Visit to Wimbledon, July 2003

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These pictures were taken on Friday July 4th, 2003, when David and Sue Tall visited Wimbledon for the Lawn Tennis Championships.



Friday in the second week of Wimbledon is the semifinals of the Men’s singles and the Men’s and Women’s Doubles. We couldn’t get in with Cliff Richard on the Centre Court for the Men’s singles, Grosjean v. Phillipoussi and Roddick v. Federer, but, surprisingly, the No. 1 court had room to spare for the Doubles semi-finals. We were due to see the no.1 men’s seeds Bhupathi and Mirnyi play the no. 5 seeds Paes and Rikl, followed by the top ladies seeds, Ruano Pascual and Suarez against the Russian pair Dementieva and Krasnoroutskaya, who had put out the Williams sisters in the previous round.

On number 1 court we await the first match ...

Men’s Doubles Bhupathi and Mirnyi v. Paes and Rikl.

It was a tough match won by just two service breaks in 2 hours 45 minutes ...

by Bupathi and Myrny 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-3.

We nipped out for strawberries and cream at a reasonable £2 a punnet ...

and sat on ‘Henman’s Hill’ to watch some of the Men’s semi-finals ...

... on the huge overhead screen...

... with everyone else. (The bloke five from the left on the front row is David ...)

Can you see him here?

Philipoussis has won in 3 straight sets on Centre Court, and Federer is a set up on Roddick!

Back in Court 1, we enjoyed the next match ...

... the no.1 seeds Ruano Pascual and Suarez against the Russian pair Dementieva and Krasnoroutskaya. We could have been watching the Williams’ sisters, but the Russians knocked them out in the last round and began by taking the opening set 6-3.

Pascal and Suarez however, came on stronger and stronger ...

and finished as winners 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in 1 hour 25 minutes.

The next match turned out to be a veteran 35+ doubles between Rostagno and Shiras (USA) against Fitzgerald and Kratzmann (Australia).

It ended in a 2 sets to love victory for Rostagno and Shiras, 6-4, 6-4.

At 6.30 pm we were due to have a fourth match. But who?

It will be a Mixed Doubles quarter final ...

... with Martina Navratilova playing at the grand old age of 47!

There were, of course, other players on court: Leander Paes (who was defeated earlier in the men’s doubles) partnered Martina against Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymond of the USA. But Martina was the centre of attention and the crowd grew. As the match unfolded, it was Martina who was having trouble holding her serve. She was broken and Bryan and Raymond took the first set 7-5.

Martina is not the best player of all-time for nothing. Despite being the weakest of the four in the first set, she somehow found reserves of strength and she and Paes took the second set on a tie-break, 7-6.

In the final set, Lisa Raymond looked more vunerable and Navratilova and Paes became stronger. One Navratilova service ace to Bryant caused partner Paes to fall on his knees in dramatic adoration! As they reached 5-4, the crowd awaited the denoument.

Navratilova and Paes won 5-7, 7-6, 6-4. A perfect ending to a great day at Wimbledon.

... at 9 o’clock at night everything was quiet and we headed back to the hotel for an Italian meal. On Saturday we drove home to see the Ladies finals on TV with several million others.

The results of the matches we saw were as follows:

Court 1 12.00 noon Start

 1. Gentlemen's Doubles - Semis
  Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)[1]
Max Mirnyi (BLR)[1]
def. Leander Paes (IND)[5]
David Rikl (CZE)[5]
6-7(6) 6-4 7-6(7) 6-3 
 2. Ladies' Doubles - Semis
  Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP)[1]
Paola Suarez (ARG)[1]
def. Elena Dementieva (RUS)[15]
Lina Krasnoroutskaya (RUS)[15]
3-6 6-1 6-2 
 3. Gentlemen's 35 RR Doubles
  Derrick Rostagno (USA)
Leif Shiras (USA)
def. John Fitzgerald (AUS)
Mark Kratzmann (AUS)
6-4 6-4 
 4. Mixed Doubles - Qtr. Finals
  Leander Paes (IND)[5]
Martina Navratilova (USA)[5]
def. Mike Bryan (USA)[2]
Lisa Raymond (USA)[2]
5-7 7-6(3) 6-4 


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