Bring out the strawberries and cream

Listening to: nothing

SW19 is bustling, so it must be that time of year again. I usually get very excited at the start of Wimbledon, but this year it's a bit different...for a few reasons.

1. Rafa, Rafa, wherefore art thou Rafa?!
   So sad that the defending champion is not fit to play. But I would rather he sat this one out and prolonged his career, than play just for pride and mess things up more. The thing about Rafa is, no one doubts his commitment. When he says he's not fit to play, everyone knows that things must be really bad. He'll probably go back to #2 after the final, but I know he can bounce back. Maybe he can get some rest and then win the elusive US Open crown? Vamos Rafa!!!


2. Place your bets!
   Now that my favourite is out, who will get my support? I think it would be fitting for Federer to win (although I ♥ Pete Sampras and this would mean his Grand Slam record would be broken). That said, Andy Murray has probably shown the greatest improvement over the past year of any major tennis player in recent history. I'm usually quite sceptical about British sports 'stars', but in this case I am truly impressed. Granted, today's match was more difficult than it should've been, but I think he'll get more comfortable as he progresses. So yes, I think a Federer v. Murray final would be good. I'm saying Federer will win in 4 sets. I've never made predictions before so we'll see how this goes! :D


3. Rain, rain, go away!
   Wimbledon has always been associated with rain delays. Especially the final. I mean in last year's epic final there were 3 rain delays...yes, three! But not this year. The fancy retractable roof over Centre Court should mean that rain delays are a thing of the past. While I'm thrilled that we can have an uninterrupted final, I'm thinking that a part of the Wimbledon experience has been lost. Oh well. You know what...it'd be funny if it's sunny as hell for this year's finals. D'oh! :D


4. Someone put the women's game on the 'endangered species' list
   I mean seriously. One thing I used to love about tennis was that the women's game was not just a wannabe-men's game. While the men's game tended to focus on strength and stamina, the women's game was a showcase of agility and grace. The men's game was a power game; the women's game was far more fluid. But now? I'm sorry, but I blame the Williams sisters. Their power game is far better suited to the traditional men's circuit. I'd like to see Serena play Rafa...now that would be an interesting match.
   
   But back to the women. Their game has become a watered-down, more audible version of the men's game. Yeah you know where this is headed. Martina Navratilova wasn't known for her shrieking or grunting, and yet she's one of the best players ever to grace the court. Same with Steffi Graf. Agility, grace, and none of the 'little miss piggy' sound effects we hear far too often today. For some of them, it comes naturally...if you try and force a shot (which you would do, if you were playing a power game), it's natural to exhale audibly. Some of them seem to overdo it...yes Maria Sharapova, I'm talking to you. You may be pretty and all but you are seriously pissing people off. You're a good enough tennis player to not need to resort to possibly underhand tactics. It's just unnecessary! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say Justine Henin is proof that you don't need to grunt and shriek in order to win Grand Slams (she won seven). Why the hell did she have to retire?!?!?! Sigh.

So yeah. My favourite's not playing, Pete Sampras' record might be broken, Wimbledon's becoming too efficient to be British, and the women's game is becoming unwatchable. Should be a good few weeks!