Wimbledon 2010 Midpoint Notes
For all the drama in this tournament, most of the big names have survived into the second week. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Roddick, and Söderling are all still in it, while on the women’s side both Williams sisters, Wozniacki, and Jankovic, the top four, are still in, as are Sharapova, Henin, and Clijsters (although those last two play each other next).
The biggest story remains Isner–Mahut; they’re both are now out of singles and doubles. After that, there are a number of points of interest:
- Federer was two sets down in his opening match and very nearly went out in the first round.
- Nadal has been down two–one and has fought his way through two consecutive five-set matches.
- Söderling and Murray both have yet to drop a set.
- Djokovic was down a break in the fifth in the first round, and his match against Hewitt should be interesting.
- Hanescu coughed up a two set lead, foot-faulted deliberately four times to go down 0–3 in the fifth, lost his temper and spat at spectators, and then retired; he was subsequently fined about $15000.
- Serena Williams next faces Maria Sharapova, a match that’s hyped but which I suspect will be a relatively humdrum win for Williams.
Both Federer and Nadal look more vulnerable than expected, and Murray and Roddick—and Söderling—all look comfortable and as if they could be contenders. While the second week of a Grand Slam is always very different, I still think this is one of the more open tournaments in quite some time for everyone ranked lower than two. As for the women, I still think it’ll be one of the Williams sisters, but think Henin and Clijsters both have a chance, and would love to see Henin win it for the first time.