Bogbrush at Wimbledon 2013

Well just got home after my day at Centre.

First, lets get one thing clear; I am in shock to report that the best match was the ladies, between Sharapova and Mladenovic. When was there last a women's match with one break of serve, massive serve bombs and Sharapova not throwing in a single double fault? Anyway, I can't praise either girl too highly, it was a tough match and Sharapova on particular showed steely nerve.

Right, with that out of the way lets discuss the guys. Federer was in TMF mode: yes, I know it was Hanescu (ranked 48 before we dismiss him) but he picked the Hanescu serve from the start, threw in variety every shot and was unplayable on his own serve. Where most players draw in straight lines, Federer doodled and scribbled. Hanescu played his straight man part well and the match flew by; well, actually it really did fly by as it was very short. It was helped in that by both players willingness to get on with it, something the ladies didn't quite match up to.

Murray came on with, on paper, an easier task against #92 ranked Benjamin Becker. However, I must say I was disappointed. Where Federer had scrawled his play in bewildering colours, Murray had his straight edge out and it was all a little grey. He flattered Becker by giving him the same type of game he plays, just better. There were good moments but on the whole it was uninspiring. One thing that shocked me was how slow his 2nd serve is in real life. Where the girls had hit their second delivery down at 90+ mph, Murray routinely plopped it in at 75, albeit carrying some action. A more aggressive opponent than Becker might have made more of that.

The big news was coming up on the scoreboard at change of ends, of course. Nobody could believe what was happening but I have no insight as I've yet to see a point from the match.

Anyway, I'm out of the country next week so that's me done for turning up this year. A fun day, and I feel a little more optimistic for Federer's chances. Murray didn't look too amazing (yet very effective, no question) and of course Nadal is out. Who knows?

We never know Nadal might get a wild card back to the championships, so you better stay away from Wimbledon

Glad you had a good day BB - very envious that you saw TMF open on CC.  Just watched highlights on Wimbledon Today and they showed very little of Fed, so good to have your description.

The French girl that played Sharapova looks to have a great future!

Glad you saw Federer play well.

Of course, one of the things about attending Wimbledon is that you can easily miss the main event or story of the day. While I sit here on my laptop flicking between courts at will. That being said, it wasn't for me as exciting as the Rosol match last year, wasn't a top quality match.

So have you, perhaps through some dark magic, managed to transfer your BB curse to Rafa. Making him lose to a player outside the world's top 100. That is some powerful curse indeed.

Yeah, the big event was over on 1 of course. Then they got Mk II when Lleyton Hewitt beat Stan!!!

Good old Lleyton, he really is a great and strong character.

Henman Bill wrote:
So have you, perhaps through some dark magic, managed to transfer your BB curse to Rafa. Making him lose to a player outside the world's top 100. That is some powerful curse indeed.

May its time BB change his name BBM , not Black Berry Messenger but Bob the Black Magician

Thanks for the summary and I'm glad you enjoyed your day out and got to see Federer in god mode. It was certainly a great day on paper and 2/3 matches were superb in their own right. Tomorrow's centre court line-up isn't half as appealing as today's, put it that way.

Nice review BB...agree with TP that the French girl with the very un-French name will be a name to watch...and 6'1 herself! 
So what was Sharapova's screaming like? Bearable live?

Hard day for us Rafa fans...takes the wind out of the sails for watching the rest but I am a tennis lover first and foremost. Thankfully I have my sons almost daily tennis practice, plus my own league matches, to distract me. Thank goodness.

Fed looking good now BB...the grass looks quicker this year too.

"the grass looks quicker this year too."

Must say I was thinking quite the opposite..slow as ever if not worse.

What does anyone else think?

Commiserations lydian - still reeling, not least because it was all over so quickly for Rafa.  Hope that Nadal's recovery is swift and that Darcis enjoys the moment!

Lol...opinions hey HB?

Henman Bill wrote:"the grass looks quicker this year too."

Must say I was thinking quite the opposite..slow as ever if not worse.

What does anyone else think?

What courts were you watching? The one Baltacha was on looked very quick. I think Centre Court always looks slow on the TV.

Like I said earlier today the First Round is all about self-preservation. Roger looked very good, Andy was efficient but will expect more from him in coming matches but Rafa's defeat was a shock and other seeds to fall included Tipsarevic, Wawrinka (well played Hewitt) and Fognini.

Lydian

Actually the shrieking isn't that bad, nothing like I expected. I think it's worse on TV. The French (Serbian surely?) girl was great. Pity about the somewhat boorish behaviour of her team who excessively encouraged throughout (made me certain she was a Serb).

Yeah, very tough. Couldn't believe it coming across.

The grass was very fast looking but I fear wear will slow it down. I was getting my hopes up a bit for the quarter that never happened, it looked so slick. Early days but Fed did look quite lovely, funny thing for a bloke to say but it was quite something to watch in person. The variety through each rally, and it's effectiveness, is amazing.

Court 1 seemed a very slick/slippy today. Azarenka fell and did her knee in, MJK fell at least 2 or 3 times in the match, I'm sure Darcis had a few slips and then Hewitt and Wawrinka fell a couple of times each as well.

Yeah it's only live you truly see the wizardry of these guys. You see how great their movement is...for this at core is what always separates out the best guys, they always seem to have more time. Fed certainly made Hanescu look wooden. With the courts as they are, and Nadal out I'm pretty confident Federer or Murray will lift the title.

Interesting re: the shrieking. Good to hear...lol...I guess. Yes I read Mladenovic is of Serbian descent, she has a great game, kind of a new Sharapova in a way. 

Sometimes when grass is so slick and quick, it's almost dangerous and I do wonder if the game has outgrown the surface. But I do love watching the guys have to take the ball early, etc.

The Special Juan wrote:

Henman Bill wrote:"the grass looks quicker this year too."

Must say I was thinking quite the opposite..slow as ever if not worse.

What does anyone else think?

What courts were you watching?  The one Baltacha was on looked very quick.  I think Centre Court always looks slow on the TV.

Certainly looks slow to me compared to Halle.

I watched quite a bit of Rafa which was on court 1 and some of Wawrinka-Hewitt on court 1 as well as some of Murray on centre.

Last year at Wimbledon it seemed faster, but my abiding memory of last year is matches under the roof (Rosol and Federer) so that could be the reason.

Henman Bill wrote:

The Special Juan wrote:

Henman Bill wrote:"the grass looks quicker this year too."

Must say I was thinking quite the opposite..slow as ever if not worse.

What does anyone else think?

What courts were you watching?  The one Baltacha was on looked very quick.  I think Centre Court always looks slow on the TV.

Certainly looks slow to me compared to Halle.

I watched quite a bit of Rafa which was on court 1 and some of Wawrinka-Hewitt on court 1 as well as some of Murray on centre.

Last year at Wimbledon it seemed faster, but my abiding memory of last year is matches under the roof (Rosol and Federer) so that could be the reason.

Wimbledon will look slow compared to Halle. But it's was quicker last year (particularly at The Olympics, which the GOAT observed) and is similar this. Remember, we start at a very low base - some of us have likend it to clay in the past!!

If the weather stays dry with low humidity then we could have the fastest event in years

I feel the speed is secondary to the slickness and level of bounce. I'd prefer a damper event with the grass staying lusher and the ball skidding a bit.

The speed will come if the ball doesn't bounce head high all the time, which it wasn't yesterday. This was especially clear in the Sharapova match where the serving was brutal.

They were very quick yesterday, the bad news is that very little rain is forecast for the next 2 weeks so the courts will change rapidly over the next few days.

bogbrush wrote:I feel the speed is secondary to the slickness and level of bounce. I'd prefer a damper event with the grass staying lusher and the ball skidding a bit.

The speed will come if the ball doesn't bounce head high all the time, which it wasn't yesterday. This was especially clear in the Sharapova match where the serving was brutal.

This.

There seems to be a misconception that hot conditions will make the courts play faster. It's the slick grass and low bounce which takes time away and thus speeds up conditions. This occurs when there is moisture in the air and more grass coverage on court. In hotter, bone dry conditions the balls may fly a little quicker but they'll also bounce much higher, allowing the likes of Djokovic and Murray to stand far back and get everything into play.

The former conditions will favour Fed, the latter Djoko and Murray.

Yes, drier conditions also wear the courts out quicker making them grip the ball more resulting in a higher bounce. Particularly once the doubles matches start on Centre and No.1 too. We're not talking clay bounce and grip but if the weather stays dry the conditions by a week on Sunday will be very different to those last year. That said, I believe they use a harder wearing grass type now.

Again, this why I think Borg did so well in the 70s/80...the courts were nearly always chewed up back then due to the much better weather we used to have.

emancipator wrote:

bogbrush wrote:I feel the speed is secondary to the slickness and level of bounce. I'd prefer a damper event with the grass staying lusher and the ball skidding a bit.

The speed will come if the ball doesn't bounce head high all the time, which it wasn't yesterday. This was especially clear in the Sharapova match where the serving was brutal.

This.

There seems to be a misconception that hot conditions will make the courts play faster. It's the slick grass and low bounce which takes time away and thus speeds up conditions. This occurs when there is moisture in the air and more grass coverage on court. In hotter, bone dry conditions the balls may fly a little quicker but they'll also bounce much higher, allowing the likes of Djokovic and Murray to stand far back and get everything into play.

The former conditions will favour Fed, the latter Djoko and Murray.

I'm actually not convinced that Novak thrives in fast (i.e. relative to normal) conditions, when we are considering the Novak/Roger/Andy triangle, due to the low bounce. This was shown last year by both Roger and Andy. Murray is no mug with a low bounce - it often takes him a while to adjust

Problem for Novak is that it will only become a high bounce if there's a heatwave and then I believe those faster conditions, like Dubai last year (who's high bounce didn't help Novak then) fall into Roger and then Andy's hands

And of course it depends on the temperature of the moisture in the air, i.e. if it's a cloudy warm humid fortnight - then yes Roger benefits. However, if it's humid purely due to poor weather, i.e. cool, then Novak is in his element

Roger and Andy rely on their quick hands, which for me, means that they tend to thrive in faster conditions. It's the reason why we could argue they struggle on Clay

This is why we want some genuine fast slams for two weeks, not two days - so we can truly evaluate out theories

banbrotam wrote:

emancipator wrote:

bogbrush wrote:I feel the speed is secondary to the slickness and level of bounce. I'd prefer a damper event with the grass staying lusher and the ball skidding a bit.

The speed will come if the ball doesn't bounce head high all the time, which it wasn't yesterday. This was especially clear in the Sharapova match where the serving was brutal.

This.

There seems to be a misconception that hot conditions will make the courts play faster. It's the slick grass and low bounce which takes time away and thus speeds up conditions. This occurs when there is moisture in the air and more grass coverage on court. In hotter, bone dry conditions the balls may fly a little quicker but they'll also bounce much higher, allowing the likes of Djokovic and Murray to stand far back and get everything into play.

The former conditions will favour Fed, the latter Djoko and Murray.

I'm actually not convinced that Novak thrives in fast (i.e. relative to normal) conditions, when we are considering the Novak/Roger/Andy triangle, due to the low bounce. This was shown last year by both Roger and Andy. Murray is no mug with a low bounce - it often takes him a while to adjust

Problem for Novak is that it will only become a high bounce if there's a heatwave and then I believe those faster conditions, like Dubai last year (who's high bounce didn't help Novak then) fall into Roger and then Andy's hands

And of course it depends on the temperature of the moisture in the air, i.e. if it's a cloudy warm humid fortnight - then yes Roger benefits. However, if it's humid purely due to poor weather, i.e. cool, then Novak is in his element

Roger and Andy rely on their quick hands, which for me, means that they tend to thrive in faster conditions. It's the reason why we could argue they struggle on Clay

This is why we want some genuine fast slams for two weeks, not two days - so we can truly evaluate out theories

A well thought out and reasonable post

lydian wrote:Yes, drier conditions also wear the courts out quicker making them grip the ball more resulting in a higher bounce. Particularly once the doubles matches start on Centre and No.1 too. We're not talking clay bounce and grip but if the weather stays dry the conditions by a week on Sunday will be very different to those last year. That said, I believe they use a harder wearing grass type now.

Again, this why I think Borg did so well in the 70s/80...the courts were nearly always chewed up back then due to the much better weather we used to have.

The courts were chewed up primarily because people played S&V - there used to be a dirty great sideways "H" on the court - the long sides being near the service line and the base line where the players played their shots and the 'bridge' across the middle being a line from the middle of the service line to the middle of the base line up wish they rushed to get to the net.  That was the main reason for the grass being chewed up - and Borg started a fashion for wearing particularly abrasive soles on his shoes for increased grip, which increased the wear.  Now at the end of Wimbledon you have a chewed up baseline and a close to pristine playing surface because there's so much less net play.  They play hardly any doubles on the main show courts these days too - less than they used to.

I also think that the courts are harder than they used to be, which helps keep the bounce a bit higher and a bit more even.

Sorry but this is grass and no matter what the conditions I'd always back Roger over Novak on that surface. Novak has improved a lot on grass but he isn't at the same level as Roger whatever the conditions.

Possibly, but if it's slick and green I like Fed's chances much more than if it starts to get worn down. The more it looks like a hard court, the more it goes to Djokovic. Murray has chances in both situations, but I think he somehow would prefer it hard against Fed and slick against Novak. Not easy to arrange!

I'd take Roger over Novak on grass - no matter what. Roger is the grass court master. Novak is not as cultured on the surface, sure he is no mug and much-improved but Roger is on a different level. Key for Roger is maintaining consistency throughout his matches - if he does that he will be the man to beat but any dips and he could be in trouble.

If it turns out to be a fairly dry event, particularly at the end then Fed/Murray for me would be joint favourites over Novak

Agree with BB about the conditions Andy would like!!

If Tsonga makes it past Murray, I have him going all the way. In 2011, he lost to Novak because he couldnt quite handle the hysteria surrounding his victory over Rog.

I see what you are saying kingraf but head to head V Murray is 1-8. Even if he does pull off the win has he ever backed such a win up with another win against one of the top players in his next match? I don't think so. And on top of that even if he beat Federer he'd then have Djokovic to go through.

Thats why I said he would have to beat Murray. I dont think Tsonga fears Federer, nor should he, to be frank. He can blast him off (Federer cant win a fire fight vs Tsonga), attack the backhand (Tsonga doesnt have a rasping BH, but its good enough to use the tactic), and he can compete in a game of net cunning. I'm not saying Federer has no chance ( Ive warmed to him since Federer came to South Africa and my editor conspired to give the interview to a rugby journo. Nice guy by all accounts, my type of humor too), but Tsonga really shouldnt have anything to fear.