Curtain Call
Player: Andy Murray
Age: 25
Nation: United Kingdom
Current Ranking: 4
Today's Result: loss to Roger Federer (Switzerland, 3rd seed) in four sets
Photo via bmi Voyager
No doubt, today's match was a bitter pill to swallow. But Murray accomplished a great deal at this tournament, the first British player to even reach a singles final at Wimbledon since 1938. And he played well today. Roger was just better. He usually is. Just as Federer said, he will win a Slam one day - just a matter of when and where. I was pulling for Fed all the way but even I couldn't help feeling a bit teary for Andy in the end.
Let's hear it for the 30-year-olds! Serena Williams is the oldest women's champion at Wimbledon - or any other Major, for that matter - since Martina Navratilova in 1990. Federer is the oldest men's champ at Wimbledon since Arthur Ashe in 1975. Fed was five years older than each of his last two opponents and both looked stunned by the end of their matches at how soundly they'd been beaten - despite playing well! Serena was at least six years older than each of her last four opponents. Granted, Federer and Williams are the two most dominant players of the era but it's always nice to be reminded that even in tennis, youth isn't everything.
Roger Federer is World #1. All is right with the universe.
It seems in tennis like golf right now there's not much depth in terms of competition. Or maybe there's so much depth that they mostly cancel each other out.
ReplyDeleteThe gap between the Big Three and everyone else is huge. They've won all but one of the past 30 Majors. By comparison, the previous 30 were won by 16 different men. In another era, not only would Murray already have won one but other, lesser lights, too: Tsonga, Soderling, Baghdatis, Berdych, Nalbandian. Roddick would have won more, too.
DeleteI won't pretend that I follow golf because I really don't. But I feel that, at least since Tiger started to decline, there has been a variety of champions at the Majors. Even though I admire the guys at the top of tennis, I am eager for someone - really, anyone! - to make a breakthrough.