the semi final was verging on the excitment of the henman days, sublime tennis from both murray and nadal, total excitement, the final was a damp squid really, and Federer lifted his game that step too far for andy, who clearly needs a bit of time yet to sustain that sort of level for seven matches on the trot
I was extremely disapointed that they didnt play Chris Eaton for the davis cup tie, seems to me they have to gamble with some young blood, because bogdanovic just doesnt cut it, and it was on grass, a surface where chris eaton proved he could serve and volley on earlier this year at wimbledon
I just dont get it, what were they thinking??
]]>This weekend, Andy Murray has also pulled out an excellent week to take his first Masters Series and has risen to a career high of 6, great stuff
Time will tell whether he will prove to have the exceptionally consistent career that Tim had, but he is beginning to show the class and determination he needs to knock on the door at the Slams; I suspect that he is going to have a similar problem to tim in that he is playing in an era of two ultimate greats in Federer and Nadal, and getting past them in a major is likely to be as difficult, indeed almost impossible as it was to beat Sampras on grass!
]]>The best bit for me is the confirmation that he will consider over 35s at Wimbledon; how fantastic! He had a remarkable career, and wouldnt it be lovely for him to lift a seniors trophy and for henmania to once again grace the lawns, if perhaps just a little more muted than during his main career
]]>Personally, I think the LTA should action support immediately for this player; to my mind, he is far more deserving of Brad Gilbert's skills than Bogdanavic who has had 5 wild cards granted and never made it past the first round
Chris Eaton to me, has more raw talent, and unquestionably has the game to take him top 100 and maybe beyond in the coming years
I feel sure he will be getting called up for Davis Cup!
]]>Chris Eaton, well he really is another story; I am literally loving his style of play, and oh my word, he is a committed serve volley player, perhaps he really can fill a little bit of the void.
Great attitude and demeanour and having won his place through qualifying, and taking a nice straight sets victory in round one, he is in the second round at Wimbledon on absolute merit (unlike some other british tennis players we could mention!).
great stuff and I am really excited about his future
]]>His references to his own career were tongue in cheek, and showed his great sense of humour and understanding of the rollercoaster he put his fans through!
On the tennis front, Murrays match was excellent entertainment with the infuriating Fabrice Santoro proving a relatively easy, if frustrating opponebt
]]>I for one felt bereft to see him in the studio with Sue discussing matters rather than playing, but certainly his insights will give a fascinating edge to the commentary this year. I suspect the forthcoming Murray match will be his debut!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article4180965.ece
]]>The new ATP rankings have shown that despite retiring in September, Tim's world ranking has just gone up from 382 to 375 due to some poor defences of clay court points from other players this season. He remains in the computer system for a year
What is utterly depressing is that this ranking still makes him Britain's No6 tennis player! We need new players coming through desperately
Just one day til Wimbledon now, very excited, but it really is gonna hit home how different things will be without our Tim :0(
How I miss printing the draw the minute it was published and planning out his route through the tournament
Come on Nadal and Murray!!
]]>Anyway, watching Rafa is giving me some serious, and much needed excitement and anticipation for this years tournament, I have high hopes for Andy Murray, but I havent quite taken him to my heart yet; Nadal however, boy do I want him to win and complete a back to back that has not been done since the genius that was Bjorn Borg graced the courts
Having won Queens, I am now sure that he can do it, what a player to watch, such drive and excitement when he plays, love it ;0))
]]>In certain quarters, Tim Henman’s Career will always be defined firstly by the fact that he didn’t win Wimbledon, but also because he didn’t win a grand slam full stop
There are always great players in any generation, but Tim was unfortunate perhaps to play in the era of both Sampras and Federer, arguably the two greatest players ever, and to meet Goran Ivsanisvic in a semi final moment of absolute destiny. The French Open loss to Coria was perhaps really the one that slipped away, and was maybe his greatest chance (especially without the home crowd pressure of wimbledon). But in 6 of his 7 semi finals, he lost to the eventual slam winner, no disgrace to my mind, and although Federer will (probably) surpass it, Tim’s record at Wimbledon is second only to Pete Sampras at the time of writing
Top 10 Tennis Players Who Didn’t Win a Grand Slam
1) Tim Henman – say no more, one of the greatest serve volleyers of all time, sublime touch, reached number four in the world, and 7 Grand slam Semi finals, (plus 4 wimbledon quarters) was in the top ten in the World for years
2) Marcelo Rios the only player to have held the No. 1 ranking despite never winning a Grand Slam singles title
3)Guillermo Coria – unbelievable clay courter, reached the final of the French and choked big time
4) Mark Philippoussis – massive serve, great grass court game, faced a lot of pressure at the aussie open, certainly Wimbledon was in his grasp when at the top of his game
5) Cedric Pioline – reached two slam finals, but like Tim, was unlikely to meet Sampras at these two critical events, great player to watch
6) David Nalbandian – a dangerous player on any surface, reached number 8 in the World and the wimbledon final losing to Leyton Hewitt in straight sets in 2002
7)Tomas Berdych – many agree has never reached his potential, still a bit of time yet maybe?
8) Alex Corretja – reached number 2 in the world, was twice a runner up at the French, lost to Carlos Moya and the simply wonderful Gustavo Kuerten
9) Fernando Gonzalez – still a bit of time, but it’s running out, wonderful forehand, great to watch, reached the Australian Open final losing to Federer
10) Todd Martin – deserves a mention, an impressive 7 grand slam semi finals, and one of the most consistent players on the men’s tour, for sure a player nobody wanted to meet
Top 10 One Grand Slam Wonders
1) Mark Edmondson won the aussie open in 1976 when ranked 212 in the World, an excellent doubles player, but not exactly world class singles
2) Gaston Gaudio – won the French because Coria choked, say no more!
3) Andy Roddick – now don’t get me wrong, I love Andy, and you have to admire that serve, but come on, his game is a little one dimensional is it not?
4) Brian Teacher won the Aussie open in 1980, very little else you can say about his career
5) Thomas Johansson – won the Aussie open “unexpectedly”, a decent player, reached 7 in the World, but not many titles to his name, and not exactly consistent, or indeed exciting
6) Albert Costa – beat some classy players to win the French, but does anyone really remember him?
7) Richard Krajicek – won wimbledon in 1996, I remember being bored silly by that one, although in fairness he also reached semis at the French and Aussie. Utterly irrelevant to this list of one slam wonders, but quoted as saying "Eighty percent of the top 100 women are fat pigs who don't deserve equal pay." Apparently he later apologised, but grrrrrrrrr
Well, actually, 7 in the list then not 10, because the others that won just one had good careers that mean they cant really be fairly referred to as being a “one slam wonder”
Now you cant tell me any of these guys are “better” than Tim in real tennis terms ;0))
]]>Hmmmmm, what an interesting idea, Tim going professional in a second sport and making it there too! Would a golfing tournament win make up for our pain of no grand slam win? No would certainly be the answer, but perhaps it would go some way to reduce the criticism in the media, and lets face it, that would be nice ;0))
Personally, I would much rather he played seniors, or maybe even doubles tennis; I have long since held a fantasty of Tim and Sampras playing doubles and winning the title at Wimbledon ;0) I have had a bet on for years that he would win wimbledon, and maintain that a seniors title or doubles would count!
Ah well, dream on, I have been enjoying the Queens club tennis today, and thankfully, there have been some great examples of serve volley play which is always nice
]]>"Is Andy Murray doomed to be another British loser like Tim Henman?"
It drives me mad, it really does, I just cannot get my hat on as to how henmans superb career makes him a loser, madness
And to utter the word "loser" and "murray" in a headline when he is just 21 (granted others have achieved much more at his age, BUT), is simply ludicrous; I agree his temper is questionable, but that fire in his belly will serve him well when he learns to control it, then again, it never did mcenroe any harm!
And More..
"Murray on the other hand has had a strenuous route to stardom. It is an uphill task to live up to the expectation of British fans in a country that invented the sport. We have seen Tim Henman succumb to such pressures and remain a player full of under-achievement"
Em, what, under-achievement, GRRRRRRR, for sure Tim didnt get a slam, but I believe he achieved more than he should have been able to considering he has a degenerative back problem and didnt have some of the sheer power weapons of other player, the skills he did have he developed and honed to the highest level, and he became one of the greatest grass court players for decades, and not jsut of the Brits, but any player in the World
I just dont know how reaching number 4 in the World in any sport makes a person a "loser"
Anyway, here's the link...
http://www.sportingo.com/tennis/a9089_andy-murray-doomed-be-another-british-loser-like-tim-henman
]]>Several times I have lived and died with Tim on Henman Hill, what a place, what an atmosphere; there is just no way for me that it can ever be reclassified as Murray mount, the only circumstances perhaps that this might be acceptable, would be if he were to take the title, and then, I might make a new decision on new information, until that day, forever Henman Hill it will be
A lot will depend on Andy's run on the grass of course as to how much a talking point this will be, we shall see!
Who is going to play the sublime serve and volley play so suited to the grass courts now, who is going to take us on our summer rollercoasters, no Tim, no England football team at Euro 2008, it really is just not on
Soooo, I will try to loyally hang my hat with Andy Murray, and I wish him all the luck in the World for the coming grass court season, and hope he uses the time well to bond with us Henman (and british tennis ;0) fans in order that we can feel the same sort of passion
And for Wimbledon itself, well I for one would simply love to see Rafa go all the way, and beat Federer into submission on the grass courts as well as the red clay, back to back French and Wimbledon, well then he will be putting himself in the ranks of the great, and Federer will realise that he has a little more left to do if he truly is to be called the greatest ever and take Sampras' records.
]]>The French Open crowd were on the edge of their seats, great atmosphere, very reminicsent of our Tim at Wimbledon. It didnt quite reach the same fever pitch, but nonetheless, it was fantastic to see, and makes a change to enjoy that sort of atmoshphere without having extreme emotions invested in the outcome!
Monfils is a fabulous player to watch, he doesnt really look like he's going to be as good as he is with his very tall stature, I have seen very little of him in the past, but what a personality and his court coverage was fantastic. He certainly dealt with the pressure well, and I for sure will make an effort to watch is matches in future
]]>But I believe even those that remained on the fence about Tim, and indeed even many of his detractors are going to miss the genius of a true serve volley player so sadly lacking in the modern game
We will all pin our hopes on Murray, and I desperately hope he can cope with the added pressure on him this year, and keep his temper in check
He has high hopes according to press reports, and I wait with eagerness to see how his grass court game shapes up at Queens
]]>French winners at their home tournament are almost as lacking (but not quite!) as British wins at Wimbledon, the last female to win the French was Mary Pierce in 2000, and on the men's side, you have to go back to 1983 when Yannick Noah beat Mats Wilander for the title
I have no doubt that the French players feel just as much pressure as Tim felt on his shoulders, but you cannot sense that palpable tension that Hemnan played under on the hallowed grass courts. A Tim fan for many years, the first time i made it onto the centre court to watch him play, I was taken aback by the baited breath of 14,000 people, the sighs when he missed a shot and the like, I honestly have never felt anything like it
Maybe it's a British thing, and lets face it, we are very familiar with holding our sporting hopes high only for them to be dashed, but the French seem far calmer about the whole thing!
They are odd though, I am always fascinated how quickly the French crowd can turn on someone when they dont like their demeanour, style of play or whatever it may be, and the whistles begin to ring around the stadium
]]>For the first time in this tournament, when Murray, I finally found myself cheering with enthusiasm when he broke back in the 4th set
Sadly, he once again lost the momentum, and you could almost say he threw it away
At times his temperement looked extremely questionable, and at times his tennis utterly sublime; topsy turvy really, a good match, but ultimately frustrating
So thats it, No tim, no Andy Murray, British hopes at the French Open are well and truly over for 2008
]]>Now this is a piece of satire directed at Gordon Brown, but tagged on the end....
This is not the first time that the British public has been 'duped' into a similar scenario. Tim Henman successfully convinced tennis fans that he was any good at the sport for the better part of 10 years.
He wasn't. The dull bastard.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
]]>His movement around the court was perhaps one of his greatest strengths, so I suspect he could actually be pretty nifty on a dancefloor, how exciting ;0))
Sorry, back to the tennis now!
Also, confirmed is that he is to commentate at this years Wimbledon, I am hopeful that this may make up for the loss of him not playing, at least a little. Certainly his knowledge of the game is going to bring a lot to the commentary team. I alwasy love Mcenroe as he talks so much sense, and brings a lot to the table. For sure they are going to put him on all of Andy's matches which will be fascinating.
]]>How I wish i felt as much enthusiasm for his game as I did for years with tim!!
Still, it was a great performance, and he is a tennis player we can certainly be proud of, hopefully for many years to come
Some pundits are describing it as his best performance to date on clay, and that certainly bodes well both for this tournament and his future in general, I am most pleased to see that he is still developing, particularly at the slams
He managed to hit a linesman in one point near the end which was pretty funny, his protests got him nowhere with the umpire!
His emotion at the end clearly showed how much it means to him and thats great to see
BBC report on the match and highlights here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7420581.stm
his third round clash is with Spain's Nicolas Almagro, not a player I have seen, but by all acounts a decent clay courted, and has progressed to the third round of a couple of slams
Should be fine though, and I am confident murray can make it to the second week of the French
]]>Nadal of course is one of the few who can keep up with him, and Nadal, well I love to watch him play tennis! how I would love for him to beat Federer to take the Wimbledon title, perhaps out of reach, but he was getting closer last year, on the red clay of course, he is federer's superior
And for federer to be declared the best tennis player ever, he of course needs to win the French; it must drive him to complete distraction that Nadal stands in his way ;0))
As this is a I miss tim henman blog, thoughts of course go to Henman's fantastic effort at the 2004 French Open reaching the semi final with some superb tennis, there were times in that match I felt sure he was going to make it, and what a turn up for the books that would have been. Considering Coria was widely regarded as perhaps the greatest clay courter at the time, Tim held his own pretty well (at times far the better player) on a surface not his favourite. I still cant believe Coria choked the way he did in the final though, losing to unseeded Gaudio. Semi final report from the BBC here
Ah well, it was not to be, so this year, it's a case of tracking murray's progress, and I will watch the final with great interest if again it turns out to be the two mean everyone expects
]]>More here;
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/sport/Murray-bids-for--.4124909.jp
]]>Reports in the press seem to vary, but it seems that Andy Murray does see there is an issue with his temper, and we will get to see how he copes at the French..
His first round was a bit hit and miss, but at least he's through I suppose (report on the match here)and there were definitely signs of a frayed temper
It's all so different to watching Tim's matches, a distinct lack of excitement leading up to the match, and for a lot of this first round effort, I was only half paying attention!
Not that I know much, but he seems a lot stronger than Tim, but the finesse is just not the same, I think he is finally now beginning to feel the pressure that Tim played under all these years now that the baton has been well and truly handed over to him
]]>There is no doubt that Andy Murray is a great player, but never will he stir (for me at least), the sames thrills and heady moments of watching Tim throughout his career
I also have no doubt that Murray will win a slam, and will probably surpass Tim in terms of tournament results (fitness permitting); but it's just not the same.
Seems extremely silly to be compelled to write about it, (then again, I have seen far sillier blogs!!) but it would be all too easy to forget the highs and lows that Tim brought us, and what better than to remember the good old days, and write some, (not exactly informed!!) meanderings about British tennis.
I'll probably be over it by the time Wimbledon is over ;0))
It breaks my heart really that Tim never won a slam, Wimbledon in particular of course. I spent many a year defending him in the pub and the like, and being absolutely convinced that his day would come. Devasting that it was not to be, but what can you do with the likes of Sampras and Federer to contend with. (GRRRRRRRR) and lets not forget the nemesis Leyton Hewitt (an even bigger grrrrrrr)
If you too are sharing the loss of Tim this year, go on, leave a comment, you know you want to! I cant be the only one feeling the pain!
]]>