TENNIS – Wimbledon 2017 – week 2
Jul. 18th, 2017 06:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllI kept jotting down my thoughts, but never getting the time to post them until now.
Monday - Most of R4
Came home to learn Murray had won (phew) and to watch, along with a silenced Court No. 1, Mueller win the second set against Nadal. Sat down and watched the rest of the best men’s match of the tournament so far, as fighter Nadal found a way back in and won the next two sets.
The fifth set was magnificent as Mueller took a hold of himself and became a rock on serve. The commentators didn’t mention it, but he gained a little from having forced Nadal to serve out the fourth set, giving him a scoreboard advantage. That they managed to keep the quality going for so very long – Nadal saving match points, fired up, running and thumping, Mueller a lot cooler, but matching and bettering him – is remarkable. The longer it ran, the tenser it got, and it was so long that Nadal, who’d used up all his challenges, perhaps too recklessly, got three more after a drought. But you felt that Mueller had more chances, unless if he and his high standard of play collapsed under the pressure of Nadal being Nadal.
There were other results, but I forget what I have to say about them.
Tuesday – mainly the ladies quarter finals
The only live tennis I saw was Rybarakova vs. Vandeweigh (I think my nerves were shredded enough from watching updates on the Konta v. Halep match; I don’t know how I’d have been if I’d watched it), and while I wondered if it would become a wholly different match as they’d come on to a new court, which would be very different under the roof, several hours after coming off court no. 1 because of rain, apparently it didn’t. Vandeweigh was still out of sorts and Rybarakova had her remarkable composure in place. Although Vandeweigh mustered herself for the match points on her serve, it wasn’t enough, and on paper it was a routine win, except Rybarakova’s stunned face told you it wasn’t.
She’s one of the biggest stories of the tournament, I agree with Claire Balding on that, and if we couldn’t have a Kvitova run, this is a very good return from injury story, as Rybarakova’s game has elevated above her previous best ranking of 35, and she’s the first Slovakian (lady? player of both genders?) through to the Wimbledon semis.
In fact, all four semi-finalists have something to bring the finals: Venus Williams is a past champion, and has been knocking at the door of the grand slams again for over a year; Muguruza won the French and looks to have regained the form that took her to the finals here, but with a little more experience, and the other big hitter, Konta, has, by dint of three three-setters, properly introduced herself to the Centre Court crowd, the Henman Hill crowd and the British public who don’t believe in tennis that happens outside of Wimbledon. Having gone through the ups and downs – and it looks like it was a fine match and a real battle with Halep, for whom the world no. 1 spot was in play, and who had the crowd to contend with, although it can’t and won’t be the last time she faces a crowd like that – Konta has truly introduced herself, and you have to be impressed with her mental fortitude. (Has she had to go through too much to get this far?)
Djokovic got through and grumbled about having to wait to play his quarter final. Hingis and Murray seem to make sense as a doubles partnership.
Wednesday – men’s quarter finals etc
I didn’t see any of the men’s quarters live, I just followed the results, so I more or less knew what had happened by the time I got home to watch some mixed doubles. Murray seemed like he was winning and then his ‘sore’ hip came into play (I put the word in quote marks, because it might be worse?) My first impression was that it was something like what happened in the French, that he ran out of steam physically, and this is a worse result than the French one, but not bad if you remember he played no warm-ups, but not good according to those who saw the whole match. Time will tell.
Also injured was Djokovic, with his shoulder turning out to be his elbow, losing a set for the first time ever to Berdych and then retiring in the second set.
I agree with Boris Becker, perhaps Murray and Djokovic need to tend to their injuries and rest, and then maybe they can pull a Federer-Nadal and divvy up next year’s slams between them.
Mueller vs Cilic seems to have been the best match, going to five. Cilic seemed fired up and to have answers to his big-serving opponent that Nadal didn’t, and he had the advantage of having come through the championship without dropping a set and not being talked about much (enough?).
Federer thrashed Raonic in the first two sets (I was trying to explain to a colleague that he was a different player for this rematch of last year’s semis) and won the third in the tie. He most definitively is the favourite now, as the other members of the big four stumbled, while his play remained good enough to win easily and look spectacular at times.
At the start of the day, I saw that Ivanisevic (who used to coach Cilic) had claimed it would be a Federer-Cilic final. I hoped he was wrong and that Murray would be in there, but with all due respect to Querry and Berdych, I now believe he’s right.
More pressure on Konta from the crowd now, although if she stays as mentally tough as she has, she may be able to just take the positives out of it. And given everything Venus Williams has been through in life and her tennis career, I expect the crowd will be less of an issue than it was for Halep. I noted that Konta is the highest seed left, but Williams and Muguruza have more form on this grass.
Didn’t catch any live tennis on Thursday (check?) or Friday, only results, where Grand Slam champions had an advantage
The weekend
But I did get to watch as much tennis as I wanted on Saturday, which included a lot of build-up for the ladies final, where it emerged that the stats from the tournament suggested it would be close between Muguruza and the older Williams sister. Many of the experts (who were mainly American) said so but that Williams’s experience should tell.
The match started and it looked as if it would be close, with fierce hitting, some of it going out, one player looking better, but not for long, with both facing off break points, until we got to Muguruza serving at 5-4 and Venus put the pressure on, because breaking on this game would definitely win her the set. Facing two set points, Muguruza saved them, and in one point it was thanks to her iffiest shot, the forehand, standing firm. She then went on to win the game and play strongly to break in the next and took the first set.
Disappointing for Venus, but surely the five-time champion would regroup, one assumed.
Now, I admit, I had again decided to support Muguruza, because I like her demeanour and the mainly American experts had, reasonably enough, given Williams the edge. Billie Jane King had sagely said (perhaps wrongly as it turned out) that Muguruza needed to win the first set more. I settled down to another close-run set, knowing that either my favourite would win it and the title or Williams would and it would go to three. I thought it would continue to be a competitive final as Williams thumpingly won the first point of the set.
And then she collapsed, and continued to collapse – mentally or physically, and Muguruza broke, held her serve easily and broke again. And Williams had no opposition, really, to offer, as it suddenly appeared that Muguruza was going to bagel her. Indeed, the wobbles of the final game were really as much about Muguruza losing her rhythm on the first championship point as anything. The last point was on a challenge (but she was right, again, to challenge as she mostly was all match.) The crowd was a bit uneasy because of that and because of the nature of Venus’s play in the second set, but Muguruza showed mental fortitude. Who knows if the hard play at the end of the first set, Williams’s condition or what contributed to it? Muguruza couldn’t, and didn’t let herself care, winning at this appearance at a Wimbledon final, winning a tournament, which she hasn’t done since winning the French. I hope she can take all the good out of this and be one of the ones to take advantage of this interesting, competitive time in women’s tennis, even if the second set didn’t showcase that.
She did herself a world of good by being such a smiley, happy winner, and Venus behaved as classily as you’d expect, assisted by one of Sue Barker’s sympathetic interview.
I watched the end of the men’s wheelchair doubles final because I couldn’t bring myself to care about the men’s doubles.
As for Sunday, I was unable to watch any live tennis, although I didn’t miss a match so much as a coronation in the men’s finals, I discovered. Ouch for Cilic. Well done for Federer.
I would have liked to have seen the mixed doubles and the netplay. Surely Hingis and Murray will team up at other slams…
Monday - Most of R4
Came home to learn Murray had won (phew) and to watch, along with a silenced Court No. 1, Mueller win the second set against Nadal. Sat down and watched the rest of the best men’s match of the tournament so far, as fighter Nadal found a way back in and won the next two sets.
The fifth set was magnificent as Mueller took a hold of himself and became a rock on serve. The commentators didn’t mention it, but he gained a little from having forced Nadal to serve out the fourth set, giving him a scoreboard advantage. That they managed to keep the quality going for so very long – Nadal saving match points, fired up, running and thumping, Mueller a lot cooler, but matching and bettering him – is remarkable. The longer it ran, the tenser it got, and it was so long that Nadal, who’d used up all his challenges, perhaps too recklessly, got three more after a drought. But you felt that Mueller had more chances, unless if he and his high standard of play collapsed under the pressure of Nadal being Nadal.
There were other results, but I forget what I have to say about them.
Tuesday – mainly the ladies quarter finals
The only live tennis I saw was Rybarakova vs. Vandeweigh (I think my nerves were shredded enough from watching updates on the Konta v. Halep match; I don’t know how I’d have been if I’d watched it), and while I wondered if it would become a wholly different match as they’d come on to a new court, which would be very different under the roof, several hours after coming off court no. 1 because of rain, apparently it didn’t. Vandeweigh was still out of sorts and Rybarakova had her remarkable composure in place. Although Vandeweigh mustered herself for the match points on her serve, it wasn’t enough, and on paper it was a routine win, except Rybarakova’s stunned face told you it wasn’t.
She’s one of the biggest stories of the tournament, I agree with Claire Balding on that, and if we couldn’t have a Kvitova run, this is a very good return from injury story, as Rybarakova’s game has elevated above her previous best ranking of 35, and she’s the first Slovakian (lady? player of both genders?) through to the Wimbledon semis.
In fact, all four semi-finalists have something to bring the finals: Venus Williams is a past champion, and has been knocking at the door of the grand slams again for over a year; Muguruza won the French and looks to have regained the form that took her to the finals here, but with a little more experience, and the other big hitter, Konta, has, by dint of three three-setters, properly introduced herself to the Centre Court crowd, the Henman Hill crowd and the British public who don’t believe in tennis that happens outside of Wimbledon. Having gone through the ups and downs – and it looks like it was a fine match and a real battle with Halep, for whom the world no. 1 spot was in play, and who had the crowd to contend with, although it can’t and won’t be the last time she faces a crowd like that – Konta has truly introduced herself, and you have to be impressed with her mental fortitude. (Has she had to go through too much to get this far?)
Djokovic got through and grumbled about having to wait to play his quarter final. Hingis and Murray seem to make sense as a doubles partnership.
Wednesday – men’s quarter finals etc
I didn’t see any of the men’s quarters live, I just followed the results, so I more or less knew what had happened by the time I got home to watch some mixed doubles. Murray seemed like he was winning and then his ‘sore’ hip came into play (I put the word in quote marks, because it might be worse?) My first impression was that it was something like what happened in the French, that he ran out of steam physically, and this is a worse result than the French one, but not bad if you remember he played no warm-ups, but not good according to those who saw the whole match. Time will tell.
Also injured was Djokovic, with his shoulder turning out to be his elbow, losing a set for the first time ever to Berdych and then retiring in the second set.
I agree with Boris Becker, perhaps Murray and Djokovic need to tend to their injuries and rest, and then maybe they can pull a Federer-Nadal and divvy up next year’s slams between them.
Mueller vs Cilic seems to have been the best match, going to five. Cilic seemed fired up and to have answers to his big-serving opponent that Nadal didn’t, and he had the advantage of having come through the championship without dropping a set and not being talked about much (enough?).
Federer thrashed Raonic in the first two sets (I was trying to explain to a colleague that he was a different player for this rematch of last year’s semis) and won the third in the tie. He most definitively is the favourite now, as the other members of the big four stumbled, while his play remained good enough to win easily and look spectacular at times.
At the start of the day, I saw that Ivanisevic (who used to coach Cilic) had claimed it would be a Federer-Cilic final. I hoped he was wrong and that Murray would be in there, but with all due respect to Querry and Berdych, I now believe he’s right.
More pressure on Konta from the crowd now, although if she stays as mentally tough as she has, she may be able to just take the positives out of it. And given everything Venus Williams has been through in life and her tennis career, I expect the crowd will be less of an issue than it was for Halep. I noted that Konta is the highest seed left, but Williams and Muguruza have more form on this grass.
Didn’t catch any live tennis on Thursday (check?) or Friday, only results, where Grand Slam champions had an advantage
The weekend
But I did get to watch as much tennis as I wanted on Saturday, which included a lot of build-up for the ladies final, where it emerged that the stats from the tournament suggested it would be close between Muguruza and the older Williams sister. Many of the experts (who were mainly American) said so but that Williams’s experience should tell.
The match started and it looked as if it would be close, with fierce hitting, some of it going out, one player looking better, but not for long, with both facing off break points, until we got to Muguruza serving at 5-4 and Venus put the pressure on, because breaking on this game would definitely win her the set. Facing two set points, Muguruza saved them, and in one point it was thanks to her iffiest shot, the forehand, standing firm. She then went on to win the game and play strongly to break in the next and took the first set.
Disappointing for Venus, but surely the five-time champion would regroup, one assumed.
Now, I admit, I had again decided to support Muguruza, because I like her demeanour and the mainly American experts had, reasonably enough, given Williams the edge. Billie Jane King had sagely said (perhaps wrongly as it turned out) that Muguruza needed to win the first set more. I settled down to another close-run set, knowing that either my favourite would win it and the title or Williams would and it would go to three. I thought it would continue to be a competitive final as Williams thumpingly won the first point of the set.
And then she collapsed, and continued to collapse – mentally or physically, and Muguruza broke, held her serve easily and broke again. And Williams had no opposition, really, to offer, as it suddenly appeared that Muguruza was going to bagel her. Indeed, the wobbles of the final game were really as much about Muguruza losing her rhythm on the first championship point as anything. The last point was on a challenge (but she was right, again, to challenge as she mostly was all match.) The crowd was a bit uneasy because of that and because of the nature of Venus’s play in the second set, but Muguruza showed mental fortitude. Who knows if the hard play at the end of the first set, Williams’s condition or what contributed to it? Muguruza couldn’t, and didn’t let herself care, winning at this appearance at a Wimbledon final, winning a tournament, which she hasn’t done since winning the French. I hope she can take all the good out of this and be one of the ones to take advantage of this interesting, competitive time in women’s tennis, even if the second set didn’t showcase that.
She did herself a world of good by being such a smiley, happy winner, and Venus behaved as classily as you’d expect, assisted by one of Sue Barker’s sympathetic interview.
I watched the end of the men’s wheelchair doubles final because I couldn’t bring myself to care about the men’s doubles.
As for Sunday, I was unable to watch any live tennis, although I didn’t miss a match so much as a coronation in the men’s finals, I discovered. Ouch for Cilic. Well done for Federer.
I would have liked to have seen the mixed doubles and the netplay. Surely Hingis and Murray will team up at other slams…
