Wimbledon: Federer was great, Djokovic was simply better - UBITENNIS
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Wimbledon: Federer was great, Djokovic was simply better

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TENNIS WIMBLEDON 2014 – Roger Federer was simply brilliant. He looked like the player who won seven Wimbledon titles. So how did Federer lose this match? He just happened to be playing a better player on this day. By James Beck

 

Roger Federer was simply brilliant. He looked like the Roger Federer who won seven Wimbledon titles.

The Swiss great couldn’t have played much better. He had plenty of firepower in his strokes and serves, maybe even more than when he was winning this title what seemed like every July.

He moved flawlessly, totally focused on the task. He appeared to be as free as his twin daughters.

Federer Turned Back The Pages Of Time

It was as if Federer had turned back the pages of time and was in his heyday on his favorite court. He was that good.

If you didn’t know the score, you would be telling everyone that Federer had won his eighth Wimbledon title. He was that spectacular. His backhand had the consistency of a machine gun. Simply amazing.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Federer play better, and I believe I have watched all of his finals at Wimbledon.

He abounded with energy. He covered the court as thoroughly as the grass had when this tournament started two weeks earlier.

Djokovic Was Simply A Better Player This Day

How did Federer lose this match?

He just happened to be playing a better player on this day.

Yes, Novak Djokovic also was a player for the ages. He looked almost clumsy at times as he stumbled and fell often.

But that was only because the great mover was moving too quickly when he attempted many of his 180-degree turns.

If Djokovic had been content to move at a slower pace, then Federer indeed probably would have won this Wimbledon title.

Not only was Djokovic’s 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 win over Federer the second Wimbledon title for the Serbian, it was his seventh Grand Slam title.

Tale Of The Grass — Live Dangerously

In the first week, the grass was too green.

In the second week, the grass was too dead.

There was no neutral ground at this Wimbledon.

It was almost like driving an automobile. If you moved/drove too quickly, it was possibly hazardous to your well being.

Djokovic lost his footing and fell so often that it was truly amazing that the Serbian wonder prevailed against Federer.

Even Federer tasted the grass a time or two.

Knight In Shining Armor Shone Brightly

Federer wanted this title so badly. That was obvious.

He realized that the clock is ticking, and he may never get another chance like he had on Centre Court on Sunday. With their hero heading into a fifth set with momentum, Federer lovers the world over had to be feeling pretty good. Their knight in shining armor was definitely shining.

He could sense that this Wimbledon could belong to him very shortly. Oh, how sweet the thoughts of an 18th Grand Slam title.

Eighteen Slams Might Have Put Nadal Away

A title at Wimbledon might have put Federer’s Grand Slam total out of Rafa Nadal’s reach. Federer obviously was well aware of that possibility as he appeared to be heading home at Wimbledon.

As it is, Nadal didn’t play that badly himself at Wimbledon. He just happened to run across a teenager who was on fire to defeat the Spaniard. Nick Kyrgios played awkwardly, looked even more awkward in his movement and strokes, but everything the 6-4 Australian hit seemed to find the court for a winner against Nadal.

And yet, the next day Kyrgios looked like a high school player in the quarterfinals against big Milos Raonic. Kyrgios appeared to give little effort in dropping the last three sets in the four-set match.

Raonic A Sleeping Giant Who Didn’t Wake Up

As meekly as Kyrgios went out in that quarterfinal, Raonic performed maybe at a lower level in a straight-set loss to Federer in the semifinals. Raonic had only his serve. The big Canadian was a sleeping giant who never woke up against Federer.

Raonic slumbered around the court against Federer, looking like he was stuck in the grass.

The odds are pretty good that no one will hear much about Kyrgios until next year’s Australian Open. If he goes to New York, Kyrgios likely will get lost in the crowd.

The broadcasters suggested Kyrgios might be the next great player. That kind of hype might have been his biggest ally at Wimbledon, and apparently Nadal believed it. In retrospect, Kyrgios might have been a flash in the pan.

James Beck is the long-time tennis columnist for the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier newspaper. He can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com

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Alexander Zverev Deserves More Respect According To Boris Becker

According to Boris Becker, Alexander Zverev deserves more respect from tennis journalists.

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Alexander Zverev (@WeAreTennis - Twitter)

Boris Becker has claimed that Alexander Zverev deserves more respect despite Zverev failing to live up to his potential at Grand Slams.

 

Zverev has only reached one Grand Slam final in his career despite being a regular inside the world’s top ten as well as performing at regular ATP events.

This season Zverev played a limited schedule after recovering from an ankle injury but still managed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

However most critics have been loud when judging Zverev’s career as it was looking likely that he would be a regular Grand Slam champion.

The German has failed to live up to expectations but former Grand Slam champion Boris Becker believes Zverev deserves more respect.

Speaking to Eurosport Becker also said that Zverev’s father being the coach is a more than successful approach when it comes to the former US Open finalist’s career, “In my opinion, he doesn’t get enough respect from the tennis experts internationally,” Becker explained.

“They’re all talking about the young three or four, but don’t give Zverev, Medvedev or Rublev enough respect. He’s playing with his fist in his pocket a little bit, wants everyone show that he is not a thing of the past, but that his best time is yet to come.

“Surely his father knows best what is good for his son, but if you look into the box at the competition, you can also see changes.”

Becker has followed Zverev for most of his career so knows that the best is yet to come from the German.

Alexander Zverev will look to prove himself next season when he starts his 2024 season when he represents Germany at the United Cup.

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Juan Carlos Ferrero Analyses Key Areas For Carlos Alcaraz’s Development

Juan Carlos Ferrero has outlined the next steps in Carlos Alcaraz’s development.

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(@tennisnewsbrazil - Twitter)

Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero has analysed the key areas for the Spaniard’s development heading into the 2024 season.

 

The former world number one’s season has come to an end after a successful year which saw him win the Wimbledon title as well as winning two Masters 1000 titles.

Alcaraz capped off an incredible season by reaching the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

However there is a long way for the Spaniard to go if he wants to consistently go toe-to-toe with Novak Djokovic.

Speaking to Marca Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero spoke about the Spaniard’s development and said that Alcaraz is too emotional, “Be more regular in games, not open doors. Sometimes there are mistakes and it is something that we have to improve a lot,” Ferrero commented.

“Although it is true that he opens doors, he always competes well and at the highest level. He knows it, the other day he already said that Novak doesn’t give you one. He has to improve his decision making and he will achieve that with experience. Carlos is very emotional and that sometimes helps him and other times not so much.”

It’s clear Alcaraz’s high-quality is there but to consistently do it against Djokovic is another task altogether as the Spaniard looks to go from strength-to strength next season.

One area that is clearly a priority for Alcaraz is physical conditioning especially considering what happened against Djokovic at Roland Garros earlier in the season.

Ferrero said that will be a clear focus heading into 2024 but couldn’t guarantee that Alcaraz will play a tournament before the Australian Open, “Because of the year and the fatigue he has been in, what he needs is rest and disconnecting for 8-10 days with his friends,” Ferrero stated.

“From there, the thinking must go back to working really hard, strong and well to start very strongly in Australia. One can never be sure of that. Sometimes you play a tournament and it doesn’t go well, you left home too early. There are many ways of thinking.

“This year we haven’t played Australia and he finishes number two. That means there is no urgency to play a tournament early. Carlos is a player who enters competition quickly, you don’t usually see him without rhythm.

“Although it is true that he becomes more dangerous from the round of 16, from the quarter-finals. I am confident that the two exhibition matches and the training sessions will help us play a good tournament.”

Alcaraz will be looking to play the Australian Open which starts on the 15th of January after the Spaniard missed last year’s tournament due to a leg injury.

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Australian Open Chief Confident Nadal Will Play But Kyrgios’ Participation Uncertain

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Nadal RG 2022 by Night (foto @RolandGarros)

The tournament director of the Australian Open says he is ‘certain’ that Rafael Nadal will play at the Grand Slam even though the Spaniard has yet to outline his comeback plans. 

 

Craig Tiley told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday he hopes to receive some clarity over Nadal’s intentions in the next couple of weeks but is confident he will play. However, the tennis official had previously claimed in October that the former world No.1 had already committed to play in the event before his team denied that statement.  

Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, hasn’t played a Tour match since his second round defeat at the Australian Open in January due to a hip injury. He was originally expecting to take an eight-week break but the recovery didn’t go to plan and he ended up having surgery. In May he confirmed that he will take an extended break from the sport to heal his body and admitted that retirement next year is a possibility.

“Rafa has been training, I follow him closely, probably every day because he’s a massive drawcard for us,” the Reuters News Agency quoted Tiley as saying. 
“He wants to play, he’s obviously planning on playing. It all depends on how he pulls up.
“Hopefully in the next week or the next two weeks, we get some specific confirmation of that. I’m certain Rafa will be here because he’s not going to want to miss the opportunity to repeat what he did a couple of years ago.”

Earlier this month Nadal confirmed that he intends to return to the Tour but admits that he will continue to experience a degree of pain. Although he has yet to give any information about which tournament he will begin his comeback at. The 2024 season begins during the first week of January.

“I’m well, training, and happy. I’m at a good stage of my life,” atptour.com quoted Nadal as telling reporters in Barcelona.
“Until now I didn’t know if I would play tennis again someday, and now I genuinely believe I will. I’m still not ready to say when, but I’m able to train increasingly longer, and the progress is good.’

Will Kyrgios play?

Another player Tiley is eager to welcome back is home player and former Wimbledon Finalist Nick Kyrgios who has only played one Tour-level match this season due to injury. He underwent knee surgery in January and then tore a ligament in his wrist during the summer. As a result, the Australian currently doesn’t have an ATP ranking due to his inactivity. 

“We have spoken to Nick, and he obviously wants to do the best he possibly can to give him the best chance to play in January,” Tiley said of Kyrgios.
“Whether he’s playing, whether he’s doing something else, Nick will be here in January and to get him to play will be great. But we’ve got to take it as it comes and he’s got to make sure he takes care of his health …” 

Kyrgios recently worked as an analyst for the Tennis Channel during this year’s ATP Finals in Turin and gave a brief update on his ongoing recovery during a segment. 

“After last year, I had such a great year, and I’m so hungry to get back out there,” the 2022 Wimbledon finalist commented.
“So I’m doing everything I can to get back out there. Obviously, you know how injuries are every day, just doing the rehab, doing the gym work.”

The Australian Open will begin on Sunday 14th January. Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are the defending champions. 

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