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Wimbledon 2011: A tale of four finalists
Two finals. Four finalists.
Two have won Wimbledon before. Two have not.
Three of the four are 25 or nearabouts. The fourth is 21.
The 25-year-olds have 15 majors between them. The fourth has none.
The 24-year-olds have 15 majors between them. The fourth has none.
Three insiders , so to speak. One palpable outsider.
The three champions’s names are B/R keywords. Petra Kvitova’s is not.
The former champions are favourites in their respective match-ups. One more than the other.
Their challengers are similar, yet different.
Novak Djokovic is the World No.1. ATP rankings on Monday will reflect his new status.
For Czech Petra Kvitova, it is her first major final. She reached the semis last year.
The Djoker has a better chance of upsetting the odds and dethroning current champion, Rafael Nadal.
Kvitova, however, can only hope that Maria Sharapova will leave her A-game in the locker room to stand a chance of clinching her first ever major.
Sharapova has not dropped a set in her march to the finals.
Rafael Nadal has not been as dominant but he is yet a formidable force.
Novak Djokovic regained the momentum of his 41 match unbeaten streak.
To lose just once, this year, a loss to Roger Federer in the French Open semi-final takes some doing.
Knocking over the Majorcan in a Wimbledon final will require some more mojo.
If anyone can dismantle the Spaniard, it is the Serb.
An old champion in the women’s draw is predicted; a second Wimbledon title for Maria Sharapova beckons.
The stage is set. Let play commence.
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Jo Wilfried Tsonga makes Roger Federer look ungainly in thrilling comeback
Let’s ask the question: Did Roger Federer lose or did Jo-Wilfried Tsonga win?
It was, perhaps, a bit of both.
For the first two sets, it seemed as though it was to be yet another cakewalk for the Swiss. The motions were smooth; the serve was chugging along like a Rolls Royce. The Frenchman was sleepwalking his way out of the tournament.
Then suddenly, something changed. It was, as though, the Ali-lookalike realised that this was his best chance—his only one. He had nothing to lose, so why not go at it full-tilt like the gladiator he is?
The first break of Roger’s sublime service fuelled this belief. That, maybe, there was something to be gainsaid from it all.
Rafael Nadal: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
“Seriously, the only thing is probably you play less times against leftys than righties. That’s the only advantage.”
Defending Wimbledon champion, Rafael Nadal, believes that the left-handed player does not have that big an advantage against right-handers except that there are fewer lefties on the ATP tour.
What he really meant:
“Let’s see, I’m a left-hander and it’s difficult for me to play another.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I wish I was a righty.”
Nick Bollettieri: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
“I can tell you one thing, Nadal doesn’t burn the candle at two ends.”
Nick Bollettieri, celebrated tennis coach, is convinced that a big reason for Rafael Nadal’s and Roger Federer’s continued success is dedication to the craft and very little off-court activities or late-night partying.
What he really meant:
“Nadal has a schedule and sticks to it. No half-measures in practice either.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I can tell you a million and one things, but do you want to hear them all?”
Nine serious contenders for men’s title at Wimbledon: Milos Raonic, dark horse
Image via Wikipedia
In the men’s section, the top four seeds each have designs on the title.
Will it be Rafael Nadal, last man standing, on July 3, 2011 making it a treble of French Open and Wimbledon crowns in the same season, emulating his 2008 and 2010 feats—further etching in stone comparisons to the marvellous Bjorn Borg?
Roger Federer: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
"It’s a good present because he [Nadal] had been struggling against him lately."
Roger Federer plays some mind games before the final claiming that he has done his rival, Rafael Nadal, a favour by knocking out Novak Djokovic.
What he really meant:
“Whom would Nadal prefer meeting in the final? An older foe or a younger one?”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I’ll roll over and play dead.”
French Open 2011: Can Roger Federer and Li Na overcome?
He did it.
Roger Federer is through to his first major final since the 2010 Australian Open.
He was written off. Yet he bounced back.
Novak Djokovic can console himself that he almost took the match into the final set. It says a lot for the progress he has made in the past six months. His confidence has skyrocketed and setbacks are to be met with unequivocal defiance.
Federer may not have captured a Slam in over a year but he was unlikely to let a 2-0 lead in a Grand Slam semi-final go to waste. The writing was on the wall. The Djoker delayed the inevitable—splendidly.
Andy Murray: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
“Patience is the key when you play Rafa.”
Andy Murray believes it’s going to be a long, drawn-out semi-final encounter against Rafael Nadal.
What he really meant:French Open 2011: Top four seeds match wits in men’s draw
“The hunter has become the hunted”
Novak Djokovic has his sights lined up on his third major and the No.1 ranking at the French Open. Barring his path to the final is Roger Federer, holder of 16 Grand Slams.
The duo fought it out at the semis at the last two majors, with Djokovic mastering his erstwhile conqueror. This year, Federer is content to lurk in the shadows while the top two seeds battle it out for the premier ranking in men’s tennis.
Maria Sharapova: What she said, really meant and definitely did not
What she said:
“We’ve done this for almost all our lives, so we feel like we’re on this sort of hamster carousel and we just keep going.I think that’s why it feels like every year we come back and like: ‘Oh, nothing changes’, and next year you come back, ‘Oh, nothing changes’.
Same old same press conference room, same court, same people. That makes you feel old."
Maria Sharapova sympathises with Rafael Nadal’s statement that he feels like he’s been on the tour for “100 years”.
What she really meant:
“You think you remember me? See, I recall you too and you’re boring.”
What she definitely didn’t:
“Just call me ‘Shareapova’”
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