With one final overzealous swing from Novak Djokovic’s racquet, Britain was in delirium, Dunblane’s finest was in a bemused trance and Kim, Judy, Simon Fuller, Sir Alex Ferguson and co. were jumping up and down like there was no tomorrow. That jubilation appears to have continued long into the night – at least for Murray’s entourage – while the man of the hour apparently enjoyed some victory lemonade.
British hope, but very much Scottish player Andy Murray has played some wonderful stuff so far and has consistently justified why he is mentioned along with the likes of Djokovic when the destinations of Grand Slams are discussed. Much was made about the considerable easing of the draw after the shock departure of Rafael Nadal and although Murray’s camp predictably dismissed the early significance, the reality is that they would have been just as excited as the most ardent fan.
Two giants of the game clash in what will be their 28th encounter, but surprisingly the first time they have met on the surface that makes Wimbledon so special. Six-time winner Roger Federer holds a slender 14-13 lead in their head-to-head record, however, it is the all-conquering Serb Novak Djokovic who has the career momentum firmly on his side.
For many watchers around the country the contents of this semi-final would appear to satisfy the expected ‘surprise’ packages of the Championships. This, however, could not be further from the truth as both players have consistently proven themselves this campaign and there presence at the business end of a Grand Slam was always inevitable.
Despite Venus going out at the earliest stage, the younger sister of the Williams’ clan has ensured that at least one member of the most successful family in tennis are represented in the last-four. The passage to this stage has been anything but smooth however, for the four-time champion.
After an injury troubled French Open followed by a run of three defeats on grass, it’s fair to say Andy Murray’s preparation for Wimbledon was far from ideal. However, once he took to Centre Court to face Nikolay Davydenko in his first round match, there was no sign of the fears that followed him on to the court as he made little work of his Russian opponent.
As has already been shown in dramatic fashion, upsets are possible and sometimes in the most unlikely situations. Seeds have been falling like autumn leaves in the women’s draw whilst the men’s side was responsible for the most surprising result of them all. Nadal’s gripping loss to Lukas Rosol in the second round will not be the last outstanding upset of the Championship and so small stakes on some longer prices can only be encouraged.
With temperatures approaching thirty degrees at Wimbledon in the first week, it’s time to turn the heat up even further. Here’s a look at the top ten hottest women to grace Wimbledon’s grass courts so far! Please let us know of any unlucky absentees and feel free to send photo proof!
Baltacha rallied well to win her first round match and scupper our selection in the process, but expect that resilience to end in sharp fashion against the defending champion. Kvitova has failed to properly harness the momentum from winning this tournament 12 months ago but on this surface she justifiably ranks as one of the chief dangers in the draw.
22 year-old Milos Raonic is making some waves on the ATP tour and expect the noisy ripples to continue about this big serving Canadian as the tournament continues. Raonic’s second round opponent has much more experience in the locker but much less talent.
World number 8 Angelique Kerber has gradually been creeping into the upper reaches of Grand Slam betting markets, and the recent Eastbourne finalist should be able to get the win that sees her match her best ever effort here when reaching the third round in 2010.
Both these players can boast an enormous amount of talent but only one of them can consistently show it on court. 2002 Semi-finalist Xavier Malisse has struggled since that false dawn, only reaching beyond the second round in three of his next eight appearences here.
It’s difficult to know what is more worrying between Elena Baltacha being made favourite for this match and the recent realisation that there is a tennis academy in her name. It is astounding to think that a woman who has barely scratched the surface of mediocrity in the game has been rewarded with a legacy of her own, but the real sympathy has to lie with the poor girls that have been enrolled.
Two players, that 18 months ago would more than likely be heading into a fifth set under the fading light of SW19. Sadly for the likeable Austrian Jurgen Melzer his form, since troubling the top-10 briefly, he has tailed off badly over the past two campaigns with momentum crucially absent week-in-week-out.
World number 20 Jelena Jankovic could be forgiven for being annoyed after the Wimbledon draw was announced, as the Serb has drawn the shortest of straws in the form of multi-Grand Slam winning Kim Clijsters. The most successful Belgian tennis player in history has a commanding record against her opponent, winning seven of their eight meetings.
There may well be more spectators present than this type of fare would normal attract as world number 39 David Nalbandian makes his first appearance since being disqualified in the final of Queens for injuring a linesmen. The burly Argentinean is no stranger to controversy during his career, and so those reading too much into how he will react after one of the highlights of the tennis year need to tread carefully.
The woman’s draw has the opposite feel to the men’s tournament with a host of players seriously fancying their chances of lifting the most prestigious plate around in a fortnight’s time. The much maligned woman’s game should, theoretically, be more exciting than it’s best-of-five-set sibling, with countless upsets, breaks of serve and unpredictable moments making up the volatile personality of the modern woman’s game.
The most sought-after tournament in the world begins next week and it is no surprise to see three of the top players that have ever graced the lush greens of SW19 spear head the betting. Since the Australian warrior Lleyton Hewitt won the title in 2002, only the golden triangle of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer at its northern point have had their names etched on the trophy, and there is nothing based on logic or fact that suggests it will any different in 2012.
Bookmakers are aware of the player’s ability to play on the surface and can occasionally overreact when compiling the odds. This can be a source of value in match ups when one player has a dominant head-to-head record, as even if a player does not get on well at Wimbledon, their successful past against a player may outweigh their limitations on London’s courts.
The 126th Wimbledon Championships is just 3 days away, and here at Oddslife we are getting excited for the flagship event of the tennis calendar (in our opinion). The All England Club announced the seedings for the tournament on Wednesday and unsurprisingly stuck pretty closely to the current world rankings. So we are asking you to pick your winner!
It seems to be a common talking point in sport right now – Is it more exciting to see multiple winners and open contests, or the very best competing for the biggest prizes time and time again? This year at Wimbledon, Jo Wilfried Tsonga has the raw the ability to stun the very best, Andy Murray of course has an outside chance, but in reality it is another 3 horse race.
The selection here has to be for the match to go to five sets as whether a player takes a 2-0 or 2-1 lead it is almost certain that the other player will be able to respond, or the leader accommodate a revival. It wouldn’t be a surprise if either won, however, it would be a shock if the win was done before one of Petchy’s less able colleagues starts dribbling on about the light.
World number 39 Robin Haase has had an excellent eighteen months, moving smoothly up the rankings and increasingly becoming a player that the top forces in the game would prefer to avoid. The excitable Dutchman squares off against a man ranked nine places superior to him and one with much more experiments at the big events than that slight gulf suggests.
There was a period when Juan Carlos Ferrero was a regular fixture in the second week at Rolland Garros, with two semi-finals and a final between 2000-02 before a maiden Grand Slam win in 2003. The man they call the ‘Mosquito’ is a different player to the one that inspired the nickname, as the cruel hands of time have gradually diminished the very powers that made him such a feared prospect on the tour.
Many critics have decided that Rolland Garros is the least favourite slam for the big-hitting Williams, but that argument would be difficult to uphold after a 17-match unbeaten sequence on the surface which has seen her capture titles in Charleston and Madrid before withdrawing from her semi-final appearance in the Rome masters.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic face up for the thirteenth time, and both players will be hoping that it won’t be an unlucky occasion in Miami. Djokovic became only the sixth player in the open era to claim three Grand Slams in a calendar year in 2011, and the Serbian superstar has already shown this year, when capturing his third Australian Open title in January, that last season was not the end to a one off year but the beginning of a dominant career.
The new tennis season has begun, but the old results continue as the stranglehold on men’s tennis by the top three players in the world shows no sign of being loosened anytime soon. Even the various arms of the media have stopped stretching for alternative winners beyond multiple Grand Slam holders Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, and although the cantankerous Murray is routinely and rightfully tossed into the shake-up, he is still much more of a prop rather than a main actor in the Men’ show that has been on a loop for some while.
Barring Del Potro’s shock come back over Federer to win the 2009 US Open, you have to go all the way back to burly Marat Safin’s 2005 Australian Open victory to find any Grand Slam silverware that is not going to be gathering dust in museums in Belgrade, Basle or Majorca at some point in the future. Such is the dominance of the top four players over the semi-final slots, the concept of pre-tournament betting in the big events has becoming increasingly useless for the casual punter. Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal were on average priced at 11/8, 4/1, 5/1 and 6/1 respectively for the recent Melbourne Slam, however when they predictably met in the last four the prices only changed to 1/1, 3/1, 3/1 and 4/1.
