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...

New!!

It's been forever, I know. I have been way too busy. Lets see, what's happened in my absence?

1) Sam Querrey defeated Mardy Fish to win the Queen's title. Who'd have thunk it? Not me that's for sure. I thought Fish was going to take it after the way he played against Murray and no GoNads in his way. He should have taken that second set against Querrey but crumpled like a piece of paper when serving for it. Very interesting indeed. What does this mean for Wimbledon? Especially with Fed not winning at Halle (beaten by Hewitt - first time in 15 matches that Hewitt's won against the Fed)... Will there be an entirely new champion at Womble? I don't think so.

2) The world cup has begun. As of today England have drawn both of their matches. 1-1 against USA and 0-0 against Algeria. I don't really think I need to say any more. We drew against Algeria. And to make it worse we were lucky to get that. Lucky that Algeria didn't get a goal or two. Lucky. To get a draw against Algeria. I just can't believe it.

3) Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix. Button came second. A very British one two. Love it. Bring on Silverston! And the win puts Hamilton top of the drivers' standings on 109 with Button on 106 and Webber on 103.

Wimbledon starts on Monday. I've taken the second week off work just to revel in it. Get ready for a good one. I for one cannot wait.

P.S. Went to see Legally Blonde tonight at the Savoy theatre and it was great. The songs weren't fabulous but it was all such fun you just have to see it.

I'll keep you blogged...

GRASS GRASS GRASS

So today was the first day I managed to watch some grass court action. And boy did I love it. The grass looks so lush. So very green, which if you know me at all you'll know that means a lot and involves only good things. Put briefly, I love green. And moreover I love to watch A-Rod moving on the green green grass of home. He played like a charm today, beating Russian Kunitsyn 6-2 6-1. He is looking mighty good and has a relatively straightforward ride to reach the final. Roddy to win Queen's for the fifth time? Yes please!

Ray-ray also came through a far more competitive match against Spain's serve and vollier Navarro. Very entertaining match and probably good for Murray - a tight first game on grass and a win in straight sets can only boost the confidence. By the end Ray-ray was serving and returning Navarro's serve brilliantly. Can I smell a Ray-ray/Roddy final? I hope so. Wimbledon semi-final 2009 rematch here we come!

The End of the French

LADIES FINAL::

Someone described this match to me as 'the non-match of the year'. This upset me. The non-match? What is that supposed to mean? That Stosur and Schiavone aren't worthy of 'match' status? That they aren't good enough to bother watching? That they don't deserve to be in the final? That it doesn't matter who wins because they're not playing against the best so they won't be the best?

Ridiculous. Sam Stosur beat Henin then Williams then Jankovic to get to the final. It doesn't get any better than that. No one's beaten Henin and then Williams in a row. Ever. Schiavone defeated Wozniacki and Dementieva (Ok, she was injured, but that first set was convincing enough for me). No one gets to the final of a Grand Slam unless they deserve to be there.

And the match itself? Great! Everyone thought Stosur was going to win; me, as you know, included. She was odds on favourite and came out of the blocks firing. She was looking pretty damn impressive - massive serves and forehands, sending Schiavone scampering all over the baseline. It took Schia a few games to get into it but into it she did get... she was most definitely giving as good as she got. There were some great long tight rallies with lots of variety - both players lobbing, drop shotting, slicing and spinning to their hearts contents. Schia began to win a few more points at the net, her technique much more sound than Stosur's (who can't seem to volley when there isn't the security of a doubles partner behind her). Schia eventually made the only break of the first set and took it 6-4.

Stosur raced into a 4-1 lead in the second and it looked likely to be a three-setter. Schia, however, wasn't having that. She fought back to force a tie-break and won that comfortably, the momentum squarely with her. She squealed and performed the now-familiar ritual of kissing the clay under her feat. She becomes the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam title and the second-oldest woman to claim a first major title.

Great match. Really refreshing not to have the same old people, the same old match, the same old champion... Bring on more matches like it. More surprises. More variety. More 'non-matches'.

MEN'S FINAL::

Rafael Nadal vs. Robin Soderling. Juicy juicy prospect. The last time they played at the French resulted in the biggest upset of the year - Nadal knocked out (of his tournament) in the fourth round. Good good stuff. A great match. One to remember. Today's match unfortunately didn't pick up where that one left off.

Nadal won in straight sets - 6-4 6-2 6-4. It wasn't as one-sided as the scoreline suggests. Sod had no less than 8 chances to break GoNads (my new and quite brilliant nickname for him) but didn't manage to capitalise on a single one. GoNads was, however, awesome. He got back shots no man had any right to. It's amazing to watch him stretching for a shot that you think he's never going to reach, getting it back, and then a few shots later coming up with a stunning winner. He must be so frustrating to play. I used to dislike GoNads for this very reason but now can't understand why. He's brilliant. And do you know what I really like about him? His personality. He seems so sweet. So honest. So earnest. When Sod netted the final shot of the match GoNads slumped to the floor and burst into tears. It was such an endearing moment to see him so obviously emotional about winning - you couldn't help but fall in love with him. During the trophy ceremony he told the crowd in French that this was 'the most emotional day in his career'. After crashing out last year, missing Wimbledon, so obviously nowhere near his best at the US, and still coming back in the Australian at the beginning of this year it must be such a relief to be back to his top-spinny, hard-hitty, high-grunty, mad-pacey best. He is the King of Clay. We bow down to him.

His win also pushes Federer off his number one spot. GoNads 1, Fed 2, Djocko 3, Murray 4, Sod 5, Rod 6...

So what can I say? My predictions were all wrong. I don't care. Two brilliant matches, four amazing players, and some great tales to tell. And do you know what? It only gets better from here. Yes folks, the grass is next, and we all know what that means - we actually get to see it live!! Queens starts tomorrow, and then Wimbledon after that. Hold your breath because it's going to be amazing.

I'll keep you blogged...

Day 13

Rio ruled out of World Cup. Are we surprised? Hell no. This is England and this is sport in a major event where we may have had a chance of actually doing quite well... so yes, naturally our captain gets injured in training six days before the world cup begins. Gotta love being British huh? Gerrard is going to be the captain. This is good, I think.

Two very compelling matches today at the French. Sod managed to scrape past Berdy 6-3 3-6 5-7 6-3 6-3. It was scrappy and painful to watch, with momentum switching every few seconds (or so it seemed) but brilliant all the same. There's nothing like a five-setter to get the juices flowing. I'm pleased for Sod, really pleased. He deserves it after that brilliant match against Fed and a hard-fought win today will do nothing to stem his belief that he can win this slam. A belief I share, as you know.

Nad will be his opponent in the final. He came through a much easier and better looking match against Austria's Jurgen Melzer who played great tennis but found himself up against a frighteningly unstoppable Nad. His record on clay this year is now 21-0 which is pretty damn scary. He has also won every game he's ever played at Roland Garros bar one. Scarier. But who did he lose that one to? One Robin Soderling. Interesting.

Tomorrow Stosur plays Schiavone.

Prediction: Stosur in three.

Sunday Nad plays Sod.

Prediction: Sod in an epic five.

Watched Roddy on Jonathon Ross tonight. By gum that man is dreamy.

I'll keep you blogged...

Day 12

Ok, I for one cannot keep track of this slam. Yesterday I predicted a Jankovic/Dementieva final with Jankovic winning over all. Sounded likely right? I mean, I'd thought about it long and hard, I know my stuff, I know those players, I know Schiavone and Stosur... today they have made a mockery of all of that. A mockery of me. And don't I love tennis even more for that? You never know what to expect; it's a constant surprise. That's the beauty.

Samantha Stosur plays Francesca Schiavone in the French Open final 2010. How's that for a completely unrealistic but entirely truthful headline?

If the trend continues it'll be a Berdy/Melzer final. Fantastic.

I'll keep you blogged...

P.S. Never work 12 hour days.

Day 11

I just realised I can change the colour of my text. How exciting is that?? I'm trying to decide whether to stick with purple from here on in or change the colour every time. I think I'll probably end up changing it - I do love my colour.

Arsenal are not going to sell Fabregas. Thank the goodness. Not now at least. My brother reckons another year or two and he'll be gone. I'm hoping he's wrong. Arsenal without Frabregas? Not a fun prospect.

Hello, did anyone see the tennis today? After the worst day of work only tennis could have pulled me out of the deep depression that'd set in. I was not disappointed. I watched the Djoko/Melzer game and it was fascinating. Djoko looks tired to me, has looked tired for a long time. His serve is all weird and wrong and not nearly reliable enough seeing as he changed it in order to be more dependable (does that make sense? It's very late...); he hasn't smiled for about two years as far as I can remember. He needs to find the joy again. I went to see him at Wimbledon a few years ago back before anyone really knew who he was. He played Baghdatis in a five setter. It was a great match - really high quality and really very entertaining. Djoko spent much of the match doing impressions of Nadal's serve and screaming like Sharapova. He was hilarious. He was serious enough to produce a great display and to eventually win the match, but the best thing about it was you could see how much he enjoyed being out there. He was a showman and although I believe curbing that slightly was a good idea because you have to be serious about your sport to get to the top, you always need to keep some of that joy, some of that love of the spotlight and the sport itself. I think Djoko (like Ivanovic) has lost that love. He just looks so tired.

So am I surprised Djoko lost? No. Am I sad? Yes, a little. I like Djokovic, always have. I don't want to see him slide and I believe it's possible he could go that way. I hope he doesn't but if he can't pull himself out and start seeing it for what it is and start enjoying it again, his tennis could most definitely suffer.

So no Ray-ray, no Fed, no Djoko... was Nad going to complete the demise of the top four? Not in this lifetime (at least this French). He beat Almagro in three tight sets. Should have/could have gone to four or even five but Nad managed to squeeze it out. He sets up a juicy semi with Melzer but it's the other - Berdy/Sod - that I'm really looking forward to. There are going to be some massive shots in that match.

In the ladies Sam Stosur beat Serena Williams in another epic match. She made it difficult for herself as she was a set and a break up serving for the match but eventually won it 8-6 in the third. The Williams sisters are out, Henin is out... who on earth is going to win the ladies? As you all know my money's on Jankovic. I reckon it'll be a Stosur/Janko final and Janko will win in straight sets. Controversial?

I'll keep you blogged...

Day 9/10

My oh my. Well well well. Golly gosh and blimey oh reilly. Who'd have thunk it?

Fed is beaten in four sets by Robin Giant-killer Soderling. Last year it was Nad and this year it's Fed. This guy is insatiable at the French. I was wrong, I know, about him losing to Fed but I stand by what I said - I'm all for Sod this year to win. I really am. There's the Nad factor, of course there is, chances are he's probably going to face him in the final (come on Almagro!!), but after that crushing (with a capital C... first time he'd lost at the French in four years... ouch) defeat last year does he care? After a crushing defeat of Fed (Sod was awesome today) does he really care? Come on the Sod!!

NB: Am very sad that Sod ended Fed's hopes of a) doing the big 'grand slam' (all four slams in one year) and b) adding to his 23 semi-final appearances in slams record (still, surely that'll never be beaten...?).

Other news? Wozzy is out after another crushing defeat (another for this blog/day, not for Carolina) by scary Schiavone. Quite comprehensibly creamed. Berdych continued his impressive run by... crushing Youznhy in three very straight sets. Berdy/Sod semi; very interesting match. Am considering calling in sick at work just to watch it... Dementieva also goes through in a much tighter match against Venus-killer Petrova.

Bring on tomorrow!

I'll keep you blogged...