The only sporting event worth paying attention to at the moment, pt2: WIMBLEDON 2006

We can talk about the closing stages of Nottingham/Eastbourne/'s-Hertogenbosch if you like though. Especially because Miss Anastasia Myskina is still in the Eastbourne draw.

My one-to-watch tip is Shahar Peer - tough as old boots, has a good route to the q/f and could well give La Maria a shock once she gets there.

It's all worthwhile for me just so that I could get the legendary Andrea Temesvari shoehorned in the Wimbledon Babes gallery I was forced into making.

I did your quiz Darren:

Quiz Complete

You scored 9 out of 10 answers correctly.

You’re a Federer, with the all-round game to beat anyone on this subject.

The only one I didn't get was the People's Sunday one. However the year Novotna cried was 1993!

All the ingredients are technically there for shock-exit-of-champion a la Graf in '94, Hingis in '99 - Federer's coming off a draining and demoralising loss and plays an extremely talented opponent who a) has beaten him before and b) played him very tough in Halle last week. I still don't think it'll happen though. Henman certainly won't beat him.

Shahar Peer has been pretty special this year and she IS tough - there was a notorious 'episode' between her and Serena last year involving tennis balls aimed directly at heads. I am not sure she's got the hang of grass yet though - and Daniilidou, who loves grass, lurks in the second round.

The best opening round match between players you've never heard of is Radwanska v Azarenka - last year's junior Wimbledon champion v last year's junior No 1. It looks like I may have to miss Wimbledon this year for the first time since '97 though - haven't booked any days off work, too much going on next week to really make it viable :(

Federer v Ancic (swap these two around in the draw and Ancic doesn't make it through, though)
Nalbandian v Hrbaty (because Blake never does anything)
Hewitt v Baghdatis (because the narrative needs someone to be annoyed)
Ljubicic v Nadal (because duh)

It shouldn't take a lot to work out that Federer is winning this.

For the ladies in the house, it's another funny lopsided sort of thing. Mauresmo has been touched by an angel. A moderate test early on against either Krajicek or Stosur in round 2 with, lets face it, only Safina to worry about after that. She gets squashed by Venus in the quarters, obviously. Agree that Peer will be the toughest ask for Sharapova, and I reckon she might do it. My Mum's Favourite Player (Eleni Daniilidou) might also pull out a good one. Except she won't. My own Favourite Player (Elena Dementieva) has Our Sania first off, should be good, and should account for Frankie in the fourth as girl's got form. The third quadrant is batshit insane, not just because it has Patty Schnyder in it. Hearts for Patty! But there's also Hingis and Hantuchova to potentially worry Justine Double H. She should still get through easily because it's JHH and she is very wonderful and in great form. Sadly, Alicia "The Love Machine" Molik will, given that she's just coming back from injury, lose to Hantuchova before getting a chance to lose to Justine, which I would like watching muchly. And Clijsters has a not too awful eighth, most of the tricky people being in the top bit of her quarter to make life difficult for Sveta. Vaidisova should do the job nicely.

Mauresmo v Williams
Peer v Dementieva (I am v. unadventurous this year, this is my lash-out)
Henin-Hardenne v Hingis
Vaidisova v Clijsters

OMG - of course ! Martinez won in '94, didn't she ? Never mind, we can change it in an hour or two ...

You're like Balazs Taroczy - deft angles in the forecourt and the finest collection of Hillman Imps east of the Alps.

I think Mesmo has the quintessential Draw From Hell actually - Krajicek and Stosur are both of a calibre that they can legitimately think "if Dechy can beat her I can bloody well WHOMP her". Golovin in the third - just coming back from injury but the last time they played Mesmo was v lucky to squeak through. And then Ivanovic or Safina for the right to get stamped on by Venus.

On the other hand, Sharapova. I'll be shocked if any of her first week matches last beyond an hour.

I would totally take Molik over Hantuchova - however I am not sure if I would take her over solid-and-consistent Srebotnik.

One match I am actually very intrigued by is the potential Murray v Roddick. Neither have been in very good form recently, but I can really imagine Murray using the crowd more and getting into Roddick's head...

Ivanovic v Williams
Sharapova v Schiavone
Hingis v Henin-Hardenne
Kuznetsova v Clijsters

Federer v Monfils
Nalbandian v Blake
Hewitt v Murray
Ljubicic v Nadal

http://www.mariaworld.net/birmingham0610.jpg

http://www.mariaworld.net/birmingham0629.jpg

(though losing 6-4 6-4 to Jamea Jackson in the semis in Birmingham, and carrying that ankle injury, things don't bode too well)

The backhand is Federer's weakest shot. Yes it may be pretty, even poetic at times, but aesthetics don't win points in tennis, and with a return as potent as Roddick's he should be all over Federer's feeble backhand.

Um, yes, Roddick has a very potent return. I swear sometimes we're watching a different person to the partisans. Roddick is an uninventive returner if ever there were one. Also, Federer's backhand is not as good as his forehand but it's not usually feeble, though it was exploited beautifully by Nadal.

Oh, whateverpaws.

Blake looks ok - ws v disappointed in how he fell against Hewitt in the Stella Artois final.

Part of me is hoping Fed is beaten by Gasquet just so Henman can beat him in a possible 2nd round encounter. For one Fed fucked up badly on the slam -- but also, oh yes, I'd still like Henman to win the thing..the main thing tho' is that it clashes as little as possible with WC action.

Might have to do a rain dance later on..

Myskina to serve 5-4 down.

Now only half an hour to wait till Germany-Sweden :-) Sport is grebt!

Other tune-up winners - Gasquet (ominous for Fed!), Michaella Krajicek in controversial circumstances (in her semi-final against Dementieva she was match point down, and her shot which was apparently very much out was called in, leaving ED fuming about home advantage). Mauresmo's second round has much horror potential now!

Will lug the portable TV/set-top box downstairs again in a minute in case the weather perks up. I'm painting the living room in Gustav green; could be a good omen for Soderling.

The extremely dull and annoying Rainer Schuttler is losing to a Croatian I've never heard of. Super Mario about to go two sets up, "Tax" Garbin recovering over Plucky Brit. James Blake getting a right fight from Kristian Pless. Of Denmark. No, me neither.

Mark Bloody Philippoussis is on. GO AWAY I HATE YOU.

And look! Big Gae El is losing to (WATCH YOUR TYPING) Igor Kunitsyn - down two sets to one. Ivo-9 down a set to Swiss Stan, and, proving that when you're a female seed I've never seen play, you're probably rubbish, Sofia Arvidsson down a set to Eva Birnerova. Since when has there been a decent female Swedish tennis player. All their quality girls become pop divas, no? Wane Arfurs comes back after an injury time-out against the Fabuliser. World stifles yawn.

This running-into-the-stands thing is a bit rubbish now? It was great when Pat Cash did it - fuck, nearly 20 years ago! - but it's become like a tradition now.

Ws for JHH but it ws a curious dip at the start of the 2nd that allowed Mauresmo in the match, though she played more aggressively. Her serving towards the end was truly terrific and Henin, as well as she tried and executed her net game just wasn't allowed get back in.

Happy for Mauresmo - now all the doubters can go away. Great to see someone winning with a good serve and volley game. Cor.

Henin will have a few years to do it but wonder whether she'll have as good a chance again..think her career slam (and winning her one Wimbledon) gives her more goose bumps than she's prepared to admit. Either that or what happened in Aus possibly played some part in the match.

8 years ago - French woman in the semis and France in the WC final. Tauziat lost and France won so now we're well on the way for that to be reversed.

Of course the above could be total and utter rub. They've never played each other on grass so Nadal's adjustments to this surface will be given a full test. Fed had that horrible 1st setter against Bandy in the semis but here no problems whatsoever. This is Fed's best surface, but you wonder whether there will be any reaction from the WAY he lost the French (and not only that he lost) - it'll really hinge on what kind of pressure Nadal can bring onto Fed's backhand on grass. xp

(5-0 up after 17 minutes)

(except for that lame shot there)

Of course, Fed blitzed Nadal for about half an hour at Roland Garros but that 6-1 first set was much tighter than this and Fed's level wasn't quite as high.

Nadal saves a couple of break-back points for a 3-1 2nd set lead - they're both starting to motor now, Nadal not nearly so phased by Fed's variety off the ground and serving better too.

I'm not nearly as tense as I was for the Roddick finals but I DO want Federer to win this.

Fed has got a real battle on his hands now - he's hitting his groundstrokes phenomenally well now and they're ALL coming back.

Ah, well...he has to get a return in first...

(explanation number 2, or 5, I guess)

Nadal probably should've won that set...but he didn't and the most likely outcome now is a very swift Fed 3rd set.

May this rivalry continue.

and I loved the lo-five

it was a v g final, too many incredible shots to count - the third set tiebreak was awesome. I still haven't worked out who I will be supporting in this era-defining rivalry - I like them both so much! I cheered for Federer at Roland Garros and Nadal here, so, er, I guess I'm happy overall.

roll of honour:

Men's singles: Roger Federer
Women's singles: Amélie Mauresmo
Men's doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan
Women's doubles: Yan Zi and Zheng Jie
Mixed doubles: Andy Ram and Vera Zvonareva
Boys' singles: Thiemo de Bakker
Girls' singles: Caroline Wozniacki
Boys' doubles: Kellen Damico and Nathaniel Schnugg
Girls' doubles: Alisa Kleybanova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

!!! at the names of the junior doubles winners, and WELL DONE VERA!

The blazer is okay-ish, but I was slightly amazed at the amount of time Sue Barker spent discussing with him the little emblam on the pocket.

(Further down, Bjorkman regains his position as Swedish #1 at the age of 34 [wr: #29]; Murray now top Brit at #36. Always amusing to see the vastly exaggerated leaps and falls for the Challenger-circuit Brits at this time of year; normally they're scrapping week-in week-out for handfuls of computer points and then along comes Wimbledon with its plentiful bounty, and their wildcard either gets them a claycourter who hasn't even practised on grass before or the #4 seed. The latter is hard cheese if last year you had the claycourter followed by the fellow Brit and a run to r3...you won't regain those points in Ghent or Aylesbury).

Pts Pts +/-
Rank This Last Since # Of
Rank Player Nat Diff Week Week +/- Jan 1 Trn*
---- ------ --- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- --
1 Federer, Roger SUI 0 7260 7260 0 535 18
2 Nadal, Rafael ESP 0 5125 4545 580 360 19
3 Nalbandian, David ARG 0 3185 3360 -175 815 18
4 Ljubicic, Ivan CRO 0 3125 3055 70 945 21
5 Davydenko, Nikolay RUS 1 2165 2195 -30 -225 31
6 Blake, James USA 1 2155 2085 70 925 24
7 Ancic, Mario CRO 3 1985 1885 100 625 24
8 Stepanek, Radek CZE 5 1925 1710 215 485 25
9 Robredo, Tommy ESP -1 1915 1920 -5 425 26
10 Baghdatis, Marcos CYP 6 1857 1494 363 1223 24
11 Roddick, Andy USA -6 1805 2430 -625 -1280 20
12 Hewitt, Lleyton AUS -3 1700 1900 -200 -790 20
13 Nieminen, Jarkko FIN 5 1635 1390 245 590 29
14 Gaudio, Gaston ARG -2 1625 1745 -120 -425 22
15 Berdych, Tomas CZE -1 1615 1635 -20 415 26
16 Gonzalez, Fernando CHI -5 1580 1755 -175 -210 22
17 Ginepri, Robby USA 0 1480 1480 0 -40 25
18 Ferrer, David ESP 1 1475 1330 145 -145 25
19 Kiefer, Nicolas GER -4 1440 1515 -75 190 18
20 Agassi, Andre USA 0 1405 1330 75 -870 17

1. Amélie Mauresmo FRA
2. Kim Clijsters BEL
3. Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL
4. Maria Sharapova RUS
5. Nadia Petrova RUS
6. Elena Dementieva RUS
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS
8. Patty Schnyder SUI
9. Mary Pierce FRA
10. Lindsay Davenport USA
11. Anastasia Myskina RUS
12. Nicole Vaidisova CZE
13. Martina Hingis SUI
14. Francesca Schiavone ITA
15. Dinara Safina RUS
16. Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER
17. Daniela Hantuchova SVK
18. Flavia Pennetta ITA
19. Ai Sugiyama JPN
20. Ana Ivanovic SCG

Mauresmo surely undisputed No 1 now that she's reigning champion at two Slams and the year-end championships. (For me, the Wimbledon win validated the slightly dodgy Australian win in retrospect - and really, if JHH had crushed her, the doubts over Australia would have got even bigger.) First Williams-free top 20 since...since Venus first got there! In 1998! Venus now 23, Serena now 140. Li Na is the highest-ranked Chinese player in history at 22; the endlessly slumping Karolina Sprem crawls back into the top 50 at 49; surprise quarter-finalist Brémond is up to 65. Everyone's favourite Polish debutante Agnieszka Radwanska leaps from 217 to 127.