Wimbledon Day 13: Murray

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.

Wimbledon Day 12: Zimonjic

Curtain Call

Player: Nenad Zimonjic
Age: 36
Nation: Serbia
Current Doubles Ranking: 6
Mixed Doubles Partner: Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia)
Today's Result: loss to Mike Bryan/Lisa Raymond (USA, 2nd) in straight sets

Photo via Tracara

In as much as the doubles circuit has big stars, Zimonjic is one of them.  He is a seven-time Slam winner: three times in men's doubles (including two Wimbledons) and four times in mixed.  He is also a former World #1 in doubles.  He has won 44 men's doubles titles overall.

Wimbledon Day 11: Schiavone

Curtain Call

Player: Francesca Schiavone
Age: 32
Nation: Italy
Current Doubles Ranking: 87
Doubles Partner: Flavia Pennetta (Italy)
Notable Conquests: Kveta Peschke (Czech Republic)/Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) (3rd seed) and Nuria Llagostera Vives/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain, 9th)
Today's Result: loss to Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic, 6th) in three sets

Photo via LISTAnadalucia

Schiavone is one of my favorites.  Her singles title at the 2010 French Open is one of the best stories in recent tennis history.  She's also an accomplished doubles player, having made it to at least the quarters of all four Majors.  She plays with unbridled fire and enthusiasm - the female, Italian version of Rafa.  She and Pennetta will represent Italy in the doubles draw at the Olympics and their Wimbledon performance should put them among the favorites to win a medal.  Schiavone has also qualified in singles.

So, is there anyone out there who still doubts Roger Federer's claim as the greatest tennis player ever?  Will either Nadal or Djokovic still be this good at 30?  Both men have essentially said that they doubt it.  Nadal is actually quite vocal on the subject.  The main knock against Fed in this discussion has been Nadal's superiority head-to-head.  But let's look at the big picture for a minute.  I invite you to peruse Wikipedia's list of career achievements by Roger Federer.  It's just crazy.  In the final analysis, Fed dominated his tennis era as no other man ever has.  It's not even close.  We're all the luckier - Roger, included - that Rafa was around to keep him honest.  The legacies of both men have only benefited from the rivalry.

Don't get me wrong.  I love Rafa.  The spirit he has brought to tennis, indeed to the sporting world at large, is every bit as wonderful as Fed's contributions.  But as great as he is, Nadal's never been able to match Federer's consistency.  Consider this: Nadal lost in the second round of Wimbledon 2012, his worst showing at a Major in seven years.  On the other hand, the last time Federer failed to reach the third round of a Major, Rafa was 17 years old and had not yet even played his first match at a Major.  Nadal's entire unbelievable career has been played in that span. 


Golden Squid Report


Jurgen Melzer - Melzer has evolved into a Wimbledon doubles power house.  In 2010, he and partner Philipp Petzschner (Germany) won the men's doubles title.  In 2011, he and Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) won the mixed doubles crown.  He leaves this year without any hardware but he and Petzschner did make it to the semis.  He had a respectable run in singles, too, taking out the 25th seeded Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) in the first round.  He himself was ousted in the second by Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) in five sets.  Mixed doubles didn't work out so well.  He and Benesova failed in their title defense, losing to Dominic Inglot/Laura Robson (UK) in their first match.

Wimbledon Day 10: Kerber

Curtain Call

Player: Angelique Kerber
Age: 24
Nation: Germany
Current Ranking: 8
Today's Result: loss to Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland, 3rd seed) in straight sets

Photo via Bleacher Report

Kerber just attained her current, career-high ranking last month.  She didn't even get out of the first round at Wimbledon last year so her semifinal run will probably bump her up even higher.  Born to Polish parents, she is trilingual: German, Polish and English.  PT Dilloway will be pleased to know that she is not a big grunter.  Nor are the two finalists, Radwanska and Serena Williams (USA, 6th).  Williams took down the most offensive screecher - Victoria Azarenka (Belarus, 2nd) - in today's second semi.


Catching Up with Old Friends


Yaroslava Shvedova (Curtain Call, Roland Garros Day 11) - Shvedova had a great Wimbledon, making it to at least the third round in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.  In singles, she took out Sara Errani (Italy, 10th), a finalist in Paris just a few weeks ago, in the third round.  She earned some extra attention for that win as she achieved a Golden Set in the first set, meaning she won every single point.  She is the only woman to have done so in the Open Era and the only player man or woman to have done it at a Major.  Shvedova lost to Serena Williams in the fourth but can certainly take pride in pushing her to three sets.

Shvedova is a former doubles champion at Wimbledon: 2010 with Vania King (USA).  This year, she teamed with fellow Kazakh Galina Voskoboeva as the seventh seed.  They lost in the third round to the tenth seed: Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears (USA).  In mixed doubles, she teamed with Mikhail Kukishkin (Kazakhstan).  They beat the ninth seed in the second round: Mariusz Fyrstenberg (Poland)/Abigail Spears (USA).  However, they lost in the third to Paul Hanley (Australia)/Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) in three sets.

Wimbledon Day 9: Youzhny

Curtain Call

Player: Mikhail Youzhny
Age: 30
Nation: Russia
Current Ranking: 33
Notable Conquest: Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia, 8th seed)
Today's Result: loss to Roger Federer (Switzerland, 3rd) in straight sets

Photo via ALL ABOUT SPORTS STARS INFO

Youzhny got drummed today, not a huge surprise given that he has never beaten Fed in 14 tries.  But he should take enormous pride in having attained the Wimbledon quarters for the first time at age 30 after reaching the fourth round six times before.  In fact, this was his best Slam performance overall since 2010.  He has now reached at least the quarters at all four Majors.  But the best part?  The man holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Moscow, graduating in 2011.


Catching Up with Old Friends


David Ferrer (Curtain Call, Roland Garros Day 13) - I'd love to see Andy Murray (UK, 4th) win Wimbledon, if only so we can stop hearing every year about how long it's been since a British player did.  But man, it is virtually impossible to root against Ferrer.  The 7th-seeded Spaniard went to Centre Court ready for war today.  It's a day to celebrate the 30-and-over crowd.  Ferrer is having the best year of his career.  He's made at least the quarters for three straight Slams.  This was his career-best finish at Wimbledon and he has also now made at least the quarters at all four Majors.  But the best part?  He's finally getting the exposure and recognition he's deserved for years.

Wimbledon Day 8: Baker

Curtain Call

Player: Brian Baker
Age: 27
Nation: USA
Current Ranking: 126
Today's Result: loss to Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany, 27th seed) in straight sets

Photo via VOXXI

Baker was knocked out of the sport in 2007 with a long list of surgeries. He was coaching at Belmont College when he decided to give it another go. He started at the bottom on the Futures circuit and worked his way back up. He's just had the tournament of his life, reaching the second week in his first-ever Wimbledon main draw. Granted, he got some help. He never had to face a seed before the fourth round. But you can't control your opponent and at the end of the day, you've just got to beat the guy on the other side of the net. Baker got the job done. Bravo, sir.

The ESPN commentators have been quite giddy, even exclaiming that this is only the beginning for Baker. Let's be realistic. He's 27 years old. If there's a window at all, it's a small one. He's certainly earned the right to enjoy this great moment. Let's please leave it there for now.


Catching Up with Old Friends

Marin Cilic (Curtain Call, Roland Garros Day 6) - I'd love to watch Cilic play basketball. It's not just his height, though a 6' 6" Croatian certainly wouldn't seem out of place in the NBA. I really like the way he moves around the court and I'd love to see how that translates to the hardwood. By reaching the fourth round, he's matched his career best at Wimbledon.


Golden Squid Report

Richard Gasquet - Gasquet matched last year's result by reaching the fourth round. He took out 12th-seeded Nicolas Almagro (Spain) in the third round. He lost today to Florian Mayer (Germany, 31st) in a match that started yesterday.

Marina Erakovic - Erakovic also matched last year's singles result, losing to Roberta Vinci (Italy, 21st) in the second round. Unfortunately, she and partner Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) failed to match last year's semifinal run in doubles. They lost today to Ekaternia Makarova/Elena Vesnina (Russia, 5th) in three sets.

Wimbledon Day 7: Giorgi

Curtain Call

Player: Camila Giorgi
Age: 20
Nation: Italy
Current Ranking: 145
Notable Conquests: Flavia Pennetta (Italy, 16th seed) and Nadia Petrova (Russia, 20th)
Today's Result: loss to Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland, 3rd) in straight sets

Photo via Z Czuba

If you missed Giorgi at Wimbledon, you missed a treat.  This young qualifier is the real deal and sure to be back.  If you can hit your ground strokes hard, low and deep into the corners off of both wings, you can win Wimbledon.  That's not to say she will but Giorgi certainly has the necessary weaponry.  Add to that a rock solid composure and we may well have a future star on our hands. I'd say the first order of business will be to work on the second serve.  Match experience will help more than anything, though, and her fourth round run should boost her ranking enough that she won't have to go through qualifying for a while.

Wimbledon Day 6: Lucic

Curtain Call

Player: Mirjana Lucic
Age: 30
Nation: Croatia
Current Ranking: 129
Notable Conquest: Marion Bartoli (France, 9th seed)
Today's Result: loss to Roberta Vinci (Italy, 21st) in straight sets

Photo via FUTURETENNISSTARS.COM

In 1999, 13 long years ago at the age of 17, Lucic made the semifinals at Wimbledon.  At that point, she'd already won the 1998 Australian Open women's doubles title at 15 alongside Martina Hingis (Switzerland).  To say that expectations were high is putting it mildly.  Then it all fell apart.  A vicious downward spiral started in 2000 with personal and financial troubles, many later attributed to an abusive father.  But she has clawed her way back.  Her third round finish at Wimbledon 2012 is her best Slam performance in eleven years. 


Catching Up with Old Friends

Varvara Lepchenko (Curtain Call, Roland Garros Day 9) - Lepchenko got tuned by defending champion Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic, 4th) today, losing 6-1 6-0 (aka "bacon and egg").  That's likely to happen to a lot of people over the next several years so let us not dwell upon it.  Lepchenko's third round result is her career best at Wimbledon and she can also take credit for taking out the 31st seed, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia), in Round 2.  She had a decent doubles tournament, too, making it past the first round for the first time at a Slam.  She and partner Liga Dekmeijere (Latvia) lost in the second round to Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears (USA, 10th).

Wimbledon Day 5: Rus

Curtain Call

Player: Arantxa Rus
Age: 22
Nation: Netherlands
Current Ranking: 72
Notable Conquest: Samantha Stosur (Australia, 5th seed)
Today's Result: loss to Shuai Peng (China, 30th) in straight sets

Photo via FunnyCrave

Rus is the current Dutch #1.  She's had a great summer, reaching the fourth round at Roland Garros and the third round at Wimbledon - both career bests.  In fact, she didn't even play Wimbledon last year so her ranking will get a nice boost.  She won the Australian junior singles title in 2008.


Catching Up with Old Friends


Sloane Stephens (Curtain Call, US Open Day 6) - Stephens reached the third round in her first Wimbledon main draw.  In the second round, she took out the 23rd seed, Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic).  Today didn't work out so well as she fell to Sabine Lisicki (Germany, 15th) in three sets.  She played doubles, too.  She and partner Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) lost in the first round to the 13th seed: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)/Sania Mirza (India).  Only 19 years old, Stephens's future appears to be very bright.  Due to her outstanding performance over the past four Slams, she has earned Golden Squid status, the first American to join the club.

Photo via USA Today

Christina McHale (Curtain Call, US Open Day 5) - McHale has now made the third round in four consecutive Slams.  She lost twice today.  In singles, she lost to German Angelique Kerber (8th) in straight sets.  In doubles, she and partner Tamira Paszek (Austria) lost to the 2nd-seeded Italians, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.  She has also achieved Golden Squid status. 

 

Photo via Wikipedia 

It seems only appropriate that Stephens and McHale should be admitted to the order together as they represent America's current youthful hopes.

Golden Squid Report

Juan Sebastian Cabal - It was definitely a disappointing Wimbledon for the Colombian doubles specialist.  He lost in the first round of both men's and mixed doubles.  He teamed with countryman Robert Farah in the men's draw.  They lost to Benjamin Becker/Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (Germany) in four sets.  In mixed doubles, he and partner Vera Dushevina (Russia) lost to Marcelo Melo (Brazil)/Vera Zvonareva (Russia) in straight sets.  Despite the disappointment, Olympic prospects are decent.  He and Farah won the gold medal at the Pan American Games last year.  Grass wasn't so much a problem this week as, perhaps, exhaustion.  Cabal and Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) made it to the finals at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships in the Netherlands the week before Wimbledon.

Wimbledon Day 4: De Schepper

Curtain Call

Player: Kenny De Schepper
Age: 25
Nation: France
Current Ranking: 160
Today's Result: loss to David Ferrer (Spain, 17th seed) in straight sets

Photo via MensTennisForums.com


I featured the 6' 8" De Schepper on Day 2 of last year's Wimbledon.  He has since improved his ranking 74 places. He also bettered last year's Wimbledon performance by one round.


Catching Up with Old Friends


Nina Bratchikova (Curtain Call, Australian Open Day 5) - The 26-year-old Russian continues her late career surge.  This was the first Wimbledon main draw of her career.  She didn't stay long this time, losing in the first round in both singles and doubles.  In singles, she lost to Alize Cornet (France) in straight sets.  In doubles, she and partner Anna Tatishvili (Georgia) lost to the 10th-seeded American team of Racquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears, also in straight sets.

Wimbledon Day 3: Hampton

Curtain Call

Player: Jamie Lee Hampton
Age: 22
Nation: USA
Current Ranking: 100
Notable Conquest: Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia, 27th seed)
Today's Result: loss to Heather Watson (UK) in straight sets

Photo via Forum Pakistan

This is Hampton's first main draw at Wimbledon.  I swear I don't plan these things but this is now my third time featuring her in this space, both previous times for the Australian Open.  She was also my Curtain Call for Aussie 2012, Day 4 and for Aussie 2011, Day 1.


Golden Squid Report


Tobias Kamke - Kamke and doubles partner Matthias Bachinger (Germany) went through qualifying to reach the main draw.  Wimbledon is the only Slam that has a qualifying tournament for doubles.  They lost today in the first round to Jamie Delgado/Kenneth Skupski (UK) in four sets.  Kamke also lost in the first round to fellow Golden Squid, Richard Gasquet (France, 18th) in straight set.

Wimbledon Day 2: Zopp

Curtain Call

Player: Jurgen Zopp

Age: 24

Nation: Estonia

Current Ranking: 95

Today's Result: loss to Malek Jaziri (Tunisia) in five sets

Photo via tennis

The beautifully named Zopp went through qualifying to reach his first Wimbledon main draw.  This is his second Slam in a row to be featured in this spot.  He fought hard today, going down 9-7 in the fifth.


Golden Squid Report


Greta Arn - The 33-year old Arn lost to Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) in straight sets today.  She skipped Wimbledon last year due to injury so she'll still get a small boost in ranking points.  

Wimbledon Day 1: Zaniewska

Curtain Call

Player: Sandra Zaniewska

Age: 20

Nation: Poland

Current Ranking: 160

Today's Result: loss to Shuai Peng (China, 30th seed) in three sets

Photo via TennisForum.com

Zaniewska went through qualifying to reach her first Slam main draw.  At 20, she's already built a solid resume with 6 ITF singles titles.  Apparently, she's a Nadal fan.

The following are highlights from my Why You Should Watch Wimbledon post from a couple years back:

Tradition

Tennis was born on the grass lawns of England and to England the game returns every summer. Wimbledon is, of course, the world's most prestigious tournament. One could argue about the relative merits of the four Slams but the fact is, if you wanted to cement your legacy in the sport by winning only one tournament, this would be the one.


Grass Court

Switching from the clay of Paris to the grass of Wimbledon is one of the most abrupt and dramatic transitions on the world sport calendar. The two surfaces, as discussed in regards to Roland Garros, benefit very different players. Grass is for the gunslingers. Big serves and booming ground strokes are rewarded by the low bounce. If you like the power game, sit back and enjoy. Also, from an aesthetic stand point, there is something very satisfying in seeing the summer sunshine on green grass. Neither red dirt nor concrete can quite compare.


Champagne and Strawberries

Looking for a weekend brunch idea? Watch the tournament over the traditional treat served on the grounds: champagne with strawberries and clotted cream. Don't forget, though, that the tournament takes the middle Sunday off. Not that you couldn't have brunch anyway.



Serve and Volley

If you watch tennis at all, you've surely heard the old guard (John McEnroe and friends) complaining about the fact that players don't come to the net enough anymore. At Wimbledon, you will hear references to the fact that the grass on the court wears differently from how it did in the good ol' days. You'll see comparison shots of the court in 1979 and the court now. There is now far less wear near the net, far more at the baseline.

The old guard really needs to let this one go. The fact of the matter is that modern racquet technology better enables the baseliners to fire soul-crushing passing shots by any would-be volleyers. Johnny Mac wouldn't be quite so gung ho about coming to the net himself if he had Nadal staring him down from the other end of the court, AeroPro Drive in hand.

But if you like serve and volley tennis, Wimbledon is the most likely place to see it.

Andy Murray

He is not my favorite player but I have to admit that I feel for Britain's #1 when Wimbledon rolls around. It will be such a relief when a British player finally wins here again. Then we can stop hearing about how long it's been!

Catching Up with Old Friends

Juan Carlos Ferrero (Curtain Call, US Open Day 8) - Ferrero was no match for Novak Djokovic (Serbia, 1st) today, going down in straight sets.  However, having not played Wimbledon at all last year, he did enough to attain Golden Squid status.  He enters as easily the most accomplished member of the group, the only one to win a singles Slam title (Roland Garros, 2003) and the only one to be ranked World #1.  At 32, he is most certainly in the twilight of his career.  I've always had a soft spot for The Mosquito and I'm delighted to welcome him to the fold.

Photo via starMedia