WIMBLEDON: DAY 1 RECAP

James Blake (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Opening day at the 2009 Wimbledon consisted of one minor upset on the men’s side in an otherwise routine first day. James Blake seeded 17th, bowed out in straight sets to Italian Andres Seppi. Although at first glance this seems to be a major upset, it’s now clear that Blake is struggling in the big moments this year. After the match, Blake cited fatigue from a possibly overcrowded schedule and he vented his frustration to the press. Even though Blake is probably right by voicing his concerns, it doesn’t change his result today. Although, he’ll now have plenty of time to rest and ‘reset’ before the summer hardcourt season.

Roger Federer (REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth)

In other matches, Roger Federer dismissed Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. This was Federer’s first match on grass in 2009 and he struggled a little in the beginning, but then he found his groove. Most of the talk of Federer today was about his clothing and not his tennis. Fourth seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-7 (8), 7-6 (1) 6-2, 6-4 in 3 1/2 hours. The first two sets resembled a match usually reserved for the clay courts of Paris, with very long baseline rallies and particularly passive play from both men. As the match wore on it was clear who the better and more experienced player. Djokovic began to take control of the match early in third breaking Benneteau for the first time. Despite a big fight from the Frenchman, in the end Djokovic proved to have too much game for Benneteau.

On the women’s side Maria Sharapova faced Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine defeating her 7-5, 6-4. The Russian encountered some difficulty in the first set, but came through fighting and clawing the whole way. The match played out like her matches at Roland Garros, which were filled with inconsistent play. It seems Maria hasn’t found her stride yet, but once again she wins when she’s not at the top of her game. This is a sign of a true champion. Look for her to continue to improve as the tournament moves on. Enjoy the tennis tomorrow as Andy Murray starts his 2009 Wimbledon and looks to become the first British man to win at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.

Novak Djokovic (REUTERS Stefan Wermuth)

Maria Sharapova (REUTERS/Toby Melvill)