2016 Wimbledon Championships...ATP 2000...London, England

[don_budge]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs

"Every Breath You Take"...The Police

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you.

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you.

Oh can't you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches with every step you take.

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I'll be watching you.

Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace.

Yeah...since you've gone I've been lost without a trace. It was 1983...her name was Julias. We had tickets to see The Police and we should have met Sting. But I chose to travel to the 18 and under Clay Court Championships with Aaron instead. It was a decision that I had to make. It was the beginning of the end for her. I was lost without a trace for a period of time. I don't regret anything.

This one is over too. Once he is gone. It's over. No regrets.

Preparation...preparation...preparation. The tennis player's mantra. See Roger chanting to himself...repeating his instructions to himself over and over. Like a ritual...a prayer. He crosses himself...soon it is time. To take the stage. One more time.

There was a moment at Halle...it was in the first set against David Goffin when he pronounced himself ready. In the second set he validated himself in the tie-breaker. Bringing out all of the magic he has at his disposal. He had it once again. Summon the dragon. Merlin.

Every step you take. Every move you make. In slow motion these words play out in his mind. Stopping time...giving himself the necessary time to get himself into position for every shot...for this Wimbledon. Giving himself the time...to get ready.

"There are little things that have to fall into place then I will play better and feel better," added Federer. "I hope that happens sooner rather than later.

"I have to see how I feel at the beginning of Wimbledon. I know the dangers of the early rounds of any Grand Slam.

"I now know what I need to work on in the next 10 days. Clearly I need some rest. It has been intense and busy and that is exactly what I have needed, and at least I have a clear picture if where my game is at and what I need to do."

"I guess that comes through movement and through just playing enough again," he said. "And I think if the movement gets better and then the baseline game improves a little bit, I’ll be better on the big points, on the return."

"But, you know, I’m OK and I’m pleased on how I played." “Now we’ve got enough time before Wimbledon to get ready for that."

"I got some work to do.” “The other guys are doing their job well. So, I just have to take the right decisions from now to the start of Wimbledon. And once the tournament gets going, I play the way that I want to play—positive, aggressive, mindset. Play the points my way and just be super consistent, make the opponent feel uncomfortable."

Read these two quotes. Read between the lines. Connect the dots. Here is Roger summoning the dragon. Seeking the vibration that he once used to be able to summon at the drop of a hat...at the snap of his fingers. It's time to be ready. It's Wimbledon. A special place in his heart. In our heart. He represents the fine line between twilight and the darkness. Between dreaming and waking. Between reality and a hologram. Between Modern and Classic Tennis...she's taking one last gasp. The Living Proof once again to defend her honor. Excalibur has been tossed into the lake. All he has is The Pretender. The question in his mind...am I a pretender too?

Soon to be answered in the early rounds. Soon to be answered with the appearance of the draw sheet. He begins to map out the tournament...in his mind. In his dreams. How for can he go? It doesn't matter who wins...unless it is him.

[klacr]

Great song and even better band.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Fed's last hurrah?

Djokovic's 5th slam in a row?

Murray's Lendl Reunion Aids in 2nd Crown?

Berdych Pulls Monkey Off Back with AELTC Triumph?

So many storylines.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

The Draw

Wimbledon 2016 Men's Singles Draw:

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/draws/ms/msdraw.pdf

[don_budge]

1st Round...Interesting match

Wimbledon 2016 Men's Singles Draw:

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/score.../ms/msdraw.pdf

Redux Halle...Dominic Thiem versus Florian "The Quirk" Mayer.

[klacr]

Wimbledon 2016 Men's Singles Draw:

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/score.../ms/msdraw.pdf

How about the serve and volley special. 1st round match-up between Feliciano Lopez and Rajeev Ram.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

The Jerk...

How about the serve and volley special. 1st round match-up between Feliciano Lopez and Rajeev Ram.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Serve and volley? What is that? Radek Stepanek versus Nick "The Jerk" Kyrgios. Could be an interesting challenge.

[stotty]

A stuttering start by Federer. I only saw bits and bobs but McEnroe's take was that Roger was well below par.

He plays Britain's Marcus Willis in the second round who is ranked 772 and a qualifier. That's quite an achievement for Willis. I just hope he won't be too overawed playing Federer. It could be embarrassing drubbing if Willis cannot produce his very best.

[klacr]

Marcus Willis. Serve and Volley. Godspeed my friend.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Just watching Murray play Liam Broady. Terrible serve Broady has for a lefty. No weight transfer, very minimal knee-bend...one of the worst I have seen, to look at at least.

I hope Broady can pick his game up a little. The match is unwatchable at the moment. Murray leads 6-2...

[gzhpcu]

Good three set win fot Thiem against Florian Meyer, who knocked him out of Halle. Next up is Vesely, which should be doable. Hope the kid had a good run in Wimbledon!

[stotty]

Well, Stotty will be at Wimbledon tomorrow. I have tickets for court 2 which should be good. I will be fairly close to the front. The forecast is reasonable and hopefully I will see a full day's play.

I watched the first seven games of Federer and Willis today then left for work. Willis was 7-0 down when I left the door. I was beginning to fear the worst. It's seems he managed to make a game of it of sorts, losing 6-3, 6-4 after a nervy start. The gap is so wide in reality between the top four and even those beyond the top ten....never mind someone at 772 in the world!

I look forward to tomorrow....

[gzhpcu]

Thiem loses three tiebreaks to Veseley. Too bad..

[stotty]

Day four at Wimbledon...

I had a great day at Wimbledon. Jack Sock had a great first two sets in his match against Hasse. His forehand is one huge lump to contend with. He serve very well and was solid on his backhand too. I was surprised by just how well Jack could play. The amount of forehands of Jack's you think are going out yet dip in just before the baseline is amazing...a nightmare for the men calling the lines.

I watched Fognini come back from 0-3 in the fifth to reel off the next six games in a row against Delbonis. Fognini is the sweetest timer of a ball and completely fearless with it. As usual he had massive support from the Italian spectators who travel to see him. He's like the Errol Flynn of tennis.

I discovered Benoit Paire has the worst forehand on the tour yet the finest drop shot in the tournament. I love his languid style and effortless game. If only he knew what the word attrition meant. He fell away like a wet lettuce against Millman but never mind, when Benoit is good, he's really good and well worth seeing. He can volley well too.

[klacr]

I had a great day at Wimbledon. Jack Sock had a great first two sets in his match against Hasse. His forehand is one huge lump to contend with. He serve very well and was solid on his backhand too. I was surprised by just how well Jack could play. The amount of forehands of Jack's you think are going out yet dip in just before the baseline is amazing...a nightmare for the men calling the lines.

I watched Fognini come back from 0-3 in the fifth to reel off the next six games in a row against Delbonis. Fognini is the sweetest timer of a ball and completely fearless with it. As usual he had massive support from the Italian spectators who travel to see him. He's like the Errol Flynn of tennis.

I discovered Benoit Paire has the worst forehand on the tour yet the finest drop shot in the tournament. I love his languid style and effortless game. If only he knew what the word attrition meant. He fell away like a wet lettuce against Millman but never mind, when Benoit is good, he's really good and well worth seeing. He can volley well too.

Living vicariously through you Stotty. Sounds like you had a good time. You deserve it.

Yes, Benoit Paire is an interesting case. The backhand is superb but the forehand lacks that pro tour explosion. He's entertaining and magical when he is on but suffers from mental consistency and discipline so it does not happen often.

Fognini is a sweet player to watch stroke wise. His precision and timing is just special. Good fightback from him down 0-3 against Delbonis. That is usually a match he would pack it in walk away the loser. He got married in June to Flavia Pennetta. Lucky guy.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton