Venus rising Kiwi into Nimbledon final
Warning: I’m going to talk tennis. I know the football World Cup is amazing and England were doing the sporting version of the parting of the Red Sea until Croatia swamped them, but something just as incredible is happening at Wimbledon.
Serena Williams has made another grand slam final. Tomorrow morning (NZT) she’ll play in a slam final for the 30th time. I was preparing to hail this as the greatest thing since the sliced backhand, but then the moaners gave that view a big serve, so let’s listen to what they have to say.
Of course Serena should be in the final; I mean she’s stronger than most, they wail. Everybody knows big muscles make a huge difference when playing tennis. Just ask Roger Federer how easy it is to keep your body going at the top level for over a decade.
In the quarterfinals she actually dropped a set to hardhitting Italian Camila Giorgi. It was the first set she’s lost this tournament but really, she shouldn’t be losing any.
For the first time since Wimbledon introduced seedings in 1927, none of the top eight women’s seeds made it to the quartersfinals. It’s a cake walk when playing the best of the world, if you’re ranked higher.
And let’s not forget, it’s just over 10 months since the now Michael Venus is into the final of the men’s doubles at Wimbledon.
The New Zealander and team-mate Raven Klaasen, of South Africa, defeated Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Frederik Nielsen from Denmark 7-6 3-6 6-3 6-4 on a packed No 1 court at Wimbledon yesterday.
‘‘It’s really exciting, it’s the one grand slam you look at the most when you’re growing up,’’ Venus said after the match.
‘‘So to be playing here, in the final and back out on Centre Court, there should be another great atmosphere and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity.’’
This is Venus’ second men’s doubles grand slam final in as many years, following on from his win in last year’s French Open final and it’s his third grand slam final in all, having reached that stage in the mixed doubles at last year’s US Open.
For Venus and Klaasen, this was perhaps their easiest victory so far at this 36-year-old had her first child. OK, she nearly died but she didn’t and she has loads of money and all those physios and coaches so there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be able to reach a grand slam semi.
It’s Serena’s fourth tournament back so she’s had loads of time to sort out her game. It’s like riding a bike with fewer wheels.
It’s weird how people go on about how amazing it is that Serena is playing again after giving birth. Women have babies all the time; they’re made for it. Sure your internal organs are pushed into your spine for months on end and your body completely transforms to let the large but hopefully little poppet grow however, loads of women get back into sport after year’s Wimbledon, as they held serve throughout the match and were able to apply the pressure when needed against their opponents, who were given a wildcard into the draw.
When Venus and Klaasen played on Centre Court on Wednesday, it was after two women’s quarterfinals matches, with their doubles match really just an add on to the schedule to offer value for money to the paying public.
But on court No 1 yesterday, there were only doubles matches played and the big crowd came along largely to watch this semifinal.
At no other grand slam does doubles get this much attention and the around 11,000 spectators watching this match were enthralled by the action.
‘‘Both of those courts are big and nice,’’ Venus said.
‘‘It’s great to have a lot of people in there watching.’’
The first set was won by Venus and Klaasen 8-6 in a tiebreak, but Klaasen was broken in the decisive fourth game of the next set, with Salisbury ripping a childbirth. Easy peasy.
To be honest, I’m a bit bored. She always wins. If she takes the title it will be her eighth at Wimbledon and her 24th grand slam, which would equal the alltime record held by Aussie Margaret Court.
Federer has won 20 but that is a more impressive record because men’s tennis is harder. Plus, he’s had four kids!
Sure, Serena has had to overcome a few things in her career. The racism, sexism, misogyny, patronising comments and questions that male players would never have to deal with about anything especially how their body looks or what they’re wearing but, she gets paid millions so just needs to suck it up.
Enough of the moaners; backhand return down the line on break point.
The third set went to Venus and despite dominating her sport and still performing at the highest level month in month out, not everyone can see just what an incredible achievement it is as a man or woman to perform consistently at the highest level until the age of 36.
The great Scot Andy Murray was asked what he thought of Serena making another grand slam semi and he said ‘ridiculous’ (but he’s a mummy’s boy feminist so of course he would say that).
In England right now, former players, pundits and fans were losing their waistcoats over manager Gareth Southgate’s ability to get his football squad playing as a team.
Somehow he’s brought them together to trust and believe in each other while ignoring Klaasen and there was a resigned look on Nielsen’s face when he was broken to love in the seventh game of the next set. history and changing the typical British mindset from one of fear to adventure.
Serena Williams has been doing that since she won her first major at 17 and became the world No 1 at 20. Sometimes I miss my mouth when I go to drink out of a glass, and that’s when I’m sober.
To be the best every day, to continue to seek perfection after almost 20 years at the top, to make sacrifices most will never comprehend, to strive to reach heights most of else can’t even imagine is, well, there just aren’t words for that.
And to think, we get to be a part of Serena Williams’ incomprehensible success without even leaving the couch. I hope she appreciates our support.
About 10 minutes later Venus put a serve down the middle that Nielsen hit into the net and that was the match.
In the final they will play the Americans Jack Sock and Mike Bryan, who knocked out Kiwi Artem Sitak and Divij Sharan in the quarterfinals.
‘‘Mike has won a ridiculous amount of titles [118], most of them with his brother though, so it’s a different combination. But Jack is a very good doubles player himself, he won Indian Wells earlier this year and he won Wimbledon here with Vasek Pospisil, so he knows what he’s doing,’’ Venus said.
‘‘We’re going to have to focus on ourselves and make sure we’re bringing our level and go from there.’’
Later, Venus returned to No 1 court for his mixed doubles quarterfinal, where he and Katarina Srebotnik, a former singles winner of the ASB Classic, knocked out the third seeds Ivan Dodig and Latisha Chan 7-5 3-6 6-0.
In the semifinal overnight they were to play against Alexander Peya and Nicole Melichar on No 3 court.
Setback for Reid
All Whites captain Winston Reid has suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury and will miss the first two months of the English Premier League season for West Ham United. Former England striker Andy Carroll and Reid returned to London from a pre-season training camp in Switzerland to undergo follow-up operations on injuries suffered last season. The duo have both been ruled out for three months and will miss the first two months of the Premier League season at least. Reid has played 194 matches for West Ham since joining the East London club.