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wimbleDONE ? Well, not yet.
The dust has barely settled and the euphoria is yet to dampen.
Wimbledon 2015 was by far the most exciting edition of the most prestigious Grand Slam for more reasons than one. From brilliant matches to stunning upsets and controversies, it had it all.
While Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were the crème dela crème of Wimbledon, there were other players too who earned their fair share of limelight. Dustin Brown, Richard Gasquet, Garbine Muguruza, Leander Paes, Sania Mirza, Martina Hingis and Sumit Nagal contributed to the joy and entertainment over two weeks of pulsating tennis.
The Great Roger Federer was constantly under the gaze; even after the Final when he walked past Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena in the corridor.
John McEnroe and Boris Becker made a U-turn with their views. In 2013, John McEnroe had chosen Rafael Nadal as the Greatest Of All Time. Boris Becker had expressed not-so-flattering views on the Federer-Djokovic camaraderie in his book.
After the Final, both of them hailed Federer as the Greatest Of All Time.
All said and done, this is definitely the Age of the Novak and the Era of the Williams.
This year’s Wimbledon has forced all experts and tennis buffs to ponder over some profound questions that will have a bearing on the future of the Sport.
10. Is more Indian glory in store?
In 1990, when Leander Paes first shot to limelight by winning the Boy’s Singles Championships at Wimbledon, both Edberg and Becker played an epic Final for the coveted Men’s Singles Championships. 25 years later, Paes is still bagging Grand Slams while Edberg and Becker watch over their respective star wards as Coaches. He has been the torchbearer of Indian tennis and is the only Indian to have achieved 700 career wins.
Sania Mirza, the Golden Girl of Indian Tennis, had a great run with Cara Black in 2014.
With Martina Hingis by their side, 2015 has been even better for both Paes and Mirza. Paes won his fourth Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Title with Hingis and Mirza won her first ever Wimbledon title partnering the Swiss Miss.
Rohan Bopanna did make a commendable effort by reaching the Semi Final of the Men’s Doubles Event with partner Florin Mergea. Sumit Nagal’s first title in the Boy’s Doubles event proves that the future of Indian Tennis is in safe hands.
9. Is 33 the new 23?
Though the question is now a cliché, it resurfaces time and again.
The Men’s top 20 is crowded with players in their 30s. With Federer at the helm of the ‘Thirties Club’ the field includes David Ferrer, Stan Wawrinka, Gilles Simon, Jo Wilfred-Tsonga, John Isner and Feliciano Lopez. Tomas Berdych, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson and Richard Gasquet will be joining them soon in less than a year.
At the age of 33, both Federer and Williams, by reaching the Wimbledon Final, have defied age and still have the zeal for more Grand Slam victories. Anderson, Gasquet, Wawrinka and Simon made a deep run too in this Wimbledon.
8. For how long will Andy Murray play second fiddle?
Andy Murray has been among the Big Four for a long time now. However, he has been unable to claim the Numero Uno position. Having played second fiddle for a majority of his career to the triumvirate of Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, he yet again failed to go the distance and win another Home Slam.
With Nadal down to No.10 and Wawrinka among the Big Four, the possibility of Murray rising to No.1 still looks bleak. He will have to play a sensational hard court season and follow it up with another US Open title win in order to have a chance to usurp Djokovic’s throne.
With Djokovic in such ominous form, the Numero Uno position for Murray is a far cry.
7. Are the Rising Stars still rising?
More than a year ago Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock, Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov and Dominic Thiem earned themselves the tag of Rising Stars. A year later they have failed to achieve the kind of consistency and level that Nadal, Federer, Murray and Djokovic achieved to win Grand Slams in their early 20s.
Though Kyrgios still looks promising and did much better than the rest at Wimbledon, his on-court antics and tanking still make one wonder whether he is ready to break into the next level.
Among the women Alison Van Uytvanck, Timea Bacsinzsky, Karolina Pliskova, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys have been quite promising but still have a long way to go.
6. Where does Rafael Nadal go from here?
After yet another forgettable visit to SW19, Rafael Nadal has a lot to think about going into the hard court season. Following an upset at the hands of Dustin Brown, Nadal was a hapless victim to analysts and former Grand Slam Champions. While some hint at a change of fortune with a coaching change, the rest have resorted to writing him off for good.
Knowing Nadal’s ability to make a comeback when you expect him the least, the hard court season is a great chance for him to reinvent himself. With hardly any points to defend for the rest of the season, he can play freely on the court.
5. Is Garbine Muguruza the next big star in Women’s tennis?
No fear.
These are the words that Garbine Mugurza said in the post-match conference. This young Spaniard started her Final against Serena Williams in the most impressive way possible. From the word go she dialed in to bring out her A-game against the best player in the world. After breaking Serena in the opening game and quickly taking a 4-2 lead, she could not ride that advantage.
Serena quickly found another gear to win the next four games in a row to bag the First Set. Towards the end of the match Muguruza did not surrender meekly. Despite being 4-1 down in the Second Set she fought valiantly till the end but her gumption fell short. Williams won 6-4, 6-4 but Muguruza showed all signs of being a future Grand Slam Champion.
Last year, Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep showed similar glimpses. But this year, both have been struggling with their form. Sloane Stephens and Timea Bacsinzky have shown flashes of brilliance but fade away while taking on the mighty Williams.
What sets Muguruza apart from these players are her physicality, mental tenacity and character. She is probably one among a handful of players who can give Serena Williams a run for her money. If she can be consistent in her performances, she is definitely the one to watch out for.
4. Who will win the US Open 2015?
There is more history to be made in the US Open 2015.
With Williams having achieved her Serena Slam 2.0, the whole world looks forward to her achieving the Calendar Grand Slam and a 22nd Major. If she manages to do this, she would equal Steffi Graf’s record and stand just two places behind Margaret Court who has won 24 Grand Slams.
Roger Federer was closer than ever to winning the much awaited 18th Grand Slam at Wimbledon. But with the unstoppable Djokovic at the other end he had to settle for the Runner-up salver. Having reached the Semi Final of the US Open last year, all eyes will be on the Swiss Maestro to see if he can conjure one last trick to go that last mile and win the title.
Last year, the Flushing Meadows saw two first time finalists and a new Champion Marin Cilic. With the US Open being the last Slam of the year, most top seeds are quite spent owing to the grind of a long season. This gives hope to other players outside the top 5 a chance to win the title.
If Djokovic wins the US Open, he will join an elite Club of Champions who have a double digit Grand Slam haul.
3. Can anyone stop Serena Williams?
Serena Williams is defying all odds at the ripe age of 33 to chase history and make ‘her’story.
At an age where Roger Federer is eyeing that one last Grand Slam that is left in him, this incredible woman is seeking a 22nd Grand Slam and more. Currently perched at the top of the Women’s Rankings, Serena Williams has more than double the number of points of her rival, Maria Sharapova, at No.2.
She reached a new milestone yesterday – a 40th win for the season!
Williams defeated the No.215 ranked Belgian player, Ysaline Bonaventure in straight sets at the Collector Swedish Open, Bastad. This is the second-fastest Williams has reached her 40th win, since achieving the same feat in the 4th Round of the French Open in 2013.
With her Coach Patrick Moratouglou by her side, from whom she draws inspiration and strength, Serena Williams has been planning her schedule very smartly and has been focusing heavily on the Grand Slams. In their 3 year partnership, Moratouglou has helped Serena win 6 Grand Slams which is 5 more Slams than Roger Federer after turning 30.
In summary, she is invincible for now.
2. Will Roger Federer win an 18th Grand Slam?
Last year when Federer lost a closely contested Wimbledon Final against Novak Djokovic, a pall of gloom hung over the hallowed Center Court. Pundits averred that it was a golden opportunity for Federer to win his 8th Wimbledon and the 18th Grand Slam to seal the ‘Greatest Of All Time’ debate.
But the Swiss Maestro proved them all wrong by playing a phenomenal season in 2014 with the highlight being his maiden Davis Cup title. 2015 was no less grand as he gave himself another opportunity to turn 18 at his favorite Slam. But it was not to be.
After drubbing Andy Murray in regal style in the Semi Final, Federer could not withstand the Serbian onslaught in the Wimbledon Final. He tried very hard by clinching the second set after saving seven set points. In the third and the fourth sets, he withered away showing that time spares no one.
The question will linger on, but he still has the hunger and motivation to get that monkey off his back.
1.Will Djokovic go past Nadal, Sampras and eventually Federer?
Novak Djokovic is by far the fittest athlete in the world of sport. His fitness regime is mind boggling. Even for an exhibition match he follows the same pre-match and post- match routines that he would follow for an actual match in an ATP event or Grand Slam.
Eli Saslow in his article “Freak of Nurture” writes how this Serb, who once upon a time would huff and puff half way through his matches, has transformed into an ironman, a machine that rarely ever breaks down. With Federer and Nadal in the last lap of their careers and no other Rising Star fulfilling their potential, Novak Djokovic has a good chance of adding many more Slams to his name.
However, it would be interesting to see whether he would stand the test of time.
Probably he could take a tip or two from the legendary Serena Williams.
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