Each evening at Wimbedon, one of the young women who work in the pressroom winds through the rows of reporters and asks if you’d like a copy of the Order of Play. I’ve never seen anyone turn it down. In the midst of the chaos of keeping your eye on half a dozen results, typing furiously, and trying to pretend your stomach isn’t angry at you, having a clean slate of new and unspoiled matches to anticipate and ponder is a welcome distraction. Plus, there’s that Wimbledon touch at the very top:
The Championships 2009
Intended Order of Play for Monday 29 June 2009
COMPLETE
So reassuring and official, that COMPLETE. From there, we all sit back and blurt out incredulous and borderline-pointless comments—“Poor Dinara, Court 2 again”; “Wow, Djokovic on Court 3 and Hewitt on Court 2!—to no one in particular. Then, unfortunately, it’s back to dealing with the unfinished article in front of us.
The middle Saturday of Wimbledon offers an especially momentous Order of Play. Here were are shown how all 16 fourth-round matches will play out on Monday, one of the busiest days (outside of first rounds) in tennis.
For today, that sacred parchment—it’s just a piece of white paper, but we can pretend—will serve as our way into the second week. Here’s a preview of what we might see on Monday, working from the outer courts in.
Court 18
Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Melanie Oudin
This is not unwinnable for U.S.-hope-of-the-nanosecond Oudin. Radwanska will give her a chance to hit her shots. Will enough of them go in, or will the crafty Pole push her just far enough out of position to keep her from getting a good look. Pick: Oudin
Virginie Razzano vs. Francesca Schiavone
Razzano has been on a tear, relatively speaking, but I like Schiavone’s heavy strokes more. They’re safer, without being soft. Pick: Schiavone
Court 4
Igor Andreev vs. Tommy Haas
This is a battle of European veterans on an intimate and picturesque side court. Andreev has more firepower with his forehand, but Haas looked more motivated and proactive against Cilic—as if he wanted to wipe the memory of his five-set defeat to Roger Federer in Paris out of his memory with a win—than he has in years. The old-timer is on the verge of becoming a story again. Pick: Haas
Caroline Wozniacki vs. Sabine Lisicki
The two teens are 1-1, with Lisicki winning their last match, in the final in Charleston on clay. The German is the bigger hitter, but she’s also rawer than the unflashy but poised Woz. Pick: Wozniacki (in three)
Court 3
Victoria Azarenka vs. Nadia Petrova
The Graveyard begins with an intriguing and hard-to-figure matchup between young and (somewhat) old. Petrova is the more powerful athlete, but Azarenka has looked typically relentless so far. The question may be: Who can get their serve in if they get a lead? Pick: Azarenka
Dudi Sela vs. Novak Djokovic
The last time Djokovic was shunted to a small show court was against Philipp Kohlscheiber in Paris. Hopefully for him, he won’t let the snub bother him—he does like being the man, after all. Sela is a tough out, but Djokovic seemed very happy with his performance in the last round. I’ll talk his word for it. Pick: Djokovic
Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Gilles Simon
I’ve been waiting to write something good about Simon for months, but he keeps disappearing before I get the chance. The smooth-moving French always thrive on grass, and Simon may have finally found his bearings after a poor season. This has the makings of a long, but enjoyable affair. I’ll take the younger guy. Pick: Simon
Court 2
Elena Vesnina va. Elena Dementieva
I’ve been at Wimbledon for a week, and this is the first I’ve heard os seen Vesnina’s name. Dementieva is making the most of her soft section. Pick: Dementieva
Daniela Hantuchova vs. Serena Williams
I remember watching these two play at the Open a few years ago and thinking that I’d never seen a greater disparity in power and physicality on a tennis court. Serena can go off, and she can be upset, but not by Hantuchova. Pick: Williams
LLeyton Hewitt vs. Radek Stepanek
Hewitt appears to be the Safin of 2009. Stepanek gets under your skin and forces you to make shots to beat him, but Hewitt has been making all the shots so far. He also hasn’t played a ridiculous amount of tennis over the first week. Pick: Hewitt
Court 1
Venus Williams vs. Ana Ivanovic
The AELTC has given Ana a shot by taking Venus off of Centre Court, where she’s won something like 30 sets in a row. And Ivanovic, after a very shaky start, has found her range in the second set in the last two matches. But it won’t be enough to dislodge Venus in the second week. Pick: Williams
Fernando Verdasco vs. Ivo Karlovic
Ivo the Terrible is back to destroy tennis after a series of Wimbledon disasters. I’ll make a guess: Dr. Ace vs. Mr. Sauce will come down to the tiebreakers. Karlovic won their last meeting, on grass at Nottingham last year, 10-8 in a third set breaker. I’m seeing a repeat. Pick: Karlovic
Tomas Berdych vs. Andy Roddick
This will be interesting. These huge servers are 2-2 against each other, with Berdych having won the last time, on hard courts, in a third-set tiebreaker. The Czech is more dangerous all around, but Roddick has the better day-to-day head on his shoulders. It will be tricky for him; he may have to weather an early storm and find a way to keep it going long enough for Berdych to self-destruct. Pick: Roddick
Centre Court
Robin Soderling vs. Roger Federer
The big court plays out as it has all week: Federer early, Murray late. Some British writers are worried that this will give Federer an advantage if they meet in the final. I’m not clear on why. Either way, he’ll have to survive the Sod first. Federer has been sharp for the most part so far, but I get the feeling Soderling will scare him Monday. The Swede has gotten better with each match and shaken off any possible letdown he may have felt after the French. He also has nothing to lose after taking his lumps in the final there; at the very least want he'll want to improve on that result. And now he knows that if he gets hot, anything can happen—he has the map to the big upset. But Federer, with a 10-0 head to head, has the map to beating Soderling. Pick: Federer
Dinara Safina va. Amelie Mauresmo
The world No. 1 makes her Centre Court debut against the 2006 champion. This seems like the perfect time for one more return to glory on the lawns for the Frenchwoman. She’s 4-2 against Safina, and almost beat her the last time they played, in 2008 on hard courts. Pick: Mauresmo
Andy Murray vs. Stanislas Wawrinka
The BBC gets its late-afternoon Murray mania again. More than Federer, he has been flawless thus far. Stan beat Murray as recently as last year on clay, but the Scot mowed him down in straights at the U.S. Open. The low-key Wawrinka has never been at his best on the big Slam stage. This is the biggest of them all. Pick: Murray
That’s it, I’m going sneaker shopping. Thanks everyone for reading. I would have commented back, but Typepad had it in for me this week. Enjoy Monday at Wimbledon; I’ll join you on DVR back in New York. ESPN, NBC—so much better than actually being there, I’m sure.