Wimbledon 2008

[AndrewHill]

Interesting first week so far. Probably the more interesting developments are in the men's draw with the surprising results of Safin defeating Djokovic Wednesday and Tipsarevic defeating Roddick yesterday. Davydanko has had a poor result at Wimbledon for the last five years, so it was no big shock that he lost in straights. Blake has always been an interesting case for me, because it seems that he should always fair better than he does, but I think he turns out to be his own worst enemy, crumbling under pressure when down a set or even a break, e.g not taking his time and serving too fast or looking for a fast winner instead of a rally. On paper, he should've won against Schuettler yesterday so to see him in a fifth set and lose was surprising. Lastly, with David Nalbandian's early exit that leaves 5 top 10 seeds in the draw; and arguably with most of the top 10 players that pose a real threat, sans Ferrer, out of the way, my prediction is that we will see yet another Rafa-Federer final.

There has been a lot of criticism about Nadal's game on other surfaces besides clay. There is no doubt that Nadal is destined to be one of the best if not the best clay court player of all time, but I think that Nadal's grass court game has dramatically improved, with meeting Federer in the Wimbledon finals last year and winning the Queen's Club Championship against Djokovic prior to this event. I think that Nadal is starting to become a very good competitor on this surface.

A word about Tipsarevic. I think this guy is a wild and dangerous player, clearly showing that he can play top 10 players, especially when he took two sets off of Federer at the Australian. He doesn't have a big game but this guy is a smart player, coming up with amazing shots at the right time. I think he's ranked 39 right now, but if he keeps on playing like this it seems that he's destined to crack the top 30 or maybe even higher by year's end.

On the ladies side, Sharapova played surprisingly poor, but the new rising star for me seems to be Dinara Safina, Marat's little sister, who was in the finals with Ivanovic at the French. She has been playing impressively so far, so it will be interesting to see if Ivanovich's closing remarks at the French about seeing Safina in many more finals will come true. So I predict that it will be a Safina-Ivanovich final.

What say you?

[T.D.]

Djokovic loss was a shock. Agreed on Nadal. I'm never surprised by Roddick or Blake losing; if they weren't American you'd read much less about them. I'm not convinced that Safina will overcome the family inconsistency.

[Dan Gould]

I could do nothing but laugh at Djokovic for getting bounced after running his mouth about Federer "running scared".

I always root for Blake but he's never done well on grass; I'm not sure why you think his game should allow him to play better. He doesn't serve and volley, and the consistent bounce of a hard court is where he's done best, especially in the Slams.

Sharapova getting beat is a crushing loss for leering males everywhere. Who are these other supposedly great looking female players?

[AndrewHill]

I always root for Blake but he's never done well on grass; I'm not sure why you think his game should allow him to play better. He doesn't serve and volley, and the consistent bounce of a hard court is where he's done best, especially in the Slams.

What I mean by Blake's game getting the better of him is that he is a fairly consistent player until he loses a service game or worse. I've seen him crack under pressure on all surfaces by now when he's down in a match: he serves faster and doesn't take his time in between points, resulting in a lot of second serves; he doesn't rally and tries for a fast winner instead, resulting in a lot of unforced errors. I don't think you necessarily need to serve and volly on grass to be successful; of course, the serve and volly strategy on grass is certainly an advantage. Agree that Blake fairs best on hardcourts.

[AndrewHill]

Sharapova getting beat is a crushing loss for leering males everywhere. Who are these other supposedly great looking female players?

Edited June 27, 2008 by Holy Ghost

[AndrewHill]

Anybody catch the amazing four-setter between Ferrer and Ancic? Great tennis playing by Ancic in the first two sets and an amzing turnaround by Ferrer in the third, but Ancic pulls through in a night-time tiebreak. Federer, Hewitt, Safin all through as well, with Federer being the heavy favorite over Hewitt.

[Soulstation1]

Looks like Serena and Venus are kicking ass again.....

anyone see serena on the cover of ebony?

[AndrewHill]

Federer sails easily into the semi-finals with a straight set win over Ancic.

[AndrewHill]

Well one semi-final is set: Federer v. Safin.

[Dan Gould]

Well one semi-final is set: Federer v. Safin.

Safin is playing as well as when he was winning Slams. Should be a good match to watch on the 4th.

[AndrewHill]

Well one semi-final is set: Federer v. Safin.

Safin is playing as well as when he was winning Slams. Should be a good match to watch on the 4th.

Absolutely!. Nadal v. Schuettler/Clement will probably not be nearly as exciting.

[AndrewHill]

Nadal v Federer on Sunday!

[Dan Gould]

Nadal v Federer on Sunday!

Weather permitting!

[sidewinder]

Nadal v Federer on Sunday!

Weather permitting!

Looking very 'iffy' here this weekend weatherwise, I'm afraid. :rsly:

Edited July 4, 2008 by sidewinder

[B. Goren.]

Venus wins all-Williams final.

[papsrus]

Is it just me, or does Serena come off as a real poor loser? I realize she's not going to be happy after losing, but damn, how about giving sis some credit.

[Soulstation1]

I had Serena winning

[Dan Gould]

I had Serena winning

There's a surprise. Did her butt enter the stadium less than a minute after the rest of her did?

[ValerieB]

Is it just me, or does Serena come off as a real poor loser? I realize she's not going to be happy after losing, but damn, how about giving sis some credit.

i'm sure she didn't want to lose but all the interviews i saw/heard, she gave her sister lots of credit!

[B. Goren.]

I had Serena winning

There's a surprise. Did her butt enter the stadium less than a minute after the rest of her did?

It looks like she has lost some weight.

[Van Basten II]

Anyobody thinks that Federer can make a come back ?

[papsrus]

Anyobody thinks that Federer can make a come back ?

Only if Nadal wipes out and injures himself ....

[AndrewHill]

Fed's two sets down with a poor track record in 5 setters. I'd say if you're a Fed fan, then you should be concerned.

[Van Basten II]

All Federer needs now is some Spahn and Sain.

Edited July 6, 2008 by Van Basten II

[Dan Gould]

Uh, the match I've watched is about as close a two sets to zero match can be. As much as Nadal picked up his game a bit to come back from a break down in the second and third set, Federer has played some incredibly loose points that helped him. He ain't done yet.