Week 1 of Wimbledon was dominated by the crafty play of the veteran men. Later today Lleyton Hewitt will play Andy Roddick, having made it farther than anyone expected. It seems like Hewitt is drawing more inspiration from Nadal's absence than anyone else and why not? Apart from Federer, Hewitt was the only other Wimbledon Champ who showed up on the men's side this year. The big shock though has been the play of the tournement's oldest man (at 31), Tommy Haas. As I write this, Haas is battling Novak Djokovic in a second set tiebreak to try and go up two sets to love against the former Australian Open champion.
On the women's side, things are overshadowed by the possible return of Kim Clijsters in time for the US Open. Echoing her statements from last year, Lucy argues that the current women's game is beset by inconsistent play and mental consistency. Only the Williams' sisters, who met each other in the final last year, have demonstrated anything close to professional form. Barring a major meltdown by one of the sisters, this year could very well be a repeat of last year.
The men's game however could play out very differently. While Hewitt and Haas are playing above and beyond, Andy Roddick has been rolling through opponents, liking nothing better than to meet Federer again in the final. What he'll do there is anyone's guess, since he hasn't shown any knew weapons in his arsenal, and Federer has shown in the past that he knows all about Roddick. Andy Murray, the Andy that most are cheering for, remains potentially the biggest wild card. Expectations are high for the young Scot to do well at Wimbledon, and Britain as whole is holding it's breath waiting for the next British champion to appear.
