The A-Z of Wimbledon

By Steve Pearce at Wimbledon

Updated June 26, 2012 09:57:24

The sun is out, the Pimms is popping (ish), and the strawberries are being dolloped with cream.

All is in readiness for Wimbledon. What other sporting event embraces the dollop anyway? None spring to mind.

So where to start our journey around Wimbledon this year ... well I have decided it is time for an A-Z of the Championships. Why not?

And we shall start with 'P'.

OK, OK, it is a strange letter to start with I know. But then again why not? Rules are there to be bent are they not?

Now, for those not familiar to London, if you do not have your A-Z, you will truly struggle to find your way around this very large city. It is a map, a road map, in the ilk of a Melway, or a Sydway, or something like that and very much the bible of all drivers, cabbies and even the odd pedestrian.

So, these words over the next two weeks will become like a guide to Wimbledon. Well, sort of, although do not rely on it to find the new number two court ... which still mystifies most visitors as to its whereabouts.

So, P, what does it stand for here?

Pimms I hear you shout ... well, yes, true, and everyone has a glass when they come. But for the players, it is Pressure. And very much how each player chooses to handle that pressure, which brings us nicely to the Australian enigma that is Samantha Stosur.

The 28-year-old has been Australia's highest-ranked singles player for a couple of years now, but has never looked comfortable with the tag.

She has performed extremely well at Paris in reaching three semi-finals and one decider, and of course famously beat Serena Williams in her home major final at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York last September.

But even winning a major title has not really changed Sam, and she flopped again in the Australian summer, which is absolutely fine, and really is just about her and her reaction to the pressure and expectation of playing at home.

Her record is poor in Melbourne (she has never made it past the last 16) and is only marginally better there than the place where she usually also feels bundles of pressure - at Wimbledon.

But something has changed this year on the lawns of SW19. Well, for Stosur it has anyway.

She no longer expects to play well here, or get results for that matter, and crucially nor does anyone else. In fact the US Open champion is not even considered to have an outside chance of taking the title.

Perfect.

So perfect in fact that Samantha was superb on court three on the first day against Carla Suarez Navarro. She demolished the 40th-ranked player in the world with abject disdain.

If she can do the same to the leftie world number 72 Arantxa Rus, she will be back in the third round for just the second time and the first since 2009.

We will see how she progresses, but she certainly seems to be enjoying the distinct lack of pressure descending on her shoulders at the moment.

There is also a degree of pressure on 19-year-old Bernard Tomic to at least get close to his run to the quarter-finals last year. He has the ability, and tonight we will get to see how he handles the 'P' word. And the 'E' word for that matter too.

He is day two's main course for the Australians, but more of him tomorrow.

Lleyton of course loves the pressure. Loves putting himself under pressure and thrives in the cauldron. His problem this year stems from a steel toe, dodgy re-built hips, hand injuries and general lack of matches.

Certainly he will still fancy his chances against Tsonga, especially if he can deflect all the pressure onto the fifth seed. Should be fascinating. Again tomorrow.

For others, pressure is just a bit of fun really and something to be enjoyed. In truth, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic probably do not feel under a lot of it in the opening rounds in London, but irrespective both won easily.

Ditto Maria Sharapova, who dismantled Australian Anastasia Rodionova.

Kim Clijsters is retiring again after the US Open later this year. To some extent, she has heaped the pressure on herself to have a decent final Wimbledon, even if finally winning the title is probably beyond.

If she was under pressure, it did not show really as she ousted Jelena Jankovic, one of a series of dubious world number ones in the women's game in recent years.

For some time, Clijsters was seen as the under-achiever in women's tennis. Before her first US Open title in 2005, she contested and lost four major finals and was always bettered in tight situations by Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams and most notably Justine Henin.

But finally in 2005 at Flushing Meadows she found a way to handle the 'P', beating Venus, Maria Sharapova and Mary Pierce on her way to the title.

Eighteen months later she retired to start a family and relieved the pressure on her 'tennis' self. Her second career as a mother has been a revelation.

There is still no Wimbledon title, but with renewed belief and self confidence, she has collected two more US Opens and famously the Australian Open title at what was once to be her adopted home in Melbourne.

She has learned how to deal with it; how to use it. There was a lot of disappointment along the way, but this Clijsters knows how to win. Sam can learn, and maybe she is. Let us hope so. There are clearly some parallels there.

Oh, but before I go, tips for the title. Djokovic in the men's, which I know is boring, but he is rather good at the moment.

And in the Ladies, I will plump for Serena. She is facing the end of her career in the next couple of years, but I get the impression she would like one more Wimbledon. And there is a woman who enjoys pressure. But probably not a Pimms.

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First posted June 26, 2012 07:56:42

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Ferrer wins Wimbledon warm-up

Updated June 25, 2012 04:12:59

Spain's David Ferrer secured his fourth title of the year with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Germany's Philipp Petzschner at the 's-Hertogenbosch grass court tournament on Saturday.

Victory improved the Spaniard's record to 15-15 in finals and earned him his second title at the event, having also triumphed at the same venue in 2008.

Following a successful clay-court season that included wins in Acapulco and Buenos Aires, reaching the final in Barcelona and a semi-final appearance at Roland Garros, Ferrer demonstrated few problems adapting to the quicker surface.

Top-seed Ferrer dropped just one set on the way to the title and benefitted from a favourable draw that saw him face no player ranked higher than 60 - France's Benoit Paire - in the world rankings. Ferrer now leads all players on the men's circuit with 43 tour-level victories this season.

The 30-year-old will face another German in Dustin Brown in the first round at Wimbledon next week, a tournament where he has never advanced beyond the last 16 in nine attempts.

On the women's side, Russia's Nadia Petrova downed Poland's Urszula Radwanska, the younger sister of world number three Agnieszka, 6-4, 6-3 to claim her 11th WTA title.

Teamed with compatriot Maria Kirilenko, Petrova will also play for the doubles' crown against Italian duo Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

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First posted June 24, 2012 00:06:19

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Nadal not thinking about another Wimbledon title

Updated June 26, 2012 18:16:26

Being neither "arrogant" nor "crazy", Rafa Nadal is refusing to think about a third Wimbledon title ahead of his first-round match against Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci on Tuesday.

Having won a record seventh French Open title at the start of the month by beating his great rival Novak Djokovic in the final, the Spaniard could be forgiven for allowing his thoughts to wander to the possibility of another title in southwest London.

"I'm very happy the way things went the last couple of months, since the beginning of the season," he told reporters.

"Thinking about winning another title here in Wimbledon is arrogant and crazy. That's something I cannot think about."

Britain's Andy Murray follows Nadal on to Centre Court as he begins his latest attempt to win a maiden grand slam title at Wimbledon against Nikolay Davydenko, while in the women's competition, champion Petra Kvitova and Serena Williams are both in action.

"I think after Wimbledon, it changed everything as a player," Kvitova said ahead of her first-round clash against Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova which will open the Centre Court programme.

"(In) the tournaments after, the players want to beat me for sure."

Queensland teenager Ash Barty will make her Wimbledon debut tonight, against Italy's Roberta Vinci.

Barty is the tournament's reigning junior champion, but has chosen to compete in the women's draw this year.

Veteran Casey Dellacqua of Australia faces a tough first round assignment against the number nine seed Marion Bartoli.

In the men's draw, Bernard Tomic will start favourite against Belgium's David Goffin, Lleyton Hewitt will meet the number five seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Matthew Ebden will take on Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Hewitt was the champion in 2002 but needed a wildcard to play at Wimbledon this year after missing several months with a toe injury.

He has a tough first-up opponent in Tsonga, who beat Roger Federer on to his way to the semi-finals last year.

Reuters/ABC

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First posted June 26, 2012 15:55:48

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Murray ends Britain's Wimbledon final hoodoo

Updated July 07, 2012 08:12:23

Andy Murray consigned one of Wimbledon's longest-standing statistics to the scrapheap when he became the first Briton to reach the men's final in 74 years with a 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-5 win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday.

Since Bunny Austin became the last home hope to reach the showpiece match in 1938, British men have lost in the semi-finals on 11 occasions.

But Murray stayed focused, including in the third set when Tsonga's game suddenly caught fire, to end that sorry sequence and the French showman's resistance in 2 hours 47 minutes.

The match finished in confusion when Murray's forehand service return on match point was called out, even as the Scot was dropping his racket and putting his hands to his head in relief at having apparently won.

Murray challenged the call and the giant-screen replay showed the ball was in. Tsonga, waiting at the net to congratulate Murray, smiled and patted the Briton on the shoulder as the Centre Court crowd erupted.

The fourth seed will bid to become the first British man to triumph at the citadel of grass court tennis since Fred Perry in 1936 when he takes on Roger Federer, chasing a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title, in the final on Sunday.

"It was an emotional end to the match," said Murray in a courtside interview. "I just managed to hang tough enough and I am so happy to be through."

Murray looked to have the match under control with superb serving early on. In the second set he lost only two points on his serve and Tsonga seemed to be losing faith in himself.

Tsonga disappeared off court with the trainer for two minutes before the third set - saying later he had gone to stretch and "unblock my back" - and returned a new man.

He broke Murray and went 3-0 up, then kept the advantage and served for the set at 5-3, coming back from 15-30 down despite being hit in the groin at very close quarters by a fierce volley from Murray as the two men duelled at the net.

As Murray raised his racket in apology, Tsonga retreated to the side of the court and curled up in a ball on his knees, in obvious pain. When he recovered, he hit three quick winners to take the set.

Asked about the incident, Tsonga, a semi-finalist here last year, smiled.

"I will get my revenge one time," he said.

Both men produced spectacular feats of athleticism, with Tsonga leaping over a courtside bin as he raced in vain to try to return a drop shot and Murray flinging himself headlong to the ground as he tried to convert the second of two breakpoints.

With the set apparently heading for a tie-break, and the unwelcome prospect of a fifth set looming as the air grew chill, Murray, who had beaten the Frenchman five times in six previous meetings, produced some of his best returning as Tsonga served at 5-6 to break and seal victory.

Murray, the fourth seed, could have expected to face Rafa Nadal in the last four when the draw was made but the former champion made a shock exit in the second round.

Asked how he felt about ending Britain's long wait for a male finalist at Wimbledon, Murray said: "A bit of relief, excitement, [it's] tough to explain; it was such a close match."

Reuters

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First posted July 07, 2012 06:11:20

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Serena wins fifth Wimbledon title

Updated July 08, 2012 17:42:39

Serena Williams celebrated a fifth Wimbledon women's singles title, made all the sweeter by it being the first since she battled a life-threatening illness.

Williams, who now has 14 Grand Slam titles, was laid low by blood clots that kept her out of the sport for a year until the eve of last year's tournament.

But the American buried all those fears with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win in the final over Polish world number three Agnieszka Radwanska.

"I can't describe it. I almost didn't make it a few years ago. I was in hospital and I thought I'd never be here again, so this makes it so worth it," said Williams, the first 30-year-old since Martina Navratilova in 1990 to take the title at the All England Club.

"It's all the sweeter. I was so down but you never give up. You have to continue," added Williams, who won her first Wimbledon title in 2002.

Radwanska, bidding to become the first Pole to win a major title, had been laid low by a respiratory illness in recent days but battled hard before losing.

It was her third defeat in three matches against Serena, but the first time she had taken a set off the champion.

"I am very proud to have got to the final. I am still shaking but I tried, it just wasn't my day," said the 23-year-old, who was fighting back tears after the final.

"I have been unlucky here, playing in the wind and the rain, but I still played some great matches."

Meanwhile, three-times men's champion John McEnroe hailed Serena as the greatest women's player he has ever seen.

"I've seen them all, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert was a machine ... Monica Seles, Steffi Graf but I believe we're watching the greatest female player that's ever played this game," McEnroe told the BBC.

"It's an elite, exclusive and an amazing club that she's part of."

Lindsay Davenport, the 1999 champion, praised Serena and sister Venus who also has five Wimbledon crowns.

"It all started to go downhill for her two years ago after she won Wimbledon," said Davenport.

"She was fighting last year to regain confidence on court. It's been a long road and that's the most emotional I've seen her win a Grand Slam.

"Given the way the French Open went for her, going out in the first round, a lot of people questioned her nerve but she held it together well in the final.

"Five Wimbledon singles titles ... we thought it was amazing with Venus. It's amazing to think about two sisters accumulating 10 Wimbledon titles in the last 13 years."

AFP

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First posted July 08, 2012 06:01:43

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Tomic, Hewitt depart Wimbledon

Updated June 28, 2012 00:01:48

Australians Bernard Tomic, Lleyton Hewitt and Matthew Ebden crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round overnight.

The defeats follow the previous night's loss by Marinko Matosevic and mean the second round at the All England Club will be without any male Australian players for the first time since 1938.

Samantha Stosur remains the only Australian left in the singles draw.

Tomic, seeded 20th, went down to Belgian wildcard David Goffin 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and admitted afterwards he had "slacked off a bit" in recent times.

Later, Hewitt - who was also a wildcard - was beaten by Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Tomic, the 20th seed and a Wimbledon quarter-finalist last year, arrived at the All England Club in the midst of a woeful run which had seen him fail to get past the second round in 11 of his last 12 tournaments.

That dispiriting sequence included withdrawing from the Wimbledon warm-up in Halle with a stomach virus, then losing in the first round at Eastbourne last week.

The 19-year-old's misery showed no signs of relenting on court two as he failed to emulate last year's impressive run, when he shocked stars Robin Soderling and Nikolay Davydenko en route to becoming the youngest player since Boris Becker in 1986 to reach the last eight.

Tomic won the first set against Goffin but after that the match quickly slipped away and the Australian took out his frustrations on his equipment, destroying two racquets.

He was later booed off the court.

"I don't normally do it and it's not like I'll be continuing to do it."

Explaining his loss to Wimbledon debutant Goffin, Tomic told a news conference he has the talent but he has not been working hard enough.

"To have talent is one thing, it's huge for any sport," 20th seed Tomic said.

"But I have sort of slacked off a little bit and look what it's costing me. Last eight, nine weeks I'm losing a lot of first, second rounds. So it's not my quality of tennis.

"My quality of tennis should be getting me to a lot of semi-finals, finals at tournaments or even winning, but lack of concentration, not working hard, it costs you."

Goffin debuted at Wimbledon inspired by his performance at Roland Garros. The Belgian reached the fourth round in Paris as a lucky loser.

"Well, look, he's 21. I'm 18, 19. I've gotten into the top 30," Tomic said. "It's different. He has time and he's going to obviously be a top-30 player. He has great groundstrokes.

"But I think what I've lacked the last few weeks is the consistency and it's tough to get."

Against Goffin, Tomic secured an early break that settled the first set with the minimum fuss.

But there were still too many signs of Tomic's inconsistency in the second set as he dropped serve twice either side of a break of his own.

That was enough for Goffin to level the match and he kept the pressure on Tomic with another break in the first game of the third set.

With Goffin's serve holding up well, Tomic was starting to look increasingly frustrated as the Belgian moved two sets to one ahead.

Tomic's angst only increased in the fourth set as Goffin, who took a set off Roger Federer before losing to 16-time Grand Slam champion in Paris, landed another blow with an early break.

That was enough to shatter Tomic's spirit for good and Goffin was soon celebrating his first ever win on grass.

Tomic was booed off after smashing two racquets during the match, but he says his behaviour was uncharacteristic.

"I'm not normally like that but it's a good way to get relief when you smash a raquet. I don't normally do it and it's not like I'll be continuing to do it."

Former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, reduced to being a wildcard at the tournament he won 10 years ago, could never match the firepower of number five seed Tsonga.

He said it was a bad day for the Australian men. Matthew Ebden also bowed out following a 1-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 loss to France's Benoit Paire.

"There's a lot of different reasons it could have been," Hewitt told reporters.

"Draws, matchups, whatever. But at least three of us, the three guys that played today, I know we could have beaten a lot of guys that are still going in the tournament. That's just how it falls."

Hewitt empathised with Tomic who had done so well at Wimbledon last year.

"It's tough I think that sort of next year after you sort of break through to keep it up and continue doing it," he said.

"Everybody obviously had massive expectations for him to do well. This is his best surface.

"Training-wise I don't know what he's been doing. I wouldn't have a clue. But obviously he's had a frustrating last couple of weeks."

Both Tomic and Hewitt will be back at Wimbledon to represent Australia in the Olympics.

In the women's draw Queensland teenager Ashleigh Barty lost 6-2, 6-4 to Italian 21st seed Roberta Vinci in her first year in the women's singles.

Barty was the 2011 Wimbledon junior girls champion and was not too despondent by the loss.

"I've still got a good record here so I'm looking to improve and come back," Barty said.

Casey Dellacqua also lost 6-2, 6-4 when she went up against ninth seed Marion Bartoli of France.

Stosur, the only remaining Australian in the singles, takes on Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands at 10pm Wednesday night (AEST).

ABC/AFP/REUTERS

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First posted June 26, 2012 23:22:35

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A to Z of Wimbledon: Day 8

Steve Pearce

Updated July 06, 2012 10:00:43

Delays play a big part in Wimbledon most years, although we've been blessed with a few sunny years in recent times.

But we're back to the old Wimbledon now and there's rain everywhere, and every day. And quite frankly it's been cold. Bitterly cold.

Today the temperature at Wimbledon was 16 degrees. That is an absurd temperature in the middle of the summer. In the entirety of the Wimbledon's of 2009 and 2010 I don't think the temperature dropped below 16 degrees at night. It's a country of extremes in weather. It's been illustrated here.

Delays are also playing a major part in this Wimbledon and it ties in the roof policy, or indeed lack of it. I know we've done the roof, but daily, we come across new ways to confuse both the paying public and the players alike.

On Monday night, Djojkovic duly trounced Troicki as he was supposed to do and the matches on Centre were finished by 745pm and yet neither the unstarted match between Ferrer and Del Potro or the well underway Murray v Cilic match was rescheduled to Centre Court.

So most now that they at least had guidance on that eventuality. Clearly the roof would not be used even if the schedule were under a little pressure. How wrong can you be?

The very next day is Ladies' Quarter-Finals day. The match between Kirilenko and Radwanska is posied at four-all in third when it is suspended on Court One at 7.45pm on Tuesday night.

It could go another 10, 15 minutes or 45 or longer. Indeed according to the tournament, the match should be finished on the same court and under the same conditions. On Centre Court, Victoria Azarenka and Tamira Paszek are playing for a place in the last four in a match which finally ends at 9.20pm.

Now, a sane person would think clearly what is going to happen is that Kirilenko and Radwanska will come back onto Court One at midday on the Wednesday to finish their match and then prepare for a semi-final on Thursday.

But that is no what happens. In a complete reversal, the players are asked to finish their match on Centre Court under completely different conditions and on a different court.

One day to the next is completely in isolation when it comes to roof policy. If indeed there is one. There was no real disadvantage to the pair finishing their match under normal conditions tomorrow, and so again the supposed ideology of an 'outdoor event where possible' is again thrown out of the window. It beggars belief.

The All England Club and Wimbledon itself must sit down and re-write the rules for the use of the roof over the next nine months or so. And remove any reference to remaining an outdoor tournament where possible, because that is clearly not a priority and it's been proven over the fortnight.

So delays and the extreme cold. It's certainly not helping the fans. They just look miserable on Henman Hill and Murray Mount gamely supporting the players on Centre Court. It can't be fun. And it is hurting the numbers inside the tournament. The last two days have been noticeably colder than in recent years and the numbers are appreciable down.

According to the British Met Office, July is now statistically colder than February. It's the coldest June since 1991 and it's showing no sign of letting up until at least the end of the month, well into the first week of the Olympic Games.

And need less to say, the tennis starts at the end of the month. Best of three sets at Wimbledon. And you can expect the roof to play a very large part in who's wearing the Gold Medal at the end of the tournament. Is the Olympics an outdoor sport?

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First posted July 04, 2012 13:13:25

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The A-Z of Wimbledon

By Steve Pearce at Wimbledon

Updated June 26, 2012 09:57:24

The sun is out, the Pimms is popping (ish), and the strawberries are being dolloped with cream.

All is in readiness for Wimbledon. What other sporting event embraces the dollop anyway? None spring to mind.

So where to start our journey around Wimbledon this year ... well I have decided it is time for an A-Z of the Championships. Why not?

And we shall start with 'P'.

OK, OK, it is a strange letter to start with I know. But then again why not? Rules are there to be bent are they not?

Now, for those not familiar to London, if you do not have your A-Z, you will truly struggle to find your way around this very large city. It is a map, a road map, in the ilk of a Melway, or a Sydway, or something like that and very much the bible of all drivers, cabbies and even the odd pedestrian.

So, these words over the next two weeks will become like a guide to Wimbledon. Well, sort of, although do not rely on it to find the new number two court ... which still mystifies most visitors as to its whereabouts.

So, P, what does it stand for here?

Pimms I hear you shout ... well, yes, true, and everyone has a glass when they come. But for the players, it is Pressure. And very much how each player chooses to handle that pressure, which brings us nicely to the Australian enigma that is Samantha Stosur.

The 28-year-old has been Australia's highest-ranked singles player for a couple of years now, but has never looked comfortable with the tag.

She has performed extremely well at Paris in reaching three semi-finals and one decider, and of course famously beat Serena Williams in her home major final at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York last September.

But even winning a major title has not really changed Sam, and she flopped again in the Australian summer, which is absolutely fine, and really is just about her and her reaction to the pressure and expectation of playing at home.

Her record is poor in Melbourne (she has never made it past the last 16) and is only marginally better there than the place where she usually also feels bundles of pressure - at Wimbledon.

But something has changed this year on the lawns of SW19. Well, for Stosur it has anyway.

She no longer expects to play well here, or get results for that matter, and crucially nor does anyone else. In fact the US Open champion is not even considered to have an outside chance of taking the title.

Perfect.

So perfect in fact that Samantha was superb on court three on the first day against Carla Suarez Navarro. She demolished the 40th-ranked player in the world with abject disdain.

If she can do the same to the leftie world number 72 Arantxa Rus, she will be back in the third round for just the second time and the first since 2009.

We will see how she progresses, but she certainly seems to be enjoying the distinct lack of pressure descending on her shoulders at the moment.

There is also a degree of pressure on 19-year-old Bernard Tomic to at least get close to his run to the quarter-finals last year. He has the ability, and tonight we will get to see how he handles the 'P' word. And the 'E' word for that matter too.

He is day two's main course for the Australians, but more of him tomorrow.

Lleyton of course loves the pressure. Loves putting himself under pressure and thrives in the cauldron. His problem this year stems from a steel toe, dodgy re-built hips, hand injuries and general lack of matches.

Certainly he will still fancy his chances against Tsonga, especially if he can deflect all the pressure onto the fifth seed. Should be fascinating. Again tomorrow.

For others, pressure is just a bit of fun really and something to be enjoyed. In truth, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic probably do not feel under a lot of it in the opening rounds in London, but irrespective both won easily.

Ditto Maria Sharapova, who dismantled Australian Anastasia Rodionova.

Kim Clijsters is retiring again after the US Open later this year. To some extent, she has heaped the pressure on herself to have a decent final Wimbledon, even if finally winning the title is probably beyond.

If she was under pressure, it did not show really as she ousted Jelena Jankovic, one of a series of dubious world number ones in the women's game in recent years.

For some time, Clijsters was seen as the under-achiever in women's tennis. Before her first US Open title in 2005, she contested and lost four major finals and was always bettered in tight situations by Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams and most notably Justine Henin.

But finally in 2005 at Flushing Meadows she found a way to handle the 'P', beating Venus, Maria Sharapova and Mary Pierce on her way to the title.

Eighteen months later she retired to start a family and relieved the pressure on her 'tennis' self. Her second career as a mother has been a revelation.

There is still no Wimbledon title, but with renewed belief and self confidence, she has collected two more US Opens and famously the Australian Open title at what was once to be her adopted home in Melbourne.

She has learned how to deal with it; how to use it. There was a lot of disappointment along the way, but this Clijsters knows how to win. Sam can learn, and maybe she is. Let us hope so. There are clearly some parallels there.

Oh, but before I go, tips for the title. Djokovic in the men's, which I know is boring, but he is rather good at the moment.

And in the Ladies, I will plump for Serena. She is facing the end of her career in the next couple of years, but I get the impression she would like one more Wimbledon. And there is a woman who enjoys pressure. But probably not a Pimms.

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First posted June 26, 2012 07:56:42

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Hewitt cops nightmare Wimbledon draw

Updated June 22, 2012 20:02:38

Lleyton Hewitt's nightmare run with grand slam draws has continued with the luckless former champion pitted against French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Wimbledon first round.

While 20th-seeded countryman Bernard Tomic should win his opener against Belgian David Goffin, Hewitt will be a rank outsider to knock over Tsonga, who last year at Wimbledon became the first man in history to defeat Roger Federer from two sets down at a grand slam.

Hewitt has played just two competitive matches since undergoing toe surgery in February but would have given himself a chance of a decent grasscourt run with a helpful draw.

Alas, his incredible record of striking the world's premier players in the opening round at the majors continues.

A defiant Tomic insists Australia's Wimbledon outlook is not all doom and gloom despite an utterly bleak build-up for the country's three best hopes.

Tomic, a quarter-finalist last year as a qualifier, Hewitt and women's world number five Samantha Stosur all failed to win a match in their grasscourt lead-up events.

The star trio succumbed to players ranked outside the top 50 and, in Stosur's sorry case, to the world number 251.

Compounding concerns, Tomic is also in a fitness battle after being struck down by an untimely virus that robbed him of vital conditioning and court time ahead of his assault on the greatest prize in tennis.

Rather than dwell on what might have been, the teenage ace is putting a positive spin on proceedings.

"Sam lost, and Lleyton, and I was a bit sick in Halle," Tomic said after his 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 loss to Italian claycourter Fabio Fognini at Eastbourne on Wednesday.

"But in one way it could be good that you're getting that before a major.

"You want to play well before the four majors but, if you play bad, also it's a sign of something to work on before the actual major starts and that's the important bit.

"So we'll see ... this is where it started for me. This tournament made my tennis, made me into the top 100, and I'll always look back to it as that.

"When Monday or Tuesday comes, I'll be ready ... I'm feeling like I can do well again."

Hewitt lost his only competitive grasscourt outing at Queen's to towering Ivo Karlovic, the Croatian who spectacularly eliminated Australia's defending champion at the All England club nine years ago.

Stosur, the reigning US Open champion, has modest expectations after nine years of poor returns on the London lawns, but also with a nothing-to-lose approach following her first-round losses in 2010-11.

Australia's leading threesome will have a support cast of six - Matt Ebden and debutant Marinko Matosevic in the men's event plus Jarmila Gajdosova, Anastasia Rodionova, Casey Dellacqua and 16-year-old junior girls' champion Ashleigh Barty in the ladies singles.

AAP

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First posted June 22, 2012 20:01:34

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Stosur stalls in Wimbledon warm-up

Updated June 19, 2012 11:15:39

Samantha Stosur's preparations for Wimbledon have hit a setback, with the Australian losing in the first round of the grass court tournament in the Netherlands to a rank outsider.

The Queenslander was top seed at the tournament, but her seven double faults contributed to her loss to Belgian world number 251 Kirsten Flipkens, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3.

The match was her first on grass since an equally inexplicable opening-round defeat at Wimbledon a year ago to world number 262 Melinda Czink of Hungary.

Stosur's premature exit from s-Hertogenbosch leaves the US Open champion desperately short of grass court match practice before Wimbledon gets underway next Monday.

But the world No.5 put on a brave face and said she was unconcerned.

"Overall, I was quite happy with the way I played. It wasn't really anything disastrous," Stosur said.

"It's just a matter of going out there again tomorrow, practising hard and just fine-tuning a few important points and that can make the difference.

"I don't think I did too much wrong."

The world No.5 started brightly enough, racing to a 3-0 lead in the first set and had two more break points to open up a 4-0 buffer.

Instead, Flipkens broke back to get back on level terms before Stosur had another chance to take the set in the 10th game, only to snatch at a routine forehand volley.

Some daring serve-volleying earned Stosur three more set points and she appeared to have nabbed the opening set with her fifth ace.

Alas the chair umpire over-ruled and the Belgian made the most of her good fortune to take the set when Stosur was unable to control a low forehand volley.

Stosur admitted the over-rule proved the turning point as she again dropped serve in the second game of the second set and was unable to recover as the lowly-ranked Belgian powered to the biggest win of her career in one hour, 35 minutes.

"That was definitely a big moment in that tiebreak and obviously in the end of the match because I really thought I won that set and then you don't win it and you're a set behind," she said.

"You take two steps into the baseline, you pump your firsts and you think you've won the set - especially when she's walking to the changeover as well giving you the point - and the umpire decides that's he's going to over-rule.

"Yeah, it was just a few points here and there throughout that first set. I don't think I did too much wrong.

"I made my set points and on grass sometimes the way it goes."

AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, netherlands

First posted June 19, 2012 08:31:51

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Hewitt given Wimbledon wild card

Updated June 12, 2012 23:08:23

Former champion Lleyton Hewitt and Belgium's David Goffin, the lucky loser who took a set off Roger Federer at the French Open, have been given wild cards for this year's Wimbledon tennis championships.

Virginie Razzano, the Frenchwoman who beat Serena Williams in the first round in Paris, received one of the women's eight wild cards as did Kazakhstan qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova who reached the French quarter-finals after ousting champion Li Na.

Australian Hewitt, now 31, won the men's title at Wimbledon in 2002.

Four low-ranked Britons received automatic entries to the men's and women's singles draws for the grass-court tournament which starts on June 25.

Reuters

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First posted June 12, 2012 23:08:23

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Illness disrupts Tomic's Wimbledon preparations

Updated June 13, 2012 12:10:01

Australian hotshot Bernard Tomic's preparations for Wimbledon have been disrupted by an illness that forced him to retire from a warm-up tournament in Germany.

The 19-year-old, who last year became the youngest All England Club quarter-finalist since Boris Becker in 1986, lasted just 22 minutes of his match against Tommy Haas at the Halle Open grasscourt tournament before retiring.

Haas, who was leading 5-2, told the tournament's official website that Tomic said he had been suffering from an illness for 10 days.

Tomic had said he could not wait to start playing on his preferred grass surface after losing on clay to Colombia's Santiago Giraldo in the second round of the French Open two weeks ago.

Wimbledon begins on June 25.

Reuters

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First posted June 13, 2012 11:58:59

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Tsonga's Wimbledon participation in doubt

Updated June 15, 2012 08:33:27

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's Wimbledon hopes suffered a double blow on Thursday after he injured his finger badly during a shock 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 third round defeat by Queen's Club debutant Ivan Dodig.

Tsonga joined Andy Murray on the Queen's Club scrapheap, meaning the top two seeds and last year's finalists have both been eliminated before the quarter-finals, but more worryingly for the Frenchman was the injury which could scupper his Wimbledon participation.

"I think it's serious. I haven't had it examined yet but it sounds very bad. I felt like I broke something or I stretched a lot of ligaments," a sombre Tsonga told reporters.

Asked at which point he suffered the injury, he added: "I just fell down. I just fell down. That's it. I fell down on it, and that's it."

Tsonga was seen diving around court, and at one point after falling flat on his stomach, he even showed off his bulging biceps by doing some push-ups behind the baseline.

However, he could have done with preserving his energy as unheralded Croatian Dodig squeezed into the last eight, where he will meet 2010 champion Sam Querrey.

Grass-loving Spaniard Feliciano Lopez also made an early exit after he was beaten 7-6, 7-6 by South African Kevin Anderson.

Murray's conqueror Nicolas Mahut was unable to capitalise on his unexpected passage to the third round after he was tame 7-6, 6-4 by little-known Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

Reuters

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First posted June 15, 2012 08:30:15

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Barty gets Wimbledon wildcard

Updated June 18, 2012 21:32:15

Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty has been handed a Wimbledon women's singles main draw wildcard after winning the $50,000 grass court warm-up event in Nottingham over the weekend.

The 16-year-old Queenslander beat Tatjana Malek 6-1, 6-1 in the final in the East Midlands event on Sunday, albeit after the German world number 149 had been forced to play her semi-final earlier in the day.

Barty had already been awarded a place in qualifying at the All England Club after winning the girls' junior title at Wimbledon last year.

She made her senior grand slam debut at the Australian Open earlier this year and also received a wildcard for the French Open but lost in the first round on both occasions.

Bernard Tomic meanwhile will look to boost his Wimbledon ranking when he faces either Fabio Fagnini or Albert Ranos on Tuesday in Eastbourne.

Last year's quarter-finalist, ranked 27th in the world, received a first-round bye and holds a slim hope of receiving a top-24 Wimbledon seeding which would mean he would not face a top-eight seed until the fourth round.

Reuters/ABC

Tags: sport, tennis, australia, qld, england

First posted June 18, 2012 14:49:41

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Tomic falls in Wimbledon warm-up

Updated June 21, 2012 08:14:15

Bernard Tomic's Wimbledon preparations hit a hurdle after he lost his opening match at the Eastbourne ATP/WTA event in England.

The fourth-seeded Tomic, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist last year, lost his second-round match to the 64th-ranked Italian Fabio Fognini in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Tomic, who received a first-round bye at Devonshire Park and was overnight announced as the Wimbledon 20th seed, had led 5-2 in the third set before succumbing to the clay court specialist.

Fellow Australian Marinko Matosevic will play his quarter-final against Belgian Steve Darcis this evening.

Meanwhile, three-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick renewed his grass court confidence with a place in the quarter-finals.

The American sixth seed, playing on a wildcard after an early loss at last week's Queen's Club, defeated Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) to continue his successful debut appearance in this English seaside town.

It was still hard work, with Chardy saving four match points in the 12th game of the second set and two more in the tie-breaker, before Roddick eventually came through with a winning backhand pass to end the contest.

The former world number one, now ranked 33rd, ended a six-match losing streak with his opening win after writing off his clay court season, which featured three losses in Dusseldorf and one at the French Open.

"It was good, I served well and returned pretty well. He served great on big points, but I stuck through there," Roddick said.

"I'm comfortable on this surface. I started playing really well in practice when I got here."

Elsewhere, the exodus of seeds continued, with number two Marcel Granollers of Spain going down 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) to Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin.

Italian third seed Andreas Seppi is through after beating Carlos Berlocq 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, while big-serving American Ryan Harrison stopped Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan 6-1, 7-6 (7-2).

In the women's WTA field, Marion Bartoli reached the quarter-finals as she defeated Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak 6-2, 6-2.

The French fourth seed is the highest-ranked survivor in a field, which lost the top three women's seeds on Tuesday along with men's number one Richard Gasquet.

Bartoli broke Wozniak, a 2009 quarter-finalist, five times. She now faces a quarter-final clash with Czech seventh seed Lucie Safarova, who ousted Britain's Heather Watson 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

Laura Robson was next to fall, going out to Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 7-5.

German fifth seed Angelique Kerber earned a last-eight spot through a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of South African Chanelle Scheepers.

AFP/ABC

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First posted June 21, 2012 07:24:02

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Stosur sets sights on Wimbledon

Updated June 17, 2012 12:25:15

An upbeat Samantha Stosur launches her grass court campaign this week believing "all is possible" despite her galling Wimbledon record of only five wins from 14 matches.

World number five Stosur feels she has put her deflating French Open semi-final loss to Sara Errani behind her and she is now intent on rectifying one of the biggest anomalies in tennis - just one third-round appearance in nine trips to Wimbledon.

The US Open champion's dreadful strike rate at the spiritual home of tennis flies in the face of not only her awesome power game, but also three semi-final appearances in the past four years at the traditional warm-up event at Eastbourne.

Hence the reason Stosur opted this year to prepare for the grasscourt major in the Netherlands, where she is top seed and up against a qualifier in the opening round.

"It's funny, I've always had good lead-ups at Eastbourne and then got to Wimbledon and not done too well. I still don't have the answer for why," Stosur said.

"So I'm in S-hertogenbosch instead, trying something different. I think it's really about just getting to Wimbledon and not letting that frustration set in.

"Maybe by the time I get to Wimbledon there's been a bit more expectation on myself because the lead-up's gone well and I should be able to carry on. Then it doesn't happen.

"So I'm trying to go in there with a better mindset this year and stay positive - and what have I got to lose? Nothing.

"I've got no rankings points to defend, so I certainly don't have to think about that. I should be able to go in there and just play and not worry about anything else."

The 28-year-old insists she is no longer worrying about her shock loss to Errani at Roland Garros when a second final in Paris in three years beckoned.

"The couple of days after were pretty rough," Stosur said.

"Especially when I was still in Paris and I went out and was walking around and you see the women's final on TV and I didn't want to look at that too much.

"Yeah, it was disappointing and everything else but now a week later I'm trying to look at it as a very good tournament. The semis is still a pretty good result and a hell of an improvement on the Australian Open.

"So overall I'm feeling pretty good about it now."

Stosur's coach David Taylor is also backing his charge to bounce back quickly and make a long overdue run at the All England Club.

"She needs to believe all is possible for her on grass and that she possesses enough adequate weapons in her arsenal to trouble anyone," Taylor said.

His positive reinforcement has clearly penetrated Stosur's sometimes vulnerable mind.

"There's no doubt I can do it because I've had all those good (Wimbledon) lead-ups in the past," she said.

Stosur is joined in the Wimbledon singles draw by countrywomen Jarmila Gajdosova, Anastasia Rodionova and Casey Dellacqua.

Bernard Tomic, who has recovered from the virus that forced his retirement from Halle last week, former champion Lleyton Hewitt, Matt Ebden and Marinko Matosevic are in the men's event.

Another seven Australians will attempt to make the main draw through qualifying starting on Monday.

AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, netherlands

First posted June 17, 2012 12:25:15

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Junior champ home from Wimbledon

Published:Tuesday, July 5, 2011 7:26 AESTExpires:Monday, October 3, 2011 7:26 AEST

Queensland's 15-year-old tennis champion Ash Barty has returned home to celebrate with loved ones.

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Wimbledon champ Barty reunites with idol

Published:Wednesday, July 6, 2011 7:25 AESTExpires:Tuesday, October 4, 2011 7:25 AEST

Wimbledon girls' singles title winner Ashleigh Barty has been congratulated by her tennis idol Evonne Goolagong-Cawley after returning home to Brisbane.

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Djokovic stuns Nadal at Wimbledon

Last Updated: Mon, 4 Jul 2011 02:22:00 +1000

Novak Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title on Sunday, dethroning champion Rafael Nadal to celebrate his coronation as new world number one in style.

The a 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 triump was the 24-year-old Serb's third grand slam title, to add to his 2008 and 2011 Australian Open victories, and 50th win his past 51 matches.

Djokovic, who will succeed Nadal as world number one on Monday, also denied the Spaniard, the champion here in 2008 and 2010, an 11th grand slam title.

"This is the best day of my life, this is the tournament I always dreamed of winning," the Serb said following the presentation ceremony.

"When you are playing the best player in the world, Rafa Nadal, I had to play at the top of my game and I think I played my best match on grass."

Djokovic went into the final with a 11-16 losing record against Nadal over their five-year rivalry but having won all four of their clashes in 2011 and all in finals.

Serve dominated until the 10th game when from 30-0 up Nadal handed his opponent a set point with a forehand error which Djokovic gobbled up, forcing another wild forehand out of the Spaniard to take the opener after 41 minutes.

The Serb had been the more convincing in the rallies and Nadal, who committed just seven unforced errors in his semi-final win over Andy Murray, was already up to eight by the time Djokovic was 1-0 ahead in the second set.

Djokovic was taking control of the final and was a break up at 2-0 when he brilliantly anticipated a Nadal drop shot before scampering across court to execute a wonderful, wrong-footing backhand.

The Serb broke again for a 5-1 lead when a powerful drive left Nadal scrambling and off-balance, and he could only pat the return wide.

A confident hold to love gave Djokovic the set 6-1 when Nadal found the net.

But Nadal, who had won all five of the pair's previous grand slam clashes, carved out his first break points of the final in the second game of the third set to open a 2-0 lead which was soon 3-0 courtesy of a confident love service game.

Djokovic served up a first double fault to be broken again in the sixth game before Nadal pulled off a third successive love game to take the set.

The Serb saved a break point in the first game of the fourth set and made the most of his reprieve with a break to lead 2-0.

But a net cord fell in Nadal's favour and gave him the break back in the third game.

A subdued Nadal then slipped 3-5 down as a brilliant defensive rally from Djokovic forced an error from the Spaniard.

The trophy was the Serb's when on his first match point when Nadal went long with a backhand.

- AFP

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Wimbledon Highs and Lows: Day Four

By Steve Pearce at Wimbledon

Posted June 24, 2011 09:03:00
Updated June 24, 2011 09:19:00

OK. Lleyton Hewitt. This is the match Australian tennis fans have been waiting for since the draw was made nearly a week ago here at the All England Club. The 2002 champion against the number five seed. And of course it's on Centre Court.

Now Hewitt is on an awful run both on and off the court. Injuries have nearly crippled the former world number one, but he keeps battling on despite a ranking that is in freefall. His record here is amazingly consistent. He's reached the third round or better for the last eight years, ever since that stunning first-round loss to Ivo Karlevic as defending champion in 2003. That said, he's only once got past the quarter-finals other than in 2002, and that was six years ago when he lost to eventual winner Roger Federer in the semi-finals.

The tightest of first sets goes the way of Hewitt in a tie-break, with the Australian in good form, although neither player faced or gained a break point, so there's little in it.

While this is all happening on Centre, women's defending champion Serena Williams has continued her topsy-turvy week with a come-from-behind win over Romanian Simon Halep. German Julia Goerges has also won, which I only mention because she is a very good young player, and an outside chance to challenge for the title. She's also very pretty which gets her plenty of attention too, but it's her tennis that's really getting her noticed by most. Anyway, back to Centre Court.

Hewitt's really warming to this. At 3-2 up on serve, he forces two break points, the first of the match, which Soderling saves, one with an ace. But Hewitt is dictating terms with his greater court nous and he's moving the Swede around the court and out of his comfort zone. Then comes the moment of the match and the shot of the tournament so far. On his third break-point at 4-3, Hewitt makes a great return which just drops in. Soderling then thumps his backhand for what he thinks is a certain winner across the court but somehow a scampering Hewitt gets a racquet on the ball and falling over he hits a stunning winner from outside the tramlines. This is vintage stuff. Serving for the set, he makes no mistake, and against all the odds leads by two sets.

The third set continues much as the first two, with very little in it, but Hewitt just in control, physically and tactically. As the match continues, Novak Djokovic is through on Court One, but nobody is looking in any other direction than at Centre. Can Hewitt do it?

Not yet. Serving behind at 5-6 proves too much of a strain and the first sloppy service game of the afternoon hands Soderling his first break points and two set points. He only needs one and we're going to four under the roof.

In the press room, Serena is bleating about her scheduling on Court Two, which she does most times when she's put there. Pretty tiresome really, although of course, she's right - they'd never put Federer or Nadal there. But commercial realities can be harsh. Sharapova v Robson clearly has great interest in the UK and is on Court One, and the French Open champion and third seed Li Na has every right to be put on Centre. So is it about her or about women? There's the facts, you decide. Truly, you would have thought she would have learned there are more important things in life. Anyway.

All is as it has been on Centre. Two breaks of serve all afternoon, and none yet in the fourth . But the pressure of serving from behind again gets to Hewitt, who's lost the momentum in the match and some of the control as Soderling works his way back into it. The Swede levels it with his second set point after a 40 minute set and we're going the distance. The veteran Australian must find a way back into the match, and he'll be serving second which has hurt him in the last two sets. He's produced three of the best shots you'd want to see, but he could be on his way out.

And that's exactly what happens. Hewitt manages the break, but then makes the cardinal error of handing it straight back and when the crunch moment comes to serve to stay in the match at 4-5, his service crumples and he's broken to love. The match goes the way of the Swede, just.

Serving first in the deciding three sets helped him, no doubt, but probably more so is just the fact that that Hewitt couldn't maintain the standard of the first two sets and Soderling gets some free points with his thumping serve and booming forehand.

So, we're down to two Australians in the singles and it's only Thursday. Jarmila Gajdosova is a set up in her match and Tomic is yet to go on court as the heavens open again and for the umpteenth time this week, play is suspended.

When the players come back onto court, I have to tell you it is FREEZING! This cannot be summer, although I did grow up here so you'd think I'd be ready for this sort of climate, but after the last two years of 25 degrees every day, this is a rude shock.

Anyway, Gajdosova is through now. She did it easily in the end as you may have expected she would. It's third round time for Jarka now, the last 32 players, so she's reached the point where she was supposed to. It's Caroline Wozniacki next. Probably. The top seed didn't get on court today against France's Virginie Razzano but when she does tomorrow she should beat her and set up a Saturday match with our girl.

Well, she is ours now isn't she?

So, Hewitt out. Not up, not down, but out. He still remains positive about his future, and you have to respect him for that. He's talking Davis Cup in China, and then the American hard court swing leading up to the US Open. Let's hope that foot heals well.

Bernard Tomic is now on court and after not too long finds himself two sets down against Russian Igor Andreev. A man who for many years dated Maria Kirilenko; a fact that he was almost better known for than his tennis. Anyway, he's playing pretty well, against my predictions, and Bernie doesn't look like he's enjoying the weather much at all.

But from somewhere he finds the will to fight his way back into the match and grabs the third set to keep his Wimbledon campaign going just as the sun is setting in London. Not that we have really seen it all day, or we would all be a lot warmer than we are.

So, back tomorrow for Tomic and Andreev to decide who will meet Robin Soderling in the third round.

Surprise of the day goes to Sabine Lisicki for knocking out Li Na, the third seed and French Open champion. Li had two match points and twice served for the match, but the German managed to win. Now that is a serious boost for the injury-prone 21-year-old, and a serious reality check for Li after two consecutive major finals.

And comeback of the day has to go to Soderling. To be two sets down against Hewitt takes a big effort to come back and win. That's a big upside for the Swede, who may yet still be given the task of ending Australia's involvement in the men's singles here for 2011. On today's performance it's an opportunity he'd clearly relish.

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