Well, another season at Wimbledon came and went. Well, is in the process of going. I’m currently watching the Federer (2) vs Roddick (6) match. (Men’s singles final for those who don’t pay attention….. and if you don’t care, I wouldn’t suggest that you read much further. This is pretty much about tennis.) Actually, the match will probably finish while I’m writing this….. we’re in the final set.
For two weeks pretty much all I’ve watched is tennis. Not so much the ladies, but more the men. (Though I did keep one wary eye on the Williams sisters.)
Since the French Open, I’ve had a new twinkle in my eye when it comes to this crazy game. In fact, I’ve probably talked about him ad nauseum to anyone who will listen. Robin Soderling. This 24 year old (25 in August) from Sweden is currently ranked 12th. So, how did this unknown presence manage to catch my eye? How did he manage to divert my attention from watching the feline grace of Federer and cheering on the latest great hope from the UK, Andy Murray? How could someone make me abandon the US favourite, Andy Roddick?
Quite simply, he knocked Rafael Nadal out of the French Open. Rafael Nadal who had won the French Open for the last four years and ruined Federer’s chance of winning Wimbledon (last year) and beating Bjorn’s record of five consecutive wins. I don’t like him.
When Robin knocked the strutting Spaniard from the Grand Slam tournament that he’s owned for the past four years (managed to keep Roger from winning) I was delirious with joy and my gratitude allowed him to now hold a place in my stable of sports figures that I officially cheer for. He didn’t embarrass himself while playing Roger in the final and his after game interview showed him to be a gracious loser and humorous to boot! (Though I’m betting that he regrets telling Roger that he wouldn’t beat him 10 times in a row. He played some brilliant tennis in the rounds leading up to his tenth match against the Swiss, I would have liked to have seen him go a bit further before being knocked out.)
This 6’ 4” powerhouse had been riddled with injury problems over the last few years, but with a new coach, Magnus Norman (World number 2 in June 2000) came a new attitude and the young man who was chastised for mocking Nadal’s trademark short’s tugging in 2007 has matured not only in personality but in his tennis as well. Known for his stubbornness and ability to dig in when things get tough, his game has improved and I look forward to seeing more of him… hopefully.
And have I mentioned I love an underdog?
The men’s side of things have had some rather good matches. The Roddick vs Hewitt match was a nail biter to the bitter end and by that point, I didn’t know who I was cheering for anymore! Roddick, the US player (whose coach Larry Stefanki sounds more like a renegade cowboy than a tennis guru in interviews) who was ready to quit before his wife evidently convinced him to stick with it. (Isn’t she cute as a button?) Or Lleyton Hewitt, the former World number 1 (November 2001) who according to John McEnroe was playing like the champion he once was.
And watching the Fed go up against Ivo Carlovic. The 22 ranker Croatian stands at 6'10" and has a literal monster of a serve. It was like watching art in action to see Roger use every ounce of accuracy and finesse he could muster to avoid the giant's overwhelming armspan and keep him from getting his racket on the ball. (I wonder what his arms measure? Commentator's said that my Robin has a "wingspan that measures over 6 ft.... I think I'll write in and ask to confirm that for them..... in the name of accurate news reporting, of course.)
(Wimbledon is currently in the fifth set…. 9 games to 8 … Federer.)
(Update….. 9 games all…. The tenacity of Roddick is inspiring.)
It was enjoyable to watch Andy Murray come through the rounds. The crowds would get all pumped up and his focus was incredible. Though it was a good match, it just seemed the young Scot ran out of steam coming up against Roddick. To his credit, Roddick almost looked contrite for vanquishing all hope of a Murray/Federer final.
Rumour has it that Murray is a player that the Fed Express does not like playing. The boy gets under your skin and in your head and can be very difficult to deal with. His finesse and touch with the racket remind people of Federer and the intelligence of his game harkens back to the days of the Mighty McEnroe.
Sorry… I can’t concentrate. The game is now 10 games all. It’s gone longer than the epic final of last year… the tension is unbearable. I want both to win. Roger for his Grand Slam record. Roddick for his sheer determination and that underdog factor.
I’ll be back when it’s over.
And….. it’s over.
The victory would have been bittersweet no matter who had won. Congratulations, Roger!
I always miss McEnroe’s commentary during the final. The BBC has him during the rest of the tournament (mostly) and I get used to his comments and facts and the excitement that he exudes when he speaks. It’s as if he would REALLY like to be on the court with them.
So, Roger Federer has his trophy back for another year. So close Roddick. So, close. For a man who was going to quit the game a year ago… he did very well. I’m not sure how he performs on the hard court, but I do know that he was surprised at how well he did in the French Open (which is on clay). He made a comment on how he usually goes to the French Open, gets knocked out early on, and then spends a few weeks in England waiting for Wimbledon. However, this year, he had to work for it.
Humorous note: Commentators during the final always referred to Roddick as “the American”. Are they pretending that there is only one “Andy” in the game of tennis and that is Murray or are they afraid they’ll accidentally say something rude when trying to say “Roddick”?
A few words about the women’s side of things. It was only fitting that we had an all American women’s final on the 4th of July. There really isn’t too much to say about women’s tennis than to talk about the Williams sisters. Much has been made of the fact that Serena is ranked number 2 and Dinara Safina number 1. Blah blah blah. Frankly, I don’t see the big deal.
Yes, Venus and Serena pick their matches and usually only hit the big events. If that’s the way they want to play, then big deal. Even Martina Navratilova got in on the act and criticized them saying that it is about consistency and the grueling schedule.
Well, duh.
But it seems to me that tennis isn’t a game to the Williams sisters. It’s a business. Like any business women, they pick and choose their investments. If they don’t want to commit to the grueling schedule and burn themselves out, well… good for them. If they want to cultivate other interests outside the game so that when they retire from sports they can do something other than deliver scathing commentary on the younger up and coming champions…. Good for them.
Oh, no! What do you mean Serena Williams likes to dabble in fashion? How dare she do voice acting for the Disney Channel's Higglytown Heroes!? What can she be thinking doing charity work in Kenya!?? Guest appearances?! Get your head in the game girl! You’re not going to be a successful tennis player doing that stuff!
Oh, yeah… you just won Wimbledon… for the third time.
If the WTA doesn’t have a problem with it, then neither should anyone else.
And when the number 3 seed defeats the number 1 seed in straight sets, I don’t want to hear some malarky about it not being fair that the number one can’t win a Grand Slam tournament because of the Williams sisters. If she wants to win a Grand Slam, then she better learn to beat Serena and Venus. Cry me a river.
How horrible that not only did the Williams sisters have to play the Wimbledon women’s singles final… then they had to go play the doubles on the same day as well?? (And win…)
And you know that Venus was standing behind Serena thinking, “Just one good shot to the back of the head…..”
Oh, and I saw a really nice interview with Serena. One of those Up Close and Personal type of things. They talked about a lot of personal issues with Serena and I was very impressed by her soft spoken and humble replies. The to top it all off, she talked about how hard it was for her to maintain a positive self-image at times. She said that she looks at Venus and wishes she looked like her. Serena Williams. Ranked number 2 in women’s tennis. Winner of the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. The Warrior Woman of Wimbledon. Has a problem with her body image.
Makes me want to go eat a cookie…. Or five.
Ah, well…. Until next time!
