Wimbledon Update
So far today nothing too big has happened. Both Federer and Roddick won easily, while Gonzalez took care of business after losing the first set to Ginepri.
Federer defeats Gabashvili 6-3,6-2, 6-4
This match probably did a lot to silence Federer’s critics who were stating he wouldn’t be ready for Wimbledon and there was something psychologically wrong with him. He served a decent 62% first serves and only allowed one (unsuccessful) break chance for Gabashvili. He hit only 13 unforced errors, while he hit 33 winners and 9 aces.
Roddick defeats Gimelstob 6-1, 7-5, 7-6
Roddick took care of business this match, serving well and playing consistent. He served 74% first serves and had just one double fault. He also kept his unforced errors down with only 11, while he hit 36 winners and 16 aces. Roddick didn’t approach the net as much as I expected, with only 16 approaches, but he was 75% on converting his net chances.
Haas defeats Fleishman 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Haas looked good in his match, easily dispatching Fleishman. He didn’t allow a single break point, while winning 92% of his first serves. He hit 31 winners, while only 9 unforced errors. To top it off, he played well at the net, converting 18 out of 24 chances.
Gonzalez defeats Ginepri 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-2,
Gonzalez had a little trouble at the beginning of this match, but ended up taking control in the third and fourth sets. He hit 22 unforced errors and 48 winners. The best sign that I saw from Gonzalez was his 27 of 34 (79%) net conversions.
Right now I am watching an absolute gem of a match between Henman and Moya. Its most exciting match I’ve seen today with Moya and Henman trading sets (Moya taking the first and third and Henman taking the second and fourth.) Neither players are what they used to be, but the match is still extremely entertaining. Henman is one of the few remaining serve and volley players, while Moya has been coming to the net and finding success. It looked like the match was over after the third set, but Henman came back, and has gotten the crowd back into it. As I type this, Moya breaks Henman in the fifth, showing how much of a roller coaster this match has been. The best part is that this is on ESPN 2, giving Americans exposure to some exciting tennis. The winner comparison so far is Moya:39 and Henman:39. The atmosphere is absolutely great, with the British crowd cheering Henman on after every point. This is tennis! I’ll update as the fifth set progresses.
Henman just won his service game after being down 15-40. He resort to some big serving and some crafty chip and charging to pull it even to deuce and eventually win it. He’s still down and break, and Moya has looked good this set on serve, but hopefully the crowd can will Henman onto a break!
MOYA DOUBLE FAULTS AND HENMAN BREAKS! The crowd is absolutely going crazy between points. The score is 4-4 with Henman serving.
And Henman wins a tough service game on an ace! He was down 30-40, but once again fought his way back, through two deuces. Its Moya’s turn to serve and the momentum is in Henman’s favor, but that can change easily.
Match point for Henman after two great passes!
Oh, and he then misses two more passes Adv Moya. Double fault! Deuce.
Amazing point for Henman! Returned an overhead, and then hit a great pass. Second match point. Henman nets the return, deuce.
Great return by Henman, third Match point. Service winner by Moya, followed by an ace. Adv Moya.
Double fault! Deuce number five! Late call on long groundstroke by Moya. Fourth match point, after a challenge by Moya.
Good drop shot by Moya, Moya goes on to take the game. 5-5, Henman’s serve.
And the match gets postponed (due to light)! Wow, talk about anti-climatic. Henman failed to convert four match points, and its been postponed until tomorrow. What a match so far. C
This loss doesn’t really tell me much. The obvious conclusion that is can be drawn from Nadal losing to such a low ranked player is that Nadal simply isn’t good enough on fast courts to compete near the level he does on clay. I don’t buy that. Mahut has been on fire all week, beating Ivan Ljubicic (ranked 12) and 2006 Wimbledon semifinalist Jonas Bjorkman. In addition Nadal’s game is so used to clay, Queens is truly a warmup tournament to make some adjustments. Nadal also has shown good form this tournament, ousting serve and volley specialist Max Mirnyi the round earlier. Whether or not he’ll ever hoist the champion’s trophy at the All England Club is yet to be seen, but Nadal has been successful at improving his game on grass.
Henin enters this year’s Wimbledon as the slight favorite. She’s just off her third straight Roland Garros win, and the fourth of her career. She has six slam titles, needing only Wimbledon to complete a career slam. She hasn’t enjoyed as much success on grass as she has on other surfaces, possibly due to her height (5-6), making it easier for players like Williams and Sharapova to overpower her on the fast courts. Despite this, her results have been solid, with two semifinal and two final appearances at the All England Club. She uses an all-court style of play, with one of the best backhands in the game of tennis. She can serve and volley, and probably has the best variety of any WTA player.
Sharapova has one of the most powerful baseline games on the WTP tour. Her power suits the fast style of grass well, as indicated by her two semifinal appearances and a title at Wimbledon. As I write this, she is in the 3rd round of the DFS Classic suggesting she is in form. If she can rise past her alleged coaching issues (critics claim Sharapova recieves coaching in the form of hand signals during her matches-she was fined during the 2007 Australian Open for this) expect for her to repeat her past success at Wimbledon.
The young Serbian has has been rising fast in the rankings during the past year, thanks to her US Open and Roland Garros semifinal appearances. She made it to the fourth round of Wimbledon last year and has the potential to go even further in 2007. As I write this she has made it to the third round of the DFS Classic.
Mauresmo enters the grass season looking to defend her 2006 Wimbledon title. She injured her groin in her third round match at the Roland Garros and expects to be fit in time to attempt back to back titles. She boasts a solid, all round game that has carried her to atleast the quarterfinals of every slam. Her greatest success has been on the lawns at the All Engand Club, appearing in three semifinals (2002, 2004, 2005), in addition to her title. Critics used to question her mental toughness before she broke through in 2006, winning two slams.
Kuznetsova has had inconsistent Wimbledon results with a first round exit, a third round exit, and two quarterfinal appearances in the last four years.
Ivanovic is somewhat of a question mark heading into the grass season. She hasn’t been on the tour for very long, yet has risen in the rankings very fast. She has third and fourth round appearances the last two years at Wimbledon. However, she is riding momentum from her 2007 Roland Garros final appearance, with a big win over Sharapova (6-2 6-1) in semifinals.
S. Williams is a two time Wimbledon champion (2002-2003) with another finals appearance in 2004. S. Williams is probably the most powerful player on the WTP tour, able to outgun even Sharapova in this years Australian Open. However at times she can be extremely inconsistent and some question her commitment to training. However when she’s on and focused, she can beat anybody.
The story on V. Williams is almost identical to her sister. She is extremely powerful and inconsistent. Although she hasn’t been in form lately, she could catch a hot streak (like she did at the All England Club in 2005) and add a fourth Wimbledon title to her collection.
Nadal has worked hard on improving his game for grass recently, however he is still a long shot to have a chance to win. He was last years runner-up, however, he is no sure thing to make it to the final this year. He is benefited by the slowing of the lawns at Wimbledon, however his spin-heavy strokes are still foreign at the All English Club. Topspin doesn’t have the kick on grass that it does on clay, and that is Nadal’s primary weapon. In addition grass doesn’t give him the time to play his excellent defensive, grinding game that he accomplishes on clay. Nadal chances are further hurt by his serve which is a slower-kick serve variety. 
Davydenko is no force on grass. His best showing at Wimbledon was in 2005 when he lost in the second round. He is small (5-10) and can be overpowered by larger servers. He takes the ball on the rise well and hits very clean ground strokes, however that matters very little against talented shot-makers on grass.
The 6-2 20 year old really has a chance to make some noise on grass this year. He’s having a breakout year with a masters series win and a Roland Garros semifinal appearance. His 5-2 record at Wimbledon is great for his age, showing he has some talent on grass. He plays a big baseline game, being able to generate great pace off of both wings.
Andy Roddick was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2004 and 2005. He’s always to force to compete with, largely due to his massive serve (clocked at 150+ mph). However his ground game is lacking. His forehand has regressed since he won his 2003 US Open title, and his backhand remains a weakness. Although he has worked hard and improved at the net, he remains no natural from the part of the court.
Gonzalez has yet to mature into a force to be reckoned with on grass; however this could be the year. He doesn’t move the best on the lawns, however his aggressive playing style benefits from the fast surface. He has what is considered to be one of the largest forehands in the game, coupled with a new slice backhand that should skid low at the All England Club. He has a big serve and decent net play. Gonzalez, with the right draw, has a great chance to best his 2005 results when he appeared in the quarterfinals.
