You know it’s the end of the school year and summer vacation is finally here when Wimbledon starts. And let’s face it, watching the biggest tournament in tennis is most definitely a better way to start the day than listening to your teacher call attendance.
On the men’s side, it’ll be very hard for this year’s Wimbledon to live up to the drama of last year’s epic final between Rafael Nadal and Rodger Federer. That match has already been called the greatest ever played. This year Nadal—who is the No.1 seed at Wimbledon—is battling knee problems and that has people wondering if he’ll even play in the grass court tennis tournament.
“At the moment it’s very difficult to play at Wimbledon, his knees are not good, he cannot bend,” Nadal’s coach and uncle Tony Nadal said after the Spaniard’s loss to Lleyton Hewitt in exhibition play. “This is his first match, we wait until tomorrow.”
Federer looks to be hungry to regain the world No.1 spot. He recently downed Nadal on clay and shortly afterward won his record 14th Grad Slam Championship with a victory in the French Open. It was the only one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments Federer had yet to win. Up until last year’s loss to Nadal, Federer had won five consecutive Wimbledon titles, tied with Bjorn Borg for the most in history.
On the women’s side, the Wimbledon drama could come from just about anywhere. Dinara Safina is the reigning world No 1 seed (as of April 2009) despite losing in the finals of the last two Grand Slams. You know the Williams sisters will be hot or her tail as they hunt for another Wimbledon crown to add to the impressive family collection. No. 2 Serena Williams has two Wimbledon titles and her sister Venus Williams has five.
The record for Women’s singles titles at Wimbledon is nine, held by Martina Navratilova. Combined, the Williams sisters might have a chance to break the record, otherwise it will be a tough mark to beat.
"That would be the ultimate,” said Venus Williams of the record. “[Navratilova’s] career spanned three decades, so I'm not sure if I have that much time. But if I did (play that long), I think I would definitely dream of that."
Related Stories:
