Image via WikipediaSam Stosur has finally done it after a near miss last year at the French Open. She beat Serena Williams in 2 straight sets at the 2011 US Open. Good on you Sam. I've been following you for some time. I have pictures of you practising your serve.
Roger Federer has just won his 15 grand slam title, breaking Sampras's record of 14. He has also become number 1 again, overtaking Nadal. This has never been done before. He has won all 4 grand slams but not in the same calender year. But Nadal's absence through injury from Wimbledon and his injury at Paris would surely have helped Federer's chances.
Federer's win over Roddick at Wimbledon was a bit of luck, given the 5th set went to 16/14. He never broke Roddick's serve until that last game.
Sampras agrees he's the best player ever, but don't we have to take the different equipment and times into account. I'm thinking of Rod Laver here. He was off the amateur tour until all tennis became professional, so his wins in professional tennis at that time were not recorded. Laver and the other Australians of the time has 6 week boat trips to England to get there to Wimbledon.
So I think there are still questions about Federer's greatness. He has to win when Nadal is in the tournament and he has to win a few more grand slams to equal out the disadvantages of those who played in the past had.
As usual there isn't much I can say about the French Open because I don't get it on free TV.
On the female side, with Justine Henin retiring, it was all open and Ana Ivanovich won.
She became a favourite for Wimbledon but clearly the pressure was too much for her.
I saw an amazing final between the William's sisters and there is no way that they could ever be accused of colluding in who won matches. It must be difficult for Serena at the moment though, with Venus winning Wimbledon, because who does she get her support from? It was a fantastic match with psychology playing a part. Venus drew a line in the sand and would not stand behind the back line for Serena's serve. It was also a match where both of them had to play their best and great it was too.
The much anticipated final between Nadal and Federer was one of the greatest Wimbledon finals ever witnessed. Nadal had smashed Federer in the French final as he was expected to, but Federer was expected to win on grass. Not this time. I couldn't see the whole match as in Australia it went until something like 5am. After the second rain delay I went to bed.
I wasn't surprised to see that Nadal had won in the morning though. His play was almost faultless while Federer was clearly nervous and tense with all that historical weight on his shoulders. I wanted him to beat records, but that's what makes tennis so exciting. You can never be sure who will win. There are so many factors to consider. According to all reports the 5 set match went down to last point in practical darkness too.
I'm pleased for Spain having won the world football and then to win Wimbledon after many many years. I was impressed that Nadal had continued to learn on grass and not given the idea away. His shots were sometimes the most impossibly angled I'd ever seen. I only wished I could have seen the whole match. I might one day get a DVD of it out.
Despite not writing here as much, I try to keep up my winners and statistics still. The reason for not writing is that I cannot see many of the Grand Slams now, let alone the men's Masters or the Women's events.
