Remember you're a Womble!

Don't you just love it when Fed shouts "Come on!"? There's nothing sexier. He does it so rarely and he has a great voice. Yummy. Watching the Fed/Berdy game now and Berdy has just broken in the first game of the third set, at one set all. Tense times. A good match though - both players are moving and hitting very well. Fed is starting to look worried. Berdy is really very good isn't he? Why has it taken him so long to realise that?

On court 1 Djoko is looking really good. He's, as Greg just said, 'in the zone'. (I don't usually agree with ol' Greggers - his commentating is not the best - but I found an exception.) He's absolutely storming through. He's two sets and a break to the good.

Meanwhile the Williams sisters are out of the ladies doubles, which is another shocker. Venus Williams will play no further part in Wimbledon 2010. Weird.

Berdy just broke Fed again... It's 5-1 in the third. Uh oh. Could Fed go out in the quarters of Wimbledon? Surely not.

Ladies semi-finals = S. Williams v. Kvitova

Zvonareva v. Pironkova

Who would have predicted that?

I'll keep you blogged...

An eventful Monday

Main emotions today - joy; sorrow

Main feeling today - tiredness; pain

Let me explain.

Joy = today I went to Wimbledon. for me tis much like walking through the castle in Disney World, Florida; the magic is undeniable. I sat on Henman/Murray hill/mount for about ten hours and watched Fed whoop (whup? woop?) Melzer; Serena overcome Sharapova's screams in straight sets; and Ray-ray demolish a mis-firing Querrey - although take nothing off Ray-ray, he was awesome today. Truly.

Sorrow = a sad day indeed. Yes, I went to Wimbledon, yes, the weather was divine, but there was one strong presiding happening: Roddick lost in five intense sets to qualifier Yen-Hsun Lu 4-6 7-6 7-6 6-7 9-7. It doesn't get much closer than that. Roddick paid tribute to his opponent but also highlighted his poor serving (by his standards) and bad returning. I really thought he'd go a long way this year, if not all the way. I was looking forward to some redemption against Fed. Alas, not to be.

Tiredness = only had three hours sleep on account of late night phone call and 5am alarm. Bleurgh.

Pain = so sunburnt it's not even funny. My nose is glowing and I have a sunglasses mark which is definitely not cool. I managed to burn my armpit as well which just blows my mind.

Other results: Clijsters came back from a set down to beat Henin (yes! Love Clijsters!!); GoNads cruises past Mathieu; Sod comes through a tough tough five setter against Ferrer; Djoko defeats a curiously subdued Hewitt in four; Wozniaki crashes out and Janko pulls out with a back injury (sad again); Tsonga, Berdych and Venus are also through.

I'll keep you blogged...

Sunday World Cup Woes

Oh dear England.

I'll keep you blogged...

End of week 1

GoNads is really riding his luck. A five-setter on Thursday that he just about scraped through, and today another one. He beat Philipp Petzschner 6-4 4-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-3. A tough tough match. He needed treatment for both his elbow and his knee and received an official warning from the umpire for receiving coaching from his uncle Toni. Contentious indeed. GoNads strongly denies this and claims Toni was just giving him encouragement. Whatever it was, it bothered GoNads big time. He will have to cool down and hope his knee holds out (those pesky knees...) for Paul-Henri Mathieu on Monday.

More positively Ray-ray was playing today and dispatched of France's Giles Simon (pretty pretty man) who was potentially quite a threat in three scintillating sets. He was on top form today. His shot selection was brilliant; the variety beautifully confusing for Simon who wasn't allowed to settle into any kind of rhythm. Very impressed with Ray-ray today - no dips of form at all, no few games where he fell asleep, no periods where he looked sulky and defeated. He was alive and with it and thrilling the crowds from start to finish. Long may it continue. He'll need it if he's going to meet GoNads in the semis.

Meanwhile shreaky Sharapova comes through a tough match to seal a fourth round match against none other than Serena Williams. Will her form have to improve to win? Yes indeedy. But won't it be one hell of a loud match? Can't wait for that one. Soderling breezes into the second week with a straight sets win over Thomaz Bellucci. Wozniacki and Radwanska are both through to the second week also.

Can't think who else won today but that's quite a lot right? Must go now as my eyes are blurry as hell. Sleep is on the cards.

I'll keep you blogged...

Wimbledon Friday

What a week. Longest match in tennis history; fastest serve at Wimbledon; most aces served in one match; most aces by a player served in one match... the records just keep on falling. We've had top players barely scraping through (Fed, GoNads, Djoko...), spitting tennis players (Hanescu) storming off court, yobbo youths arrested, the Queen smiling but not clapping Ray-ray, and not to forget the LONGEST MATCH IN TENNIS HISTORY which wrapped up tidily in the fifth 70-68 to John Isner (who consequently went crashing out today 6-0 6-3 6-2 - can you guess why?). What a week indeedle!

Tomorrow GoNads and Ray-ray take to the courts once more. Clijsters and Henin are set for a very juicy match on Monday (go Clijsters!), as are Djoko-Hewitt (who punished Monfils today); my two top choices of match on Monday (when I'll actually be there! Woop woop!)

Am doing my Race For Life tomorrow. Looking forward to it. Going to bring out the pink tutu again. Please sponsor me on http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/tessaemslie1 Anything you can do will be appreciated.

I'll keep you blogged...

Day 2/3 of Womble

PLAY SUSPENDED AT 2 SETS ALL, AND 59-59 IN THE FIFTH...

I have to be honest I never thought I'd be saying that (typing that). 59-59? What the hell is that all about? I've never seen anything like it. Who'd have thunk that two people could go on for that long without making the tiny mistakes it takes to break (or be broken). They just kept serving and kept serving and kept serving and kept winning all their points. It's unbelievable. The most exciting match I've ever seen? No. But brilliant and beautiful in its own way. Now the great debate is on as to whether there should be a rule that you have to do a tie-break in the fifth set, or after it gets to 20-20 or something like that. I say keep it the way it is. I love that it has the potential to just go on and on, and I'll bet the players love it too. Ok, 59-59 and a match spread over three days and 10 hours (the new record, of course) is a little ridiculous, but how often is that going to happen? Not at all. This is a freak incident never to be surpassed or repeated. The anomaly that makes the rule.

Yesterday we saw a relatively easy start for Murray, with a tight third set to crank him up nicely for the matches to come. Good stuff so far, can he go all the way?

Today was a crazy day. A crazy day. Federer edged past Serbian qualifier Ilier Bozoljac 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-5). Tough stuff. Fed looked pretty damn good and his opponent looked inspired. It was a good match. A thrill for those with Court 1 tickets. Djoko and Roddy also progressed. Djoko beat crazy-serving Taylor Dent in three tight sets despite Dent's 148 mph serve against him (a new record at Wimbledon). Roddy's road to the third round was slightly more fraught. He lost the first set to Llodra, his on-form opponent, as his first-serve deserted him. He rallied in the second set and looked to be easing to a victory after taking the third 6-1 but Llodra decided to make it difficult for him. He played some great tennis and took Rod to a tie-break in the fourth, but Roddy produced some excellent shots and took it 7-2.

Biggest casualty = Dave!! So sad. He's out in straight sets to qualifier Daniel Brands. Boo! Not terribly surprising as he's only just back from a wrist injury but still, I always want him to do well. Poor Dave. He'll be back bigger and better and stronger for the next comp.

P.S. Just finished re-reading The Grapes of Wrath - a book everybody should peruse. I was struck, as ever, by the abrupt, disturbing and deeply moving ending. I love the ending. Best ending of a book ever. Read it.

I'll keep you blogged...

WIMBLEDON Day 1

Lordy lordy lordy. My goodness gracious me.

What a day eh?

I was on my lunch break at work when I first looked up the Wimbledon scores. I was expecting to see that Fed had won comfortably and we were into the Janko/Robbo match. I go to the good ol' Beeb website and see the score is 2-0 and 3-3 in the third. Right on course, I think to myself. But wait, what's this? The asterix that indicates who's serving is on the wrong person... that can't be right can it?... Fed, losing to Falla by TWO SETS? What in the name of all that's holy? I read on with mouth open, my quiche all but forgotten, as the full extent of the madness sank in. I mean, he should have lost today, by all accounts. Falla served for the match for a straight sets win at 5-4. Federer could have (should have) gone out in the first round of Wimbedon, 2010. Scary.

But, thankfully, happily and gratefully he is through until at least the second round. What a scare.

Biggest casualty to go out in the first round? It's a toss up between Cilic and Schiavone (French Open champ just a few days ago). Both went pretty softly and quietly back to the airport for an early flight home. What else? Loads of five set matches which is pretty interesting. Lots of three setters in the ladies as well. All very tight and close and... juicy. Apart from Roddick who looked rather magnificent. All the way I tells ya; all the way.

Two other great nail biter (the others to the Fed game that is) saw Djoko take on Rochus and Davydenko (Dave, as he shall hereafter be known) take on Anderson (who?). Both five setters, both completely compelling. Djoko (along with Rochus, of course) becomes the latest finisher ever in Wimbledon history at 10:59 (came home from my own tennis match in time to watch the conclusion of that one - brilliant).

Such a great day. SUCH a great day. Roll on tomorrow. Ray-ray, GoNads, Serena... If only I didn't have to go to work. God I love Wimbledon.

I'll keep you posted...