Monday, June 25, 2007

The Arrival....

...of the MOST prestigious tennis tournament on earth is here. The end of June always brings with it the beginning of the best two weeks, fortnight if you're a Brit, in tennis. Nowhere is the simple elegance and beauty of Wimbledon matched. Its carefully and meticulously manicured green lawns splashed with dark purples for contrast, players dressed in all white symbolizing the purity of these hallowed grounds, and the spectators queueing just to enter the majestic gates of The All England Lawn and Tennis Club.

Each Grand Slam has its thing: The Open has NYC with its celebs, tennis under the lights, and over-the-top presentation; The Australian has the exuberant Aussie tennis fans, flowing beer that adds to their exuberance and the Southern Summer Sun; The French has The City of Lights and Love - Paris, moody yet "educated" French spectators and who can forget the Terra Battue. But none of these Slams comes close to the honor bestowed upon THE CHAMPIONSHIPS, WIMBLEDON. Someday in the near future I hope to have the fortune to experience this event in person.
This years Championships start as they so often do, with rain in the forecast for the next couple days. This inevitably means blotchy TV coverage and lots of reruns from Wimbledons old. There are many positives that can come from this year's fortnight. My fav tennis family, The Williamses, are looking to make a big showing. Both sister have entered the tournament hungry for another slam to add to their singles trophy case, would be #3 for lil' sis, #4 for big. This morning Papa Williams predicted Venus to win the whole thing, which has me excited. Even more exciting is the possibility of an all Williams final for the first time in several years. ::Fingers Crossed!!!:: However should one, or both sister, make unfortunate early exits from The AELTC in singles, they are trying to shake things up with a wildcard entry to the Women's Doubles draw. This bodes well for both sisters, cause back in the day they had so much fun playing together and that is what tennis is truly about, the enjoyment of the sport.

Other hopes for the draw:

1. Justine and Sharapova lose early and BIG. This is a big, hope though cause both of these ugly b*#%hes play well on grass. Justine is a lying manipulative B and Sharapova is an overhyped B, for those reasons alone they both deserve to loose, but if you want more justification I am more than willing to dish it up for you. HAHAHAHA

2. Federer wins another. I know I like fresh blood in the men's game, but you gotta love this guy on grass. It would be nice if we could see him against someone like Djokovic or Gasquet in the final to mix things up, but he's gotta win the gold cup. I would have it no other way.

3. Lots of good play. I want to see some excellent displays of athleticism and shot making. You have to be a different creature on the grass, rewarded are those who serve well, come to net often and can execute a good clean slice and drop shot. Care must be taken when playing with little margin for error around the net, the tape is tight here and will reject balls that hit it with no mercy.

Par for the course, not much will be achieved late at night or early in the week during Grand Slam coverage. Things will just have to wait till after the Final Sunday, to be completed or processed. Stay tuned for more coverage.

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