Wimbledon 2010: Preview of Men’s quarterfinals
Day nine will turn the All England Club into a gladiator’s arena. All four top seeds have made it to the quarterfinals and will be hungry for more glory. Each of them have had their fair share of ups and downs in the tournament and will be looking to up their tempo just in time for the big games. Pitched battles will be witnessed, nerves will be tested, volleying will be at its peak and victors will emerge. It will prove to be a day of action packed tennis.
Defending champion Roger Federer will be looking for his sixteenth grand slam victory at Wimbledon this year. He will open proceedings to a packed Center Court this afternoon. His opponent will be the six foot five inch from the Czech Republic Tomas Berdych. Had this been any other year, pundits would have predicted a clean win for Federer. But Federer’s start to the tournament was quite ominous with him coming close to exiting the tournament in the first round.
However, he has gathered steam during his last two matches and will be looking to continue that momentum against Berdych. Berdych on the other hand would be looking to capitalize on any error from the Federer racquet, keeping in mind his dwindling power. They have both played each other ten times before, with Federer winning eight out of those matches. In their last meeting though, it was Berdych who prevailed, giving him a boost of confidence. Berdych’s huge serve has been his asset, but his weakness is his mental strength. As the pressure of the game mounts, Berdych crumbles.
That is exactly what happened in his French Open semifinal match against Robin Soderling. He was leading by two sets but when it went to a fifth, nerves got the better of him and he lost the match. If Berdych bows down to the pressure exuded by playing the best grass court player on one of the biggest show courts, then it is very likely that Federer will make his way to the semifinals. However, if he manages to hold his nerve and errors start pouring from the Federer racquet, then it could be a different story altogether.
Britain will be looking forward to ending their seventy four year title drought when Andy Murray comes out next on Center Court. The crowd will be praying that Murray goes past French Number One Jo Wifried Tsonga to inch closer to the prestigious title. Both Tsonga and Murray will be looking forward to change their status from Grand slam runners up to Grand slam winners. However, Tsonga will have to drown out the cheers for Murray in order to do just that. Murray will have to connect his racquet to Tsonga’s big serves and blitzing passing shots. It may be a long afternoon of tennis if both men are on top of their games. The only advantage Murray has is the crowd’s support. Otherwise it is anyone’s game.
Yen Hsun-Lu will be looking forward to causing yet another great upset in the tournament as he comes out on Court Number One to face the number three seed Novak Djokovic. Lu will be playing on Center court for the first time in his career and will have to be mentally strong to face up to Djokovic. He pulled off a surprise win against Andy Roddick, but he will have to fire all his ammunition to get past Djokovic.
Djokovic was a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2007 and would be looking to repeat that performance. Both Lu and Djokovic have been working on their serve and when the day arrive,s the better performer will be the victor. If the level of Lu’s tennis is the same as it was on Saturday, then he could push Djokovic to the limit. Djokovic has to be physically fit for his match, as he was visibly unwell during his fourth round match, to book a place for himself in the semifinal. On paper Djokovic should emerge victorious but then again this year’s Wimbledon has been full of surprises.
It will be a reenactment of the French Open final. The only difference would be the color of the surface. Instead of red clay it will be green grass. Will that difference prove to be enough for a change in the outcome? The last of the men’s quarterfinals will be played against French Open winner Rafael Nadal and French Open runners up Robin Soderling. Soderling will be looking to avenge his defeat and Nadal looking to continue his winning streak at Wimbledon.
Nadal will be wary of his opponent as the ball skids faster on grass and Soderling is strong at the baseline. Soderling too is confident that it would be easier to beat Nadal on grass. If history repeats itself, then Nadal will emerge victorious, as the last time these too met at Wimbledon in 2007 Nadal beat Soderling in round three. This match too is an evenly poised game, the winner will be the one who’s mental and physical strength would be greater than his opponent on the given afternoon.
It will be a long sweltering afternoon of some quality tennis. The top seeds will be battling it out for a place in the semifinals, while their opponents promise to put up a tough fight. Only time will tell who secures a place for themselves in the semifinals.
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