Wonderful Wimbledon

Apologies for the long absence - sometimes real life has to take priority :-) So, what have we missed in the meantime? Well, congratulations have to go to Manchester Utd (Premiership), Manchester City (FA Cup), Barcelona (Champions League), Porto (Europa League), Pour Moi (The Derby), John Higgins(Snooker World Champion), Rory McIlroy(US Open), Petra Kvitova(Wimbledon Ladies Singles Champion) and many others as the trophy season hits top gear.

I write this post as I am watching the Men’s Singles Final at Wimbledon. The match started off like it was going to be a walkover for Novak Djokovic but Rafa Nadal is not the champion he is for no reason, and after losing the first 2 sets he has pulled one back to make a real match of it. It is looking like it will be a fitting climax to another wonderful Wimbledon fortnight.

Dori and I were lucky to get tickets for No.1 court on the second Monday of The Championships, in the public ballot. It was just our second time attending the event after our visit there 3 years ago. I have to say that Wimbledon is one of those venues that absolutely lives up to your expectations when you get to visit in person. I love the event, and I love the place. I thought I would share just a few of the photos that Dori took whilst we were there this year.

For the record we saw Marion Bartoli defeat Serena Williams, Djokovich beat Michael Llodra and Roger Federer overcome Mikhail Youzhny in three very entertaining matches on what was a VERY hot ‘n’ humid summer’s day. We also wandered the grounds taking in small fragments of the games being played on the outside courts, whilst soaking up the atmosphere of this magnificent event. We will certainly be having another punt in the ballot again for next year!

PS Novak Djokovich has just secured his first Wimbledon victory. Many congratulations to him!

Murray Mania Still On Hold

Another final, another straight sets defeat. Will Andy Murray ever take that one extra step and become a Grand Slam tournament champion? It’s been 75 years since Britain last had a male winner of a Grand Slam tournament and that long wait shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

Image: Andy Murray, French Open 2009, by Yann Caradec via Wikimedia Commons

Yesterday’s final of the Australian Open was Murray’s third appearance in a major final, following the ’08 US Open and last year’s Aussie Open. Each time he has been swept aside without winning a set, by Roger Federer in his previous 2 finals, and by Novak Djokovic this time around. The question has to be asked – is it a step too far for the man from Dunblane?

Well, I certainly hope not, and I do feel that Murray has what it takes to end several generations of hurt for British tennis fans. No other Brit has played in more than two Grand Slam finals since Fred Perry’s victory at the US Open in 1936, and none have reached more than one final in the Open era. The much vaunted Tim Henman never made it into a major final, and his great rival Greg Rusedski (quasi British) achieved just one appearance – at Flushing Meadows in 1997. So, Murray has certainly shown himself to be in a class of his own compared to other recent (and not-so-recent) British players.

In yesterday’s final, Murray looked tired and weary and after an initial blistering start to the first set, that tiredness seemed to grow exponentially. That may have had something to do with the fact that Djokovic had had the benefit of an extra day’s rest from the semis, and that Murray was pushed to the limit in his semi-final against David Ferrer, and may well have been carrying an injury sustained in that match too. But, every player has to contend with the battle scars of tournament tennis. Djokovic himself was heavily strapped both at the shoulder and on his knee during the final. Champions find a way to rise above the physical pain and still produce their best tennis on the court when it matters. Murray himself has done that at other tournaments on the circuit, but has blatantly failed to do so in the majors.

He has beaten every top player in the world at some point, and has quite a good win/lose ratio against most of them – Federer included. So, the implication has to be that the problem is more mental rather than technical. It is often difficult to read Murray’s body language, but to me he looked nervous and downbeat before the final even started in Melbourne. In order to become a true champion I believe that it is the mentality of winning under the most intense of pressure that Andy Murray has to take on. Without that, Britain may be waiting another 75 years.