Archive for July, 2007
07-09-2007
Wimbledon 2007
Well, another Wimbledon has come and come. We’ll have to wait till next year to listen to that NBC theme song, and hear about strawberries and cream and when will an Englishman win a championship and all other manner of trite cliches that get trotted out every year.
Some observations:
1) Poor Amelie. She is such a talented player, but so mentally fragile. She had Vaidisova on the ropes and let her back into the match and lost. Hopefully she can put something together at the US Open, because she really brings a lot to the game. And of course, I love seeing an out lesbian do well.
2) Andy Roddick looked awesome, right up till he lost the third set against Gasquet. Andy may never win another Slam, but he brings so much fight, so he really disappointed by losing that match. However, Gasquet hit 93 winners. 93!!!!! I didn’t catch their match, but Gasquet must have been on fire. Hopefully Andy can do something at the US Open as well.
3) Roger wins again. At least this time he was really pushed, and it seemed Nadal had him at the start of the fifth set, but he couldn’t get that one break point he needed. I expect Nadal to end Roger’s streak next year.
4) Venus wins. Ho hum. Don’t know what it is about the Williams sisters, but they annoy me.
5) For all of Justine’s reputation as a fighter, she seems almost as fragile as Amelie at times, and completely choked against Bartoli in their semifinal match. Justine has all the talent in the world, and I found myself rooting for her in this tournament, mainly as someone who could stop both Williams sisters. I think I’m finally over her gamesmanship episodes from earlier in her career.
6) Why is the women’s game so fragile? What happened to the mental fortitude that Chris Evert and Tracy Austin used to show? I recently got a DVD of the 85 US Open final between Martina and Hana, and the quality of tennis they played, and their mental strength, stood in stark contrast to that of the current generation of women pros.
7) Of course, I could say the same about the men’s game currently. This final between Nadal and Federer is one of the few in recent memory that possibly matched many of the classic finals from the early 80s. Still, so many current male players seem like they fold before they play Federer or Nadal. It’s so sad.
Can’t wait for the US Open series!!!
Posted by Candace in Tennis | No Comments »