Wimbledon 2007

[legato]

Great interview. I'm glad to hear nuances of confidence when he talked about the match. How it would have been a different story had he been more comfortable, etc...He also admited that grass suits his game which is another plus. IMO I think that this match should end his confidence mania. He knows that he can still be on par with the BEST, aka Roger. I always said that his confidence issue should not be a problem, it's just him dissiuliosining himeself. But I think that Roger's match should be enough to get it out of the way.
Reading Roger's interview I had the feeling that he just want's Marat to be his no1 opponent. IMO a Safin-Federer rivalry would have gone as the most fearsome rivalry in Tennis history had it materialised. Marat said that he doesn't see anybody getting to Federer on grass because they don't have the weapons to beat him, even if the know how. I think that he nuanced that he is the one who has the weapons to beat. CONFIDENCE MARAT ;D

[davis]

Wanna re-live Marat's famous smile? Watch the preview (not review!) for June 29, 2007. Very brief but cute! ;D

wimbledon.mediazone.com/other/previews_reviews.html

[jenhatter06]

davis said:

As for Wimbledon: Did anyone watch Gonzo's drama against Tipsarevic? Especially the fifth set was amazing, perfect Grand Slam material! Also really good: A fired-up Tsonga demolishing Lopez. The Frenchie has such a fighting spirit, amazing! Verdaso managed to make only set 3 against Roddick a little bit exciting. As a spectator watching Wimbledon TV I got excitement of another kind: Boris Becker was commentator! Strange guy with an even stranger English accent! I preferred Martina Navratilova who is on for the Ladies' matches. Björkman/Mirnyi lost their fist-round match in the Doubles competition, when did that happen? And of course: Richie Gasquet cruised through another 3-set-win Next up: Tsonga...

So don't give up on the tournament yet. Just today's line-up promises some amazing matches:
Hewitt - Canas
Baghdatis - Nalbandian
Davydenko - Monfils
Kiefer - Djokovic
It'll be a great afternoon! Hail to my stupid stomach that has punished me with excruciating pain for the last five days - the only thing I can do relatively pain-free is watching TV...

Some super stuff today (hope the weather holds), and Monday's Round of 16 matches are shaping up nicely too -- should be an excellent second week of tennis! Got a list of matches to catch-up on (gonna watch some Tsonga and Gasquet, and some doubles) ;D -- and Gonzo was soooo close ..... and with watching it live, I've noticed there isn't commentary on the outer courts, and I kinda like it


Feel better soon Annette!

[davis]

Thanks, jen! Will be with you in Wimbies in spirit today, weather providing ;D

Some final press-conference shots:

[jenhatter06]

davis said:

this is my favorite i think .... great way to start the morning ... great shots!

[jenhatter06]

well, they sure got a whole of play in today huh? ...... let's hope weather is better next week -- the backlog makes for that much more of a mouth-watering Monday (as per tradition, no play tomorrow) .... praying for good weather and that everyone stays safe, what with the events the last couple days over there

OOP - Monday

Centre Court 11.00 am
Justine Henin (BEL)[1] v. Patty Schnyder (SUI)[15]
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)[10] v. Serena Williams (USA)[7]
Roger Federer (SUI)[1] v. Tommy Haas (GER)[13] -- Haas withdrawal
Andy Roddick (USA)[3] v. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)
Richard Gasquet (FRA)[12] v. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)

Court 1 11.00 am
Robin Soderling (SWE)[28] v. Rafael Nadal (ESP)[2]
Jelena Jankovic (SRB)[3] v. Marion Bartoli (FRA)[18]
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)[20] v. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)

Court 2 11.00 am
Akiko Morigami (JPN) v. Venus Williams (USA)[23] To Finish 2-6 4-1
Nicolas Kiefer (GER) v. Novak Djokovic (SRB)[4]

Court 3 11.00 am
Elena Dementieva (RUS)[12] v. Tamira Paszek (AUT) To Finish 6-3 0-1
Jonas Bjorkman (SWE)[19] v. Wayne Arthurs (AUS)

Court 5 11.00 am
Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) v. Joshua Goodall (GBR)
Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) Ross Hutchins (GBR)

Court 11 11.00 am
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)[5] v. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) To Finish 6-2 4-3
David Nalbandian (ARG)[23] v. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)[10]

Court 13 11.00 am
Ana Ivanovic (SRB)[6] v. Aravane Rezai (FRA) To Finish 6-3
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)[6] v. Gael Monfils (FRA)

Court 14 11.00 am
Tomas Berdych (CZE)[7] v. Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) To Finish 6-4 2-3

Court 15 11.00 am
Nicole Vaidisova (CZE)[14] v. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) To Finish 6-4 3-2
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)[14] v. Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)[18]

Court 18 11.00 am
Nadia Petrova (RUS)[11] v. Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP) To Finish 6-3 3-1
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)[16] v. Guillermo Canas (ARG)[22]

[jenhatter06]

Day 7 Preview wimbledon.org

The second Monday of Wimbledon is traditionally the hottest ticket of the tournament. Since Wimbledon stands alone among the four Grand Slams as the one which does not play on the middle Sunday, the seventh day of this event takes in the fourth round of both the men’s and women’s singles. Add to that the matches carried over from soggy Saturday and, as long as it doesn’t rain again, it should be a sumptuous occasion.

On the women’s side, Justine Henin and Serena Williams remain on course for what promises to be the crunch of the second week, a quarter-final clash. First, though, Patty Schnyder of Switzerland and the Slovak, Daniela Hantuchova, may have something to say about that. To Schnyder, aged 28 and someone who has stood up well to years in the shadow of fellow-Swiss Martina Hingis, both in her first career and now the resurrection, falls a task – the Halt Henin Mission – rated unenviable even by Patty’s closest friends.

Justine is not so much on a roll as in free flight, soaring away on the platform of that inspiring fourth victory at the French Open and not really caring whether the surface is clay, grass or chewing gum. Three rounds have been consigned to the history drawer at a cost of just 11 games. Can this be the year for the Belgian after two runner-up performances here? Cue Schnyder. Since she can boast just one victory (on clay last year) from their eight matches our bookmaker friends would say definitely not, but Patty is a game gal and will be giving it a serious go.

Hantuchova is another who will be flying in the face of the record books against Serena, the self-proclaimed “best in the world when I’m playing well”. Well, Serena is certainly playing well, though she rates her tennis no higher than “six or seven out of ten” to date. She may need to raise her game a notch or two above that to see off the 24-year-old Daniela, regularly a solid performer on Wimbledon’s grass, but this is a match where raw power could be the deciding factor.

Those two women’s contests open the proceedings on Centre Court, and will be followed by the latest episode of the Roger Federer triumphal procession towards that coveted fifth title in a row. Having clocked up 51 victories in succession on grass, Federer will be expecting, without any bragging or other undue noises of confidence, to make it 52 against Tommy Haas of Germany.

The fact that Haas has twice beaten Federer needs to be set in the context that the wins happened seven and five years back, though in the fourth round of last year’s Australian Open Roger was taken to five sets by the 29-year-old German, who lives in Bradenton, Florida, the place where he spent most of his formative years as a pupil at the Nick Bollettieri Academy. Anyone who emerges from that school of hard knocks can be classified as an out-and-out trier, but it is hard to see the Federer gallop being unduly delayed, never mind halted. The man is on a mission, and good luck to him.

Following Federer on Centre is Andy Roddick, the last American man left standing at The Championships. Far from bothering him, that statistic could inspire him to march on towards some of the heights he has attained previously here. Andy could be playing better, but as long as he is winning what does that really matter? Paul-Henri Mathieu, one of the four Frenchmen still in the hunt, beat Roddick in their only previous match, but that was in Canada on a hard court two years ago. This is Wimbledon and the Roddick-Jimmy Connors duo is pushing hard for a place at the top table. It will take a massive performance to deny them.

Having got onto Centre Court on Saturday but not struck a ball before being rained on, Rafael Nadal is switched to the opener on Court One for his contest with Sweden’s number one, Robin Soderling. The second-seeded Nadal is fortunate, since the raft of other men’s matches washed out on Saturday must take place away from the top two courts because of the sheer size of the backlog. While that may be tiresome for some of them it will be a delight for holders of ground passes who will be offered a feast of the best tennis.

Due to follow Nadal onto Court One is Jelena Jankovic, probably still aching from the pummeling she endured in staving off the challenge of Lucie Safarova in the third round on Friday. Against France’s Marion Bartoli things ought to be quieter and more predictable for the third seed, though at this Wimbledon you never quite know.

By his spirited elimination of James Blake, Juan Carlos Ferrero has earned himself a place in the last 16 and a trot on Court One, with the bearded Serb, Janko Tipsarevic as the man to beat for a spot in the quarter-finals. Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion, has never previously gone beyond this stage at The Championships. Now would be a good time to start, and further good news for Spain.

The final Court One contest is an all-French affair in this very good year for France, with Richard Gasquet, their number one, going against the talented wild card, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, with the winner due to provide another French examination for Roddick should he find his way past Mathieu.

Written by Ronald Atkin

[alesalessandra]

Tks for the screenshots!! :-*THEY ARE JUST GRERERERAATTTT!!
How resist to all that smiles and that naughty smile?!!!!
I wanted to quote the picture but I'm still working out to find out all the tools!!
But it is the 5th and 4th piture!! ;D

[ginapants]

these are my fav!

davis said:

Some final press-conference shots:

[ginapants]

just found this great pic on eurosport.com :
Russia's Marat Safin is seen reflected in a window as he plays a return against Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi at the Wimbledon tennis championships

[maryb]

Just about to head off to get train back to Glasgow. Hopefully with all that's been happening in the last 24 hours, the journey back won't be too disrupted.

The weather here isn't looking good until Thursday. Hope that for everyone who's going to Wimbledon next week that it's not too much of an ordeal and that you get to see some tennis! Think we could be looking at a third week - which would mean I miss the men's final as I'll be back at work.

[alesalessandra]

Nice picture! Tks!!

[jenhatter06]

poor Tommy ... get better soon

Federer gets freebie into quarterfinals when Haas' withdraws
July 1, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

WIMBLEDON, England -- Roger Federer landed a bye into Wimbledon's quarterfinals when his fourth-round opponent, Tommy Haas, withdrew from the tournament Sunday with a torn stomach muscle.

The 13th-seeded Haas and four-time defending champion Federer were scheduled to play in the fourth round Monday.

"To pull out of this match, against Roger on Centre Court -- which is why you play the game -- is obviously very disappointing," Haas said. "Can't even put it in words."

Now the top-ranked Federer will face 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero or unseeded Janko Tipsarevic for a berth in the semifinals.

Because Haas pulled out before the match, it goes into the books as a walkover, and Federer will not get credit for a victory. So the Swiss star's winning streak at Wimbledon stays at 31 matches, and his record run on grass courts stays at 51.

Haas said he expects to be sidelined for up to a month with the lower abdominal injury, which flared up during his 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory over No. 21 Dmitry Tursunov in the third round Friday.

Haas called for the trainer during the second set, when he was treated and given painkillers. The German said the pain felt much worse Saturday and that tests showed the muscle was bleeding.

The match against Federer was to be the 29-year-old Haas' first in the fourth round at the All England Club.

"Who knows if this opportunity comes again," Haas said. "I certainly hope so."

He lost in the third round on four previous occasions, including in 1998 after beating Andre Agassi on Centre Court in the second round -- a victory that Haas noted on Sunday means he is undefeated at Wimbledon's main arena.

Once ranked as high as No. 2, Haas has struggled with injuries, including missing all of 2003 after two operations on his right shoulder.

He was sidelined for 1½ months before coming to Wimbledon this year after stopping because of a shoulder problem during his opening match at the Rome Masters in May.

[Annie]

Oh dear..Haas again Poor boy, get better soon as I am hoping to see you here in September and get some nice pics for Sabz ;D

Some kick-butt tennis still on the way with two Russian men competing in the singles, two in the doubles and I am not talking about the ladies remaining So I am all up for the second week.... let's hope the weather is too

[maryb]

Bloody weather. It's chucking down here, and it wasn't that great in Wimbles earlier either . Decided to make myself useful and started decorating the kitchen in my last week off work - and needless to say, the rain has now stopped in London and I'm only halfway around the room. Have also been copying the Big Yin's video clips on to CD for Denise for the OS - 15 clips in total. I've never got round to getting Broadband - and I now regret it. I'll need to stick the CDs in the post. Enjoy them when they appear.

It's Big Serena that's on just now - think I'll tape it and watch it later. No doubt I can fastforward throught the rain breaks!