And the Winner of the Best Return of Serve goes to…

Novak Djokovic champion of Wimbledon for the third time in his career.

Lollipop and I were treated to an incredible final where The Serb, 28, won 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (10-12) 6-4 6-3 to overtake the likes of Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl in the all-time list of major winners against seven time Wimbledon champ Roger Federer.

Ok so it is not as great as Serena Williams securing the title and holding all four slams for the second time in her career but it is still incredible.

With nine grand slams under his racket Djokovic is catching up to his rivals Rafael Nadal and Federer. So why is he not as loved?

On the BBC Sports poll 72.3% of us backed Federer to win the championship. Despite the Swiss not reaching a Grand slam final all season his form though out the tournament and his overwhelming popularity made him the favourite. So much so that we keep overlooking talented players like Djokovic.

The world number one was awarded the World Tours Finals Trophy at the end of last year after Federer was forced to retire from the tournament for the first time in his career. He then started 2015 by beating our former Wimbledon champ Andy Murray in the Australian Open final after a thrilling four set match.

His only major slip up was when he lost to Swiss no. 2  Stan Wawrinka at the French Open. Having prevailed in the first set and being up a break in the fourth set and up 40-0 on Wawrinka’s serve in a subsequent game. He lost six of the final seven games of the match. After becoming only the second man to beat Nadal on clay Djokovic was denied his first overall victory at the French Open and a personal career Grand Slam.

Tennis fans clearly doubted he could come back from such a loss and win at Wimbledon. But he proved Lollipop wrong today.

Despite Federer looking like he was back to his best when he beat Murray in straight sets in the semi finals on Friday Djokovic found a way to win today.

Federer is clearly the best mover on grass where as Djokovic often slipped and slid his way through points. However the Swiss served up more errors in the match with a total of 35 in comparison to the Serb’s 16.

The champ also beat Federer in second serve points win, total serve returns in and break points won.

Djokovic was clearly the overall winner but we will have to wait till the US Open to see if he will won over more tennis fans.

It may not be a Serena Slam for Djokovic but a third Wimbledon title is an incredible achievement and Lollipop will be cheering for him throughout the US Open in August even if the rest of the audience are backing the Swiss no.1.

Congrats Djokovic. Lollipop is with you all the way unless you play this guy of course.

Watson to win Wimbledon?

After Heather Watson’s heroics on centre court at Wimbledon this evening where she took world no.1 Serena Williams to a third set but lost 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 why can’t she win a Grand Slam Lollipop?

The 23-year-old battled back from a set down, winning six straight games from 3-3 in the second set.

Watson served for the match at 5-4 in the decider but five-time Wimbledon champion Williams recovered to win 6-2 4-6 7-5 in two hours and 15 minutes.

Williams will play her elder sister Venus next. But it almost could have been Watson in the fourth round. Even Williams said the Brit deserved to win.

“I thought she played unbelievable, I thought she served well. I think she did everything great,” added Williams after the match but yet the 20-time Grand Slam champion showed more strength to win such a thrilling encounter.

In a couple of years or even next season Watson could go further than the third round for the first time in her career. All she has to do is figure out how to beat a champion Lollipop.

Watson’s serve is a big factor. Williams can hit a serve at 122 miles per hour where as Watson can only reach 108 in comparison.

Williams is also probably the most aggressive player of her generation and at some points it intimidated Watson today. The Guernsey born Brit needs to hit back more if she wants to become Britain’s next champion since Virginia Wade in 1977.

Today Watson showed she has the stamina and talent to go all the way so despite the fact that she lost the biggest match of her career the whole of Britain is very proud including Lollipop.

“Retweet if @HeatherWatson92 just made you feel really effing proud. Favourite if she made you feel really effing proud,” tweeted 2013 Wimbledon champ Andy Murray.

The whole court had goosebumps in the final set so imagine how effing proud Lollipop would feel when she wins Wimbledon?

Because it could happen if she continues to play against any opponent like she’s playing Williams.

Watson was the only British female in the competition so now Lollipop will have to turn her attention to the men.

Up next Murray vs Italian Andreas Seppi currently ranked 27 in the world and James Ward who has reached the third round of Wimbledon for the first time plays the number 2 Canadian Vasek Pospisil.

Lollipop is hoping we don’t say goodbye to another Brit or to another Centre Court favourite.

Go Brown…

Where Have all the Good Women Gone?

Day four of the French Open has hit Lollipop with many surprises as the top seeded women at Roland Garros are falling short.

Fifth seed Caroline Wosniacki was the first big name to fall today alongside last year’s finalist Simona Halep who lost in straight sets to 33-year-old Croat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and sixth seed Eugenie Bouchard who lost 6-4, 6-4 to clay specialist Kristina Mladenovic.

The US open finalist lost in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 to Germany’s Julia Georges ranked 72^nd in the world meaning the two are even in their head-to-head matches (4-4) and the German is 3-0 against her on clay.

But for Lollipop this should not be such a surprising loss. Wozniacki has only reached the quarter finals of the French Open once in her career and was knocked in the first round last year.

Despite Wozniacki’s return of form clay is clearly not her best surface but for Georges it was.

“She’s given me trouble in the past and she gave me trouble again today,” Wozniacki said after the 6-4, 7-6 (4) loss. “And that sucks.”

The Dane must now prepare for the grass court season as does Brit no.1 Heather Watson who went out in round two for the fourth time in five years with defeat by US rising star Sloane Stephens.

The American claimed her first victory over Watson in five appearances ranked five places higher at 40, won 6-2 6-4.

Clearly her win over seven time Grand Slam title winner Venus Williams in straight sets gave her resounding confidence.

Despite Watson recovering from a break down to level at 4-4 in the second she was then broken to love, and a wayward forehand on match point gave Stephens victory.

“After a set and a bit I finally got into it, but at that point it was a little bit too late. It would’ve been a tough battle to get all the way back,” said Watson after her defeat.

Other top players did find a way to fight back. 2014 champion Serena Williams survived losing the first set to beat Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam 5-7 6-3 6-3.

The 2010 winner Francesca Schiavone won a gripping match over 2009 predecessor Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-7 (11-13) 7-5 10-8 in three hours 49 minutes -the third longest women’s singles match in French Open history.

Champion Schiavone saved six match points, then converted on her third match point to secure victory. At nearly 35 she is the oldest woman in the tournament.

Nine top seeded players have already fallen – four from the women’s draw. Lollipop can not call who will make the final. Last year Williams failed to make the second round of the French Open and suffered the worst loss of her grand slam career to Spain’s Garbin Murguruza. Prior to that In 2012, top seed Williams lost her only first-round match at a Slam to then-No. 111 Virginie Razzano at this same tournament.

Out of her 34 grand slam titles only 2 have been won at Roland Garros. She maybe the top seed but she is not Lollipop’s favourite on this service. She plays 27^th seed Victoria Azarenka next.

Maria Sharapova should be Lollipop’s clear winner but she faces a tough tie against Australian Samantha Stosur who won the Strasbourg Open last week and routed her opponents in the first two rounds here.

The two top seeds face difficult opponents. On clay anything could happen. Good women have already fallen. So maybe there will be a surprise US victor.

Halep breaks through at Indian Wells

The drama is over at the Indian Wells women’s singles final as  Simona Halep secured the biggest win of her career against former no.1 Jelena Jankovic 2-6 7-5 6-4 in 2 hours 37 minutes.

Lollipop cheered on the champion as she showed her grit in the final set to break serve when Jankovic flagged a forehand into the net and the Romanian moved ahead 5-3.

Halep was then just four points away from the title but her backhand went long giving Jankovic an unexpected break back point. Jankovic instantly broke back and forced the match into another game only this time it would be on her serve.

But Halep fought on. A ninth double fault gifted her three Championship points and she powered a forehand down the middle of the court to wrap up her third title of the year with victories at the Shenzen Open and the hard court event in Dubai.

After regaining her World No. 3 ranking Lollipop has high hopes for Halep. The Romanian reached the finals of  the French Open and Wimbledon in 2014 but could not beat the resilient Maria Sharapova in a pulsating three hour match nor Canadian Eugenie Bouchard as she suffered from an ankle injury throughout.

But 2015 could be different for the always runner up. Despite a disappointing Australian Open where Halep reached the quarter finals but lost in straight sets to 10^th seed Etatarena Marakova the Romanian has kept her resolve.

Many say Halep got lucky after Australian Open champ Serena Williams pulled out of their semi final tie before the match with a knee injury. But Halep had already overcome two gruelingly tight ties against top 15 players Karolina Pilskova and Carlo Suarez Navarro to get to the final. Plus the Romanian has beaten Williams before in straight sets at last years WTA Finals in Singapore. Who says she could not have done it again?

“Simona was unbelievable,” said Jankovic. “We were running like two dogs and in the end I couldn’t keep up any more. She’s the younger one.”

But Jankovic was the 2010 Indian Wells Champion. That title should have given her the belief to win however both players were not at their best which led to an epic match riddled with 18 breaks of serve.

The Romanian ended it on top and Lollipop believes she could stay on top this season. She has already proved she can beat the best. Now all that’s left Is a grand slam title.

A Dreadful finish but a promising start for Andy Murray

Lollipop and I witnessed no surprises this morning in the Australian Open. World no.1 Novak Djokovic won in four sets over  a frustrated four time Aussie finalist Andy Murray 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-0.

Despite a physically thrilling two and a half sets between the tennis rivals which saw our Scot win a gripping rally to lead 5-2 in the second and converting his third set point.

When Djokovic netted a forehand to drop serve at the start of the third set, Murray appeared to have finally gained the initiative after two-and-a-half hours. But Djokovic fought back to break serve and what two time Melbourne finalist Pat Cash described as a “meltdown” from Murray soon occurred.

“He needs a good, hard look in the mirror and to get his head together,” said Cash to BBC Radio 5 Live.

“He has not put up a great fight. He hasn’t. Don’t put a rose tint on this.” 

BBC Commentator John Lloyd- a beaten finalist at the Australian Open also berated Murray’s performance and said: “He unfortunately went back to his old, pre-Lendl days, where things weren’t going right and he’d blame his group and get negative.”

“But to give the match away because of those lapses is inexcusable from a person that has won two Grand Slams. It again showed his weakness and he has to correct that.”

The two time grand slam winner was given a stern telling off from critics but not from Lollipop. Yes we were disappointed to see the match slip away so quickly. Yes we were at times just as disgruntled as Murray but our champ made a bold move  in 2014. After controversially choosing Aussie Open champion Amelie Mauresmo as his coach and hailing their partnership when he won a thrilling semi final against Tomas Berdych earlier this week the Scot has brought female coaches to the forefront.

After his collapse on court today some may question their partnership but since his back surgery in 2013 Mauresmo has taken him so much further at the start of this year.

For Lollipop this loss is not a disappointing finish but a promising start to 2015 which Murray can only improve upon.

Cash is right. “He melted down, he absolutely collapsed.” Murray and Mauresmo can’t hide away from that. It is a mental niggle that needs to be snuffed away from his game before he can win another slam.

Djokovic had his own mini meltdowns throughout the final hurting his hand in a fall and appearing to struggle with an ankle problem early in the second set. He then left the court after he lost the set.

There were some concerned looks to coach Boris Becker in the stands. He stumbled on more than one occasion and required some energy-boosting fluids at a break down in the third set.

But unlike Murray he found his control and ability to comeback. Then to win in the final set 6-0 shows what an incredible 5 time Australian Open champion Lollipop and I were watching.

“I would like to congratulate Novak – it is a fantastic record and thoroughly deserved,” said Murray.

We could not have put it better ourselves. But we know our Scot will return. Like he said after the final this is his most consistent grand slam throughout his career however he just has not won it. Yet…

Can our girls go all the way in the 2015 Aussie Open?

Lollipop hopes so as the first Grand slam of the 2015 – the Australian Open starts on Monday at Melbourne Park.

In the long term absence of Laura Robson 22- year-old Heather Watson will be the only Brit in the competition. With Watson’s best performance in 2013 when she reached the third round of the Open she is no favourite like our champ Serena Williams. However Watson has proven she is no longer the underdog.

Today the tournament draws revealed Watson would take on in form Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round. Most players would see this as a tough opener but Watson and Lollipop are remaining positive.

The Guernsey born Brit told the Guardian. “I feel confident in myself, confident in my game and I’ve worked really hard in the off-season. I really hope that it pays off. It’s just converting it on the big moments, on the big stages, against the big players.”

Watson’s fighting talk can be backed up by her 2-2 record against Pironkova and their most recent match on grass in Eastbourne last summer which Watson won.

The 22-year-old enters 2015 as the world No49, by far Britain’s highest-ranked female player. Lollipop has found her results hugely encouraging this week at the Hobart International, where she has looked assured after beating American Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-1 in just 64 minutes and Roberta Vinci 7-6 (7-0), 6-2 on the way to Saturday’s final, where she faces the American qualifier Madison Brengle. If she wins, it will be her second WTA Tour title and her ranking will be pushing top 40.

Even if Watson does not win a title tomorrow she has proven she is just as in form as Pironkova. But if she does perhaps Lollipop and I will be expecting so much more of the British number one in next week’s grand slam.

Our champs will of course have an easier route to the second week of the Open. World number one and five-time champion Serena Williams plays unseeded Belgian Alison van Uytvanck, while second seed Maria Sharapova opens against a qualifier.

As the retired 2014 champion Li Na is unable to stage a comeback the tournament seems wide open for the top seeds. Serena Williams suffered a shock exit to former World No. 1 Anan Ivanovic for the first time in her career in the fourth round after later revealing she had considered withdrawing from the tournament even before her third round match due to a back injury.

French Open champion Maria Sharapova also suffered defeat early on last year in the 4th round where she lost in three sets to the 20th seed, and eventual finalist, Dominika Cibulkova.

So despite their rankings Lollipop believes we could have an unlikely winner just as we did in 2014.

Rising star Simona Halep, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and US open finalist Caroline Wozniacki could be ones to watch next week. But then again so could the other Brit girl.

With even 17-Grand Slam winner Roger Federer admitting that top seed Novak Djokovic is favourite to win in the Men’s draw the women’s singles looks far more unpredictable.

Expect fiery contests and high pitched exasperated screaming throughout next week only from Lollipop of course.

Disappointed or in awe of Federer

Lollipop and I were devastated when we heard the news that the world no.2 Roger Federer had pulled out of the ATP World Tour Finals after his thrilling match against fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka.

Despite Federer’s incredible comeback which he came through 4-6 7-5 7-6 (8-6) in London the looming final was just all too much.

In the closing moments of the match on Sunday there were signs that Roger was struggling again from the back injury he sustained in 2013.

The six time champ came out on court to say “I did everything I could. I took pain-killers, had rest until the very end, but I just cannot compete at this level with Novak.

“At my age it would’ve been a risk.”

The way the former champ addressed the crowd was exemplary but disappointing to watch. As world no.1 Novak Djokovic came to collect the trophy even he said: “”It’s clearly not the way I wanted.”

It is not the way Lollipop or other avid tennis fans wanted it either. But in such a gruelling individual sport it what sometimes happens. Federer has only pulled out of a competition three times in his professional career but this forfeit  marked a new stage of his game for Lollipop.

The 33-year-old announced he was not “match fit” and at his age it would have been a risk. At this point in his career are the games just coming around too fast for Federer. Granted. The Swiss had less time to recover than Djokovic. He was also playing this years Australian Open champion in a showstopping contest where Wawrinka had four match points he just could not convert.

Federer clearly had the tougher schedule but that has never been a problem before. At the Wimbledon final last summer Federer looked imperious. Djokovic had to play out five sets to win the title and although he won the crowd were on another man’s side. Roger Federer.

But tonight things were very different. The champion’s luck and skill has finally ran out and whether he will gain it again in time for the Davis Cup final against France next week is questionable.

Lollipop is not saying Federer should quit just yet, she’s too much of a tennis fan to ever say that but he is clearly not the same player that won Wimbledon five times in a row.

Federer has done everything possible to win another world title including changing his racket and hiring former world number one player Stefan Edberg as his coach but he just keeps coming second.

It is now something Lollipop has become used to but will Federer? His dominant win over Andy Murray on Thursday where he won 6-0, 6-1 shows he is still one of the best players to grace any court yet it was not enough to become the ATP World Tour Champion.

That crown now belongs to another man and his three consecutive titles this season shows he is in no mind to give it up.

All Bets are off at the US Open Final Lollipop

There are no underdogs in tennis any more. Not after Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic have beaten two of the top four seeds to reach their first ever US Open final. Nishikori has become the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam after beating the world number one and our favourite to win Novak Djokovic  6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 at Flushing Meadows.

Then as soon as Lollipop had recovered from one shock Cilic beat 17 time Grand Slam winner in straight sets 6-3 6-4 6-4 in 1hr 45 mins. The finalist is the first Croatian to reach a Slam final since his coach Goran Ivanisevic in 2001 who could barely watch as he held his face into his cap during the final game.

Lollipop and I confess we were one of many who expected to see Djokovic in the final but the Serb seemed to be faltering at points. The Wimbledon champ dropped serve at the start of the fourth set and the match ended with Djokovic facing two match points as he hit a tired forehand over the baseline.

“Other than that second set my game today was not even close to what I wanted it to be,” said a beaten Djokovic at the end of the match.

Cilic vs Federer was a more routine match. There was no momentous comeback from the Swiss from the semi finals when he saved two match points to beat Frenchman Gael Monfils. Instead Cilic was in control throughout as he broke serve four times, hit 43 winners and faced just two break points.

Even Cilic dubbed the match as his best performance in his entire career. The two shocks of the tournament means it will be the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that the top four will not take part in a Grand Slam Final.  

Although Tennis fans may feel disappointed that they won’t get to see the stars of the game battle it out as usual they will get to see the start of a new Tennis era.

Djokovic, Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka will have to analyse their US Open defeats and decide if they still truly want this. Each of them have won Grand Slams before but their experience has got them no where this time around. Cilic and Nishikori just looked hungrier and feistier today on court. As Djokovic screamed at his spectator box during his match this afternoon it was clear to see that he still wants to win more titles, but so do others. There is no fear factor in tennis any more with Federer ageing, Djokovic flailing and Andy Murray just not at his fittest the sport is changing.

Lollipop and I daren’t choose a winner for Sunday’s historical final. Nishikori has clearly been on court longer. The Japanese finalist needed 10 sets and more than eight hours to win his previous two matches over Milos Raonic and Wawrinka. If this final goes to a five set thriller Cilic could have the edge. But nothing is for certain in this year’s US Open. One man will definitely be looking on thinking what could have been. Would those shock defeats even have happened if he was on court to retain his title?