WIMBLEDON 2018

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Draw being done now. Fed has Lajovic in first round, Murray plays Benoit Paire. Cilic in Fed's half and Djoko in Rafa's half. Delpo is in Rafa's quarter, while Kyle Edmund plays Aussie qualifier Alex Bolt in first round.

From 3-5 to 6-5. Rafa on fire!

Novak saves it. 6-6. Still on serve.

Novak saves a set point with a drop shot of his own. 7-7.

Another pinpoint drop shot from Rafa and he leads 8-7. On serve.

Rafa hits a groundstroke long. 8-8.

Another long groundstroke from Rafa. Novak leads 9-8. Set point on Rafa's serve.

Three missed returns in a row. 9-9

Novak hits it long 9-9. Now 11pm. Presuming they will finish the tie-break.

Djokovic chases down a drop shot and hits a winner. He serves for the set at 10-9.

And Novak takes it 11-9. And he goes into the second day leading two sets to one. Great match.

This tie break has been full of wonderful tennis. Great shots, back and forth,.

This is interesting, as its now officially finishing time. Djokovic wins the tie-break and leads 2 sets to 1.

Incredible stuff. Novak heavy favourite now

No doubting that Novak is now back to the levels expected of him.

Breaks in match favors Nadal, more so than Djokovic. Tomorrow it is.

What a match so far !! Just fantastic to see novak hitting the ball with more confidence again, so much more aggressive and going after his shots off both wings. These two guys really bring out the the best in each other!

Had to go out at 11-11 Anderson and Isner and only saw last 45 mins of Djokovic and Nadal. Question will they have to start under the roof tomorrow ? I know that if they go inside before or during a match that it stays inside but does that apply when it goes into another day ? If still under roof I favour Novak but if outdoor think that Nadal may win.

Two great semi finals whatever happens.

Well, a fairly quiet uneventful day at Wimbledon! Pleased Anderson won in the end as he think he's the better player. It was so frustrating to see him play brilliantly to break only to chuck it away in the next service game.
Djoko looked very much like the Djoko of old. The good news for his fans is that the serve seems to be back. Got a lot of cheap points, especially when serving from the right court. No one quite manages to play such dominant BHs off the Rafa cross-court topspin drive. That's one of the reasons why Rafa has lost so often to Djoko.
Still think Rafa will eventually come out on top as they will probably be "outdoors" tomorrow and he can get even more topspin and bounce on his shots. But Djoko looks good and is well placed for the rest of the season.
Sure Wimbledon and the other slams will want to look at introducing the USO's rule of a tiebreak even in the fifth. If the others want to keep their exclusivity they could have the breaker later in the set than 6-6. Interesting that Anderson said the present rule is tough on the players.

You've got to feel sorry for Serena and Kerber tomorrow.

Tomorrow supposed to be all about them. And not only will they now be sharing the day, but the way this games going they could be having to follow an epic encounter.

It was Stuart Frasier (times tennis correspondent), who tweeted out about the roof. Not sure how reliable he is. As I said I'm not much of a tennis fan. Though today's been very entertaining for different reasons.

A word on Anderson Isner first of all - turned out to be a v enjoyable match - yes, a bit of a throwback match circa mid-late 1990s Wimbledon serve-dominated, but there was a lot more to it than that and both players produced some great tennis at times and will have won more fans following the match. Feel sorry for Isner, but Anderson was the better player - he was the one who carved out more opportunities on his opponent's service game in 5th set and deservedly prevailed. He also has had a far tougher route to the semi-finals, not only for beating Federer but also beating the likes of Kohlschreiber and Monfils - both tough opponents.

Anderson in his post-match interview raised point that something needs to be done to shorten the long 5 setters. Personally, I'd rather keep things as they are - we already have 5th set tie-breaks at the US Open, and it is still pretty rare to have such marathon 5 setters, and we would lose something if we brought in 5th set tie-breaks in all slams.

Onto Nadal v Djokovic, what a match, and what a tie-break - one of the very best I've seen for the quality and drama. Some of the rallies were stupendous, and Nadal's dropshots were really something else - there was 1 in particular that he hit from the baseline at end of a massive rally that was really breathtaking.

Agree that Nadal v Djokovic is a rivalry that's given us some great matches and with both in good form at Wimbledon this year, this contest has been mesmerising so far. I still think its a tough match to call - if there's 1 player who can easily bounce back from 2 sets to 1 down its Nadal, and playing on an uncovered Centre Court tomorrow will help him.

Luke wrote:You've got to feel sorry for Serena and Kerber tomorrow.

Tomorrow supposed to be all about them. And not only will they now be sharing the day, but the way this games going they could be having to follow an epic encounter.

It was Stuart Frasier  (times tennis correspondent), who tweeted out about the roof. Not sure how reliable he is. As I said I'm not much of a tennis fan. Though today's been very entertaining for different reasons.

Thanks Luke. My personal opinion is that it should be played outdoors unless raining. Can see why they stay indoors if same day but not when they restart on a different day.

The suggestion by Anderson was to have a tiebreak at 12-12. That feels a good compromise to me. It’s still potentially a double set but it does have a finite duration.

But isn't it only Wimbledon that has the problem of a set time Finnish?

USA open already has a tie break in the 5th set if required. And can't Australia and France continue into the early hours if required?

Anderson will be glad this is going on tomorrow. As you would imagine it levels the fitness issue's up a bit after his semi final.

Roland Garros can only continue until it gets too dark to continue (normally around 9.30pm local time). The Australian and US Opens are the only ones that can play on until the small hours.

Anderson probably hoping for an ultra-long fifth set between Djoko and Rafa today. I think it probably will go to a final set. Rafa will be far more disappointed with a defeat than Djoko, I think. This is a great chance for the Spaniard to win Wimbledon again while for Djoko there must be satisfaction that he's approaching his best again.
Can't see Williams losing today, but Kerber has beaten her in a GS final before and is a fighter.
Last year it was a bit of a cakewalk for Rog so you probably have to think this has been a better Wimbledon. Plenty of shocks in the women's and some epic battles in the men's.
Hey, we may even have all four of the Big Four actually competing by the time the USO comes round.

Personally I would like Djokovic to beat Nadal and to win Wimbledon, just to demonstrate that he is back and back to Grand Slam winning ways. It will also take him one behind Pete Sampras in terms of Grand Slam wins.

I was also encourage by Nishikori's apparent return to form as indicated by his run to the quarter-final beating some in form and good grass court players only being beaten by Djokovic in the QF.

I am now also hopeful of Andy Murray returning to more or less full form and hope for a solid attempt at the US Open 2018.

I think for all these oldies, especially those who have been out with major major injuries, that they will focus on the slams and manage their training and playing schedules - in order to extend their careers.

So who do you think decided to keep the roof?

Nadal started well but seems to be fading, Djokovic coming back well. 4-3 Nadal. Both look grumpy .

Nadal breaks, leads 5-3. Djokovic with a small temper tantrum, then gets straight into Nadal serve to lead 40-0.

Novak wanted the roof shut, Nadal didn’t

2-2 sets all

Nadal wins the set. Taking it to a 5th.

And that's it for me, as got to go to work.

Thanks for that John.
You would think that they would have to agree, Wether to keep it shut or not.

Rafa's winning this match. Novak's not quite ready

Born Slippy wrote:The suggestion by Anderson was to have a tiebreak at 12-12. That feels a good compromise to me. It’s still potentially a double set but it does have a finite duration.

We are ignoring the fact that the Tie-break can also be an endless TB at 100-99 or 200-199.

If  there is a requirement for a finite duration, perhaps using a Coin Toss at 6-6 is the way forward.

Both players bravely saving BPs. Still think Rafa will win. Anderson probably pleased it's gone on as long as this.

laverfan wrote:

Born Slippy wrote:The suggestion by Anderson was to have a tiebreak at 12-12. That feels a good compromise to me. It’s still potentially a double set but it does have a finite duration.

We are ignoring the fact that the Tie-break can also be an endless TB at 100-99 or 200-199.

If  there is a requirement for a finite duration, perhaps using a Coin Toss at 6-6 is the way forward.

Ever the theoretician ... In principle a single point could last for ever in an endless rally, or at least until one or other requires a toilet break

I am happy for this match to end asap so that either Nadal and Djokovic have a good chance of recovery for tomorrow.   As others have said maybe the conditions this year are the best for Nadal to win another Wimbledon.  He has only won two and the past five years or so he has performed poorly at Wimbledon, leading to some to suggest (such as me) that Nadal's knees are no longer conducive to the demands of grass court tennis.

Djokovic wins.

Nadal seemed to win the highlight points, but Novak the more consistent

Congratulations to Djokovic on another W final.

Well played, Nadal.

Djokovic wins. Needs an ice-bath and recuperation for tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow will see Djokovic back to Grand slam winning ways.

Congratulations Novak on a great win. Commiserations Rafa - a sore loss to take in a marathon match. Another clue that shows Novak is back.

Well who woulda thunk it? Djoko is back. So difficult to combat Rafa whose piratical, never-say-die spirit shone through. But Djoko did seem to be getting through his service games more easily in that final set. Rafa, on the other hand, seemed to be 0-30 down all the time on his serve.
I said at the beginning of the year that Djoko would have a good year, but it's certainly taken a few months. With so few of the younger brigade coming through, it's perhaps just as well that some of the old guard are still burning bright.

Massive Federer fan myself but so pleased for Novak, I was starting to worry his career was quickly fading away.

It's a big if but if both Anderson amd Djokovic are fit it should be a genuinely interesting final in my view.

No name Bertie wrote:

laverfan wrote:

Born Slippy wrote:The suggestion by Anderson was to have a tiebreak at 12-12. That feels a good compromise to me. It’s still potentially a double set but it does have a finite duration.

We are ignoring the fact that the Tie-break can also be an endless TB at 100-99 or 200-199.

If  there is a requirement for a finite duration, perhaps using a Coin Toss at 6-6 is the way forward.

Ever the theoretician ... In principle a single point could last for ever in an endless rally, or at least until one or other requires a toilet break

Like this one

No name Bertie wrote:I am happy for this match to end asap so that either Nadal and Djokovic have a good chance of recovery for tomorrow.   As others have said maybe the conditions this year are the best for Nadal to win another Wimbledon.  He has only won two and the past five years or so he has performed poorly at Wimbledon, leading to some to suggest (such as me) that Nadal's knees are no longer conducive to the demands of grass court tennis.

I feel bad for Nadal, but very heartened to see Djokovic coming to fore. Grass is a tough beast, no matter how you manipulate the surface to suit anyone. Nadal should be back next year, and hope to see Federer back (for next year or two, perhaps), too.

I expect Djokovic to Win tomorrow.

58 mins, and Kerber a game away from beating Williams.

Kerber wins. Great consolation for the German who in fact probably played better when she lost to Serena at Wimbledon in 2016 but Williams was fantastic that day and very ordinary today. Kerber now has three of the four GS and is pretty much back to where she was two years ago after a fairly horrible 2017.

Amazing performance by Kerber absolutely outclassed Williams.

LF

Looking at the 4 minute highlights (from the BBC) of the final two sets of the Nadal & Djokovic match - Nadal looked far more physically stronger and physically intimidating than Djokovic - who looks rather skinny and almost effeminate in comparison. Djokovic just seemed to have a very very slight edge in terms of returning and ball positioning.

Despite getting to the final, Djokovic still looks to be quite far from his best in terms of physical strength and flexibility - but evidently good enough to get to slam finals in the current era.

Have to give a thumbs up to Mr Roger Draper - former LTA director with the huge annual salary and pie in the sky claims of a renaissance in British tennis under his stewardship. His 16 year old son Jack Draper - looks to be a top specimen and potential saviour of British tennis post Andy Murray. I suppose it depends on whether Jack wants to continue with the sport and turn professional later on. Anyway he has made the boys final at Wimbledon - but his opponent looks formidable and also may be another for the future Taiwan's Chun Hsin Tseng.

Of course few of the top juniors make it to the top 100 in the men's professional ranks.

Whatever happened to Ostapenko - some were saying she was a certainty for this years Wimbledon - but she lost quite tamely to Kerber.

sirfredperry wrote:Kerber wins. Great consolation for the German who in fact probably played better when she lost to Serena at Wimbledon in 2016 but Williams was fantastic that day and very ordinary today. Kerber now has three of the four GS and is pretty much back to where she was two years ago after a fairly horrible 2017.

Sadly Serena was still overweight and just not fit enough. Her serve and all round power kept her in the tournament but she was always going to to struggle if she met a player who could keep the ball in court and expose her lack of mobility.

If she gets fitter and sheds a few pounds, both of which likely, she could easily win the US Open.

No name Bertie wrote:Whatever happened to Ostapenko - some were saying she was a certainty for this years Wimbledon - but she lost quite tamely to Kerber.

Ostapenko will come again. Kerber was fortunate that her semi opponent and her final opponent both played poorly. The big titles are certainly going the rounds in the women's.
Djoko now has a great chance in tomorrow's final. I don't think he played as well today against Rafa as he did last night. But he created more BP chances than Rafa and he served better, hitting a lot of aces and winning more points on his first serve than Nadal.
Everything pointed to a Rafa win this year. The courts suited him and Rog was out. But it's possible the Djoko match following a long struggle against delpo was too much for him. Playing under the roof also told against Rafa. Not sure he'll win Wimbledon again, although you never know.
A Djoko win tomorrow would give a new twist to the overall GS win saga. Yes, Rafa has missed out on closing the gap on Rog, but a Djoko renaissance would put him back into consideration.

Congratulations to Kerber on a hard-earned Venus Rosewater Dish.

No name Bertie wrote:Looking at the 4 minute highlights (from the BBC) of the final two sets of the Nadal & Djokovic match - Nadal looked far more physically stronger and physically intimidating than Djokovic - who looks rather skinny and almost effeminate in comparison.  Djokovic just seemed to have a very very slight edge in terms of returning and ball positioning.  

Clay is the surface with greater demands on physicality, while Grass is less so. Djokovic's elasticity (or plasticity) and the lighter mobility allows him the better chances.

Despite getting to the final, Djokovic still looks to be quite far from his best in terms of physical strength and flexibility - but evidently good enough to get to slam finals in the current era.

sirfredperry wrote:But it's possible the Djoko match following a long struggle against delpo was too much for him.

Anderson and Djokovic have been through tough matches, which I expect at this stage.

No name Bertie wrote:His 16 year old son Jack Draper - looks to be a top specimen and potential saviour of British tennis post Andy Murray.  I

Kyle Edmund seems to the better 'savior' at this point.