Andy Murray Wins Wimbledon!

Apparently, the tennis gods did look favorably upon the UK this weekend.  Andy Murray accomplished what British male tennis players have failed to do over the past 77 years: win Wimbledon.  And with his hard-fought straight-set victory over Novak Djokovic (much closer than the score suggests), 62,740,000 United Kingdomers let out a collective sigh.  The wait is finally over and I’m sure Murray is well on his way to becoming Sir Andy.  Though, when thinking about it, we should have all seen this coming.  It was always Andy Murray who was going to break this slump.

From the moment Andy Murray hired Ivan Lendl as his coach 18 months ago, he set himself on a straight line to one ultimate goal: winning Wimbledon.  Sure, a major title would be nice, a couple victories mixed in, but make no mistake- Murray’s greatest goal was to succeed where countless others had failed.  I think it’s a feeling that American sports fans struggle to grasp.  In the United States, there is rarely a unified showing of national pride in a team, perhaps in recent years, only the 1999 Women’s World Cup victory and the 1980 US Hockey Miracle on Ice victory over the Soviet Union.  I don’t know the exact reason why this is, though I can surmise that 1) the United States is usually top-3 in Gold and total medals won at any Olympics, signaling that we’re used to victory and perhaps spoiled, and 2) so much of American fandom is regional based on the local teams that play near us that there are less national teams to be excited about.

Therefore, I think it is tough for Americans to understand the pressure that Murray must have been feeling while attempting to serve out the final game of his 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Novak Djokovic.  Murray must have felt the weight of 80 years of disappointment, which made his outburst of relief at the end that much more gratifying.  While he did fall to his knees after shaking Djokovic’s hand, I must take a moment to point out my joy in seeing Murray simply toss his hat and pump his fist when he won.  Today, too many tennis players fall to the ground immediately after winning a match.  For example, in the men’s quarterfinals, of the four winners, two of them fell to their knees.  In the quarterfinals!  Still two wins away from winning the entire tournament!  By the way, who were the two quarterfinals winners that didn’t fall to their knees?  That would be Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.  But moving on…

Lendl became Murray’s full-time coach before the 2012 season.  At that point, he was ranked #4, behind Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.  In the first major of 2012, the Australian Open, Murray lost to Djokovic in a semi-finals match that lasted close to five hours.  This was one of the defining matches in what has become one of the best rivalries of this decade, between Djokovic and Murray, and is getting close to the intrigue of that of Nadal vs. Federer.  After a quarterfinal loss in the French Open, he made the final at Wimbledon.  Already, he had succeeded where many others had failed, becoming the first Brit to make the final since Bunny Austin in 1938.  He won the first set against Roger Federer, but lost the next three, bringing on a tear-filled post-match interview where he apologized to British fans everywhere, but made note of how far he had come and how little of the journey he had left.  Who knew at that point it would only be one year before he would be a Wimbledon champion?

Recovering to win the Olympic gold medal, also at Wimbledon and against the same opponent, Murray was well on his way to belonging in the same conversation as tennis’ big-3 (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer).  Add to that his victory in the US Open final over Novak Djokovic, and becoming the first Brit to win a final since Fred Perry in 1936 and the first Scot to win a final since Harold Mahony in 1896, and the tennis world was suddenly talking about a Big-Four.  By the end of the year, Murray had risen one spot to #3, behind only Djokovic and Federer.

Murray’s 2013 started off with a bang, winning the Brisbane International title and then reaching the final of the Australian Open (his third major final in a row).  There, he lost to Djokovic, but again, confirmed that he belonged in the conversation of the greatest men’s players in the game today.  This season, he skipped the French Open because of injury concerns.  That ended up being the correct decision as he looked stronger than ever throughout this entire Wimbledon tournament.

But his victory did not come without struggles.  In the quarterfinals, Murray overcame a 2-0 deficit against Fernando Verdasco and rallied back to win 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5.  In the semifinals, Murray dropped the first set to Jerzy Janowicz before railing off three sets in a row.  And in the finals, Murray won in straight sets, but had to fight throughout to win each one.  In the 2nd set, he came back from down 4-1, winning six of the next seven games to win the set 7-5.  In the third, he had to come back from a break down at 4-2.  He was all over the court and it was the type of match where you came away saying that the right man won.

So what’s next for Andy Murray?  He is quickly becoming the most decorated men’s tennis player in the UK, with two major titles and an Olympic gold.  If he can keep up this level of play, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him overtake Djokovic’s #1 ranking by the end of the year.  At 26, Murray is the 2nd youngest of the Big-Four (though only a week separates him and Djokovic).  As Federer and Nadal continue to fall off a little more each year, I can see a great rivalry continuing between Djokovic and Murray, and we could be in for a great stretch of head-to-head tennis, similar to what we experienced between Rafa and Roger from 2006-2009.  But for now, let’s let Murray and the rest of the United Kingdom enjoy this victory for a while.  Murray earned his win and after watching him chase down drop shot after drop shot, we should have known that no matter the distance he had to cover, he was always going to reach his ultimate destination: a Wimbledon title.

 

Your Chicago daily sports schedule (one game to watch)

Cubs @ White Sox  – 7:10 pm   MAKEUP GAME (Cubs are going for four-game season series sweep)

 

Blog Confirmations

Certain projections that I have made in the previous couple of weeks have turned out correct.  I want to make note of those while taking a trip around the sports world.

 

Starting with the White Sox-

July 4, 2013: “And when the White Sox inevitably make an error, instead of cursing at your TV, just laugh about it.”

The White Sox did make one error yesterday, committed by Adam Dunn.  Nevertheless, they were able to still escape with a win, when Dunn made up for the error and hit a walk-off home run, appropriately setting off fireworks.

 

Moving on to the Cubs-

July 4, 2013: “And when the Cubs bullpen blows a [game] before they can get it to Kevin Gregg, just shake your head and think about the bright future that is seemingly always on its way.”

This projection also turned out to be true, as new Cubs acquisition Matt Guerrier seems to fit right in.  In his first appearance with the team, Guerrier came in to a 0-0 game in the seventh inning and promptly gave up one run.  The Cubs couldn’t score and ended up losing 1-0.  Bright spot- Pedro Strop also pitched one inning in the game and didn’t give up a single run!

 

To London-

July 2, 2013: “In Serena’s match yesterday, Sabine Lisicki (ranked 23) looked like the #1 seed.  She dominated the pace of play throughout the match and Serena looked uncomfortable and was on the run all day.  Lisicki is a great grass-court player and she is definitely a threat to win the whole thing.”

Sure enough, Lisicki has advanced to the Wimbledon Women’s Final.  She will play Marion Bartoli, the player who ended Sloane Stephens’ run.  I see Lisicki as the favorite to take home the Venus Rosewater Dish.  Certainly though, win or lose, she’ll be a top-20 player after this tournament.

 

To soccer!-

June 26, 2013: “Don’t look now, but the Chicago Fire are starting to play some really good soccer.  When I last discussed the Fire, they had just drawn 2-2 with the Portland Timbers.  Since then, they’ve defeated Colorado 2-1 away, and Columbus 2-1 at home.”

Well they’ve won again!  On Wednesday, they defeated Columbus 3-2, aided by a go-ahead goal by Chris Rolfe in the 84th minute.  Unfortunately, Mike Magee didn’t score in this one, ending his consecutive games with a goal streak, but with their third consecutive win, there are now just five teams that stand between the Fire (21 points) and the first place Montreal Impact (30 points).

 

And finishing up in the world of competitive eating-

July 4, 2013: “The holidays are about being with the ones you love, so surround yourself with friends and family today and eat meat…”

I didn’t mean stuff your face with 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes while your girlfriend watches from four feet away, but to each his own.

 

As always, your weekend Chicago and national sports schedule (games to watch):

Cubs v. Pirates – Friday, 3:05 pm

White Sox @ Rays – Friday, 6:10 pm

US Soccer @ Guatemala – Friday, 10:00 pm

 

Women’s Final at Wimbledon – Saturday, 8:00 am     ESPN

Cubs v. Pirates – Saturday, 3:05 pm

Rush @ Philadelphia – Saturday, 6:05 pm

White Sox @ Rays – Saturday, 6:15 pm     FOX

 

Men’s Final at Wimbledon – Sunday, 8:00 am     ESPN

White Sox @ Rays – Sunday, 12:40 pm

Cubs v. Pirates –  Sunday, 1:20 pm

Sky @ Liberty – Sunday, 2:00 pm

Fire @ Kansas City – Sunday, 2:00 pm     ESPN Deportes

Wimbledon Update

This has been a crazy Wimbledon thus far.  The following is a list of players (men and women) who didn’t make it to the quarterfinals:

Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Serena Williams

Victoria Azarenka

Maria Sharapova

Sara Errani

In this list, you’ve got arguably the greatest men’s player (Roger Federer), the greatest clay court player (Rafael Nadal), the greatest women’s player (Serena Williams), a couple of established stars (Azarenka, Sharapova), and a number of up and coming stars (Tsonga, Errani).  Now, in Azarenka’s defense, she had to pull out of the tournament because of an injury.  But everyone else lost fair and square.  Of those seven players, only Serena Williams made it to even the 3rd round, two rounds before the quarterfinals!  I can’t recall a Wimbledon in the past that has seen this many shocking upsets.

In Serena’s match yesterday, Sabine Lisicki (ranked 23) looked like the #1 seed.  She dominated the pace of play throughout the match and Serena looked uncomfortable and was on the run all day.  Lisicki is a great grass-court player and she is definitely a threat to win the whole thing.  However, there is one lone American left in the tournament- Sloane Stephens.  I have a good feeling that this could be her breakout tournament.  She has been on the cusp, even upsetting Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of this year’s Australian Open.  She has a difficult match today against higher-ranked Marion Bartoli, but if she gets past that, she has a good chance to advance to the final as Lisicki, Agnieszka Radwanska (#4), and Li Na (#6) are all on the other side of the bracket.  Stephens is currently ranked #17 by the Women’s Tennis Association.  Great opportunities to win major tournaments don’t come very often, and she would be wise to not let this one slip away from her.*****

On the men’s side, the UK is starting to ramp up excitement for Andy Murray, the #2 ranked player in the world.  The last Brit to win this tournament was Fred Perry in 1936.  Since that time, an insane and insurmountable amount of pressure has always been placed on the highest-ranked British player entering the tournament (see Henman, Tim).  Last year, Murray became the first Brit to make the final since Bunny Austin in 1938.  It was Murray’s first major final, and he dropped it to Roger Federer 6–4, 5–7, 3–6, 4–6.  Since that time, he has won a tournament at Wimbledon (the 2012 Summer Olympics) and won a major tournament (the 2012 US Open), also the first major win for a Brit since Perry in 1936.  Looking at his past season, Murray is ready.  He has the experience of winning at Wimbledon.  He has the experience of winning a major.  Additionally, that major victory was against Novak Djokovic, his likely competitor this year if he is to advance to the final.  This is Murray’s year.  If he is ever to win Wimbledon, it is this tournament.  If not now, then possibly never- and the UK shall be forever Wimbledone.

Your daily Chicago sports schedule (one game to watch):

Sky v. Storm – 7:00 pm     ESPN2

White Sox v. Orioles – 7:10 pm

Cubs @ Athletics – 9:05 pm

***** Since the time of publication, Stephens has dropped her quarterfinal match to Marion Bartoli 4-6, 5-7

Hump Day Hits- 06/26/13

Hump Day Hits is where I catch you up on what is going on around the sports world, what you may have missed, and what you’ll need to know moving forward.

 

Wimbledon:  In case you’ve missed it, Wimbledon started on Monday morning.  The tournament already has seen Rafael Nadal upset in the first round (his earliest exit from a major tournament).  I have never claimed to be a Nadal fan, in fact, some would call me a Nadal hater, so I was thrilled to see the 135th-ranked Steve Darcis pull off the upset.  Darcis has since withdrawn with a shoulder injury.  Speaking of injuries, other withdraws within the last day include John Isner and Victoria Azarenka, shaking up the bracket for this tournament.  All of this means one thing– if Andy Murray does not win Wimbledon this year, a Brit will never again win the tournament.

 

Chicago Blackhawks: I’ve probably written enough about the Blackhawks over the last month, but seeing as they are currently the only major competitive team in Chicago sports, they were due the attention.  My season review will post tomorrow, but I wanted to use this time to give a shout-out to the injured players that still produced in the Stanley Cup Final.  I wrote yesterday about Andrew Shaw getting hit in the face with a puck, but it hasn’t been revealed yet if any facial bones were fractured.  Other players skating injured: Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa- slipped disk that caused him to lose feeling in his legs at times; Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron- broken rib, torn cartilage muscles, separated shoulder; Bruins’ Nathan Horton- dislocated shoulder.  Hockey players are tough!

 

Chicago Bulls: The NBA Draft is tomorrow night and the Bulls have two selections, the 20th and the 49th.  After seeing how shooters were able to spread the court for the Heat and Spurs, reports are that the Bulls are interested in another 3-point shooter, having played last season without Kyle Korver and learning what it was like to be without a true 3-point threat.  Of the shooters, look for the Bulls to pick from Reggie Bullock (North Carolina, 43.6% 3-pt shooting) or Tim Hardaway, Jr. (Michigan, 37.4%).  Jamaal Franklin from San Diego State is also an option here, though he isn’t a typical long-range shooter.  Apparently, the Bulls are also in discussions about exchanging Luol Deng for a top-5 pick, having targeted the Wizards at number 3.  This would be a great deal for the Bulls!  Deng’s contract runs out after next season, and it is believed that the Bulls would let him walk to free up cap space to sign a legitimate #2 to Derrick Rose.  If they’re able to pull this off, it would be a great job by upper management, but it remains to be seen what all the Wizards would have to gain from this.  It’s worth monitoring though.  In the 2nd round, look for the Bulls to choose Illinois’ Brandon Paul, who had a 2nd workout with the Bulls on Monday.

 

Chicago Cubs: The Cubs inch closer and closer everyday to becoming the first sellers of the 2013 MLB season.  Already, Carlos Marmol is gone, but that was due to general suckage (I think that’s the appropriate term?).  I think Kevin Gregg will be gone soon, as he has yet to blow a save and is outperforming his ability, so the Cubs will want to deal him before he comes back down to Earth.  Nate Schierholtz, who like Gregg is outperforming his ability, could be another option.  Stay tuned, because when the selling starts, it is going to take off.

 

Chicago Fire: Don’t look now, but the Chicago Fire are starting to play some really good soccer.  When I last discussed the Fire, they had just drawn 2-2 with the Portland Timbers.  Since then, they’ve defeated Colorado 2-1 away, and Columbus 2-1 at home.  In those two games, Mike Magee has scored a goal apiece.  Magee has been big since coming to the Fire, and while they still have a long way to go to get back into contention, two consecutive wins, their first such streak of the year, is a fantastic way to get things started.

 

Chicago White Sox: In case you missed it, this happened last night (MLB doesn’t allow embedded videos, so you’ll have to follow the link):

A Classic White Sox Blunder

Yes, the White Sox dropped an infield pop-up to give up a tying run in the 9th.  While they ended up winning in the bottom of the 9th, this blunder comes one game after this:

The Pre-Blunder Blunder

That team actually cost the team a victory.  So it’s quite clear that this team is currently learning how to catch a ball.  When they’ve mastered that, they’ll learn how to throw.  If there is still time in the season, they’ll move to hitting.  But they are improving.  They’re taking baby steps towards becoming better than your average Little League team.

 

Your Chicago daily sports schedule (one game to watch)

Sky v. Liberty – 11:30 am

White Sox v. Mets – 7:10 pm

Cubs @ Brewers – 7:10 pm