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.
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How do you solve a problem like Maria? Not even a Genie can come up with the answer.
A titanic clash of wills made this intriguing match so special. Big hits and winners aplenty, unexpected errors and endearing vulnerability…both women reached giddy heights, then suddenly reminded us they were human after all.
One day, you sense, 20-year-old Eugenie Bouchard will become world number one. She has the game, she has the mental strength and she has time on her side to discover the three-set intensity she needs to take the final step. Yet right now Maria Sharapova is the woman to admire most on clay. Her hunger is extraordinary, her intensity unparalleled, and all this from a star who already has a career Slam and riches beyond even her comprehension.
Think back just a few short years to Sharapova The Shoulder, the woman we thought would never return to her best after injury, struggling to recapture the most memorable glories of her younger years. But return she did, to prove us all wrong. And in Paris Sharapova simply refuses to be beaten, even though she lost the first set yet again, for a third consecutive match, this time 4-6.
Bouchard deserved her early success too, spraying the clay with a stunning array of shots full of breathtaking power and bravery. Sharapova led 5-2 in the second – but Bouchard refused to lie down and won three games in a row. Maria dug in yet again to carve out a cruicial 7-5 comeback set. Bouchard was 40-0 ahead for the chance to level at 2-2 in the third, yet Sharapova still managed to hit back to break with a blend of miraculous angles and dogged defiance. The favourite then forced mistakes from the younger woman by refusing to give up on lost causes.
Just when we thought it was all over, Sharapova missed a shot for 5-1 in the third, and back came Bouchard once more. The Canadian was growing weary, though, and more errors crept into her game when she needed to find her very best tennis. Even so, at the death Bouchard saved four match points to prolong the drama a little longer. But when Maria finally took that decisive set 6-2, the relief was written all over her face.
It has been a wonderful tournament for Bouchard, the growing force in the game.
But for Maria Sharapova, Roland Garros is not over. There is one more test ahead. One more opportunity to summon the warrior within and emerge triumphant.
Sharapova said of Bouchard: ‘She played an unbelievable match, her level was really high today and I’m really fortunate to win. She played loose and hit the ball so hard. I’d prefer to win in two sets but the first set is not when the match is over.’ And that’s what might scare her opponent in the final. The knowledge that, even if the underdog goes a set ahead, that early success might well be to no avail.
Simona Halep, who will be Sharapova’s adversary after the Romanian beat Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) said: ‘I was a bit stronger in the end, I’m really happy. I have a lot of confidence in myself but Maria is very tough. We played in Madrid and maybe this time I’ll get revenge.’
Want to see the players who never give in fight it out again on grass at the greatest tournament of them all?
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Unstoppable Maria Sharapova France!
How do you solve a problem like Maria? We’re not sure any of her rivals can. Not this year at Roland Garros. It’s looking more and more like Maria Sharapova’s title in France.
Her twelve million followers on social media will be delighted if that prediction comes true.
Nothing is certain in sport and there will still be stern tests ahead. Yet there was something special about Sharapova from the very start of this particular tournament. We highlighted her extraordinary intensity on her very first day in action at Roland Garros. We said her focus and sheer will to win stood out in a chilling way and made her a serious contender.
The Venezuelan-born Spaniard Garbine Muguruza steamrollered Sharapova 6-1 in 27 minutes to claim a first set few could have seen coming. But Maria is in the right place mentally and ready to handle any crisis. She has been in the zone since day one and you sense she will still be there when all is said and done.
That mental strength and determination dragged her back into contention when it seemed her technique had deserted her.
Maria took the second set 7-5 and gave Muguruza a taste of her own medicine with a 6-1 decider.
Navarro. Bouchard was 4-1 down in the third set but Suarez-Navarro tightened with the finishing tape in sight. The Canadian stormed back to clinch her second successive Grand Slam semi-final on her third match point.
She had stolen the first set on a tie-break, been taken apart 2-6 in the second, yet “Genie” emerged triumphant 7-5 thanks to her amazing third-set comeback.
‘I’m so happy,’ said Bouchard. ‘It was a battle, I didn’t expect such a difficult match but the third set was the most important.
‘I’m very tired but I’ll be alright to play Sharapova and it’s great to be able to stay in Paris a bit longer.’
That women’s semi-final will now be eagerly awaited by the entire tennis world. Of course, there have been so many Grand Slam shocks this year that nothing can be predicted with total confidence.
Maria Sharapova is playing like a woman on a mission, unprepared to let any set-back get the better of her.
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