TRADITION – WIMBLEDON’S FINEST BY CHERYL JONES

Written by: Staff on 24th June 2014

TRADITION – WIMBLEDON'S FINEST BY CHERYL JONES

epa04274127 A general view of the outside courts on the first day of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 23 June 2014. EPA/VALDRIN XHEMAJ |

Tradition holds that on the first Tuesday of The Championships, the initial match that is contended on Centre Court feature the Ladies Champion from the previous year. Last year, Marion Bartoli laid claim to the Venus Rosewater Dish when she defeated Sabine Lisicki, 6-1, 6-4. This year, Bartoli took the court, but she wasn’t there to defend her crowning glory, but to toss the pre-match coin for the featured match.

Bartoli retired just a few weeks after her victory, last year. She looked radiant today, and has spent a lot of time saying how certain she remains that her retirement was the perfect choice for her. It isn’t easy today for a 29-year-old to retire. She said goodbye to the promise of yet more money. She was a top player, for a lengthy time. She spent most of her career facing women who were more than half a foot taller than she was. The quirky little imp of a woman was a serious contender who is as bright as she is athletically talented.

Today, she was with an escort. It was a youngster who represented the Elena Baltacha Academy. (Baltacha, who passed away this past May due to liver cancer, founded the academy to offer tennis to underprivileged children. The thirty-year-old was a standout British professional who retired in 2013.) The occasion took on a solemnity that belied the raucous nature of the tennis that was to come.

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Retired 2013 champion Marion Bartoli of France is greeted by the crowd on Centre Court before first round action during the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 24 June 2014. EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH

Tears streaked many faces as many in the crowd shared the empathy displayed by Bartoli who wept. It was a somber way to begin a tennis match, but the plucky Bartoli took a plumb seat and along with everyone else, and enjoyed the match. (I must share remembering a contest between Bartoli and Jalena Jankovic that should have been sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. There was so much gauze and so many yards of adhesive tape on both women that it seemed like subliminal advertising. I don’t remember who won, but it has etched itself into my memory banks and it is what I recall when I think of either of the top-notch players.)

Lisicki had an easy time as she went on to defeat Julia Glushko, 6-2, 6-1. Glushko is an Israeli who at 24 has had very little luck on the tour. She has, however, managed to have a standing in the top 100 listing of women’s tennis professionals. It was her bad luck to have the draw hand her last year’s runner-up, in her first match at The Championships.

Lisicki, despite having a nagging shoulder injury has managed to keep her game in the competitive realm. Wimbledon has a special place in her heart and her last year’s success was a genuine, if not hokey, dream come true. After the match, she said, “Since I was growing up, it just always gets every inch out of me, every energy. It just gets the best out of me. I think it does something magical to me when I come back here.” It seemed to be more than a dream today. It was a reality. Last year’s second fiddle, the young German woman, is definitely one to watch. She may be right about the magic. It visited again today.

Yesterday, Venus was the Williams sister on court. Today, it was the other. Both women have more than tennis in their field of vision. Both have an uncanny way of skipping from topic to topic and fashion is never far from either of their trains of thought. Wimbledon requires that all the players, men and women, wear white.

Serena had a lovely frock that was quite attractive, but that’s a given for the more dramatic of the sisters. It is certain too, that the other women in the limelight have always done their best to be all gussied up for the occasion.

(Gussie Moran took the courts at Wimbledon in 1949 with a daring, short tennis dress that featured a look at her white lacy under-panties when she moved to and fro around the court. It was a brave decision that featured the designs of the famed Ted Tinling. Previously, women players wore prim and proper white that barely showed a knee. Thanks to Moran’s heroics, Wimbledon has become a showcase for tasteful, gorgeous tennis outfits that adhere to the all-white code, but showcase the personalities of the women who wear them.)

Serena’s opponent was Anna Tatishvili. She is a newly sworn-in American citizen. There wasn’t much that could have touched Williams today, though. She was fresh off an early exit from Roland Garros and was ready to stage her grass court game. She said that she had taken a couple of days off and then, “The day I stepped on the court, it was a lot of focus and intent.” Today her intent was to move on. It was a 6-1, 6-2 rout. Evidently the focus and intent paid off and it was a quick move to the next round.

She wasn’t the only one who played PDQ tennis today. Maria Sharapova made rapid work out of her match with Samantha Murray, another of the Murray’s who are part of the UK contingent. Sharapova, a Russian who has spent the majority of her life in the US triumphed, 6-1, 6-0. Murray’s (who isn’t related to Andy Murray) countrywoman, Heather Watson pulled a rabbit from under her visor and managed a win over Anna Tomljanovic of Croatia, 6-3, 6-2.

Another of the fashion-istas on the tour is Caroline Wozniacki. The former number one wears Stella McCartney designed tennis togs created especially for her by Adidas. Her match was with Shahar Peer, (another Israeli) wasn’t even close. She trotted into the next round, 6-3, 6-0.

Simona Halep who was Sharapova’s opponent in the final at Roland Garros took her game to the grass today, too. She ran off with another impressive win when she defeated Brazilian, Teliana Pereira, 6-2, 6-2. After her win, she said, “First round always it’s difficult, but today I played really well. The court was beautiful, so I was enjoying every moment.” She had a lot of enjoyable moments this year and is someone who could give any of the top players a run for their money. Halep has moved into the number three slot in the women’s game and her hard work and athleticism could take her to her second final at a major this year. She’s on a roll.

With the speed of the play today, everyone is rolling. A chorus must be somewhere in the background singing, “Baby, let the good times roll!”

Topics: Caroline Wozniacki, Centre Court, Cheryl Jones, Elena Baltacha, Gussy Moran, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Marion Bartoli, Rally For Bally, Sabine Lisicki, Samantha Murray, Serena Williams, Tennis, Tennis News, Venus Williams, Wimbledon

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June 24, 2014 at 5:57 pm

TRADITION – WIMBLEDON’S FINEST BY CHERYL JONES – http://t.co/tVIFdeV4xA @Wimbledon #tennis #grasscourt @bartoli_marion #Wimbledon2014