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Andy Murray cruises past Jarkko Nieminen to reach the Olympics third round. Will Marcos Baghdatis test him?
Juan Martin Del Potro. reaches the Olympics third round with a 63 76(2) win over Andreas Seppi.
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
LONDON TENNIS OLYMPICS 2012 ~ Women's Singles Day 4 Schedule
Women's Singles 2nd Round Day 4
Marisa Sharapova v Laura Robson
Not Before 12:00pm London Local time
at Center Court
Women's Singles 2nd Round
starts at 11:30 London Local Time
LISICKI Sabine v SHVEDOVA Yaroslava
BABOS Timea v KERBER Angelique
Starts at 12:00 London local Time
WILLIAMS Venus v WOZNIAK Aleksandra
LEPCHENKO Varvara v GOERGES Julia
TATISHVILI Anna v PETROVA Nadia
KIRILENKO Maria v WATSON Heather
AZARENKA Victoria v MARTINEZ SANCHEZ Maria Jose
for more detail and updates visit LondonOlympics2012
LONDON TENNIS OLYMPICS 2012 ~ Men's Singles Day 4 Schedule
MATCH OF THE DAY!
Men's Singles Second Round Day 4
Andy Roddick vs Novak Djokovic
Not Before 12:00pm London Local time
at Center Court
Men's Singles Second Round Day 4
Andy Roddick vs Novak Djokovic
Not Before 12:00pm London Local time
at Center Court
Men's Singles 2nd Round
at 11:30 GASQUET Richard v BAGHDATIS Marcos
start from 12:00
TSONGA Jo-Wilfried v RAONIC Milos
CILIC Marin v HEWITT Lleyton
DAVYDENKO Nikolay v NISHIKORI Kei
NIEMINEN Jarkko v MURRAY Andy
LOPEZ Feliciano v MONACO Juan
FERRER David v KAVCIC Blaz
for more detail and updates visit LondonOlympics2012
Monday, 30 July 2012
Olympics2012 - Federer,Roddick,Venus,Serena advance at Olympics
Routine wins have been elusive at the Olympics for Federer, who is playing in the Games for the fourth time and still seeking his first singles medal. He was pushed to three sets in the opening round but he easily eliminated Benneteau, who held a two-set lead against Federer at Wimbledon a month ago before losing.
Venus Williams began her bid for a record fourth gold medal in Olympic tennis Monday by beating Sara Errani of Italy, 6-3, 6-1.
It was an impressive showing from Williams, who is unseeded and drew a tough first-round foe. Errani has won four titles this year, was the runner-up at the French Open and is ranked a career-high No. 9.
But Williams was in fine form on the Wimbledon grass, where she has won five of her seven Grand Slam titles.
Twenty minutes after Williams won on Court 2, younger sister Serena closed out a second-round victory on Court 1, beatingUrszula Radwanska of Poland, 6-2, 6-3. Serena defeatedRadwanska's sister, Agnieszka, in the Wimbledon final this month.
Andy Roddick quickly took to Olympic grass, winning his first-round match over Martin Klizan of Slovakia, 7-5, 6-4.
Venus Williams was diagnosed last year with an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue, but she nonetheless began 2012 determined to make the Olympics for the fourth time. She won the gold medal in singles at the 2000 Games and teamed with Serena to take the gold in doubles in 2000 and 2008.
Because her opening match was delayed a day by rain, Williams will have to play six consecutive days if she reaches Saturday's final.
Williams served well against Errani and moved forward aggressively, winning 19 points at the net. When Errani double-faulted on match point, Williams trotted to the net with a grin, then shook her fist with glee as spectators chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!"
Roddick converted only two of 13 break-point chances but dominated with his serve, as often happens at Wimbledon, where he's a three-time runner-up.
"I served really well," he said. "I would have liked to have converted more break points. But I got a couple and, thankfully, that's all I needed."
The Olympic match, delayed a day by rain, was Roddick's first in eight years. He lost in the third round at the 2004 Games and skipped Beijing in 2008.
As a price for being unseeded, he'll face a daunting challenge in the second round: Novak Djokovic, the 2011 Wimbledon champion.
"The guy has been the best player in the world over the last couple of years," Roddick said. "It's going to be tough. But the situation, we've both been through it a million times. I'm going to have to serve well and take some chances on returns."
Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania on Centre Court, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.
Lleyton Hewitt of Australian and Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, both three-time Olympians, won their opening matches. No. 9-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina, No. 13 Marin Cilic of Croatia, No. 16 Richard Gasquet of France and big-serving Milos Raonic of Canada also advanced.
American Varvara Lepchenko eliminated Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-2. Their match was tied after two sets when suspended Sunday because of rain.
Roddick, a dedicated Davis Cup player for the United States, took Court 2 on a sunny morning looking particularly patriotic. He wore a blue shirt, white shorts and stars-and-stripes shoes.
"Posh sneakers, Andy," shouted a spectator with a British accent.
He lost only nine points in 11 service games, and the first break point came on the final shot of the opening set, which put him ahead to stay.
Roddick won with more than just his serve, hitting several improbable shots, including a back-to-the-net lob to help win one point, and a backhand as he did a belly flop behind the baseline.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SourceLONDON OLYMPICS 2012 ~ Men's Singles Day3 Schedule
~ LONDON OLYMPICS 2012 ~
Men's Singles R2 Day3
Roger Federer SUI[1] vs Julien Benneteau FRA
not before 13:30 london local time
at Wimbledon - Centre Court
Men's Singles R2 Day3
Roger Federer SUI[1] vs Julien Benneteau FRA
not before 13:30 london local time
at Wimbledon - Centre Court
Men's Singles - First Round
30 Jul 11:30
ITO Tatsuma v RAONIC Milos
TURSUNOV Dmitry v LOPEZ Feliciano
GASQUET Richard v HAASE Robin
CILIC Marin v MELZER Jurgen
Men's Singles - Sound Round
30 Jul 11:30
DARCIS Steve v GIRALDO Santiago
BOGOMOLOV JR Alex v ALMAGRO Nicolas
PETZSCHNER Philipp v PETZSCHNER Philipp
Women's Singles - First Round
30 Jul 11:30
CETKOVSKA Petra v KERBER Angelique
ZHENG Jie v PETROVA Nadia
30 Jul 12:00 AZARENKA Victoria v BEGU Irina-Camelia
Women's Singles - Sound Round
30 Jul 11:30
WILLIAMS Serena v RADWANSKA Urszula
PENNETTA Flavia v PIRONKOVA Tsvetana
KVITOVA Petra v PENG Shuai
BALTACHA Elena v IVANOVIC Ana
SEE THE LIVE SCORE AND REST OF THE SCHEDULE HERE http://www.london2012.com/tennis/schedule-and-results/
Saturday, 28 July 2012
Federer Opted Out Of Staying In The Olympics Village To Focus On His play.
"the importance of tennis in the Olympic Games has grown over the years and I am very happy it gets so much attention and all the players do actually show up and play because it is about the spirit an this is what we enjoy," said Federer, who has opted out of staying in the Olympics Village to focus better on his play.
Olympics 2012 - An image of Roger Federer is projected on The Houses of Parliament in London
An image of Roger Federer is projected on The Houses of Parliament in London, on July 27, during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Federer insists his Wimbledon triumph should serve as a warning to his Olympic rivals that age won't be a barrier to his dream of winning a gold medal at the All England Club.
Federer and Other top pros back at Wimbledon to chase Olympic Gold
WIMBLEDON, England — The Olympics at Wimbledon means Roger Federer going for gold on grass.
It also means pouring seeds and a rooting hormone into hot-water tubs, which are then placed in a room heated to 104 degrees.
That’s to make the grass grow.
On Saturday, lawn tennis will be played in the Olympics for the first time since 1920. The games come to the All England Club only three weeks after Wimbledon ended, which gave the grounds crew precious little time to repair damage to the courts.
They now look as pristine as ever, thanks to a reseeding plan formulated through two years of trial and error.
“To the outside world it looked like an impossible task,” said Neil Stubley, senior groundsman at the club. “The players all seem to be sort of amazed we’ve been able to do it. It’s a good feeling.”
On the surface, the profile of Olympic tennis has achieved a new level. After a 64-year hiatus, tennis rejoined the games in 1988 but has since struggled to generate a Grand Slam-style buzz — until now.
Even jaded professional athletes get excited about the chance to chase an Olympic medal on the sport’s grandest stage.
“That’s all I’ve fought for this whole year, so I hope that I can play well,” said Venus Williams, who made the U.S. team only after an early-season climb in the rankings. “For me it will just be an honor to be here and try to capitalize on that moment.”
Virtually all top players seem to feel the same way. Defending singles gold medalist Rafael Nadal pulled out last week because of recurrent knee trouble, but the men’s field still includes Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Among the medal contenders on the women’s side are Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and top-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
“It’s luck, really, for the tennis players in this era to actually experience such an Olympic Games,” Federer said.
He and Swiss teammate Stanislas Wawrinka are back to defend the doubles title they won four years ago in Beijing. The Williams sisters will also try for another gold in doubles, which they won in 2000 and 2008. Serena has a third shot at a London medal in mixed doubles, which is back in the Olympics for the first time since 1924.
Serena and Federer added to their Wimbledon trophy collection earlier this month. Williams then showed up at the champions dinner wearing a gold dress, as if her focus was already redirected toward the medal chase.
She and Federer play first-round matches Saturday, and both seek their first singles medal. Federer is 0 for 3, although he takes some consolation from meeting his wife at the 2000 Games in Sydney.
Now 30, Federer hopes to play in the 2016 Games but acknowledged this could be his last shot. He bristled at the suggestion a gold in singles would plug the biggest hole in his resume.
“I don’t feel like this is a must win for me or anything like that,” said Federer, the winner of a record 17 Grand Slam titles. “I think if you start looking at it like that and really picking out stuff that’s missing for you in your career, this is not the way to go after it. Especially when you’ve had so much success like me.
“It’s going to be a great tournament. I want to enjoy it, you know, not just crumble under pressure and just talk about that if I don’t win, how bad it will be. That’s not how I see it.”
A festive atmosphere should make the event easy to enjoy. There are rumors of a concert by the Pet Shop Boys on Saturday morning, and entertainment is planned between matches on the show courts, a big change for Wimbledon.
Because the club is a 90-minute commute from the hub of Olympic activity in east London, most top players plan to stay in Wimbledon village rather than the athletes village.
But at least eight tennis players — an unofficial Olympic record — planned to make the trek across town to serve as flag bearers at the opening ceremonies: Djokovic of Serbia, Wawrinka of Switzerland, Sharapova of Russia, Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, Max Mirnyi of Belarus, Horia Tecau of Romania and Stephanie Vogt of Liechtenstein.
Then their stage becomes Wimbledon’s ryegrass, immaculate as ever. Using heated seeds that were already germinating, groundskeepers this month reseeded 2 or 3 percent of each court, mostly along the baseline, and those areas were often barren from heavy use.
The recovery of the turf was accelerated by cooperative weather — mild and wet for 10 days after Wimbledon, then warm and sunny the past week.
“There were a couple of sleepless nights,” groundsman Stubley said. “Fortunately Mother Nature came through for us.”
Now the Olympics at Wimbledon can begin. They might be even more exciting than watching grass grow.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source
Age no barrier as Federer goes for Olympic Gold!
LONDON: Roger Federer insists his Wimbledon triumph should serve as a warning to his Olympic rivals that age won't be a barrier to his dream of winning a gold medal at the All England Club.
Federer is back at Wimbledon for the Olympics only three weeks after beating Andy Murray to clinch a record equalling seventh title at the grass-court Grand Slam, but the Swiss star's thirst for success hasn't been quenched just yet.
After ending his two-year drought at the majors and returning to the top of the world rankings, Federer once again radiates the supreme confidence that characterised his lengthy spell as the sport's dominant force.
He has silenced the critics who claimed the 30-year-old was a fading force who was more focused on his young family than working to combat the twin threat posed by Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
And Federer believes his latest Wimbledon crown is extra special as it came at an age when most players his age have already retired and in an era when Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray, all three significantly younger than him, have provided intense competition for the top prizes.
"Winning Wimbledon has definitely sunk in now, especially when I look at the draw here and see I'm the number one seed. It hasn't been that way in some time," Federer said ahead of Saturday's opening day of the tournament.
"I always believed I would get back to number one. I knew my game was strong. I had a couple of tough losses last year that stopped me going further and maybe get back to number one earlier. But the good thing is I never gave up and started to play better, especially at Wimbledon when the pressure was so high.
"It's a dream come true and I'm happy I was able to do it because Nadal, Djokovic and Murray are in their prime. I shouldn't be normally at my age."
Now Federer can cap one of the best months of his illustrious career by adding a sprinkling of gold to his already glittering CV.
He won gold in the doubles with Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Games in Beijing, but Olympic singles gold is the one major individual honour to have eluded Federer, with his best performance coming in Sydney in 2000, when he finished fourth.
With Nadal ruled out with knee problems, Federer, who faces Colombia's Alejandro Falla in the first round, acknowledges his status as the Olympic favourite.
But he knows it could be potentially fatal to let his thoughts turn to another historic success at the All England Club, especially in an event with a best of three sets format that can punish even short lapses in concentration.
"I always thought when I played the Olympics at Wimbledon I would feel incredible pressure, but thinking about it I don't have much pressure because I already have a gold medal," Federer said.
"I know it was the doubles and not the singles, but nobody can take that away from me and Stan.
"The margins are a lot tighter in this event. A bad five minutes or a couple of points can cost you the tournament. In this format I would have gone out of Wimbledon against (Julien) Benneteau because I was two sets to love down.
"I'm aware of that, but winning Wimbledon has been a big help to my confidence.
"I played great and I was able to beat Novak. I'm back at world number one so if you put all those things together it could be that I'm the favourite.
"I'm coming back to a place where I have been able to win so often and that gives me incredible confidence."
Federer's path to golden glory looks relatively serene, with Spain's David Ferrer and Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro the most testing opponents lying in wait in his half of the draw.
In the final he could play second seed Djokovic, who opens against Italy's Fabio Fognini, or third seed Murray, who starts his bid to erase the heartache of his tearful defeat against Federer with a clash against Wawrinka.
- AFP/al
Federer is back at Wimbledon for the Olympics only three weeks after beating Andy Murray to clinch a record equalling seventh title at the grass-court Grand Slam, but the Swiss star's thirst for success hasn't been quenched just yet.
After ending his two-year drought at the majors and returning to the top of the world rankings, Federer once again radiates the supreme confidence that characterised his lengthy spell as the sport's dominant force.
He has silenced the critics who claimed the 30-year-old was a fading force who was more focused on his young family than working to combat the twin threat posed by Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
And Federer believes his latest Wimbledon crown is extra special as it came at an age when most players his age have already retired and in an era when Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray, all three significantly younger than him, have provided intense competition for the top prizes.
"Winning Wimbledon has definitely sunk in now, especially when I look at the draw here and see I'm the number one seed. It hasn't been that way in some time," Federer said ahead of Saturday's opening day of the tournament.
"I always believed I would get back to number one. I knew my game was strong. I had a couple of tough losses last year that stopped me going further and maybe get back to number one earlier. But the good thing is I never gave up and started to play better, especially at Wimbledon when the pressure was so high.
"It's a dream come true and I'm happy I was able to do it because Nadal, Djokovic and Murray are in their prime. I shouldn't be normally at my age."
Now Federer can cap one of the best months of his illustrious career by adding a sprinkling of gold to his already glittering CV.
He won gold in the doubles with Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Games in Beijing, but Olympic singles gold is the one major individual honour to have eluded Federer, with his best performance coming in Sydney in 2000, when he finished fourth.
With Nadal ruled out with knee problems, Federer, who faces Colombia's Alejandro Falla in the first round, acknowledges his status as the Olympic favourite.
But he knows it could be potentially fatal to let his thoughts turn to another historic success at the All England Club, especially in an event with a best of three sets format that can punish even short lapses in concentration.
"I always thought when I played the Olympics at Wimbledon I would feel incredible pressure, but thinking about it I don't have much pressure because I already have a gold medal," Federer said.
"I know it was the doubles and not the singles, but nobody can take that away from me and Stan.
"The margins are a lot tighter in this event. A bad five minutes or a couple of points can cost you the tournament. In this format I would have gone out of Wimbledon against (Julien) Benneteau because I was two sets to love down.
"I'm aware of that, but winning Wimbledon has been a big help to my confidence.
"I played great and I was able to beat Novak. I'm back at world number one so if you put all those things together it could be that I'm the favourite.
"I'm coming back to a place where I have been able to win so often and that gives me incredible confidence."
Federer's path to golden glory looks relatively serene, with Spain's David Ferrer and Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro the most testing opponents lying in wait in his half of the draw.
In the final he could play second seed Djokovic, who opens against Italy's Fabio Fognini, or third seed Murray, who starts his bid to erase the heartache of his tearful defeat against Federer with a clash against Wawrinka.
- AFP/al
Roger Federer, Serena Williams draw opponents for Olympic Tennis 2012
Roger Federer is back at Wimbledon a few weeks after winning his seventh title there, opening his bid for Olympic gold against Colombian Alejandro Falla.
Serena Williams, who also won at the All England Club, plays Jelena Jankovic in the first round.The draw was held Thursday, two days ahead of the event.
Federer regained the No. 1 ranking with the Wimbledon victory, elevating his Grand Slam title haul to 17. He won Olympic gold in doubles in 2008 with fellow Swiss player Stanislas Wawrinka. A medal in singles is the one important accolade to elude him.
Falla pushed Federer to five sets before losing in the first round at Wimbledon in 2010.
"He is the favorite whenever he plays," said Falla, who describes this season as his strongest yet. "I know him well and he knows me well too.
"I'm going to have to play my best tennis if I am going to have a chance to win, but he's Roger and he's just won Wimbledon for the seventh time here."
Second-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia was drawn into the same half as Wimbledon finalist Andy Murray, meaning the pair could meet in the semifinals.
Djokovic plays Fabio Fognini of Italy in the first round, ahead of a possible second-round match against American Andy Roddick.
Olympic gold medalist Rafael Nadal pulled out because of injury, leaving No. 4-seeded David Ferrer as the highest-ranked Spaniard in the Olympic draw.
Williams could meet No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the semifinals. In the other half of the women's draw, Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska of
Poland and No. 3 Maria Sharapova, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open this year, could face each other in the penultimate round.
Poland and No. 3 Maria Sharapova, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open this year, could face each other in the penultimate round.
Serena and Venus Williams are unseeded in the women's doubles. The draw for the mixed doubles will be held Tuesday.
Friday, 27 July 2012
Roger Federer on why he won't be Swiss flag bearer - London Olympics 2012
The 17-time Grand Slam singles champion did some serious thinking about the honor of carrying the flag for Switzerland during the opening ceremony Friday night at the Olympics. He's done it twice before, four years ago in Beijing and in Greece in 2004. And that's why he decided not to do it again.
"I never expected it, in the first place, when I started playing tennis that I would ever carry the flag into the Olympic Stadium for an Olympic Games," Federer said at a packed news conference here Thursday. "So for me that was a surprise and a huge honor in my life to be able to represent Switzerland.... I felt like maybe I could enter the history books by doing it a third time.
"It would have been amazing. And there's no denying that I would have loved to do it. I just felt it was important to give someone else a chance, particularly in Switzerland. We do believe other people should also have chances. That's why I told Swiss Olympic [officials] I think they should choose someone else.
"They then chose my [doubles] partner Stan Wawrinka, and I think it's a great, great honor for him. Because I could not have won Olympic gold without him."
The duo won the doubles gold in Beijing, defeating Swedes Thomas Johansson and Simon Aspelin in the final.
The Olympics have long held a special place in Federer's heart. He met his wife, Mirka, at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, and he went to some events that year, including swimming. Those were the days long before he became a global icon.
"Of course, I've become very famous over the last eight years or so, so times have also changed," he said. "Things are not as simple as they were."
Federer won Wimbledon for the seventh time earlier this month and he is staying out by the club, rather than the Athletes Village because of logistical concerns, namely traffic. He admitted that it will "feel a bit funny," wearing a red shirt at Wimbledon instead of the usual white.
The Wimbledon victory, coupled with Rafael Nadal's withdrawal, places the 30-year-old Federer back in the role of favorite at these Olympics.
Federer said he plays better as the favorite but talked about the key difference between Wimbledon and the Olympics.
"Here, we play five matches, best of three [sets], and only the final is best of five," he said. "That puts the margins closer to each other. If it would have been best of three, in Wimbledon, I would have lost in the third round because I was down two sets to love.
"A bad five minutes or a bad couple of points can cost you the tournament."
Source
Roger Federer attracts athletes' attention at Olympics 2012
The world number one and 17-time grand slam winner has stayed at the athletes village at two of the three Olympics he has attended, but at his fourth in London he will be staying nearer the tennis venue in Wimbledon.
While this is partly down to convenience - the Olympic park is around an hour's drive from Wimbledon - the 30-year-old admitted his fame had also been a consideration.
"I have done the village before so it is not like I feel I have to do the village so badly. I would love to, but of course I have also become very famous over the last eight years or so, so times have also changed and when I do move around in the village things are not as simple as they were," he told the packed 700-capacity main press room at the Olympic media centre.
While waiting for the number one seed to arrive, many journalists were using their phones and iPads to take pictures of the seemingly unnecessary "Roger Federer" name placard on the table where he was to sit. As he arrived, people strained over each other to get a picture of him entering the room.
In contrast, only around 50 people turned out to see second seed Serbia's Novak Djokovic, who won a bronze at the Beijing Games and was knocked off the world number one spot by Federer this month, when he held a press conference an hour earlier along with some of his countrymen.
If seeming slightly bemused by his popularity among the world's media, Federer remained light hearted by his reception.
In response to one journalist, who began by saying "As a journalist and as a fan, I know that you will win this Olympic gold" before asking Federer if he would retire if he achieved that feat, he responded: "I don't know, are you my fan or not? If you don't want me to stop, I wont."
While when another member of the media who confessed to being a big fan "like so many other journalists" asked who was the biggest star of the games, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps or Roger Federer he responded "Well, not me".
Federer, who won gold in the doubles at Beijing with Stanislas Wawrinka, said singles gold was far from a certainty, partly down to the fact that all but the final match will be best of three sets rather than the grand slam best five.
"That puts the margins more closer to each other," said Federer, who would have been out in the third round of Wimbledon under such rules, having gone two sets down to France's Julien Benneteau - his potential second round opponent at the Olympics.
"It just goes to show a bad five minutes or a bad couple of points can cost you the tournament, I am aware of that but I do believe winning Wimbledon three weeks ago is going to help me with my confidence," said Federer, who faces Colombia's Alejandro Falla in the first round.
Away from chasing the gold, Federer, who has become a father for the first time since the last Olympics, also has the important task of picking out a present or two for his twin daughters, who have just turned three.
"I will try to have a look and get some souvenirs," said Federer, who met his wife Mirka at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. "A good dad should bring back some souvenirs from time to time."
Source
Federer, Djokovic, Murray and Bizarre 2012 Wimbledon-Olympics
Roger Federer just stepped off the 2012 Wimbledon lawn with his seventh trophy, but he may be entering The Twilight Zone when he steps on re-seeded pre-germinated grass. Will the grass play to the Swiss Maestro’s liking?
Novak Djokovic might send a crushing up-the-line backhand into a purple wall with golden arches. You’re not the only logo in town, Rolex.
Perhaps Andy Murray can trade in his white Adidas clothing for something a little more colorful and Olympics-approved.
Maybe a more raucous group of non-tennis sporting fans can back Murray’s cause by transforming the cathedral of Centre Court into a Scottish bar.
Spectators casting their eyes at the chair umpire could see more than a bottle of Robinson’s barley water. There could be Coca-Cola no further than a racket-length away.
Hungry fans might plunk down dollars and pounds for a nice plastic cup of Chobani’s Greek yogurt. Make that black cherry. Been there, done that with strawberries and cream.
Will this be the biggest invasion of England since the Normans landed at Hastings in 1066?
What in the name of Bizarro World is happening with 2012 Olympics tennis?
As if Jay Gatsby Hosted Wimbledon
This is not your grandfather’s Wimbledon. This isn’t even your infant’s Wimbledon. It’s the Olympics and that’s the way it should be.
If Wimbledon officials had any druthers to preserve the traditional feel to its hallowed club, it would be a miserable attempt of micromanagement. You can’t hold back the onslaught of tourist currency. Tennis is not at center stage, but is merely one booth at the world’s carnival.
Maybe Wimbledon is better off treating it like one of Gatsby’s parties. Let it become the fun spectacle it should be to showcase tennis to the general sports fan. Maybe it can score some cool points with basketball fans rather than show up at your door like an Amway salesman.
Wimbledon could actually gain moreprestige with its Olympic facade. Rather than finding an ancient cathedral for Mass, the onlooker could feel as if the pews had been traded in for casino tables and multi-colored chips (in Olympic colors of course). All of this could be added incentive to taste its original brand, to come back again with more awe-inspiring reverence.
Bizarro Grass
For Federer, Djokovic, Murray and other medal-aspiring participants, the grass will most certainly play differently than a few weeks ago. The haste and preparations to reseed and prepare the lawn is no easy manner, according to Greg Bishop’s reporting via the New York Times.com.
Grass would be offended by the simple notion that it can be lumped as simply a fast-playing surface. All grass tournaments feature differences in speed, bounce, air and playability.
Even Wimbledon is now faced with three different sets of conditions: first week grass in the outdoors, second week with more trampled grass including some indoors play and now late-July, pre-germinated grass.
If tennis fans are under the illusion that the grass won’t be different, they can discuss the theory with Ion Tiriac and Madrid officials who promised their blue clay gimmick wouldn’t play differently from original red.
We don’t know how the grass will play for Federer, but we know that Federer will adapt to the grass. He will likely be in position to go for the gold regardless of the surfaces and conditions.
For Djokovic, who requires more brake action on his footwork, this could be a greater factor. Above all, his best bet for the gold will find the grass level, with the dirt and clay underneath providing a higher bounce for his groundstrokes. He would be wise to make a deal with the sun god and let the rays burn the grass through an open roof.
Murray has a good track record on grass, but his preference would side more with Djokovic’s.
Other players like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych would love the fast skidding action to help flatter drives and big serves. It might be the way to cause Federer more difficulties, to keep him back on his heels and prevent him from opening his variety pack of shots.
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose
It’s still tennis. For a one-time extravagant party the stakes are not as high as a Grand Slam event. Beginning Saturday, it will be played over nine days and only six rounds, all excepting the final to be best of three matches.
The Olympics is the global showcase for countries and their competitors. But beyond national pride and the prestige of medals, tennis does not have as much at stake as in a Grand Slam venue. There will be only 750 points for first place and the achievement will be perceived as more ornamental than meaningful.
But it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the entire draw. There will likely be upsets and perhaps a big story or two.
Who wouldn’t feel terrific for a player like Tsonga to gain a career consolation to his Grand Slam efforts?
Will someone like Bernard Tomic launch a future Grand Slam charge from the energy of the 2012 Olympics?
The best thing of all will be to see tennis played on grass as July turns into August. Would that this could drive more grass tournaments and uproot some of the never-ending hard court seasons.
Soon the carnival tent will come down, the grounds will be stripped and the gates will be locked again to roaming spectators who will take home a few memories and expensive souvenirs.
Enjoy the show.
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