A look at one of the most exciting days in the tournamt.
For the second time this year all four top seeds have made it to Grand Slam semi-finals. The matches are Nadal vs Murray and Federer vs Djokovic. The first match that I will look at is the match between Federer and Djokovic.
The third seed is looking put himself back on top of the tennis world by winning the US Open this year. He has been written off throughout the whole year and it feels that people have completely forgotten about his amazing run through to the French Open final where he managed to beat Novak Djokovic in a thriller.
Roger Federer disagrees fully with the claims and says that he has a few years left in him and you can just feel that he feels like he has something to prove today and when Federer is this determined then he can play absolutely faultless so this will certainly not be a walk in the park for the world number 1.
No doubt that Novak Djokovic is the favourite but I believe that for this tournament apart from that destroying effort against Calos Berloq he has not looked in imperious form and if Tipsarevic's leg could have held out then maybe Djokovic could've been out of the tournament!
Overall the stats show that Federer has won 14 out of 24 matches against Novak Djokovic. But this year Djokovic has won 3 out of the 4 matches. One thing is sure is that if Djokovic isn't playing great tennis then Federer will punish him.
The second semi-final of Super Saturday is Andy Murray vs Rafael Nadal for a re-match of the 2008 semi-final. Nadal is hoping to show that he is the deserved world's best and that he should be on top.
The records shows that Nadal is the overwhelming favourite because he has won 12 matches out 16 against Murray and this year Nadal has won all of the matches including the Wimbledon semi-final and Roland Garros semi-final. Also Nadal has won 5 out of 7 matches against Murray in Grand Slams. Nadal has also had a smoother journey through to this stage of the tournament than Murray.
Nadal showed in his match against Andy Roddick where he beat the American 6-2 6-3 6-1 that his huge top spin forehand is completely devastating in this tournament and that Murray will have to play the best tennis of his career to win.
One thing that is going Murray's way is that he has beaten Nadal twice out of 3 times in hard court Grand Slams. Murray is still searching for his first Grand Slam victory whereas Nadal is looking for his 11th. Nadal and Murray suspect that this could be a long drawn out match and I feel it could be a classic!
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Friday, 9 September 2011
Learning Tennis as a 14 year old
Looking back now it was quite funny thinking that when I saw people playing tennis I would try and pick out how people were hitting the ball subconsciously. Back then though I thought that Badminton was the best racket sport.
Gradually after many times at lunch looking over the tennis courts at my local sports centre I decided I wanted to learn a little bit more about the sport. The first time I really watched Tennis was the Australian Open in 2008. Ever since that tournament I have been a tennis addict and a huge enthusiast for the sport.
I started having tennis lessons in September 2009 after managing to persuade my parents to let me give it a go. At first I was a poor player I could hardly get a point off the other people in my lesson, I felt down. I was stroppy and disappointed. Even though I was a bad player this just gave me more determination to become better.
I kept at it and seeing that I was being forced to get better at it to stay in competition with the others in my group I quite quickly improved my game. I already had a bit of an advantage with good stamina, speed and hand-eye co-ordination. The easiest part for me to get very confident with was my forehand. The forehand has always been the strongest shot for me, then my backhand and then my serve.
My first competition was after a year of playing tennis once a week. I went into the competition without much expectation but came out with 2 wins and reached the semis.
Over the past couple of years of playing tennis I have learnt a lot about myself, my mental abilities along with my physical. Today I am one of the best players in my group. When I watch tennis, the older I have become the more interested I have become in the way tennis is played and that Tennis is played in the mind as well as on the court, also in how the game has evolved since wooden rackets.
For my birthday this year we were on holiday in Mallorca and I was lucky enough to have a private lesson with a great coach. She has completely transformed my game. The way I hit all of my shots have changed. My backhand has changed from a two-handed continental grip to a grip close to a Semi-Western grip, a bit like Nadal’s; my serve is now hit with more topspin.
Thanks to the change in my technique my backhand and serve have had huge benefits and my game is far more imposing. I can actually hold my serve!
In recent times I have been watching old tennis matches and the thing that gets me is that in the past players were at the net to finish the points but now it is rare to see a player that consistently serves and volleys. An example of this is was the difference between the Wimbledon tennis courts of 1981 and 2001 whereas the courts of 1981 had worn out grass near the net but in 2011 all the grass at the net was completely untouched.
Because of this I would like to do more serving and volleying because I feel it’s a shame that it has almost been wiped out of the game.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Murray vs Young
After 2 days of stop and start action who came out on top?
The match started on Wednesday lunchtime with both men holding serve till Young was leading 2-1 but then the rain fell and the match was going to be carried out at the same time on Thursday. When play resumed Murray started to play good tennis and didn't allow the American wildcard a game until the end of the set. First set 6-2.
In the second set it was more of the same from Murray as he was certainly looking the stronger man as Young's game was faltering. Throughout the whole match Murray was the better man as he looked the capitalise on Young's quite poor performance. Second set Murray 6-3.
In the third Young went for his shots a bit more but to no prevail as Murray continued to play the tennis he needed to break down the young American. Murray was better in all departments and with the third set ending 6-3 Murray charges into the quarter finals against another American John Isner who came through in 4 sets against Frenchman Gilles Simon.
The match started on Wednesday lunchtime with both men holding serve till Young was leading 2-1 but then the rain fell and the match was going to be carried out at the same time on Thursday. When play resumed Murray started to play good tennis and didn't allow the American wildcard a game until the end of the set. First set 6-2.
In the second set it was more of the same from Murray as he was certainly looking the stronger man as Young's game was faltering. Throughout the whole match Murray was the better man as he looked the capitalise on Young's quite poor performance. Second set Murray 6-3.
In the third Young went for his shots a bit more but to no prevail as Murray continued to play the tennis he needed to break down the young American. Murray was better in all departments and with the third set ending 6-3 Murray charges into the quarter finals against another American John Isner who came through in 4 sets against Frenchman Gilles Simon.
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Bernard Tomic
A quick look at the 18 year old Wimbledon quarter-finalist
The Australians have something to cheer about on the tennis front for the first time in a while as Bernard Tomic made his way into the top 100 after a brilliant set of displays from the Aussie this year. He has been a household name for Australian tennis fans for a few years now as the man that will put Australian tennis back on the top stage.
In the Australian Open 2008 he became the youngest boy ever to win the boys singles title at age 15. He then went on to win the US Open junior titles in 2009. He had an illustrious career as a junior as he also won the prestigious orange bowl tournament three times!
He is having his breakthrough year right now with a win to loss ratio of 9-9 which is amazing for an 18 year old he also managed to make it through to the round of 32 in the Australian Open where he lost to the former world No1 Rafael Nadal.
He then played the best tournament he has played yet at Wimbledon where he managed to make it through qualifying which was quite impressive in the first place. He then took out the 27th seed Nikolay Davydenko, the 79th seed Igor Andreev, 5th seed Robin Soderling and 42nd seed Xavier Malisse in a row! Before reaching the in form Serbian Novak Djokovic who he still managed to get a set off in the quarter finals. He came into the competition ranked 158th and left the competition ranked 71st!
He has played alot of good tennis until now but has come up against strong players but the most impressive thing about him is that mentally he is always strong. Like a true champion.
One thing is for sure. Expect to see Bernard Tomic and the top of the men's game in the next few years!
The Australians have something to cheer about on the tennis front for the first time in a while as Bernard Tomic made his way into the top 100 after a brilliant set of displays from the Aussie this year. He has been a household name for Australian tennis fans for a few years now as the man that will put Australian tennis back on the top stage.
In the Australian Open 2008 he became the youngest boy ever to win the boys singles title at age 15. He then went on to win the US Open junior titles in 2009. He had an illustrious career as a junior as he also won the prestigious orange bowl tournament three times!
He is having his breakthrough year right now with a win to loss ratio of 9-9 which is amazing for an 18 year old he also managed to make it through to the round of 32 in the Australian Open where he lost to the former world No1 Rafael Nadal.
He then played the best tournament he has played yet at Wimbledon where he managed to make it through qualifying which was quite impressive in the first place. He then took out the 27th seed Nikolay Davydenko, the 79th seed Igor Andreev, 5th seed Robin Soderling and 42nd seed Xavier Malisse in a row! Before reaching the in form Serbian Novak Djokovic who he still managed to get a set off in the quarter finals. He came into the competition ranked 158th and left the competition ranked 71st!
He has played alot of good tennis until now but has come up against strong players but the most impressive thing about him is that mentally he is always strong. Like a true champion.
One thing is for sure. Expect to see Bernard Tomic and the top of the men's game in the next few years!
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
US Open Diary Day 8
Another day came and went at the US Open. What were the main talking points in the men's game?
One of the first matches of the day was the match between Djokovic and Dolgopolov. Djokovic was obviously the overwhelming favourite but with Dolgopolov's arkward game and the wind blowing maybe there was a slight chance of an upset.
The match started suprisingly with Djokovic and Dolgopolov all square sending the first set to a tie-break. An eppic tie-break saw Djokovic manage to close it out 16-14! From then on Djokovic found his task easier and won the next two sets 6-4 and 6-2.
Another match that was highly anticipated was a contest between Janko Tipsarevic and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Both men were in good form coming into the match and even though there is an 85 rankings position gap it was difficult to pick a favourite.
in the first set there was good play from both men but Tipsarevic looked slightly in control and won it 7-5. The second set was even more competetive and after a long set it would go to a tie-break. The former world number 1 Ferrero found a way to win it 7-3.
The third set was very close as well but again Tipsarevic edged it 7-5. In the fourth set Tipsarevic managed to distance himself from Ferrero and won it comfortably 6-2. The next match was a much anticipated duel between Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Mardy Fish.
Many believed this was the match to watch for the day. The players are close in rankings and both have played great tennis throughout the summer. The first set started with both men playing well but Tsonga broke Fish and won it 6-4. The second was extremely competitive and Fish somehow won it on the tie-break 7-5.
After this set Fish had the momentum and won the third 6-3. The fourth saw Tsonga find his feet and his best tennis as he won it 6-4. In the fifth Tsonga had the momentum and Fish was tiring. Tsonga took the set confidently 6-2. He reached the quarter finals in flushing meadows for the first time.
The final match of the day between the No3 seed Roger Federer and Argentine Juan Monaco. Because of the five set epic between Mardy Fish and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga the match started at midnight! That didn't stop Federer though as he dismissed Monaco in an hour and twenty minutes with a score of 6-1 6-2 6-0.
One of the first matches of the day was the match between Djokovic and Dolgopolov. Djokovic was obviously the overwhelming favourite but with Dolgopolov's arkward game and the wind blowing maybe there was a slight chance of an upset.
The match started suprisingly with Djokovic and Dolgopolov all square sending the first set to a tie-break. An eppic tie-break saw Djokovic manage to close it out 16-14! From then on Djokovic found his task easier and won the next two sets 6-4 and 6-2.
Another match that was highly anticipated was a contest between Janko Tipsarevic and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Both men were in good form coming into the match and even though there is an 85 rankings position gap it was difficult to pick a favourite.
in the first set there was good play from both men but Tipsarevic looked slightly in control and won it 7-5. The second set was even more competetive and after a long set it would go to a tie-break. The former world number 1 Ferrero found a way to win it 7-3.
The third set was very close as well but again Tipsarevic edged it 7-5. In the fourth set Tipsarevic managed to distance himself from Ferrero and won it comfortably 6-2. The next match was a much anticipated duel between Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Mardy Fish.
Many believed this was the match to watch for the day. The players are close in rankings and both have played great tennis throughout the summer. The first set started with both men playing well but Tsonga broke Fish and won it 6-4. The second was extremely competitive and Fish somehow won it on the tie-break 7-5.
After this set Fish had the momentum and won the third 6-3. The fourth saw Tsonga find his feet and his best tennis as he won it 6-4. In the fifth Tsonga had the momentum and Fish was tiring. Tsonga took the set confidently 6-2. He reached the quarter finals in flushing meadows for the first time.
The final match of the day between the No3 seed Roger Federer and Argentine Juan Monaco. Because of the five set epic between Mardy Fish and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga the match started at midnight! That didn't stop Federer though as he dismissed Monaco in an hour and twenty minutes with a score of 6-1 6-2 6-0.
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