Tennis News

One of the more anticipated third round matches a the Wimbledon Championships is the contest between rising star Grigor Dimitrov and France’s Richard Gasquet. The two will cross paths on Thursday afternoon at the All England Club, where Dimitrov will attempt to secure his first ever win against the Frenchman. Of their four previous encounters, Gasquet holds an undefeated 4-0 record against the Bulgarian.

Seeded 11th at this year’s Championships, Grigor Dimitrov worked his way into the third round of the tournament following a straight set win against Steve Johnson. He fired 47 winners, including 15 aces to secure the 7-6(8), 6-2, 7-6(2). It was one of his best matches in recent memory.

“Obviously it’s good to go through certain matches in that way, especially in straight sets,” he said. “With every match I feel that my game is getting better, but I still feel that there are a couple of things I need to sort of tune up, especially for the next round.”

Dimitrov will next encounter Richard Gasquet, who reached the third round following a breeze of a match against fellow countryman Kenny De Schepper. Gasquet cruised through the entire contest to defeat the Frenchman in straight sets and advance to the end of the first week at the Championships. He converted seven break points to earn the 6-0, 6-3, 6-3 win in a total of 78 minutes.

This marks the fifth time that Dimitrov and Gasquet will cross paths on the professional tour, yet the Bulgarian is yet to earn his first ever win against the Frenchman. Will he be able to overturn his record this time around?

“I’m not thinking about it, to be honest,” Dimitrov said of his winless record against Gasquet. “I think I played him a while back, like two years ago or something, so I’m a different guy since then. I’m a different player. I feel that I’m coming into the match as a favourite to win. At the same time, I don’t have anything to lose. I need to get out there and play my game.”

In another one of her typical dominant matches, Serena Williams stormed past Timea Babos to advance to the third round of the Championships, setting up the clash against Heather Watson. She was broken in the first game of the match but recovered from there to dominate the entire encounter and advance in straight sets. In the end, following 23 winners, Williams beat Babos 6-4, 6-1 in 59 minutes.

“I’ve seen her around the locker room. She’s always smiling – she seems to be so super sweet,” Williams said. “I know Venus has played her before. I’ve watched that match a few times. I feel like she does really well on grass – she’s played well in Eastbourne. And she had a really good win today.

“I know it’s not going to be easy for me. She has nothing to lose. She’s going forward.”

British No. 1 Heather Watson also went down a break early in her match against Daniela Hantuchova but was able to work her way out of that hole to dominate the remainder of the encounter en route to the third round of the tournament. She defeated her opponent 6-4, 6-2, needing one more game than her upcoming challenge.

“I’m really happy with the way I played today,” Watson said. “I went 3-1 down in the first set, made a few double faults in that game, kind of gave that game away – but I thought what I did really well today is I stayed composed. I didn’t let that bother me. I was a lot more aggressive and played my game.”

This marks the first time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour and could make for a highly intriguing encounter if both play of their respective top-forms. It is hard to pick against Williams but anything is possible on grass.

“Serena’s a great player, an amazing athlete, a great champion,” Watson said. “She’s always the one to watch and she’s always the favorite for every tournament she plays – so I think she’s the one to beat.”

A highly intriguing third round contest is scheduled to take place at the 2015 edition of the Wimbledon Championships, as reigning French Open champion Stan Wawrinka encounters Spain’s Fernando Verdasco to determine who will advance to the second week of the prestigious grass court tournament. While the two have not stepped across the net from each other in over three years, the Wawrinka v Verdasco head-to-head series stands at 2-1.

While not at his best on Wednesday afternoon, Stan Wawrinka still had little trouble working his way into the third round of the Wimbledon Championships. He defeated Dominican Republic’s Victor Estrella Burgos in straight sets to maintain his quest for a first-ever Wimbledon trophy. The fourth seed won the match 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 31 minutes.

“It’s never easy. I wish it was, but it’s never easy. It was a good match to win. Had to play my best game. I found a way how to be focus at the end of each set,” said Wawrinka. “I was serving well again, playing generally okay. Not my best tennis, but typical second round of a Grand Slam. The only important thing is to win and it’s good to win in three sets.”

Once again, as is characteristic of the Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco required all five sets to work his way past Dominic Thiem on Wednesday. It was his second consecutive five set win, following a 13-11 finish against Klizan on Monday. He eventually beat Thiem with a decisive break in the fifth set to close out the match 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

This marks the fourth time that Wawrinka and Verdasco will meet on the professional tour, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head series 2-1. However, this will mark their first meeting in over three years as well as their first encounter not on a clay court, which should certainly shake things up score-wise. Wawrinka should manage to level the head-to-head series on Thursday.

Following their respective matches on Wednesday afternoon, the stage is set for an intriguing third round clash at the Wimbledon Championships between reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic and American No. 1 John Isner. This marks the fifth time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Cilic leading the head-to-head series with an unblemished 4-0 record.

In arguably the match of the tournament so far, Marin Cilic was forced to rally to avoid an upset from Ricardas Berankis, whom he defeated in five sets in a thrilling encounter on Centre Court. Cilic was reeling late in the match but was able to save all four of the break points he faced in the final set to edge out the victory 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-5 after Bernakis double faulted on match point.

“The match was very, very high quality match,” said Cilic. “I think Ricardas was playing extremely well. Even after I broke him in the first set, I think he was playing really, really good until the end of the match, and [it was] very difficult to find some openings.

“I’m just really glad that I won and that the most positive things from today are that I was serving really, really well and I was staying mentally in the match. I saved a couple of break points at end of the fifth, and I think nerves got to Ricardas at the end, and that, I think, decided a little bit.”

Isner is once again through to the third round at the Championships following a straight sets win against Matt Ebden. He struck 49 winners and 323 aces to win the match 6-2, 7-6(8), 6-4.

“I think the thing that he does the best, in my opinion, he’s always calm and composed on the court,” Isner said of Cilic. “He’s never getting angry at himself out there. He just stays the path, and it’s paid very big dividends for him in his career, especially last year at the US Open. My opinion, that’s what he does best, along with his serve and groundstrokes. He’s a cool customer out there.”

One of the more intriguing third round matches in the ladies draw on Friday will be the compelling encounter between American Sloane Stephens and Czech Lucie Safarova. This marks just the second time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour following their first ever meeting last season in Dubai. Safarova leads the head-to-head series 1-0 with a straight sets win on the Middle Eastern hard court.

In a solid performance on Court 8, Sloane Stephens dispatched Lauren Davis in straight sets to advance to the third round at the All England Club. She struck 4 aces, 17 winners and matched it with 17 unforced errors to finish the contest 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and seven minutes on court.

“It was fun. Obviously it was tough, I was playing an American. But it was good. It was fun. I have been playing well. Like I started off well last week and I got a pretty good groove. Yeah, I’m feeling good. My shots are going in, so that’s good. I mean, grass is always tough, but it’s tough for everybody. I mean, you kind of just gotta get out there and do the best you can.“

In a similarly straightforward affair, Lucie Safarova advanced to the third round of Wimbledon following a straight sets win against Su-Wei Hsieh. Safarova hit 24 winners, 4 aces and matched it with 16 unforced errors to complete the contest 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and five minutes. It was a solid showing overall and sets her up well for her next encounter on Friday.

This marks just the second time that Stephens and Safarova will cross paths on the professional circuit, with Safarova leading the head-to-head series 1-0. While that win was on hard courts a season ago, the Czech No. 2 should find a way to extend her record over the American to 2-0.

For the first time since 2008, 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will step across the net vs American Sam Querrey. Federer leads the head-to-head series 2-0, including a win at a previous Grand Slam event. However, given the seven-year gap between matches, it will be interesting to see how well he does against the American on Thursday.

Fresh and ready to begin his quest for an eight title at Wimbledon, Roger Federer stormed past Damir Dzumhur in straight sets on Centre Court to advance to the second round of the tournament. He defeated Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 in a match that saw him hit 26 winners and as little as 12 unforced errors. He also faced no break points throughout the entire encounter.

“[The grass] changes as the tournament progresses,” commented Federer. “It’s easier to move once you enter, I’d say, third round. Then especially the second week, just because of the used bit in the back, you have more grip, whereas in the beginning of the tournament it’s softer, it’s more slippery where the green patches are.

“[Playing on Centre Court] is exciting. It’s a privilege to be there,” added Federer. “I was trying to think how many times I’ve played there now. I don’t know. I know it’s been often. Still, every time it feels like it’s a special occasion, for sure.”

Next up for Federer is Sam Querrey, who reached the second round of the tournament following a straight sets win against Igor Sijsling. He won the match 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 19 minutes and also struck a total of 30 aces.

This marks the third time that Federer and Querret will step across the net from each other. Federer leads the head-to=head series 2-0 and is yet to drop a set against the American. This, however, will mark their first ever meeting on grass.

Many fans and pundits have had their eyes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he attempted to get a grip on the 2015 season following an injury that sidelined him for the majority of the year. His first round match was a promising one and he will now further his campaign at the All England Club when he faces Albert Ramos-Vinolas for the second time on the tour. Tsonga leads the head-to-head series 1-0 but that contest took place over three years ago in Doha.

Seeded 13th at this year’s event, Tsonga managed to keep the upper hand in his battle against Gilles Muller, which ended up going five sets. Tsonga fired 69 winners and withstood 71 from Muller. He also saved four break points and eventually closed out the match 7-6(8), 6-7(3), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in three-hours and 50 minutes.

“I thought it’s going to be difficult, and it was,” said Tsonga. “He’s a very good player, especially on grass and indoors. He likes that kind of surface. Today he shows that he’s able to play really good tennis.

“Today I felt 100 per cent,” added Tsonga. “I’m feeling good. I think [the injury is] behind me.”

Tsonga will come up against a much fresher opponent in the second round, as Albert Ramos-Vinolas reached that stage of the tournament following a retirement from Denis Istomin due to fatigue when he was down 2-6, 2-6, 2-3. It was certainly a less stressful encounter than that that Tsonga had to go through on Tuesday.

This is just the second time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour with Tsonga leading the head-to-head series 1-0. Their last meeting took place three years ago at Doha so it isn’t much to gauge on. However, given Tsonga’s improvement and confidence in his body, the former two-time semi-finalist should find his way into the third round of the tournament.

Federer and his 7 Wimbledon Triumphs – King of the All England Club

1083 days and counting!!  8-July-2012 saw Roger Federer lift his 7th Wimbledon trophy after getting the better of native son Andy Murray. He tied William Renshaw and Pete Sampras for the most titles at the All England Club extending his overall grand slam tally to 17. He fell to the ground in victory, roared and embraced the British Crowd with respect for his opponent and wept in front of his twin daughters. Since that momentous day the wait for 8 and 18 continues…

An old saying – the one undisputed force in our universe is “AGE”. The harder you try to stave it off; it more or less gets hold of everyone with its aggregated effects. Roger Federer whose Tennis is immortal is not immune to this ultimate inevitability.

CROSSROADS IN HIS CAREER

Federer proved his detractors wrong by reaching the final in 2014 before losing a classic to Novak Djokovic (L)

Federer, who will turn 34 this August, is firmly approaching the twilight of his legendary career. He is not as dominant as he used to be and his on court success in recent seasons is slowly declining. You can possibly feel that the reason for his success’ becoming sporadic is “Roger is no more in his prime”. The Swiss man still produces many flashes of wizardry from his famed RF Wilson Wand (be it the 90 square inch or the recently changed Wilson Pro Staff RF97). But over the last few seasons, those brilliant moments are diluted which can be attributed to inconsistency. Simply to say that, Federer can’t get out of bed and call upon his best game like he used to. The unreachable peaks which he had once set is going out of hands (Federer was 315-24 between 2004 &2007; an astounding 93% win-loss record).

Federer’s been unable to push the grand slam tally ahead which seems to be stalled at 17. The 3 year period without a grand slam includes only one major final appearance. He did come perilously close to winning his 18th major but lost to Novak Djokovic in the championship match at last year’s Wimbledon (coming back from match point down in the 4th set to push it to a decider).

Federer is at the very edge of his career and solid performances in majors are what he is looking for. This will not only increase the gap between Rafa and his tally (Rafa is at 14) but will perhaps significantly giving him the upper-hand in the ceaseless debate for the “Greatest of all time”. Federer defeat of Murray at the 2012 Wimbledon Final seemed like a potential late-career thrust for the Swiss. Instead his performance have deteriorated since then, losing before the QFs at four of the last 11 slams he has entered something that was unknown in the preceding eight season (2004 French Open was the last time when Federer lost before the QF; lost to Guga; his streak of 36 consecutive QF was ended at 2013 Wimbledon by Sergiy Stakhovsky).

EDBERG AND NEW RACQUET

Roger added childhood hero Stefan Edberg to his coaching staff at the start of 2014

With his recent struggles against the baseline heavy-weights and his more than mediocre 2013, Federer tried to do a few things to come back into the scheme of events. He hired Swede multiple grand slam winner Stefan Edberg (his childhood idol) and added him to his coaching staff along with co-coach Severin Luthi. This was after he parted ways with Paul Annacone (Annacone led Federer to two straight year-end championship in 2010 and 2011, a return to the World no. 1 ranking, and his seventh Wimbledon Championship in 2012). Also he switched from his trademark 90 square inch racquet to a larger frame (97 square inches) in turn forfeiting his characteristic control for more pace and safety.

Edberg has managed to give him his own strategy of more net approaches to keep the rallies shorter and spare his body of the battering which modern day players endure from the grueling baseline game. These modifications to his game have aided him to reap the fruits to a certain extent but he is still in search of a major which seems to have eluded him with time.

The hiring of Swede legend Stefan Edberg seems too have done wonders when it comes to the best-of-3 format. The Swiss is a staggering 76-11 in this format since hiring Edberg but when it comes to the best-of-5 format, Federer is just 31-7.The main objective behind Edberg’s hiring was to aid Federer to further enhance the grand slam tally but the combination is still in search of a major title.

The main obstacle at this point of time seems to be that he is required to play best-of-5 sets in a major which takes a more severe toll on his body. Since with age, the recovery time seems to have deserted him and he needs a flawless draw to enhance his odds. Possibly his best chance came at this year’s Roland Garros. Although clay his Roger’s worst surface he had the best draw in ages when he managed to avoid Djokovic, Nadal & Murray in his half. Yet it was his good friend and compatriot Stan Wawrinka who produced some incredible tennis to knock the Swiss Maestro out of the French Open (This was the 1st time Federer failed to break his opponent’s serve since 2002 US Open; lost to Max Miryni).

KING OF GRASS

Federer won a record 8th Halle title last week

Wimbledon is one place where Roger always manages to produce his best tennis. His resume on the pristine lawns speaks volumes – he is a 7-tim champion (2003-2007, 2009, 2012) at the All England Club. The Centre Court at SW 19 elevates his game to a different level and Federer in his all-white Nike attire produces genius and wizardry once he steps on this court (Something like a Van Gogh or Picasso). His kick serves his precise forehands, his low-bouncing slices and his clutch volleys. These have been his main weapons on grass that have carried him to unparalleled success. Can he do it again?

Federer finds himself in the best of form once again on the greens as he managed to win Halle for a record 8th time defeating Andreas Seppi in the finals. This is the perfect prelude for yet another burst at Wimbledon 2015. His victory in Halle saw him become the 3rd man to win 8 or more titles at the same event (Rafael Nadal has nine Roland Garros titles and eight from Monte Carlo and Barcelona, while Guillermo Vilas has eight from Buenos Aires).Federer had some tough competition to deal with at the newly upgraded ATP 500 event. He got the better of German Philip Kohlschreiber, Ernests Gulbis, Florian Mayer and ace-machine Ivo Karlovic before dealing with his 2015 Aus Open conqueror Seppi in the championship match. The most important factor was that Federer dropped just one set in the entire tournament. He played a total of 6 tie breaks and won them all. His serve and backhand down the line often came to his rescue. With this win at the Gerry Weber Open, he will take enormous buoyancy and enthusiasm onto SW19.

THE COMPETITION

Federer and 18 – Is 2015 Wimbledon Roger’s last chance for glory

One major factor to take into account is the fellow big players are in midst of dilemmas and serious crisis which could propel Roger’s chances.

Djokovic tasted a huge dose of shock and was left traumatized at the French Open 3 weeks back when Stan Wawrinka snatched his chances of completing the Career Slam and join the elusive club. While Djokovic has not played any warm tournaments on grass (played Boodles Exhibition), he should be rejuvenated and is still the man to beat. Djokovic’s vanquisher Wawrinka isn’t the most elegant player on grass but no one can now write off the Swiss No.2 as enters Wimbledon as a multiple major winner.

Rafa Nadal has plummeted down the rankings and his drop has been nothing short of appalling. The Spaniard is languishing at No.10 along with losing his crown at Roland Garros (lost to Djokovic in QF). In 2015, he is more vulnerable than ever and fellow players no more fear the Mallorcan Matador.

Other contenders like Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych are all struggling either for form or are recovering from injuries. This nicely opens up the chance for Federer to pounce on this opportunity and make the most of it. Thus this is the time for Federer to strike and get hold of the trophy again.

Federer’s biggest threat will be Scot Andy Murray. Murray is looked ominously good this year managing to win the Queen’s Club for a record 4th time. He has looked sharp and aggressive this year and with both Amelie Mauresmo and Swede Jonas Bjorkman in his coaching team, Murray should be a serious threat to Federer’s chances this year. As they say marriage has certainly changed his mindset and now he sports the demeanor of a winner and might just be able to replicate the form that saw him win Wimbledon in 2013.

His prospects to add another Grand Slam title are dwindling. How much longer Federer plans to play is a mystery even to him. This year’s Wimbledon tournament therefore has additional magnitude. Should a bit of good fortune land his way, perhaps Federer can reigntriumphant one more time. Possibly no.8 is on its way.

ALLEZ ROGER!!

ROGER & GRASS

Looking at Federer’s final matches at Wimbledon from 2003 to 2014—seven wins (2003-2007, 2009, 2012) and five losses (2008 final, 2010 and 2011 quarterfinals, 2013 second round, 2014 final)—it’s interesting to note that his performance on serve was very similar, win or lose.

• Federer is 136-19 (88%) on grass overall; the best win-loss % on grass in the Open-Era. He is 73-9 (89%) at Wimbledon; only Borg (51-4; 93%) Sampras (63-7; 90%) have better win-loss % than Roger.
• Federer shares the all-time record for most men’s Wimbledons won, at seven, with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw (; champion in 2003-2007, 2009, 2012).
• Federer won five consecutive men’s titles at Wimbledon from 2003–07, an Open Era record matched by Björn Borg (1976–80).
• Federer has played the most Wimbledon Finals – 9 with a 7-2 record in Wimbledon finals (lost to Nadal in 2008 & Djokovic in 2014).
• Federer (2003–09) is the only man in tennis history to play in seven consecutive Wimbledon finals.
• In 2008, Federer played the longest Wimbledon final in terms of time (4 hours and 48 minutes) losing to Spain’s Rafa Nadal.
• Federer is 9-0 in Wimbledon SF matches and has won 27 out of the 28 sets he played in this round (Djokovic pushed him to 4 sets in 2012 SF).
• In 2001, Federer ended Pete Sampras’s 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon in the fourth round of the tournament.
• Federer’s 40 consecutive match wins at Wimbledon (2003–08) was one win shy of the all-time men’s record set by Björn Borg from 1976–81.
• At 77 games, Federer’s 2009 Wimbledon singles final against Andy Roddick was the longest Grand Slam singles final by number of games since the introduction of the tiebreaker.The final set of the 2009 Wimbledon final, which ended 16–14, was the longest final set of a Grand Slam final by number of games played (30).
• The 50 aces that Federer served in the 2009 Wimbledon final is the seventh highest number in a tour match since 1991. It is also the most that have been served in a Grand Slam final.
• Federer has won the most titles on grass in the Open Era – 15 (8 Halle, 7 Wimbledon).
• From 2003–08, Federer won an all-time record 65 consecutive matches on grass courts before losing to Rafael Nadal in the epic 2008 Wimbledon final. He was extended to five sets only twice during this streak and lost a total of 16 sets (170–16).
• Federer won a record 34 consecutive sets between 2005-2006 at Wimbledon and also won 26 consecutive sets between 2003-2004 at Wimbledon.

Following a storming start to her Wimbledon campaign this season, defending champ Petra Kvitova will move on to the second round of the tournament, where she will come up against Japan’s Kurumi Nara. The two competitors have never stepped across the court from each other on the professional tour.

Seeded second at this year’s event, Petra Kvitova cruised into the second round of the tournament following a straight sets win against Kiki Bertens. Kvitova took a 3-0 lead in the opening set before losing the only game in the match to close out the contest 6-1, 6-0. The match lasted 35 minutes, which makes it the quickest match to take place this season on the WTA tour.

“Actually I would be quite happy if nerves were always going to be like this!” Kvitova said. “It wasn’t really easy, especially before the match – I had never played her before, and I didn’t really know what I should expect, but I served really well, and I’m glad about how I played out there. She had a really big forehand – she hit some really good serves as well. She has really good power. Practice at the end of last week was going well, so that was a good sign for me.”

Kvitova will next encounter Kurumi Nara, who defeated Magda Linette by retirement after the Polish player was forced to stop the match due to a left thigh injury. She was 3-6, 6-3, 64-3 in the match at the time of retirement.

“She’s kind of small and plays flat shots,” Kvitova said about Nara. “The grass can suit her game, for sure.”

This marks the first time that Kvitova and Nara will come across each other on the professional tour. Given Kvitova’s form, this should be a particular match that favours the Czech in spades.