Wimbledon 2012: The Best One In Recent Years?

The most anticipated two weeks of tennis in the height of the British summer has been and gone. Didn't it come round so quickly and finish too soon?! For me personally it was the most memorable in years considering the surprises and shocks that took place. On day one watching Gulbis down former finalist Berdych, 5 time champion Venus's shock loss and the biggest shock probably coming on day 4 in Rosol's amazing win over Rafael Nadal were just some of the headlines. I know for many Nadal fans the tournament ended that evening and believe me though I did have a grin on my face, I could not help but feel some empathy towards his fans. Maria Sharapova, crashing out and missing the chance to pull of the famous Roland Garros/Wimbledon double to say the least.

As for surprises weren't there quite a few! Murray reaching the final despite being given a nightmare draw and having had the worst start to the grass court season i.e losing early at Queens. I did not think he would reach the final and ignite further interest in British tennis. Bunny Austin and Fred Perry seemed be echoing everywhere endlessly! A wildcard pair lifting the men's doubles which included a British player, Djokovic surrendering his Wimbledon crown and the world number ranking.

And finally, Roger Federer equaling Sampras' haul of 7 titles and regaining the trophy after an unbelievable 3 years (yes, its been THAT long!) and rocketing to world number one, something many pundits thought impossible given the strength of the top 4 in the mens game. Federer going down two sets to love and being within 2 points of going out to Benneteau no less than 4 times during that match and mounting an amazing comeback just added to the dramas in that fortnight.

For me personally it was the best tournament in a long time. I was fortunate enough to be at the final. The atmosphere was amazing and unsurprisingly very partisan. It was my first Wimbledon final and the fact that history was going to be made if either player won made it all the more exciting and a fitting finale to a marvelous two weeks of tennis.

What do you guys think?

All I will say is that had Murray not in the final, I would've been 1000% behind Roger. I mean it is fairytale stuff in some respect that 3 years since he had been in a Wimbledon final. 13 months since his last final. It seemed quite an impossible task given the form of Djokovic and Nadal. Still he has managed to lay the Djokovic ghost to rest after being beaten in successive US Open semi finals.

The finals of 2010 and 2011 were disappointing compared to some of the other matches during the two tournaments. The most compelling play happening before the final wasn't such an unusual occurrence at one time but we have all been spoilt in very recent years with dramatic and epic finals. Even though on paper the Djokovic vs Nadal final looked as if it should be a real classic, it was surprisingly one way traffic.

So, yes I would definitely vote for this final being the best in recent years and that fact that both players had something to prove - Federer that he still had the nerve and the stamina to cross the finishing line against a fine player 6 years his junior, and Murray that he could really bring his best to a grand slam final. The fact that by lifting the trophy, either player would be carving his own unique little piece of tennis history really ignited the anticipation pre match and added a piquancy to it all - you just knew this was a contest it was going to be so painful to watch someone lose if they both brought their best to the court and I think they did both leave their hearts out there.

Lovely to see Fed serve and volleying. Amazing to see Marray and (Nielsen???? - ashamed I can't quite remember his name) lift the doubles trophy and not just because we had a Brit victory but also because a wild card entry took on the big boys all the way to the Wimbledon crown. Unbelievable to see Rosol knock out Nadal - I don't think any of us really believed what we were seeing - what amazing courage and, although, of course, it was a 'freak' event, how wonderful will it be for Rosol to tell the story to his children and grandchildren one day of when he took the great Nadal to five sets and triumphed under the roof at the most illustrious tournament of them all.

legendkillarV2 wrote:All I will say is that had Murray not in the final, I would've been 1000% behind Roger.

Me too.

TP... Frederik Nielsen played at the Hopman Cup with C Wozniacki.

Oh, didn't realise that. Did actually watch Berdych and Kvitova win the final, but not any other matches

carrieg4 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:All I will say is that had Murray not in the final, I would've been 1000% behind Roger.

Me too.

add me too it as well, Murray reaching finals made me feel sad coz one of my favorite gonna lose.

Really enjoyed it. Rosol vs Nadal the highlight - one of the best matches I have ever seen at Wimbledon.

Murray was a great story and his semi-final win was fantastic Friday night entertainment. Very entertaining final, the best since 2009 I would say after a few years of fairly poor finals.

Don't forget Marray in the doubles as well!

It was a very good touranment overall - pity that Murray didn't take the 2nd set in the final after playing so well, as a Fed comeback from there would have made it an epic. I thought the quality of play in the mens final was very high, but that it lost a bit of competetive edge once Fed broke in the third.

Berdych and Venus losing in R1 got things off to a fast start, and then obviously Rosol having his day of days against Rafa really opened the men's draw up.

Even the women's singles provided some quality matches, and Serena played some extraordinary tennis at time (24 aces in 2 sets...).

And the fairy story of Marray and Nielsen coming through the men's doubles draw for the most unlikely Wimbledon title at least since Ivanisevic.

The big star this year was the roof. Without it, we would have had prolonged waits for play on many days. Guess it'll come in pretty useful during the (soggy?) Olympics as well.
Wimbledon was probably coloured this year by the identity of the men's finalists, both of whom have a huge fan following.
Also, after many Slams dominated by the big 4 it was probably even more of a shock to see Rafa beaten early on that it would normally have been.

Definitely the best Wimbledon in a while. I'm biased though - I think a final with Federer in it is always entertaining, win or lose. Just love his style of play and those "only Fed" shots he pulls off.

2001 was for me the best Wimbledon. The Rafter Ivanisevic final had it all.

super_realist wrote:2001 was for me the best Wimbledon. The Rafter Ivanisevic final had it all.

To each his own.

But a fantastic match - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHaG9HXm3K0

You may also like this famous clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=SgDncDs2h5o