TENNIS - Wimbledon semis
Jul. 6th, 2013 09:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllI didn’t even see all of Today at Wimbledon after the women’s semis and I won’t be watching the final live, so I have little to say except that Bartoli seems to have bossed her way back into the final. I haven’t seen her play much, but unless if the occasion and expectations or even tiredness after a few three-setters in this six-match run of hers tell, surely Lisicki has more weapons than the Frenchwoman? Not the smallest of which is the positive mental attitude she's exhibited all Wimbledon.
I was able to see quite enough of the men’s semis. I came home to the barking, brilliant end of the fourth set of the first match, when Del Potro hit some blazing winners and the rallies were extraordinary. I don’t think I’ve seen a match point saved quite like that. Djokovic didn’t quite know what to do and who could blame him, the injured Del Potro looking exhausted at times, but then still playing like that? I’ve always known he could play in such a fashion on his day, but despite a good recent record against Djokovic, with his injured knee, I didn’t think he could be that competitive.
Of course, I wanted him to take it to the fifth – thinking ahead that the winner would potentially face Murray – although I suspected that Djokovic’s pedigree, resilience and fitness would tell. It did. What a match.
Could the next one follow that? All-partisan, I didn’t want it to. I wanted Janewicz to crumble and for Murray to win in three. I wanted it as much as I thought it unlikely.
As it was, the match wasn’t of the same calibre, as far as I could tell, but had it’s own drama. To tell the truth, I could barely watch at times and concentrated more on some busywork at points.
Janewicz, when he grows up a little, is going to be competing for slams. He should be within the top 10 by the end of the year if he learns the right lessons from this experience. Straight through to the Wimbledon semis on his second try, he’s the young gun who’s distinguished himself from the pack and the first giant – counting Del Potro and Cilic dwarf giants, while they, in turn, make Murray, Djokovic and Nadal look like mere mortals – to be able to move well.
His serve was terrifying. The fact that Murray couldn’t impose on his nervous opponent – his feelings only evident at the adrenaline spike that made his first serve reach 140 mph and his second 118 mph – at the outset or quite convert his chances in the first was really disappointing.
BUT, as I only let myself realise towards the end of the next three sets, Murray’s returning game was excellent. Janewicz didn’t have anything like the number of aces and unreturnables that he’s used to. It was matched by Murray’s service game. Apart from that wobble in the third, it was safe – much more aces than the alleged better server. He was winning about the same amount of points on his second serve as the first – and his second serve is supposed to be the weakness! He was mostly stronger at the back of the court, mostly able to deal with Janewicz’s drop shots (how many were there? Shades of younger Murray and Djokovic. Took them some time to learn that it’s a weapon to deploy selectively) because of his movement and fitness. He got the aggressive/passive balance right, although mainly I was keeping my attention on Janewicz’s arsenal out of worry. His passing shots were excellent and at the right moment he hit right at his opponent and, somehow, lobbed him.
He was more in control than I allowed myself to believe he was.
Now he only has to follow his girlfriend’s order ‘One more’, eh?
And as a note to Murray and Djokovic (and Federer and Nadal, whom I don’t dismiss yet!) and Del Potro – hurry up and win as many grand slams as you can now, because that young Pole is going to be dangerous competition.
I was able to see quite enough of the men’s semis. I came home to the barking, brilliant end of the fourth set of the first match, when Del Potro hit some blazing winners and the rallies were extraordinary. I don’t think I’ve seen a match point saved quite like that. Djokovic didn’t quite know what to do and who could blame him, the injured Del Potro looking exhausted at times, but then still playing like that? I’ve always known he could play in such a fashion on his day, but despite a good recent record against Djokovic, with his injured knee, I didn’t think he could be that competitive.
Of course, I wanted him to take it to the fifth – thinking ahead that the winner would potentially face Murray – although I suspected that Djokovic’s pedigree, resilience and fitness would tell. It did. What a match.
Could the next one follow that? All-partisan, I didn’t want it to. I wanted Janewicz to crumble and for Murray to win in three. I wanted it as much as I thought it unlikely.
As it was, the match wasn’t of the same calibre, as far as I could tell, but had it’s own drama. To tell the truth, I could barely watch at times and concentrated more on some busywork at points.
Janewicz, when he grows up a little, is going to be competing for slams. He should be within the top 10 by the end of the year if he learns the right lessons from this experience. Straight through to the Wimbledon semis on his second try, he’s the young gun who’s distinguished himself from the pack and the first giant – counting Del Potro and Cilic dwarf giants, while they, in turn, make Murray, Djokovic and Nadal look like mere mortals – to be able to move well.
His serve was terrifying. The fact that Murray couldn’t impose on his nervous opponent – his feelings only evident at the adrenaline spike that made his first serve reach 140 mph and his second 118 mph – at the outset or quite convert his chances in the first was really disappointing.
BUT, as I only let myself realise towards the end of the next three sets, Murray’s returning game was excellent. Janewicz didn’t have anything like the number of aces and unreturnables that he’s used to. It was matched by Murray’s service game. Apart from that wobble in the third, it was safe – much more aces than the alleged better server. He was winning about the same amount of points on his second serve as the first – and his second serve is supposed to be the weakness! He was mostly stronger at the back of the court, mostly able to deal with Janewicz’s drop shots (how many were there? Shades of younger Murray and Djokovic. Took them some time to learn that it’s a weapon to deploy selectively) because of his movement and fitness. He got the aggressive/passive balance right, although mainly I was keeping my attention on Janewicz’s arsenal out of worry. His passing shots were excellent and at the right moment he hit right at his opponent and, somehow, lobbed him.
He was more in control than I allowed myself to believe he was.
Now he only has to follow his girlfriend’s order ‘One more’, eh?
And as a note to Murray and Djokovic (and Federer and Nadal, whom I don’t dismiss yet!) and Del Potro – hurry up and win as many grand slams as you can now, because that young Pole is going to be dangerous competition.
