Things we Learned from Wimbledon

This is a quick post discussing some of the talking points from the last 2 weeks at Wimbledon and how it may help us for the rest of the season. I will also update the profit/loss from the tournament in this post.

Things we Learned from Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic is the correct World Number 1: A lot of people were taking a few shots at the ATP Ranking system before the Final on Sunday as Rafael Nadal was due to lose his Number 1 Ranking regardless of the result.

If Nadal had won, that would have meant the World Number 2 was the holder of 3 of the 4 Grand Slams played and there could rightly have been some question marks.

However, Djokovic confirmed his recent Indian sign over Nadal and they both now share 2 Grand Slams.

Novak Djokovic is the right Number 1 considering he has now beaten Nadal in 5 straight Finals this season, he has only lost 1 match all year and is the favourite for the US Open.

Nadal also has more points to defend up until the US Open than Djokovic so things are unlikely to change, in my opinion, until around this time next season.


The top 3 Men are clearly ahead of the pack in the ATP: I know Roger Federer went out earlier than we all expected, but it is clear that the top 3 Men are significantly ahead of the pack. Andy Murray is a clear 4th, but he does not have the tools at this time to beat 2 of the top 3 in consecutive matches, something that is likely to be needed if a Grand Slam is to be achieved.

The great factor of the Men's game is the fact it seems Djokovic can beat Nadal, Nadal can beat Federer, and Federer is more than capable of beating Djokovic.


The Draw at the US Open will be very significant: I can understand why Djokovic has been installed as the clear favourite to win the US Open in September, but it remains the case that the draw will be very significant.

There are some really dangerous players that can be put in the path of the top 3 in the early rounds, and that could lead to a lot of court time and perhaps fatigue setting in.

Personally I would not want to put anything down on the US Open until the Masters' events are completed in August and the draw is released later that month.


Juan Martin Del Potro is back: The big Argentine reached the 4th Round at Wimbledon, but that is by far his worst surface, and he looks ready to make a big impact at the US Open, the event I believed he would make the most noise in this season.

His ranking has moved up to 19 following Wimbledon, but he has nothing to defend for the rest of the season and I really think he will finish in the top 8 at year end.

Del Potro's game is perfectly suited to the hard courts of Flushing Meadows and he has the experience of beating Nadal and Federer in consecutive rounds from his success in 2009.


The WTA Rankings need an improvement: Anyone who has followed my blog will know I am not the biggest fan of Caroline Wozniacki and I think it is shocking that she is STILL the World Number 1 having failed again in a Grand Slam.

It is the 2nd Grand Slam in a row that she has failed to reach the Quarter Finals so something is clearly not right with the rankings. I know Wozniacki plays a lot more tournaments than anyone else (I believe she is the only player in the top 10 playing this week at Bastad), but surely something needs to be done.

Only 1 of the top 5 player has won a Grand Slam in the since 2008... That alone should have people in the WTA Offices at least thinking about a revamp of the Rankings system.


Petra Kvitova can win a number of Grand Slams: I really liked watching Petra Kvitova play over the last 2 weeks as she continues a very successful 12 months on the tour. The lefty moved up to 7 in the Rankings, but her game is evidence that she can win a number of Grand Slam events.

I really hope Kvitova can keep her focus and not fall apart like Ana Ivanovic did following her win at Roland Garros.

The WTA Tour needs star power, and Kvitova could most definitely provide that.


Wimbledon needs to move with the times: I understand this is a traditional tournament, but there needs to be a few changes.

Middle Sunday has got to go- there is no room for this in a Grand Slam tournament. More importantly, why have no tennis on one of the few days that people may not be working and actually get to enjoy the matches?

Night tennis is almost inevitable in my eyes- the Australian and US Opens already have sessions scheduled for the evening while the French Open will begin to do the same in 2016 once a roof is built over Phillip Chatrier.

This will help schedule more of the big names onto Centre Court, while the monetary aspect is too hard to ignore. Again it would help people who have to work- how nice would it be to get home knowing an evening schedule is due to start at 8pm?

The tournament is also very 'middle/upper class' in patrons and organisation- this needs to change to promote tennis as a sport that can be played by the masses and not Pimms guzzling rich folks!


Finally, the BBC Coverage was as poor as ever: I was stunned with how bad the BBC ran Wimbledon over this last fortnight... Poor commentators that clearly have not watched tennis outside of the last month, Andrew Castle and John Lloyd acting as glorified cheerleaders for Andy Murray matches, Channel hopping during the matches, and then topping it all off by having microphone issues during the speeches after the Men's Final.

Thankfully they have no further significant tennis coverage until the End of Year Championships at the O2 Arena.


Profit/Loss Update from Wimbledon and Overall
It was a tough couple of weeks all in all if I am honest. A few shocks, most notably Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's overturning a 2 sets deficit against Roger Federer, and my outright picks all fell.

It was a shame considering Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal both reached the Final, while Federer was the only one of the top 4 seeds that failed to make the Semi Finals from the Men's section.

Vera Zvonareva and Daniela Hantuchova were disappoiting and unfortunate respectively but that meant a big chunk of the profits were taken away.


DAILY PICKS: + 19.42 Units

OUTRIGHT PICKS: - 8 Units

OVERALL WIMBLEDON PROFIT/LOSS: + 11.42 Units


OVERALL TENNIS PROFIT/LOSS:  + 54.60 Units