Wimbeldon Day 13 - Djokovic Beats Federer In Wimbledon Epic

In one of Wimbledon’s all time classic’s Novak Djokovic won his first Grand Slam for over a year, ending a run of three straight defeats in major finals.

He did it in the most dramatic way possible and at the expense of eight times Champion Roger Federer, who played his part in what is sure to go down as one of the greatest matches in Wimbledon men’s history.

Djokovic Claims His Second Wimbledon Title 

From the first point till the last 3hours and 56 minutes later the standard was barely believable. A total of 143 winners compared to 56 unforced errors throughout a pulsating match told the story of the vast quality on show.

But it wasn’t just the sheer brilliance which made Djokovic’s 6-7 (7) 6-4 7-6 (4) 5-7 6-4 victory so memorable it was also the drama of it. After two thrilling tie breaks in sets one and three the Serb finally found himself on the brink of victory leading by two sets to one and 5-2 in the forth.

A match point came and went after a Federer serve was originally called out but on review the dependable hawk-eye system overruled and allowed the Swiss to escape.

The chants of “Roger! Roger!” from a crowd craving a fifth set helped inspire an extraordinary Federer revival as he recovered from the brink of defeat to level the match at two sets all.

Djokovic probably didn’t know it but at that point he was a few points away from becoming the first male player in history to lose a Wimbledon final from match point up. Luckily for him he’ll now probably never find out what that feels like instead he celebrated his seventh Grand Slam title with a team led by Coach Boris Becker who now sits one behind Djokovic with six majors to his name.

"After losing the fourth set it wasn't easy to go on and win the fifth set, I don't know how I did it," Djokovic said after the match "This is the best tournament in the world and the one I always wanted to win so to be able to compete at such a high level I am so grateful."

At 32 this was clearly Federer’s best chance to claim an unprecedented 18^th Slam on his cherished Centre Court. A victory in his ninth Wimbledon final would have been a remarkable achievement, even by his standards, after many wrote him off following his second round defeat last year. Nevertheless no one can deny that it has been a privilege to watch Federer back at his vintage best over the past fortnight.

For five sets he went toe to toe with Djokovic, the man renowned for his supreme fitness and resilient resolve. The tactics from Federer and his coach, childhood hero Stefan Edberg, were spot on. There was even room for the occasional “chip and charge” and serve, volley - who said the game is all from the baseline?    

The first set was one of few chances, which was largely down to both players dominance on serve. Out of the two Djokovic looked the player most likely to make a break through and launched an early assault on the Federer backhand targeting it whenever possible.

However Federer was too wise for such a simplistic tactic and kept the points short by approaching the net on numerous occasions. The Swiss saved the only break points of the set in the twelfth game, which also happened to be set points, before taking a gripping tie break 9-7

Djokovic’s character was being put through the stiffest of tests but he came through it like a champion, breaking the Federer serve for the first time in the fourth game of the second set before cunningly closing in to level the match at a set a piece.

It was a contest dominated by both players impeccable serving, Federer led the way with a first serve percentage of 85% in the third set; Djokovic wasn’t far behind finding his mark 83% of the time, another tie break was inevitable.

That was the cue for the poised pendulum to swing back towards Djokovic. After taking the third he raced ahead in the fourth and was a game away from the title, only to be denied by the relentless Federer who reeled off a run of five games in a row to force a deciding final set.

Serving first, Djokovic did everything in his power to try a regain the upper hand and finally managed to shake of the demons which had prevented him winning his last three Slam finals.

He made his move in the tenth game of the set where on Championship point Federer struck his final backhand into the clutches of the net to end his robust challenge. Djokovic on the other hand could celebrate what he later described as his “most special victory” it would be no surprise if it was also his most memorable.

 

 

Wimbledon Day 9 - Federer Restores Order, As Murray Crashes Out

Roger Federer stepped onto the realms of Centre Court fully aware of the situation, two of his main rivals were out, and an unprecedented 18^th Grand Slam was in touching distance.

The timing and manner of his Wimbledon quarter final victory over good friend, fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka couldn’t have been better. After a routine first week Federer overcame his first real hurdle at this year’s tournament, and will advance to his semi-final with Canadian Milos Raonic as a man who been tested but remains unscathed.



Federer hasn't won a Grand Slam since winning Wimbledon in 2012

He arrived on court only minutes after Andy Murray’s defeat and was welcomed by a crowd still in disbelief at the defending Champion’s exit. For a nervy hour it looked like Federer was heading the same way, he trailed a set and was a couple of points away from losing the second but found a way as a champion often does.

He didn’t panic; his calm demeanour reassured his audience that he was still in control. After edging a second set tie break his route to the finish line appeared as he had expected it to and before anyone knew it his 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4 6-4 victory was complete.

“It's tough (playing against a friend)," admitted Federer. "Stan played great especially in the first two sets, until he started to really struggle with his fitness.

"He was hitting it so well so I had to wait for my chance. We know each other's game so well and I wish him all the best for the rest of the season, because he has been great so far this year."

Federer was right to compliment Wawrinka’s start; however it was true that he faded a little towards the end. In the first set it was all about the Swiss number one, these days it’s Wawrinka rather than Federer, as Wawrinka’s played the inspired aggressive tennis which saw him claim his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January.

What happened next was a combination of things, for starters Federer, who had managed to re-engage the saddened crowd, raised his game. While on the other side of the net Wawrinka became distracted suffering from an apparent stomach bug. “I was feeling not great, but nothing that I want or need to talk about," he admitted after the match.

The second set proved pivotal and after taking it on an anxious tie break Federer suddenly remerged as the favourite. His players’ box led by childhood hero Stefan Edberg reacted like their man had won the tournament; they knew the opportunity that had arisen and the obstacle that had just been cleared.

Wawrinka wasn’t the same from that point on and Federer took full advantage and made sure he didn’t follow in the footsteps of Murray and Nadal, by surging back to win in 2 hours 33 minutes and restore order to the men’s draw.  

 

Wimbledon Day 8 - Nadal Stunned By Teenager Kyrgios

When 19 year old Australian Nick Kyrgios strolled into the theatre of Centre Court for the first time he gave the impression of a man who wasn’t going to be overawed.

He emerged from the locker room for his fourth round match against world number one Rafael Nadal with the odds staked against him, he returned barely believing he had just caused one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history.



Kyrgios leaps for joy after taking down the world number one

There were no injuries, no excuses for the 2010 Champion Nadal, not that the humble Spaniard makes them anyway. This was simply a case of a talented young teenager bursting on to the scene in the most dramatic way possible for the first time since Boris Becker’s Wimbledon triumph in 1985.

Kyrgios was fearless as he closed out a 7-6(5) 5-7 7-6(5) 6-3 victory in 2 hours 58 minutes. His serve was like a relentless cannonball, his forehand like a guided missile locked on to Nadal’s supremacy. Time and time again he seared through the Spaniard’s defence like it was nothing more than a practise session, if there was a nerve anywhere near him it didn’t show.

"I was in a bit of a zone out there and didn't really notice the crowd," Kyrgios said after the match. That could have been down to the bright pink headphones he was wearing as he stepped onto court which said as much about his vibrant, energetic style as they did about his laidback approach.

"I was struggling a little on return but I worked my way into it and I served really well throughout, so am very happy”  he added "You have to believe that you can win the match from the start and I definitely did. I am playing really well on grass."

It was clear from the beginning that Kyrgios was no ordinary teenage wildcard, for a start he had made it to the fourth round after winning a five set marathon with Richard Gasquet in round two a match in which he saved nine match points.

Before the match he joked that he and Nadal had won 14 major between them. Of course all 14 had been won by the Spaniard, but that didn’t appear to worry Kyrgios who appeared with his head held high making use of every inch his 6 ft 4 body had to offer.

The Australian played on his terms; a second serve ace in the first game gave the crowd a glimpse of what was to come. Kyrgios dropped just four point on his serve in the whole first set which was played at a speed Nadal simply couldn’t live with.

The World number one managed to save break points on his own serve but in the duel of a first set tie break Kyrgios played some inspired tennis and spurred on by his strong Aussie followers claimed it by 7 points to 5.

It was the fourth match in a row where Nadal had dropped the first set at the Championships and just like in the previous round against Mikhail Kukuskin he took what is becoming a traditional toilet break to go and search for the reset button.

However unlike Kukuskin, Kyrgios didn’t buckle. On numerous occasions Nadal tried to slow him down but the Australian was having none of it, making the most of the rule that states you play at the servers pace.

Both continued to hold serve with relative ease and once again a tie break appeared the likely outcome. But this time Nadal wasn’t ready to leave his Wimbledon fate to chance, he broke the Australian for the first time in the match to steal the second set 7-5. Surely now normal service would be resumed.

Yet Kyrgios wouldn’t lie down, he believed from the start he could win it and once he had edged the third set tie break so did the other 15,000 packed into an intrigued centre court.

From that point the energy visibly drained away from Nadal, as Kyrgios broke the Spaniard early in the fourth. He then powered through to victory finishing the match with with his 37^th ace to book his place in the Wimbledon quarter final where he will face Canadian Milos Raonic.

Wimbledon Day 7 - Murray Takes Down Biggest Test Yet

At a time when the standard of men’s tennis is higher than ever, Andy Murray is making a strong case that he is at the very peak of the game.

His route through to his seventh successive Wimbledon quarter-final has been his simplest one yet, even more so than the one which began his run to the title twelve months ago.

Murray advances to his 6th successive Wimbledon quarter-final

The Brit’s game looks every bit as good, if not better, than it was back then and that’s just about as bigger compliment you can give him considering he only dropped three sets in the whole tournament last year.

This time around it’s a similar story; Murray hasn’t lost a set in any of his first four matches and is building an invincible aura at SW19 which has been formed by his 17 match winning streak at the all England club.

The latest man to challenge Murray’s superiority was his fourth round opponent Kevin Anderson, who proved the Brit’s biggest test of the Championships in more ways than one.

At 6 ft. 8in’s the South African is a tricky match for anyone especially on a grass court. However against Murray, Anderson’s giant serves and thumping groundstrokes were made to look a little ordinary as the Brit progressed 6-4 6-3 7-6(6) in a rain interrupted encounter which required the roof of Centre Court.

“When it was outdoors I played very well and was in a good position, but when we came indoors he was striking the ball better and serving better and I was dropping (the ball) shorter," Murray said after the match. “That meant there was a lot more running at the end because he was playing very well."

At 28 years of age Anderson is playing the best tennis of his career and recently reached his highest ever ranking of 18 in the world. But if the South African didn’t already know he soon found out that playing Murray at Wimbledon if one of the toughest tests in tennis.

Murray is renowned for his brilliant return of serve; time and time again the Brit simply chipped back the menacing Anderson bullet to take away the South African’s biggest weapon. A break of serve for Murray in the third game was decisive as the Brit was impeccable on his own serve, not once facing a break point, as he sealed the first set in 43 minutes.

The second appeared to be going the same way as Murray ruthlessly raced into a 3-0 lead with a double break. His shot selection was exquisite, his dainty slice and pounding groundstrokes were played at just the right time helping him out manoeuvre his opponent from the back of the court.

Anderson needed help from somewhere and he got some from the unpredictable weather which had troubled the schedule throughout the day. Play was stopped, the roof was closed and 20 minutes later the match nearly turned.

They resumed with Murray stuck in second gear and he was broken immediately allowing Anderson back in the set which appeared all but lost before the delay. The South African then held serve to make it 3-2 before squandering a break point chance in the following game which Murray escaped from with his lead still intact.

That proved a missed opportunity for Anderson as the Brit abruptly rediscovered the form he had displayed before the rain interval. Murray broke his opponent when leading 5-3 to form a two set cushion, a position he has only lost from once in his career.

However Anderson wasn’t ready to throw in the towel and under the roof it was as if his game had been transformed. The obvious change was the acoustics created by the indoor area, but as well as the sound Anderson’s shots appeared to carry more purpose  and threat as the South African adopted a more aggressive, approach the net strategy.

 That caused problems for Murray but he remained as confident as ever on his own serve, making the tie-break an inevitable outcome. To both players’ credit the crowd were treated to the best tennis of the match as Murray finally prevailed 8-6. He will play Gregor Dimitrov in the quarterfinal on Wednesday.

Wimbledon Days 3 and 4 - Djokovic And Nadal Survive Scares

The shocks may not have been as frequent as they were twelve months ago but after four days of Wimbledon it only seems a matter of time before this prestigious but unpredictable tournament conjures up another giant upset.   



Djokovic suffered a second round scare against Stepanek

On Wednesday Novak Djokovic came within a couple of points of being pegged back to two set all with the animated Radek Stepanek, while Rafael Nadal also suffered an early second round scare against Lukas Rosol.

Djokovic, the bookmakers favourite to win this year’s men’s tournament, appeared in complete control when he secured the second set against Stepanek; however the 35 year old Czech had other ideas. His vibrant style and interactions with the crowd threatened to turn the match of its head, as Stepanek clinched the third set tie break making the unthinkable a possibility.

The top seed showed signs that he was going to buckle but managed to compose himself in the nick of time; taking the fourth set on another tie break ending Stepanak’s challenge 6-4 6-3 6-7 (5) 7-6 (5)

On the other side of the draw Nadal was equally tested by Rosol the man who eliminated the Spaniard from the tournament at the same stage two years ago.

Back then Rosol’s monstrous hitting stunned Nadal and simply blew the Spaniard away. For a set and a half in yesterday’s encounter it was a similar story, Rosol led 6-4 4-2 with a break of serve and was on the brink of a two set lead. However Nadal is not a fourteen Grand Slam Champion for nothing and appears determined to put his early defeats from the past two years well behind him.

Nadal recovered to edge the second set on a tie break before sealing early breaks in sets three and four as he progressed 4-6 7-6(6) 6-4 6-4.

Despite those worrying moments for the top two seeds they still remain the clear favourites in the men’s competition along with defending champion Andy Murray and the seven time champion Roger Federer.

Murray’s second round win over Blaz Rola was as convincing as it gets, as the Brit brushed aside his opponent for the loss of just two games, showing the type of form which saw him claim the title a year ago.

Out of the so called “top four Federer is the one who has somewhat slipped under the radar, however there has been nothing off about the Swiss’ first two matches. He came through a potentially tricky match with Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller and as a seven time Champion the Swiss remains a real contender on his favourite surface.

The Women’s draw has been slightly more predictable with favourites Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Li Na all progressing for the loss of just a couple of games.

The same can be said for last year’s runner up Sabine Lisicki and 4^th seed Agnieszka Radwanska, however the one major surprise was a defeat for 8^th seed Victoria Azarenka who was beaten 6-3 3-6 7-5 by Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski.

The second round also marked the end of British interest in the draw, Heather Watson produced a strong showing but ultimately fell short losing to 9^th seed  Angelique Kerber 6-2 5-7 6-1, while Naomi Broady was beaten 6-3 6-2 by Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki.

Wimbledon Day 2 - Seeds on Song As Big Names Progress

Twelve months ago it felt strange watching the second week of Wimbledon without seeing the seven time champion Roger Federer.

When the Swiss lost to Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round last year it brought an end his unprecedented run of 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarter finals and was his earliest defeat at the Championships since a first round defeat back in 2002.  



There was no repeat of Federer's shock exit last year

As refreshing and entertaining as it was to see Stakhovsky serve-volley and approach the net on every point, there was a sense of disappointment that Federer wouldn’t feature beyond the second round.

However a repeat of that this year looks extremely unlikely, especially if Federer’s first round demolition of Italian Paolo Lorenzi is anything to go by. Of course there will be tougher tasks ahead for the Swiss , but on this performance alone he looked back to his fluent best and dropped just five games on his way to a 6-1 6-1 6-3 in just I hour 33 minutes.

A lot has been made about Federer’s potential semi-final with Rafael Nadal which could see the pair face each other for the first time on grass since their memorable final at SW19 back in 2008.

But Nadal hasn’t been past the second round at the All England Club since he reached the final back in 2011. The Spaniard faced  much a tougher first round when he came up against Slovak Martin Klizan who managed to clinch the first set before Nadal finally prevailed 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-3.

Nadal will now face another dangerous opponent in the Czech Lukas Rosol, the man who knocked him out at the same stage two years ago.

Elsewhere Jo-Wilfred Tsonga finished off his five set marathon to beat Jurgen Melzer in a match which had been carried over from the previous day. There were also wins for Lleyton Hewitt, Richard Gasquet and Gaël Monfils.

John Isner made sure that Andy Murray was the only Brit left standing in the men’s draw after the American beat Dan Smethurst 7-5 6-3 6-4.

However it wasn’t all bad news for the Brits as Heather Watson joined compatriots  Murray and Naomi Broady in the second round with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Croatian Ajla Tomljanovic.Next up for Watson is a tricky task against the ninth seed German Angelique Kerber who was also a straight sets winner over Urszula Radwanska.

Last year’s runner up Sabine Lisicki, who often produces he best tennis at Wimbledon, began her campaign with a comfortable 6-2 6-1 win against Julia Glushko While former Champions Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams also powered their way through to the second round with minimum fuss.

 

 

Wimbledon Day 1 - Murray Begins Title Defence

We all remember that day last year when Andy Murray made history by lifting the Wimbledon trophy on Centre Court, ending Britain’s 78 year wait for a male singles Champion.

350 days later the Brit faces a different pressure from the sort he came up against 12 months ago or at any previous Wimbledon for that matter. Only Murray himself will know if the task of defending his title is more daunting than claiming it in the first place. 

Murray received a warm reception from the Centre Court crowd

But if any nerves were expected from last year’s Champion they certainly didn’t show. Murray was in the same bullish mood which saw him carve through last year’s draw, as he opened the 2014 Championships with a 6-1 6-4 7-5 over Belgium’s David Goffin in a time of 2 hours 2 minutes.

It was an ideal match up for Murray whose early exit at the Aegon Championships just under two weeks ago came as an unexpected blip. Goffin, aged 23, is a player who after a promising junior career and a ranking as high as 42 has slipped down to 105 in the world. At times he played better than that however he was still far from a match for Murray.

A year ago it was eight time Grand Slam Champion Ivan Lendl who was the main attraction in Murray’s entourage. Twelve months on the calm Czech has moved on and in his place steps another major winner in Amélie Mauresmo, the Frenchwoman won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006 while holding the world number one ranking.

If there were any early doubts about the Murray/ Mauresmo partnership they were soon evaporated in the first set. The Brit broke his opponent’s serve in the second game and never looked like surrendering it back.

Murray’s combination of power and craft from the back of the court was too much for Goffin who showed flashes of his talent but in comparison to Murray was unarmed and simply didn’t have the weapons to trouble the defending Champion. A second break soon followed as Murray stormed to the opening set for the loss of a single game in just twenty-nine minutes.

The second set appeared to be going the same way, as Murray comfortable on his own serve, broke again to lead 2-1. However Goffin wasn’t going lie down as easily and at least made the score line competitive by holding serve, nevertheless it was too late to save the set from Murray’s clutches.

The Brit said after the match that “it was a very high standard”. That was to Goffin’s credit, in the third set the Belgian produced his best tennis of the contest, a memorable backhand passing shot was comfortably the highlight of his afternoon.    

Goffin’s attack was gathering momentum and Murray, who had been immaculate on serve, was forced to save two break points mid-way through the set. But once they had slipped through Goffin’s grasp it was business as usual for the defending champion as he made his move at 5-5 breaking the Belgian once more before serving out the match and finishing with an ace.

The only other British success on day one came in the Women’s draw from Naomi Broady who won her first ever match at a Grand Slam to beat Hungary's Timea Babos 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-0.

Elsewhere Johanna Konta lost 6-4 3-6 6-4 to China's Peng Shuai. While in the men’s draw there were first round defeats for James Ward, Dan Evans, Dan Cox and Kyle Edmund.

Champion At Last

There were times when we thought it would never happen, three years of semi final heartbreak followed by a final which agonised a nation, it was always a case of oh so close, but at last we can finally say Andy Murray Wimbledon Champion.

It was the final that most people wished for, the world number one against the world number two, Murray versus Djokovic had the makings of a classic which seemed impossible to call.

Andy Murray finally gets his hands on the Wimbledon trophy 

However not only did Murray beat the best player in the world to claim his maiden Wimbledon title, he also completely outplayed him and although the usually resilient Serb tried everything to prolong the contest he just couldn’t match the magnificence of the Murray.

It was a match where momentum continuously shifted from one side of the net to the other, but at the crucial times it was always Murray who seized it striving to a 6-4 7-5 6-4 victory in a gruelling 3 hours and 9 minutes. What a difference from his fortunes twelve months ago.

Although Murray’s experience of last year’s final may not have given him much to smile about back then, there’s no doubt that the occasion helped propel him to an Olympic gold medal, a US Open title and at last his treasured Wimbledon crown.    

We have also seen a more open and at times emotional side to the usually reserved Brit, who since his triumphs has showed the public a greater side to his personality which has certainly earned him a lot of fans.

    

Murray’s eyes had been firmly set on capturing his first Wimbledon title ever since missing the French Open back in June. From his impressive comeback victory at the Aegon Championships three weeks ago all the way up to the climax of this fortnight the Brit has showed plenty of heart and passion as he has looked more determined than ever to get his hands on the famous trophy.

In their four precious Grand Slam meetings Djokovic had been victorious in three of them; however Murray had been successful when the pair met at last year’s US Open where the Brit achieved his first Slam title. While their only meeting on grass had come at last summer’s Olympics which Murray won in straight sets.

The nation believed. There was hope and expectation that this was the year when Wimbledon celebrated its first British male singles Champion since Fred Perry in 1936, that 77 years of waiting didn’t become 78.Centre Court roared, Henman Hill was packed and at home many watched in anticipation, it was all down to Murray to deliver.

If there were any nerves lurching in the players stomachs before the match, it was Djokovic who was affected most. The Serb was forced to save three break points from the word go, before Murray finally clinched a break in a marathon third game which lasted 20 minutes, as the Brit finally took his seventh break point to lead 2-1.

However the buoyant celebrations were abruptly silenced as Djokovic quickly broke back in the following game. The rallies became exhausting even to watch; continuously exceeding 20 sometimes even 30 shots in the sweltering heat, even for the games two fittest athletes the challenge was bound to take its toll. 

With temperatures close to 30 degrees it was Murray who kept his cool, he once again took advantage of some surprising errors from the world number one who was still hunting for his A-game.

Murray nearly made the same mistake of handing his earned break straight back. When serving into the sun he served two double faults and faced two more break points. However once he held, the set never looked in doubt as he emphatically served it out to love after a draining hour of tennis.

But there is one thing guaranteed when you take on the heart and passion of Djokovic and that is he never goes away, that’s why he’s world number one. It took until the second set for the Serb to at last stamp some authority on the match, as he started to dictate some brutal rallies breaking Murray to lead 4-1.   

At that point Murray could have let the momentum swing further away from him, but instead he fearlessly wrestled it back. He was agonisingly denied two break back points when trailing 4-2, however rather than feeling sorry for himself he willingly kept on fighting and was handed his reward when Djokovic double faulted to surrender his lead.

With the set in the balance at 5-5 any sort of slip up would prove costly, and it was Djokovic who blinked. With no challenges remaining the Serb let a tight line call get under his skin, which sparked a frustrated reaction towards umpire Mohamed Lahyani.  

Murray recognised his opportunity, and swiftly took advantage of the Serbs meltdown. After finishing the job of breaking the Djokovic serve he once again held to love, capping it off with an ace to put him only one set away.

The Brit continued to sense that his opponent was vulnerable, as Murray moved in for the kill breaking Djokovic in the opening game of the third set.

There was always likely to be some sort of Djokovic fight back, but the question was how late would he leave it? And would Murray allow it to happen?

Both were quickly answered, from 0-30 on the Djokovic serve Murray missed the chance to claim a 3-0 lead and a double break, minutes later the Serb wasn’t so hesitant when he was presented with a similar opening.

From leading 2-0 with a break, Murray’s third set suddenly turned sour. He lost his rhythm on serve and for the first time in the match his racket was littering errors, as the momentum steered back towards Djokovic who twice broke the Murray serve. It was now 4-2 in the Serbs favour.

But just when we thought the Murray charge was finally showing signs of faltering, we were proved wrong again. It was then the Brit’s turn to spin the set on its head breaking back to 4-4 before striking his biggest blow yet.

He simple chased down every ball to once more break the Djokovic serve and resistance to put himself only one service game away from the title.

40-0 up, three Championships points, but it could never be that easy. They all went pleading, as Djokovic launched his last attack which resulted in ten minutes of torture for everyone involved. Four deuces’s past, but at last Britain’s 77 years of wait went crashing into the net along with Djokovic’s final backhand. Murray was the Champion.

 “It was an unbelievably long match with some extremely long games; I don’t know how I managed to come through that final game”

“I’ve played Novak many times and I think when the game is finished he will go down as one of the biggest fighters, he’s come back so many times from losing positions and he almost did the same today”     

So to a tournament that has certainly provided us with plenty of drama and excitement over the past fortnight. But at last it has final brought British tennis it’s greatest day yet, ending a 77 year wait for a male Champion.

Wimbledon 2013 - it hasn't been bad has it?   

History In The Making

So Andy Murray has earned his second crack at a Wimbledon final, along with the chance to make history of becoming the first British male to win the prestigious event in 77 years.

His route through the tournament may not have crossed with the familiar big names of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal; however that is to take nothing away from the Brit’s exceptional achievement over the past fortnight where at times he has had to battle harder than ever.

Murray marches through to the Wimbledon final

Murray’s semi final opponent was by no means a small task, 6 foot 8 to be precise. The giant Pole Jerzy Janowitcz could be a match for anyone in Wimbledon’s to come, but for this year at least Murray possessed enough experience and quality to overcome his huge task.  

Only 22 years old Janowicz has made his big burst onto the tennis scene in the past year reaching number 22 in the world, with his height being a menacing factor. There were moments when the towering Pole looked impossible to break, consistently serving around 140 mph, as Murray could only second guess where the ball was going to land.

But Murray wasn’t going to let his Wimbledon dream be crushed by this rookie, who hadn’t made the fourth round of a Grand Slam until this event.

Murray battled and battled to recover from solitary set down, taking the second and winning five games in a row to clinch the third, before his progress was abruptly halted by the decision to close the roof much to the Brit’s displeasure.

Now leading two sets to one Murray was determined to retain the advantage. After a 30 minute wait he quickly regained his momentum under the beaming lights of centre court, as the roaring crowd spurred him on to a 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-4 6-3 victory in a total of 2 hours and 52 minutes.

"He's talented and unpredictable; he has huge serves, which give you very little rhythm to come back at him.” Said Murray after the match

"It's a tough situation, there was about 45 minutes of daylight left” (before the roof was closed) "It's an outdoor event and we should play as much outdoors as we can. And I'd won five games in a row. But I took a shower, spoke to the guys and got to back work."

Murray didn’t do a lot wrong in the opening set; his serving was as good as it’s been all tournament, as he didn’t face a single break point. However Janowicz had only been broke four times while reaching the semi final and his monstrous serve was causing Murray plenty of problems.

In the fourth game of the match Murray saw his first break point go begging. But more decisively the Brit allowed two set points to pass him by while Janowicz was serving at 5-4 down. A second serve at close to 120 mph saved one of them the margins couldn’t have been finer.

Janowicz had been considerably calm considering this was his first slam final, and in the lottery of the tie break it was the higher ranked Murray who buckled. The Pole’s free hitting allowed him to run away with the breaker and the vital first set, as some abnormal errors crept into the Murray game.

However Janowicz had little time to celebrate his first set triumph, as the giant Pole showed his first signs of faltering, serving two double faults in the opening game of the second set to hand Murray a crucial break.

The 2^nd seed then showed his efficiency by holding serve for the remainder of the set, as Janowicz threw everything to get the break back. However Murray stood firm saving four break points to level the match at one set all.   

With the time approaching 8pm Janowicz began to ask continuous questions to umpire Jake Garner about when the roof would be closed, demanding the man in the chair to “tell me the exact time”

That permanently growing argument could have backfired on Janowicz but instead it only seemed to fire up the mouthy Pole who demonstrated there was more to his game than just his serve, showing a variety of big forehand’s and delicate drop shots to break Murray for the first time in the fourth game of the third set to take command.

But sometimes it’s amazing just how momentum can change, at one stage Murray trailed 4-1 in and needed to react fast to prevent going down 2 sets to 1. Twenty minutes later the match had totally flipped on its head and it was the Brit who was serving for the third set.

Murray reeled off five games in a row to clinch set number three breaking his opponent twice, as Janowicz started becoming predictable overusing the drop shot whilst he began to run out of ideas.

Janowicz didn’t do himself many favours. His constant moaning at the umpire about the roof made it easy for the Pole to take of the role of the villain which at times brought him boos from the crowd.

The momentum was strongly with Murray, but if Janowicz couldn’t stop him, tournament referee Andrew Jarrett could. At 8:30 the decision was made to close the roof to which Murray argued “It's unfair, it's an outdoor tournament” before saying “you’re only doing it because he's been complaining about it for 45 minutes."

After 30 minutes off court the match could have easily swung back the way of the Pole, however Murray refused to let the brief interruption bother him. Subsequent to both players holding their opening service game Janowicz was the one to blink first, when Murray broke in the third game aided by more errors and a double fault from the Polish number one.       

Once he had the break there was no chance of Murray giving it back, he charged to victory and his second successive Wimbledon final. He even broke the Janowicz serve for a final time to spare us the drama and agony of him serving it out himself.

Murray’s success was greeted with an echoing roar from crowd who are sure to be right behind him in Sunday’s final, as he bids to become the first British male winner since Fred Perry back in 1936.

Now all that stands in Murray’s way of his maiden Wimbledon title is the ever ominous world number one Novak Djokovic who was given his biggest scare yet by Juan Martin Del Potro in the other semi final, which the Serb finally prevailed 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 in the longest ever men’s semi final at SW19 lasting 4 hours and 44 minutes.

Sunday’s final has all the makings of a classic but will it be Murray mania on his home turf, or will the determined Djokovic spoil the prolonged party? 

Murray Surges Back To Reach Wimbledon Semi

It’s had unthinkable upsets, agonizing injuries and been more unpredictable than ever before, Wimbledon 2013 had certainly given us plenty to talk about. After eight days all it was missing was a five set epic on Centre Court, but we can always rely on Andy Murray to keep us sweating.

Relief for Murray,as recovers from two sets down

For the majority of 3 hours and 26 minutes Murray trailed the world number 54 Fernando Verdasco in a momentum shifting quarter final, it wasn’t until the last 5 minutes that the score board finally showed Murray ahead as he stole the match from the peril of defeat.

With fellow Scot Sir Alex Ferguson watching from the stands, Murray was forced to pull off a great escape that even the former Manchester United boss would have appreciated; he of all people knows the feeling best.

Murray’s fearless mind-set and sheer tenacity ensured he recovered from two sets down for the seventh time in his Grand Slam career, to rescue his fading Wimbledon dream.

He may not have made  it easy for many of us to watch but certainly kept us  intrigued in a energy draining battle which he finally prevailed 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 7-5 to set up a semi final with big serving Pole Jerzy Janowicz.

It was shock to see Verdasco play at the level he did, since his career high ranking of seven in the world back in 2009 the Spaniard had somewhat faded away from the top of the game. While his results this year have also been patchy, in many ways a run to the Wimbledon quarters had come out of the blue.

For two sets Murray had no answer to the Spaniard’s aggressive nature and blistering forehand, which earned him a deserved two set lead. A respectable achievement considering Murray hadn’t dropped a set all tournament.

But as Verdasco soon discovered when you’ve got Murray down at Wimbledon you just can’t let the Brit off the hook. Spurred on by the crowd, Murray hauled his way back to claim an emotional victory on centre court in arguably the match of the Championships so far.

"He served fantastically well. He's a very, very good player. He's been at the top of the game before and he's playing well again. Said Murray “I started to play more solid and really took my time when I had the chance."

Murray more than most knew that when he walked on court against Verdasco he was expected to make the semi-final for the fifth year running, anything less would seen a major let down that’s the price you have to pay when your ranked number two in the world.

Also take into account the early exits of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal which made Murray the overwhelming favourite to progress the final from his half of the draw, only he knows how much pressure that really put on him.

The first set was a cagey affair, as both players struggled to make an impact on their opponent’s service games. Even Murray who is renowned for being one of the most effective returners in the game found it difficult to adapt to the left handed serve possessed by Verdasco.

Verdasco’s aggressive approach resulted in some early errors and break points for Murray; however every time the Spainard was down he was able to come up with the goods finding his serve and sweltering forehand at the vital moments.

Serving second meant Murray was always playing catch up to his opponent, but at 5-4 an unforgiving slip-up proved to be costly for the British number one. A double fault from Murray on Verdasco’s first break point handed the Spainaid a set advantage, for the first time in the Championships Murray was in a spot of trouble.

The momentum looked to have steered back Murray’s way when he broke serve in the third game of the second set, however it abruptly switched back as Murray’s lapse in concentration allowed Verdasco to flip the set on its head breaking Murray twice before serving out for a two sets lead at 5-3 up.

For two sets it was like watching the Murray of old before his triumph at the Olympics and US Open. His passive play was being continuously exploited by Verdasco who was the clear aggressor in the match, at times blasting his higher ranked opponent off the boundaries of the court.

At two sets down any sort of mistake could have been fatal. Murray spent little time in clinching a break at the start of the third to begin his long road back. Verdasco’s grip on the match slowly slackened, as Murray began to step up the court and take the ball on while he ran away with the set.

However Verdasco wasn’t going to back down easily, the Spaniard re-established his rhythm on serve and even forced two break point serve in the sixth game of the fourth set, which Murray sternly denied him.

At 3-3 in the fourth set Murray finally made his move, his more aggressive play was now forcing Verdasco errors whose dreams of an upset were suddenly vanishing. Once the break was sealed there were no signs of Murray handing it back and that was enough to force a deciding set.

Verdasco played his part as Murray far from ran away with it, but with the crowd roaring behind him and his comeback almost complete it seemed inevitable that the home favourite would finally come through.

It took until 5-5 for Murray to claim the significant break which allowed him the serve for the match, where he held to love to survive his biggest test yet.  

Murray’s semi final opponent will come in the shape of 6 foot 8 Jerzy Janowicz of Poland who overcame his fellow countryman Lukasz Kubot 7-5 6-4 6-4. Despite the Pole’s height it is yet another match where Murray must fancy his chances against a man who had never reached a 4^th round of a Slam until this fortnight.

So after all the events and shocks of the last nine days maybe a match like this was just what the tournament was missing. From a British perspective all it needs now is a first male single champion for 77 years. Is that too much to ask? In four days time we’ll know the answer.

Deadly Djokovic Halts Haas

There’s seems to be a hunger about Novak Djokovic at this year’s Wimbledon, a hunger to prove that he is the rightful world number one ahead of  nearest challenger Andy Murray and the tournaments early casualties Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic's toughest test so far, but he's still through in straight sets  

His fourth round match with 35 year old veteran Tommy Haas, a man who four years ago ended Djokovic’s hopes at SW19, proved to be to Serb’s biggest challenge yet. But if this wasn't Djokovic at his best then the rest of the draw should be more than a little concerned at his almost immaculate progress.

After a first set of little resistance from Haas, the German took a shock 4-2 lead in the second breaking Djokovic’s serve for the first time in the tournament. However the 13^th seed slowly faded and although he again broke the Serb when serving for the match at 5-4 it only prevented the inevitable as he went down 6-1 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

“It was never going to be as easy as the first set and I had to work for my games, I was serving well and returning exceptionally good at the vital times. Said Djokovic "I am really glad I managed to close it out in three sets"

However it wasn’t all about the top seed on day 7 of the Championships. This was also the day when Andy Murray, despite a brief scare, saw off 20^th seed Mikhail Youzhny 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to reach the last 8 without dropping a set, where he will take on the left handed Spaniard Fernando Verdasco .

It also saw David Ferrer and Juan Martin Del Potro produce their best performances of the tournament so far; the pair will now meet to battle for a potential semi final showdown with Djokovic .

Djokovic himself will now face Tomas Berdych who let’s not forget was a Wimbledon finalist back in 2010, and the Czech had be in good form to see off young Australian Bernard Tomic 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4.

However the big story of the day came in the Women’s draw where defending Champion and clear favourite Serena Williams suffered a staggering defeat  to 23^rd seed German Sabine Lisicki, to bring to an end a 34 match winning streak for the American, as she followed Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka whose departures have swung the draw wide open.

Unfortunately for the British fans Laura Robson wasn’t able add her name to the quarter final line up, as the 19 year olds unprecedented journey was brought to a hard fought end by Estonian Kaia Kanepi who prevailed 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 to set up a quarter final with Lisicki.

After all the upsets 4^th seed and last year’s runner up Agnieszka Radwanska is the highest ranked Woman left in the draw, however the 24 year old Pole is yet to win a Grand Slam and faces Na LI in the pick of the Women’s draw.      

Novak Turns Up The Heat On Wimbledon Challenge

“Anything you can do I can do better” stated a dominant display from Novak Djokovic to his good friend and rival Andy Murray, after the ominous Serb increased the heat of his Wimbledon challenge to draw the first week of the Championships to a poised close.

Djokovic fires himself into the second week

Just Twenty-four hours after Murray’s tantalising victory over Tommy Robredo, Djokovic responded with a master class of his own on the sixth day of what has already been an unpredictable and eventful tournament. However that hasn’t been the case for the top two seeds.

Like Murray, Djokovic was scheduled last on centre court for his third round encounter with French man Jeremy Chardy, a man who in his six previous meetings had failed to take a set off the current world number one.

Unfortunately for Chardy after less than an hour and half on centre court it was made a painful seven matches without a set against Djokovic, whose overwhelming performance sent out a worrying message to the rest of the draw.

Djokovic made sure he didn’t follow in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer who along with many others fell victim to a first week of major upsets. Djokovic however showed no signs of making the same mistake.

The Serb dropped just six points on serve in the whole match, while his ruthless returns were at times unplayable, as he cleanly dispatched the 28^th seed Chardy 6-3 6-2 6-2 with minimum fuss.

 "I felt very confident stepping onto the court but it's never easy against Chardy, he's a quality player," Djokovic said after the match.

"Everything went my way. I haven't lost many points on my service game, I enjoyed it very much and it's very enjoyable when everything works well” Djokovic will next face 35 year old German Tommy Haas in Monday’s fourth round after Haas defeated Feliciano Lopez 4-6 6-2 7-5 6-4.

Djokovic’s consistency in majors is becoming more and more impressive, with the Serb reaching the semi final in the last 12 Grand Slams, A stat which looked unthreatened by the challenge from Chardy.

 As Djokovic later expressed, Chardy is a “quality player “who has recently reached a career high ranking of 25 in the world, nevertheless against Djokovic the talented Frenchman was made to look average at best by the merciless top seed.

Chardy’s early resistance made a brief match of the third round contest, as both men held serve to make it 3-3; however it was taking twice the amount of time for the Frenchman to hold serve compared to Djokovic, whose first serve percentage boasted at a dazzling 81% by the end of the first set.

Consequently a single break for Djokovic was enough to claim to first set, and subsequent to a double break for the Serb at the start of the second set Djokovic’s path to the second week looked as good as complete.

The third set also whizzed by in a flash and like Murray Djokovic’s impeccable show was over by 8pm. Djokovic’s early finish allowed the organisers to move Serena Williams’ match from Court One to Centre where she wasted little time in securing a 6-2 6-0 victory over Kimiko Date-Krumm.

However the big story of the day was the gusty fight back of 19 year old Brit Laura Robson who recovered from 6-1 5-3 down to beat New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic 1-6 7-5 6-3 to become the first British woman to reach the fourth round since 1998.

As for Djokovic his steps towards his second Wimbledon crown are turning into strides, while the probable outcome of a final with home favourite Andy Murray is becoming increasingly likely. But as has been proved by a strange first week at SW19 anything is possible.      

  

Murray Moves On Where Others Have Fallen

Back in 2009 Andy Murray became the first man to play under the new roof of centre court; a five set marathon with Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka persisted long into the night before the home favourite was finally crowned victorious in a fourth round epic.

Four years later Murray’s game has rocketed to new heights, now an Olympic gold medallist and US Open champion, propelling him up to world number 2.  So when faced with the same task of closing the day’s play under the enclosed roof there was no such drama for the newly formed Brit.

No problems for Murray as he reaches the second week 

After the unprecedented events of Wednesday, where many of Murray’s main challengers were eliminated from the draw, the expectations for the British number one to make his second successive appearance in the Wimbledon final are higher than ever.

Murray’s third round opponent lay in the shape of Tommy Robredo, a man who was ranked number five in the world when Murray first appeared on the tennis tour as an inexperienced eighteen year old. How times have changed.

Although, now 31, Robredo appears to have kick started his career reaching the quarter final of the French Open three weeks ago where he made history becoming the first man to come back from two sets down on three successive occasions.       

However his game on grass did little to trouble physical specimen of Murray who would have been wary but unconvinced of a Robredo revival. Murray’s thunderous  groundstrokes and dominant serve combined to create a master class under the beaming lights of centre court which lasted barely 2 hours with a score of 6-2 6-4 7-5. And it was all over before 8pm.

Murray will know more than anyone that he can’t take anyone lightly, especially after the astonishing wipe-outs of Federer, Nadal and Tsonga earlier this week. However due to their misfortune the highest ranked player in Murray’s half of the draw is now Mikhail Youzhny seeded 20, who has never reached the semi final of a Grand Slam and could face the Brit in the next round.

On paper there is little to stand in Murray’s way of claiming his maiden Wimbledon title until the prospect of Novak Djokovic in a potential mouth watering final. But in these craziest of Championships who knows what could happen?

What we do know is that Murray’s route to the second week of his home Slam couldn’t have been more straight forward, in three matches’ he is still yet to drop a set and has spent less than six hours on court.

Like Murray, Robredo hadn’t lost a set on his way to their third round encounter. The Spaniard made the perfect start by holding his opening service game, however he soon fell a victim to Murray’s command as the 2^nd seed controlled the match from the back of the court breaking twice to lead 4-1.

Under the roof the acoustics off the player’s rackets sent a booming echo around the crowd, but it was Murray’s tune they were listening to. Robredo’s only other game came from a sudden lapse in concentration from Murray which led to the Spaniard only break in the entire match. Apart from that the set was almost faultless from the Brit and it was over in 34 minutes.

Murray’s pressure was relentless; everything Robredo tried was clinically cannoned back by the determined Murray who clinched another break at the start of the second set.

However Robredo’s phenomenal comebacks at the French Open earned him the nickname of the ironman, a name he began to respond too. The Spaniard was forced to fight hard, just to hold his own serve which Murray continuously threatened.

Robredo’s efforts kept the set to a single break but Murray’s immaculate serving made sure he secured a two set lead. The third set continued to go with serve due to Robredo’s aggressive play but at 5-5 Murray possessed the power raise his game even more.

After sealing the decisive break Murray was left serving for the match. Robredo never stopped as he fended off the first match point, but with just over two hours played Murray soundly ended the Robredo challenge and booked himself a comfortable place in week two.

Murray said after the match “I thought I struck the ball really well from the start of the match, I had a lot of winners and that was probably the most pleasing”

Murray continued the British success on centre court following Laura Robson’s second round victory over Mariana Duque-Marino with the score 6-4 6-1. In the men’s draw 24^th seed Jerzy Janowitz followed Robson on centre where he produced a remarkable serving performance hitting 30 aces to see off 15^th seed Nicolas Almagro 7-6(6) 6-3 6-4. At 6 foot 8 Janowitz could prove Murray’s biggest challenger in the bottom half of the draw however the pair could only meet in the semi final.

So just like four year ago after he saw off Wawrinka, Murray has his eyes on that illustrious first Wimbledon trophy. The difference being with an Olympic gold, a US open title and a draw which has opened up better than anyone could have expected Murray’s chances compared to the past appear greater than ever.     

Roger Races On, And There's No Rafa To Stop Him

When this year’s Wimbledon draw was confirmed last Friday Roger Federer may have felt a little hard done by, the prospect of having to beat all three of his biggest rivals back to back must have been a daunting thought, even for a seven time Champion.

However after yesterday’s astonishing events there may have been a fixed smile on the face of the seventeen times Grand Slam Champion. Not only was his own performance as immaculate and faultless as we are likely to see in the entire Championships, but perhaps more importantly for his chances of defending his title was the unforeseen exit of a certain Rafael Nadal.

Federer sets off on his title defence

If Federer wants to defend his beloved Wimbledon crown he is likely to have to overcome his younger rivals who threaten to break his record seventeen Slams. However after 6pm yesterday afternoon the Swiss knew his greatest nemesis Nadal would no longer be a factor, the Spaniard’s astonishing defeat to world number 135 Steve Darcis abruptly ended the talk of his 5^th seeding and a potential quarter final with Federer. 

  

Twelve months ago Federer released a huge statement to prove he still had a big say at the top of the game. He vividly rolled back the years conquering the new leaders at the head of men’s tennis in Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to claim his first major in over a year, and he may have to do the same again this year.

Following a straight sets quarter final exit to Jo Wilfred Tsonga at the French Open two weeks ago Federer began his grass court session with an impressive title in Halle a week later. His preparation for Wimbledon couldn’t have gone better.   

 After his triumph last year Federer traditionally opened centre court proceedings, but not even he could have imaged how quick it would end. The secure elimination of 6 foot 6 Romanian Victor Hanescu lasted just 1hour 8 minutes. The 6-3 6-2 6-0 score line was as every bit as one sided as it suggests. The centre court crowd were treated to a dazzling Federer master class.

Seeded 3 in this year’s Championships (behind Djokovic and Murray) Federer made the perfect start, twice holding his serve to love while claiming a decisive break to cruise into a 3-0 lead.

Although Hanescu managed to keep the first set to a single break, its conclusion never looked in doubt. Federer’s game was in full flow, his elegance and class made the anticipated first round look like a practice session; all the same the crowd were experiencing a treat.

Federer dropped just one point on serve in the whole first set, his variety and accuracy made sure the Romanian never saw a chance to break back.

The signs were ominous for Hanescu, as Federer’s instinctive play forced more break points at the start of the second set; once again the third seed needed just one invitation to race into an early lead in emphatic fashion.

If Federer is to win an illustrious eighteenth Grand Slam, the grass of SW19 surely remains his best hope. The Swiss’ aggressive play led by his dominant forehand is still looks more than good enough to seize a record eight Wimbledon title.    

Despite his height Hanesu’s game did little to trouble Federer who was quickly neutralising the Romanian’s serve. A second break followed, as Federer ruthlessly made it 4-0, and when Hansecu finally worked his way to deuce on a Federer service game his hopes were quickly dashed by the Swiss.

There was no let up from Federer, as the unfortunate Hanescu was acting as a mere puppet to his opponent’s relentless show on centre court. Federer showed signs of experimenting with his game by approaching the net more in the third set, something which could come in use later in the tournament.

Federer said after the match that it was a “great first round and a chance the release some pressure” he also mentioned his victory in Halle a week ago which he believed came at the right time for him, as it was his first title of the year.

Elsewhere it was a dismal day for the British players as six were sent packing after first round defeats, only Andy Murray was victorious with a straight sets win over German Benjamin Becker. There were also wins for Jo Wilfred Tsonga and former champion Lleyton Hewitt, while in the Women’s draw Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka both progressed.     

But Federer’s performance was yet another statement that he is a match for anyone on the grass of Wimbledon, and with Nadal bowing out the Swiss’ odds of defending his title had almost halved by yesterday evening. Djokovic and Murray remain the favourites, but one thing’s for sure you can never right off a seventeen time Slam Champion.