Wimbledon update

So, yes, we went to Wimbledon last Friday - on what appears to have been the least rainy day so far, very lucky us, despite how the morning started. About a 1/2 hour downpour as you can see just as we arrived, but then pretty clear skies...

Of course, I'd been so concerned about packing for wind and rain, with multiple layers, waterproof bag, umbrella, etc. ... I completely forgot that it might actually be sunny! As I was rapidly turning pink in the unexpected but delightful sunshine, I was forced by my lack of foresight to buy some overpriced (is there any other kind) sun cream in the overpriced (is there any other kind) Wimbledon shop... Ah well - worth it for the sunny matches.

On to the match report:

First up, Jelena Jankovic vs. Lucy Safarova -- a tightly fought contest that went the full 3 sets; characterised in some part by the high number of challenges Jankovic made of the umpires' calls. What was most interesting to me was the fact that most of her challenges were upheld -- so challenging was definitely in her favour, though I think the crowd found it a bit unsportsmanlike or something. More power to her, I say, and she deserved to win.

Next we saw James Blake lose in 4 sets to Juan Carlos Ferrerro (whose official photo is really goofy I say - he looked a lot better on the court). The two seemed quite friendly, laughing at times at a few shots, and there the match was very fast paced. To my very untrained tennis eye, Blake seemed very eager and in control the first set, but then he seemed to slack off a bit, almost like he was out for a friendly backyard game or two. Obviously of higher caliber than your average home game, but still, not as agressive or consistent as the first set. And of course, that cost him the match.

Finally, we saw the first set of Andy (A-Rod 2) Roddick vs Fernando Verdasco (so US v Spain part deux). Although Verdasco challenged a bit, Roddick took care of him pretty quickly - at least in the set we saw, and certainly in the final game of it!

All in all, very enjoyable outing (despite having my souvenir 45p Daily Mail tennis ball binoculars confiscated by poo-head guards at the entrance, 'because they sell other commemorative items inside, these aren't allowed'. Humph - I didn't see any Wimbledon-branded tennis ball binoculars inside! And certainly nothing for 45p...)

Looking forward to the US Open already!