Author: Mertov

Citi Open: Saturday’s Tale

First of all, I apologize to the readers who may have come to expect more frequent blog updates when I am present at a tournament. It has been hectic to say the least, with writing obligations outside of MT-Desk mounting up this week. Nonetheless, I woke up this morning, determined to post a write-up at the end of today, so here it is.

The 2014 US Open final between Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic was lackluster to say the least. It was hard to decide if the match was so one-sided because Cilic played spatial tennis, outclassing Nishikori, or because Nishikori simply performed far below his standard, especially after having beaten the top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the semis. But in terms of score, and tennis quality, it was the least thrilling men’s final match at the Majors last year. So I expected better this afternoon. Cilic was gradually finding his form and Nishikori has looked sharp throughout the week.

Instead, it was another flop, not so much in the score line as in the level of play by both players. Cilic broke immediately to start the match and Nishikori wasted a whole set before starting to do the right thing. He only had a chance to break back at 1-3 down, and instead of keeping the balls deep and looking to out-rally Cilic, he would get impatient and go for broke in the 5th or 6th shot of the rally, mostly from behind the baseline, and make the error. Cilic only had to keep holding the lead with some solid first serves, and he did just that.

It seemed that Kei woke up immediately as the second set began. For those who can go back and watch the match, for example, in the third point of the set (15-15), the Japanese star did something that he neglected (or failed, depending on the perspective) to do since the beginning of the match. He kept the balls deep, did not go for unnecessary, low-percentage winners, and eventually earned the point on a Cilic error. From then on, he cut the unforced errors down largely because he followed that same pattern. Again at 1-0 up, and a break point in his favor, Nishikori once again got the return in, settled for deep shots, kept Cilic on the move, finally collected a backhand in the net by the Croat. Next game at 15-15, Cilic hung in there during a long rally, but having to cover too much ground, the big guy ended the rally by slapping a on-the-run forehand in the net when he was strecthed. Same scenario again occured at the game point to go up 3-0. Funny how the tide can turn when you tweak and adjust small, yet basic, patterns during the points. Nishikori cruised the rest of the set and Cilic, not finding a solution (which was provided for him by Nishikori in the first set), faded away quickly to lose the second set 6-1.

After having the early games decide the outcomes of both first and second sets, it came as no surprise that the same thing happened in the third set. Much less confident now, Cilic double-faulted and missed an easy backhand volley in the net to fall behind in the very first game of the third set, and eventually got broken. Figuring out only at 2-4 down that rallying from the baseline was no longer working with a less generous Nishikori across the net, Cilic got more aggressive and forced the issue. At 3-4 down and Nishikori serving, Cilic took risks on the returns and ventured to the net. At 0-15, he finished the point with a volley winner. At 15-30 he whipped a forehand that left Nishikori at a distance, staring at the winner. He remained aggressive on the return and missed one, on the first break point at 15-40. But Nishikori was feeling the heat, and missed a risky second serve for a double fault on the second break point at 30-40, in an effort to avoid Cilic taking charge on the return. Marin’s body language was extremely positive at that point, pumping his fist regularly.

Then out of nowhere, he makes couple of bad decisions (one, not to attack when he had the chance) and Nishikori gets the important break again to go up 5-4. It seemed that neither player could get in the groove for an extended period of time and both had to battle hard just to keep balls in play and deep. The last game characterized the whole match: 5 total errors by both players, 4 of them complete give-aways. Nishikori held and earned his spot in the finals.

Nishikori def Cilic Citi Open

Next on Center Court was the women’s semifinal between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and the Ekaterina Makarova. Or so everyone thought! On their way out to the court, both women were told that their match was moved to the Grandstand court. A men’s doubles match, featuring the Bryan brothers, was deemed more worthy of the Center Court. Makarova, the top-seeded player, not only did not play her first two matches on either the Center Court or the Grandstand (played the third on Grandstand), but was probably going to go down in the history of professional tennis as the only top-seeded player in history at a WTA event to never get to play on Center Court before the finals. As it turns out, she retired in the beginning of the third set and did not get that accolade! But if there was ever a slap on a top seed’s face, today was it.

Pavlyuchenkova and Makarova on their was to Grandstand
Pavlyuchenkova and Makarova on their was to Grandstand

The explanation was that the ATP and the WTA tournaments were two separate events, with the WTA one being a lower-tier tournament forking out less prize money than the men’s, which made it so that the women could be moved to the Grandstand. Let’s be honest, that attitude was obvious anyway from the beginning of the tournament. Prior to Saturday, only 4 women’s matches have been scheduled on the Center Court (all four as the first match of the day, when there is the least amount of crowd on the grounds) whereas men’s matches that were featured there amounted to four times that number.

However, today was unacceptable. You don’t tell the players right before the match that they got demoted to a lesser court, and you certainly don’t do it when it involves the top seed and the no. 12 player in the world Makarova, who had yet to set foot on the Center Court, and Pavlyuchenkova who has been ranked as high as no. 13 in the world (now ranked 40), holder of 7 WTA titles in her career. As far as the “explanation” goes, if the issue is that these are two separate events and not one combined event, then the same committee should not make decisions for both. Nor should you charge one ticket price for both (as @TheBoiledEgg astutely pointed out on Twitter). If the WTA event is the “lesser” event and the spectators come to watch two “separate” events in which one event is taking place on the “lesser” courts, then you designate two separate prices and charge less for those who come to watch the “lesser” event. Sounds ridiculous right? Almost as ridiculous as the “explanation.” Lastly, would the same thing have happened if the match were between Venus Williams (ranked 15) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (ranked 28)? Or if it were between Jelena Jankovic (23) and the American Sloane Stephens (35)? Or better yet, would the reverse have happened if it were a higher tier women’s event and a lower men’s event? To that end, would all the men’s quarterfinals have taken place at the Grandstand on Friday while the women played on the Center Court, as was the case (in reverse) yesterday? I think everyone can guess the answers to these questions.

In the evening session, contrary to most people’s expectations, the second semifinal between John Isner and Steve Johnson greatly exceeded the first semifinal in terms of both quality and suspense. Steve Johnson, having a golden tournament, had two match points at 6-4 up in the thrilling third set tiebreaker. The first one was something to behold. Johnson served and a long rally ensued which meant, as was the case for the most part up to that point, that Johnson would end up winning the point. Instead, Isner played good a baseline rally as you will ever see him do, and outlasted Johnson, finally forcing him into an error. Then, he served an ace to equalize at 6-6. Each player had one more match point, and finally, Isner prevailed 11-9 to deny Johnson his first career final. The big guy served four aces after saving that first match point in spectacular fashion.

Last but not the least, Sloane Stephens, looking for her own first final at a WTA event (amazing, considering how many semifinal appearances she has had, including in some big events) came out to face the in-form Samantha Stosur. From the beginning the scenario was clear. Stephens was stroking her groundstrokes well, and Stosur needed to take risks and cut the points short to win. Sam played the right game for most of the first set, stepping inside the baseline on returns, and going for big shots, especially on her down-the-line backhands. However, Stephens would win the majority of points whenever they got engaged in extended baseline rallies. The first set went to a tiebreaker. Stosur went up 4-2 on a forehand volley error by Stephens and seemed to have the upper hand as they changed sides. Then, a total collapse by Stosur followed. Stephens remained steady as Stosur made mistake after mistake losing the next five points in succession, and the tiebreaker. The worst was yet to come.

Stephens semis Citi Open 1

In the second set, Stephens, now exuding confidence, efficiently kept the balls deep, pinned Stosur to the baseline, and controlled the rallies. It did not help that Stosur framed more shots than I have ever seen anyone else in a singles match. I wondered if such stats were kept, would Stosur have broken the record. She regularly mishit one or two shots, or more, each game, as the collapse of her game continued. Stephens ended up winning 7-6 6-0, and signed autographs and took selfies with anyone and everyone who came to the court side after the match.

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Tomorrow’s singles finals will feature John Isner vs. Kei Nishikori, scheduled to start at 3:00 PM, followed by the women’s finals between Sloane Stephens and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. And yes, they will all take place in the Center Court! At least, that is what the schedule says, with no caveats this time.

Pavlyuchenkova ace set point Citi OpenPavlyuchenkova served this ace on set point to take it to a final set, and it turned out to be her last shot as Makarova retired with a leg injury few moments later

Note: Stay tuned to Mertov’s Tennis Desk on Twitter for live updates, and on-site photos…

Citi Open – Tuesday’s Narrative

I drive into the grounds around 10:30 AM. The first match is not scheduled to start until 1:50 PM. Nonetheless, I come early, because I have a few things to do on my computer, and more importantly, I love watching the players practice. There is hardly anyone around, and they are busy tweaking bits and pieces of their game, or working on a strategy for their upcoming match later in the day. Parking is problematic to say the least at the Citi Open. First, there are not enough spaces. Second, if you arrive later in the day or in the evening, from first-person experiences of a few people that I have talked to, it can take up to 45 minutes to an hour to park and get in the grounds. They are directed to another site to park from where they have to take the shuttle, etc. To make matters worse, not all parking attendants are apparently on the same page, and they get conflicting information on how to do what.

For my part, I run into a lady who made the person before me park very close to the car next to hers. I see that and I have no intention of doing the same, so I park about a foot further than she indicates. She gets mad and tells me that I need to “follow instructions.” I tell her I want to be able to get out, and she keeps ranting. I get out of my car anyway and see the lady who parked before me giving me thumbs up and shaking her head to the attendant. She is barely able to squeeze out of her car. I make a note to myself that if I run into the same problem, that parking attendant will hear a few words back from me such as “I follow instructions if they appeal to my common sense, sorry that you have none!” By the way, did I mention that parking costs $15 per day? If you are there every day, that is over a $100 dollars that you plan to spend. For some weekly ticket holders, it’s included in the cost.

I walk around the courts. Andy Murray is hitting with Richard Gasquet who gets a ton of instructions from his coach (and former two-time French Open champion) Sergi Bruguera during the breaks. It is already hot and Gasquet is wearing a black t-shirt (unlike Murray who has a white one) that says “Paris” on it.

Bruguera

They are both concentrated on the task in hand; this is not what one would call a “fun” practice.

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A shirtless John Isner is on the next court. The tall guy is fairly slim and in good shape, not too muscular. He is hitting with a youngster and Justin Gimelstob is on the side of the youngster, yelling across the net to Isner for instructions.

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The first match begins promptly at 1:50 PM on Center Court between two Americans, Coco Vandeweghe and Christina McHale. I am more interested in the one that starts in 20 minutes on Grandstand between Kristina Mladenovic and Samantha Stosur. Therefore, I only stay for a few points on Center Court, but I am rather astonished by the fact that the stands are virtually empty. As I walk away I see Wayne Bryan (Mike and Bob’s father) running a tennis clinic for adults, and I wonder if the head count is higher in that clinic than in the Center Court!

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The Mldenovic vs Stosur match disappoints largely because nothing seems to work for Kiki. She makes routine errors, and as the match progresses, her body language gets more and more negative. Her mother Dzenita, former professional volleyball player and an ex-member of the national team of the former Yugoslavia, walks out to the court as Kiki’s coach once in each set to turn the tide (pictured below is the first one). Alas, the slide never ends and Stosur walks out with a comfortable 6-2 6-2 score to record her 500th career win.

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Little did Dzenita know that her “real” coaching/mothering would come after the match. Kiki sits by the wall outside the players’ area, cries, sobs, and rants to herself for at least 30 minutes. Dzenita stands by her side through all of it, attempting to lift her daughter’s spirits up. I feel bad for Mladenovic because any of us who played high-level competitive tennis (and if it sounds patronizing, sorry, but only people who experienced individual competition under great pressure would understand the gravity of these moments) have gone through these types of agonizing emotions following certain losses, and I can only imagine how painful it must be for her at that moment. Although it is the first round of a WTA Event and it is obviously not her first career loss, there could be many reasons behind it, or a culmination of things. In any case, tennis players know and understand that this happens (or will happen) to every one of them, probably more than once. Each may have a different way of manifesting it. I remember going to my dad’s car and staring at the side mirror for 15 minutes, wondering why I am playing tennis if I can’t win a match like this, following an excruciating loss in the semifinals of a national tournament that played a role in the selection of the country’s national team back then. There are highs and lows, this happens to be one of the “lowly lows.” I am hoping she will get through it.

Next, I see Sam Groth who is getting last-minute instructions from his coach. He is totally relaxed, cracking jokes, and laughing. Not all players have the need to get that tunnel-vision “boxing” face prior to a match. He plays a tricky opponent in Thomaz Bellucci. Groth wins the first set in a tiebreaker, and breaks in the second to go up 4-2. Then, a rare occurrence: Groth loses his serve twice in a row, allowing Bellucci to carry the match to a third set. Sam imposes his game again in the third, and this time, does not squander the lead. While his serve never ceases to amaze, I am more struck by how quick he gets from the baseline to the service line after the serve.

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His second step is almost midway between the two lines. You may say that in today’s tennis, in order to be a successful serve-and-volley player, you must do nothing less than that, but we are talking about a pretty big, muscular guy here (6’4 and 216), and his forward explosion after the serve is remarkable.

I quickly go to the next court to watch the third set tiebreaker between Jarmila Gajdosova and the qualifier Naomi Broady. Gajdosova can’t capitalize on a match-point opportunity at 6-5 in the tiebreaker. She is fuming. Broady wins the next two points and closes it 8-6. Someone in the stands (British accent) cheers Broady on along with other spectators clapping. On her way to the net to shake hands, Gajodosova yells and scolds that fan. Broady is not happy and says a few words to Gajdosova who looks shocked for a few seconds and stares at her after the handshake. Then, another exchange between the two players ensues before Jarmila packs up her bags and leaves the court.

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As that same fan walks out, he passes by Heather Watson who was there to support Broady. He gives her a few words of encouragement. Watson, always friendly, says “no it was terrible yesterday” and laughs (she lost 6-3 6-0 to Louisa Chirico).

I begin to watch the match between Ivan Dodig, a “Lucky Loser” who only found out that he is in the tournament earlier in the day due to Marcos Baghdatis’ retirement, and the qualifier Guido Pella. I am determined to stick through this match, because I admire the tenacity and the desire that these types of players, ones to whom a first-round win in an ATP 500 level event means as much as that first balloon that your parents get you when you are a kid. Pella ranked 100, Dodig at 104, both players were in the qualifying draw and a second round appearance in the main draw would tremendously boost their confidence. They don’t disappoint. They fight for every point, run down every ball within their reach.

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Pella wins the first set 6-3, and can’t close the match out in the tiebreaker of the second set, despite earning a match point. Dodig takes a quick bathroom break before the third set, and I see Pella sitting in his chair, shirtless and dejected. I am wondering if he is replaying the match point wasted in his head.

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When he loses his serve routinely in the first game of the third set, I begin to think that Dodig may run away with this match. However, out of nowhere, Dodig tries two ill-advised drop shots that he misses in the net, gags an easy put away, and lets Pella back in the match. At 2-1, the rain arrives, which results in a fairly lengthy delay. When the match resumes around 9:30 PM, both players begin to comfortable hold serves until 6-5 where Dodig once again plays a bad game in which he makes two unforced forehand errors to quickly go down 0-40. Pella capitalizes on his second match point and you can see the “relief” (as he called it after the match when I talked to him) on his face. His celebration is subdued, but his face tells it all.

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When the clock strikes midnight, there are still 4 matches on the courts, one that is about to begin, and another still waiting for the prior match to end. I watch the Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Magdalena Rybarikova match on Grandstand 2.

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It cannot be an easy task to play a match that starts after midnight, and both players spray balls all over the place. Pavlyuchenkova proves to be the one to make fewer mistakes and hit more winners in tiebreakers, so she wins 7-6 7-6. At one point during the second set, 4th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova casually enters the court around 1:30 AM and joins the other 20 spectators left in the stands.

Before I leave little before 2 AM, I watch a couple of games and the first set tiebreaker between Marin Cilic and Hyeon Chung. There are between 50 and 100 people in the stands to watch the defending US Open champion.

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I am not that surprised. It has been a long day and the rain delay in the evening did not help. I leave after the first set and see that the car that parked after me is extremely close to my car and I remember the parking attendant from the morning…

It seems so long ago…

Note: Stay tuned to Mertov’s Tennis Desk on Twitter for live updates, and on-site photos…

MT-Desk at the Citi Open, Washington D.C.

Mertov’s Tennis Desk will be on location at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, in Washington D.C., throughout the Citi Open (August 1-9) !!

The men’s field is led by two top 5 players, Andy Murray (no. 3) and Kei Nishikori (no. 5). It will also feature an impressive group of players such as Marin Cilic (no. 9), Richard Gasquet (no. 13), Kevin Anderson (no. 15), Grigor Dimitrov (no. 16), Feliciano Lopez (no. 18), and the top American John Isner (no. 19).

On the women’s side, following the late withdrawal of Victoria Azarenka due to right-shoulder injury, Ekaterina Makarova is the highest-ranked participant at no. 11 and will be challenged by a strong group consisting of ex-Major winners such as Samantha Stosur (no. 21) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (no. 24), and younger stars like Belinda Bencic (no. 22) and Eugenie Bouchard (no. 26).
Update: Bouchard has withdrawn with an abdominal injury

Check here for reports throughout the tournament and stay tuned to Mertov’s Tennis Desk on Twitter for live updates, and on-site photos…

Photo: BostonHerald.com
Photo: BostonHerald.com

Sitting Across MT-Desk: Greet Minnen (BEL)

Interview recorded at Wimbledon, on July 6th, 2015, following Minnen’s first-round 6-3 6-3 win vs. Maddison Inglis (AUS) in the Girls’ Singles draw.

Greet Minnen is a 17-year-old Belgian player. I watched her play only once before, late in 2014. I thought she had plenty of talent, good overall technique, and the necessary athleticism to be a great tennis player in the future. She had a solid serve, and her game seemed to be better tailored for faster courts. Having followed her mostly from news feeds since that time, I knew that she suffered an injury after the Australian Open (in which she reached the semifinals of the junior girls’ draw) that forced her to be off the court for several weeks. In any case, prior to coming to Wimbledon, my mind was made up about interviewing her.

Minnen 3

We did the interview approximately two hours after her win vs Inglis. Minnen has played Inglis before, but not on grass. After I introduced myself and asked her how to pronounce her name correctly (definitely not how you would read “greet” in English, closer to but not exactly like “Great”), I congratulated her and she said “thanks” and added that she felt great and in good shape throughout the match, and that she was happy. Shortly after, we began the interview.

Greet was very polite and spoke in a soft-mannered tone. It was truly a pleasure talking to her. She seemed extremely mature and intelligent about the game of tennis, and gave the impression of having a clear vision of her goals. She answered every question with enthusiasm and made an effort not to spare any details despite her limited language skills. When given the choice, she preferred doing the interview in English rather than French. I adjusted a few words and tenses in order to make it more understandable for the reader, but in general, I did my best to transcribe word-for-word, as much as possible, everything that was said.

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MT-Desk:
About your match today… It looked from the outside like you were in control of the match from the first point to the last. Did it also feel that way to you inside the court?

Greet Minnen:
I also felt that I was a bit more in control than she was. I knew that when I played well, I could win easy points. But she kept hanging on much better than I expected actually. She served a few good serves, and it was difficult to break her in the second set. But once I did, I knew that I had to hold my serves to win out.

MT-Desk:
You put a lot of pressure on the returns and she double faulted a few times because of that.

Greet Minnen:
Yes.

MT-Desk:
You had a hamstring injury after the Australian Open. Do you feel that by now you have found your form?

Greet Minnen:
Yes, I think it’s coming back by now. It’s still not the best I ever played. In Australia, I was playing really well, unfortunately I had the injury. It happens. But now, I am getting back to the level that I want to be, I think.

MT-Desk:
Was that your first big injury or have you had one or two before?

Greet Minnen:
I had injuries before but not as big as this one. I was out for two months. I also had a shoulder injury before that lasted one month. But this was the biggest one.

MT-Desk:
What is your practice schedule during the off-season and where do you practice? Do you mostly practice with other players or under the supervision of a coach? Please give details, if you don’t mind, on your daily practice routine during the off-season.

Greet Minnen:
I practice in Antwerp at the Belgian Federation. I practice mostly with other players, but not from my age, because there are no players at my age. They are older or younger, it does not matter really. I just finished school so now it’s going to be different when I practice. But last year, I used to practice in the morning before going to school for 3-4 hours.
[Greet added later that she worked with coaches from the Belgian Tennis Federation, but not with one coach specifically]

MT-Desk:
You mean you practiced before school, early in the morning?

Greet Minnen:
Yes, around 8:00 or so. Then, I would go to school. Then, in the evening, I practiced again twice: tennis and physical. Then I had to do some homework, and went to sleep. In the mornings, it was mostly drills and a lot of ball hitting. In the afternoon, I would mostly play matches.

MT-Desk:
You seem to have a complete overall game. You hit slice, topspin, flat, you come to the net, hit drop shots. You have a good serve and overhead. Have you always had this type of game since you started playing tennis or did you develop some of these shots later?

Greet Minnen:
Well, my serve was actually there from the beginning already. It was my strongest point with my forehand. But my backhand was kind of my weak point in the beginning, but I think it’s getting better now. Also, my slice and drop shots were not there at all in the beginning. So I had to develop them of course.

MT-Desk:
So you developed your touch later?

Greet Minnen:
Yeah. I had some but I did not use it [and laughs].

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MT-Desk:
In terms of technique, what is your next immediate goal? Is there a specific shot that you would like to develop?

Greet Minnen:
I have to try to come more to the net. Especially on grass, it’s very important that you go to the net. I am always like, little bit holding back to go to the net because my volleys aren’t that amazing [smiles], but they are ok.

MT-Desk:
I think you have good technique, but I saw that you hit a couple of good forehands during the match and you stayed back, hesitated.

Greet Minnen:
[smiles] Yeah, I was like “I want to go but… no never mind” . Yeah, I have to come much more to the net. I think that’s very important for me now.

MT-Desk:
You have hard court season before the U.S. Open, you will continue to work towards that goal?

Greet Minnen:
[Nods firmly] Yes!

MT-Desk:
What about your goals in the next 12 months? You finished school, you will soon finish your junior career. Are you already thinking about post-December?

Greet Minnen:
Yeah, of course! When I finish Wimbledon, I will play a lot of tournaments in Belgium, [ITF] $10,000s. It’s very important that I get my ranking back that I lost. But I think, end of this year, I want to be like 600-700 WTA.

MT-Desk:
Is your family into tennis? Are you the first one in your family to play tennis? Can you talk about your family a bit?

Greet Minnen:
My dad used to play tennis when he was younger, but he mostly played soccer. My mom also played a little bit of tennis but not much. So, I think am the first one who really wants to go for it. My brother rides horses, so it’s totally different than me. He likes animals, I like tennis balls [smiles].

MT-Desk:
Do they come and watch you play all the time?

Greet Minnen:
My dad, mostly yes. My mom passed away, so, no. My brother, he doesn’t come actually, he is not interested really [laughs]. But my dad is really amazing when he comes to watch.

MT-Desk:
I have noticed that players from the younger generation don’t like to watch tennis on T.V. for a long time. Maybe a few games, but not a full match [Greet says “Yeah” and smiles]. Do you actually sit down and watch a full match from the beginning to the end?

Greet Minnen:
It depends… If I know the person, like a person from Belgium, then yes, I want to watch the whole match.
[I can’t tell if she is trying to give me a message, so I decide to go ahead and mention David Goffin’s ongoing match]

MT-Desk:
Oh! David is playing now…
[Greet laughs and says “Yes!”],
so I should let you go!
[laughs again, motions her hand as if to say “it’s ok” and continues talking]

Greet Minnen:
But also, when it’s like Federer, I also watch the match. But when it’s like not such an important match… or I also don’t like watching women’s tennis in general [and smiles], I don’t like how they play.

MT-Desk:
Van Uytvanck was watching your match. Does it feel good because she watched from beginning to the end?
[Alison van Uytvanck, 2015 Roland Garros quarterfinalist, is the highest ranked player from Belgium in the WTA at no. 49. She watched both of Greet’s matches from start to finish!]

Greet Minnen:
Yeah, of course. It’s amazing that she was there. I play with her sometimes at the Federation. It’s like little bit of an example for me on how I should play eventually. So, yes it was really great.

Van Uytvanck (left) watched Minnen's match in its entirety
Van Uytvanck (left) watched Minnen’s match in its entirety

MT-Desk:
Good luck and I hope you continue winning. Thank you for taking the time.

Greet Minnen:
I hope so too. No problem. Bye.
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Unfortunately, Greet lost to Vera Lapko the next day, in an extremely tight second-round match, 6-7 6-3 7-5. Lapko advanced to the semifinals before losing to the finalist Anna Blinkova. This seemed somewhat familiar. I interviewed Sofya Zhuk, a month earlier at the French Open after her first round win. She also lost the next day in a very tight match (was up a match point in the third). CiCi Bellis, who defeated her, also reached the semifinals. Then, Zhuk went on to win the Wimbledon Girls’ Singles title. Hopefully for Minnen, the same pattern will repeat itself at the next Major, the U.S. Open.

Greet after winning the match point, on her way to the net to shake opponent's hand
Greet Minnen, after winning the match point

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Wimbledon 2015 in Pictures – Part 3

Here is the final installment of the Wimbledon in Pictures series.
In case you missed the first two parts:
Click here for Part 1
Click here for Part 2

If you want to buy tickets at regular prices, here is what you are facing (remember this is in GBP, convert to your own currency if needed).
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Parking RatesAnd if you arrived in a car, be ready to pay these parking prices…
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Wimbledon grounds 1Here is the alley leading from Centre Court to Court 1, with Court 14 on the right (you can only see the back of the stands) and Court 18 further to the left (you can see the spectators).
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Wimbledon Grounds 2Another picture from the grounds with Court 18 on the background.
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Courts 8-11More intimate and closer to the action: Courts 8 to 11.
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ScoreboardsScoreboards everywhere keep you updated on the matches and help you decide where you want to head next.
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Nastase 1While you walk around the grounds, you can possibly run into some famous people such the legendary Ilie Nastase who also has the rank of Major General in the Romanian army and he will dress accordingly too!
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Luthi familyOr the Swiss Davis Cup Captain, and Federer’s coach and confidant, Severin Luthi, enjoying a nice day at Wimbledon with his family.
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Mahut - Isner plaqueWhat an amazing match this was in 2010! Wimbledon makes sure it’s never forgotten.
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Ballboys go homeThe true heroes of the courts, the ball kids, heading home in the evening, cheered on by their supervisors.
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During the second week, main draw matches get scheduled for the most part on the show courts. The competition also begins for the Legends, Seniors, and Juniors.

Freya Christie 1Here is the girls’ doubles semifinalist, the British Freya Christie.
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And here is the girls’ winner, the 15-year-old Russian Sofya Zhuk (read my one-on-one interview with Zhuk at the French Open, as well as my tactical analysis of her match there, against CiCi Bellis in the second round)
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Mikael Ymer 7 and fansBoys’ finalist Mikael Ymer of Sweden already has fans asking him for pictures and autographs.
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Jaeger - Temesvari 4A page from the 1980s! Andrea Temesvari and Andrea Jaeger competing in the Ladies’ Invitational Doubles.
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Free Trucks at WimbledonJust for good measure (!), Centre Court had to be evacuated one evening due to a small fire.
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Then, we arrived in the final few days of Wimbledon…

Henman Hill 1 hour beforeHenman Hill filled up every day once the tournament reached it’s last few days. Here is a shot from one hour before the ladies semifinals started on Thursday.
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Kids ClinicThe Kids’ clinic ran in the mornings until the last days of Wimbledon.
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Muguruza 3Finalist Garbine Muguruza of Spain, practicing her returns (amazingly, in front of empty stands!) on the day before her final round encounter with Serena Williams.
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Serena Mouratoglu 3Serena practicing her serves with coach Patrick Mouratoglou on the morning of the final.
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Hingis Mirza doubles practice 2And here are Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis getting ready for their Women’s Doubles final. They lifted the winner’s trophy, Mirza making history as the first Indian woman to win a Major title, and Hingis winning her first title at Wimbledon since 1998 (women’s doubles, she won the singles’ title in 1997)
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Rojer Tecau 2Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau receiving much love from fans after they won Wimbledon Men’s Doubles title.
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Queue (2)And it is only appropriate to end this series with the one constant thing throughout the weeks: The Queue (this shot, on the last day of Wimbledon).
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This concludes Wimbledon 2015 coverage for MT Desk. Thanks to everyone who read the updates on Mertov’s tennis Desk and followed the ones on Twitter. My next on-site coverage will be from the Citi Open in Washington D.C.
Until next time…

Note: Follow Mertov’s Tennis Desk on Twitter

Wimbledon 2015 in Pictures – Part 2

Here are more pictures from the 2-week-long adventure called Wimbledon.
In case you missed it, click here for Part 1.

Wimbledon viewHere how calm and peaceful Wimbledon can be in the morning before the gates open.
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feYet, here is how hectic and crowded it can also get during the day
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Fans can go to Aorangi Park tennis courts, adjacent to regular match courts, and see world-class players practice. Some of the courts are visible to ticket holders, others are too far back. Couple of those courts are right next to where tennis fans can watch them up close from a platform (such as the one with Fognini and Bolelli below).

Aarongi Park courtsAorangi Park courts. Seppi and Federer are practicing in the middle court, Sabine Lisicki to the left.
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Fognini Bolelli practiceFognini and Bolelli were not exactly painting the portrait of an intense practice session..
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Once you begin to explore the grounds, you slowly realize what a beautiful place it is and how big a role it plays in the history of our beautiful sport. Here are some examples…

Ct 1 and Henman HillHere is a view of Court 14 below, with Court 1 on the right, and Henman Hill in the background.
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Court 1If you have a Court 1 ticket, you get treated to this beautiful view.
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Court 1 uncoveredWhen the rain comes, the courts get covered in about 2 min 30 seconds (I timed it three times, that was the average). That is from the time they line up to pull the covers back, to the time they secure the covers to the sides.
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Centre Court Plaque 1Then, there is of course, Centre Court, roughly 4 years older than Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II.
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But my advice to you, don’t get stuck in the big show courts and miss out on everything that you can see in and around the outside courts. In the show courts, the best players in the world showcase their talent. On the grounds, and around the outside courts, Wimbledon showcases history.

Fred Perry StatueFor example, the last British man to win Wimbledon prior to Andy Murray (in 1936) welcomes you if you enter through Gate 4. One of my favorite art pieces on the grounds.
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Wimbledon Lawn MuseumOnce inside, you can visit the Lawn Tennis Museum.
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Wimbledon ShopOr simply shop for Wimbledon souvenirs. If you are an American, I would urge you not to convert pounds to dollars in your head if you don’t want to ruin your shopping experience!
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AELTC Entrance 2However, there is one place you will not get to see: the Clubhouse of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. Only members are allowed through that door, even during the tournament.
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Clouds in the skyThe skies often turned gray during the two weeks…
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Rain delay Ct 1… but rarely did we have rain delays, and if we did, there were short like this one during the match between Roger Federer and Gilles Simon.
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Court SweepThe groundskeepers and maintenance crews do the best they can do maintain the courts

But you can only delay the inevitable for s long. In the first week, courts slowly began to lose their “pure green” color. Below is a series of photos of the progressive wear and tear on the courts, throughout the two weeks.

CourtCourt stateCourt 5Court state 4Court State 12Court State 2Court last————

Hey, look at it half-glass full. Service lines are hanging in there just fine. Where have all the serve-and-volleyers gone (with a deep sigh)?Court - Service line 1————

In the meantime, competition continued all over the outside courts.

Jaziri 2You can see some players, such as Malek Jaziri here, put on some dance moves (!)
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Marsel vs Anderson 1On Court 2, Marsel Ilhan came close to going 2 sets up on Kevin Anderson (led a set and 6-3 in the second-set tiebreaker)
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Crowd at Mersel vs JanowiczOn smaller courts, you are next to the action, although it can get a bit crowded..
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Groth 5You can also walk up and ask your favorite player for an autograph, such as this Australian fan who asks one from Sam Groth after his first-round win.
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Bacsinszky fans 1Sometimes players such as Timea Bacsinszky can get overwhelmed by the amount of fans as she exits the court.
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Bacsinszky fans 2Random fictitious caption ==> Bacsinszky: “I am suffocating!!! Get. Me. Out. Of. Here. PLEASE..!” – The girl in pink on the right: “Oh God! Is she going to pass out?” – The little girl in the back: “Mommy mommy, what was wrong with her? She did not sign my ball!”
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Court 12 quotesThese inspirational quotes by some past and current champions fill the walls on the back of Court 12
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Click here for Part 3

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