countdown... wimby round of sixteen

monday.

psyched.

handsome article about roger federer in the new yorker.

Goodnight, Fortnight. It's been Grand... WOW!

For once in my professional tennis-watching life, I agree emphatically with the ever-exuberantly hyperbolic bud collins when he declares that this year's wimbledon finals were probably the best he's ever seen. 

I wasn't able to agree (emphatically) until i'd actually seen both Finals since, being Tubeless, I've been reserving my early mornings to the play-by-play audio coverage at Radio Wimbledon 87.7 fm (speaking of... check out radio w.'s "best of the press conference '08" clip!). 

I finally caught the epic Williams final, which turned out to be a marvelously played family affair during which winners were abundant and the match's statistical winner (serena) did not end up hoisting the champion's silverware. All the naysayers, skeptically cynical about a possible "fixed" match, were silenced by the Sisters Williams and their magnificent play. This is what the All England Club (and the WTA) has been waiting to see!

I'd barely descended from my spectator high when the rain-delayed Gentlemen's Final was set to begin. In one corner: the muscular, biceps-baring Mallorcan powerhouse. In the other corner: the man with the legacy, the footwork & skill, the finesse and on-court calm... and the burden of being Number One. 

Surely this match could not live up to its pre-match expectations, right? Well... Mr. Collins and I both emphatically disagree. 

After a brief weather interruption, which delayed the start of the match a half-hour, tennis enthusiasts were treated to an "Instant Classic." I'll spare the detailed analysis (since ESPN, Fox Sports and the Wimbledon Press Room have already done the work). 

As painful as it was to watch Federer end the longest match (approx. 4 hrs 48 min) in Wimbledon history as Runner-up, I am still marveling the play of two above-the-cut men playing each point as if it were the most important point of Wimbledon's Greatest Match Ever ... most of the time, it really was. Hats off!

I bet you wanted to know...

God Bless the Radio Wimbledon 87.7 FM on-court commentators. 

I'm listening to the play-by-play and commentary on the live action between Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova and the breakdown discussion is centering largely around - well, er - each players' respective b-r-e-a-k-d-o-w-n. 

"Their families must be devastated. They're probably thinking, 'How many times have we seen (these breakdowns) before?"

my dearest Commentators... 

I didn't realize you had portal access into the brain waves of each player's respective family. don't tell me you know what the players are thinking, too.  oh, wait...

you're about to tell us about Elena Dementieva's mindset as she reaches match point.  

"She (elena d.) must be thinking she should not be anywhere near the semifinal."  

"let's just see if she's (elena d.) thinking clearly."

listen for yourselves. enjoy. 

so passive aggressive.

gotta love the championships at the all england club. 

 

Classic Wimbledon Matches: direct to your desktop!

the Official Web Site for the All England Club's annual slam is nothing short of spectacular. Along with live-update widgets and radio wimbledon (available for download to your favorite social network or blog!), the Wimbledon 2008 site is making a slew of Classic Matches for year's past available to watch or download (FREE!). 

I just watched my beloved roger arrive as a young & talented upstart against the time-tested vet. Amazing tennis! Watch for yourselves here: 

Classic Matches

Federer v Sampras - 2001 4th Round

The interactive Wimbledon fan blog on Facebook has been updating its feed regularly with daily highlights, info and interviews. The blog has also been diligent in updating its comprehensive Wimbledon YouTube channel. I highly recommend subscribing to their video and blog feeds immediately!

Read the latest Facebook bulletin post from the official Wimbledon Fan Group: 

Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 12:19pm
Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for joining and participating in our fan page! We're seeing many different opinions but everyone is being polite and articulate at the same time, making the community so much fun!

Just wanted to let those of you that have blogs or websites know, you can grab the embed codes from the youtube channel to post all of these videos on your own site (or facebook profile!), if you want. Here's that direct link: http://www.youtube.com/MZTennis.

Enjoy! And, keep up the great feedback - we love it! Be sure to post any question in the Discussion Board and we'll get back to you!

YouTube - MZTennis's Channel
Source: www.youtube.com