Drama at Wimbledon

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Federer falls…

Drama at Wimbledon as Maria Esther Bueno’s prediction of a Federer / Murray does not come to pass, with Roger defeated in five sets by Milos Raonic on Friday.

“I was really sorry to see Roger lose,” she said. “Especially since he almost had the match won in the fourth set.

“He had quiet a bad fall, which is unusual for him, and I just hope he hasn’t done something to his knee, which looked like it give way on him, although it didn’t seem to bother him much in the fifth set.

“I must say that Raonic played very well and has got to the final just as he hoped in his speech at Queen’s three weeks ago. He seemed to get stronger as the match went on.

“To come through a draw of 128 players is quite something. He has become a really good all-round player and deserves to be there [in the final].

“I think that both John McEnroe and Carlos Moya have helped him a lot.”

Raonic will meet Andy Murray in the men’s final on Sunday.

“Andy didn’t give [Tomas] Berdych much chance,” observed Maria Esther.

“He served unbelievably well, and had hardly any unforced errors for the match, just 9, I think, compared to Berdych’s 30, which really says it all. He won quite comfortably in straight sets.

“Murray is so focused that is hard to see how he will not win his second Wimbledon title on Sunday.”

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Ahead of the Women’s Final

The women’s semi-finals proved to be a bit of an anti-climax and the much anticipated Venus against Serena final is not to be either.

“The Williams sisters are amazing but I think Venus got tired and she didn’t play nearly as well against Angelique Kerber as she had done earlier in the tournament,” said Maria Esther.

“We have to remember that she is not entirely well [suffering from Sjogrens Syndrome]  so playing all those days in a row plus doubles can’t have helped her very much.

“Kerber, of course, won Australia in January, beating Serena in the final, and has found her form on the grass after a bit of a slump. She was a bit nervy in the semi but managed to come through in straight sets in what was quite an entertaining match.

“Serena’s demolition of poor [Elena] Vesnina was a bit uncomfortable to watch, I must say.

“You have to admire Serena’s determination not to give away anything so the other one didn’t stand much of a chance.”

Serena defeated Vesnina 6-2 6-0 in just 48 minutes.

“The final will be a matter of how well Kerber can play and if she can stay with Serena. If not, Serena should run away with it, but she is chasing Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles and that can add some pressure on her.

“The good thing for Venus is that they are in the doubles final.”

Five times Venus and Serena have reached the ladies’ doubles semi-finals at The Championships – and five times they have won the title.

They will have a chance to add to that scoreline when they play Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova on in the Ladies Doubles Final on Saturday.

“They are defending their Gold medal in Rio and so it is important to them to get matches under their belt since they haven’t played together for a few years.

“It looks like they could go in to the Olympics with a 2016 Wimbledon title to their credit.”

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Maui Jim

On Thursday Maria Esther looked in on Maui Jim’s pop-up shop near Southfields and came away with two pairs of sunglasses.

“I’m very impressed with the Maui Jim sunglasses,” she said. “I have trouble with my eyes and it is very important to protect them as best as possible.

“I got some very good advice from Tamsin there and I feel these will help me a lot.

“I’m going to wear them in the Royal Box tomorrow for the final! There’s quite a glare there if the sun comes out!”

When Maria Esther got back to the Club, she bumped into Billie Jean King and had a chat about the coming Olympic Games.

“She seemed to be very happy that they have named the tennis stadium after me,” Maria Esther said.

“It reminds me that I have a lot to do when I get home next week!”

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