TENNIS: Wimbledon men's finals
Jul. 12th, 2016 07:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllOn Sunday, I watched the men’s final, billed as Raonic’s serve versus Murray’s return. On paper, I thought Murray would, should win it as the higher ranked player and favourite. He’s playing the best tennis of his life (for evidence see the clay-court season and how he’s built on it on grass) and had been in (several) grand slams before. Raonic would be making his first appearance. Murray had a good record against the Canadian, but in their last match, had gone a set and a break down, so could that be a sign that the ever improving Raonic would find a way? I liked to think that I’d be more clear-headed if I didn’t want Murray to win so much.
Nerves were set aside once they began, Raonic was serving well, or certainly quickly, but Murray was up to it. Gradually he began dominating the longer rallies, but most tellingly, push Raonic to break points while keeping his own serve. Murray was quite close to Raonic in the ace count, which shows that he got his racket to so many serves, even if he couldn’t always get them back in court.
A break came in the first and Murray looked too strong to let it go.
Raonic maybe settled a little in the second, and fought off break points, but as his serve regularly passed 140 mph, Murray kept returning back in court. As Hewitt said, Raonic can’t be used to that (they didn't talk about Raonic meeting Djokovic, the other top returner in the game). Murray was nullifying Raonic’s most potent weapon – didn’t he return the fastest serve of the tournament at 147?
Of course, Raonic’s game is more than merely his serve, but he could not make inroads on Murray’s serve, and in the tie-breaks, Murray seized the moment, playing strongly. I do remember thinking that he wasn’t going to lose it at the start of the third, even as I waited in vain for the break (Raonic only got break points in one game and Murray closed that door quickly. What he did to get his first serves in was astonishing.) He had so many championship points, and after two lets on the serve, had to wait for the second go to win.
And then he sobbed and the crowd got slightly hysterical.
He’s double Wimbledon champion. The ghost of whether he’d have won if Djokovic had been there (or Nadal had been playing) should be set aside. It would have been a different match. Who knows? These were the two players who won all their matches to get to the final (and only Tsonga pushed Murray). You play who is before you. Murray’s first shots of most rallies gave him a chance, and he was a good enough player not to let it go. I've seen lots of seriously impressive statistics since the game that help explain that. I hope he can replicate all that had been good about this slam to win others.
I thought I was done with the football, but there sat a Welshman in a football shirt, visible in his proud red, for a quarter of the serves. You do see a lot more of those red shirts around these parts, I can tell you.
I didn't get to see the mixed doubles, but Watson must be proud of herself and hoping that this is a partnership that will last.
Nerves were set aside once they began, Raonic was serving well, or certainly quickly, but Murray was up to it. Gradually he began dominating the longer rallies, but most tellingly, push Raonic to break points while keeping his own serve. Murray was quite close to Raonic in the ace count, which shows that he got his racket to so many serves, even if he couldn’t always get them back in court.
A break came in the first and Murray looked too strong to let it go.
Raonic maybe settled a little in the second, and fought off break points, but as his serve regularly passed 140 mph, Murray kept returning back in court. As Hewitt said, Raonic can’t be used to that (they didn't talk about Raonic meeting Djokovic, the other top returner in the game). Murray was nullifying Raonic’s most potent weapon – didn’t he return the fastest serve of the tournament at 147?
Of course, Raonic’s game is more than merely his serve, but he could not make inroads on Murray’s serve, and in the tie-breaks, Murray seized the moment, playing strongly. I do remember thinking that he wasn’t going to lose it at the start of the third, even as I waited in vain for the break (Raonic only got break points in one game and Murray closed that door quickly. What he did to get his first serves in was astonishing.) He had so many championship points, and after two lets on the serve, had to wait for the second go to win.
And then he sobbed and the crowd got slightly hysterical.
He’s double Wimbledon champion. The ghost of whether he’d have won if Djokovic had been there (or Nadal had been playing) should be set aside. It would have been a different match. Who knows? These were the two players who won all their matches to get to the final (and only Tsonga pushed Murray). You play who is before you. Murray’s first shots of most rallies gave him a chance, and he was a good enough player not to let it go. I've seen lots of seriously impressive statistics since the game that help explain that. I hope he can replicate all that had been good about this slam to win others.
I thought I was done with the football, but there sat a Welshman in a football shirt, visible in his proud red, for a quarter of the serves. You do see a lot more of those red shirts around these parts, I can tell you.
I didn't get to see the mixed doubles, but Watson must be proud of herself and hoping that this is a partnership that will last.
