Sweden has had a very rich tennis history. But, the game is not flourishing in the country these days.
If you have a look at the world rankings in the male’s category right now, you will not find any Swedish player in top 100. The top ranked player is at no. 190.
If you go 4-5 years back, the situation was a lot different. Sweden had a player who was not only capable of getting there in top 10, but, he was also good enough to clinch a slam and that too in the presence of the Big 4.
Yes, it was Robin Soderling. The guy was at his peak towards the end of the last decade.
If you beat Rafael Nadal on clay, you must be playing your top tennis and you must have special quality and he indeed was special, Soderling. What an exciting talent he was.
You talk to any former player and you would get to hear high praises for Soderling.
Mats Wilander was talking to a TV channel the other day and as the name of Soderling came up, he felt a little sad. Read more »
Andy Murray has won the Wimbledon Championships 2013 by defeating the no. 1 player in the world Novak Djokovic in the final match. Murray won the match in the straight sets by 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
This is the first time in the last 77 years that a British player has won the Wimbledon Championships. The last time that a British player had won this tournament was way back in 1936. Fred Perry had done that then.
Murray who was given the second seed in this tournament played fabulous tennis in the final match. He was dominant right from the outset and he didn’t give Djokovic any opportunity to settle down.
This was the 19th match between these two players and Murray defeated Djokovic for the 8th time.
Talking to the reporters in the post match interview, Murray said, “Last year, the final match was a big disappointment for me. It’s completely different this time around. It was not an easy match. The last game went on for quite long. Fortunately, I managed to sneak through somehow.”
“It’s really a special feeling. A lot of people desperately wanted a British player to win the Wimbledon Championships. I am glad that I fulfil their wishes.”
“Novak is a great fighter. He never gives up. The way he fought in that final game was incredible.”
On the other hand, Djokovic was looking hugely gutted. The Serbian superstar said, “I don’t want to make any excuses, but, I was physically struggling a bit after the tough last match. Andy played terrifically well and he deserved to lift the trophy. I want to congratulate him for his success.”
Djokovic had to toil hard for 283 minutes to defeat the Argentinean player Juan Martin Del Potro in the semi final match on Friday.
Swiss number two Stanislas Wawrinka is ready to defend his Gold Medal won at the Beijing Olympic Games at the upcoming London Olympic Games with renewed hope with the form of his partner Roger Federer improving day by day.
The 27 year old teamed up with the then world number one Federer to win the doubles crown at Beijing but since then, the form of FedEx had been on a downward spiral and many people even in their homeland had begun to question whether they would be able to relive the moments of the last Olympic Games.
But Federer, who recently won his 7th crown at the All England Club defeating Andy Murray in an almost one sided final and reclaimed his world number one ranking is high on confidence and Stanislas Wawrinka believes that it would benefit them as a whole when the London Olympic Games kick off in 20 days’ time. Many fans had been tempted to bet on Andy Murray winning his first Grand Slam against the Swiss player, but he struggled to get into the game.
Moreover, Wawrinka also believes that with the tennis events for the London Games being held on the grass courts of the All England Club, which is the favorite surface of Federer hands them a big advantage.
Prior to Wimbledon, Wawrinka had been practicing with Rafael Nadal and he believes that having the world number three as his practice partner also helped him a lot ahead of the Olympic Games. The 27 year old, who is currently ranked at 25 in the latest edition of the ATP Tour rankings in singles and 110 in doubles, has not had the best of times this year but he hopes that he will be able to set things right at the London Olympic Games.
And with the high flying Roger Federer on his side, Stanislas Wawrinka might have a chance of replicating the success for Switzerland and bring home the doubles gold once again. Fans can watch the live tennis online on the Olympics website for FREE! 🙂
April 8, 2015 4:24 am | 