With Roland Garros comfortably in our rearview mirror, the next stop tennis road now leads to Wimbledon. The old and prestigious tournament has a reputation for being a place where history is made. Who could forget Bjorn and McEnroe’s tiebreak at the 1980 Wimbledon Final? Or when Cal State LA History major Billie Jean King established dominance in the early 1960’s?
We still have a week to go until the opening match on the Lawn, but there has been enough tennis developments to whet our appetites and get us ready for the Summer’s sporting staple.
At Gerry Weber, Federer Wins an 8th Title
Yes, you read that right. Federer has scooped up a record eighth win at the Halles Open. This time, victory came over the Italian Andreas Seppi, who kept up with the Swiss powerhouse for the two sets. The threat of rain put a pause in the action for some time, but before long, both sportsmen were back at it. Seppi pushed Federer hard on the serve, but the defending champion managed to pull away from a 4-4 tie, secure the second set, and clinch the victory. Federer now enters Wimbledon with a championship win under his belt (and a check in his pocket!). After being pushed so hard, the 33-year old should prove to be explosive out of the gate.
Roger Federer snagged a record 8th win at the Halles Open
Andy Murray, Queen’s Champion
Roger Federer isn’t the only competitor entering Wimbledon with a recent tournament win. Andy Murray, Wimbledon 2013 Winner, is coming off of a tournament victory at the Queen’s Club, his fourth Club title overall. He won this one in a particularly stunning display of endurance, defeating Serbian Kevin Troicki and South Africa’s Kevin Anderson within hours of each other. The best part of it for Murray and his fans? He feels that he’s in better shape and a fiercer competitor today than he was when he won Wimbledon two years ago. Let’s see what Britain’s native son can accomplish at home!
Nishikori Fighting Back from Injury
Although Seppi advanced to the Halles Open Final to stand opposite Roger Federer, he did so with a little help from fate. Two of his opponents during the tournament, Gaël Monfils (France) and Kei Nishikori (Japan), suffered injuries during the tournament and were forced to retire. But the latter, the current No. 5, is confident his calf injury will be fully healed in time for Wimbledon. He also told the press his retirement was more of a cautionary strategy than anything, saying I don’t want to take a big risk for Wimbledon, but I’m sure it’s going to be ok.” The tennis world sure hopes so. It’s always a privilege to see the best in the world turn out a peak performance at such an important tournament.