Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend warm birthday greetings to Chris Evert, blonde beauty and winner of 18 Grand Slams. Enjoy your day!

Chris Evert

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to convey sincerest birthday wishes to former World No. 1 and 12-time Major champion, Billie Jean King. What a legend!

Billie Jean King

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Changing Tides in the ATP

We're approaching the US Open, the culmination of the hard court tennis season, and I think we'd be foolish to anticipate anything boring in the wings. Do you feel the winds of change blowing across our faces? Brand new giants are rising up, titans are uprising, GOAT contenders are appearing, newbies are getting their proverbial feet wet and (some might say unfortunately) legends are dying and weaning and fading away.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Andy Murray seems most able to walk away with the USO trophy if the past two grand slams have been any indication of who's coming into form and who's losing their touch.

Federer and Nadal have both suffered several early round exits, while Djokovic seems literally stunned by Murray's newly found confidence and finals "clutch". Murray has more to fear now in the lower ranked players than in the three men in whose shadow he seemed perpetually enveloped.

Now that he has broken through that tough multi-Grand Slam barrier, is there anyone who can stop him? Arthur Ashe Stadium may tell us. Stay here for live coverage and news.

Breathe tennis!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend warm 23rd birthday wishes to former World No. 1 and our little Danish cupcake, Caroline Wozniacki. Enjoy your big day!!

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to convey hearty 68th birthday greetings to Virginia Wade, three-time Grand Slam champion - the 1968 US Open, 1972 Australian Open and the Wimbledon Championships in 1977. Have an awesome day!!

Last British Ladies' Singles Champion at Wimbledon, Virginia Wade (1977)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Today also marks what would be the 70th birthday of American tennis legend Arthur Ashe, who held the US Open victory in the same year as Virginia Wade. Arthur Ashe, like Wade, won every Grand Slam except for the French Open. Rest in peace, glorious titan!!

Arthur Ashe: July 10, 1943 to February 6, 1993

The Petite Francaise & The Long-Awaited Brit

It's been a while since our senses were tingled the way they were over the weekend during the last two showdowns at the All-England Club. Our eyes certainly beheld sights they hadn't anticipated, by the crowning victories of two underdogs who proved themselves worthy of coronation at the final ceremony; and I can't speak on anyone else's behalf but my ears sure were surprised by the "pop!" that shot off the rackets of the female finalists in their epic confrontation on Saturday.

Marion Bartoli's very first serve in court died like a lead cannon underneath the frame of Sabine Lisicki's racket. That first game was taut with tension already, and Lisicki emerged from it with an early break. However, Bartoli did not leave her ruthlessness at home and immediately broke back, then broke again in Lisicki's next service game to go up 3-1.

Trailing 1-5, Lisicki seemed to have met her match in power and playing style in the petite Frenchwoman and was lambasting herself (rightly so) for her amassed unforced errors. Yet another netted forehand handed Marion the game and the set 6-1; she pumped her fist in determined passion and Sabine couldn't look more despondent.

She tried in earnest to clamp down on errors in the second set, did Lisicki, but Marion only exploited her resulting tenacity to go up a break and 2-1. It's been only about half an hour since the start of the match and Sabine really hasn't begun to threaten Bartoli's serve, whereas her own is under increased pressure with every service game.

The fifth game seemed to be going the way of the German, but Marion would not let up and soon forced - and captured - a break of serve. With the match slipping away, Sabine must have felt the nerves of inexperience creeping through her system, while her seasoned opponent was really finding her rhythm on the court.

Poor decisions came in torrents thenceforth, including a "drop-volley" that landed so snugly in the doubles alley, you'd think that's where she wanted it to go. Follow the ensuing break of serve with a love hold by Marion and we've got another 5-1 predicament for the young Sabine. Thankfully, she would hold. No embarrassing scoreline for the woman who beat Serena Williams -- Serena Williams!! -- to get here. And then she would break the Frenchwoman's serve - brava! - for a more manageable 4-5 trail. And to think she was in tears just three games before.

Now, the pressure rested on Bartoli's ability to draw on her years of wisdom, including her quarterfinal-or-better performance at every single Grand Slam, in order to see her through one ultimate service game.

It began with a sixteen-shot rally in which Sabine had the upper hand but choked on the gas to give Marion a short ball that was punished by a brilliantly angled cross-court backhand return.

The second point was a swinging serve near the far corner of the service box; Lisicki mis-stepped and threw the return out wide.

The next serve went down the tee and a one-two punch ground-stroke wrong-footed the German again. Wow, was she making it that easy for Bartoli? 40-0.

Out wide went the serve, up high flew the dust, and on her knees went Marion Bartoli, overcome with emotion at her first major title win.

The winning moment for Marion Bartoli

The wily Novak Djokovic commenced his Wimbledon 2013 final bid with a service hold. British would-be savior Andy Murray responded with a hold of his own. Sunday's proceedings were about to get messy and we all knew it.

Despite being both big and clean hitters of the ball, Murray would find an early break for 2-1. The sound of the ball popping off their rackets was the loudest sound in the stadium. Following suit, Djokovic broke back in the very next game to equalize at 2-2, then hold for a 3-2 lead on serve.

Game six would see Andy looking much more comfortable, serving big and handling the overhead well to grasp a love hold for 3-3. Already Novak is pulling tricks out of the bag to play in the mind of the World No. 2.

Case in point: down 0-15 in the next service game, Djokovic tested Murray's defense with a smash, a lob and a volley, all in the same point, only to find that Andy was more than capable of returning each put-away with interest. Nole would eventually miss the forehand down the line to give Murray 0-30. Slightly frustrated by this turn of events, Novak challenged a cross-court backhand of his called wide, but hawk-eye showed it was indeed out and abracadabra Muzzah had triple break point. Wouldn't you know, the Serb would miss the first serve and Murray would punish the second to break again for a 4-3 lead. Would he be able to consolidate this time though?

Could the sorrow of last year's loss have crept into Murray's mind at this point? It may well have, considering he made two double faults to open the eighth game. It turned into a long, multiple-deuce game at that, with Djokovic fighting his way to break point. Access denied! said Murray with a smashing forehand down the line. Convincing hold. 5-3.

"Mr. Resilient" is an alias of Novak Djokovic: he battled back from 0-30 down in the next game to hold for 4-5.

But the ghost of Fred Perry guided Murray's serving arm through four huge serves for a love hold and ownership of the first set, 6-4.

Service games began long and tight in the second set. The commentators were implying that Djokovic was approaching the net far too often to stop from extending the rallies after his marathon semifinal against Del Potro; however, Djokovic came out on top in back-to-back 20+ rallies and fought without face and through slips and falls to hold for 4-1.

Game six was a strange one. When Murray hit a close shot at the baseline, Djokovic hit the return well wide......then tried to challenge Murray's shot? Of course, the umpire refused to comply and we in the audience could tell from hawk-eye (and intuition) that the shot in question was indeed in bounds. In the next point, Djokovic missed an easy forehand so that Murray was able to hold for 4-2. Oh dear, are we seeing signs of mental weakness from the Serbian legend?

He would double-fault himself out of rhythm for a 15-40 deficit in the following game. But it's been "only" an hour and thirty-nine minutes. Much, much more tennis to be had. Nole erased both break points to make it deuce. Andy had different plans, however, and would laser an 86 mph forehand across the court to gain the advantage. Soon thereafter, Djokovic lamely surrendered the break with another double fault.

This 4-3 lead will be worthless if Andy doesn't consolidate, say the mumbles of every Brit fan crowding Center Court and its surroundings.

With things getting tougher on serve, Murray was ballsy to plant an ace out wide on the line, then play a risky drop-shot to prevent a break chance and hold for 4-all.

5-5. Djokovic had been out of challenges for a while now but starting yelling to the umpire about another questionable baseline shot from Murray, and again he's wrong. Andy then conjured up two break points and took the second for a 6-5 lead. He would serve out the second set to love, 7-5.

It must have been the gods of tennis looking down upon Andy Murray that day; it was the hottest day at Wimbledon over the entire fortnight and Djokovic was a world above Murray......in unforced errors, 21-11; the one which sealed the opening game for Murray was a wide backhand.

Successive love holds from both players set the tone at 2-1, favour of Murray. He'd be soon on the back pedal at 2-4.

But the US Open reigning champ reappeared right away with break opportunities on the Serb's serve. Breathing hard after saving the first, Novak would give up the second chance and the break lead.

Spiral/helical blue and green lights above the stands flashed silently as Nole tripped and fell for a second time to ruin blinding forehand point for 15-15.

The likes of Bradley Cooper, Gerard Butler and Wayne Rooney were all in the audience, hoping, like any other, that Great Britain has a long-awaited champion in the dude from Dunblane.

He (Novak) would hold for 4-4, but must have felt it was getting rather ridiculous: Andy had come back from every break down to level things out against the odds. Errors were piling up for the World No. 1 and he was trying out EVERYTHING in his arsenal but Murray had the solution for each weapon. Sign of the times when Djokovic netted the forehand to hand Murray a 5-4 lead and chance to serve for the championship.

Andy's girlfriend Kim Sears looked pumped up as ever. She had good reason to be. Her guy was on the verge of an historical turning point.

One backhand wide from Novak: 15-0.

Andy then put away a clever drop-shot: 30-0.

Big serve. Return long. 40-0. Triple championship point!

Nole was too good at the net: 40-15.

Novak blasted the nervous second serve: 40-30.

Andy's turn to be nervous, he pushed the backhand long: deuce.

Then he netted an inside-out forehand to give Nole the advantage.

A good body serve followed and we were back to deuce.

The net cord found favour with Novak at an opportune time: advantage Djokovic.

Luckily, Murray would remember his ranking and his nerve to recover for deuce #3.

But he was underestimating the Serb - Novak will never just 'go away'. It's break point Djokovic again.

But again, Andy found a way to shut him out. What's that we were saying about Nadal the Great Counter-Puncher? Oh never mind? Okay then. Deuce #4.

The first serve had completely gone away in this unforgettable game. But Murray would find a fifth chance to close it out at home.

And he did it.

His mum was in tears......he had won. Kim oh-emm-gee'd almost in slo-mo. Butler's mouth was agape.

Forget bringing the trophy home after how many decades - this is what it takes to make Ivan Lendl smile.

Andy Murray, two-time Grand Slam champion

Breathe tennis!!

Same Script, Slighty Different Cast

The past decade or two of tennis in the Open Era has been marked by the success of a handful of individuals who, by their triumphs, losses, spirit and consistency, are all GOAT material, much to the dismay of their lower ranked colleagues. Now, it would seem their victorious era is coming to a sputtering end. One may question the match fitness of Roger Federer, the physical health of Rafael Nadal and the confidence of Serena Williams, now that all three have graciously stepped out of Wimbledon this year. None of these three withdrew, unlike some of their younger rivals, however; we can see that the hunger to win is still lion-like. But how long do we have until they cannot compete at the highest level anymore?

The answer may not be easily attained, but we have a clear idea of who is just itching to fill up their shoes once they become retirees like Andy Roddick and Mary Joe Fernández.

Andy Murray

He's just won a convincing semifinal against Jerzy Janowicz of Poland.

The boys both held serve fairly well to begin with; a point to remember happened when Andy was serving at 2-2. The Brit showed us his wheels by chasing down the kind of ball that even David Ferrer wouldn't bother going after AND producing a stunning backhand on it that forces Jerzy's lob return to fall wide.

But the Pole had definitely brought out his biggest guns with massive serves and delicate drop-shots. Neither player had a decent look at a break point and they both held for twelve combined games in that set, forcing a tiebreak.

Janowicz's big serve put him in a good position at 6-2 in the tiebreak and Murray would forfeit the set with a double fault.

Second set: Janowicz returned the favor by double-faulting at 30-40 to give the Muzzah an easy break. Andy remained a break to the good, all the way to 6-4, wrapping up that set.

Third set: Andy slowed down a bit, flinching under the pressure of Janowicz's deft touch and untouchable service games. Jerzy took charge then and raced to a 4-1 lead. But when both fellas tried to out-net-play one another, it's Andy who came out on top with two successive breaks to lead for the first time at 5-4 with the chance to serve for the set. Murray got hit in the back from a smash by Jerzy at the net on his first set point but maintains his composure to secure the set soon thereafter.

It's two hours and twenty-four minutes into the match when they decided to close the roof. Murray wasn't too happy about that as he probably felt the twenty-minute wait would kill the momentum he was just starting to build. Quite frankly, the World No. 2 had a point: it wasn't raining, neither was it sufficiently dark to justify it. Janowicz was begging for this about half an hour ago, so he got a delayed grant to his wish.

The roof closure didn't seem to help his predicament much, though. Murray soon broke him, channeling his obvious frustration within a chugging train of huge serves and sharp ground-strokes. 3-1 Murray.

Andy was running and running and running away with this set, taking out all his anger on the racket with what the commentators often call 'controlled aggression'.

It's in the blink of an eye that he had Janowicz on the ropes at 5-3, with the Pole needing to hold serve to stay in this. But Jerzy was desperately laying it all out with double faults and wild shots everywhere to give Andy match point at 30-40. Of course, he missed the first serve. And Andy drove  a rare soft second serve to claim the match in fine style.

You dare to question the British #1's clutch? I advise you to think twice. He finds himself caged in a corner often, yes. Sure, he had to come back from two sets down against Verdasco the other day but the scent of a second consecutive Wimbledon final appearance was on his nose even then and he bounced back well enough. We may have laughed earlier on this year if he'd said he felt he could end the year in the top spot. But it doesn't look quite so impossible now, does it? It's Muzzah time.

World No. 2 Andy Murray

Novak Djokovic

The Serbian prince hasn't got too much left to prove, with six Grand Slams already under his belt. But he isn't anywhere near slowing down, either.....and the same cannot be said of Roger or of Rafa at the moment. He faces Murray in the final showdown on Sunday after a marathon win over Juan Martin Del Potro on Friday.

Sabine Lisicki

The German blonde with the pretty smile was certainly not showing it off early on in her match versus World No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska (Janowicz's compatriot) on Thursday. Lisicki had to fight very hard to grab the first set from Aggie, who showed up with both thighs taped up after a grueling match against Li Na two days before. 6-4 Lisicki.

If you'll recall, Radwanska was the highest seeded player in the ladies' singles draw and had to show some tenacity to draw out a heap of errors from Sabine and claim the second set 6-2.

Wimbledon says Steffi Graf was the last German woman in the finals here. Lisicki must have made her proud by winning that encounter, even if only after throwing away her first chance to serve for the match and having to play a tense tiebreak.

Final score: 6-4, 2-6, 9-7.

Ahh, that smile..... :)

Which brings us to the weekend.....

On Saturday, a brand new name will echo throughout the bleachers on Center Court when either Marion Bartoli or Sabine Lisicki walks up the podium with the coveted Rosewater Dish.

Then on Sunday, Andy Murray will try to stop Novak Djokovic from creeping closer to Roger Federer's seventeen-count tally of major titles by bringing home the gold this time around.

Of course, live streams can be found here and you know where to come back to for more tennis news.

Breathe tennis!!

The Last Four

When we first set out on this incredible journey of tennis frenzy, we had our odds packed in the corners of the "Big Four": among the gentlemen - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray - and among the ladies - Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska. We hadn't the faintest idea that all our little notions and predictions were about to be thrown out the window.

The Wimbledon Trophies

Yet here we are, on the eve of the semifinals, with more than half of each "Big Four" team missing.

The first to go was Rafael Nadal. No amount of praise for his remarkable comeback from career-threatening injury is going to take away from how unprepared he was to compete in back-to-back Grand Slam tournaments with a knee that was - pardon the pun - just learning how to walk again, or, more importantly, how extraordinarily well his conqueror Steve Darcis played on that humid first Monday on Court 1. Camp Nadal deserves a serious conk in the head for fumbling with the Spaniard's tournament schedule. An ostentatious over-estimation of one man's bounce-back-ability has probably worsened Rafa's physical match fitness, possibly irreparably and in both knees.

On Tuesday came the withdrawals, most notably that of second seed Victoria Azarenka. The Belarusian was literally crying after she fell and hurt her right knee during her first round match against Maria João Koehler, again on Court 1. That slide in the grass did not hinder her winning that match but it impeded her continuing her contest for the title; she withdrew shortly before her second round match that Wednesday. She was a serious contender for the trophy and would have played Flavia Pennetta.

Roger Federer's loss was the one that very few saw coming from afar. The seven-time Wimbledon champion failed to defend his title in what should have been an easy second round win against a player ranked outside the top 100, Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine. The first set was already under Federer's belt with an easy tiebreak hold when the tides began to change in the second. Stakhovsky was refusing to go away and forced another tiebreak in the second set. A wild forehand mishit would give the Ukranian the chance he needed to equalize. With things drawn even, a tantalizing set of cat and mouse ensued in set three, with Sergiy miraculously ending up on top after breaking Roger's serve at 5-5 to win the third set 7-5. The fourth set was the lengthiest by time at 50 minutes, but it seemed like no time at all had elapsed before Federer was serving to stay in the match in yet another tiebreak. He managed to overcome the first match point against him, but a crafty backhand slice from the Ukranian forced his backhand return just wide of the service line and Stakhovsky so achieved a great feat in Wimbledon tennis.

Maria Sharapova was also a casualty among the fallen at the All-England Club. Portugal's Michelle Larcher De Brito was the one who uprooted the third seed from the ladies' singles draw with a straight sets win in the order of 6-3, 6-4. In Maria's defense, the grass on Court 2 was so slippery that any change in direction had her stumbling like the "cow on ice" she once described herself as (referring to her clay court form earlier on in her career). But the Russian seemed too shaken to even hold her own and really let Larcher De Brito get the best of her.

Serena Williams has been the latest of surprise losers in the draw; her defeat comes at the hands of Sabine Lisicki, the German 23rd seed. Sabine proved to be the tougher opponent in their face-off on Center Court on Monday. Serena's winning form was nowhere to be seen during the match, except for the second set. Lisicki had just enough pressure match experience to keep her composure at all the right times. That's how you take it to Serena Williams.

So neither of last year's names will be etched into the Gentlemen's Singles gilt cup or the Venus Rosewater Dish this time around; history will be made one way or another, and new ground will be trodden upon by the brave and kicking contenders left in the draw......

With two finals spots up for grabs, Sabine Lisicki will face Agnieszka Radwanska while Marion Bartoli will battle Kirsten Flipkens in the semifinals on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the quarterfinals in the Gentlemen's Singles draw features Novak Djokovic/Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer/Juan Martin Del Potro, Lukasz Kubot/Jerzy Janowicz and Fernando Verdasco/Andy Murray.

The Big Four may be, for all intents and purposes, gone.....but the Last Four are palpably close to defying the odds at Wimbledon to give us new and refreshing champions.

Breathe tennis!!

Breaks and Breakthroughs

Wimbledon, Day 7

Ladies

Well, the days of upsets are not yet at an end beyond the pearly gates at the All-England Club. Manic Monday's shocker is Serena Williams's loss to 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki. The top seed and defending champion started more than okay with routine service holds. But Serena's usual composure seemed to melt down, first into complacence and then into a sort of baffling apathy.

Her opponent was still too self-focused to notice the frequent lapses in intensity; but Lisicki was quick to turn the heat up, going back behind Serena on the ground-strokes to make the 31-year-old look more, well, her age.

Serena was soon flopping most uncharacteristically around the baseline and the net and the mid-court trying, with utter futility, to stop the roll that her German rival was on.

Broken twice to end up set point down at 2-5, 0-40, it's hard to tell if Serena even noticed that her opponent was serving just as massively as she was, but winning all the big points as well. Lisicki took the first break chance and wrapped up the first set with a strong fist pump.

Williams, however, hasn't become a 16-time major champion by lying on her belly. Reacting well to the pressure of extending her 34-match win streak and retaining her title, Serena's effort to bounce back in the second was felt most emphatically. Before long, she had come back to win it 6-1.

The decider was all Williams as well. Matching firepower with firepower, she would soon grind out a 4-2 lead, with fortune, flair and experience all on her side.

Sabine, however, fought gruesomely to break back for 4-all and then the unthinkable happened: Lisicki played a drop-shot that had Serena stumbling towards the net, then nailed the volley down the tee to break for 5-4 with the chance to serve for the match.

And boy did she come through. Williams seemed more and more shaken with every point that led to dethronement and the ruthless Lisicki wrapped the ball around her a million ways to pull off yet another upset at Wimbledon this year, beating the reigning champ 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.

For match highlights, click here.

Serena Williams (L) lost to Sabine Lisicki (R) on Monday

Kaia Kanepi did indeed stop the inspired Laura Robson from giving England a "son-of-the-soil" win this year; Kanepi defeated the 19-year-old in a stiff match that ended 7-6, 7-5. Perhaps feeling her country's expectations heavy on her back, Robson surrendered the lead in the first set twice before losing it in a tense tiebreak, then was broken at 5-5 in the second to hand Kaia the victory in straights.

Marion Bartoli, Petra Kvitova and Li Na all dismantled their fourth round opponents in straight sets, while Sloane Stephens and Agnieszka Radwanska needed deciders to book their spots in the quarters.

Click here to watch today's matches.


Gentlemen

Jerzy Janowicz won a marathon match against Jürgen Melzer by 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, while Ferrer, Del Potro, Verdasco and Berdych made it through also to the quarterfinals.

Hometown favorite Andy Murray still has not dropped a set in his bid this year to go one win further than last year; he beat World No. 26 Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

Beginning in fine form, Murray showed Youzhny the meaning of the ranking difference between them and broke fancily to serve out the first set. Showing more emotion that is usual for the Scot, Murray was fist-pumping almost Rafa-like with every tough point won.

Youzhny fought back as best as he could to come back in the second but, with the crowd enormously on his opponent's side, and Murray feeling as confident as ever, there wasn't much he could do to prevent a tiebreak. And Andy, urging the crowd to cheer him on, would soon recover from a mini-break and win the tiebreak.

The third set was by far easier for Murray to work through; his rival had pulled every trick out of the bag and still not managed to seriously threaten the World No. 2. The 31-year-old Russian Mikhail Youzhny would be broken a few more times before the adept and strong hands of Andy Murray ended the match with a forehand volley.

Pumped up Andy Murray on Day 7 at Wimbledon 2013

Novak Djokovic was more than comfortable on Center Court while completely outplaying back-in-form veteran Tommy Haas. Djokovic would take the first set 6-1, undoing any imaginings Haas may have had that beating the World No. 1 would have been easy.

Haas did sort of threaten the Novak serve in the second set but couldn't follow through with securing the set and eventually lost it 4-6, digging himself a monumental two set hole.

Still not admitting defeat, however, Haas clamped down on errors and forced a few out of Djokovic to produce an all-or-nothing tiebreak in the third. That is when the top seed showed his very finest work, answering every question that Haas asked on the racket and taking the set and the match with a 7-6 (7-4) tally.

Tomorrow, Berdych will try to stop the Serb from claiming his second Wimbledon title and, if Haas's experience is any indication, it certainly will not be an easy task.

Novak Djokovic is into the QFs at the All-England Club

For a view of the official draw, click here.

Breathe tennis!!

Two-Day Report: Catch-Up Complete

Wimbledon, Days 5 and 6

We need more sunny days like this.

Although it means some have had to play back-to-back matches the past few days at Wimbledon, we are all done playing catch-up and will resume regular schedule fourth round match play for everyone on Monday. Here is some of the action from Friday and Saturday which has brought us to this point.






GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES

Jerzy Janowicz sent an exuberant Spaniard packing; he beat Nicolas Almagro in straight sets - 7-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Great Britain's greatest hope for a local champion, Andy Murray, did more than keep their expectations high and inspired; he outplayed tour vet Tommy Robredo in a 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 victory that was marked by the World No. 2 breaking Robredo's serve on a number of occasions. The 26-year-old seems more than capable of reaching the finals here again this year and, without the mental monster that is Roger Federer standing in his way, his only real obstacle to the trophy seems to be Novak Djokovic.

Despite the comforting presence of one Maria Sharapova in the audience, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov could not stop the tenacious Grega Zemlja of Slovenia from striking the last blow in their second round match on Friday, which ended 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 11-9. Now, Dimitrov and Sharapova can only watch the proceedings at home. Zemlja would, if it's any consolation to Grigor, be stopped by Juan Martin Del Potro in the third round match the next day.

To make it into the Round of 16, David Ferrer of Spain would beat countryman Roberto Bautista Agut and then the Ukranian Dolgopolov. This may not be his surface of choice but he will try, as always, to break through and win his first Grand Slam title. Seeing that Rafa and Roger are out of the draw, his chances look better than usual.

Stakhovsky couldn't continue his run after beating Federer; Jürgen Melzer gifted him the trip back home with a hard-earned four-set win.

After reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last month, Germany's Tommy Haas is having another great Grand Slam run; he's defeated Taiwanese Jimmy Wang and Spain's Feliciano Lopez to book a spot in the fourth round.

Near perfection, Novak Djokovic is the easy favorite left to win.

Jeremy Chardy may have beaten Struff in the second round but had his deep run aspirations snuffed out by the man himself, Novak Djokovic. Nole looks downright unstoppable and is playing the sort of top rank tennis that has frustrated just about every one of his opponents and earned him the No. 1 spot as well as six major titles. Don't believe me? Take a look at a Day 2 point he won against Florian Mayer here. It'll soon be seven big ones for Novak and we all know it.


Ninth seed Richard Gasquet also fell to the wayside in a thriller from which Australian youngster Bernard Tomic emerged victorious - 7-6, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6. Bernie will face Tomas Berdych in the Round of 16 on Monday.

I sort of see VIktor Troicki and Mikhail Youzhny as having the same traits in personality and somewhat in playing style. So it does surprise me that their third round match wasn't a marathon five-setter that had its ups and downs, and wild swings in momentum. Instead, Troicki essentially rolled over to give Bulldog Youzhny a straights victory in the line of 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.

Italian Andreas Seppi managed an "upset" by beating Kei Nishikori, the twelfth seed at this tournament, in a match that ended 3-6, 6-2, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4.

And Fernando Verdasco made Ernests Gulbis seem like a rookie in their third round match on Saturday, easily dismantling the Latvian 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

For a full view of the R16 draw for Monday, July 1st, click here. That, by the way, is the beauty of a Grand Slam with no byes: you get such variety in the later rounds. Just like the players have been saying - there are no easy rounds. You give it your all every single time you step on court. No wins are handed to you. You have to reach your racket out and take them.


LADIES' SINGLES

19-year-old Laura Robson (GBR)

After Andy Murray, Laura Robson is Great Britain's next hopeful for a homegrown champion, and the 19-year-old seems up for the task, having beaten Marian Duque-Marino and Maria Erakovic to reach the fourth round, matching her best performance at a major since last year's US Open.

Will Kaia Kanepi be able to stop Robson's deep run? Monday will tell us.

Kanepi's losing opponent in the second round Angelique Kerber of Germany has received death threats on her social media accounts and although the persons have been identified, it is unclear what steps will next be taken. American Alison Riske also fell to Kanepi after beating Urszula Radwanska in the second round.





Germany still has expectations in the person of Sabine Lisicki who, despite her sometimes erratic performance, has reached the fourth round by defeating former US Open champ Sam Stosur 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Petra Kvitova, Sloane Stephens, Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska are also through to the Round of 16.

Serena Williams (L) and Kimiko Date-Krumm (R)

Breaking records as she progressed, 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm is the oldest female to reach the third round at Wimbledon but had the misfortune of meeting reigning champion Serena Williams there. Not to be condescending, but Kimiko moves great for her age and actually frustrated the meticulous Serena with her persistent and varied court presence. She wouldn't surrender a single point and the final scoreline of 6-2, 6-0 does little to laud the trouble she caused  Williams in almost every service game. For match highlights, click here.

Portugal's Michelle Larcher De Brito made history by beating Maria Sharapova in the second round but couldn't capitalize on the upset and was defeated 7-5, 6-2 by Italy's Karin Knapp. Knapp faces Marion Bartoli in the fourth round.


As Week 2 draws closer, we're divided in our expectations: more breakthroughs and upsets or more top stars finishing extravagantly? Maybe Wimbledon has a bit of both in store for us. Keep watching and....


Breathe tennis!!

Suspense at Wimbly

Wimbledon, Day 4

Match play at the All-England Club had us in suspense today. Wait, I mean lack of play....and we weren't really in suspense - matches were just being suspended. The rain really reigned at Wimbledon today; at least seven matches were suspended or postponed due to inclement weather at the British tennis club grounds.

Rain over Center Court on Day 4 at Wimbledon 2013

Gentlemen's Singles

Novak Djokovic made light work of the USA's Bobby Reynolds, dismissing the thirty-year-old in straight sets - 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-1.

Gasquet, Berdych and Nishikori all made it through, the latter two in straights.

Argentinian Juan-Martin Del Potro made a convincing entry into the third round by defeating US-turned-Canada representative Jesse Levine by a 6-2, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 straight sets scoreline.

And of course, what would the day be without some injury claims?

Spaniard Feliciano Lopez got a free ticket into the third when Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu retired after being down a set and a double break.

And then another Frenchman Michael Llodra said that his hamstrings were acting up and forfeited his singles match against Italian Andreas Seppi, but somehow found the strength to play (and win) his doubles match later in the day with compatriot partner Nicolas Mahut. What a quick and convenient recovery.

The suspended matches among the guys were Chardy vs Struff (6-2, 5-7, 1-2) and Dolgopolov vs Giraldo (6-4, 3-0), while Haas vs Wang and Spanish face-off Ferrer vs Bautista Agut were both postponed until tomorrow.

Who has what it takes to stop Nole? No one, methinks.

Ladies' Singles

Defending champion and top seed Serena Williams defeated Caroline Garcia with a 6-3, 6-2 victory. Don't be fooled though - Garcia, at a career-high ranking of 99, was very impressive in the wee stages of the first set, and it was only Williams's smashing serve and mental refusal to lose that settled things back to normal before it was too late.

Other Grand Slam winners who earned their spots in the third round are Li Na (French Open, 2011) who defeated Simona Halep 6-2, 1-6, 6-0 - if you're wondering what caused the second set blunder, Li admits that she lost concentration at the tail of the first set (post-match interview here, very interesting to watch) - and Sam Stosur (US Open, 2011) who beat Olga Puchkova by a 6-2, 6-2 tally.

Aggie Radwanska, Roberta Vinci and Madison Keys are all in, as well (full results).

Suspended matches were as follows:

• L. Robson vs M. Duque-Marino
• A. Kerber vs K. Kanepi
• U. Radwanska vs. A. Riske

Serena, perfectionist in her ways, really cleaned up her act to get the win.

Remember that you can watch live matches at the link here and, of course, do come back here to the Breathe Tennis blog for more tennis news.

Breathe tennis!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend heartfelt 28th birthday greetings to 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. Russia and the tennis world at large are pleased to have a heroine as exemplary as you. Do have a splendid day!!

Svetlana Kuznetsova with Roland Garros trophy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

No Ordinary Cup of Tea

Wimbledon Days 2 and 3

If you thought Nadal's loss to 135th ranked Darcis in the first round on Monday was shocking, wait 'til you hear this: no less than SIX top players in the gentlemen's and ladies' singles draws are out of the competition, some due to injury but a few (if you don't know, you'll never guess) due to shocking losses.

Among the ousted are:

Victoria Azarenka

 The Australian Open champ from Belarus screamed in pain on Monday when she fell awkwardly on the slippery grass but trudged on through the match towards a hard-earned victory. However, her withdrawal was announced shortly before her match against Flavia Pennetta of Italy today.

Maria Sharapova

Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito now has the privilege of reaching the third round of Wimbledon for the very first time after upsetting 3rd seed Maria Sharapova. The petite Portuguese fighter was all over Sharapova, preying on her less than perfect net approach and producing stunning passing shots that were a splendid surprise for the English crowd. Sharapova was becoming more and more flustered about the slippery grass conditions on court after a few falls here and there, one of which cost her a break. But her opponent Larcher de Brito would not let up and broke the Russian's serve several times on her way to serving out a straight sets victory on her fifth match point.

 For match highlights, click here.

Caroline Wozniacki

2-6, 2-6 was the final scoreline, one that will probably have Camp Wozniacki thinking long and hard about the young Dane's consistency on court. Petra Cetkovská is responsible for yet another upset at Wimbledon this year, beating in straight sets a former World No. 1 with relative ease. Cetkovská had the edge on Wozniacki in virtually every department, including 1st serve points won and break points converted. Caroline was only able to muster 6 winners and a 69% 1st serve percentage, whereas Cetkovská was brilliant at the net, winning 14 of 15 points there and converting four times out of eight on break opportunities. Wozniacki will want to end the drought of Grand Slam titles if she does not want to be remembered as the "no-hit wonder" of our time.

Roger Federer

Another multiple Grand Slam winner and personal favorite of the All-England Club, Roger Federer, is down and out after losing to Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine, ranked 116th in the world. A series of netted backhands on break points from Federer would give the twenty-seven-year-old the lead he needed to push Federer over the edge and into the loser's circle, Roger's worst performance at a major in ten years. Stakhovsky won most of the big points and kept the pressure on and precise to give the crowd yet another startle after Nadal's loss on Monday. 2 for 2 is the tally as far as the fallen of the Big Four are concerned. Is there more astonishment left in the bag for us or is a Murray-Djokovic final around the corner?

Federer waves goodbye at Wimbledon 2013

Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga

This is not the way Frenchman Jo-Willy Tsonga wanted to imitate the form of Spanish conqueror Rafa Nadal, I can safely assume. But both men have now lost their bids to be crowned Wimbledon 2013 champ thanks to bothersome left knees. The odds of Tsonga actually taking the title weren't very high in our minds to begin with, but now that he's given Latvian Ernests Gulbis a free pass into the third round, we must begin to wonder which country - or even continent - has a Grand Slam that the twenty-eight-year-old can win. He was well on his way, after defeating Federer in straights, to claiming the home crown at Roland Garros (and his first major title) less than three weeks ago but it was Rafa who took home the title for a record eighth time. Now, both France and Spain have lost their top players and the path looks clear as day for Djokovic to lift the trophy for the second time. Oh well, maybe next year Jo....

John Isner

Towering over most of the other contenders on tour at 6'9", American John Isner came into All-England Club this year among the few players with warm-up tourney titles under their belts. Isner had impressively won the Campbell's Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island just a few days ago by beating Aussie legend Lleyton Hewitt. High hopes are what he had to reach further in the rounds this year on the grass courts at Wimbledon, but after an injury timeout, he was forced to retire in his second round match versus Adrian Mannarino of France. Now America's last hope probably rests on the racket of 16-time major winner Serena Williams. Now, that's not so much of a wild dream, is it...

Steve Darcis

We said the gods of fortune wouldn't favor Steve Darcis - the man who beat Nadal on Monday - for too long. Darcis, the Belgian who seems to have instigated this upset domino effect, did not even step on court today for his second round match against Kubot of Poland, but withdrew with right shoulder pain after revealing to the press that a dive during his match against Nadal left him unable to move his arm after the adrenaline had worn off. So sorrow follows joy, but Darcis should be back next year for more; this isn't the first time he's had to deal with shoulder injuries and Ye Olde English Club could use a jaw-dropper of a match like that next year.

Also out, says tennis.com: "10th-seeded Marin Cilic (walkover, left knee); 2006 quarterfinalist Radek Stepanek (retirement, left hamstring); and Yaroslava Shvedova (walkover, right arm)."

The plot does grow thicker as the doubts shrink thinner for Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams. If the misfortune plaguing their best rivals does not touch them, they're almost guaranteed the singles titles. But, as we very well know.....it's too soon to say.

Top contenders left in the draw at Wimbledon 2013

For more information, stay here!

Breathe tennis!!

Nadal Can't Cope With Grass

Wimbledon, Day 1

Serena Williams avenged her early round upset at the French Open last year by claiming the title this year, eleven years after her first title victory there. Nadal couldn't even match his second round loss here last year to Lukas Rosol; he fell to Steve Darcis of Belgium on Monday, who is ranked 135th in the world, in his first round match on Centre Court.

Rafa warded off break points in his first two service games, already seeming shaky with some slips in the grass. Darcis would be quick and merciless in exploiting what was obviously his best chance to beat a top ten player for the very first time.

Commentators assumed that Nadal was merely finding his range during the first few games, wherein he was misjudging and mistiming shots, and eventually found himself triple break point down at 2-2. Tenacious net play and smart serving allowed him to save all three and then hold for a 3-2 lead.

But surprises were more than in store as Darcis broke Nadal in the eleventh game to lead 6-5 in the first set.

Counter-puncher Rafa would never concede defeat without a fight and broke back to force a tiebreak (It's strange, watching a twelve-time Grand Slam champion struggle to play catch-up), but Darcis was rolling with the momentum and quickly took the first set after one hour of play.

Set two was where the source of the problem became abundantly clear. The delicate knee, which held strong to give Rafa a record eighth French Open trophy just one week before, was finally showing signs of weariness and weakness after almost five months into the Spaniard's comeback tour.

Nadal's massive upper body strength facilitated decent serves and service holds for the first ten games of this set. He did not get a decent look at a break point on Steve Darcis's serve until the eleventh game, at which point Nadal was visibly uncomfortable - moving tentatively, returning awfully and barely allowing his body weight to fall on the left leg. Yet still, he broke for a 6-5 lead.

Serving for the set, I doubt anyone in the crowd anticipated the stroke of misfortune and immovability that brought him to 0-30 down in a matter of seconds, with the net cord and his knee both conspiring against him. Darcis's relentless play would then produce a break back to play out the second set in another tiebreaker.

In no time at all, Darcis had earned the second set 7-6 (10-8), dismissing Nadal's set points with ease.

Now chipping in every return of serve short and without much pace, chasing nothing, limping around, trying to run around every backhand (and failing miserably), missing practically all his first serves and struggling just to hold serve, Nadal found himself in heaps of trouble and in a more painful predicament than last year when the knee pain first arose: by favoring the right knee so greatly, he was essentially putting it under the same pressure that caused the left knee to fail.

But Darcis would not be distracted and maintained his assault on the injured Mallorcan, quickly making his way to 5-4 after two hours and fifty-three minutes. With the chance to serve it out, and Rafa looking as despondent and brave-faced as ever, the twenty-nine-year-old from Belgium whipped an ace down the tee, to which Nadal barely responded, and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history by beating a former champion in the first round, and certainly the greatest match win of his life.

Did Rafa predict that playing back-to-back majors with no warm-up tournaments and only a week of recovery in between would place far too much strain in transitioning his body? He has never lost in the first round of his previous 34 major campaigns but was keen in pre-match interviews not to admit whether he felt he could win the title and, although 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash expressed his confidence in Nadal's ability to pull through and win the title, someone in Rafa's camp must have known what an ask this was.

This takes nothing away from Steve Darcis, who played an amazing match chock-full of hot shots and such daring improvisation as is only really expected of players 125 spots or more above his ranking. The 5'10" right-hander is due to play Lukasz Kubot of Poland on Wednesday.

The lowest ranked player to ever win at the All England Club was Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia, who was ranked 125 at the time, BUT Australian Mark Edmondson who took his homeland title in 1976 when he was ranked 212th in the world, so it isn't entirely impossible for Darcis to defy the odds and win the championship.

However, with the top four players still looming in the imminent later rounds, I predict the Belgian isn't going to strike lightning twice, thrice or four more times.

For match highlights, click here.

Steve Darcis (L) d. Rafael Nadal (R) in Round 1 at Wimbledon

Federer Dismisses Hanescu

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer got off to a great start earlier on Monday with a  3-0 lead over Romanian Victor Hanescu. Hanescu was only able to hold serve in the fourth game but the score would soon be 5-2 and Roger would serve it out 6-3 after a must-hold from the Romanian.

Six minutes into the second set, Fed was again up 2-0, breaking Hanescu in the opening service game. Hanescu was trying to be aggressive but only came up with a pile of errors and handed the set to the Swiss former No. 1, 6-2.

By the third set, Roger was almost toying with Victor, turning virtually every shot into a winner. Down 0-4, Hanescu had reached the point where the crowd would cheer wildly on the rare occasion that he did win a point. On Hanescu's serve, Fed hit a lob good enough to foil the 6'6" frame of the Romanian to go up 5-0 and serve out the match.

After just one hour and nine minutes on centre court, Roger Federer had gotten the best of Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-2, 6-0.

For match highlights, click here.

Victor Hanescu of Romania

Sharapova Must Fight to Best Mladenovic

Maria Sharapova did not breeze through her opening match on Court 1 this Monday. Serbia-born French player Kristina Mladenovic (ranked 37th) stayed toe to toe with the 2004 Wimbledon champion throughout most of the first set.

Suffering a lapse in concentration over a scuff with the umpire about a serving rule during a point replay (about which she was sorely mistaken), Sharapova almost lost the first set but regrouped with excellent serving to take it 7-6 (7-5) in a tough tiebreak.

Finally remembering her ranking, Mladenovic began serving poorly in the second set and allowed MaSha too much leeway with a 4-1 lead over her.

Much more resolute than in her earlier years, Sharapova did not falter in grabbing the match with a 6-3 second set win.

For match highlights, click here.

Maria Sharapova (R) d. Kristina Mladenovic (L) in Round 1 at Wimbledon

Murray and Azarenka Also Through to 2R

Murray had little trouble displacing Benjamin Becker of Germany with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win on the grass courts at Wimbledon. British #1 Murray surrendered an early lead in the first and was late on seizing a break point, but it came with a set point then and there was nothing more Becker could do.

Vika battled through knee pain after an awkward slide in the grass to win her match against

Maria João Koehler of Portual 6-1, 6-2, after eliminating break point in the last service game.

Match highlights of Murray/Becker can be watched here; Azarenka/Koehler here.

Continue staying with us for all the latest updates at the All-England Club.

Breathe tennis!!

Wimbledon Live Streaming

I'm so sorry I forgot to post the link for live streaming.

You can watch today's matches and much more by clicking right here.

Enjoy it!

Breathe tennis!!

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!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend warm 33rd birthday greetings to 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. We would like to wish you all the best at Wimbledon, for the rest of the season and above all today. Have an enjoyable day!!

Italian Francesca Schiavone posing with Roland Garros trophy in 2010

BUON COMPLEANNO!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend hearty 27th birthday greetings to Frenchman Richard Gasquet. You strike the back-hand with one-handed precision, just as you've single-handedly garnered our respect for your natural talent (and you look good too!). Have an amazing day!!

Richard Gasquet of France

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Birthday Greetings

The management and staff of the Breathe Tennis Blog would like to extend warm 33rd birthday greetings to 7-time Grand Slam champion, fashion designer and author Venus Williams. Formidable character that you are, both on and off the courts, we are certain you're a source of inspiration for younger sister Serena, as well as an incredible example for aspiring players and young women. Have a splendid day!!

5-time Wimbledon champ, Venus Williams

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!