Wimbledon 2014

[Guest FreeSpirit]

Preview:

 

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The Wimbledon 2014 Official Website HERE

 

Wimbledon 2014

Monday 23rd June to Sunday 6th July 2014

Live On The BBC (BBC1, BBC2, Online, Interactive, BBC Sport App, Radio 5 Live)

 

The 128th anniversary of The Championships or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the only one still played on grass courts.

 

The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, culminating with the Mens Singles Final, scheduled for the second Sunday in July. Each year, five major events are contested, as well as four junior events and four invitational events.

 

The hard court Australian Open and clay court French Open precede Wimbledon. The hard court U.S. Open follows. The grass court Queen's Club Championships also in London is a popular warm up tournament for Wimbledon.

 

Wimbledon traditions include the eating of strawberries and cream, royal patronage, and a strict dress code for competitors. Play has often been interrupted by rain, though delays are now reduced with the fitting of a retractable roof to Centre Court.

 

The grounds will open at 10.30am each day. On Courts 2–19 play is provisionally scheduled to start at Noon for at least the first eight days and then at 11am for the Junior matches on the middle Saturday and during the second week.

 

On Centre and No.1 Courts play will start at 1pm, except on the final two days when play on these courts will start at 2pm. During the first week the early rounds of the Mens and Ladies Singles, Mens, Ladies and Mixed Doubles will be played on all courts, with top seeds matches played on the show courts. On the middle Saturday the Veterans and Juniors events commence and will be played on the outside courts as well as on some of the Show Courts. The Ladies Singles Final is scheduled for Saturday 5th July, while the Mens Singles Final is scheduled for Sunday 6th July, both on Centre Court!

 

[video=youtube_share;BujD2Stj7yY]http://youtu.be/BujD2Stj7yY

[Guest Ciaran The King]

Should be good, what a great summer of sport coming up :)

[Guest Magic]

Djokovic to recapture the title this year against Murray in the final.

[Guest Ciaran The King]

Nadal is looking strong

[Evil Gringo 279]

Novak for the men's, Serena for the women's.

 

Murrary to get the semi's or the final depending on if Nadal's knees hold up. Sharapova to get to the semi's as well.

[Guest Magic]

Nadal can't play on grass these days, so I don't think he'll make the final.

[Evil Gringo 279]

To be fair Nadal pulled out of Wimbledon last year because he rushed back from another knee injury too quickly to keep his grip on the French Open. I expect Novak to beat him on grass but given the fact everyone plays from the baseline these days, the grass is harder and less quick then there is no reason why he can't make a run deep into the tournament.

 

Big servers still do well but not as much in the past and given the quality of peoples baseline work then serve and volley is pretty much dead as the go to tactic on grass. It helps but not as much as in the past.

[Guest Magic]

When I say "can't play" I mean he won't beat the top two or three guys. He can still beat most people and make the last four, but at the same time if he doesn't do well I wouldn't be surprised.

[BRM 220]

To be fair Nadal pulled out of Wimbledon last year because he rushed back from another knee injury too quickly to keep his grip on the French Open.

 

 

Didnt he get beat in the first round same day as Federer?

[Evil Gringo 279]

Sorry, yes he did.

 

But he was pap due to niggling knee injuries that have plagued him since 2011.

 

His knees are in better shape now and I reckon, depending on the draw and seeding he could make the final - he will be number 2 seed I believe as he is the world number one but not the reigning champion.

[Guest bigmatt]

Nadal also lost in the second round the year before last. In five sets under the roof. Two years ago? Jesus.

 

Without looking at the thread I can remember berating Rosol because he went two sets up and was pulled back to 2-2 without a big fight really. And then there was a rain delay or maybe light delay and the roof was closed and Rosol smashed Nadal around with punishing ground strokes, like Federer did when the roof was closed against Murray in the final. Two years? Time and tide...

 

False edit: Looking at the scores: Nadal actually won the first set and Rosol won the next two before giving up the fourth. I remember now Rosol dominated that first set too and Nadal somehow scraped the tie break.

 

Nadal went straight on to dominate the hard court season, so his knee must have been alright. I wonder whether it really is a grass thing. Either way you would have to put Djokovic, Murray, Del Potro, Tsonga, and maybe Berdych, Warwinka and Federer above him at this minute on grass.

 

Murray apparently played really well in the French. If I had to put money on it I'd go with Magic: a Murray/Djokovic final with Djokovic winning in 4 sets. Djokovic has lost 5 out of his last 6 grand slam finals though.

[BRM 220]

Nadal missed the Olympics at Wimbledon a few weeks later, I thought it was around that time he took quite a bit of time off and came back early 2013. Apart from the grass court season he dominated once he returned last year.

[Guest Edgehead]

Would love to see Murray make it 2 in a row but the realist in me says it won't happen. Hope I'm wrong.

[Evil Gringo 279]

Murray has played really well on clay but like Nadal a few years back he has allowed issues with his coaching staff and niggling injuries get the better of him mentally and form wise before his little resurgence in Paris last week.

 

The whole issue with Murray is can he handle the pressure of trying to repeat that success with the weight of the crowd on his shoulders? That and the fact that Novak is again in great form and doesn't seem to ever get tired, even more so now he has come back from a break that healed up his lingering wrist injury.

[Guest bigmatt]

Nadal missed the Olympics at Wimbledon a few weeks later, I thought it was around that time he took quite a bit of time off and came back early 2013. Apart from the grass court season he dominated once he returned last year.

 

Yes, you're right. It was 2013, not 2012, where he lost the only grass court match he opted to play in all year (1st round at Wimbledon), there was talk that the knee wasn't at its best but as soon as the grass court season was over he was back and had a great run on the hard courts, winning three straight tournaments just seven weeks after Wimbledon. He then won the U.S Open again. It makes you wonder about him and grass.

 

The whole issue with Murray is can he handle the pressure of trying to repeat that success with the weight of the crowd on his shoulders? That and the fact that Novak is again in great form and doesn't seem to ever get tired, even more so now he has come back from a break that healed up his lingering wrist injury.

 

I can't see there being more pressure on him now than before. He's done it. He was the first British man in 70-odd years to win Wimbledon. He's broke that run and is a 2-time grand slam champion and an Olympic gold medallist.

[Guest Ciaran The King]

How is it that all these foreign players with the same pressures as Murray do okay yet everyone wonders if Murray due to the pressure can win again?

[Guest bigmatt]

How is it that all these foreign players with the same pressures as Murray do okay yet everyone wonders if Murray due to the pressure can win again?

 

They don't have the same pressure because Murray's the home hope.

[Evil Gringo 279]

The pressure to repeat is often greater then the pressure to win it the first time.

 

The expectation will even greater then ever simply because of the fact he broke the curse and won Wimbledon, he has been number two in the world, won a gold medal and won another Grand Slam added to the fact that he is only British player on either side of the draw that has any real chance of getting into the second week.

 

He is a strong old stubborn nut but he did once say that due to the crowd and their expectation he'd probably win a Grand Slam somewhere else, probably in America, before he would win Wimbledon so even he recognises it.

[Guest bigmatt]

I don't buy that all. There is just no logical reason why just wanting a Brit to win Wimbledon because he's British is any more pressure to bear than can a British man win Wimbledon. After 70-odd years of not doing it, of false dawns and near misses and this is the guy,no, this is the guy, Come on Tim!

 

Murray's own progression goes something like - Murray's not good enough to beat one of the top players in the world. Okay, he's not good enough to beat Federer or Nadal, Okay but Djokovic is the new top guy, he can't beat him. He's only good for semi-finals at best. Okay he'll make the odd final when others slip up but he can't win when it matters most-Grand Slam finals. Okay he's won the U.S Open but he'll never win Wimbledon.

 

The idea that Murray wants to win another Wimbledon, the home crowd want another home win and the question of whether Murray can win two Wimbledon titles?! trumps the above, I don't see it. Your last point just argues that Wimbledon exerts more pressure than the other Grand Slams which nobody, I think, would deny.

[Guest Ciaran The King]

To be completely honest I hate the way the Brits get behind Murray as Champion

[Guest bigmatt]

Why?

[DC 536]

How is it that all these foreign players with the same pressures as Murray do okay yet everyone wonders if Murray due to the pressure can win again?

"All these foreign players"? How may have won Wimbledon in the time that Murray has competed there?

 

Murray debuted in the Men's Singles at Wimbledon in 2005. In that time, only Roger Federer (x5), Rafael Nadal (x2) and Novak Djokovic (x1) have won the tournament.

 

I genuinely don't see the point you're trying to make here.

To be completely honest I hate the way the Brits get behind Murray as Champion

I second bigmatt; why?

[Guest Edgehead]

To be completely honest I hate the way the Brits get behind Murray as Champion

 

I third bigmatt & DC. Why??

[Guest Magic]

HE'S BEING RACIST. QUICK, WHERE DO I VOTE SNP?!

[BRM 220]

This is Ciaran, he doesn't need a reason guys.