TENNIS WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS:MANIC MONDAY. They are asking whether this is the best ever line-up for the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships, as all men's and women's matches are packed into one day's play.
Despite first-week scares, almost all of the big-seeded names remain in the draw, as well as a few former champions that had slipped off the radar for a couple of years but are making eye-catching comebacks.
The first seed, Roger Federer, third seed Novak Djokovic and fifth, Andy Roddick, remain on course on one side of the draw, with the second favourite, Rafael Nadal, sixth seed and French Open finalist Robin Soderling and fourth seed Andy Murray on the other.
Add to the mix dangerous players, former Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the rebuilt former champion Lleyton Hewitt, and the path to the final day suddenly looks more fraught.
Murray’s breathlessly simple straight-set win over Gilles Simon earns him a meeting with American Sam Querrey, a player from whom much was expected when he arrived on the scene some years ago.
The word masterclass is bandied about here quite frequently, but if ever a player positioned himself well for the second week it was Murray, who has not yet dropped a set. Simon has been on his way back from injury but Murray easily buried doubts about his ability to go further after a difficult season to date.
Seeded 16, Querrey is a big- serving Californian who made the second round last year. His best Grand Slam placing was the fourth round of the 2008 US Open.
Nadal was asked to deny allegations from umpire Cedroc Mourier he received coaching from his uncle Toni in the players’ box. The two actually had a heated row mid-match.
But more concerning was elbow and thigh attention Nadal was receiving as well the five gruelling sets needed to eject Philipp Petzschner. Not for the first time relief was etched on Nadal’s face. But the Spaniard took it as an affront that he was accused of breaking the rules.
On Federer’s side of the house the hungry look of those players beneath him could be disconcerting.
It is not true the Queen made a curtsy to the champion when they had lunch during the week. Royal tennis blood, certainly but like Nadal, Federer’s aura of invincibility is thinner, although he did shine against Arnaud Clément.
“I’ve played him on numerous occasions, also on grass before, so I know how he plays,” said Federer after his seventh straight win over the Frenchman.
The champion meets his former doubles partner, Jurgen Melzer, in the first Centre Court match today.
American Roddick moves forward having gained some measure of revenge on Philipp Kohlschreiber.
He lost to the German at the Australian Open in 2008, 8-6 in the fifth set, and Yen-Hsun Lu, a winner over Florian Mayer, now awaits him for the third match on show Court two.
Hewitt, with his new hips, three-times finalist Roddick and Djokovic are credible champions if they get a sniff. Hewitt faces the Serbian third seed, who also brought his best game to the last match, when he brushed aside Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
If Hewitt is to fall he will not go meekly. Djkovic should schedule for five sets today.
Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova: both of these fourth-round pairings have been finals in previous tournaments, with the Russian against the American the grudge match of the day. It is a repeat of the 2004 final, which made Sharapova’s name as a tennis player.
The question is whether the 17-year-old poster girl of that year has gained enough ground after 13 months of injury to survive the expected mauling from Williams. The two have not met on grass since that day and while Sharapova has shown she is on the way to the top, it took her almost two hours to see off Barbora Zahlavova, ranked 68th in the world.
“I still think I have some way to go before I am back at my best,” said Sharapova, now 23.
“This is a new day . . . it’s what I thrive on – going on court against someone who is favourite to win the match.”
Having slipped to 126th in the world rankings Sharapova is seeded 16 this year.
With the Belgians, it is Clijsters who raced out of the retirement traps quicker with a win at the US Open to become the first mother to win a Grand Slam since Evonne Goolagong at Wimbledon 30 years ago.
Her seeding of eight reflects that. Henin is 16th seed but a runner-up on the grass in 2001 and 2006, while Clijsters has done no better than a 2006 semi-final.
Another to watch is 17-year-old Caroline Wozniacki, who in typical teenage fashion, complained how difficult it was to be a professional player these days.
“It’s harder to become great as a teenager than it was even 15 years ago,” said the almost great Dane. “The women’s game is more physical now. It is power tennis now.” Her next opponent is Czech player Petra Kvitova. Ranked 62nd in the world, she did not survive the first round in her previous two visits to Wimbledon.
With Venus Williams seeded two and Jelena Jankovic at four, the bottom half of the draw, along with the Belgians, is the most competitive. Williams faces Jarmila Groth from Austria, who has rarely figured at the fag end of a Grand Slam before.
Williams remains simple in her thinking. If she executes, she wins. That usually holds true.
Centre Court:
1pm: (1) Roger Federer (Swi) v (16) Jurgen Melzer (Aut), (1) Serena Williams (USA) v (16) Maria Sharapova (Rus), (18) Sam Querrey (USA) v (4) Andy Murray (Bri).
Court One:
1pm: (8) Kim Clijsters (Bel) v (17) Justine Henin (Bel), (3) Novak Djokovic (Ser) v (15) Lleyton Hewitt (Aus), Paul-Henri Mathieu (Fra) v (2) Rafael Nadal (Spn).
Court Two:
12pm: Jarmila Groth (Svk) v (2) Venus Williams (USA), (3) Caroline Wozniacki (Den) v Petra Kvitova (Cze), Yen-Hsun Lu (Tpe) v (5) Andy Roddick (USA), (16) Marcin Matkowski (Pol) and Tathiana Garbin (Ita) v Jonathan Marray (Bri) and Anna Smith (Bri).
