The seedings for Wimbledon 2014 have been released! It’s good news for Murray and Federer but bad news for Maria Sharapova.
The Men’s Seedings
Andy Murray has been seeded third for this year’s Wimbledon – with Roger Federer fourth seed. That will help the defending and former champions in their quest for fresh glory at the All England Club.
Novak Djokovic is number one seed, with Rafa Nadal number two – which doesn’t reflect the French Open pecking order but is perfectly understandable given their recent records at Wimbledon.
The big favour has been done to Murray and Federer, who are world-ranked lower than their Wimbledon seedings and could in theory have faced a much tougher route to the final. Now they will at least be able to avoid Nadal and Djokovic until the semi-final stage, should they progress that far.
Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka is fifth seed, Tomas Berdych sixth, David Ferrer seventh and Canada’s Milos Raonic eighth.
And the ladies…
In the women’s draw, Serena Williams retains her number one status despite her indifferent form of late. Li Na is second seed, and French Open finalist Simona Halep third. Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland is fourth seed, yet French Open and former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova is only fifth seed. This means she may have to beat three of the very best to take the title.
Petra Kvitova is sixth seed, Jelena Jankovic seventh and Victoria Azarenka eighth.
Comments Off on Surprise Defeat for Federer at Roland Garros
Roger Federer was surprisingly defeated in five sets by Ernests Gulbis at Roland Garros.
The much loved Federer edged a first-set tie-break but then threw away a commanding position in the second to let the Latvian back in.
Gulbis eventually beat the legendary favourite 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
The underdog reflected later:
”I was a bit lucky in the second set when he had the smash (for the set). But I penetrated his backhand and served it out well in the end.”
Gulbis, who made himself unpopular recently by suggesting that women should think more about having families than playing tennis, acknowledged that he had few friends against Federer on Court Philippe Chatrier.
‘It was the biggest wins of my career and sorry to the crowd, I know how much you support Roger. But I hope I won over some fans today and I’ll have more fans tomorrow against Thomas Berdych.’ After three hours and forty-two minutes, Federer left the stage a forlorn figure in purely sporting terms, knowing he had squandered progress by taking his eye off the ball when he was on top. Perhaps the arrival of his new twins had proved too demanding behind the scenes, or maybe Federer simply shot himself in the foot by being too casual when he looked odds-on to progress to the quarter-finals.
There will be time to regroup before his favourite tournament of all, Wimbledon.
But Federer will need no reminder when he reaches the All England Club that he must put opponents away ruthlessly when he has the chance. The longer he allows a match to continue at his age, the more damage Federer does to his chances in a Grand Slam event these days.
Only a rediscovery of his killer instinct will give Roger hope of clinching another Wimbledon title.
He knows he can count on massive support at the All England Club for what will probably represent his last realistic chance of Wimbledon glory.
Want to be there to watch the great man give everything to Wimbledon one more time?
Comments Off on Federer and Djokovic Survive Setbacks...But Radwanska Is Out!
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic found mental strength in adversity to overcome some sticky moments on the Parisian clay today.
That’s what separates the champs from the also-rans. The very best find a way, even when it doesn’t quite feel like their day.
‘I lost my head once at Roland Garros when I was young,’ reflected Federer. ‘Now I just increase my focus.’
Both Fed and Novak wobbled to drop sets against Dmitry Tursunov and Marin Cilic respectively at Roland Garros. But crucially, both superstars struck back immediately to show who was really in charge. Federer won his first set 7-5, dropped the second to an excellent Tursunov tie-break, but hit straight back with a break early in the third to resume control and take the set 6-2. He never looked back and wrapped up victory over the ailing Russian 6-4 in the fourth. Overall it was an impressive display.
Roger said afterwards: ‘I thought I had control, Dmitry is always tough but I served well and even though I had to be careful with my work I thought I was a deserved winner.’
4 in three hours and eleven minutes. Novak said later:’It all went well for the first two sets but then I dropped my intensity and he came back. He pushed me to the limit but at the end of the day I won and that’s what matters most.’ Cilic, the 25th seed, blended wrist-inspired power with deftly-carved drop shots to take a third-set tie-break 7-2. Yet Djokovic raced to a three-game advantage in the fourth after saving triple break points on his own serve. Despite a fresh Cilic comeback, the popular Serb finished the job to put a testing afternoon behind him.
Meanwhile Poland’s Agniezska Radwanska was unable to show similar tenacity against one of Cilic’s lesser-known compatriots. Radwanska lost 4-6, 4-6 to Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia in the shock of the day.
And now, astonishingly, all three top seeds have fallen in the first week of the women’s tournament.
5 behind before she began to claw her way back into the first set at Roland Garros. But she failed to raise her game for long enough to mount a meaningful fightback. Instead the world number 72, who has suffered from glandular fever in the past, clinched the unlikely victory which propels her into the big-time.
Romania’s Simona Halep is now the highest remaining seed left in the women’s draw, though Maria Sharapova’s vastly superior experience makes her a strong contender for the title.
Want to see some more gloriously unpredictable tennis at Wimbledon next month? Want to witness the greats up-close-and-personal, digging deep to prevail?
Just click on the following link…
Comments Off on Grand Slam Tournaments: The Run Down
Grand Slam History: Wonderful Wimbledon Aces Them All
All the Grand Slams have their history – but nowhere has quite as much as Wimbledon. You can feel it when you walk in. That magic took many years to create. You can’t feel it anywhere else, for all the qualities and diversity of the world’s other venues.
Who would have thought, when the newly-named All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club held its inaugural Wimbledon Championship in 1877, that it would be the start of such an incredible journey?
Spencer Gore was the first winner, though Britain’s William Renshaw was the first 19th-Century tennis star, with his seven Wimbledon wins in the 1880s.
Pete Sampras and Roger Federer repeated the feat in the Open era and their task was somewhat harder. Once he became champion, all Renshaw had to do was to turn up for the next final to see off his latest challenger. How times have changed!
The “Other” Opens
It might surprise some to know that the USA started its own national championships as early as 1881, at the Newport Casino, Rhode Island.
The French weren’t far behind in setting up their own national tournament in 1891. And the dawn of the 20th century saw one of their greatest stars – Max Decugis – dominate the scene. Between 1903 and 1914 he won the French title eight times and might have continued his amazing run were it not for the outbreak of the First World War.
By then the Australians were up and running too, their first tournament having taken place in 1905.
The Tournaments Find Their Home Grounds
So which was the first championships to move to its current home? Wimbledon of course, in 1922. The French followed six years later when Roland Garros was established. The US Open didn’t move to Flushing Meadows until 1978, while the Aussie Open only found its current home in 1988.
But the French can boast the first true superstar of the game – SuzanneLenglen. The world marveled at her grace and talent. She took six top titles in France or Belgium and six more at Wimbledon to capture the hearts of just about every sports fan around.
Then the Brits came up with a superstar of their own. Fred Perry won Wimbledon three times in the 1930s. As we all know, it took until last year for a Brit to win it again. But Perry did something Andy Murray can still only dream about. He became the first player to win the French, Australian and US titles too, all in that same decade.
Amazingly, an American called Maureen Connolly Baker achieved the same feat while she was still a teenager, between 1951 and 1953.
Each country or tournament has its giants. Home-grown Roy Emerson won the Australian six times in the 1960s, while in the Open era Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic managed such glory four times Down Under.
The Tennis Giants
Wimbledon’s true giants of the Open era haven’t been British. Pete Sampras has won it seven times, along with Federer. Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon an extraordinary nine times. Each champion has been hailed by an adoring British public, which became very used to putting nationality aside during the many years when a Brit couldn’t quite cut it.
US champions William Larned, Richard Sears and Bill Tilden may not be mentioned very often these days; but they took seven singles titles apiece on that side of the Atlantic. Jimmy Connors, Sampras and Federer managed five in the Open era.
It was in 1968 that professionals were finally allowed to join amateurs and do battle at the “Majors.” That’s when the Grand Slam era really began. Few who were already alive will ever forget Arthur Ashe taking the US title and striking a fresh blow for racial equality.
The increased intensity of competition can’t diminish the achievements of someone like Margaret Court, whose career saw out the old and welcomed in the new. She won 24 Slams including eleven Australian, five French, three Wimbledon and five US Open titles. Yet perhaps Steffi Graf’s 22 titles, all won in the Open era, are even more admirable, given the new physical demands of the game.
And Rafael Nadal’s eight Roland Garros titles between 2005 and 2013 had everyone shaking their heads in awe, and wondering how many more he could win.
We know how wonderful the modern era is. We know we are currently watching giants who can be compared favourably against champions of any era. Wimbledon has welcomed these giants down the years, and been enriched by their magnificence. That’s what makes Wimbledon so very special.
You step back in time when you walk through those gates, you can almost touch the all-time greats; yet you are always invited to embrace the present and future too.
The new Number One Court arrived in 1997, the retractable roof on Centre Court is even more recent and spectacular. Beautiful modern architecture somehow blends perfectly with the traditional feel to the venue. How has Wimbledon moved so stylishly with the times? Either there are some very special people behind the scenes, or it’s magic!
The other Grand Slam venues are great in their own way, of course. But history tells us Wimbledon is the home of competitive tennis. Always was, always will be. In fact we don’t need to be told, because we can feel it.
Want to be part of history at the next Wimbledon? Want to taste that unique atmosphere? Just click on the following link to buy your tickets today.
