Wimbledon 2013: 26th June: A Day of Attrition

          Who said tennis was a predictable sport...? I think that idiot may have been me. In my French Open post, I made a big point about how tennis now is all about the four big names, with no-one else likely to get a look-in for the foreseeable future. How wrong I was. Today's events have left a gaping hole in the bottom half of the male draw, a hole that a relatively inexperienced player will inevitably fill. This gives an unbelievable chance to someone, and arguably, the net winner out of today is Andy Murray, who analysts now start to see as having a fairly straight-forward run to the final. If he doesn't win it this year, you fear for his chances against a full pack.

           I thought yesterday's events were dramatic, with the world number 5, Rafael Nadal, fresh off the back of his French Open success, struggle with an injury and depart to the hands of the relatively unknown, world-ranked 135, Steve Darcis. In my Andy Murray and Wimbledon opening post, I made a brief suggestion of how I expected the two weeks to pan out. I predicted that Nadal would make a slow start. I did not expect that to be backwards! However, given his clear agony throughout, particularly in the latter stages, it was clear to see that he was not at his best, and as a result, my prediction can be vindicated slightly (a thinly veiled excuse, I'm sure you'll agree!) I fully expected this to be the major shock of the two weeks, especially when we consider the Lukas Rosol incident of 12 months ago.

           However, today's events have utterly eclipsed the drama of yesterday afternoon. Even before play had started today, the number of drop-outs began to climb. First, the huge John Isner retired injured from his match, having only played 2 games. Then, Rafael Nadal's conqueror, Darcis, had to pull out, citing the decision as 'the hardest of my career'. The first massive name fell just before play started on the show courts, with womens' number 2 Victoria Azarenka withdrawing at quarter to 1. After a horrendous-looking fall on the opening day, this decision came as little surprise. Her departure added further controversy, as she publicly stated that the courts were too slippery, bordering on dangerous. Given the amount of injuries we have witnessed over the past three days, her claims are certainly substantiated. However, I have yet to see a year where the ground staff do not perform their tasks effectively, and, as a result, we must trust the All England Club to rectify any problems with the court surfaces. Also, the fact that by this time in most years it has rained at least once should mean that the courts are comparatively drier to previous years. At the very least, players should be able to cope with the slippery and wet surfaces, having tolerated them every year for as long as the tournament has been in existence.

            If we thought the early withdrawals would be the main talking point of the day, the high profile exits started. 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt was the first to go, being defeated in four sets by the flamboyant Dustin Brown. An unconventional style and breath-taking execution of shots led the 27 year old German to his biggest win to date, netting him a cool £63,000 in the process. Womens' 13th seed Ana Ivanovic was next, with 19-year-old junior champion Eugenie Bouchard dumping the former world number 1 out. The shock results in the womens' draw continued, with number 9 seed Caroline Wozniacki beaten by unknown Czech Petra Cevkovska, before what was the shock of the day, with heavily fancied Maria Sharapova eliminated at the hands of world number 131 Larcha De Brito. Further withdrawals of Queens' finalist Marin Cilic and world number 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga due to injury took the day's total to 7 walkovers/withdrawals, a record for the tournament. The overall total currently stands at 10, and with injuries happening wherever you look in SW19, the number threatens to climb even higher by the end of the week.

             All of this drama will have inevitably led to many British fans being fearful for the survival of Andy Murray. They needn't have worried, with the Scot coming through his match against Yen Hsun-Lu in straight sets. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would be very suspicious about the possibility that Ivan Lendl had tampered with the water supply for Murray's competitors, or had over-watered the courts on which his potential opponents will play! These suspicions are only strengthened by this evening's events. Murray's main competitor in the bottom half of the draw, Roger Federer, played on Centre Court against the under-rated and dangerous serve-and-volleyer Sergei Stahovsky. Having won the opening set in a tense tie break, the match was levelled in another tie break. With the 17 Grand Slam winner struggling to adapt to Stahovsky's style of play, he lost the third 7-5, putting his run of 36 consecutive quarter-finals in severe danger. The reigning Wimbledon champion started the final set badly too, going a break down at 3-1. A Federer fightback ensued, with the Swiss breaking back to force a third tie break. After another nervy and tight encounter, the former world number 1 saved one match point with a stunning passing shot. However, he succumbed to the pressure of a second, slicing a shot wide to hand Stahovsky an incredible win, and put the cherry on top of the day of shocks.

               Today's events have decimated both the men's and women's draw, leaving the door wide open for less prominent players to reach the latter stages. It also pours doubt on my earlier assertion that tennis is becoming predictable, as anyone who made a bet on today's results will have made a touch more than a small fortune! However, today's results will be forgotten to a certain extent if we end with a Murray v Djokovic final, and a Serena Williams womens' victory, as the finals will still look predictable. So long may the shocks continue, and I truly hope we have a Goran Ivanisevic winner this time around, that will last for another generation.

Luis Suarez: World Beater or Thug?

             English football thought it had seen the back of the majority of controversial issues when Mario Balotelli left these shores for warmer climes. How wrong we were. Luis Suarez, a man of undoubted talent, having recently been nominated for the Player of the Year Award by his peers, seems to be the man to take over Balotelli’s mantel. His actions in today’s Premier League match between his Liverpool side and Chelsea perfectly summarise the polarized nature of his time in Britain-from hero to villain and then back again in the space of 45 short minutes.

 

                It is also worth reflecting on his past ‘sins’. Whilst revered on Merseyside (the red half at least) for his footballing talent, which most Liverpool fans would concede is the primary reason for them remaining in the top half of the Premier League table this year, he has seen his fair share of controversy. Many football fans had their minds made up for them about Luis Suarez as a ‘gentleman’ after his handball against Ghana in the 2010 World Cup Quarter Final. His recent spat with Patrice Evra regarding racist abuse has been well documented, along with the farcical ‘will they/won’t they’ storyline over handshakes that looked like it had just been plucked from the script of Friends. The 8-match ban alone, whether fair or unfair, you would consider significant enough to keep himself out of trouble and his name in the limelight for positive reasons only. Not Luis Suarez. Most defenders you see interviewed say he is a ‘nuisance to play against’. Only with a handful of players is that not a phrase which is praising the attacking qualities of the striker. Unfortunately, whilst the majority of the time he is a ‘nuisance’ in the positive sense, scoring 23 league goals this season, and assisting numerous more, he is all too often a ‘nuisance’ in the negative. His diving has been noted on several occasions, including an admission by himself to such in January. It is the more underhand, cynical and borderline violent actions that leave many football fans with a bad taste in their mouths whenever Suarez’s name is mentioned. He also seemingly has form for this too. At his previous club Ajax, Suarez was banned for 7 matches for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal in November 2010, an incident which seems ever more relevant after today’s events.

 

If ‘a game of two halves’ is a cliché, then perhaps ‘a half of three halves’ would best describe Luis Suarez’s performance this afternoon. After a rather anonymous first 45 by his standards, he was the catalyst for Liverpool’s opener, using his prodigious talent to put a goal on a plate for Daniel Sturridge. The gallant hero of Liverpool FC to the rescue again. Or so it seemed. What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary. Having deservedly conceded a penalty for a blatant handball, his frustration appeared to get the better of him. And what do normal people do when they are frustrated? That’s right, they bite the nearest person! Rather than accepting his punishment and having a few stern words with himself, Luis Suarez decided to bite the arm of Branislav Ivanovic, the Chelsea defender. Nevertheless, this is not the end of the story. To add insult to Branislav Ivanovic’s injury, he then popped up in the 7^th minute of stoppage time to steer a header past Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal to rescue a point for Liverpool. The headlines practically write themselves: ‘Suarez is a ‘shot in the arm’ for Liverpool’ and the like. The fact that Brendan Rodgers, who at times has had to be a staunch supporter of Suarez, against all opponents, was unable to support his player, speaks volumes. Whilst it could be argued he really did need to review tapes of the incident, it is certainly true he has been quick to defend Suarez in the past.

 

Regardless of tonight’s apology, I expect to see a rather lengthy ban for Suarez, and it remains to be seen whether we see him again in the Premier League. Once again, it appears, Luis Suarez has wasted his considerable talent on becoming embroiled in yet more controversy. He has always had the potential, and application to be a ‘world beater’, but his competitive streak seemingly gets the better of him, and he appears unable to control his anger and frustration. I made the point earlier about him taking over from where Mario Balotelli left off. Like Suarez, Balotelli has considerable potential if he chooses to apply himself. In Britain, it never worked, as he found himself involved in several high profile controversies, ranging from setting off fireworks in his bathroom, to handing out money dressed as Father Christmas. Unlike Suarez, the majority of Mario Balotelli’s misdemeanours were idiotic, the sign of a petulant, immature clown. The more violent aspect of Suarez’s game appears to indicate a shift away from Balotelli, and towards the ilk of Joey Barton. I sincerely hope I am wrong, as it would be a shame to see such great potential wasted.