Wimbledon 2015: Talking points from Day 10

Serena Williams is gunning for her sixth Wimbledon title

Williams continues her dominance over Sharapova

Serena Williams notched up her 17th straight victory over Maria Sharapova in straight sets to reach her eighth Wimbledon final. She is one match away from the ‘Serena Slam’ and is now the first player in 27 years to reach the first three Major finals of a calendar year.

Was it ever in doubt? Not really. Williams vs Sharapova is as close as you could get to a high profile certainty in not just tennis but in sport.

Sharapova’s serving problems are exemplified in contrast to the poetic motion of Williams’ perfect opening gambit. Moving her opponents around the court has never been the Russian’s strength and as Azarenka and Watson proved during the week, keeping the American on the move is arguably the best ploy to take the match away from her.

The Russian has never able to get to grips with the complexity of beating Williams and yesterday was another chastising defeat. It certainly didn’t make for very good television viewing seeing a champion completely dismantle a normally top class opponent with so much ease for the umpteenth time.

Should the Russian just put the Williams match behind her and focus more on improving her own game rather than worry about trying to beat her torturer. Because it certainly looks like the only way she’s going to beat the five time champion is with a wrench to the knee.

Is Muguruza the real deal?

Garbine Muguruza is ecstatic after reaching her first Grand Slam final

Whilst the ‘high profile’ match of the day was a disappointment, the battle of power vs guile duly delivered in excitement and quality. After a nip and tuck battle Garbine Muguruza reached her first Major final after a three set battle over Agnieszka Radwanska and arguably launched her career as a future star in the women’s game.

She is now a member of the world’s top 10 jumping up to No.9 and at just 21-years-old appears to have the world at her feet. Her forehand and serve look to be technically supreme and her ability to take the ball on the rise and force the issue is pleasing to see from a fan’s perspective. This tactic was of great use to her against Radwanska. The only way to win against the tricky Pole is to seemingly hit off her the court and for the first set, the Spaniard was immaculate.

Perhaps what was even more impressive was the fact that after being thrown out of the zone by Radwanska, she managed to enter it again in the third. Being able to put the loss of six straight games behind her and break the Pole’s serve twice in a row to then serve out the match was encouraging for her future career.

Yet we’ve been here before exactly 12 months ago. Eugenie Bouchard looked nailed on to become the new face of the WTA when she reached her first Wimbledon final. After a year of injuries, attitude problems and awful tennis, the Canadian is now ranked in the mid 20’s.

Muguruza must look to what has happened to a woman who looked set for stardom but has come crashing down harder than almost anyone in the modern era. Even players like Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina had a more gradual decline than Bouchard. But that is a discussion for another time.

For now, Muguruza’s date with destiny has arrived. She has certainly earned it by beating some top players on the WTA tour to get here and it seems she has the game to at least trouble the mighty Serena in the final. Even by saying she wanted to play Serena in her first Grand Slam final suggests she will not be overawed by the occasion. Oh and guess who Muguruza beat to make her first mark in the sport? It couldn’t happen again could it?

Should instructions from the box be banned?

Agnieszka Radwanska made a late challenge in the final stages of the third set

Muguruza may have been worthy of victory but it could have been oh so different had Radwanska not challenged a close call on the right baseline. With Muguruza serving for the match on deuce, Radwanska originally played on after a questionable call but after what seemed like an eternity, Radwanska challenged. The ball was called in and Radwanska lost the point and one massive serve later the match.

In cruel irony, Muguruza’s forehand milliseconds after Radwanska’s held her racquet up flew long in a rare display of nerves which would’ve given Radwanska a break point. It transpired that the Pole had taken the advice of her box who were adamant that the ball was out when deciding to challenge.

Now there are times when players will look up to their box in order to clarify whether they should challenge a ball. Normally they are to reaffirm their belief one way or another. But should a player in one of the tightest moments of play be almost completely swayed to make a decision because of outside interference?

According to the WTA rulebook, receiving coaching or instructions from outside sources whilst on court during Majors is against the rules so surely being told whether or not to challenge would be a breach of conduct. Maybe it was karma that Radwanska lost that point.

Given the controversy surrounding allegations of Boris Becker coaching Novak Djokovic from his box at the start of the tournament, this has come at the most inopportune time for WTA administrators. Could we see players being banned from using their trusted companions making these crucial decisions for them? Radwanska will probably be the first name on the ‘Yes’ ballot after yesterday.