On Saturday, Marcia and I started watching the Ladies’ Final at Wimbledon. I was honestly surprised to see Amelie Mauresmo in the final, even though ranked and seeded number one. She has had a habit of being a top 5 player and not making Grand Slam Finals. She had won the Australian Open earlier this year, and though winning at the time, it was be default when Justine Henin-Hardenne had to quit due to injury. So here was Mauresmo’s chance at Wimbledon to prove that she could beat Henin-Hardenne. And she did, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
She looked tight the first set, making me believe that she wouldn’t win much then a few more games. She proved me wrong though.
Amelie Mauresmo lifts the fame Rosewater Dish in victory.
On the Gentlemen’s side, we had the “great battle” rematch! World number one Roger Federer against world number two Rafael Nadal. For those that need a refresher, Nadal is about the only guy that has been able to beat Federer. He has on six of seven occasions, with the latest being in the French Open Final just weeks ago, given Federer his first Grand Slam Final defeat. It was also Nadal’s second consecutive French Open title, played on the famed red clay courts of Roland Garros, a surface that Nadal excels on.
But this morning (afternoon really) it was on the famed grass Centre Court of the All England Club. Federer’s best surface. He was going in as the three-time defending champ.
Much like at the French Open, Nadal looked nervous as his play suffered. Federer took the first set 6-0. But I didn’t let that fool me. I saw Federer do the same thing to Nadal at the French (though it was 6-1). Sure enough, Nadal started playing like we know he can. The next two sets went to tie-breakers, with Federer putting Nadal in a 2-0 set hole when winning the first of the tie-breakers. Nadal was even serving for the set at 5-4 when Federer broke back (Nadal had broke Federer in the first game of the set). From there it was Federer’s set. The second set was looking like Federer could take a three set victory home, but Nadal showed tenacity and grit, dominating the tie-breaker.
But in the third it was all Federer at first. Federer was serving for the championship at 5-1, but Nadal broke, and then won his service game. You could see the determination in Federer’s eyes though. He wasn’t going to let another set slip away. The final tally was Federer 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3
Roger Federer holds the Gentlemen’s Trophy for the fourth consecutive year.
At times the mighty Federer looked like he was struggling. His usually tough backhand was failing at times. But he stuck it out. His calm persona won out in the end. Even during times that he was on his heels, he kept moving forward. It was his surface, and you could almost see him thinking, “You are not going to beat me in my house.” Though knowing Federer, he wouldn’t be saying it in a trash talking sort of way.
A lot of credit though should go to Nadal. He put up one heck of a fight. He never gave up. It wasn’t until he was just two points away from losing the match did it even show in his eyes. He showed a lot of respect for the game of tennis by not giving up. And he should be proud of his achievement. My feeling is that he will be back in the Wimbledon Finals again, and has a good shot at winning it.
Recent Comments