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| Petra Kvitova |
The fortnight is almost over, and we find ourselves on the eve of the Men's Wimbledon final, and the top two seeds stand ready to battle for the trophy. The match will be a very close one, but one thing is clear - Monday morning when the rankings come out, for the first time in seven years, Federer or Nadal will not appear at the top - Novak Djokovic has claimed the number one position by making it to the finals. With Rafa nursing a foot injury, and Nole now free of the pressure of trying to become number one, I give him the slightest edge. But then again, across the court will be Rafael Nadal & he is a different animal when it comes to finals in a major. Neither of the finalists have played their best tennis to make it this far, but like true champions, they fought through the field. Their service games for the tournament have been close w/Nadal edging by a percentage point in each category, except second serves won (1st serves in Nadal 69.5%, Djokovic 68.7%; 1st serves won Nadal 79.2%, Djokovic 78.8%; 2nd serves won Nadal 60%, Djokovic 61%). Nole does hold a slight edge with winners & this match will come down to just that - unreturnable balls, off the serve or off the ground. The key battles will be the Djokovic forehand to the Nadal backhand - this is where Nole is the clear favorite. Movement and defending used to be an area Nadal reigned supreme in, but now, especially with the foot injury, this battle should also show Djokovic as the favorite. Having already beaten Rafa four times this year (all in finals & two on clay) the mental edge would have to be given to Nole, but with Rafa, he's never defeated until the umpire says 'game, set, match'. All things considered, I see Djokovic coming out on top in a tight one. Sit back, buckle your seat belts and enjoy the ride that will be the 2011 Wimbledon Men's final.
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