The Championships, Wimbledon 2015 have officially come to an end, and the greatest tennis tournament in the world, as always, produced exciting tennis and rewrote history. Here are some of the most newsworthy headlines from the event.
MVP's
To start, congratulations to the Wimbledon 2015 Singles Champions, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams! It is the first time since 2006 that both top seeds won The Championships.
Continued Drama
Nick Kyrgios' controversial behavior from week 1 continued into week 2, and in some ways has gotten worse despite being eliminated from the tournament on day 8.
In his Fourth Round match against Richard Gasquet, Kyrgios seemed to stop trying in the middle of the second set. It appeared that he did not attempt to return Gasquet's serves nor give effort into his shots. The behavior quickly stopped though as Kyrgios went back to fighting for each point and made the match competitive, although he lost. He was accused of tanking and responded negatively, and has received even more backlash from the likes of Australian greats Rod Laver and Pat Rafter. Both he and fellow young Aussie Bernard Tomic have taken to interviews and social media to defend themselves as well as add fuel to the fire for this Tennis Australia drama. Hopefully both players can leave their personal matters and agendas behind them and get back to playing stellar tennis.
That Awkward Moment
After his 3-0 loss to the lower ranked Gilles Simon in the Fourth Round, Berdych was asked how it felt to move on to the Quarterfinals in his post match interview... Reporters should probably do their research, especially if the match concluded just moments before. You can usually tell the difference between a winner and a loser too.
The Future of American Tennis
Although only one man made it to the second week of Wimbledon 2015, four women managed to accomplish the feat, and three of them made it to the Quarterfinals. Young-guns Madison Keys and Coco Vandeweghe showed they are players to watch with these runs and their competitive 3-set defeats to Radwanska and Sharapova respectively. And for the second year in a row, an American won the Boys Singles event with Reilly Opelka (USA) defeating Mikael Ymer (SWE) in the final.
Ode to the One-Handed Backhand
The one-handed backhand is a shot that used to be common in tennis, but has become increasingly more rare the past decade. In one of the best matches this year, Richard Gasquet battled past Stan Wawrinka in 5 sets in the Quarterfinals. These two players have two of the best backhands on tour and both play with the single-handed backhand. It was refreshing to witness this style of play because of the versatility and beauty that a one-handed backhand can bring to the court.
Fiesta at SW19
There was a Spaniard in a Grand Slam final and it was not Rafael Nadal. The 21-year-old Garbine Muguruza beat 4 quality players in succession to make the final. She beat Kerber in one of the best matches in the women’s tournament this year, former No.1 Wozniacki, 2015 breakout star Bacsinski, and former Wimbledon finalist Radwasnka. Coming into the final, her confidence was highlighted by her second most Top 10 wins this year (only Serena has more), along with the fact that she has beaten Serena in a major, handing the American her worst scoreline loss in a Grand Slam ever.
With fearless play, she made the final a competitive match against the world No. 1, and with her humble interviews, Muguruza gained fans that will support her as she enters the Top 10. After the match, Serena said, “Garbine played so well. Congratulations, you will be holding this trophy very, very soon, believe me.”
The Maestro
Roger Federer may have lost the final and his chance to stand alone as the sole record holder of Wimbledon Mens Titles (He is currently tied with Sampras at seven) but he proved to everyone that even at 33 he is a threat to take Major titles.
Federer's near perfect match against Murray was scary good. It epitomized his career and proved why he is considered the Greatest of All Time. To deny Murray, the world second best returner after Djokovic, in three straight sets on British soil is remarkable. Murray, who played well himself, was left with no answers to Federer's show, and the statistics prove it.
Federer didn't leave The All England Club with the hardware, but his second set tiebreak comeback against Djokovic was one of the best in history, and certainly makes me believe it's a good possibility he'll be back in the finals next year.The Other G.O.A.T?
Serena's road to the final was paved with obstacles this second week. She had to dispatch her best friend, sister, and five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, come from behind and beat Victoria Azarenka who has proven to be her biggest rival in recent years, and also dismantle the world No. 2 Maria Sharapova for a 17th consecutive time. She then fended off an inspired young opponent, as well as her nerves, to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.
It might soon be an undisputed statement to call Serena the Greatest of All Time female tennis player. Serena's win in London is her 21st Major Title, 6th Wimbledon Title, 4th straight Grand Slam Title which completes the Serena Slam (Holding all 4 Grand Slams simultaneously), and puts her just one behind Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22 Majors. Serena, now the oldest female Grand Slam champion, will head to Flushing Meadows just 7 matches away from completing the Calendar Year Grand Slam, a feat which has only been done by two other women and not since 1988.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, we could be in the midst of witnessing the best tennis players in history on both the men's and women's tours. Let's appreciate that!
Title Defense
Besides his incredible comeback from two sets down to Kevin Anderson in the Fourth Round, Novak Djokovic's titles defense was clinical. He dismissed U.S. Open champion Cilic in the Quarterfinals and the flashy Gasquet in the Semifinals, both in straight sets, and then denied the king of grass, Federer, a chance at history in the Finals.
Nole became the first man to defend the Wimbledon title since Federer ('04-'07) and brought his total Major count to 9, passing the likes of Agassi, Connors, and Lendl. He is consistently proving why he is the world No. 1 and the best player in the world for the past four years. It seems like there is no stopping Djokovic and it will be hard not picking him to win the US Open, no matter who stands in his way.Time Machine
Not only are Serena Williams and Roger Federer defying age standards at Wimbledon, Martina Hingis won her first Wimbledon doubles crown in 17 years with partner Sania Mirza, the first female Indian Grand Slam champion. Hingis, who has already been inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame, also won the Mixed Doubles title with Leader Paes who happens to be turning 43 years young next week.
Final Thoughts
Despite the obvious positives, there were some faults that accompanied the aces. The inconsistent enforcement of time rules between points, games, and even sets was a major factor seen in the Murray vs. Pospisil match, and tennis as a whole needs to crack down on the issue. The Wimbledon App was also frozen on the first day, and stayed that way the remainder of tournament.
The not-so-obvious positives include Victoria Azarenka giving a lesson on what really matters, and the twitter account @WimbledonRoof, which I strongly suggest all tennis fans follow.
That's it from tennis' most presitigous event, and now I can't wait for the US Open 2015!