Henin leads the way, who will follow?

In stark contrast to the men's, the women's Wimbledon draw is wide open. Your guess is as good as mine. Who will take this title? Justine Henin-Hardenne has seemingly took to the forefront of the challengers with her win in Eastbourne but at the same time, perhaps, created a few doubts with her shaky win over Myskina. 7-6 in the third is hardly convincing and, let us face it, Myskina gifted that second set, had it been somebody else (namely Kuznetsova) then JHH could quite easily have been dead and buried. But, again, she came through fighting and is now riding ever-so-high on confidence. I think only two people can, realistically, rain on Henin-Hardenne's parade and prevent her from taking the Wimbledon crown, should she bring some similar form to SW19; Venus Williams and Martina Hingis (strictly at her sublime best). Henin is now the favourite in my book. We have seen her recent form and she has shone like no other player, she is confident like no other player and she is determined (and equally ruthless) like no other player. Venus could go to Wimbledon and blitz past every single opponent as though she was unaware of their presence, equally though she could also go to Wimbledon, hit 60 unforced errors per set and fall ungraciously out of the tournament. The choice is hers. Hingis, similarly, is an unknown quantity; will she, won't she? Henin, though, has layed down the gauntlet: I am going to come to Wimbledon serving well, confident, utterly determined, volleying impeccably and seemingly extremely healthy. What have you got to beat that? Well, we shall see, we shall see...

Sharapova is another of the Divas who is widely tipped to do well at this years Wimbledon and she has been blessed with a gift from the Gods; a beautiful draw, the finest creation since the Garden of Eden, at least for Sharapova it is. She has not only the clearest route through to the Quarter-Final but also the clearest route through to the Semi-Final. Her toughest opposition, prior to a Quarter-Final match-up with fellow Russian Dementieva, will most likely come in the form of either Shahar Peer of Flavia Pennetta, two players that the ever-consistent Sharapova will probably pummel to pieces in two extremely one-sided sets. Elena Dementieva is hardly the toughest oppostion on grass, imagine what the former-Wimbledon champion will do to Dementieva's serve out there on Centre Court, it really doesn't bare thinking about. Maria is almost guarenteed a place in the Semi-Final, something the other "big names" will mostly have to work for, for this she can thank her lucky stars but she will have to beat Venus - who knocked her out at the same stage last year - or Amelie Mauresmo to reach the final, an incredibly difficult challenge, even for the best of them.

There are two Quarter-Final clashes that glare out at you as soon as you even glance at the draw: Venus Williams v Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne vs Martina Hingis. How exciting! The Quarter-Final stage is where Grand Slams really come into their own, particularly on the women's side of things, quite often all of the top player will make these stages and it makes for incredible drama and tension. If Venus is on then surely she will sweep aside Mauresmo, in fact, if Venus is at her best then she will probably sweep aside the whole tour, but that is Venus. Both of them, though, face some limited resistance in the Fourth Round; Venus has to get past recent Eastbourne-Finalist Anastasia Myskina and Mauresmo has to shrug off the efforts of hard-hitting Russian Dinara Safina, not quite plain sailing. Hingis vs Henin is a much more intriguing affair. Brains vs Brains. Variety vs Variety. And probably on many an occasion drop shot vs drop shot. One thing, though, puts Henin forward as a real favourite for this clash; her serve. We saw at Eastbourne how effective it can be on grass and, indeed, how difficult it is to break, not so for Hingis' serve though and Henin will most likely pounce with her typical 100% break point checkout. Who knows how Hingis will play at Wimbledon, if she does indeed bring her very best tennis to the court then it would become evermore difficult to choose Henin to win this match but, given current form and match practice, Henin is the outright winner for me.

The other Quarter-Final will most likely see Cljisters take on Kuznetsova, it is probable that they will both reach the Quarter-Final stage - although Nicole Vaidisova may have something to say about that - and will probably produce a reasonable match. However, the two previously mentioned Quarter-Finals will overshadow this one which, based on past experience, probably means Cljisters vs Kuznetsova will be the most contested affair!

I think we will get the Semi-Finals everyone seems to desire; Venus vs Sharapova and Henin-Hardenne vs Cljisters. The winners are hard to call. Based on Eastbourne it is ever so hard to look past Henin and I just have a feeling that Sharapova will pull one out of the bag and defeat Venus. Just my thoughts, please do share yours in the comments section.

As for the Final, I definitely pick Justine Henin-Hardenne all the way. I think she will finish the career slam and "Allez!" all the way there, it may be unprofessional of me, but I sincerely hope I am wrong. As far as sentiment goes, I would love to see Amelie lift the crown and silence her critics and probably her inner-demons with it, but logic does suggest that Henin will take the crown this year...she is the one to beat!

A stern test awaits Roger at SW19.

Roger Federer begins his title defense of the most-treasured crown in tennis on Monday and the random draw has served up an absolute gem! It would seem that the prayers of those who think "Wimbledon is too boring and predictable on the men's side; Federer is clearly going to win it" have been most dutily answered. Roger has perhaps the toughest draw of a Grand Slam title defense we have ever witnessed. His first two-rounds could, quite easily, be mistaken for 4th Round and Quarter-Final clashes. Interestingly, in my opinion, if Roger were to make the final that match would be considerably easier than the rest of his tantalizingly-tough tournament! Let us take a look at his probable route through to the final at SW19:

• Round 1: Gasquet
• Round 2: Henman
• Round 3: Vliegen
• Round 4: Haas
• Quarter-Final: Ancic
• Semi-Final: Nalbandian

If this does indeed prove to be Federer's route through to the Final then he faces three players that make up the limited list of men to recently beat Federer; Gasquet, Haas and Nalbandian. He also faces two grass court specialists in the form of Henman and Ancic. Prior to the draw I was on the record for identifying two things that, I felt, were key to Federer's title defense:

1. Two players I felt could really challenge Federer on grass were Ancic (obviously) and Gasquet (not quite so obviously).
2. An early test against one of the British hopes (namely Henman or Murray).

Federer received both of these treats. After his Halle title defense people seemed critical of Roger, saying that perhaps he was tired and, to some extent, this would seem to hold true, afterall since when did the ultimate Master of grass take three tie-break sets to defeat Olivier Rochus? He now faces stern challenges to retain his Wimbledon crown. Should he do so, it will, in my book, be one of the greatest title defences of all time. Only time will tell.

Other first-round matches of note include British hope Murray (see my recent blog on him) vs Chilean Massu. A difficult opener for Murray who has struggled greatly with his recent form, a real test of how exactly his Wimbledon is going to go without a coach. Top British player (according to the rankings, at least) Rusedski faces an even sterner challenge against Marat Safin, although Safin has never quite shined on grass as he has on other surfaces, if in-form then Rusedski's efforts could be extremely shortlived.

Another interesting draw to note is that of giant Croat Ivo Karlovic. It would seem Wawrinka has drawn the ultimate short-straw, the first round match that nobody (yes, that including the Swiss Maestro himself!) wanted. In fact, Karlovic could be in for a decent run at Wimbledon, afterall his serve can power him to victory by itself...you just watch out for that guy, not that you can miss him!

Well, as with most Grand Slams, I suppose it is time to have a humble attempt at a prediction of some sort, although I am more interested in your views.

I predict a Federer v Nalbandian Semi-Final on one side of the draw, while Nadal and Hewitt battle it out in a rematch of that Queens Quarter-Final on the other side of the draw. I think Federer will retain his title (I never was all that brave), beating the spirited Aussie in the Final.

P.S. everyone watch out for a mouth-watering 3rd Round clash between Agassi and Nadal! The winner of that has an impeccable shot at a Semi-Final (a lacklustre Ljubicic providing the primary resistance) and perhaps even a Final and then, well, who knows!

Stay tuned for a Blog on the women's draw!

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...what a mismatch!

A blistering day, two Belgians - Kim Cljisters and Justine Henin-Hardenne - stroll out onto court prepared to do battle in a mouth-watering Semi-Final clash. Sound familiar? Last time out this was the same story except it was a Grand Slam, perhaps slightly more glamorous than a Semi-Final at Eastbourne. Henin-Hardenne annihilated her compatriot Cljisters in their previous meeting 6-3, 6-2, however that was on clay, grass is stepping evermore into Cljister's territory.

It has to be said that in recent meetings Cljisters has looked timid in comparison to Henin, almost afraid of looking down the court and seeing her fellow countrywoman staring down at her. Why, though? Prior to the match Cljisters led the Head-to-Head, since the two turned pro, 10-8. Why, now, does she fear Henin? I think only the heartless Belgian could answer this. Much has been documented about Henin's capacity for gamesmanship and, in the past, I myself have been a fierce critic of her very personality. Henin seems to put unnecesary pressure upon Kim whenever they meet and, indeed, during the match itself. Today was no different.

Henin started by far the stronger of the two. After her first two service games her first-serve percentage stood at a mountainous 88%...Cljisters, unsurprisingly, had no answer. Henin was quiet and mellow, moving through, playing her tennis, not creating any controversy. However, when the going gets tough, the tough get going and I doubt there is anyone out there tougher than Justine Henin-Hardenne. When Cljisters upped her game a level (and boy, did she up her game!) the "Allez!" cry of war began to scream from Justine. When Cljisters got closer to Henin on that scoreboard the "Allez!" cry of war become more frequent, more intense and noticeably louder. The stares across the net also become longer. Henin was rattled and, as ever, using every trick at her disposal to try and rattle Cljisters just that little bit more. In fact, on no less than two occasions, Henin chose to deploy the "Allez!" tactic (yes, it is a tactic) when Cljisters hit unforced forehand errors, accompanied by a vile stare across the net. How does she get away with this without even a passing comment from any commentator or pundit? Completely beyond me...

Enough of Henin's tendancies to use gamesmanship though, and more of the game itself. It was a typical story of Dr Jekyll (Kim) and his rather dimunitive, evil and utterly parallel Edward Hyde (Henin). On one side is the baseline-basher, all-powerful, ever-loving Kim Cljisters...on the other side is the gutsy, relentless, ruthless guile of Justine Henin-Hardenne. The first set was rather an ugly affair, far too many errors from Cljisters and 4 winners in comparison to Henin's 16. Yet, Cljisters did have her chances and the key feature was how she failed to take any break points. Justine? Yep, you guessed it, 100% break point checkouts! Cljisters was left rueing missed chances while Justine marched on to take the first set 6-3 with a double-break.

Henin continued her dominance early into the second-set, taking a break and going to 2-0 up, a four-game winning streak and Cljisters was seemingly down and out. Not so. Gutsy Kim played an absolutely impeccable game to finally take a break point, the first successful one out of seven attempts, and drag herself back into the match. Henin was no longer looking herself. Cljisters held to claw back to 2-2, from then on Cljisters pressured and pressured on Henin's serve until she finally got the break at 4-4 to leave her serving for the second set at 5-4. Henin wasn't done there though, she broke straight back to level the set. Cljisters raised her game to an unreachable level and brough some "C'mon"'s into the match that reminded me so much of Lleyton Hewitt, perhaps he taught Cljisters a trick or two in their time together! She took the second set 7-5 and was in cruise control and, this time, it was Henin who seemed down and out.

Cljisters broke in the first game of the final set and we again, fatefully, thought the match was done and dusted. Enter the fighting spirit of Justine Henin-Hardenne. Six games later and I am still sat, a pained expression on my face...final set goes to Henin 6-1. What happened? Henin raised her game beyond that of Cljisters, simple as that. She followed her groundstrokes into the net and Cljisters did not have the game ot pass her on the day. Credit must be given where credit is due and, boy!, does Henin deserve credit for that final set; a really sublime display of grasscourt tennis.

This match is undoubtedly a prelude to Wimbledon. The number 2 and 3 seeds battling it out, with Henin the eventual winner. Should the two meet in the Wimbledon Semi-Final then it most likely be yet another mouth-watering clash. There is no love lost between these two and it is highly likely that come 2 weeks tomorrow one of them will be lifting the most-treasured trophy in tennis; the Wimbledon crown. Will it be Henin who once more triumphs over Cljisters? Or will Cljisters find that incredible form that won her the second set and with it move into the Wimbledon final? Only time will tell, one thing is for sure, though, if the two do meet in the Semi-Final there will be several "Allez!" cries and, most probably, each one will be louder than the last!

Murray's temper erupts, again.

With Wimbledon fever rapidly approaching England, it is only fair that we get a taster of what a couple of weeks we are in for with tournaments in Nottingham and Eastbourne. British hope Andy Murray slumped out of Nottingham, following impressive wins over Tursunov and Mirnyi, in a 6-7, 6-4, 1-6 loss to Italian Andreas Seppi.

Murray's volatile character, not his sometimes-exquisite tennis, seems to now be at the focal point of discussion after each and every one of his matches. McEnroe, I hear you say. Yes, McEnroe. But Murray does not have seven Grand Slam titles, in fact as of yet Andy has shown only minor signs of Grand Slam potential and it is safe to say that perhaps the British tennis fans are getting swept up amongst the bandwagon.

Saying this though, Nottingham was a major breakthrough for Murray. It is the first time in 6 months Murray has won back to back matches, since his dismissal of coach Mark Petchy his form has been less than overwhelming. He still remains confident though, perhaps even arrogant, stomping around the court like a petulent teenager, complaining to umpires about the photographers, the cameras, the ball-boys...you name it, Murray has complained about it. This guy has attitude. Serious attitude. But, is this such a bad thing? Generally, the answer would be no, but based on what little Murray has achieved so far, he really hasn't earned the right to act like this. However, beating Tursunov - Henman's conqueror at last year's wimbledon - and then the big-serving Max Mirnyi suggested things were really looking up for the Scotsman. His match against Seppi really demonstrated exactly why Murray must control that temper, particularly when things come to the crunch in the final set, and maintain composed. Yes, he is only a teenager. Yes, he has plenty of time to mature. But right now he is not doing himself any favours and, sometimes, you can not help but feel that Murray is his own worst enemy out on a tennis court.

In his post-match interview he was, as usual, moderately analytical of his own game. He gave a promise to his legion of fans..."When I get to Wimbledon I will try to keep a level head and not explode like I did today"...as the old cliche goes Andy: it's easier said than done! If Murray keeps "explod[ing]" against the likes of 72nd ranked Seppi, who, prior to this year, had only won one match on grass, then how will he cope at Wimbledon? The pressure is ever more intense, the Wimbledon crowd are expectant; they want Andy to deliver, yet, it would seem things are heading in the direction of an early-round dissapointment.

At Andy's age his game is still improving, but he needs all the wins he can get and, in contrast to other teenagers, he beats himself all to often. Is Seppi really the type of player to beat Andy Murray, on grass, 6-1 in the final set? I don't think so and, personally, I don't think Andy does either. Yet he did. And, unfortunately, if Andy doesn't get his attitude sorted and his temper under control, then he will do again and so will others.

Richard Gasquet advanced with a straight set victory over compatriot Gilles Simon (6-3, 6-1) to continue his title defence. He now meets Robert Soderling who defeated Janko Tipsarevic 7-6, 6-4. Seppi plays Jonas Bjorkman, for a place in the Nottingham final, who cruised past Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4.

Elsewhere, top seeds Henin-Hardenne and Kim Cljisters advanced in their respective Quarter-Final ties to set-up a repeat of the French Open Semi-Final at Eastbourne. Kuznetsova, who saved three match points to get past Anna-Lean Groenefeld in her Quarter-Final, will meet Anastasia Myskina after she defeated Mauresmo's conqueror Nathalie Dechy of France. So, one thing is for sure: it will be a Russian v a Belgian final at Eastbourne and, quite possibly, a repeat of the French Open Final with Kuznetsova and Henin-Hardenne squaring off, if this turns out to be the case, I think it is most definitely worth a Blog!