Wimbledon grass and the fall of the gods

But this of the Poles is certainly one of the minor anomalies of this Wimbledon 2013, which could also be called the tournament of the fall of the gods, given the high lineage of the seeded players who fell both in the women's field (Serena Williams uber alles, but also Maria Sharapova and many others) and in the men's one, where the beaten players in the first rounds include none other than Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer. These are signals that make us understand how international tennis is going through a transition phase, in which it will be possible to see more than one climb up the rankings by still young tennis players. The tournament was also characterized by an increasingly difficult management of the terrain (grass) by the contenders. Numerous slips and injuries, partly due to the insuetude to this terrain (there are fewer and fewer tournaments on green fields), partly due to the strict regulatory discipline of footwear, not all of which are suitable for all types of grass.

As for the protagonists of the finals, predictions have never been more difficult than this time. In the women's field, Bartoli (a sort of ugly duckling on the circuit and we'll see why) seemed particularly determined to take revenge on the 2007 final, especially in the quarterfinals and semifinals. height of the situation, but in England he didn't miss a beat and above all he has a great desire to win on his side which counts and how in tennis. Discussed player, due to the ruthless training systems to which her coach (her father, who is a doctor by profession) subjected her for years, not always loved by colleagues due to her introverted character, accused by tennis purists of having an anomalous game all based on anticipation and a sort of perpetual motion: like those boxers who can't keep their arms still even when they're in the corner. As far as I'm concerned, I will cheer for her because she reminds me of an Italian tennis player who was particularly dear to me: Beppe Merlo who had her backhand for two hands even when this way of playing was truly a rarity. The opponent of the Corsican tennis player will be Sabine Lisicki, who is the one who defeated Serena Williams, considered not only the number 1 favorite, but also in an extraordinary moment of form. The German tennis player of Polish parents, she then seemed particularly adept at adapting to the London grass. As for Williams it must be said that she owes her defeat to her absolute inability to play at the net. Accustomed to having devastating attack strokes that allow her to close the rally in advance, the American tennis player showed on the Wimbledon grass that she almost always panics if she has to advance beyond the serving square to close the point.

The men's final is very open. If a tennis player from the United Kingdom were to win again after fifty-odd years, I would be pleased too. Then, reading the chronicles of these days, I learned that Murray says a lot of bad words during his matches. A way to get out of the stereotype that wants British athletes to be masters of "aplomb" and good manners. But be careful: Djokovic is a very solid player with a tennis game that is as simple as it is effective. And he really cares about winning Wimbledon.

Finally, a note on Italians. Seppi, Pennetta, Knapp and Vinci in the round of XNUMX are a good team result. Which bodes well for the future, given the last icing: the young Gianluigi Quinzi in the final of the junior tournament. Something is also moving in Italian tennis.