Ah, Wimbledon. My favorite slam of the year starts Monday June 20. There’s something about Wimbledon, a certain mystique that draws people to it. It could be the grass, it could be the location, or it could be the fact that it is one of England’s most anticipated sporting events. The elegance, style, and class of Wimbledon are what keep people interested. Wimbledon is the only tennis tournament to get a major Hollywood chick flick documenting it. Director Richard Loncraine saw the light. Wimbledon is one of the most celebrated sporting events in the world, so seeing Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany on the big screen at Wimbledon wasn’t too much of a surprise.
This year’s Wimbledon will include me waking up in the early hours of the morning, during summer break, and most of all hoping Tim Henman wins something.
Here is a look at what is to come for the next two weeks:
I must say that this is just about the first slam in years where the Woman’s draw is looking more intense, deep, and exciting than the men’s draw.
Unlike the French Open’s red clay, Wimbledon’s grass doesn’t exactly have the same diversity as playing on dirt, therefore opening up the field to just about anyone in the top 20.
Not only is the court surface opening up the field, but the fact that the women are the healthiest they have been in years will make the woman’s draw more captivating.
I have a list of 14 women that stand a perfect chance of winning it all. The list includes: Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, and Justine Henin-Hardenne.
This year, no emerging women young guns come to mind, other than Alicia Molik who was spotlighted in my 2005 French Open Preview, and is at her career high ranking of 8th despite going down in the early rounds at the French. However I still see Molik going down in the earlier rounds again, but being a prominent contender for the U.S. Open. Molik, born and raised in Adelaide, Australia is a preeminent strength on the hard-court tour.
One woman I can see winning the championship is 26 year-old Belgian former number one, Justine Henin-Hardenne. Henin-Hardenne, who had been nursing an injury for the last year, had dropped from number one to number fifteen, but has proven herself by winning two French Open warm up tournaments, and making a good showing at Roland Garros. Justine “captured out hearts” in 2003 and 2004 and it would be nice to see her return to the glory she once had.
On the men’s side, a fizzling super-star (in my eyes) is household name, Andy Roddick. What happened to our “favorite” player? Other than Andre Agassi, Taylor Dent, and Vincent Spadea, Mr. Roddick is the only American in the top 100. Yet the golden boy has been lacking something in the past year or so. That something is an all-around game. Roddick has the serve, has a decent forehand, but that’s about it. Roddick, or “Hhandaay” as I have coined him needs to pick up his backhand, approach shots, and unforced errors if he wants to make any progress on grass, and any progress at all against Roger Federer.
The Men’s draw is also lacking something this year. That something is depth. It seems that the last few years have been based on Roger Federer. Federer is one of those quiet, subservient, passive players on the tour. This is hard to believe considering that he has been sitting in the top three for practically three years. He is quoted in the July 2005 Tennis Magazine saying: “I don’t want them saying, `he’s the next Rod Laver’ or `he’s the next Pete Sampras.’ I just want them saying, `ah, he’s Federer. It is this submissive attitude that makes Roger Federer the player he is.
Now I am going out on a limb, introducing this young gun. Andrew Murray is England’s latest hope for a homeland Wimbledon champion. Murray, who currently trains in Spain, says: “I wanted to improve my clay-court skills.” This 6-foot-2, 18-year-old phenom won the U.S. Open juniors title last September, and was named BBC young sports personality of the year. Look out for Andrew Murray on the 2005 Wimbledon scene.
Staying on the British page Timmy Henman is still on the quest for Wimbledon supremacy, and a victory would not only boost national morale, but finally put Tim on the map as a contender. Henman is currently ranked 6th in the world and has been hovering in the high-end of the top 10 for the last few years. Once again, one of those players that can’t seem to win anything, but still sits comfortably in the top 10.
With Wimbledon drawing near, excitement is growing. Heck, in the past week I have seen numerous commercials advertising the championships, on ESPN, ESPN2, and NBC. Wimbledon has the most extensive coverage of the slams, including an NBC recap show every night during the second week of the tourney, as well as extensive coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN Classic. Starting Saturday the 25th, NBC has a mid-day time slot leading up to coverage of the Ah, Wimbledon. My favorite slam of the year starts Monday June 20. There’s something about Wimbledon, a certain mystique that draws people to it. It could be the grass, it could be the location, or it could be the fact that it is one of England’s most anticipated sporting events. The elegance, style, and class of Wimbledon are what keep people interested.
men’s and women’s final on the 2nd and 3rd of July.
Wimbledon is the most viewer friendly slam from a worldwide point of view, Because of the Grass, because of the elegance, or because of the legends. You be the judge. Nevertheless Wimbledon 2005 will be one that the casual tennis fan won’t soon forget.