**By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan
Last Week's Tournament**
Wimbledon (ITF - Grass - London, England)
Men's Singles Bracket
- Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick
Women's Singles Bracket
- Serena Williams def. Venus Williams
Men's Doubles Bracket
- Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic def. Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan
Women's Doubles Bracket
- Serena Williams/Venus Williams def. Samantha Stosur/Rennae Stubbs
McGrogan's Heroes
ATP - Roger Federer
It’s been a wonderful and strange year so far in men’s tennis, especially at the majors. Back in January, Rafael Nadal, the then-world No. 1 who limped towards the end of the 2008 season, wasn’t given much of a shot at winning the Australian Open. But he did, surviving a titanic tussle with Fernando Verdasco in the semis, and then beating a favored and far-fresher Roger Federer in the final.
At Roland Garros, Nadal – the four-time defending champion who bagged more prestigious hardware this year at Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and Rome – was the only choice to win. He went on to lose his first-ever match at the French Open in the fourth round, and Federer promptly collected the missing piece in his career Grand Slam puzzle.
The final at Wimbledon was supposed to be a showdown between tennis history (Federer, seeking a record 15th major title) and the end of British futility (Scotland’s Andy Murray). But as has been the case this year, things didn’t go according to plan. Andy Roddick’s surprising four-set win over Murray in the semis prevented that much-anticipated match from happening, and all of a sudden, it was 2004 (and 2005) all over again on the final Sunday.
Roddick looked like he was going to be the third surprise Slam winner of ’09 – he had taken the first set and had four set points in the second-set tiebreaker. Federer had thwarted Roddick’s cannon serve in 18 of their prior 20 meetings, but on this day, the American brought much more than a first strike, hitting his groundstrokes with unusually great accuracy and pace.
Federer had been in a similar position before. In last year’s Wimbledon final, Nadal led Federer 5-2 (and was serving) in the fourth-set tiebreaker, one that Federer had to win to extend the match. For all intents and purposes, Federer had to pull the same escape act here. Somehow, he did it. It was just one part of the entire effort needed to win the match, but it was a very important one.
Federer’s eventual victory gave him his 15th Grand Slam singles title. It was just one part of the entire effort needed to set the record, but it was a very important one. Federer said that he didn’t feel as much pressure after finally bagging the French title, but if he lost a second straight Wimbledon epic – this time to his career whipping boy, version 2.0 or not – you have to wonder what kind of psychological strain that would have put on him.
That question, however, is irrelevant at this point. And so is the “Who is the greatest of all-time?" query. It’s Roger Federer. Enjoy him while you can.
WTA - Serena Williams
I haven't asked an "if..." question in some time here at the MNP, but I have one in regards to Serena's play last week at Wimbledon. Which of these two victories was the most impressive?
- Serena coming back from match point down in the semifinals to beat Elena Dementieva 6-7 (4), 7-5, 8-6
2. Serena defeating two-time defending champion Venus Williams in the final in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 6-2 (Venus had won her previous 34 sets.)
Serena's run to the title at Wimbledon may have been ho-hum in some respects - her last three tournament wins have come at Grand Slams, so you know what to expect, and when its coming - but it was nonetheless admirable.
In the semis, Serena brought out the best in Dementieva in what should be one of the matches of the year on the women's side. In the final, Serena brought out the worst in Venus, who looked meek and ragged compared to her sister. Remember, this was the same Venus who pumelled the - in name only - world No. 1 Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0 just two days earlier.
Like Federer, Serena will be going for three Slams in a calendar year at the U.S. Open. And if her displays at the Australian Open and Wimbledon - the two fast-court Slams contested so far this year - are any indication, you can start the engraving now, regardless if she's seeded first, second, or thirty-second.
This Week's Tournaments
(TV Schedule)
Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships (ATP - Grass - Newport, United States)
Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket
Davis Cup (ITF - Various)
Czech Republic vs. Argentina
Croatia vs. United States
Israel vs. Russia
Spain vs. Germany
Collector Swedish Open (WTA - Clay - Bastad, Sweden)
Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket
GDF Suez Grand Prix (WTA - Clay - Budapest, Hungary)
Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket