Wimbledon Review

Well once again a Grand Slam (Wimbledon) has come to an end and we have learned a bundle of new information about both the ATP and the WTA. I'm going to focus on four select aspects that may prove to be very significant for the rest of the year.

1. Elena is Back

After one of the most impressive starts to '09, Elena Dementieva, fizzled out and had decent results throughout the rest of the year, however, she lacked some big wins. This Wimbledon she waltzed to the semifinals facing no seeds and many, including myself, thought she just took advantage of an easy draw and Serene would obliterate her. Clearly, I was wrong as Elena scratched and clawed in her epic semifinal loss to Serena. Her serve was phenomenal, her movement precise, and her mental fortitude matched Serena's. If Elena can recover from her loss she will surely be a contender going into the grueling summer hard court season.

2. Roddick Can Play

Six years ago Andy Roddick won his first slam. He has yet to win another. This fortnight, however, Andy stepped up and played one of the greatest matches in Wimbledon history, losing an epic 14-16 fifth set to Roger Federer. His forehand was ferocious and serve was unbelievable as always. But the part of Roddick's game that surprised me the most was his backhand. It certainly is not a weapon yet, but he his hitting it aggressively and can end points with it. Particularly, he can pass with his backhand and players can't take advantage of an easy forehand up the line approach shot to Roddick's backhand anymore. Overall, Roddick's confidence will have hopefully grown after his performance and he can continue his form to the USO. Preferably he will not land in Federer's quarter of the draw but by not being in the top 4 Roddick will need some favorable draws to do well.

3. The WTA Ranking System Needs Retooling

Serena Williams has won 3 slams and a slam quarter yet is only ranked number 2. That statement seems impossible but it is true. Dinara Safina surely deserves to be at the top of the rankings, but it's hard to believe that she even believes she is the best tennis player in the world. She has won countless other tournaments and reached multiple finals, including two grand slam finals. These results, however, just don't seem enough to overthrow Serena.

My only justification can be that Serena has done poorly outside of the slams. Her series of losses on clay compared to Dinara's two titles and one runner-up are the main reason, I believe, that anyone can make an argument to say Dinara is the best in the world.

I guess I would say that Dinara definitely holds the number 1 ranking on tour, but Serena is the best player on tour. Does that make sense? I guess it does to me...

4. ATP Revival

For years on end I could not stand the ATP. Who wants to watch one man dominate everyone outside of clay? Not me. But now Roger Federer is being challenged. And it's other players other than Nadal that are doing this. It's great news!

As the WTA continues to fall apart because of lower quality matches, the ATP thrives with thriller after thriller in finals. Just look at the past few grand slam finals. The WTA has not gone three sets in a grand slam final since '06 Wimby, while the ATP has had a five set final twice already this year. I can't say this enough, although I love so many of the WTA players, the ATP just has so much more attractive qualities to it.

Clutch

Serena Williams. Enough said.

Clutch.

The only word that comes to mind when thinking about Serena Williams and her spectacular semifinal match against Elena Dementieva is clutch. Most people know, I am no fan of either Williams sister. But my hat goes off to Serena after that performance. Throughout the match she came up with the big shots when she seemed down and out.

Has their ever been a more important forehand than the one she hit down break point in the second set that grazed the back edge of the line? Has anyone ever seen such a Sampras-esque serving performance from a woman on such a big stage?

Originally, I did not think either Elena nor Dinara Safina (who faces Venus Williams in the other semifinal in a few moments) would stand a chance against either Williams sister. Elena gave me hope that at least one of the Russians would scrape her way into the final. Serena, however, smashed that hope with her serve. Countless times she would come up with a powerful serve that left me speechless. Throughout the match the ESPN commentators commented on how well Elena served. Yet I, however, could not get past how well Serena served when down and out. Both were going for their second serves. But I always had this feeling that Serena would not choke as she did against Kuznetsova in their infamous Roland Garros match.

With the match finishing only minutes ago I still can't fathom how Serena won. She hit a clutch volley down match point. She hit a clutch passing shot to get ahead in the second set. Serena just hit clutch shot over and over again.

I can't say this enough. I congratulate Serena on her herculean effort to defeat Elena Dementieva (who also deserves a hell ofalot of applause for her grit and determination) and I just hope she brings her clutch play back with her on Saturday as she battles her sister or Safina. Now I just hope this next semifinal can be half as good as the match of the year for the WTA.

Textbook Tennis with Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas continues his string of upsets as he advances to his first Wimbledon semifinal

Today, as Tommy Haas fought his way past Novak Djokovic in the second set he reminded everyone present the simple components to winning a match. These components are commonly called "Textbook Tennis". And here is Tommy's clear overview of the basics.

Chapter 1: Don't Get Down on Yourself

A few moments before the tiebreaker Haas had seemingly blown the opportunity of the tournament. At 5-5 Haas played a solid game to break Djokovic and it appeared as if he was going to repeat the first set and serve out the set to win it 7-5. Yet Haas did the exact opposite. He was broken at love. Including two groundstroke errors, a double fault, and a tentative approach shot resulting in a passing shot winner from Nole. As everyone watched on we all expected Haas to have another one of his infamous explosions. Haas, however, surprised us all and held it together right at the start of the tiebreak. On the very first point he blasted a forehand return winner, sending a message to Djokovic that he would not mentally go away.

Chapter 2: Keep Your Nerve

Haas clearly held his nerve in that second set tiebreak, trailing 3-6, he fought off 3 consecutive set points. On one point, specifically, you could see why Haas perfectly illustrated "Textbook Tennis".

"Thwack". The stoic sound of Haas' technically sound one-handed backhanded reverberated through Court 1 as he blasted an up-the-line winner passing shot past Djokovic. It was a beautiful sight to see. Clearly, Haas was not afraid to finish the point, while throughout a large part of the match Djokovic waited for errors from the German.

Chapter 3: Research Your Opponent

Throughout his match against the talented Serb, Haas, wise and aging, clearly did his homework. Countless number of times Haas made some plays that were clearly more than luck. Specifically, in the second set tiebreak, Haas had just fought off three set points and it was 6-6 in the breaker. Djokovic hit a serve and Haas was there to cover it. Clearly, Tommy knew Nole's favorite deuce serve was out wide and after blocking the return Nole pushed a forehand long, setting up a chance for Tommy to gain a two set to love lead.

Chapter 4: Construct Your Points

On Tommy's first set point in the second set he illustrated the perfect way to construct a point. He set he play up with a wonderful deep topspin backhand that landed a few inches from the baseline. Knowing this would draw a short ball, Haas moved forward to attack the next ball. Viciously, Haas knifed a slice cross-court to approach the net. Finally, Haas showed his precise footwork as he knocked off a crisp backhand volley winner to finish the set.


Overall, as Tommy won in 4 sets over Novak, he taught Novak a simple lesson on how to play strategic and effective "Textbook Tennis".

Men's Quarterfinal Results:

(6) A Roddick def L Hewitt 6-3 6-7 7-6 4-6 6-4
(3) A Murray def (WC) J Carlos Ferrero 7-5 6-3 6-2

(24) T Haas def (4) N Djokovic 7-5 7-6 4-6 6-3
(2) R Federer def (22) I Karlovic 6-3 7-5 7-6

Men's Quarterfinal Preview

Ivo Karlovic is ready to continue the upsets, facing Roger Federer in the Quarterfinals of Wimbledon

After the less than stellar women's quarterfinals it's time for some of the most exciting matches of the tournament! The men's quarterfinals could be a huge bust, or a huge must see event!

1. Centre Court Match 1: (2) R Federer vs (22) Ivo Karlovic

Federer has been playing lights out tennis all Wimbledon. His forehand has been spectacular, his backhand has been solid, and his serve has been clutch. As Federer begins to look like the Federer of old, he only has one major problem between him reaching the final. And its name is Ivo Karlovic.

Karlovic has yet to be broken this entire tournament. Yes. You read correctly. The ENTIRE tournament. Dr. Ivo's serving stats have been off the charts after four matches. With 137 aces, making 72% first serves in, winning 91% of those first serves, and winning 55% of his second serves he will no doubt be difficult to break. In some ways, Karlovic has been very Sampras-esque in his performances. No, I'm not saying Ivo has the groundstrokes or volleys of Pistol Pete, but Ivo has been following a simple strategy used to describe Pete in his prime. Ivo can be ordinary throughout an entire set, serving bombs and bricking returns all the way to a tiebreak. Seemingly out of nowhere, however, Ivo can come up with a clutch forehand or volley winner to get up a mini-break in a tiebreak and finish his opponents there.

As Federer was slumping last year the main problem he was forced to deal with was his rhythm. And to be frank, no one can get a good rhythm off the ground when facing Dr. Ivo. Imagine the pressure if you are late in a set and you're forced to hit pin-point passing shots in an attempt to pass the 6'10 giant. Needless to say, no one has been able to do it enough in Ivo's first four matches this tournament. One key factor for Fed is his chip return he has that can force the Big Man to hit low slow volleys, which are very difficult to control especially in the quarterfinal round of the most prestigious tennis tournament.

Fed has won their two meetings this year, but with Dr. Ivo, no one really knows what he might bring to the table on Wednesday.

My Prediction: Roger wins in 4 sets, losing one in a tiebreak.

Centre Court Match 2: (3) A Murray vs (WC) J Carlos Ferrero

Ferrero and Murray have played once before. But that match happened to be at Queen's on grass this year. Murray prevailed in the SFs 6-2 6-4 overcoming a lackluster performance by the Spaniard.

This week, however, Ferrero has been upsetting opponent after opponent and after knocking off number 10 seed Fernando Gonzalez can Ferrero do it again?

I doubt it. Murray has too complete of a game, and can outserve, outhit, outrun, and outthink the aging Spaniard. Ferrero's only chance is if Murray collapses under the pressure of the crowd. Murray has so far thrived on the crowd and with yet another match on Centre Court with thousands of supporters, Murray will definitely be pumped for the occasion.

My Prediction: Murray wins in three respectable sets

Court 1 Match 1: (4) N Djokovic vs (24) T Haas

A rematch of Halle's final where Haas knocked off Djokovic in 6-3 6-7 6-1, but Djokovic had won the other two meetings between the two. Haas has survived a five set thrillers this Wimbledon while Djokovic has won 12 straight sets since losing his opening set in his first match.

This match is such a toss up. Both are very solid off the ground and don't really have many weaknesses. It's going to come down to whoever plays the big points better.

My Prediction: Djokovic holds on winning a 5 set thriller

Court 2 Match 2: (6) A Roddick vs L Hewitt

This match is the one I'm most looking forward too. Hewitt's resurgence this Wimbledon is remarkable and inspiring after he was seemingly going to lose early in the second round to Rafael Nadal until the Spaniard withdrew because of his injured knees. But now, the two grass court experts face off at Wimbledon for the first time. Roddick has owned Hewitt as of late and has won both matches on grass against one another. Hewitt needs to return like a madman and serve well if he wants to have a chance. I know earlier I wrote about how Hewitt was playing so well, but this has been some of the best stuff from Roddick I have seen all year.

My Prediction: Hewitt gets two sets close, but can't win a set.

Well, I was pretty close with all of my ladie's predictions so hopefully I continue the trend with the men on Wednesday!

How Does She Do It?

Dinara Safina's overcomes her frustration to advance to her first Wimbledon semifinal

Once again, Dinara Safina overcame adversity and a talented opponent to advance to the next round of Wimbledon. She has a proclivity for winning when playing ugly. And isn't that what champions do best?

But this is not the first time we have seen Safina advance through a draw in poor form. At the Aussie Open she battled and clawed through the early rounds, finally finding her form in the semifinals against Vera Zvonarea.

This year at Wimbledon, however, she will have to deal with someone a lot more experienced and talented than Vera Zvonareva. Her name is Venus Williams. Can Safina overcome her 15 double faults and 38 unforced errors to defeat Williams who has breezed through all of her matches so far?

It's been a good run for Safina, first time past the 3rd round, showed some great fight, and will retain her world number 1 ranking. But to be frank, she doesn't stand a chance unless her level jumps up exponentially and Venus completely falls apart.

Ladie's Quarterfinals Results:

(1) D. Safina def. S. Lisicki 6-7 6-4 6-1
(3) V. Williams def. (11) A. Radwanska 6-1 6-2

(4) E. Dementieva def. F. Schiavone 6-2 6-2
(2) S. Williams def. (8) V. Azarenka 6-2 6-3

Ladie's Wimbledon Quarterfinals

Sabine Lisicki continues her string of upsets, knocking out top 10 seed Caroline Wozniacki.

Match of the Day: S. Lisicki vs D. Safina

Sabine's run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals has been full of ups and downs. In the first round she barely survived the slumping 32 seed, Anna Chakvetadze, who served for the match in the second set, before falling apart and Lisicki grabbing the win. She then followed up her win with some convincing victories over reigning Roland Garros Champ, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Eastbourne champion, Caroline Wozniacki. Her main fault was failing to convert on a series of match points against Kuznetsova, but she still finished the match in straight sets.

Safina has been less than steller. Yet she is not new to poor play early in slams. She played horridly in Australia until the semifinals where she dispatched Vera Zvonareva only to fall to a rampaging Serena Williams. At Roland Garros she stormed through the early rounds yet once again fell apart in a Grand Slam final. With both players battling in their first Wimbledon quarterfinal Safina has at least played in multiple Grand Slam quarterfinals before and has the edge in experience. But can Lisicki's monster first serve and forehand overpower the Russian's long strokes that need plenty of time to damage her opponent?

My prediction: Lisicki wins the first set but can't finish Safina off, losing a close third set.

Other Matches:

Serena Williams has flown past opponents in the early rounds.

V. Azarenka vs S. Williams

Many people have this match pegged as an upset special as Azarenka is one of the few players that can match the Williams sisters off the ground. I'm not buying it though. Azarenka may be able to out shriek Serena but no way can she out-hit her. Serena's serve has been spectacular throughout The Championships and will give her the clear edge.

My prediction: Serena wins a tight straight set affair.

Venus Williams continues to dominate the lawns of Wimbledon

V. Williams vs A. Radwanksa

Venus is playing too well to lose to Radwanksa late in a slam. Radwanska may be able to run down enough balls to claim a few games, but her 60mph second serves will come back to bite her in the ass.

My prediction: Venus clobbers the young Pole

Elena Dementieva has yet to face a seed this year at Wimbledon.

E. Dementieva vs F. Schiavone

Who would have thought Schiavone could have reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals with the year she is having? Not I, certainly. Elena has had a cakewalk draw so far, facing no seeds, and she has easily defeated them all. Their H2H is 4-4 but this is a different Elena and different Franny since the last time they played. Schiavone barely has a winning record on the year while Elena has nearly fourty wins despite a poor clay season.

My prediction: I expect Elena to keep with her trend, winning in straight sets.