I Didn’t Have A Bad Weekend
It could have been better, if Murray had won, instead of lost to Federer, but I doubt there is any player, who on his best form could have beaten Federer on Sunday. But as Jeff Tarango predicted, the roof issue was against Murray.
But then we did have the wonderful victory of Marray and Neilsen winning the Mens Doubles.
We did at least thrash the Aussies again, during breaks in the rain at Chester-le-Street.
I did enjoy the cable-car in the rain too.
And especially, the pop-up museum about Crossrail and the archaeology.
But otherwise I was just reading the papers, feeding myself and watching television.
At least we have the Olympics coming up.
And Now For The Olympic Tennis
Out of curiosity, I looked up the Swiss performance in the 2008 Olympics. I found this informing report on the Swiss in the 2008 and 2004 games, where they got 6 and 5 medals respectively. The report is both ambitious and optimistic and I suspect that Roger Federer is looking to improve on the doubles gold he got in Beijing. After all, he will be carrying the Swiss flag in the opening ceremony, but he hasn’t won an Olympic gold in the singles.
So Federer must start favourite on his favourite surface. He will also be carrying a lot of the weight of the Swiss nation, to get a medal.
So who will meet him in the final?
Jeff Tarango Gets It Right
I sent this in an e-mail to a friend last night, after hearing Jeff Tarango on BBC Radio 5.
Jeff Tarango has made an interesting point about the match tomorrow.
Murray played his semi-final with the roof open and Federer played with it closed. Tarango also said Federer may prefer the roof closed as it’s more like an indoor court. So the weather could have a big effect on the match.
I watched the match today, and both players were very different after the rain break, when the roof was closed.
There could be a case for not changing the position of the roof, once a match starts.
So how do the Welsh handle their roof at the Millenium stadium in Cardiff? This extract from a report here, shows it not all plain sailing.
The French coach’s stance led Wales coach Warren Gatland to demand Six Nations power-brokers change tournament rules and back Wales over the issue of the roof.
As it stands, both participating teams have to be in agreement for the roof to be closed.
If they cannot agree, it stays open unless there are exceptional weather conditions and the match is in danger of being postponed.
“If it’s our stadium and we have the ability to open and close the roof, then maybe we should be the team that decides,” said Gatland.
“I would hate to think that on Saturday, if it is pouring down with rain and we’ve got the chance to close the roof that we don’t.
But the row was because it interfered with a French player-tracking system, that seems to be a bit close to the rules to me.
It strikes me though that the fairest system, is that in any sport, if the roof is closed at the start it should stay closed and vice-versa.
Scotland Has A Better Wimbledon Than Australia
I can remember as a child, when Mens tennis was dominated by Australians. But this year, those small countries; Scotland and Yorkshire had a better Wimbledon.
What’s gone wrong?
I suppose that Aussies can argue they have a world-class driver in Mark Webber, but even he, needs to drive a car designed and made in the UK.
And Virginia Will Take Tea With The Queen
The title of this post is a classic quote from Max Robertson, the doyen of radio tennis commentators, when Virginia Wade won the Ladies Singles in the Silver Jubilee Year of 1977.
They asked the commentator today, if he had rehearsed a classic line for today, if Murray should beat Federer.
Has Marray Taken The Pressure Off Murray?
1936 was the last year we won either of the Mens Singles or Mens Doubles titles at Wimbledon.
Now that Jonathan Marray with his Danish partner has won the doubles, does this help or hinder Andy Murray?
I wouldn’t know, but it gives him something positive to think about.
It will be interesting to see if we enter Marray in the Olympic Mens Doubles and who he is paired up with. Remember Tim Henman won the silver in the doubles in Atlanta.
The Old Farts Get It Right
Wimbledon has shown that with a bit of planning, you can avoid the problems of the weather. In 1993, they unveiled a plan to create a venue fit for the 21st century. Now nearly twenty years later, they have completed that plan. Here’s a simplified version of the plan from Wikipedia.
Stage one (1994–1997) of the plan was completed for the 1997 championships and involved building in Aorangi Park the new No. 1 Court, a broadcast centre, two extra grass courts and a tunnel under the hill linking Church Road and Somerset Road.
Stage two (1997–2009) involved the removal of the old No. 1 Court complex to make way for the new Millennium Building, providing extensive facilities for the players, press, officials and members, and the extension of the West Stand of the Centre Court with 728 extra seats.
Stage three (2000–2011) has been completed with the construction of an entrance building, club staff housing, museum, bank and ticket office.
A new retractable roof was built in time for the 2009 championships, marking the first time in the tournament’s history that rain did not stop play for a lengthy time on Centre Court.
A new 4000-seat No. 2 Court was built on the site of the old No. 13 Court in time for the 2009 Championships.
A new 2000-seat No. 3 Court was built on the site of the old No. 2 Court and the old No. 3 Court.
It just shows if you take your care at the planning stage and get everyone on your side, you get a better outcome. The only mistake, they seem to have made was underestimate the success of the roof on Centre Court and not put in provision for a roof on No. 1 Court. I suspect though, that engineers are seeing No. 1 Court as their next challenge.
It is interesting to compare Wimbledon’s progress with the dithering the French have been through about expanding or relocating, the venue for the French Open.
Wimbledon have also had the last laugh, in that they will be hosting the tennis at the London Olympics. What odds can I get on a Federer-Murray final? After all one will be hoping to prolong a winning streak and the other will be looking for revenge.
British Grand Prix May Be Cancelled
This has been announced and here is Jenson Button’s views in the Telegraph.
They could always do what Wimbledon has done and put a roof over the circuit.
It Was A Friend of Flying Rats What Did It!
That is the theory about who nicked Rufus the Hawk in the Evening Standard tonight.
I also think, that the Flying Squad are looking for a thief, with some large cuts in his fingers.
They’ll Nick Anything These Days
If you watched BBC Breakfast last week, you might have seen the harris hawk, used to frighten pigeons from the courts. So now someone has nicked it. It’s here in the Mail. It appears to have been a family pet as well, so I suspect that they may have stolen something they can’t handle. I hope so, because most birds have a strong homing instinct.
They could always borrow the eagle from Crystal Palace.
The Anonymous Widower 