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2008 Wimbledon Preview
Posted Monday, June 16, 2008
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When “The Championships” kick off next Monday, June 23, at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, there will be 128 ladies and 128 gentlemen competing in the singles events, but all eyes will be on two men.
Is there any doubt that this year's final will come down to a third straight Federer-Nadal classic?
The top two players in the world have now faced each other two straight years in the Wimbledon finals (Federer won both), and three straight years in the French Open finals (Nadal won all three).
Regarded by some as perhaps the greatest male tennis player in the history of the game, Roger Federer suffered the worst loss of his career in this year’s French Open final. He won only four games against Nadal, who simply dominated the match (6-1, 6-3, 6-0). Federer slumped a bit early this year, after being nearly untouchable since 2004.
Many attribute his early season struggles to a bout with mononucleosis that he suffered at the beginning of the year, which wasn’t diagnosed until it began affecting his play on the court. He has played better of late and he even rebounded from his crushing loss to Nadal in the French Open final to win his next tournament, the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. Federer rolled through that tournament without dropping a set or even having his serve broken. With that win, Federer has won fifty-nine consecutive matches on grass, and heads to Wimbledon off a convincing win looking to capture his fifth-straight Wimbledon Title.
Nadal, on the other hand, looks to play the role of spoiler. His fourth-straight French Open win must have given him a huge confidence boost. He dominated Federer, and during the post-match trophy presentations, he almost seemed embarrassed by the ease of his victory. He has never won a Grand Slam other than the French Open, although he has reached the finals at Wimbledon two straight years, where he was promptly dispatched by Federer.
Many have speculated that due to the ease of his win over Federer, and the increasing prowess Nadal has shown on grass, Nadal may have surpassed Federer as the world’s number one, and he might be ready to ascend to the throne at Wimbledon. Nadal had been known as a clay court specialist (maybe the best clay court player ever), but had never seriously challenged on the hard courts.
But Nadal recently won his first ATP title on a grass court, the Queen’s Club Championships, defeating American Andy Roddick in the semi-finals and then world No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic in the final (7-6(6), 7-5). Additionally, he did make his way to the past two Wimbledon finals to challenge Federer.
Nadal’s overall game -- specifically on the hard-courts -- seems vastly improved. Considering the result of the French Open final, Nadal’s improvement on grass, and Federer’s career and history at Wimbledon, anything short of a Federer versus Nadal final would be a disappointment.
The women’s field, on the other hand, is wide open after the sudden and unexpected retirement of former number-one player Justine Henin. The twenty-five year old essentially claimed that she had burned out and needed a break.
Her retirement and several key injuries paved the way for Ana Ivanovic to win her first career grand-slam title. Ivanovic, the current number one-ranked woman in the world, will look to better last year’s Wimbledon result, where she was ousted in the semi-finals.
Other women to keep an eye on are, as always, the Williams sisters. Venus has four Wimbledon titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007) and is the defending champion; Serena has two titles (2002, 2003). Other recent winners include Maria Sharapova, currently ranked No.3 in the world. Sharapova won in 2004 but hasn’t been back to a final since. Amelie Mauresmo, who won the title in 2006, will also be looking to capture it a second time.
Regardless of the finalists, this year’s Wimbledon promises to be thrilling, well-played and competitive -- everything you’d expect from a Grand Slam championship.
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