Mesh Tennis

Serena is officially out of Wimbledon entirely now.

Q. How would you describe the last set?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it too much.

Q. How is your health? Did you feel a hundred percent?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely not a hundred percent at all. Not at all.

Q. 90?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No. It was probably at 40 or 50 max.

Q. Was it at all about the foot or seemed like maybe your wrist was bothering you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, my leg’s doing better. In my last match I had fell and sprained my thumb so I can’t really hit backhands.

Q. How much did your calf injury, how much better did it get from Monday to Tuesday?

SERENA WILLIAMS: My leg’s doing really well. It’s gotten a lot better. It’s been doing a lot better. I mean, I’m still feeling a lot of pain, but with the taping that was done, all the treatment I’ve been doing, it’s been doing a lot, lot better compared to the first day. Yesterday wasn’t so good, but today is much better.

Q. What did you think of the quality of her game?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I thought she played a very high quality game. I thought she played probably some of her best tennis.

Q. The thumb happened when you fell with the calf injury or was it another point in the match?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, it happened in the third set and I fell. I felt it, but it just got worse, got really swollen, yeah.

Q. Your father said both he and the doctor said you shouldn’t have gone out and played. Is that what he told you and why did you decide to go out?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I mean, I hate to not try. I feel like if I could have at least tried, then maybe I would be able to fight through it or maybe adrenaline would kick in and it would just get better. I think I would feel awful just not even trying.

Q. What’s the difference playing Justine on grass compared to clay?

SERENA WILLIAMS: It’s definitely a faster game on grass, you know, more winners. It was windy today, so I think we both had some errors.

Q. You always talk about how you feel like you can fight through anything. How frustrating is it to try to fight through today and to not be able to physically do it?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, it is a little bit frustrating, I mean, but I think considering I practically was hitting a one happened backhand, I couldn’t have fought much more. Maybe if I could have made a shot here or there. But it was kind of hard to make a shot because, you know, my technique was totally different. My slice is good, but I don’t slice that often. You know, just trying to whatever. I totally lost my thought.

Q. Are you going to be able to play doubles?

SERENA WILLIAMS: No, I just withdrew from the doubles.
FULL INTERVIEW

I’ll dig up the interviews to get more info on the injuries mentioned in this article.

Justine Henin took advantage of an injured Serena Williams at Wimbledon on Wednesday, advancing to the semifinals with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over the two-time champion.

Although Williams managed to win the middle set, Henin’s variety of shots kept the American moving. On Monday, Williams collapsed on the court with a strained left calf during her fourth-round win, and she played against Henin with her leg taped.

She also had her left wrist and thumb taped.

The top-ranked Henin first served for the match at 5-1 in the third set, but several unforced errors and a rejuvenated Williams briefly extended the match.

Henin, trying to complete a career Grand Slam by winning at the All England Club, also beat Williams in the quarterfinals at the French Open this year. She went on to win her fourth title at Roland Garros. CBS News

I saw a not-as-funny Sharapova news spoof today, and thought of this one, which is a few weeks old:

In a relaxed group interview given immediately following his record-tying third consecutive French Open victory, world No. 2-ranked tennis player Rafael Nadal attributed his astounding clay-court performance to staying focused, rising to the challenge of facing quality opponents such as Carlos Moyá and Roger Federer, and most importantly, to living a life revolving completely around clay.

“It is no secret that I perform best upon the traditional clay courts,” the cheerful, red-smeared Nadal told reporters who visited him in his familial homeland in Spain’s Balearic Islands. “This is partially because the slower surface suits my style, plays to my strong forehand, and allows me to best use my energy. And it is partially because I have embraced the fundamental, life-giving clay—the substance from which God formed all men—and taken it into the deepest aspects of my very being.”

“Come with me,” Nadal said, extending a red-ochre-caked hand to members of the press, gesturing for them to accompany him up the clay pathway to his home. “Come into my world of clay.”

Showing off his estate, a sprawling yet modest 19-room cast-clay mansion built on 25 acres of hard-packed red clay, the obviously house-proud Nadal explained the role of clay in his philosophy, training regimen, and daily life, pausing only to point out features such as his 1,000-bottle wine cellar, carved from the very living clay of the island; the Olympic-sized baked-clay swimming pool, which servants were busy filling with fresh, lightly chlorinated clay in preparation for his French Open victory party; and of course, the three tennis courts along the side of his house, one in red clay, one in American-style green clay, and one built with half a court of each type of clay.

“Clay, as everyone knows, punishes the over-precise player and brings a player’s instinct into play,” said Nadal, sprawling into a clay-formed chaise lounge and dipping a handful of clay from a nearby earthen bowl. “This instinct for how the serve will move, how the volley will progress, even how the break point must be played—this instinct cannot be taught, only shaped as by the potter’s hand. And one shapes his instinct by constant communion with that most plastic and moldable of earths.”

“I speak, naturally, of clay itself,” Nadal added, luxuriating as he worked his handful of clay into his face, neck, and scalp. “Yes. Clay. Yes.”

Over a dinner consisting of earthy soups, an unnamed but dark and hearty roast, and unusually brown bread, Nadal denied any dissatisfaction with either his perennial No. 2 ranking or his perceived role as a one-trick player.

“If I am second in the world, it is because so many matches are played on the non-traditional and decadent surface of grass,” said Nadal, who sipped upon a post-prandial cup of hot brandied clay in an effort to mask his anger at the mention of what he considers to be a lesser surface. “What is grass but a regrettable parasite upon the pure and pristine clay? And playing well upon clay, upon the very stuff of life, upon the breast of the Earth itself…that is not a trick. That is the very deepest alluvial layer of tennis itself.”

Nadal then concluded the dinner by offering his guests homemade iced-clay sundaes.

When informed of his rival’s clay-based philosophies, top-ranked men’s player Roger Federer was nonplussed. “I do not dispute that Rafael is extremely difficult to beat on his favored surface,” Federer said in a telephone interview Wednesday, “but I believe it is purely because it suits his personal style of play, not because his attendants encase him in a clay sarcophagus every night. We may be rivals, but I worry about him, especially since he was treated twice last winter in Barcelona for clay inhalation.”

“Still, it is impossible to overemphasize the importance of mental preparation,” Federer added. “Which is why my house is a single unfurnished 78-by-27-foot room bisected by a three-foot net. Perhaps I shall consider installing clay floors before next year’s French open.” The Onion

Haha, Ana is so cute - her reaction to these stars is probably very similar to what some teenage boys would say about her!

Ana Ivanovic is used to plenty of attention as one of Wimbledon’s star attractions, but the Serbian sixth seed admitted she was still dazzled by rubbing shoulders with David Beckham and Kiefer Sutherland.

Ivanovic advanced to her first Wimbledon quarter-final after a hard-fought 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Nadia Petrova on Tuesday.

But although the 19-year-old’s combination of prodigious talent and stunning looks have made her one of the All England Club’s pin-up girls, she still had her head turned when she went to a concert held at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to commemorate the life of Diana, princess of Wales.

Ivanovic was star-struck as she sat near England footballer Beckham and was desperate to get her picture taken with actor Sutherland.

“I still haven’t had chance to go to the city much, but the other day I went to a concert in Wembley and it was really nice experience,” she said.

“I was there for couple of hours. It was amazing. I enjoyed it a lot.

“I saw David Beckham. He was sitting quite close to us. That was exciting. And also Kiefer Sutherland. We just pass by him on the way to our box. It was exciting because I follow (the TV series) 24 closely, so it was exciting to see him.

“Yes, I was nervous. I wanted to have picture with him. But we were going different directions.

“I was like, No, I want to go, I want a picture. I have to have better reaction next time.”

French Open runner-up Ivanovic will now face Nicole Vaidisova after the Czech stunned defending champion Amelie Mauresmo. Hindustan Times

Here’s an interesting article posted to the Wimbledon site. The author asks if we are seeing Sharapova’s game start to fall apart, pointing to her injury and lack of success this year in winning titles. I still think she is very consistent, but the shoulder problem seems to keep cropping up. I’d put my money on that being a factor in making errors and losing rather that who was sitting next to Yuri, or any other reason mentioned in the article.

After this obliteration today, it seems reasonable to ask whether Sharapova’s game is in some kind of mini-crisis. After all, she has yet to win a title this year and she is carrying a chronic shoulder problem with her serving arm – a problem that is so severe she requires two-and-a-half hours’ treatment daily, whether she has played a match or not.

That is a great deal for a player two months past her 20th birthday. Moreover, she has not been able to build on the momentum of her US Open win last autumn. At the time it seemed significant – as if after a natural lull from her astonishing Wimbledon victory three years ago, this new achievement would be a springboard from which she could open the Slam floodgates.

But it simply hasn’t happened. She made the final in Australia, only to be trampled underfoot by Serena Williams. At Roland Garros, on the clay that does not suit her, she made “only” the semi-final, falling unexpectedly to Ana Ivanovic. Now today’s humiliation.

Right from the start today, her body language was oddly subdued. Usually her extraordinary inward-looking intensity is fascinating to watch, as if there are just three people present – herself, her opponent, and her father Yuri Sharapov, who is also her coach. Even in the ultimate arena of the Centre Court, the 14,000 spectators do not seem to exist for her.

Moreover, even when she is storming to victory, her face so often wears an expression like thunder. And why not, when this hugely competitive formula works so well for her?

Yet today there was something subtly different. It was as if she couldn’t quite (to use the word universally favoured by the sporting elite) focus as she wished. Sometimes when she is in the thick of a major contest and makes an error, she glares up at her father accusingly as if shouting: “You made me do it.” But today, even in the midst of a tussle which few had forecast, she seemed less cross during play than she often does on her way to simple victory.

Why? Something unusual was diverting her attention. Perhaps the chronic trouble she suffers with her right shoulder had flared up. Certainly her serve was not working, and her ball toss was all over the place. She was also overpowered from the baseline.

Maybe it was something else. Perhaps she was distracted by the fact that Williams’ mother and joint coach Oracene Price elected to sit directly behind Yuri Sharapov in the players’ box. Thus whenever Maria wanted to glance at her father, she was obliged to include a key Williams support member in her line of vision.

Not that Ms Price behaved with any impropriety – on the contrary, she is known for generously applauding her daughters’ opponents during their matches. Maybe that was indeed the problem, because after the nearly two-hour rain break that punctuated this match, Yuri Sharapov moved to another seat in the stands, out of the players’ box, meaning Ms Price was no longer in Sharapova’s eye-line.

Here’s what went on in that match - it sounds like no contest at all. Venus will continue through the road of Russians by meeting Kuznetsova next, assuming the rain stops.

Venus Williams prevailed in the battle of the former champions, defeating 2004 winner Maria Sharapova 6-1 6-3.

The three-time winner took advantage of the second seed’s error-strewn play to wrap up the first set in 33 minutes.

With the second set tied at 1-1 rain delayed play for almost two hours, but when the match resumed there was no let up for Sharapova as Williams attacked.

The American got the inevitable break at 4-3 and broke again to set up a quarter-final with Svetlana Kuznetsova.

“I played solid and my serve was definitely a weapon, though my returns were also good,” said Williams, who has been seeded 28th for the tournament.

“I’ve always been a big match player and it was probably a tougher draw for Sharapova than it was for me.

“I know I have a huge game that some players don’t have and I always believe in myself 100%.” BBC

It sure does seem like Sharapova has a tough time with the Williams sisters more than anyone else…

I was thinking Nadal would be stuck in the early rounds well into next week! It seems like he was thinking nearly the same thing, based on his interview below, where he rips into the tournament. There seems to have been some serious controversy between Nadal and his opponent Robin Soderling though - what a mess this tournament has been…

Soderling had clearly annoyed the Spaniard, imitating Nadal’s twitches, tics and routines and then pumping his fist in delight on a lucky, fluked net cord rather than offering the customary apology.

So what did Nadal think of the Swede’s on-court conduct?

“Maybe the worst possible,” he said. It could be argued that the net cord apology is a meaningless gesture but, in Nadal’s mind, it’s clearly an important way of keeping things gentlemanly on court.

As for the handshake at the end, it was cursory to say the least, infuriating Nadal even more. “After four days, that’s not normal, no?” he observed.

“In the locker room, for the other players, [he] is not the best guy in the locker room.”

When Soderling heard about Nadal’s post-match views, he was not impressed: the press conference is not the place to discuss such matters, so thought the Swede..

“I would never say anything about that to the press,” he said. “I’m never talking bad about anyone to the press.”

As for the net cord issue, he said: “He must have been in his complaining mood today. If my opponent gets a lucky shot and he doesn’t say sorry, I don’t care. For me it’s OK. Why should I say I’m sorry when it’s the happiest moment of my life? Why should I say I’m sorry?”

When it came to making fun of Nadal’s habits, Soderling thought he was being funny, although the Spaniard was obviously not amused. And for all that the Swede tried to make light of their disagreements, he was just as testy with Nadal for the slowness of the play as Nadal was with him for poking fun.

“It was more of a fun thing,” Soderling explained. “I mean, I had to wait for him. It was at the start of the fifth set. I think I had to wait for him more than 200 times. Every point I had to wait for him. He had to wait for me one time. He’s starting already shaking his head, doing these things. Maybe I shouldn’t have done it. I’m not angry at him at all.”

This was brewing up into a real scrap but Nadal did not want to fan the flames any further. But the very fact that the French Open champion had spoken out at all made everyone sit up and take notice. Nadal rarely complains, so he must have been really fuming deep down.

“For me, I just think about the victory and about the match,” he said. “I can’t and I don’t want to be involved in something like this.”

He was not done yet. Wimbledon came in for a polite pasting, too. Although he still thinks that tournament is “unbelievable”, he cannot understand why the backlog of matches have been allowed to stack up. After all, it is not as if Wimbledon is unused to rain delays, he pointed out.

Firstly he was annoyed that, after being rained off court on Saturday and Monday, his match was only scheduled second on No. 1 Court yesterday, ultimately leading to another overnight suspension.

“And I didn’t understand why we didn’t play on Sunday. The weather was OK, so much better than yesterday, Monday and today, too.

“I didn’t understand why they cancelled yesterday when at 8:10pm, the sunshine was here for one hour so we could have played one hour.

“That’s very tough for the players. They don’t think very much about the players here maybe.”
Full Interview

Ouch! I’m not sure what I think of mocking other players on court - I remember some doubles matchs where Leander Paes and Martin Damm started chest-bumping each other in a ridiculous way during matches with the Bryan twins. All I can say for sure is that it would be a strategy that might work against me, because I’d get really pissed off. Still, probably not the most sportsmanlike thing to do…

Well, finally we are starting to have some completed matches at Wimbledon! Only one Williams sister is left and we’ve lost another top seed - Maria Sharapova. If I recall correctly, this is one of her earliest exits in a Grand Slam in quite some time, which shows how consistent she has been since winning that Wimbledon title.

Here’s the score and Maria’s interview:

Venus Williams (USA) [23] defeated Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2] 6-1, 6-3

Q. Was that just sort of a career day from her and not a great one from you?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Not a great one in the first set for me. You know, didn’t really have a rhythm. I don’t know if it was the wind or a slow start. She got off to a fast start. You know, I just didn’t feel really comfortable in the first set.

In the third game in the second, I started feeling good. I started serving a lot better. But, you know, at the end of the day, uhm, you know, she was averaging her first serve 115 miles per hour, where my first serve, the fastest one was 115.

So I think I couldn’t really give myself any chances on the return. I think that put a little extra pressure on my serve. Even though I didn’t serve that bad in the second set, you know, she just was on top of it.

Q. Were you surprised how strong she was off the ground, especially on her forehand side?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I mean, you really can’t be surprised because, I mean, I know what she’s capable of. I know she can produce great tennis. That’s what has won her so many Grand Slams, you know, kept her at the top.

I don’t think I was going into the match thinking she wasn’t going to play great.

Q. With the rain, all the backlog of matches, lots of people have been saying this is the worst ever Wimbledon. Do you think that?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No. I actually like the rain. I mean, I’ve been pretty positive about the rain. I mean, it comes with the territory. It comes with Wimbledon. I mean, some years are going to be better than others.

Unfortunately, this was a year where there was more rain than others. But, I mean, it’s bound to happen sometime. It can only get better from this year, right?

Q. Are you very disappointed or are you telling yourself you’ve had struggles with the injuries this year, there’s nothing you could have done except for work, work, work? Are you thinking you should have been able to bring a better level today?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I guess a little bit of both. You know, I think I did a good be job of trying to find a way in the second set, trying to fight, you know, give it all I had. In the end, I just didn’t have enough.

But, I mean, all I can do from this point, I’m not going to let me head hang and take months off because I lost a tennis match. I’m very capable of going out on the court and working hard, working to get better. It can only improve.

I look forward to the better days. You’re only going to get there with hard work.

Q. Did the fact that she took a toilet break before the game contribute to your slow start in any way? Does it disrupt your concentration?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don’t even remember that happened until you said it.

Q. Will you be playing Fed Cup?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Right now I don’t know. I’ve got to do some scans here on my shoulder maybe tonight or tomorrow. I think my dad and I will be talking with Tarpishchev in the next week.

Q. Would you like to?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I’d love to. I just don’t know what the doctors will tell me. It’s going to be most importantly health‑wise.
Full Interview

Top seeds are falling out quickly on the women’s side! The good news here is probably for Jankovic’s mom, who became so agitated during previous matches that it was believed she was having heart problems related to the stress of seeing her daughter on the verge of losing a match. Mom refused to see a doctor, but I hope she has done so by now…

Third seed Jelena Jankovic followed champion Amelie Mauresmo out of Wimbledon on Tuesday when Marion Bartoli profited from some sloppy strokes to dismiss her 3-6 7-5 6-3 in a match interrupted four times by rain.
The Serb has been one of the most consistent players this year and last month reached the French Open semi-finals but against the French 18th seed she seemed to lack conviction at the net and repeatedly struggled to hold serve.
“I think at the end I was a little stronger physically than her. She looked a little tired,” Bartoli told a news conference after the match that spanned nearly six hours because of the weather.
“She didn’t really know what tactic to use against me at the end is what I felt. She was playing just the ball.”
The 22-year-old said reaching her first grand slam quarter-final had not come as a shock.
“It’s not a big surprise for me. I’m a top 20 player — I’m not 200 in the world,” the world number 19 said.
She faces 31st seed Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands in the next round and said she knew little about her. Guardian

I don’t liek keeping traditions around just for the sake of tradition, and Middle Sunday is definitely one that has to go. If the weather is good, there should be play! Apparently the players are starting to agree:

GRAND slam finalists David Nalbandian and Marcos Baghdatis have attacked Wimbledon’s refusal to use its rest day to clear rain-delayed matches after the tournament fell further behind last night.

Nalbandian, the 2002 Wimbledon runner-up said none of the players agreed with the decision not to take advantage of fine weather on Sunday, leaving Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal three days behind schedule.

The situation was compounded the following day when rain saw only 13 singles matches completed — four men’s and nine women’s.

Nalbandian was particularly surly after a 6-2 7-5 6-0 thumping by the 2006 Australian Open finalist Baghdatis.

“Always is like this here,” the Argentinian said as rain lashed the grounds. “Nobody agree with no play on Sunday.”

Baghdatis was surprised no tennis was played on Sunday when the weather was fine for all but two hours.

“It would be great to play (Sunday) because now we have to play Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and it’s pretty tough,” he said. Herald Sun