Wimbledon 2011

[Liam89]

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King of the choke artists

Not quite, Nadal has played very very well in these last 2 sets.

[Sir David Gray]

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Not quite, Nadal has played very very well in these last 2 sets.

It's got nothing to do with "choking", IMO, and everything to do with Nadal raising his level and bringing out his best tennis ever since he lost the opening set.

Whether we like it or not, Nadal's best is several levels above Murray's best. The guy is one of the all time greats, has 10 Grand Slam titles to his name and hasn't lost in 19 matches at Wimbledon.

Murray has been taught a tennis masterclass by Nadal for the last hour and a half and it's not anything to be ashamed of.

[CallumLaidlaw]

I know what you guys are saying but Murray has thrown away some silly points

[Wheat Hound]

On a side note, Andrew Castle is a pwick.

[Sylar]

Undoubtedly, Nadal has played some superb tennis, but Murray had a spell where he fired about 6 or 7 shots a mile long, including some howling misses.

If Murray had held his nerve in the second set when he was making some unforgivable misses, the story might be different.

[Sir David Gray]

Massive hold by Nadal there.

He played unbelievably well on the break point.

[Sir David Gray]

Just SEVEN unforced errors by Nadal in the whole match!

That is a truly amazing statistic after playing for nearly 3 hours and, as one of the commentators said, it's virtually unheard of.

There's very little you can do against that and if your opponent's going to play as well as that you just have to say "well done" and move on.

[hibsbollah]

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It's got nothing to do with "choking", IMO, and everything to do with Nadal raising his level and bringing out his best tennis ever since he lost the opening set.

Whether we like it or not, Nadal's best is several levels above Murray's best. The guy is one of the all time greats, has 10 Grand Slam titles to his name and hasn't lost in 19 matches at Wimbledon.

Murray has been taught a tennis masterclass by Nadal for the last hour and a half and it's not anything to be ashamed of.

Im agreeing with you again. Unprecedented.

[Sir David Gray]

Nadal wins 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-4 in about 3 hours.

Good effort by Murray to get to the semis again but his search for a maiden Grand Slam title goes on and Britain's 75 year wait for a men's singles champion at Wimbledon will also continue.

[cabbageandribs1875]

well, me thinks the organisers should have forced nadal to play with one arm(and one leg) tied up behind his back, gie oor andy a wee chanceykins :-(

[Sir David Gray]

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Im agreeing with you again. Unprecedented.

I really need to get back to the Holy Ground!

[lapsedhibee]

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Here comes the main course after the starter.

Best of luck, Andy, we're all behind you!

If there's one thing at Wimbledon worse than the squealing and grunting, the touching hands all the time in the doubles, the towelling after every point, and the mumbling into the hand/ball (instead of writing a wee note to each other about the next serve), it's the kitchencraft analogies. If a player hits the ball long or wide, he/she's hit it long or wide. How does it help to describe this mistake as the player having "overcooked" their shot?

[Sir David Gray]

Whilst I'm obviously gutted that Murray won't be there on Sunday, I'm looking forward to the final and I think it will be a great match.

There's so many elements to it.

For Nadal, he's looking for a 3rd straight title at Wimbledon (he didn't play in 2009) and he's looking for his 11th Grand Slam victory which will put him in joint 3rd place alongside Bjorn Borg.

For Djokovic, he's looking for his 1st ever title at Wimbledon and, crucially, he's also looking for his first ever victory against Nadal at a Grand Slam.

Even although Djokovic has won their four meetings this year, they've met five times at Grand Slams and Djokovic has only managed to win two sets against Nadal.

Add in the fact that Nadal goes into this match knowing that, regardless of whether he manages to win or not, he will lose his world number one ranking to Djokovic on Monday and there are a number of fascinating factors surrounding this match.

It is unlikely to match the intensity and drama of the 2008 final, I don't envisage any tennis match being able to equal that, but I do think that we could be in for a great afternoon.

[JimBHibees]

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It's got nothing to do with "choking", IMO, and everything to do with Nadal raising his level and bringing out his best tennis ever since he lost the opening set.

Whether we like it or not, Nadal's best is several levels above Murray's best. The guy is one of the all time greats, has 10 Grand Slam titles to his name and hasn't lost in 19 matches at Wimbledon.

Murray has been taught a tennis masterclass by Nadal for the last hour and a half and it's not anything to be ashamed of.

Disagree didnt think Nadal had to be that good. Murray's level dropped markedly in sets 2 and 3. Personally thought he was clearly injured and wasnt getting about the court. Thought he should have got the trainer on at the end of the 3rd set to at least try and break the flow of the game as Nadal would no doubt have done. His unforced error count was absolutely awful. Nadal is Nadal but thought Murray on his game would have taken him tonight, very disappointing.

Think Novak will take Nadal on Sunday.

[Sir David Gray]

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Disagree didnt think Nadal had to be that good. Murray's level dropped markedly in sets 2 and 3. Personally thought he was clearly injured and wasnt getting about the court. Thought he should have got the trainer on at the end of the 3rd set to at least try and break the flow of the game as Nadal would no doubt have done. His unforced error count was absolutely awful. Nadal is Nadal but thought Murray on his game would have taken him tonight, very disappointing.

Think Novak will take Nadal on Sunday.

I think you have a point about the trainer. Players' use of the trainer has become very tactical in recent times and it is often used when a player is up against it and they are trying to get their head together and perhaps put their opponent off their stride.

You also have a point in saying that Nadal would have done that if he had been struggling like Murray was at that point in the match.

He did make various errors throughout the match that, on another day, he wouldn't have made. His forehand error in the second set when he was 2-1 up and 15-30 up on Nadal's serve springs to mind and it was such a sitter that it will probably keep him awake tonight.

However, I'll repeat that stat that I posted earlier on. Rafael Nadal only made SEVEN unforced errors during the whole match today and only made three in the last three sets.

That's an unbelievable statistic for a four set match and I would say that it is one of the main reasons for his victory.

I think it could go the distance on Sunday but I just can't see Nadal losing. He's never lost a Grand Slam final to anyone other than Roger Federer and both of those losses came when Federer was at his peak.

Nadal will have a point to prove, bearing in mind that Djokovic will overtake him on Monday and he will want to send out a message that he is still the best.

[Betty Boop]

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Whilst I'm obviously gutted that Murray won't be there on Sunday, I'm looking forward to the final and I think it will be a great match.

There's so many elements to it.

For Nadal, he's looking for a 3rd straight title at Wimbledon (he didn't play in 2009) and he's looking for his 11th Grand Slam victory which will put him in joint 3rd place alongside Bjorn Borg.

For Djokovic, he's looking for his 1st ever title at Wimbledon and, crucially, he's also looking for his first ever victory against Nadal at a Grand Slam.

Even although Djokovic has won their four meetings this year, they've met five times at Grand Slams and Djokovic has only managed to win two sets against Nadal.

Add in the fact that Nadal goes into this match knowing that, regardless of whether he manages to win or not, he will lose his world number one ranking to Djokovic on Monday and there are a number of fascinating factors surrounding this match.

It is unlikely to match the intensity and drama of the 2008 final, I don't envisage any tennis match being able to equal that, but I do think that we could be in for a great afternoon.

How Monday ? Djokovic became number one yesterday, did he not ?

[iwasthere1972]

Kvitova leading Sharapova 5-2 in first set.

Like to see the non grunter, non groaner, non squealer player win.

[lapsedhibee]

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Kvitova leading Sharapova 5-2 in first set.

Like to see the non grunter, non groaner, non squealer player win.

[iwasthere1972]

Serious question. Henman Hill. What was it called before Timmy started playing at Wimbers?

[lapsedhibee]

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Serious question. Henman Hill. What was it called before Timmy started playing at Wimbers?

Roger's Raised-bit, after Roger Taylor, the last British semi-finalist in the gentlemen's singles. Before that it was Mike's Mound, after Mike Sangster, the last British semi-finalist before Taylor.

[iwasthere1972]

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Roger's Raised-bit, after Roger Taylor, the last British semi-finalist in the gentlemen's singles. Before that it was Mike's Mound, after Mike Sangster, the last British semi-finalist before Taylor.

Was it Perry's Peak and one time?

[lapsedhibee]

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Was it Perry's Peak and one time?

Also Buster's Bump, but only very briefly as he didn't really reach the same heights as the others.
When it was Perry's Peak they didn't have the big screens - a very well-spoken wumman just relayed the scores verbally.

[Sir David Gray]

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How Monday ? Djokovic became number one yesterday, did he not ?

The rankings are updated every Monday throughout the year, except for the middle Monday during a Grand Slam.

Djokovic is guaranteed to become the world number one player on Monday, regardless of tomorrow's outcome but if you look at the tennis world rankings right now, Rafael Nadal is still listed as the number one.

[iwasthere1972]

Disappointed that Andy Murray is not playing in the final later today but good luck Rafa. I can see him winning this in three straight sets.

[AllyF]

Cracking final so far. Rooting for Novak.

[HibbyAndy]

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Disappointed that Andy Murray is not playing in the final later today but good luck Rafa. I can see him winning this in three straight sets.

A cannae

Nice one Nolly winning Wimbers

Well deserved.

[Sir David Gray]

Wasn't the greatest tennis match I have ever watched but well done to Novak Djokovic. He really deserved to win today and apart from his wobble in the third set, he didn't let Nadal have a look in.

That's Djokovic now got three Grand Slam titles and he has now won at two separate Grand Slam tournaments.

He has also now won 48 out of his 49 singles matches in 2011, which is a phenomenal achievement.

The Davis Cup comes up next weekend, Andy Murray has confirmed that he'll play for Britain in Glasgow but it remains to be seen if the other top players will turn out for their respective countries.

With regards to the normal ATP tour, that will probably be it for the next month or so as the top players rest after Wimbledon and prepare for the American hard court season in preparation for the US Open at the end of August.

That is it for another year from SW19 and although it probably won't be as fondly remembered as last year's Championships for the Isner-Mahut marathon or the 2008 competition when the greatest tennis match of all time was played, it did have its moments.

A lot of people will go away from Wimbledon this year asking a lot of questions;

Is Roger Federer, who is fast approaching his 30th birthday, coming near the end as he has failed to get past the quarter finals at Wimbledon for two years running?

Will Andy Murray ever win a Grand Slam as he has now been stopped in the semi finals for the third successive year?

Can Novak Djokovic continue on this brilliant run that he has had over the past seven months and finish the season off with a third Grand Slam victory of 2011?

Can Rafael Nadal regain his world number one ranking and recover after losing his first Grand Slam final to someone other than Federer?

Can someone else come through and break the stranglehold that the top four players have had over the past few years? Can players like Juan Martin del Potro live up to their potential and challenge for the top honours?

There's so much to be excited about at the top of men's tennis at the moment and with players like Nadal and Djokovic in top form, the game could not be in better hands.

[lapsedhibee]

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Is Roger Federer, who is fast approaching his 30th birthday, coming near the end as he has failed to get past the quarter finals at Wimbledon for two years running?

Tsonga played well but I didn't think Federer's heart was in it in the QF.

Will Andy Murray ever win a Grand Slam as he has now been stopped in the semi finals for the third successive year?

No. Not quite good enough.

Can Novak Djokovic continue on this brilliant run that he has had over the past seven months and finish the season off with a third Grand Slam victory of 2011?

Yes he can.

Can Rafael Nadal regain his world number one ranking and recover after losing his first Grand Slam final to someone other than Federer?

No. The punishment his body gets from the way he plays will take its toll, starting now that he's no longer number one.

Can someone else come through and break the stranglehold that the top four players have had over the past few years?

No. They will be the top four players for all time.

[Sir David Gray]

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Tsonga played well but I didn't think Federer's heart was in it in the QF.

No. Not quite good enough.

Yes he can.

No. The punishment his body gets from the way he plays will take its toll, starting now that he's no longer number one.

No. They will be the top four players for all time.

Well that'll be the end of those questions then!

[Shrekko]

Well deserved win and he showed that even Nadal can wobble under pressure.

Djokovic should act as an inspiration to Andy Murray who was ahead of him a year ago. I don't think Andy has peaked yet and to say he isn't good enough to win a Slam is nonsense. He has more ability than many who have won them and you never know how a draw can open up. His best bet though is the hard courts where I'd put him on close to a par with the top 3.