Rob Minto

Sport, data, ideas

Month: July 2004 (page 2 of 2)

Roger dodger

Without wanting to dismiss other players, getting numbers 1 and 2 in the world is always a good sight. Ancic vs Grosjean wouldn’t have been quite the same buzz.<br /><br />Roddick perhaps should have won yesterday. In the 4th set, he had break ponts in 3 Federer service games in a row. And I would have fancied Roddick to take a 5th set. I think Roger got out of jail on that one. He admitted he got lucky, and you sometimes need luck to win a slam title.<br /><br />Any questions about Federer being the best player of all time are premature. If he wins 8 or more slams, it’s up for grabs. Until then, he is doing what Sampras did – beating the guys in his generation, keeping his head together and collecting titles pretty fast. You can’t do any more than that.

Maria arrives

When was the last time Serena Williams lost a set 6-1? I can’t remember. It was the manner of Sharapova’s victory that was just stunning. She hit with audacity and confidence that amazed everyone on Centre Court.<br /><br />Actually, the crowd were slightly taken aback. Quite a few people cheered on Serena, and not because the Williams are that popular – too many all-sibling finals for many tastes – but because she seemed like the underdog, and people wanted a third set.<br /><br />Interestingly, there were a lot of Russian voices calling out advice during the match. Obviously, the ticket touts did a good job with some of the new-money Russians. In London as in women’s tennis, the Russians have arrived.

Roddick deserves centre stage

No major results from yesterday at Wimbledon due to rain disruptions, but a quick word about Andy Roddick.<br /><br />Aside from his 1st round match against Jimmy Wang, he has been on Court 2 and then exclusively on Court 1. His semi against Ancic was also moved there to speed things along. If he gets to the final, it will be only his second match on centre.<br /><br />Now, this is not unusual – David Nalbandian got to the final in 2002 without once seeing the centre court grass, but for a player like Roddick – #2 in the world, US Open champ, a massive draw worldwide – it’s a bit strange. It’s not like he hasn’t got a grass court game, either. He was at the semis last year, and has won Queens twice. Every player who has won Queens twice or more has taken Wimbledon at some stage (with the exception of Lendl).<br /><br />But do you hear him complain? Not once. True, Court One is a lovely arena, with only 2,381 seats less than Centre, but it’s not the same. Plus, he has often been on Court One while Henman has been on Centre, therefore having to endure the screams and shouts of the crowd on Henman Hill just outside in front of the big screen. <br /><br />Roddick should get to the final – and if he does, he will deserve the biggest stage of all.

women deliver

We can all breathe a sigh of relief and thank Davenport, Sharapova, Serena Williams and Mauresmo for giving women’s tennis something to talk about. Two excellent matches, and players giving their all.<br /><br />Mauresmo must be devastated. She had the beating of Serena. The way to play the Williams sisters is to deny them consistent pace, use the slice, and take the net. They can’t get in a groove on their groundstrokes then. Mauresmo’s game plan was perfect, and her execution of it very very good – just not quite good enough. When it mattered, her back got stiff, her serve was slower and Serena scraped home.<br /><br />I just hope Sharapova has taken note. However, Sharapova is probably too young to have developed Mauresmo’s court craft. It could be a one sided final.<br /><br />On the men’s side, I’ll be highly surprised if it’s not a Federer/Roddick final.

Moving on

One word all over the papers today: Henman. Plus the usual companions: disappointment, “end of the dream”, and so on. So let’s just say the better player won. Welcome to the big time, Mario Ancic.<br /><br />Actually, take away the British-centric anguish for a second, and it’s a great story. The old guard of Croatia, Goran Ivanisevic, comes to play a farewell Wimbledon after his glorious win three years ago. In the space of a week his heir-apparent makes a run to the semis (or perhaps further), beating one of the favourites for the title on his own patch along the way, much like his hero back in 2001. Even if you are not a Croat, there is something poetic about it.<br /><br />On the women’s side, much has been made of the lack of quality of the matches. Serana W vs Capriati was a big let down. More of a shame is that Capriati seems to blame the media hype for her performance. See <a href=http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2004-06-30/200406301088600125157.html>http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/interviews/2004-06-30/200406301088600125157.html</a><br />If she really thinks that she is under pressure, she should talk to Tim Henman. Or Amelie Mauresmo at the French. Or Agassi and Sampras, who relished their rivalry, and were happy for everyone to talk it up.<br /><br />The lack of quality in the women’s matches is nothing new. For years there has been a dearth of excitement until the semis at the majors. Why? I have no idea. But look back over 5, 10 or 30 years and it’s the same story. True, there is occaisonally the big upset early in a tournament, but they are so rare you can pretty much list them on one hand. Here they are:<br /><br />Graf vs McNeill<br />Hingis vs Dokic<br />Venus Williams vs Sprem<br /><br />Any more?

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