THE furrows in the wake of time contain the seeds of history and omens of the future. Wimbledon 2006 was rich in both. The quiet endearing genius of Roger Federer has exhausted the superlatives of the media and former greats of the game. Federer’s victory over Rafael Nadal fetched him his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title. The final was a close, scintillating encounter over four sets of the highest class. For Federer at stake were his hopes of becoming the greatest of all time and holding at bay the challenge of Nadal who had beaten him in their past four encounters.
Nadal was defeated but his intense passion and inexhaustible energy will seriously challenge Federer in the coming years. Nadal’s prowess on grass must have been an eye-opener to Spanish winners of the French Open who failed to make any impact at Wimbledon. Most of them light-heartedly took refuge behind the phrase: “Grass is for the cows". In reality they would have done much better with a higher level of passion and perseverance. More important, Nadal’s performance at Wimbledon will spur the abundant talent in Spain to think that it is possible to win on grass.
Federer’s reign on grass courts continues. Only time will tell how long it is possible for a human being to maintain a level so close to perfection. In the sublime first set against Nadal, Federer served an amazing 93 per cent of first serves in court.
Wimbledon 2006 saw many a young talent, some of them top-10 prospects. Nicholas Almagro of Spain, Tomas Berdych of Czecho Republic, Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils and Paul-Henri Mathieu of France, Dmitry Tursunov of Russia and Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Montenegro were very impressive. Then there was the fiery Scot, Andy Murray, who has now been hoisted to the scaffold of British expectations in place of Tim Henman. Murray has enormous potential to go beyond Henman’s range. His victory over Andy Roddick, the third seed, sent British hopes soaring. The euphoria vanished, much to the dismay of wildly cheering British fans, as a listless Murray was humbled by Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. Baghdatis, the surprise finalist in the Australian Open, confessed to having “a thousand doubts in his mind” at the beginning of the tournament but gradually found his confidence as the tournament progressed. His ready smile and happy demeanour made him one of the most popular players at Wimbledon. Baghdatis defeated Lleyton Hewitt, champion in 2002, in the pre-quarters in a hard-fought match, but found Nadal too good for him in the quarterfinals.
The American singles brigade led by Andy Roddick, James Blake and Venus Williams fell early. By the second Tuesday only an unknown Shena Perry, daughter of a Washington fire-fighter, out of 22 Americans was propping up the Stars and Stripes. The New York Times wrote: “Not since 1922 has America endured such unmitigated collective failure at Wimbledon.” There is little doubt that American tennis is on the decline.
For someone who saw the “Golden Australians” of the mid-1950s stretching to the early 1970s, the precipitous decline in Australian standards is unbelievable. Just three men in the singles! A fading Lleyton Hewitt seeded sixth, Mark Philippoussis as a wild card entrant and Wayne Arthurs as a qualifier.
The `rise of the east’ was the headline in a leading newspaper as six Chinese women in the top 100 made their presence felt. Na Li, a great mover with powerful legs, gave Kim Clijsters, the second seed, a run for her money in the quarter finals. Na Li is top 10 material. Yan Zi and Zheung Jie won the women’s doubles. This was no fluke; they had won the Australian Open in January. Without fanfare and `baby doll’ dresses the quiet Chinese are disciplined, hungry and very focussed. There is little doubt that in a few years Chinese women will be a force to be reckoned with. Hyung - Taik Lee of Korea in the men’s singles had the measure of Hewitt in the second round but could not clinch the match. Not many people know that topspin and the western grip used by all the top players of the world today were born in the east, and used by Japanese players in the 1920s and 1930s.
Amelie Mauresmo conquered her fears of the summit, with her second Grand Slam title of the year. Serving for the match against Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final, Mauresmo showed no signs of nerves. She produced two aces with the abandon and confidence of a true champion. It is a joy to see Mauresmo in full flow. Her athleticism and fluid movement are backed up by a complete all-court game. Henin-Hardenne with five Grand Slam titles, 5′6″ tall and weighing a mere 126 pounds, was a victim more of fatigue than of Mauresmo. The French Championships and the build-up grass tournaments had sapped her energy. Maria Sharapova’s screaming sound track enveloped the women’s fortnight. A decibel count of over a hundred in her screams, comparable to the noise of a pneumatic hammer, and not her fashion statements on her game, stole the headlines. Sharapova’s game is perfect for the Wimbledon grass, but owing to poor preparation because of injuries she could not attain peak form.
In the absence of Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, owing to injury and the out-of-form Venus Williams there was definitely a drop in the power level. Last year’s final between Venus Williams and Davenport was packed with more power and was of a much higher standard. The decline of the Williams sisters is a major blow to women’s tennis. Injuries have contributed in some measure to their decline, but the real villain could well be their entrapment in Maya’s web. Spending sprees, frivolous forays into acting, designing and interior decorating, have destroyed their focus. An impassioned open letter by the former great Chris Evert urged Serena to achieve her potential and become the greatest ever. Richard Williams reportedly said that he did not want his daughters to become “gum-chewing illiterates". One is unable to understand if he wants them to continue as they are.
Instead of channelling their energy to obtaining equal prize money at Wimbledon, women tennis players should focus on reducing their schedule of tournaments. It is not an exaggeration to say that at top levels women’s matches are decided more by the degree of injuries to the contestants than by their skills.
There was no swallow this summer for Sania Mirza. Luck seems to have deserted her as she was drawn against the seventh seed, Elena Dementieva, in the first round. Sania played an impressive match but lost 7-6, 7-5. Her superb ground shots, especially forehand, had Dementieva scrambling all over the court. Sania needs to become physically stronger. Even younger ones, of 17 or 18 years, in world tennis are stronger and more athletic. She needs top-level tactical advice and learn to close out matches. Sania is slipping down the rankings and needs to regroup and redouble her efforts to get back to the top 32. This will earn her a seeding in major tournaments and the Grand Slams and keep her away from first-round encounters against the top 32.
Leander Paes had a good Wimbledon, losing in the semi-finals of the men’s doubles and the quarter finals of the mixed doubles. He is in good form. Mahesh Bhupathi lost in the first round of the men’s doubles and in the second round of the mixed doubles in which he partnered China’s Z. Yan, who went on to win the women’s doubles. The Hindi-Chini Bhai/Behan formula did not work out. Because of their exemplary behaviour and great skills, Paes and Bhupathi are very popular at Wimbledon and have earned much respect for India over the years. Unfortunately, one does not see any young Indian player who can follow in their footsteps.
The emotional high of the championships was Agassi’s retirement. He left fighting the years, blowing kisses to the centre court crowd, swept away by Nadal’s youth. Agassi is Wimbledon’s godchild. his words: “Wimbledon was the place that first taught me to respect the sport, to appreciate the privilege it is to play tennis for a living.” I remember seeing him in his earliest days. Wearing earrings and nail polish, with long unruly hair and bizarre clothes, he was constantly spitting and swearing. Wimbledon played a major role in moulding him into a gentleman, to become a role model of iconic stature over the years.