In tennis, it’s not always about rankings or seedings. Although it is true that seedings are there for a reason - and the “seeds” almost always do as well as predicted, save a few upsets (unexpected results) in a tournament, there is a thing called “day form”, and that is not counting other factors such as injuries and other afflictions, that can determine which of the two battling players will most likely take that particular match. Some lower-ranked players can simply be outclassed, like a run-of-the-mill tile against a stainless steel backsplash.
I watched the Wimbledon second-round match between Maria Sharapova and Gisela Dulko and was thoroughly entertained. Sharapova has been struggling of late because of her shoulder injury; Dulko took the first set but gave up the second, owed in part to the sheer fighting spirit of the out-of-form Sharapova. When Dulko finally won on her fifth matchpoint in the third set, I didn’t know which player I should feel for. Maria fought so hard but is just not her usual ferocious self, and Gisela played a great match not so much with power but with admirable accuracy and fluency. Maria just wasn’t able to find that much ballyhooed “different gear” that tennis champions usually summon when cornered by a spirited opponent.
So far, former champions, and overwhelming favorites to win, Roger Federer and Venus Williams are both playing according to plan. Serena Williams has also been playing like the future champion, and from what I saw so far, I can already envision another all-Williams final this year (*yawn*). As for the guys, let’s see if the anticipated Federer-Murray final will come true. Of course, I say Federer FTW.
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