The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People! » nadal

Wimbledon Review: Week One

Emily Wilson — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:30:44 +0000

The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!

The prestigious grass courts of Wimbledon have been subject to controversy, late night finishes, one of the biggest upsets of all time and there is still one more week left.

Two-time champion and one of the greatest players of all time, Rafael Nadal, was beaten by world ranked 100, Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic in a second round match which shook the tennis world.

Nadal was out gunned by the unknown who played the best tennis game of his life and made everyone question his low ranking.

His 95mph ground strokes were nonreturnable even for the best defender the game has ever seen, and he showed no sign of nerves as he hit three aces in the final game to secure an outstanding victory 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

However, it was the circumstances in which the match was finished which will be the benchmark for the future of the tournament

The match was two sets all when bad light forced organizers to close the roof for the final set.

Nadal, who had the momentum at that point, was not happy about the decision.

Previously, organizers had never closed the roof to finish a match after bad light had stopped play.

With rain being the only reason for the roof being closed in the passed, the controversial decision is one that will no doubt spark much discussion in the coming days.

Nevertheless, the result will go down as one of the biggest shocks of all time at SW19 and was much deserved.

The next evening, Roger Federer looked very much like he would go the same way, two sets to love down against Frenchman Julien Benneteau.

The Frenchman was two points off victory on two occasions in the fourth set, but Federer managed to overcome Benneteau’s onslaught, and finished the final set, again played under the roof, with ease.

The final score 4-6, 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-1 sees Federer go in to the second week of his favorite tournament where he faces veteran Xavier Malisse.

Other surprises saw sixth seed, Tomas Berdych lose in three sets to Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the first round and a surprise fourth round appearances Dennis Istomen and American Brain Baker.

Baker, ranked 126 in the world, is playing his first Wimbledon at the age of 27 and will hope he can overcome 27^th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber to get to the quarter final.

Kohlschreiber managed to see off Nadal’s conqueror in the third round, in a match which showed why Rosol is ranked at 100 in the world.

With Nadal out, all eyes are on home favorite Andy Murray to take home his first major, in what would be Britain’s first male Wimbledon winner since 1936.

Murray beat Marcos Baghdatis in the third round in the latest ever finish at Wimbledon, playing the third and fourth set under the roof, in similar fashion to the previous two evening events; Murray sealed a close match a few minutes after 11pm – the latest finish of all time.

Murray is now the highest seed in the bottom half of the draw, but he faces a tough fourth-round match against Croat Marin Cilic, who looks to be back to his best.

Cilic, who was fancied as a top five player has had stuttered progress over the last two years, but seems to be maturing into the player many predicted he would be.

Fresh off, a victory at warm-up tournament, Queens, Cilic will be more than a danger to Britain’s hopes of a home victor.

In the Woman’s side, the last 16 looks as varied as could be expected, however, favorites Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Serena Williams and Victoria Azerenka are still in the mix.

Kim Clijsters, who is unseeded following injury, is looking strong in her last ever Wimbledon.

And Tamira Paszek, who played beautifully on Wednesday to put out seventh seed Caroline Wozniaki plays Italian Roberta Vinci in a fourth round line-up which is typical of the unpredictable women’s game at the moment.

The lack of dominance in the women’s game over the last few years has caused a lower level of interest in the game.

Hopefully, the likes of Kvitova, Azerenka, Sharapova, Williams, Sabine Lisicki and Angelique Kerber can stimulate a new generation of interesting and exciting players to get the public interested in women’s tennis again.

The dominance of characterless Eastern European players hitting the ball hard from the baseline seems to be in slow decline, and the last 16 of Wimbledon sees players from China, Italy, Germany and the USA very much in the mix.

Wimbledon looks set for an exciting second week, and the grass will likely churn up a handful of upsets.

Whatever happens, the new precedent has been set for the roof on center court, and Wimbledon will never be the same again.

Late night finishes were the pattern of the first week, and with rain on the horizon, they seem to be the order of play for the next seven days.

Image Courtesy of Neale Cousland / Shutterstock.com

The article Wimbledon Review: Week One appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Novac Djokovic Wins US Open in Epic Final

Portia — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:30:47 +0000

The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!

Novac Djokovic wins US Open in an unbelievable performance.Djokovic. the Worlds’ number 1 showed no weakness during most of the match against Rafael Nadal. Djokovic’s forehand reigned supreme over Nadal’s signature powerful backhand.In the third set , ‘the King of clay’ Nadal attempted a comeback,but in the end Djokovic outplayed him.

Novac beat the defending champion 6-4;6-2;6-7;(7-3);6-1.Djokovic blasted through the last set 6-1 in just 38 minutes. He slumped to his knees in elation, relief and exhaustion after finally overcoming his great foe, Nadal after 246 mins of spectacular tennis.

Djokovic set the pace in the first three sets, but the brave Nadal found a way to win the third set and stay in the match after breaking Djokovic when he was serving for the match.The effort may have told, however, Nadal unable to repeat his torpedo like shots when it mattered most.

The red-hot Serb triumphed in a four-hour, 10-minute final featuring breathtaking shot-making, rock-solid defence, gruelling rallies as well as warnings for both men for taking too long between points. Nadal, who faced 26 break points and was out-hit in winners with his 32 lagging behind the champion’s 55, said he is determined to eventually overturn his losing run at the hands of Djokovic.

“I’m disappointed to lose, but Novak has been doing unbelievable things. What he has done this year will be impossible to repeat,” said the world No.2.”We pushed our bodies to the limits, I tried to play aggressive but he was making fantastic comebacks. I fought for every ball.”

Djokovic arrived on court sporting a New York fire department baseball cap, a gesture appreciated by the 23,000 crowd, just a day after the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.Despite the tricky, swirling breeze, Nadal was quickly on top, breaking for a 2-0 lead before the Serb hit straight back for 2-1.

Djokovic has won an impressive 64 games in 2011, and lost just two.He now has captured 10 titles this year. This is the Serbians’ third major title this year,the sixth man to ever achieve this fete, and his first US Open title.Nadal defeated him in the final last year . ‘Djoker’ as he is affectionately known is clearly the man to beat this year.

He outplayed Roger Federer in a 5 set semi-final.His ground strokes are as penetrating as Nadal, his serve is more consistent than most of his rivals,and his temperant under pressure is now sound. Djokovic’s shot selection was a highlight today, the variety of his choices kept Nadal guessing, as well as running.

His return of service was also exceptional.He is a champion, master of more than the power game. His razor-sharp, sweeping backhand and killer forehand are difficult to match. He is on a gluten free diet for the past four months, which has definitely improved his agility. If he can maintain his fitness, Novac could become one of the all time greats.

Djokovic received a trophy and USD$1 800 000. Upon receving his prize the champion stated “”It’s an incredible feeling. I’ve had an amazing year. To play Rafa is always a great challenge and I hope we have many more tough matches in the years to come.”

The article Novac Djokovic Wins US Open in Epic Final appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Wimbledon 2011

Clodel Remy — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:59:04 +0000

The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!

The last American Wimbledon Champion was Pete Sampris in 2000 against Aussie, Patrick Rafner. The last American to reach a final is Andy Roddick…of course losing to all time great Roger Federer.

It is said that American champions come in cycles and a great champion will surface… but that is not likely to happen, considering the trends of popularity in the sport which is sturdily decreasing in America and increasing dramatically in Europe. Let’s not forget tennis has always been a niche sport that will not necessarily improve in fan fare.

The chances of an American outside of the Williams sisters winning this Wimbledon is miniscule given the state of tennis on both sides of the ball; but miracles do happen. As much as I may want to see that happen, there are stories outside of the winless Americans.

Do we want another final with Nadal and Federer? Sure why not…we know the star factor and entertainment factor will be present…or maybe a final with Novak Djokovic, ranked number 2 and also has played very well this year. At one point this season, Djokovic had a 41 match winning streak, which came to an end on June 3^rd at the hands of Federer.

So far at Wimbledon, we are witnessing the return of the William sisters after their battles with injury and age; the downfall of all tennis players. The first upset thus far has been former number one ranked player, Jankovic losing to Martinez in 3 sets. The number one ranked female in the world is a 20 year old from Denmark named Caroline Wozniacki, her path to the final will not be easy in a wide open field, but let’s be honest it all depends on the health of the William sisters and their ability to recover quickly. As of day 2, all of these women have been playing well…even the old (by tennis standards) Venus Williams.

Wozniacki looked the most impressive dismissing her opponent Parra Santonja (if you can call her that) in 2 sets without hardly breaking a sweat.

I don’t know about you guys, but I had been waiting for Isner versus Mahut …two warriors who gave us a great match last year which didn’t seem to want to end. It was obvious the pain and fatigue both men faced but they endured none the less, making history.

And now here we go again…the most unlikely matchup happened again and to be honest with you, it didn’t really live up to the expectations…although, it may have been too much to ask from these two men to deliver the same kind of match they did last time. After taking a 2 set lead, Isner the lengthy American finished a tough 3^rd set and ended a match which people expected a lot more from; Mahut was no match for the bigger Isner on this day and he will move on to tougher competition at the same time trying to keep America alive at Wimbledon.

Quarter Finals

Let us fast forward to the quarter finals where the action has picked up a bit and the few faces of past winners have begun to drop like flies.

We started the week of the final 16 with major upsets of the William sisters…even through all their struggles, I kind of expected one of the two to win; mainly Serena. She has the sort of will and talent that I figured would carry here trough… given the fact that she may not be 100% after the year she has had- but it is over now, after losing in straight sets.

At this point, I wonder if Venus will win; consistently challenging and competing as she has done in the past…I know or at least I think Serena will be back in better shape than she played in Wimbledon 2011.

On the Men’s side of things, Federer surprisingly lost to Tsonga in 5 sets, only after winning the first 2 sets which has never happened in his illustrious career; Tsonga on the other hand, the 12^th ranked tennis player in the world has beaten Federer twice after losing the first set.

Once again, the four best players have failed to reach the semifinals of any tournament since 1985…No Federer/Nadal final; maybe we will have the next best thing with Nadal versus Djokovic. Nadal on the other hand defeated the highest ranked American player left in the tournament, beating 10^th ranked Mardy Fish in relatively uneventful fashion.

Sharapova is playing great tennis at this point, now she becomes the favorite to win on the women’s side after the undeserving number one ranked player laid an egg. But all the air has been taken out by the lack of big names and a true number one in the rankings. Nadal remains the guy in the men’s side but I can’t help think about the future and the role of an aging Federer in it.

Image Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpgarnham/

The article Wimbledon 2011 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.