Monthly Archives: June 2009

No Nadal means all dells at the Wimbledon 2009

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rafael-out-of-wimbledonFederer fans will definitely miss the Federer-Nadal nerve wreckers. However, this year Wimbledon will be a piece of cake for Roger Federer, watch out Andy Murray! The exit of injury-stricken Rafael Nadal from the forthcoming Wimbledon is quite a matter of grievance for tennis lovers en masse, though an opportunity to write history for Roger Federer who is a five-time champion and was runner up of Wimbledon 2008. From now onwards, everything is quite framed for Federer, but for Andy Murray, the lucky guy at Queen’s, this can be a potential threat in winning the Wimbledon 2009. Britons have never produced any Wimbledon champs but is this the year where they lift the trophy?

Nadal’s absence has dimmed the glitter of the most respected tournament but Wimbledon is Wimbledon, the king of all tennis tournaments. Although Nadal is out of the Wimbledon, it is expected that he will come back with even more vigor and vogue in the US Open, which is looming just a couple of months from now (US Open Tennis Tournament is scheduled from August 31, 2009 to September 13, 2009). Let’s hope Rafael makes it…

Safina faces controversy at Wimbledon…

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dinara-williamsSince the day Wimbledon world rankings were announced, the controversial selection of Dinara Safina as world No 1 has pointed many fingers at the Wimbledon Seeding Committee. The presence of the William sisters, i.e. Venus Williams and Serena Williams, has fired up the controversy, as they are currently positioned as world No 2 and world No 3 respectively. Once the performance of Venus Williams is compared to Dinara Safina a wide gap between the two is quite evident as Venus Williams is far ahead in performance at Wimbledon.

Venus Williams has a brilliant career record at Wimbledon where she has won 51 matches and lost only eight, Dinara Safina has just 7 wins and 6 losses. Venus Williams has won the Wimbledon title 5 times, she was a finalist twice and is currently the defending champion whereas Dinara Safina has never won any major and never passed the third round at the Wimbledon.

To compare with Venus or even Serena, Safina stands nowhere in the queue, tennis pundits are of the opinion that she should not be made the top seed at Wimbledon. The Seeding Committee should review and modify the seeding where Venus should be declared as No 1 for the Wimbledon tournament.

When Wimbledon Began?

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J.K Stephen, an English poet once quoted that,

“To see Good Tennis! What divine joy
Can fill our leisure, or our minds employ?
Let other people play at other things;
The King of Games is still the Game of Kings”

Tennis, the king of games, is much associated to Wimbledon, the king of all Grand Slams and the world’s most prestigiouswimbledon and most watched tennis tournament. The history of Wimbledon dates back to the second half of nineteenth century where it was first played in 1877 in the lush green lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The reason behind launching this tournament was to raise funds for the club. Today, the tournament is scheduled six weeks prior to the first Monday of August every year.

Initially, the tournament used to be for men’s singles, but in 1884 a lady’s single and men’s double competition also started. The Grand Slam received world status in 1905 when the first overseas, an American female tennis player, won the tournament. As the fame of the tournament improved, the facilities for the players and the spectators also enhanced. Due to an extreme liking for the tournament, the court remained opened during World War II. Wimbledon has procreated such great legends like Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf.

AEGON Championship 2009: Andy Murray did it!

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RUSSIA ST. PETERSBURG TENNIS OPEN

‘So it shall be written, so it shall be done’ the famous dialogue from the Ten Commandments just struck my mind as Andy Murray registered a historical win over James Blake and finished the jinx by becoming the 1st British tennis player to win the AEGON in 71 years. The victory was written in the fate of Andy Murray, who won the match in straight sets against James Blake. The world No. 3 thwacked down astounding serves and thriving strokes with great balance and poise and showed a real mature game against a much older Blake.

This pre-Wimbledon victory has boosted the morale of the 22 years old who is all set to face players like Roger Federer and most probably Rafael Nadal (Nadal has stated that he will participate in the tournament). Hopes of British fans are raised as they think that he did it at the Queen’s Club and he can do it at the Wimbledon, which is starting on June 22, 2009. While talking to the media, a highly spirited Murray said that he felt good on the grass court and now he is all set to take the challenge at Wimbledon where he has not been successful as such. It seems that Murray will give a tough time to the tennis tycoons as he has the potential to win Wimbledon 2009.

Wimbledon 2009: Will Andy Murray lifts up the Silver Trophy

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TennisThe British won Queen’s; will he also take away the silver trophy as well? Things seem in favour of Andy Murray as lady luck is kind on him and he broke the 71 years old record of no victory by any British at the AEGON Cup, by getting his hands on the Cup this June. Andy Murray is flying high as is Federer. Nadal is a bit down due to his injury, but as a defending champion he is expected to put his full effort in to saving his title. Andy Murray can cash in on the injury problems of Nadal; however, Roger Federer is the only person in his way that can stop him from winning this esteemed trophy.

Just behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Andy Murray has been selected as world No 3 for Wimbledon as well. In Wimbledon 2008, Andy Murray lost to Rafael Nadal but things have changed a lot since then. Rafael Nadal, despite stating that he is fit for Wimbledon, looks as if he will not be able to deliver 100%. Hence the real contest is between Murray and Federer. Though it is too early to bet on any one, the top pick is still Roger Federer, Murray will enjoy the benefit of the home ground and that is a big plus point for the 22 year old.

Wimbledon Legends: Pete Sampras & Bjorn Borg

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bjorn-sampras1To start with, the best of the best-undisputed king of the tennis world, Pete Sampras, holds seven Wimbledon singles titles in his bag of trophies. He remained the King of Wimbledon in the 90s as he remained the titleholder from1993 to 1995. 1996 was the year when Richard Krajicek became the Wimbledon Champion by beating MaliVai Washington, whereas Sampras lost to him in the quarterfinal. Pete Sampras again carried on his victorious journey by winning four consecutive Wimbledon trophies from 1997-2000.

Next to follow is the tennis legend Bjorn Borg who won this esteemed trophy for five consecutive years. He remained champion from 1976 to 1980. He would have won Wimbledon in 1981, but lost to John McEnroe and remained runner up in the contest. Despite Pete Sampras being the King of the tennis world, Bjorn is the Emperor. It is due to the fact that not only he won the five consecutive Wimbledon titles but also won the French Open doubles event three times in a row along with three consecutive successes at Wimbledon which the tennis guru’s stated as “the most difficult double in tennis.” Sampras never won any French Open titles while Federer, with his latest victory at the French Open, has become the second after Borg to hold both the titles.

Andy Murray: Will the British win the AEGON Cup?

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andy-murrayIs the 71 year old impasse of losing the AEGON Championship by a Briton going to end today? Will Andy Murray win the laurels? Will James Blake take the AEGON to the US? The grand finale of the AEGON at the Queen’s Club will decide the fate of the cup today. Andy Murray will vie with James Blake in the final of the AEGON Championships with a dream to become the first British champion at The Queen’s Club since Bunny Austin in 1938. Though Andy Murray will enjoy the full support of the crowd, James Blake, who is half- British from his mother’s side, will definitely get some support as well. However, it’s the game that counts and the best will win the trophy.

For Andy Murray, world No. 3, who is in transcendent form, will be playing in his first final at home and on a grass court. Andy faced James Blake three year back in Hamburg on a clay court where he lost. Since then things have changed a lot for Murray as his swift rise in the world ranking, reaching the US Open final and 11 titles in his bag, asserts that he is a ‘would be’ Grand Slam champion. If Murray wins today, which seems quite apparent, he can even reach the final of the upcoming Wimbledon 2009 Tournament.

Roger Federer finally wears the Roland Garros Crown

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federer-in-finalFinally, he did it! The dream of winning the French Open has finally come true for Roger Federer as he created history by winning 14 grand slam titles, equaling the record of Pete Sampras. Sampras never won the French Open. Federer won the French Open by outclassing Robin Soderling in a 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 win. Federer won the French Open title after 10 attempts, of which he was a finalist four times in a row. Losing to Rafael Nadal, the undisputed king of the clay court in the last three finals had left Federer despondent as it seemed winning at the Roland Garros would remain only a dream for him. Perhaps Nadal stepping down from the French Open due to his injury gave Federer the opportunity to win laurels and grab the much-awaited trophy this year.

Post wining the French Open by Federer, the debate has started – is he the best of all times or was this victory just an out of the blue victory due to the absence of Nadal? Tennis gurus are of the opinion that he is not just a player but also a maestro of his game. Federer has remained world No.1 and is currently world No 2. So standoffish attitude towards his current victory is not right and he should be given full credit of being a history maker in the tennis world.

Federer in French Open final: Is the dream going to come true…

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Germany Tennis Hamburg MastersWith the defeat of unbeaten king of clay court, Rafael Nadal, in the fourth round of 2009 French Open by World No. 25, Soderling has sprung hopes for Roger Federer to win his first French Open, the only title that is not there, in to his bag of trophies. For Federer it is a golden chance for him to level Pete Sampras record of 14 grand slam titles. Perhaps, even though Sampras has never won a title at the Roland Garros, Federer can do it.

Beating Nadal in the fourth round, Swiss player Robin Soderling has registered one of the biggest upsets in the history of the French Open, followed by the defeat of Gonzales in the semifinal. Soderling has never gone beyond the third round in any Grand Slam. However, he defeated Rafael Nadal in the last 16, where Davydenko lost to him in the quarterfinal. Moreover, Soderling has lost all his matches against Federer in the past. It is the time to see what wonders he can bring on the clay court. Let’s see what the result of the 2009 French Open’s grand finale will be. Will the trophy go to Federer or will Soderling grab it. Check out the result today…

2009 AEGON Championship: What’s on the cards?

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aegon_logo2009 AEGON Championship, held at the Queen’s Club, London, is a prelude to Wimbledon 2009, which commences just after the French Open on June 8, 2009. The final of the tournament will be played on the June 14, 2009. Every year the AEGON Championship, also known as The Artois Championship, catches the fancy of quite a number of the world’s top seeded male tennis players. The time difference between the AEGON Championship and Wimbledon is almost a week and it can easily be judged as how the players will perform at Wimbledon by looking at the performance that the players give in the AEGON. The famous quip about this tournament is that “Wimbledon is won or lost on the courts of the AEGON Grass Court Championships.”

Key participants in the AEGON Championship 2009 are Andy Murray and Andy Roddick. Rafael Nadal has walked out of Queens as he become unfit during the French Open. Furthermore, Simon Gilles is another tennis whiz to look at. Even though Andy Murray has lost the 2009 French Open quarter-final to Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, the spirit of the Scottish player is still high. Murray is eying the AEGON Cup closely and is ready to face the tennis titans in Wimbledon 2009, starting from June 22. The absence of Roger Federer in the AEGON Cup will provide an easy move to Murray and Roddick into the semi finals or even final.