WIMBLEDON 2010: Men's Final Preview

Tomas Berdych CZE (12) vs. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). For the first time I will be watching a grand slam final live, on site. Sadly, it is also the first time in 8 years that my favorite male player Roger Federer will not be in the Wimbledon men's final. It's also doubtful that this year's final will be as monumental a battle as the 2008 classic now called "the match of the century" won by Rafael Nadal or Federer's 2009 triumph of will over Andy Roddick.

I have previously predicted the results of the quarterfinals (1 of 4) and semifinals (0 of 2), so clearly I've not been having great results in predicting the men's matches this year. It's also difficult to pick a winner between Tomas Berdych and Rafael Nadal. On paper, Nadal should win since he has a 7-3 career head-to-head record against the young Czech. However, clearly Berdych is not the same player who has lost to Nadal 7 times.

Berdych is playing in his first Grand Slam final, which very few people win (Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Robin Soderling have all failed to do so. Juan Martin del Potro is the exception which proves the rule.) The great ones (like Federer and Nadal) do. Will Berdych be following in the footsteps of his countryman Ivan Lendl and become a late-blooming great?

[Correction by Craig Hickman: In addition to del Potro, Rafa and Raja, Andy Roddick (USO 2003), Lleyton Hewitt (US Open 2001), and Gaston Gaudio (Roland Garros 2004) are all active players who won their first Slam final. Of the recently officially retired, Gustavo Kuerten (Roland Garros 1997), Marat Safin (US Open 2001), Thomas Johansson (Australian Open 2002) and Albert Costa (Roland Garros 2002) did as well. Some of these players are great, some are not.]

If Berdych wins today, he will become the first player to beat the World #3, World #2 and World #1 to win a slam. This would definitely be an indication he is on his way to a Lendly-like career, instead of a Soderling-like career.

If Nadal wins today, he will have completed the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double for the second time, will have a 14-match undefeated streak at Wimbledon and will have claimed his 8th Grand Slam title, just 8 behind Roger Federer, despite being 5 years his junior.

Serena Williams Aims to Peak for Wimbledon Final After Setting Aces Record

Defending champion Serena Williams, who served a record 80 aces against her first six opponents at Wimbledon, said the best could be yet to come in tomorrow’s final.

Williams advanced to her third straight championship match at the All England Club, beating Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 yesterday. The American will meet Russia’s Vera Zvonareva, who beat Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

“I’m hoping to still peak in the final,” Williams said in a news conference after the semifinals. “I won’t know until I play. Hopefully I can serve better than I did today and just be more consistent off the ground. In the final, you really want to play your best and hope for the best.”

Williams had seven aces against Kvitova, taking her total in the two-week tournament to 80 -- she set the previous Wimbledon women’s record of 72 last year on her way to the title. Williams has hit 50 aces more than her elder sister, Venus, who is second on this year’s list among women and lost in the quarterfinals.

Serena Williams would be tied for seventh on the men’s aces list at this Wimbledon with 49th-ranked Thiemo de Bakker of The Netherlands.

Men’s Semifinals

The men’s semifinals are set for today at the All England Club. Tomas Berdych, the Czech player who ousted six-time champion Roger Federer of Switzerland in the quarterfinals, will play Serbia’s Novak Djokovic for a place in the final on July 4. Britain’s Andy Murray continues his quest for a first Grand Slam title against 2008 champion and French Open winner Rafael Nadal of Spain in the other semifinal.

Serena Williams’s serve is “perhaps the greatest shot” in the history of women’s tennis, two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Pam Shriver told the British Broadcasting Corp. Shriver said the shot was even better than the forehand of seven-time Wimbledon champion Steffi Graf or the volleys of Martina Navratilova, who won nine Wimbledon singles championships.

“I’ve never served that many aces,” Williams said, when asked why the gap with her sister and five-time Wimbledon winner Venus was so big in terms of aces. “It’s just really weird. I’m really excited. But it’s just really cool.”

Serve as Weapon

The 12-time Grand Slam champion, who is ranked No. 1 on the WTA Tour, said her serve has improved over the years.

“In the eve of my serve’s career, it’s just gotten better, which is always a plus,” Williams said.

The realization that she had a great weapon to rely on when in trouble came a few years ago, the 28-year-old Williams said.

“I would be down like 30-40, I would serve a big serve and it would bring me back,” she said. “Or I would be down love-40 and I would be able to serve some great shots and it would really bring me back into the game.”

Williams, a three-time champion, has faced her sister in four of her five previous Wimbledon finals. The only previous time Williams played in the final without her sibling was in 2004, when she lost in straight sets to Maria Sharapova of Russia.

“There will definitely have to be changes,” Williams said. “On paper it looks like I should win. But Vera, I’ve played her several times; she’s beaten some good people. Her last two matches she’s been down a set, so she’s obviously a fighter. She never gives up.”

Only Win

Zvonareva’s only win in six career meetings against the American came four years ago on a hard court in Cincinnati. Tomorrow’s final will be their first meeting on grass.

“I will have to stay aggressive no matter what and not let her dominate,” the 21st-ranked Russian, who will be playing in her first major final, said in a news conference yesterday. “Because when Serena dominates, she’s very difficult to play.”

Kvitova already has her mind made up about who will be champion.

“Serena has more experience,” she said in a news conference yesterday. “Serena will win.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Danielle Rossingh at Wimbledon through the London