Federer wins… again

Roger Federer took out Marin Cilic in a straight set, somewhat anticlimactic final to win his 8^th Wimbledon, his second major title of the year, and his 19^th career major title.   This was something of a “deer in the headlights” match for Cilic. 

This match was decided in the first set, when Federer broke first and served it out.  In second set, with Federer already up 3-0, Cilic called for the trainer and doctor for treatment during the changeover.  They did not minister to him in any way, but Cilic broke down in tears and draped a towel over his head.  Cilic may have had some physical problem (he fell on a point at 2-2 in the first set), but the issue seemed more emotional, as Cilic seemed to realize, and, unfortunately for the fans, accept the fact that he could not beat Federer.  More tears were shed by Federer after the win, as he realized what he had accomplished.

At this point it’s worth considering whether Federer might be one of the greatest athletes of all time in any sport.  No, he is not as big and strong as Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown or Wilt Chamberlain; no, he never won the Olympic decathlon or broke the world record in the 100 meter dash; no, he never bench pressed more than 500 pounds.  However, in all sports, it is a combination of physical ability and mental stability that leads to success.  When Federer plays, the message he sends is “I love tennis”.  His mental approach to a sport with no active coaching permitted and the obstacles posed by the court and a thinking adversary is one of realism, calm, and indeed, joy at simply playing.  These attributes lead not only to unparalleled success, but to a demonstration of the beauty of sport that few athletes have ever provided.   When he won, Roger thanked his team, the tournament administrators and the fans.  But it is they who should be thanking him for providing the spectacle of legendary greatness in real time. 

Muguruza wins

Garbine Muguruza won the Wimbledon championship today, beating Venus Williams, 7-5, 6-0.  This was an old fashioned slugfest in the first set, with the players trading mainly powerful forehands.  Muguruza got a late break and served out the first set, which really could have gone either way.

            After that Venus pretty much collapsed.   She began spraying shots from both sides and moving relatively sluggishly around the court.  Her problem seemed more mental than physical, as she seemed to have counted on the first set to springboard her to victory.  However, although she lost, Venus had a very impressive tournament, and played what I believe to be some of the best tennis of her career.

            An important feature of Muguruza’s game in this match and throughout the tournament was that she embraced the principle once articulated by Lindsay Davenport: “If you can’t hit a winner, don’t make an error.”  When out of position, Muguruza put balls deep in the court with high net clearance and waited for more opportune times to hit out.  This approach is lacking in many young female players with great ground games (Ostapenko, Keys, Osaka, Giorgi etc.).  These players seem quite often to go for broke on every ball, and they hit so well, the approach often works (witness Ostapenko’s French Open win).  But a certain amount of discipline and tactics can greatly strengthen a player’s game, as Muguruza showed in this tournament.  It’s interesting to contrast this win with her victory over Serena Williams in the French Open last year.  In that match Muguruza blasted every ball and got away with it.  This year at Wimbledon she played a powerful but much more secure game.  She also served well, which has not always been true of late.

            If Garbine continues playing this way, harnessing her awesome power and playing some tactical tennis, she will win many more majors.

Two kinds of great matches

Yesterday at Wimbledon there were two great matches on the men’s side.  Rafa Nadal lost 13-15 in the 5^th set to Gilles Muller.  This was a great match in which several match points for Muller were nullified by Nadal’s typically intrepid play.  Muller was the better player in the 5^th set but still had to go to 15-13 to win it.  This mastch was great for all of the typical reasons, mainly drama and the thrill of tight competition.  Although both players showed good endurance throughout the 5^th set, Nadal became atypically testy as the set went on, an attribute that may well have been due to mental fatigue.  Anyway, my pick to win it, Nadal, is out.

The other match featured Roger Federer against Grigor Dimitrov, who has had a good year and who has a great game for grass.  Federer totally dominated this match, winning in straight sets.  Why then, was this also a “great” match? 

The answer is the play of Federer, who produces enthralling shots in nearly all of his matches.  The great thing about Roger is that even when the score is lopsided, his shotmaking is so fabulous that the match is still great fun to watch.  Below are listed what I thought were some of his best shots in this one, and you can watch them on line if you like.

Before showing those shots, I wanted to comment on what I believe was

overly  harsh criticism of Dimitrov by John McEnroe.  Dimitrov was in against the greatest grass court player ever, playing at his highest level.  Sometimes the opponent is just too good, a was the case for Federer in this match.  So, here are the shots to see:

First set, 1-1, 40-15, Dimitrov serving.

First set, 2-2, 0-0, Dimirov serving

Second set, 5-2, 30-0, Federer serving

Third set, 2-2, 40-15, Dimitrov serving

Third set, 3-2, 15-15, Federer serving

Enjoy these!

Happenings on the women’s side include the early exit of Karolina Pliskova, my pick to win it all, the continued success of Venus Williams, and the continued success as well of Jelena Ostapenko, who is backing up her French Open win impressively.  Watch out for Johanna Konta, who has the crowd on her side, and Garbine Muguruza, who knocked out Kerber and who has made the finals before.