Wimbledon is one of those events in the sporting calendar which fills the British public with anticipation and expectation, hopeful that we may once again feel proud of our country’s accomplishments in the world of professional sport. This feeling of hope is usually followed by crushing disappointment and a realisation that our sportsmen and women usually struggle to attain anything greater than mediocrity. Although Wimbledon 2011 failed to really change this, it was nonetheless a truly fantastic two weeks’ worth of tennis, providing an excellent reminder as to why Wimbledon is such a special competition.
Prior to the tournament, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic were the most talked about players by the British media. The dour, fuzzy-faced Scot was a hot topic because it seemed possible that he could be the first British Men’s Singles champion since 1936, whereas the Serbian had amazed spectators by only losing one match since November 2010. Despite having recently surrendered his astounding 43 consecutive match unbeaten run, Djokovic was perceived to be a real contender to challenge to grip of Federer and Nadal at the top of the men’s tour.
The Men’s tournament progressed as expected with just one exception as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – who had won plaudits with some remarkable acrobatics in previous matches – managed to dispose of World No. 2 Roger Federer in five sets. Other notable highlights in the earlier rounds included Murray’s oddly-named but rather impressive ‘hot dog’ shot, along with Djokovic’s exhibition of uncharacteristic anger as he smashed his racket into the ground during his encounter with Marcos Baghdatis. Another character worthy of a mention is the new Australian No. 1 Bernard Tomic, who beat several stalwarts of the game in his first Wimbledon before eventually falling to the unstoppable Djokovic in the quarter finals. At only 18 years old, Tomic is certainly someone to look out for in the future.
Although Murray played some impressive stuff to reach the semi-finals he almost inevitably fell to Nadal, never quite looking convincing enough to seriously trouble the Spaniard whose left bicep was firing on all cylinders. This left Nadal and Djokovic, a final with more spice then usual as Djokovic was to inherit the World No. 1 ranking from Nadal regardless of the result. Nadal would surely want revenge. Strangely though, Djokovic completely dominated the match, playing sensationally and looking in total control even when Nadal took the third set. The “big two” of men’s tennis is now a ‘big three’.
The Women’s game is much less predictable than the Men’s tour, with any of the top 20 female players in the world able to challenge for major honours. This was evident in this year’s tournament as many seeded players dropped out early, for instance defending French Open champion Li Na, who fell in only the second round. Defending Wimbledon champion and professional grunter Serena Williams was knocked out in the fourth round after an injury-plagued year, and her equally loud sibling Venus met her end at the same stage. The finalists this year were Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova, but the contest itself was rather disappointing and short-lived. Sharapova hardly put up a fight in a match that lasted a mere 1 hour and 25 minutes. This should not detract from Kvitova’s fabulous performance however, and she fully deserved the title at the precocious age of 21.
Despite the disappointments for senior British players, the tournament did reveal that we possess two very promising youngsters. Liam Broady won the Boys Doubles and was runner up in the Boy’s Singles, with fellow blossoming prodigy Laura Robson reaching the second round of the Women’s draw, losing valiantly to eventual finalist Sharapova in the second round. Although Wimbledon proved disappointing for Andy Murray once again, these two bright 17 year olds gave us a glimmer of hope that we may see a British Grand Slam winner in the near future.
