Wimbledon Blog by Ian Campbell - July 2013
Just before this tournament goes any further here are my main thoughts and predictions.
Just before this tournament goes any further here are my main thoughts and predictions.
The men's quarter finals produced some of the most dramatic tennis yet this year. Andy Murray showed what a great competitor he is in coming back from 2 sets down and not even playing his best. He won the last point, which as anyone who has ever competed in the tennis arena will know how important it is to find a way to win. His ability to get out of a hole is incredible.
Yes his 2nd serve gets a bit soft and yes he sometimes becomes too passive in the rallies and yes he overplays the drop shot but when it comes to the crunch he finds a way to win!
And the interviewer after asked if Lendl would give him the hair dryer treatment like Alex Ferguson! Unbelievable- the guy (Garry Richardson) has a track record of shocking interviews .(He has been widely mocked on twitter for such a poor interview while Andy has been gracious enough to forgive him for having a "bad day"). If only tennis matches were won on paper and you didn't have to actually go out there and do it. Verdasco's 2nd serve was phenomenal and his forehand was like Nadals if not better. What a great match he played and Murray still beat him!
Del Potro also showed tremendous courage in beating David Ferrer after such a bad fall early on especially when his knee was already troubling him! However, I sincerely doubt if he is still injured that he will manage to get past Djokovic which is probably the kiss of death for the no 1 seed if the average tennis pundits predictions are anything to go by.
When I was down at Wimbledon for the first couple of days I managed to see Janowicz who I picked then as the main outsider to win the event. He is extremely dangerous with such a tremendous serve and all round aggressive game and great touch as well - ideal for grass!
His on court demeanour doesn't make him popular with the other players in the locker room but I admire his ability to compete.
Djokovic just keeps rolling along and is even beginning to find his trademark slide which gives him an advantage on wide balls.He is absolutely the man to beat! Berdych is a great player but his game is just too high risk when it gets down to the big points with not enough margin for error.
Yes his 2nd serve gets a bit soft and yes he sometimes becomes too passive in the rallies and yes he overplays the drop shot but when it comes to the crunch he finds a way to win!
And the interviewer after asked if Lendl would give him the hair dryer treatment like Alex Ferguson! Unbelievable- the guy (Garry Richardson) has a track record of shocking interviews .(He has been widely mocked on twitter for such a poor interview while Andy has been gracious enough to forgive him for having a "bad day"). If only tennis matches were won on paper and you didn't have to actually go out there and do it. Verdasco's 2nd serve was phenomenal and his forehand was like Nadals if not better. What a great match he played and Murray still beat him!
Del Potro also showed tremendous courage in beating David Ferrer after such a bad fall early on especially when his knee was already troubling him! However, I sincerely doubt if he is still injured that he will manage to get past Djokovic which is probably the kiss of death for the no 1 seed if the average tennis pundits predictions are anything to go by.
When I was down at Wimbledon for the first couple of days I managed to see Janowicz who I picked then as the main outsider to win the event. He is extremely dangerous with such a tremendous serve and all round aggressive game and great touch as well - ideal for grass!
His on court demeanour doesn't make him popular with the other players in the locker room but I admire his ability to compete.
Djokovic just keeps rolling along and is even beginning to find his trademark slide which gives him an advantage on wide balls.He is absolutely the man to beat! Berdych is a great player but his game is just too high risk when it gets down to the big points with not enough margin for error.
Serena losing was quite incredible in my view and the biggest shock of the tournament. Her match shows just how difficult tennis can be emotionally when someone as dominant as Serena can totally lose her self belief! Full credit to Lisicki who managed to take full advantage and get over the finishing line.
Great to see Flipkens finally fulfill her potential and get into the big league of world tennis and finishing off her semi with 2 aces!
I was so pleased to see how gutted Laura Robson was after losing as this shows her new level of expectation. If she manages to improve her explosiveness she will surely be a top 10 player very soon and then who knows?
So my predictions for men's and ladies singles
Has to be a Murray v Djokovic final but the big Pole will provide serious opposition while Del Potro will have to hit too many balls to beat Novak.
The final could be amazing but I'm sorry to say that if Djokovic plays well he can't be beaten and I sincerely hope that is the kiss of death for him too! A Scotsman winning Wimbledon would be the happiest day of my tennis life.
The ladies semis are not so easy to predict especially with what has happened so far but I think it will be a Bartoli v Radwanska final with Rad winning. She has too much guile and variety for the French slugger and I find it hard to believe that Bartoli's pre point routines can be doing anything other than sapping both her physical and mental energy!
Biggest Surprise of this years event
The All England club have really lowered their standards by allowing Laura Middleton from Tuscan Tennis into the royal box. My main issue is she refused to wear a TTH hat!
Great to see Flipkens finally fulfill her potential and get into the big league of world tennis and finishing off her semi with 2 aces!
I was so pleased to see how gutted Laura Robson was after losing as this shows her new level of expectation. If she manages to improve her explosiveness she will surely be a top 10 player very soon and then who knows?
So my predictions for men's and ladies singles
Has to be a Murray v Djokovic final but the big Pole will provide serious opposition while Del Potro will have to hit too many balls to beat Novak.
The final could be amazing but I'm sorry to say that if Djokovic plays well he can't be beaten and I sincerely hope that is the kiss of death for him too! A Scotsman winning Wimbledon would be the happiest day of my tennis life.
The ladies semis are not so easy to predict especially with what has happened so far but I think it will be a Bartoli v Radwanska final with Rad winning. She has too much guile and variety for the French slugger and I find it hard to believe that Bartoli's pre point routines can be doing anything other than sapping both her physical and mental energy!
Biggest Surprise of this years event
The All England club have really lowered their standards by allowing Laura Middleton from Tuscan Tennis into the royal box. My main issue is she refused to wear a TTH hat!
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