The FIFA World Cup™ may be heating up in Brazil, but in far away England, there is sigh of relief. After a dismal performance in the group stage for England, another form of sporting distraction is around the corner: Wimbledon. The Grand Slam tournament will witness top seeds in tennis pit against each other and also against un-seeded contestants. Unfortunately, one person who will be missing from the list of top contestants is Marion Bartoli who retired shortly after.
Commencing Monday June 23, 2014, there are hypes and expectations to the tournament’s build-up. Although 2013 champion (women category) Marion Bartoli will not participate in this year’s edition, final runners-up Sabine Lisicki will surely do. In the men’s category, 2013 champion Andy Murray is one to look out for as he starts to defend the title. We look at what may have changed a year after and what to expect during the tournament.
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RANKING
When Andy Murray won the Wimbledon, he rose in ATP ranking to world number two. At the same time, Novak Djokovic was number one. Going into the tournament on Monday, the ranking of both players has changed. While Novak Djokovic sits at number two with 12,330 points, Andy Murray is currently ranked number five with 4,680 points. Should Murray retain the title this year he most definitely will rise into top three. Rafael Nadal is ranked number one while Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer are ranked three and four respectively.
On WTA ranking, Serena Williams currently sits on top as world number one after 17 tournaments, with 9,660 points. Serena is tailed by Australian Open champion Li Na in number two with 7,450 points after 15 tournaments. Surprise entry into the top five fold is Simona Halep who stays currently at number 3. Simona Halep’s Roland Garros appearance in the final against Maria Sharapova where she was runners-up, gave her the leap from being an outsider. Roland Garros champion Maria Sharapova is currently ranked fifth on the table, up three spots from number eight.
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COACHING
It is no longer news Andy Murray has a new coach in 2006 Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo. Just in case you overlooked the name, take seven word steps backwards and you’ll realize Murray’s coach is a woman. Yes a woman! Andy Murray parted ways with his former coach and subsequently appointed Mauresmo as his new trainer about two weeks back. “I think she was someone who struggled with nerves and conquered later in her career,” Murray says. “When you start to coach someone, I think you can help more than someone that hasn’t had those issues before,” Murray says about Mauresmo. Murray further highlights how Mauresmo’s “understands the psychological part of the game.”
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HISTORY
Prior to Andy Murray winning the Wimbledon title in 2013, it had been 77 years since a player of British descent won the tournament. The Scot became the first British since Fred Perry in 1936 to win Wimbledon bringing to an end, a 77-year drought. What remains to be seen is if he will make another history by retaining the title for a second consecutive year.
Andy Murray opens his title defence against David Goffin on Monday 23rd June.