Wimbledon 2014 Mens Finals - Where it end all - Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic

Awesome match and a fitting climax for a tournament full of upsets, its Wimbledon Final come Sunday and it will be contested by 7 time Champion Roger Federer and the No.1 Seed Novak Djokovic.


Federer

Key Strengths - Experience , Grass court movements, Serve and finally anticipation.

A-Game - Serve, volley, aggression, grass court movements, big forehands [all], backhand slices, topspins and flatout shots DTL and experience in handling points and holding nerves.

Weakness - Lack of Stamina to play a longer 5 set game [compared to his prime], Mid match focus lapse, Loops balls on backhands, slow 2nd servers [off late a big problem].

Crowd Support - Big time on, will be undoubtedly the crowd favorite , 80-20 should be expected.

Historical Achievement - First ever Men's Champion of all time [Yes all time] to win 8 Wimbledon titles. 18 Grand Slams.


Djokovic

Key Strengths - Return, movement, stamina, Backhand [all], Big points play.

A-Game - Backhand [all], Forehand [all], Super Serbian Serves, Rebound Aces [Returns], Pace Variance [Slow and Fast Mix], passing shots, lobs, slices, top spins, volleys, drop shots.

Weakness - Grass court movements, lack of confidence, mid match focus lapse pressure to perform and Lack of Crowd Support

Crowd Support - Generally loves to play against the crowd, it won't be different tomorrow, 20% plus support should be expected.

Historical Achievement - Multiple Wimbledon Winner, World No. Status

H2H

In General - Federer 16-14
@Wimbledon - Federer 1-0
@GS Finals - Federer 1-0
@GS - Federer 6-5
@All Finals Djoko 5-4

Wimbledon 2014 Stats

Djoko vs Fed

Aces - 73 vs 69
DF - 9 vs 5
1st Serve in 68 vs 66
Server Broken 8 vs 1
Service Held - 93% vs 98%
Forehand Winners 53 vs 56
Backhand Winner 55 vs 31
Time on Court 15:09 vs 10:16

Prediction: Djoko is more or less determined and I guess destined to win his 2nd Wimbledon given his age , stamina and experienced coach Becker.

From N0.10 to No.1 in a months time - Djokovic at Race to London 2014

I have always loved the concept "Race to London", for the first time I see too much anomaly at the start of the year, yes its just 2 month but lot of interesting things already, who expected Wawrinka to top the Race by the end of 2nd month and who expected Djoko to lie on 10th place. Even if Djoko wins the upcoming masters IW he might still find himself at 5th place in the race. Is the consistency of other players slowly catching up with him?

Great to see Grigor Dimitrov and Cilic in the list.

Had Federer won the last set tie breaker against Djoko he would have been the No.1 in race to London and Djoko would have been in No.6.

Updated List after Miami Masters [Federer and Djoko are the prime gainers]
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Rank Name (Nation) Points Week Change Tournaments PLayed
1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 2,690 3 5
2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 2,595 1 6
3 Wawrinka, Stanislas (SUI) 2,470 -2 5
4 Federer, Roger (SUI) 2,190 -2 6
5 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 2,045 0 7
6 Dolgopolov, Alexandr (UKR) 1,130 3 10
7 Ferrer, David (ESP) 1,080 0 8
8 Nishikori, Kei (JPN) 1,025 7 7
9 Dimitrov, Grigor (BUL) 1,015 -1 6
10 Cilic, Marin (CRO) 1,010 -4 8
11 Murray, Andy (GBR) 1,000 0 7
12 Fognini, Fabio (ITA) 930 -2 8
13 Anderson, Kevin (RSA) 855 -1 6
14 Gulbis, Ernests (LAT) 800 -1 7
14 Isner, John (USA) 800 0 7
16 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 605 1 7
17 Gasquet, Richard (FRA) 570 1 8

Back to Back Masters win has propelled Djoko from No.10 in the race to No.1 in the race, for the first time in this year the race and the ranking has coincided with the Top 5 with Dolgopolov breaking the ice with No.6 spot in the Race ahead of Ferrer.

Andy Murray wins Wimbledon 2013

Andy Murray became the first British male champion at Wimbledon for 77 years on Sunday as he defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the final of The Championships.


Murray won his second Grand Slam championship, adding to his 2012 US Open triumph, as he became the first homegrown male winner at the All England Club since Fred Perry in 1936. His US Open victory last year had ended Great Britain’s 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II sent Murray a private message of congratulations.

Victory for Murray comes one year on from the heartache he suffered at the hands of Roger Federer in his first Wimbledon final. The turning point for the Scot came 28 days later, when he returned to Centre Court to beat the Swiss for the London 2012 Olympics gold medal.

"It feels slightly different to last year," joked Murray on court. "Last year was one of the toughest moments of my career. It was a tough match and an unbelievably long final game. I don't know how I managed to come through. I'm just so glad.

"I understand how much everyone wanted to see a British winner at Wimbledon. I tried my best. I've played Novak many times. He's going to go down as one of the biggest fighters. That made it extra tough; I just managed to squeeze through in the end."

Murray’s road to the title was not without drama. In the quarter-finals he rallied from two sets down for the seventh time in his career to beat Fernando Verdasco. Then, in the semi-finals against Jerzy Janowicz, he found himself at one-set-all and down 4-1 in the third set before fighting back to win in four sets.

Against Djokovic, he prevailed in three turbulent sets. After taking a two-set lead, Murray looked to be well on his way with an early break in the third. But Djokovic turned the set on its head by reeling off four straight games.

With the 15,000-strong Centre Court crowd roaring him on, adding to the 4,000 cheering fans on Henman Hill, Murray regained his composure to break back in the seventh game and again in the ninth game. With the crowd chanting “Andy, Andy, Andy” at the changeover, he came out and saved three break points before clinching victory on his fourth match point in just over three hours. The match was played in temperatures touching 40 degrees Celsius on Centre Court.

Del Potro marches on faces Cyborg World No.1 in the semis of WImbledon 2013

Juan Martin del Potro will play World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in his first Grand Slam semi-final since 2009 after defeating David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(5) in a terrific display of shot-making on Wednesday in the quarter-finals of The Championships at Wimbledon.

"Many things came to my mind after the match point," said del Potro. "It's my first semi-final here, another semi-final in a Grand Slam after a couple of years. I think I'm in the fight again with the top guys. That is my challenge for the future. And to be one of the four players left in this tournament, it means a lot for the future and for myself.


"I think I played my best tennis of the tournament. I'm so, so happy to be in the semi-finals. I played my best tennis. I hit really well my forehand and serve. At the end I played my best forehand ever in Wimbledon. I'm lucky the ball was in. It was a big performance from me. I'm so, so happy with my level at this moment. I beat one of the best players this season."

The Argentine is bidding to reach his second Grand Slam final, having defeated Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer back-to-back to win the 2009 US Open crown. He has a 3-8 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against the Serb, but those wins include victory in the bronze medal match on grass at the London 2012 Olympics and in March this year in the Indian Wells semi-finals, which was their last meeting.

"I will need to be 100 per cent or 110 per cent against him. He's the No. 1. He's a former champion here," said del Potro. "It's going to be a more difficult match for me like today. But if I'm okay, if I do everything good to be ready for my next match, I will be excited to play against him. I remember the match during the Olympics last year on the same surface. But this time the pressure is different. I will try to be ready and do my best."

"Of course del Potro has the chance to be in the final," said Ferrer. "He won one Grand Slam. He's a young player. I think he has everything to win another Grand Slam. He can do it."

For quite a while we have been saying Djoko not as popular among fans as Rafa is, but sponsors didn't see that way and Djoko's earnings [Prize money and sponsorship] seized ahead of Nadal. We can argue Nadal's prize money for 2012 is way too little as he took more than 1/2 the year in injury time out from the sport but that seemed to have affected his sponsorship as well.

Djoko is at 28 and Nadal is at 30 and no strange Fed sits a top of Tennis players and 2nd only behind Tiger woods for a whopping 70 + million income for last year.

For all those who think Fed should quit the game, think twice he makes 10 times more money in sponsorships just for playing the game, I guess he is doing the right thing by continuing his job, no wonder he wanna play for 5 more years, I am not saying he is money greed and playing for money, but what I am saying is this is his job and he does it to perfection. As long as as he plays the sponsors will still be queued up for him and whats wrong in it?

Roger Federer is No. 2 on Forbes Magazine’s list of World’s Highest-Paid Athletes with estimated earnings of $71 million in 2012, trailing just golfer Tiger Woods, who earned $78 million.

“Federer has the most impressive endorsement portfolio in sports,” writes Forbes, listing Nike, Rolex, Wilson, Credit Suisse and Moët & Chandon among his 10 sponsors.

“Federer is as bankable as they come,” the magazine explains of the 10-time ATP World Tour Fan Favourite. “He has never faced major injury that sidelined him for months, like many elite players, and over the past decade, he has reached at least the semi-finals in the vast majority of tournaments, which keeps him in front of TV viewers and in the press.”

Novak Djokovic (No. 28) and Rafael Nadal (No. 30) join Federer in the Top 100, along with WTA stars Maria Sharapova (No. 22), Serena Williams (No. 68) and Li Na (No. 85) - the only three women to make the list.

The magazine elaborates on the appeal of tennis for sponsors, calling it “wildly attractive” with its lucrative fan base, 11-month season and international reach.

“The demographics of its fans are strong thanks to high disposable incomes to be spent on tennis apparel, rackets, watches and cars,” Forbes writes. “In addition, the tennis season is almost year-round, keeping Federer in the spotlight… Another plus for tennis is the global nature of the sport, so Nike and Gillette can utilise him in advertising in Asia, Europe and the U.S.”

Rounding out the Top 10 are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Phil Mickelsen, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

French Open Day 11 - Can Wawrinka Stop Rafa?

What a day we had, finally a French hero rising to the occasion to down a legend, but his work is not over indeed got 2 crucial matches ahead to be considered as a GS champ. Rise of underdogs as been the theme of the day will it continue another day? the biggest question is can Wawrinka somehow outset the off-color Rafa?

Haas has in him to beat Nole, but not sure Wawrinka has in him to take Rafa to even 4 sets let alone a win, but would certainly love a complete underdogs semi.

Schedule of Matches

Court Philippe Chatrier
2:00 PM Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [18] vs. Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2]


Followed byMen's Singles - Quarterfinals
Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3] vs.Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [9]

Court Suzanne Lenglen
2:00 PM Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) [12] vs.Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [3]

Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] vs.Tommy Haas (GER) [12]

Jelena is a surprise semi's in my view, could get toasted at Sharapova's hands, Kirlenko vs Vika could be interesting, Two Maria's can do it.

I would love to see Wawrinka -Nadal match start atleast an hour early, so if miracle happen and Wawrinka upset Rafa I will be fully rooting for Haas, if not I would love to see Nole-Rafa semi's, so either Waw-Haas or Nole-Rafa, no other combination pls.

Tommy Haas got a good 7 odds to win the match, if people buying the hype of underdogs then Tommy's odds are eye catching. Wawrinka gets 10 odds on the other hand, I won't advice this unless somebody is an extreme gambler .

Let the theme "Rise of Underdogs" continue, most tennis fans want to see a new champ, let see whether Haas and Warinka has any say in it.

Djokovic says that Roger Federer's return to World No. 1 will be well deserved

Novak Djokovic says that Roger Federer's return to World No. 1 will be well deserved if it happens. The Swiss will usurp the top spot from Djokovic in the South African Airways ATP Rankings if he wins a seventh Wimbledon title Sunday.

“If he wins and becomes No. 1, it's going to be well deserved,” Djokovic said. “He's played fantastic this year. He's been so consistent. If he wins, he wins. There's nothing I can do about it. The best player will win this tournament. I'm out.

I guess this speaks volume of how well players conduct themselves off and on the court these days, players have great respect for each other and understands this is just a game and not war.

Novak Djokovic Luck running out?

Novak Djokovic © Gallo Images

This match will be labelled some kind of classic, but in fact it was anything but. Far more noteworthy for the stakes than the performances, the drama lay only in a combination of extreme nerves from Nadal and the rain-affected conditions, in particular last night.

It opened in fairly predictable circumstances and Nadal sprinted to 3-0, 30-0 only to exhibit the tension that he normally masks. Djokovic also showed us the shape of things to come by giving up two breaks of serve on double faults. The Djokovic serve was abysmal, with under half 1st serves finding their mark. And so the match progressed fairly steadily to 6-4, 5-3 - despite turgid conditions - until the rain forced the players from the court.

On resumption Nadal secured that set and ran into a 2-0 lead only for heavy rain to come down. The effect on Nadal was astonishing; his shots lost their pace and kick, his movement deteriorated and he became weaponless. Djokovic sensed the kind of break he got at USO '11 when his desperate slap shot on match point surprised him by landing in, and he capitalised in the same way, playing tidy, controlled tennis against the hapless Nadal as eight games routinely came his way. Eventually good sense prevailed over the desire to keep the show on the and the match was suspended. That was the moment the final was decided; as predicted by many experienced posters there was to be no serious contest once the conditions became playable.

On resumption Djokovic showed what a factor the rain had been by being broken immediately, but he creditably played his best tennis of the match to hold on to 5-6, unable as he was though to make the slightest impression on the Nadal serve.

And so to the final game, and Djokovic reprised his nervous show earlier by cracking on the first break point, handing over the match with a fearful push of a 2nd serve. In truth Nadal probably appreciated it as his nerves were somewhat shredded.

So what do we learn from this? Quite lot really;

Nadal is still the man on clay, though perhaps we have seen more vulnerability than before. He was nervous long before the rain (choking up the early 3-0 lead).

Djokovic fell sadly short on his big day, and in reality needed a downpour to give the scoreline a respectable look. In hot conditions this would have been a schooling. The double faults on THREE break points brought back memories of the "Chokovic" tag he earned after losing the USO 2007 first set to Federer. He will win more Slams, as Federer has declined, Nadal perhaps leaning that way and no competition in sight, but the myth of INAT has been laid bare.

It wouldn't be a bogbrush article without a mention of Federer! The old guy looked his years in labouring through this event but his two runs in the past (three, if you count the USO 2009 loss as also stopping him) at the Grand Slam will be revised upward, having taken sets off Nadal in his final attempts in prime clay conditions. He will also feel that the #1 slot is still there to take - he's survived his worst phase of the year, passed the highest points to defend and will fancy his chances of pipping Djokovic.