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The Championships @ Wimbledon
The
Creme de la Creme
by Matt Donaldson Well the short but sweet period of time that top class tennis is played in the UK draws to an end this fortnight, as the third Grand Slam of the year is held at Wimbledon. Wimbledon remains a favourite with the players (with a few exceptions!), which is probably why Britain has retained a Grand Slam tournament. And with Wimbledon draws a close to the grass court season also. Few on the tour will be overly disappointed with that, but as a surface, grass remains as a waterline, that will only accomodate certain players. If a player is genuinely concerned with winning an event on grass their game must be oif a certain quality to simply play on the surface, let alone produce a performance capable of victory. In addition to the prestige of the event, Wimbledon also offers an admirable purse. Although the levels of payment have not reached the level of parity boasted by the US Open recently, they are sizable, as onbe would expect for a Grand Slam. Im not going to open the can of worms that is the possiblility of equal pay for male and female players, but i will highlight my support for the decision made by the LTA in this case, and my disaggrement with what the US Open organisers have done. And so to the tournament. For me to whine on about sponsors and the quality of the buffet offered to distinguished guests would be foolish for an event such as Wimbledon, and so i shall spare everyone of such inane details. Instead, i will address Maria's chances and how long i shall have to queue every damn morning!!!
The
Draw.
Maria's performance at Birmingham
has certainly done her chances at
WImbledon the world of good. Not
only did her performances warrant
a wildcard, but they also pushed
her into the top 100, and that
will be another boost to her
confidence. But the question that
reamins is what we can hope to
expect from the fortnight. Is it
plausible that Maria can push the
semis like a certain Jelena Dokic
did as she burst onto the public
eye during the grass court season.
Or is that hoping for too much?
Personally, having watched her
play at Birmingham, i think she
has the game to push the quarters,
especially having been handed a
favourable draw of the seeds,
facing two players who have not
been anywhere near their best this
year. Indeed, it is arguable that
her toughest match of the first
week is her first round match
against Ashley Harkleroad. She has
been playing good tennis all year,
and has herself this year broke
through from promising youngster
to a dark horse to be wary off,
and im certain will continue to a
threat on all surfaces. Therefore,
coming up against Harkleroad could
be tricky for Maria.
However, Maria has beaten players
who are better on grass, and can
rightfully so go into the match
full of confidence. Despite her
7th seeding, Harkleroad went out
in the first round
in 's-Hertogenbosch, and didnt
seem overly confident on the
surface. And for this reason, im
calling a Maria win in Round One.
And
based on what i said previously,
im going fopr anpother win in
round Two. The 21st seed Elena
Bovina has not seemed confident on
grass this year, as she has not
won yet on the surface this year
following her bye at Birmingham.
Also, an injury that bothered her
earlier in the season may well be
at the back of her mind, and
playing a young star on eth rise
on a surface that she already
seems at home on despite very few
performances on will be the last
thing that a Bovina low on
confidence will want.
And
the same applies to Jelena Dokic.
Although the way that Dokic has
been playing recently, reaching
the third round seems a long way
off. However, Jelena does enjoy
Wimbledon, and should pull out two
suitable performances to dispose
of lower ranked opposition.
However, coming up against
Sharapova will not help her
attempts to rescue her season, and
she will know this in the back of
her mind. It may be the unpopular
thing to say across other areas of
the network, but i feel that Maria
will have too much for Dokic, and
in two sets too. I would
apologise, but im not sorry! Ive
been saying since Christmas that
times were a changing, and now it
seems the process has begun!!!
And so
the next round. Ive never ventured
this far before on a prediction,
and so its uncharted waters.
Chances are that Maria will face
Alexandra Stevenson in the next
round, another American with a
decent game. The one thing that
may affect her game is that she
will be returning to the scene
where Glyn's despicable actions
were uncondonable, and the trauma
of knowing she is in the same
country as him may put her off her
game. In addition to the Glyn
affect, she has not had the
greatest of grass seasons. As i
mentionned before, very few
players actually get on with the
surface, and so anpther shock is
possible. To reach the quarter
final would be a fantastic effort,
but its one that is possible all
the same if Maria plays as well as
she did at Birmingham.
However, in the qwuarter finals of
a Grand Slam, there are no easy
ties, and facing Henin Hardenne
shows this, The Belgian will be
confident having reached the final
of the French Open, and will
surely have too much for Maria,
despite the fact that Maria will
be sky high on confidence. That
said, Henin-Hardenne was forced to
rertire this week with a hand
injury, so perhaps there is a
small chance. But thats all im
willing to commit myself to. To
come out an say that Maria will
reach the semis of Wimbledon would
be silly, but it could happen!!!!
Round
1: Maria def Harkleroad in
straights
Round
2: Maria def Bovina in three
Round
3: Maria def Dokic in straights
Round
4: Maria def Stevenson in three
Quarter Finals: Henin-Hardenne def
Maria in straights
Semis:
S.Williams def Henin-Hardenne in
straights
Final:
Clijsters def S.Williams in three
Visit the Maria Sharapova page here
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