Tennis News

Many fans and pundits have had their eyes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he attempted to get a grip on the 2015 season following an injury that sidelined him for the majority of the year. His first round match was a promising one and he will now further his campaign at the All England Club when he faces Albert Ramos-Vinolas for the second time on the tour. Tsonga leads the head-to-head series 1-0 but that contest took place over three years ago in Doha.

Seeded 13th at this year’s event, Tsonga managed to keep the upper hand in his battle against Gilles Muller, which ended up going five sets. Tsonga fired 69 winners and withstood 71 from Muller. He also saved four break points and eventually closed out the match 7-6(8), 6-7(3), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in three-hours and 50 minutes.

“I thought it’s going to be difficult, and it was,” said Tsonga. “He’s a very good player, especially on grass and indoors. He likes that kind of surface. Today he shows that he’s able to play really good tennis.

“Today I felt 100 per cent,” added Tsonga. “I’m feeling good. I think [the injury is] behind me.”

Tsonga will come up against a much fresher opponent in the second round, as Albert Ramos-Vinolas reached that stage of the tournament following a retirement from Denis Istomin due to fatigue when he was down 2-6, 2-6, 2-3. It was certainly a less stressful encounter than that that Tsonga had to go through on Tuesday.

This is just the second time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour with Tsonga leading the head-to-head series 1-0. Their last meeting took place three years ago at Doha so it isn’t much to gauge on. However, given Tsonga’s improvement and confidence in his body, the former two-time semi-finalist should find his way into the third round of the tournament.

Federer and his 7 Wimbledon Triumphs – King of the All England Club

1083 days and counting!!  8-July-2012 saw Roger Federer lift his 7th Wimbledon trophy after getting the better of native son Andy Murray. He tied William Renshaw and Pete Sampras for the most titles at the All England Club extending his overall grand slam tally to 17. He fell to the ground in victory, roared and embraced the British Crowd with respect for his opponent and wept in front of his twin daughters. Since that momentous day the wait for 8 and 18 continues…

An old saying – the one undisputed force in our universe is “AGE”. The harder you try to stave it off; it more or less gets hold of everyone with its aggregated effects. Roger Federer whose Tennis is immortal is not immune to this ultimate inevitability.

CROSSROADS IN HIS CAREER

Federer proved his detractors wrong by reaching the final in 2014 before losing a classic to Novak Djokovic (L)

Federer, who will turn 34 this August, is firmly approaching the twilight of his legendary career. He is not as dominant as he used to be and his on court success in recent seasons is slowly declining. You can possibly feel that the reason for his success’ becoming sporadic is “Roger is no more in his prime”. The Swiss man still produces many flashes of wizardry from his famed RF Wilson Wand (be it the 90 square inch or the recently changed Wilson Pro Staff RF97). But over the last few seasons, those brilliant moments are diluted which can be attributed to inconsistency. Simply to say that, Federer can’t get out of bed and call upon his best game like he used to. The unreachable peaks which he had once set is going out of hands (Federer was 315-24 between 2004 &2007; an astounding 93% win-loss record).

Federer’s been unable to push the grand slam tally ahead which seems to be stalled at 17. The 3 year period without a grand slam includes only one major final appearance. He did come perilously close to winning his 18th major but lost to Novak Djokovic in the championship match at last year’s Wimbledon (coming back from match point down in the 4th set to push it to a decider).

Federer is at the very edge of his career and solid performances in majors are what he is looking for. This will not only increase the gap between Rafa and his tally (Rafa is at 14) but will perhaps significantly giving him the upper-hand in the ceaseless debate for the “Greatest of all time”. Federer defeat of Murray at the 2012 Wimbledon Final seemed like a potential late-career thrust for the Swiss. Instead his performance have deteriorated since then, losing before the QFs at four of the last 11 slams he has entered something that was unknown in the preceding eight season (2004 French Open was the last time when Federer lost before the QF; lost to Guga; his streak of 36 consecutive QF was ended at 2013 Wimbledon by Sergiy Stakhovsky).

EDBERG AND NEW RACQUET

Roger added childhood hero Stefan Edberg to his coaching staff at the start of 2014

With his recent struggles against the baseline heavy-weights and his more than mediocre 2013, Federer tried to do a few things to come back into the scheme of events. He hired Swede multiple grand slam winner Stefan Edberg (his childhood idol) and added him to his coaching staff along with co-coach Severin Luthi. This was after he parted ways with Paul Annacone (Annacone led Federer to two straight year-end championship in 2010 and 2011, a return to the World no. 1 ranking, and his seventh Wimbledon Championship in 2012). Also he switched from his trademark 90 square inch racquet to a larger frame (97 square inches) in turn forfeiting his characteristic control for more pace and safety.

Edberg has managed to give him his own strategy of more net approaches to keep the rallies shorter and spare his body of the battering which modern day players endure from the grueling baseline game. These modifications to his game have aided him to reap the fruits to a certain extent but he is still in search of a major which seems to have eluded him with time.

The hiring of Swede legend Stefan Edberg seems too have done wonders when it comes to the best-of-3 format. The Swiss is a staggering 76-11 in this format since hiring Edberg but when it comes to the best-of-5 format, Federer is just 31-7.The main objective behind Edberg’s hiring was to aid Federer to further enhance the grand slam tally but the combination is still in search of a major title.

The main obstacle at this point of time seems to be that he is required to play best-of-5 sets in a major which takes a more severe toll on his body. Since with age, the recovery time seems to have deserted him and he needs a flawless draw to enhance his odds. Possibly his best chance came at this year’s Roland Garros. Although clay his Roger’s worst surface he had the best draw in ages when he managed to avoid Djokovic, Nadal & Murray in his half. Yet it was his good friend and compatriot Stan Wawrinka who produced some incredible tennis to knock the Swiss Maestro out of the French Open (This was the 1st time Federer failed to break his opponent’s serve since 2002 US Open; lost to Max Miryni).

KING OF GRASS

Federer won a record 8th Halle title last week

Wimbledon is one place where Roger always manages to produce his best tennis. His resume on the pristine lawns speaks volumes – he is a 7-tim champion (2003-2007, 2009, 2012) at the All England Club. The Centre Court at SW 19 elevates his game to a different level and Federer in his all-white Nike attire produces genius and wizardry once he steps on this court (Something like a Van Gogh or Picasso). His kick serves his precise forehands, his low-bouncing slices and his clutch volleys. These have been his main weapons on grass that have carried him to unparalleled success. Can he do it again?

Federer finds himself in the best of form once again on the greens as he managed to win Halle for a record 8th time defeating Andreas Seppi in the finals. This is the perfect prelude for yet another burst at Wimbledon 2015. His victory in Halle saw him become the 3rd man to win 8 or more titles at the same event (Rafael Nadal has nine Roland Garros titles and eight from Monte Carlo and Barcelona, while Guillermo Vilas has eight from Buenos Aires).Federer had some tough competition to deal with at the newly upgraded ATP 500 event. He got the better of German Philip Kohlschreiber, Ernests Gulbis, Florian Mayer and ace-machine Ivo Karlovic before dealing with his 2015 Aus Open conqueror Seppi in the championship match. The most important factor was that Federer dropped just one set in the entire tournament. He played a total of 6 tie breaks and won them all. His serve and backhand down the line often came to his rescue. With this win at the Gerry Weber Open, he will take enormous buoyancy and enthusiasm onto SW19.

THE COMPETITION

Federer and 18 – Is 2015 Wimbledon Roger’s last chance for glory

One major factor to take into account is the fellow big players are in midst of dilemmas and serious crisis which could propel Roger’s chances.

Djokovic tasted a huge dose of shock and was left traumatized at the French Open 3 weeks back when Stan Wawrinka snatched his chances of completing the Career Slam and join the elusive club. While Djokovic has not played any warm tournaments on grass (played Boodles Exhibition), he should be rejuvenated and is still the man to beat. Djokovic’s vanquisher Wawrinka isn’t the most elegant player on grass but no one can now write off the Swiss No.2 as enters Wimbledon as a multiple major winner.

Rafa Nadal has plummeted down the rankings and his drop has been nothing short of appalling. The Spaniard is languishing at No.10 along with losing his crown at Roland Garros (lost to Djokovic in QF). In 2015, he is more vulnerable than ever and fellow players no more fear the Mallorcan Matador.

Other contenders like Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych are all struggling either for form or are recovering from injuries. This nicely opens up the chance for Federer to pounce on this opportunity and make the most of it. Thus this is the time for Federer to strike and get hold of the trophy again.

Federer’s biggest threat will be Scot Andy Murray. Murray is looked ominously good this year managing to win the Queen’s Club for a record 4th time. He has looked sharp and aggressive this year and with both Amelie Mauresmo and Swede Jonas Bjorkman in his coaching team, Murray should be a serious threat to Federer’s chances this year. As they say marriage has certainly changed his mindset and now he sports the demeanor of a winner and might just be able to replicate the form that saw him win Wimbledon in 2013.

His prospects to add another Grand Slam title are dwindling. How much longer Federer plans to play is a mystery even to him. This year’s Wimbledon tournament therefore has additional magnitude. Should a bit of good fortune land his way, perhaps Federer can reigntriumphant one more time. Possibly no.8 is on its way.

ALLEZ ROGER!!

ROGER & GRASS

Looking at Federer’s final matches at Wimbledon from 2003 to 2014—seven wins (2003-2007, 2009, 2012) and five losses (2008 final, 2010 and 2011 quarterfinals, 2013 second round, 2014 final)—it’s interesting to note that his performance on serve was very similar, win or lose.

• Federer is 136-19 (88%) on grass overall; the best win-loss % on grass in the Open-Era. He is 73-9 (89%) at Wimbledon; only Borg (51-4; 93%) Sampras (63-7; 90%) have better win-loss % than Roger.
• Federer shares the all-time record for most men’s Wimbledons won, at seven, with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw (; champion in 2003-2007, 2009, 2012).
• Federer won five consecutive men’s titles at Wimbledon from 2003–07, an Open Era record matched by Björn Borg (1976–80).
• Federer has played the most Wimbledon Finals – 9 with a 7-2 record in Wimbledon finals (lost to Nadal in 2008 & Djokovic in 2014).
• Federer (2003–09) is the only man in tennis history to play in seven consecutive Wimbledon finals.
• In 2008, Federer played the longest Wimbledon final in terms of time (4 hours and 48 minutes) losing to Spain’s Rafa Nadal.
• Federer is 9-0 in Wimbledon SF matches and has won 27 out of the 28 sets he played in this round (Djokovic pushed him to 4 sets in 2012 SF).
• In 2001, Federer ended Pete Sampras’s 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon in the fourth round of the tournament.
• Federer’s 40 consecutive match wins at Wimbledon (2003–08) was one win shy of the all-time men’s record set by Björn Borg from 1976–81.
• At 77 games, Federer’s 2009 Wimbledon singles final against Andy Roddick was the longest Grand Slam singles final by number of games since the introduction of the tiebreaker.The final set of the 2009 Wimbledon final, which ended 16–14, was the longest final set of a Grand Slam final by number of games played (30).
• The 50 aces that Federer served in the 2009 Wimbledon final is the seventh highest number in a tour match since 1991. It is also the most that have been served in a Grand Slam final.
• Federer has won the most titles on grass in the Open Era – 15 (8 Halle, 7 Wimbledon).
• From 2003–08, Federer won an all-time record 65 consecutive matches on grass courts before losing to Rafael Nadal in the epic 2008 Wimbledon final. He was extended to five sets only twice during this streak and lost a total of 16 sets (170–16).
• Federer won a record 34 consecutive sets between 2005-2006 at Wimbledon and also won 26 consecutive sets between 2003-2004 at Wimbledon.

Following a storming start to her Wimbledon campaign this season, defending champ Petra Kvitova will move on to the second round of the tournament, where she will come up against Japan’s Kurumi Nara. The two competitors have never stepped across the court from each other on the professional tour.

Seeded second at this year’s event, Petra Kvitova cruised into the second round of the tournament following a straight sets win against Kiki Bertens. Kvitova took a 3-0 lead in the opening set before losing the only game in the match to close out the contest 6-1, 6-0. The match lasted 35 minutes, which makes it the quickest match to take place this season on the WTA tour.

“Actually I would be quite happy if nerves were always going to be like this!” Kvitova said. “It wasn’t really easy, especially before the match – I had never played her before, and I didn’t really know what I should expect, but I served really well, and I’m glad about how I played out there. She had a really big forehand – she hit some really good serves as well. She has really good power. Practice at the end of last week was going well, so that was a good sign for me.”

Kvitova will next encounter Kurumi Nara, who defeated Magda Linette by retirement after the Polish player was forced to stop the match due to a left thigh injury. She was 3-6, 6-3, 64-3 in the match at the time of retirement.

“She’s kind of small and plays flat shots,” Kvitova said about Nara. “The grass can suit her game, for sure.”

This marks the first time that Kvitova and Nara will come across each other on the professional tour. Given Kvitova’s form, this should be a particular match that favours the Czech in spades.

Caroline Wozniacki was forced to contest one of the toughest opening sets in the first round of the ladies singles draw at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, yet she was able to work her way through the match to set up a second round encounter against Denisa Allertova. This will mark the first time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour.

In a surprising display on court, Caroline Wozniacki, the fifth seed at Wimbledon, found herself in a fight on Tuesday night, as she was forced to work her way down from a double break deficit in the opening set to beat Zheng Saisai. From there, te Dane found her confidence and stormed to a bagel set in the second to close out the contest 7-5 6-0.

“I’m just happy to be out there on Centre Court,” Wozniacki said. “It was a bit of a shaky start – it was tough to see with the sun coming down – and that didn’t help with the nerves. But I managed to fight for every point and in the end I played well.

“You just want to make a good start to Wimbledon, it’s always tricky in the first round, so I’m happy with how I turned it around and really stepped it up in the second set.”

Wozniacki will come up against Denisa Allertova, who needed three sets to defeat Siniakova. She won the match 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in one hour and 56 minutes, which included 22 winners and 37 unforced errors.

This will mark the first time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour. While anything is possible in a match, Wozniacki proved that she is capable to dealing with trouble in a contest and should be able to find her way into the third round of the Championships.

After needing four sets to work his way into the second round of the Wimbledon Championships, Tomas Berdych will come up against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut to determine who will be one match away from the second week at The All England Club. This marks the sixth time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Berdych leading the series with a undefeated head-to-head record of 5-0.

The 2010 runner up at the Championships found himself faced with a surprisingly difficult task in his opening round match against Jeremy Chardy at the prestigious grass court Grand Slam event. Berdych fired 55 winners, 16 aces and saved four of the five break points he faced to close out the match in three hours and 11 minutes. He eventually did so with a final score of 6-2, 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 7-6(5).

“The conditions were extremely tough… from the beginning,” said Berdych. “The opponent was playing really good tennis. It was a good test for me to start with.”

Berdych will come up against Nicolas Mahut, who reached the second round at Wimbledon following a four set win against Filip Krajinovic. Following a solid match overall, which included 14 aces, 55 winners and 36 unforced errors, Mahut closed out the contest 7-6(4), 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in two hours and 46 minutes.

This marks the sixth time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Berdych leading the series with a undefeated head-to-head record of 5-0. Their last meeting took place at the 2014 Rotterdam Open, which Berdych won with little fuss. In fact, the Frenchman has never been able to take a set off Berdych in 11 years worth of matches. While this is their first ever meeting not on a hard court, it is unlikely that much will change this time around.

Following a solid start to his grass court campaign at the All England Club, two-time champion Rafael Nadal will further his campaign with a second round match-up against the always dangerous German Dustin Brown. This is just the second time these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour with Brown leading the head-to-head series 1-0 following a win at Halle last season.

For the first time since being seeded at the tournament for the first time, Rafael Nadal will have to deal with the draw of a No. 10 seed, as he began his campaign against Thomaz Bellucci, whom he defeated in straight sets. Nadal downed the Brazilian 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in a match that lasted two hours and 10 minutes. Nadal struck 21 winners and saved four break points during the encounter.

“I think I played okay; played well, played solid,” said Nadal. “I am a little bit more confident now than I was few months ago. [It’s] just day by day for me. Obviously victories help.”

“It is difficult to think about how the match going to be; he’s not a usual player,” Nadal said of his next opponent. “Anything can happen. He beat me last year in Halle. It is little bit different, the surface and everything. He’s a tough player. He won today against good opponent. Probably he will come with good confidence. I’m going to try to be ready for it.”

Nadal’s upcoming opponent, Dustin Brown, defeated Yen-Hsun Lu in four sets after dropping the first set. He won the match 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the second round for the second time in his career.

This is the second time these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, and should be a highly intriguing contest, as it serves the purpose of gauging Nadal’s readiness for Wimbledon. Given that Nadal lost to Brown at last year’s Halle tournament, it will be interesting to see how he handles the rematch and if he is capable of avenging his loss en route to the third round of the tournament.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic extended the great Wimbledon tradition on Monday afternoon when he was the first player out on court to open up the 2015 edition of The Championships. Following a straightforward affair, the world No. 1 is through to the second round of the tournament, where he will encounter Jarkko Nieminen, whom he has faced on sixth previous occasions and leads 5-1 in the head to head.

It was business as usual for the top seed at SW19, as Novak Djokovic managed to dispatch Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets to advance to the second round of the grass court Slam. It was a solid showing from the Serb given that he was yet to play a professional match on grass this season. He may not heve been at his best but he was certainly good enough to defeat the German.

“It is great to be back in the cradle of our sport,” he said, smiling broadly. “We have this tradition that the champion opens on Centre Court. It is a privilege and an honour. It doesn’t get any bigger than Wimbledon. 2015 Day 1 Highlights, Novak Djokovic v Philip Kohlschreiber “To come back here only conjures up the dearest and the best memories. You have the butterflies and the thoughts that you are coming back to the place where you won last year.”

Djokovic will come up against Jarkko Nieminen, who ousted Lleyton Hewitt for the last time at the Wimbledon Championships on the opening day of action. It was a thrilling five set affair that only got better in quality as the match went on. In the end, Nieminen managed to break serve late in the match to win the encounter 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 11-9.

This is just the seventh time that Djokovic and Nieminen will cross paths on the professional tour, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head series 5-1. Their most recent encounter took place just last month, when Djokovic defeated the Finish competitor in straight sets on the clay courts in at Roland Garros.

World No. 1 Serena Williams is not only an overwhelming favourite with fans and pundits to win this year’s Wimbledon Championships, she is also in the hunt for a calendar Grand Slam. However, she first has to get past her second round opponent Timea Babos, whom she has never met previously on the professional tour.

It was a turbulent Monday afternoon for Serena Williams, who had to withstand the imposing gameplay from Russian qualifier Margarita Gasparyan to secure her place in the second round of the tournament. The Russian held a 3-1 lead in the first set and a 4-1 lead in the second but was unable to deny Williams a 6-4, 6-4 victory in the end.

“She played really well,” Williams said. “She also had a few matches under her belt from the qualifying, so she was ready for the grass. She got off to a really fast start. She was playing really well today. “I would be lying if I said I wanted a hard match, of course, but I think it’s good for me. At the end of the day, it’s definitely good for me. But no one really wants to be in any sort of difficult match!”

“She was just hitting a lot of winners,” she said. “When the first set was over, she actually hit more winners than I did. Usually I’m really quick and I get to those shots, but they were just so cleanly hit that I wasn’t able to get to them as fast as I wanted to. There was nothing I could do about them.”

Williams will next come up against Timea Babos, who reached the second round following a straight sets win against Cetkovska. She won the match 7-6, 6-3 in one hour and 19 minutes.

This marks the first time that Williams and Babos will cross paths in the professional tour and should be a match that heavily favours the American. She has proven to be a dominant force in 2015 and it is unlikely that Babos will be the one to usurp Williams.