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Page 3
Natasha Zvereva's amazing run came to a conclusion at the hands of grass court expert Nathalie Tauziat. It seemed destined from the start that Tauziat's nerves would cost her the match. Luckily for her, she lifted her game considerably in the tenth game by putting away the volleys and reducing her number of silly errors - things she had not been able to do in the first set. Very surprisingly she took the match after that 6-1 loss in the first set but managed to win the second in a convincing tie break and capitalise on her opportunities in the third to advance to her first Grand Slam final.
Yes he does. He lives in a certain fiery cocky individual in Venus Williams. I'll admit to finding her on-court antics very amusing and entertaining. But the girl needs to get a hold on herself quick smart! In her quarterfinal clash against Novotna, where she squandered a 4-1 lead in the first set to eventually lose in straight sets, Venus could not keep her composure at some of the line calls she received. A Novotna ball which had sailed just a little long was not called. Suddenly, the big head of Venus erupted. "I know it's out. SHE knows it's out. EVERYONE knows it's out. But YOU don't know it's out," she yelled to the umpire at one of the disputed calls while choking back tears. After getting in the face of one lineswoman, she lost her composure in the next change of ends when she could not hold back her tears. But she insisted that the bad calls did not disrupt her play but inspired her to do better. And yes, for a while she did, matching Novotna point for point, matching her also with a little bit of rare serve-volley action. However, she played a shocking tiebreak in the second set and squandered an opportunity to move into a grand slam semi-final for the second time in her young career. Are we all upset she didn't come through? I'm sure we'll miss the entertainment of her wild (yet even unusual for her) antics, but with an attitude like that, she can kick herself right off the court. And kick your sister off as well. I'm pretty sick of the Williams' concept now - sponsors, take note! A brief on the men's side As of this week, a new contributing editor will take over the responsibilities of the men's tour, the ATP Tour. But I can't pass on that responsibility until I give a mention to Goran Ivanisevic. Unfortunately, third time is not a charm for him - third time is a depressing miserable state. Coming second for the third time was not on his agenda, but I have to say, he has nothing to be depressed about. He played so well throughout the tournament, and if he takes nothing away from this tournament, he can be assured that he has found a new mental focus - something which has never been with him in matches. His semi-final encounter took him to 15-13 in the fifth and final set, after squandering two match points in the fourth set on his serve. It must have taken a lot out of him in the fifth set against Sampras as he just lost it out there in the final set. His movement seemed impaired and too many errors came off his volleys. Contrastingly, Sampras raised his level in the final set to take a very close encounter 6-7 7-6 6-4 3-6 6-2. An absolutely dejected Ivanisevic remained, after believing that this was his year - and he was so damn close to it as well. Will there be a next year? I'm sure there will be, but Ivanisevic talks now of lacking his motivation to go on. In my opinion, this final should be more of a growth lesson and at that, even a positive lesson, because he played some of the best tennis in his life at this tournament. Meanwhile, Sampras has one for the record books - his 11th grand slam places him one behind the all time record for the most grand slams in history, behind Roy Emerson's 12. His 5th Wimbledon places him alongside Bjorn Borg for the most Wimbledon's won in the Open era.
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