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The Wimbledon Men’s final yesterday looked to be done and dusted when Nadal won the first two sets relatively comfortably despite having been broken once.  But we should have known better than to write off Federer the World Number one and  5 times Champion.  He came back, surviving 2 Championship points to take the next 2 sets and take the match into a 5th set decider.
The quality of the tennis was superb and showed just how far our own Andy Murray has to go to compete at this level.  It looked like the only person capable of beating either of these guys was the one at the other end.  Nadal eventually won the final set 8-6 to prevent Federer beating Bjon Borg’s record and claim his first Wimbledon title.  On this performance you would have to say it will be the first of many and it looks as if he will go on to dominate men’s tennis for the next decade, as he is only 22 now.

For excitement quality, physical and mental strength of the players, you would have to say this was one of the best ever if not THE best ever men’s final.  It had everything, including rain stoppages and an injury scare, and with both players using Hawk Eye to the maximum that only added to the tension and drama.

On Saturday the British fans had something to shout about as well, when Laura Robson won the Junior Girls title aged just 14.  A packed No 1 court saw her beat Lertcheewakarn 2 sets to 1 to become the youngest winner since Martina Hingis and the first Brit in 24 years to win it.  Who knows in a couple of years we could have a male and female in the top 10, whatever next.

Laura has a long long way to go, but already has the foundations in place and a good team around her. Interstingly she was serving at around 96 mph - I remember Rosco Tanner hitting the first 100mph serve using an old wooden racket - now even the junior girls are doing it.  Just goes to show how much the game has changed in 20 years.

With Lewis Hamilton winning the British Grand Prix it was a pretty good weekend for British sport, although not as good a time as it has been for Spanish sport of course!

Much has been written about the moody, temperamental and surly Scott Andy Murray.  Some of it by me.  Despite trying really hard I’ve found it really difficult to get behind him 100% - can’t quite put my finger on it but there is just something about him that makes him difficult to warm to.

However, for the first time this Wimbledon I sat down to watch him play last night.  And what a match.  He looked down and out when I turned the TV on and I almost turned it off again as I expected him to follow in the footsteps of Tiger Tim and go out with a whimper.

But miraculously he turned it around as I’m sure you know by now, eventually running out a winner in a 5 set 4 hour thriller.

In doing so, he not only turned around my opinion of him, but also that of many others watching on TV and everybody that was present on centre court.  As the comeback took shape, the noise levels rose, not only from the crowd but from Murray himself as the adrenalin started to flow properly.

His little outbursts have upset a minority, who don’t think it’s very “British” or very “Wimbledon” to rant and rave and look a little grumpy.  Most, if not all of these people have clearly never played sport at any level and don’t know what an adrenalin rush is.

Now personally, if he has to rant, rave, swear and look as dour as a dour thing, I don’t care if that’s what it takes to make him win.  We have had years of Brits, who have had personality, but lacked the stubborn bloody mindedness and mental strength to win a Grand Slam.  McEnroe, Connors were not saints, but they were winners.  Andy Murray is of that ilk.
So let’s stop being so “British” about the whole thing and get behind him for the rest of his career.

Wimbledon began with the usual script.  A delayed start due to the rain and Britains best hope for years of producing a champion dashed before they even started when Andy Murray withdrew due to his injured wrist.

They continued to follow the well worn pattern when Tim Henman got off to a good start against Carlos Moya and then had to go off due to rain.  When play resumed it became a typical Henman nail biter, going to a final fith set, with Henman keeping the partisan crowd on the edge of their seats.  Then surprisingly it went against script.  Henman won. Yes Henman won.  Instead of bowing to the pressure of the occasion he battled back from 4-2 down in the final set and typically needed 7 match points to win before taking that final set 13-11.

Could it be that when the pressure is off him to a certain degree - he is now ranked 78 in the World - that this will be his year?  A long shot I know, particularly with the awesome Federer looking to make it 50 straight wins on grass today.  But the draw has opened up for him and he is playing another Spaniard in the next round, who despite saying he “loves playing on grass” will not be looking forward to the clash.

What an irony it would be if he were to go all the way this year, when most, (myself included), expected him to fall at the first hurdle.  Time will tell but stranger things have happened - remember Goran’s year - he was a wild card entry and still managed to claw his way to the final and win.  Although of course he did get to play a certain Tim Henman in the semi-final…

Congratulations to the British Ladies who have qualifed for the World Women’s Squash Open in Belfast.  Special mention must go to Lauren Briggs and Becky Botwright, both who came from behind to beat their oponents and reach the forst round proper, with both matches taking well over an hour.  Anybody who plays “friendly” squash as I do, with rallies that last no more than a few strokes will appreciate how fit these guys are to play long rallies over a sustained period of time.  As the coverage for this tournament will no doubt be scarce it’s worth checking out the official website to keep abreast of the results.

Fraser