In It To Win It

In It To Win It

With the 125th Wimbledon only hours away, there is just enough time to review who has the best chance of being the last woman standing. With so many dynamics to consider, Wimbledon has never had so many questions looming for the ladies singles draw.

Will a Williams win it?

The past few months of women’s tennis has been quite barren, lacking in the quality that only the Williams sisters bring to the court. Over the past few years we have witnessed their domination, were awed by their raw power and transfixed by their athleticism. With both sisters absent due to their respective injuries, we have been forced to appreciate all that they bring to the court. From the year 2000 the Williams sister have won nine of the eleven Wimbledon titles- even more impressive is the fact that in those eleven years only one Wimbledon final has been contested without either sister. Venus Williams has won five times (the most for any of the active women players) and Serena has won four times. Based on those stats it is no wonder a lot of the pundits are predicting that a by the end of the fortnight a Williams will be hoisting the Venus Rosewater dish trophy.

Venus is the better grass court player, but Serena is a shade bit more of a competitor. The one thing that both sisters do equally well is to rise above expectations and play phenomenally when everyone is doubting them- Venus did it here at Wimbledon in 2007, while Serena did the same thing twice in Melbourne in ‘05 and ’07. Even though they did not go far in Eastbourne, I am sure that the rest of the field will be wary of their presence.

Are any of this years’ Grand Slam winners contenders?

With this years’ Australian Open champion-Kim Clijsters- out on a foot injury, the focus will be on this year’s surprise French Open champion Li Na. Even though Li was not considered a great clay courter before this years’ French Open, she kept her head an got the job done. Li is fortunate to have the clean ball striking game that makes surface transition a slight factor. If she can keep hitting the ball well through the seven rounds, she could just give China another reason to celebrate.

Does someone else stand a chance?

Women’s tennis is so diverse that there is constantly a new player making waves, this makes it hard to predict who will go far in any tournament. Caroline Wozniacki (the current No.1) ranked player is one of the more consistent players on the tour, yet her lack of offense has led to her underachieving at the majors. Last years’ surprise semi-finalist, Petra Kvitova, has really used last year’s momentum to propel herself into the WTA top ten- however, her inexperience showed when she let slip a 3-0 lead in the third set against Li at the French open.

It seems that the non-Williams favourite is Maria Sharapova. In the last few weeks she has proven that she deserves to be considered (again) a serious contender at the majors. If she can keep that serve clicking then she could just repeat her 2004 performance.
On paper Victoria Azarenka has the game to win multiple majors on any of the surfaces, yet her on court temper is like a ticking time bomb (that can and has imploded at any time) that has relegated her to quarterfinal slumps at the majors. For a while now Azarenka has been touted by many (including myself) as the a slam contender.

Any dark horses worth noting?

Here are some players who could pull a Zheng Jie (2008) and go far;
 Anastasia Pavluyochenkova
 Marion Bartoli
 Vera Zvonareva
 Sabine Lisciki
Predicted Winner= Serena Williams

Image source:
http://www.zimbio.com/Serena+Williams/articles/FKAKuHuA3Xb/Serena+Williams+Wins+Fourth+Wimbledon+Title

Top 5 Men Seeds

The ATP field at the French Open usually has the same narrative year after year, with some minor unscripted changes here and there. This year the plot thickens with the addition of a focused an energized Novak Djokovic. The top five men’s seed remain the same as last year with a bit of re-ordering. With so much history at stake, will the two-man race of the 2011 ATP collide yet again on the red clay of Roland Garros?

Robin Soderling will have to pull up his socks if he wants to make it three finals in a row at the French Open. His 2011 results show that this will be quite a daunting task. I am doubtful that Soderling will even make it to the semis this year.

Even though clay is Murray’s least productive surface, he has posted some good results that suggest that he can break through at the French Open and make it to the semis. This year he went toe-to-toe with both Nadal and Djokovic in two big clay tournaments. If he can take that momentum into the French Open he might pose a serious threat to the clay duo of Nadal and Djokovic.

Are the rumors true? Is Federer on a downward slid? Is the end near? These are some of the questions that will accompany Roger Federer to the French Open. The aura of invincibility is gone for good. Federer has lost that edge that saw him dominate the ATP from 2003-2009. His resume suggests that he should not be taken out of contention that easily. No matter the current results, you can be sure this champion still has some good tennis in him, and with so much to prove you can expect a semifinal showing from the man who has amassed 16 Grand Slam titles in less than ten years.

This year Novak Djokovic has shown this he is no Djoke when it comes to slam contenders. Djokovic, who is currently enjoying an unbeaten streak this year, has become a completely different player right in front of our eyes. He dominated the hard-court season and even imposed himself on Nadal’s home turf by twice beating the latter in consecutive clay Masters. With such momentum coming into the French Open, Djokovic is definitely positioned to capture his first French Open title.

The King of Clay, Rafael Nadal is facing a serious dethroning. With the enemy making inroads through the fortress that Nadal has created over the past six years, the King will have to use every weapon he owns to prove why he has ruled Roland Garros for so long. Even though Djokovic has been on such a roll recently, Nadal still remains the favorite to win the title. If both players reach the final Nadal will have the advantage of a 5-0 record in French Open finals. Only time will tell whether the regicide Djokovic is planning will happen…

Image source: www.sportchatplace.com

Top 5 Women Seeds

With the 2011 French Open less than a day away, it is time to take stock of the WTA field in Paris. With the absence of the Williams sisters, the pundits are saying this is the most open field ever at Roland Garros. Will the current tradition- at least for the past three years- of crowning a new champion continue? Will this be the year where the defending champion finally bucks the trend and actually do her job- defend her title? These are all the questions that we hope at least one of the top five seeds will provide answers to. Here is the breakdown;

Francesca Schiavone has her work cut out for her at Roland Garros this year. The little-engine-that-could faces the heavy task of having to defend her Roland Garros title. Unlike last year when Schiavone seemingly came out of nowhere to win the title, this year she will be marked as a player to beat by all the other women in her part of the draw. Her current record suggest she will not go far, she has only reached one semifinal this year, but you can bet that her passion will go quite a distance.

With Victoria Azarenka you can seldom be sure which player is gonna step into the court on any given day. Will it be the hard-hitting steamroller that can blast any opponent off the court or will it be the error-prone volatile player who is the architect of her own demise? The game is there, and so are the shots. My gut tells me that this French Open could be the slam she goes deep into the final weekend.

Vera, Vera, Vera. After a great run last year that saw Zvonareva reach back-to-back Grand Slam finals in Wimbledon and the US Open, she has fallen back from the top pack. In the absence of both Williams sisters as well as an ailing Clijsters, I expected Zvonareva to use that momentum to do good things this season. Alas Zvonareva still needs to develop that crucial killer instinct that could mean the difference between consistent semifinal showings and dominating the title matches.

This is shaping up to be the year that Kim Clijsters will reign supreme at the majors; with her biggest foe, Serena Williams, out of contention. Clijsters has done her part by distancing herself from the rest of the back and rising to the occasion at the majors. Even though she will go into the French Open with a lot of rust and an ankle injury, she has the best chance to add the French Open to her rapidly growing major resume.

This slam could just about be the best chance, this year, that Wozniacki adds that first Grand Slam to her already impressive resume.Even though her defensive game leaves her vulnerable to hard-hitters on a good run, her ability to get a lot of balls back should serve her well on the clay of Roland Garros. If Wozniacki hopes to end the fortnight the French Open, she will have to add more offence to her counter-punching game.

5 Other Players to Watch

v Maria Sharapova

v Jelena Jankovic (and Ana Ivanovic)

v Sam Stosur

v Svetlana Kuznetsova

v Li Na

Image source: www.zimbio.com

The WTA field in Paris is one filled with great varieties. There is no real clear-cut favourite to take the title. The romantics will surely pick Justine Henin as their favourite, while the French crowd will be cheering for locals, especially Aravane Rezai who took down Henin, Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams to win the Madrid title. Venus Williams will go into the French Open with quite a bit of momentum having won a clay court title and was in the Madrid final just last week. Even though Serena Williams is rusty after missing three months due to a knee injury, you can never count out the younger Williams who won the French Open in 2002. Here is an analysis of the top five women seeds.

Fifth seeded Elena Dementieva enters the French open with some recent poor results. Dementieva has not a reached the quarterfinals of a clay court tournament in 2010. Even with the easy draw that Dementieva has received, you can bet your life that she will find a way to choke.

Whoever decided to awaken Jelena Jankovic from her slumber of a full year, I have only six words for you- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! The win in Indian Wells and the runner-up position at Madrid should indicate that Jankovic should atleast improve on last years showing of a defeat in the fourth round.

Third seed Caroline Wozniacki has sort of lost her momentum since reaching the US Open final, add to that the expectations from her rise to number two in the WTA rankings and you’ve got quite a dilemma on your hands. Only last year Wozniacki had wrestled the WTA Iron Woman title from Jelena Jankovic after the latter pricked her hand on the WTA cursed spindle (the no.1 rank) and fell into a long slumber. With e recurring ankle injury Wozniacki is out of contention for the French Open title, which is such a shame because her counter puncher game is so well suited to the rigorous dirt of Roland Garros.

After putting in a lot of work in Serena Williams’ absence, Venus Williams has finally risen to number two in the WTA rankings. Things are looking positive for Venus after winning twelve matches on clay and winning a clay court title. Roland Garros is the Grand Slam that highlights Venus’ vulnerabilities a great deal, she has lost in the third round here for the past three years! One can never count out Venus; she has a good great game, but an even more powerful determination.

It seems that determination was the chloride to the Williams gene pool, and Serena Williams soaked in more than her fair share. Even though Roland Garros has not been as fruitful a Grand Slam as the other three Grand Slams have proven for Serena, her sheer will power is lethal enough to make her a serious contender on any service. With the women’s field in such disarray, 2010 could just be the year that Serena Williams finally adds a partner to her lone French Open title.

Image Source:

http://www2.tennisserver.com/images/meaney/070607/SerenaWilliams01.jpg

Top 5 Men at Roland Garros

It’s that time of the year again when tennis goes to the gritty dirt of Roland Garros. The French open is renowned for its physically gruelling matches and shocking upsets. It will come as no surprise to a lot of tennis fans that the script has been flipped on its head again. The men’s field is not as strong as in previous years and the Williams sisters are ranked at the top two spots on the WTA rankings for the first time since 2003. Today I want to review the top five players in both the male.

Robin Soderling will most definitely be the fifth seed seeing as both Juan Martin Del Potro and Nikolay Davydenko have withdrew due to injuries. Last year proved to be the jolt Soderling’s career needed when he ended Rafael Nadal’s four year rule at Roland Garros. Since that epic victory Soderling has kept up the momentum to crack the top ten. Soderling is currently enjoying a career high ranking of no.7, but enters the French Open on lacklustre performances in 2010, it is doubtful that he will be able to match last year’s performance.
It seems that Andy Murray has let the ball drop since last year when he (seeded third) reached a career best quarterfinal at the French Open. However, this year Murray will be seeded fourth and with no title in his 2010 resume. Even though many people don’t really expect that much from Murray at Roland Garros, a good draw and his sheer determination might see him repeat last years feat.

What the hell is going on with the third seeded Novak Djokovic? The last two years have seen Djokovic go from being the only player to challenge Nadal and Federer on every surface to being a floater. In 2008 Djokovic reached the semis or better in every clay court tournament he played, he looked to be the only player who could usurp Nadal at the French when he resumed his stellar performance on clay in 2009. With only one semi on clay in 2010 and a withdrawal in Madrid, things don’t look that good for the Djoker.

With four French Open crowns under his belt, Rafael Nadal seems to be on course to a fifth title. The rest of the top 5 has not mounted a serious threat on clay this year. He has dominated in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid. The revised clay schedule for Nadal has ensured that he will enter the French Open very energised.

For the first time since way back Roger Federer will enter the French Open without a clay court title under his belt. Although Federer has been sidelined for a while due to different illnesses post-Australian Open, he has appeared vulnerable in most of his matches during the clay season. He withdrew from Monte Carlo, lost to Ernest Gulbis in Rome and was tested by Ferrer in Madrid. The straight sets loss to Nadal in the Madrid final has re-ignited the Federer- Nadal rivalry.

Image Source:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/04/23/sports/23tennis.600.1.jpg

Serena Does it Again

When I watched the fourth round match between Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka, I got worried for the chances of Serena Williams to go through to the semis. Firtly, Azerenka had demolished Zvonareva after the latter had led by a set and a break- cue code violation for an obscenity by Azarenka- and the suddenly Azarenka started to clubber the hair of that ball, final score 4-6 6-4 6-0 to Azarenka. Secondly, Serena has proven susceptible to losing in grand slam quarterfinals. And thirdly, Serena had never gone past the quarterfinals at Melbourne on an even year…

After watching Venus Williams crumble in the first quarterfinal after serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set, I was pondering whether to watch Serena play or not. After a bit of mental cognisance, I decided to watch – how bad could it be…?

From the first point it was clear that Azarenka meant business, that girl in pink was thumping that yellow ball with so much conviction that I, just like I am sure Serena as well, was left having to assume that the yellow blur was a tennis ball! In no time at all the first set was over. At that point I decided to go make some cereal (it was around 06h30 am in South Africa), imagine my shock when returned to find the score at 6-4 4-0 Azarenka. Abandoning my cereal to watch the last few minutes of Serena’s match, I rationalizing that the score line was reflecting the severity of Serena’s bandages.

In the recesses of my mind I kept thinking of all the great comebacks Serena had pulled at the Australian Open, I was wishing for one more Houdini act, and sure enough my wish was granted (thinking back I should have hoped to win the lottery). To this day I am still not sure if Serena’s comeback was attributed to her waking up from her slumber and raising her level of play or if it was Azarenka taking her foot of the pedal. To be fair to both players I will say both factors came to play. Just like all those other comebacks Serena just went to another level of play that served to illiterate her dominance and skill as well crushing her opponent. After 4-4 in the second set Azarenka’s shots became more hesitant, gone was the reckless abandonment of the first set. None the less I think everyone saw just how great a player Azarenka is destined to be. After that match I ranked her as the player who will be able to beat threaten Serena Williams, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters. She has the kind of game that can frazzle even the best of players (if she can keep her temper in check), I expect a big Roland Garros for her.

It seems that Serena Williams has a thing against blondes at the Australian Open. Almost all of her comebacks have been against blonde Europeans i.e; Svetlana Kuznetsova (2009 because Sveta always makes it so easy), Maria Sharapova (2005 revenge for the 2004 Wimbledon final), Kim Clijsters (2003 to complete the Serena Slam), Sha’ar Peer( 2007 for a bit of diversity) and Lindsay Davenport (2005 why not?).

Photo Sources

1) http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/photos/2010-01-30/201001301264851438348.html?glryid=2010-01-30/201001301264854780765

2) http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/photos/2010-01-27/201001271264574426998.html?glryid=2010-01-27/201001271264574720812

The Woes of Elena Dementieva

Tennis history is filed with players who had immense talent, but somehow never seemed to fully utilize their talent, no player has been plagued by this problem more than Elena Dementieva. Whenever the odds, fait and skill have aligned for the benefit of Elena Dementieva, she has repeatedly shown the tennis world just how well she can sabotage herself. As if to say: “Ha! I can lose no matter how talented I am!”

This method of throwing sand into the eyes of the tennis Gods has resulted in no Grand Slam glory (after two finals), which has transpired to her never being the WTA No.1 ranked player (although Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic have shown that you can achieve that feat without hoisting that trophy). For years it was believed that Dementieva’s Achilles’ heel was her dubious serve, however, after the 2009 Wimbledon Women’s Singles Semifinal we can conclude this is no longer the real problem.

As soon as Serena Williams and Dementieva had booked the places in the Wimbledon semifinals, it clearly going to be a good match –most of their encounters had been good enough to warrant such an assumption- with Serena Williams poised to take the match. So you can imagine the shock that the bookies, Serena and the entire centre court got when Dementieva came out firing like there was no tomorrow. Dementieva’s serve was on point, her ground strokes crisp and hard, her movement agile and looked like a player who believed she could win it- while Serena looked like a player who was clearly out of her depth. The deciding moment came at 4-5 in the decider with Serena serving to stay in the match. Dementieva had a match point that would have sent her into the final. Serena served a good second serve and charged into the net, in that split second the fearless Dementieva vanished and was replaced by good ‘ol choker Demetieva who decided to play a safe crosscourt passing short that Serena easily volleyed for a winner- wiping out Dementieva’s match point as well as her only chance to go to the final. After that point Serena went on to win the decider 8-6 leaving Dementieva and a lot of other people wondering how it all went wrong.

(2)

The Answer- Dementieva Sabotaged herself yet again, just as she had in 2004 in both the French Open and the US Open finals. It seems as if she is adamant to be the Best Player to have never won a grand slam. After playing good tennis for two weeks at the’04 French Open, even tossing in a bagel in the semis, her game fell apart and she only managed to win three games against Anastasia Myskina in the final. The US open the path was wide open; Justine Henin, both Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenport were disposed of – add to that the great tennis Dementieva had played to oust Amelie Mauresmo and Jennifer Capriati. Yet again Dementieva came up short in the final, managing to win eight games.

It seems that when it comes to the big moments, Dementieva rather settles for the runner up position then to actually step up to the plate and win. It pains me that Dementieva sabotages herself like this, I would have liked for her to at least win one grand slam in her career. If Safina wins a grand slam then Dementeiva will be the only one from the prominent blonde Russian tennis players to have not won a grand slam- maybe she and Anna Kournikova should start a book club. The 2009 US open was the perfect grand slam was her best shot; seeds were tumbling all around and her draw was wide open. Now with the return of Henin and a fit Maria Sharapova in 2010, one can’t help but feel that Dementieva’s chances are dwindling very fast. Until Dementieva is ready to let herself win on the big occasions, she will have to share the Best Player to Have Never Won a Slam title with Jankovic and Safina. You know what they say; two is company, but three is a party.

Image Sources

1)http://2009.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/photos/2009-07-02/200907021246544952319.html?glryid=2009-07-02/200907021246564314437

2)http://www.wimbledon.feellondon.co.uk/tennis/wimbledon_pictures.htm