This years tournament was full of surprises with the biggest coming in the very first round on the very first day when Spain's Rafael Nadal lost in straight sets to Steve Darcis. Was this expected? Definitely not, nobody foreseen this coming but having not practiced at all on grass coming into this years tournament and the rigorous fortnight at Roland Garros where he triumphed and against an inspired opponent in Darcis, perhaps it wasn't such a shock after all. Besides, any top player should know that if you don't put the practice in, it will be extremely tough against anyone on the ATP tour. Rafael Nadal will now set his sights on the US Open, the final grand slam of the year, a title he has managed to hold only once in 2010. But it was only a few days later when there was another major shock in the tournament, this time seven time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer. He lost to Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky in four sets. The defending champion just couldn't quite adjust to the serve and volley tactics from the Ukrainian and eventually succumbed to him 7-6 in the fourth. The serve and volley technique isn't used much by many of the top players nowadays, so for players such as Federer it comes as a bit of a surprise when they are on the receiving end of player who utilises this technique. This was the main reason Federer lost, he only broke Sergiy's serve once in the match, and the wayward backhand from the Swiss on match point pretty much summed up his afternoon. I have noticed that Federer's unforced error count is rising during many of his matches, which for me shows that he is not practicing as much as he used too and he also tends to get a little more fiery.
The disappointing part about both of these defeats was that Darcis and Stakhovsky lost in the next round, showing just how tough it is to maintain such a high level throughout a grand slam event. But does this mark the end for Roger Federer? Not only did he lose in the second round for the first time in a grand slam since the French Open in 2003, but he also lost his run of 36 consecutive grand slam quarter-final appearances, an open era record. Now I have wrote Federer off before and then he won Wimbledon last year, but this time it really does feel like an end of an era. Federer will be 32 when he heads into next months US Open, of course age doesn't mean a thing, look at Tommy Haas, 35 and still going strong. But Haas will never win a slam, and to compete with the top guys now you have to be extremely fit, especially when you look over your net and you've got Djokovic or Murray to contend with. Federer's game doesn't involve fitness, its more about finesse, but when both Djokovic and Murray throw everything back at you it's hard to see anyone getting past these two players.
Back to Murray. And what a tournament he had! When the draw was first announced it seemed as if Murray's chances of reaching the final were slim. He would have had to face Tsonga in the quarters and either Federer or Nadal in the Semis, but it never happened. And so Murray's route to the final seemed a walk in the park. But then out of nowhere appeared Spain's Fernando Verdasco a somewhat veteran of the game, whose lost there mojo a little from the early days. Verdasco took a two set lead in the quarter-final match against Murray and suddenly it appeared Murray's chances were over. But the battling qualities and the resilience we are all accustomed to appeared from the Scot and he eventually wrapped up the match in a five set thriller. At this point it seemed inevitable that the Scot was going to win the tournament. Poland's Jerzy Janowicz could not cope with the pressure of not only playing in his first grand slam semi-final but also against the home favourite. However, Jerzy will definitely be a player to look out for in the coming years, someone who could quite easily contend for grand slam titles. In the end it came to the two best players in the world, Murray and Djokovic. I was lucky enough to secure seats on centre court for the final and what a fantastic experience it was. The atmosphere was incredible and being only a few rows from the front, you could really feel the adrenaline that both players were experiencing. I was a little disappointed with Djokovic's game throughout, he just never seemed likely to win a rally and Murray just simply dominated. There are a few factors that played into this win for Murray. The Scot is a better grass court player than the Serb and he seemed extremely hungry for the title having lost in last years final to Federer. Murray is now the man to beat. His reaction to winning is a moment I'll never forget and the disbelief in his face could be seen in everyone else's, history had been made. With Federer aging and Nadal struggling with injuries, Murray has now opened up a clear path to earning many more slams.
The disappointing part about both of these defeats was that Darcis and Stakhovsky lost in the next round, showing just how tough it is to maintain such a high level throughout a grand slam event. But does this mark the end for Roger Federer? Not only did he lose in the second round for the first time in a grand slam since the French Open in 2003, but he also lost his run of 36 consecutive grand slam quarter-final appearances, an open era record. Now I have wrote Federer off before and then he won Wimbledon last year, but this time it really does feel like an end of an era. Federer will be 32 when he heads into next months US Open, of course age doesn't mean a thing, look at Tommy Haas, 35 and still going strong. But Haas will never win a slam, and to compete with the top guys now you have to be extremely fit, especially when you look over your net and you've got Djokovic or Murray to contend with. Federer's game doesn't involve fitness, its more about finesse, but when both Djokovic and Murray throw everything back at you it's hard to see anyone getting past these two players.
Back to Murray. And what a tournament he had! When the draw was first announced it seemed as if Murray's chances of reaching the final were slim. He would have had to face Tsonga in the quarters and either Federer or Nadal in the Semis, but it never happened. And so Murray's route to the final seemed a walk in the park. But then out of nowhere appeared Spain's Fernando Verdasco a somewhat veteran of the game, whose lost there mojo a little from the early days. Verdasco took a two set lead in the quarter-final match against Murray and suddenly it appeared Murray's chances were over. But the battling qualities and the resilience we are all accustomed to appeared from the Scot and he eventually wrapped up the match in a five set thriller. At this point it seemed inevitable that the Scot was going to win the tournament. Poland's Jerzy Janowicz could not cope with the pressure of not only playing in his first grand slam semi-final but also against the home favourite. However, Jerzy will definitely be a player to look out for in the coming years, someone who could quite easily contend for grand slam titles. In the end it came to the two best players in the world, Murray and Djokovic. I was lucky enough to secure seats on centre court for the final and what a fantastic experience it was. The atmosphere was incredible and being only a few rows from the front, you could really feel the adrenaline that both players were experiencing. I was a little disappointed with Djokovic's game throughout, he just never seemed likely to win a rally and Murray just simply dominated. There are a few factors that played into this win for Murray. The Scot is a better grass court player than the Serb and he seemed extremely hungry for the title having lost in last years final to Federer. Murray is now the man to beat. His reaction to winning is a moment I'll never forget and the disbelief in his face could be seen in everyone else's, history had been made. With Federer aging and Nadal struggling with injuries, Murray has now opened up a clear path to earning many more slams.
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