. Not too bad shabby…

Now when is Mary Pierce going to make a comeback? Jennifer Capriati?