Wimbledon Preamble

We've undergone a fantastic start to the grass season this year. The draws are out, the schedule is set, and the regular crop of superstars is already settled in and practicing ahead of the Royal Games at Wimbledon.

A series of warm-up tournaments have been rolled up inside the trophy cases of such contenders as Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Nicolas Mahut.


Murray Wins at Queens

At the Aegon Championships in Queens, Andy Murray uprooted Croatian defending champ Marin Cilic to reclaim the ATP 250 series title since he (Murray) last won it in 2011. The two exchanged the first two sets at 7-5, with Murray losing the first and Cilic showing some smart moves that even the defending US Open champ couldn't conquer. But the British No. 1 was not to be pushed around in the decider and impressively earned his third Queens title (the first being in 2009).

Andy Murray d. Marin Cilic 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 at Queens, London

Federer Wins at Halle

At the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, meanwhile, Mikhail Youzhny of Russia could do precious little to stop top player Roger Federer from claiming his sixth victory at the ATP 250 series tournament. The crowd was eating up both men's performances, even as Mikhail won the first set 7-6. But the second set went more in Roger's direction, as Youzhny double-faulted himself into a 3-5 pit amid yells of frustration and increasing errors on both wings. The decider was much the same story; Federer sped through it to win, all smiles, his favorite warm-up tourney ahead of Wimbledon.

Roger Federer d. Mikhail Youzhny 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 at Halle, Germany

Mahut Wins in the Netherlands

Swiss  No. 2 player Stanislas Wawrinka was more than a bit out of rhythm in his finals match against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. Stan was outsmarted, outmaneuvered and outpaced by Mahut's noteworthy finesse with the ball on the grass court at 's-Hertogenbosch (or Den Bosch, to avoid the mouthful) and surrendered the match in straight sets. This is Mahut's first title win at the Topshelf Open (formerly known as the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships) and his first title of the year.

Nicolas Mahu d. Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 at Den Bosch, Netherlands

Lopez Wins at Eastbourne 

Spaniard  Feliciano Lopez recorded his first ATP title win in three years by defeating Gilles Simon of France at the Aegon International in Eastbourne, UK. The first set tiebreak went the way of the lefty Lopez, while Simon took the second set in another tiebreaker. However, Lopez got an early break in the deciding third and raced to a 5-0 lead against Simon, who seemed too discouraged to turn things around. Lopez had match point with a break opportunity on Simon's serve when the Frenchman slipped on the grass and sailed the final forehand long, awarding Lopez the win while he sat, defeated, on his bum.

Feliciano Lopez d. Gilles Simon 7-6, 6-7, 6-0 at Eastbourne, UK

 Isner Wins at Newport

American John Isner has made it a hat trick at the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island by beating Australian Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4. [The highlights video for this match will be posted when available.]

John Isner with Hall of Fame trophy in 2013

Other ATP top players like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have opted to show up at Wimbledon without warm-up titles under their belts, so how can we expect them to perform on the grass at the All-England Club, where play begins on Monday, June 24?

For Novak, it will be a much smoother transition as his athleticism is unlikely to be hampered by the surface on which the 2011 Wimbledon champion has proven he can handle. For Rafa, however, with his recovering knee and preference for faster surfaces, this may be a real challenge. Roger Federer, a seven-time champion here, will not be feeling too unfamiliar, while Andy Murray must have a bit of vengeance on his mind as he fell to the Swiss No. 1 just last year in an emotional battle that ended in tears.

Moreover, the draws have placed Djokovic in a world of his own in the top half, whereas Nadal, Federer and Murray are all crowding up the bottom half. An upset seems inevitable and we can't really tell at this point who's going to be sent packing prematurely.

What we can do is watch closely for signs of strength (and weakness) and continue to.....

 Breathe tennis!!