Day 1 - Djokovic Signals His Intent With A Professional Win

#WimbledonUnderway

The wait was long and it was reaching impatient levels to get the #Championships underway. And so they did under wonderful and sunny #London skies!

Per #tradition, the Men's Singles #defending #champion opened proceedings on #Centre #Court. #Novak #Djokovic, looking in great shape to defend his crown but utterly disappointed by that final loss to #Warinka at #Roland #Garros two weeks ago, walked in to a huge ovation. 

His opponent, Phillip Kohlshreiber, seeded 33 was no easy push over. Phil is known for his stinging backhand and ability to stay in matches for long. He started well too. Although Novak broke him in the third game of the match, he broke back immediately in the next game to level scores at 2-2. The first set saw a see-saw battle and it was Phil who was looking sharper and fitter of the two.

As with champions, they know when to up the game and how to handle pressure situations. Novak did just that. He hung on and then brought in his tenacity and sublime skill to the fore. Game after game, he upped his ante on Phil and won the first set 6-4.

After that it was a matter of time really. Phil began to lose his sting and Novak was waiting for his opportunities to grab crucial points and surge ahead. Sets 2 and 3 went the same way.

Final Scoreline
Novak Djokovic bt Phillip Shreiberger 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

Other key games on Centre Court today involve 
#Glam #Doll #Maria #Sharapova
French Champion #Stan #Wawrinka

Important results so far on Day 1
Samantha Stosur beat Daniella Kovinic 6-4, 6-4
Radwanska beat Gallovits-Hall 6-2, 6-1
Nishikori and Bolelli have shared 1 set each
Lleyton Hewitt is fighting to stay in the championship against Nieminen in a gruelling 5 setter.

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Golden Moments: Steffi Graf Vs Monica Seles 1992

Amazing #Wimbledon moments



What rivalry!!

Arguably the greatest rivalry of all time ... had it not been for that idiot who attacked  . What a pity. She's the only player, who not just troubled   but dominated most of their contests until that fateful day!. 

Not a very great final in terms of the result, drama or neck-n-neck points but just the intensity these two brought to the game and tennis overall in that era made it spectacular.

Monica was World No 1, had won the last 5 grand slam tournaments and looking ominous to win her sixth. Her double handed ground strokes and agility being her key strengths. She was the boss of tennis winning almost every tournament she participated in and there were rumours, other top players including Steffi had begun to "fear" her domination on court.

She had a flawless run to the finals except that epic clash vs #Martina #Navratilova in the semi finals where she won in 3 sets. At 18 years age, she was certainly looking to rule women's tennis for years to come.

Steffi, on the other hand, was looking a bit off-color and overwhelmed by Seles on the tennis circuit. She had just lost to Seles in a close match at Roland Garros previous month and not looking as solid coming into the final. She had struggled in the earlier rounds against unseeded players but got the better of #Gabriella #Sabatini in the semi finals with ease. 

The big "issue" in this tournament was hounded with conspiracy theories though. Monica made a huge grunting noise when hitting balls fiercely. Her opponents had started complaining about it and she even received a warning for that. Whether the noise levels were too high or others were trying to put her off her bull run? we will never know but that warning was certainly playing on her mind as she entered the Centre Court for the women's final.

The build up in media about this game was huge!
All tabloids, newspapers, TV, radio (there wasn't "The Web" then!) were anticipating a mouthwatering clash of the titans.
  
As the match started, it became evident that Seles without her grunting was a shade of her usual self. Trying to play safe than her usual freedom, she started making errors and Steffi pounced on that opportunity winning the first set 6-2.

The second set was no different, and Seles inexplicably did not get into her groove at all. What was affecting her? Steffi steamrolled through the second set 6-1. Game Over....

Steffi lifted her fourth Wimbledon crown and young Monica pondered on what could have been an monumental achievement. This kind of rivalry and media hype about it was never seen in women's tennis before. This is what made this moment special and golden!

Both these superstars went to play some memorable tennis matches in their career against each other until Monica was stabbed in the back by a self-proclaimed Steffi fan, in 1993. She did make an amazing comeback from that injury but wasn't able to terrorize other players with her gruesome powerplay and presence on the court. What a pity!

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After French Open History Its Wimbledon Glory

#Wimbledon #2015

From Red hot Clay the Green Soothing Grass!
From vibrancy in colors (did you see Stan Wawrinka's color shorts?? they were talk of the town all through the tournament) to all WHITES
From casuals to ultra formals and etiquette

Yes, we off to #Centre #Court at the legendary #Wimbledon know as "The Championships". The oldest and arguably the best of all #Grand #Slam tournaments (with all due respect to Australian Open, French Open and US Open) gets underway from 29th June 2015.

Its all about history, tradition and glory at the #AELTC Club in #Wimbledon.
The #Championships began way back in 1877 where 22 amateurs (all men, women's tennis was introduced 7 years later in 1884) participated with an entrance fee and had to get their own playing kit (racquets, shoes)! The AELTC only provided green balls as sponsorship. Wow...

Fast forward to 2015 where BBC will be covering the entire event like never before.
Its already being talked as the biggest, costliest and most watched sport event ever!!

The 138 year old tournament has seen it all.
Amateurs turning in legends. Canvas shoes to Nike and Reebok, Wooden racquets to Fiber ones, long maxis to mini skirts, one thing has not changed is the TRADITION and that is why this tournament is loved by everyone.

The rituals, discipline at the venue with time precision make it a treat to watch alongside tennis greats cracking serves and volleys. The Duchess and Duke of Kent don't seem to be old for years as they stride to give away the awards and trophies. the ball boy parades and drills, the only whites on all players, organizing committee member meetups, the rain songs, the covers being pulled to the court, the bow to the royal box and so on.... Its all there for everyone to see, witness and wonder how they do it with precision year on year?

Wimbledon has produced some of the most breathtaking sports moments in history. Magaret Court and her legendary wins, Rod Laver's great rivalry against Newcombe, Smith and Rosewall, McEnroe's outbursts of anger and equally brilliant strokeplay against his great rivals, Bjorn Borgs 5 consecutive titles, Martina Navratilova with 9 titles and her amazing rivalry with Chris Evert, German teen sensations turned all time greats, Steffi Graf and Boris Becker, Pistol Pete Sampras and the every lovable Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters, Yana Novotna's tradition breaking crying on the shoulder of her highness the Duchess of Kent, the epic battles between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, emerging talents in Djokovic, Murray, Sharapova and the list goes on... 

So what do we have in store for this year?  
A piece of history ... one more time!

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