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Sunday, 8 July 2007 - As It Happened
Photo Titled The Mixed Doubles Champions
The Mixed Doubles Champions
©ProSport / T. Hindley
Sunday, 8 July, 2007

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9.30pm STOP PRESS: One final word, which will be appreciated by anyone who's been with us on this journey since the opening Monday - and is still amazed that we're not gearing up for a third or even fourth Monday of play. It's raining.... again.

But nothing can cloud over our sunny mood after watching the Two Js perform like an established comedy duo in their highly entertaining press conference. Good night all.

8.17pm. OK folks, that’s it. It’s all over, even though the fat lady hasn’t sung. Wimbly 2007 is over. Long live Wimbly.

We’ll see you all next year. Tune in, gear up, and be as good as you can in the circumstances.

8.15pm. Mrs. Murray is crying. Brother Andy is in the crowd applauding his big brother.

Jelena points at her cheek, telling Jamie to give her a kiss. Lots of waving, lots of smiling. Smiley, happy faces. And the first Brit winner at Wimbly in 20 years.

8.09pm. TWO Js WIN. Two Js ARE CHAMPS.

8.07pm. Oh my goodness. Another break of Bjorkman’s serve. Jelena is serving for the match.

8.02pm. Molik is a pretty smart cookie too you know. She has a couple of doubles grand slams under her belt.

Bjorkman’s serving at 1-4 now. I’m a bit worried that there’s not enough Two J smiling, but Jonas and Alicia have started smiling now. I’m not sure if it’s ironic.

7.54pm. Jelena has simply the most kookily beautiful driving forehand which looks like she’s gonna play across court, but at the last nanosecond she angles it down the line. It’s a winner every time.

Massive poach by Jamie running all the way across the net to smash the service return.

Two Js 3-0 up.

7.50pm. Jamie opens the third set. Whoever wins this baby, don’t forget to read Tim’s match report on it. He’s now officially the website bunker team’s Jamie/Jelena guru. And he’s no tittle-tattle, so don’t pin him down for gossip. He’ll just tell you there isn’t any. But he might be smiling while he tells you.

Do none of you guys and gals have gossip to spill? I promise I won’t publish…

Oh, yes, and the score is … Bjorkman’s serve just broken. Two Js 2-0 up.

7.44pm. The Two Js save two set points. But not the third set point.

Settle in for the final set decider.

7.40pm Big fight back by the Brit/Serb duet, but Bjorkman is serving for the set, at 5-3.

Bjorkman’s no slouch in the big-champ stakes. He was a losing finalist in the mixed back in 1999, with Anna Kournikova. And he’s a multi-champ in the men’s doubles – winning in here 2002, 2003, 2004, all with Todd Woodbridge. Is his wealth of experience going to make the crucial difference today?

7.33pm. Oh no, the Two Js have stopped smiling and they’ve lost the plot in this set. Maybe they can only win if they’re both grinning from ear to ear. Alicia is serving 5-1 up.

7.30pm. Tension mounts, the 5th seeds have just broken the Two Js serve, and now Jonas/Alicia lead 4-1 in the second.

I don’t whether Jonas/Alicia should be tired or nicely warmed up. Because of course, they had to play their semi-final out here this morning. And that was a three set corker of a match, where they dropped the middle set. Over an hour and a half of play, so I guess you’d call that nicely warmed up. What do you reckon?

7.23pm. I know I mentioned it yesterday, but if the Two Js do win this thing, it’ll be the first Brit Wimbly Champion we’ve had for exactly 20 years. In 1987 Jeremy Bates and Jo Durie (both Brits) won the mixed doubles title.

7.16pm. Hi guys and gals. Sally here again. How’s your day going? It’s been quite a nice day here. Couple of fair decent matches have happened.

I’ve just been out to watch a bit of the Two Js match against Bjorkman/Molik, and what a cracker it is. Pretty packed Centre Court, all basking in late evening sunshine. Slightly partisan crowd I must say, though Alicia has her fair share of fans (all of the shouts came from blokes, I noticed).

7.13pm: The smiles are getting wider. They’ve captured the first! They look like they don’t have a care in the world.

7.09pm: The British/Serbian duo have captured what looks like the crucial third break of the set. Jamie is serving for the set at 5-4.

6.55pm: Doesn’t look like the occasion’s getting to Jamie and Jelena. They are still smiling and laughing. Despite one break each, the match is now level at 3-3.

6.40pm: Bjorkman eventually held his opening service game. According to the BBC commentator, Jelena has promised Jamie lots of kisses if they win the title.

6:31pm: The smiles are still there! Jamie and Jelena look so at ease on court against the experienced Aussie/Swedish partnership. Bjorkman kicks off proceedings and is immediately under pressure. It's currently 40-40.

6:26pm: Alicia Molik, Jonas Bjorkman, Jelena Jankovic and Jamie Murray are currently at the net with the ref, completing the coin toss.

6:24pm: The 'Two Js' - Jelena, complete with a flower in her hair - have come on Centre Court to huge applause, ready for the Mixed Doubles final.

6:20pm: The BBC has just flashed up on footage of Federer and Bjorn Borg having a chat in the Club House. Federer's name has just been added to the roll of honour for the fifth time - equalling Borg's five-in-a-row record.

6:18pm: In all the excitement we've completely forgotten to let you know the result of the ladies' doubles final. Cara Black and Liezel Huber are the 2007 Champions after beating Ai Sugiyama and Katarina Srebotnik 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in 119 minutes.

6:13pm: Federer looks so cool in his white blazer. He's doing a circuit of Centre Court showing his trophy off to his army of fans.

6:11pm: I've just been told this match, at 3 hours 55 minutes, was the third longest men's singles final of all time. Whatever records it has or hasn't broken, it will surely be remembered as one of the best finals of all time.

6:10pm: In an interview with Sue, Federer admits he "got lucky" on his way to a five-set victory over Rafael Nadal on Centre Court.

6:06pm: Rafa's being interviewed by Sue Barker. He's full of praise for his opponent. There is so much mutual respect between the two finalists. It's wonderful to see.

6.04pm: Federer - dressed in his blazer and trousers - goes up to collect the trophy from the Duke Of Kent.

6:05pm: Rafa goes up to collect his plate and thank his supporters.

6:00pm: Well done Federer!! The Super Swiss has just equalled Borg's record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles with an easy smash at the net. He's fallen to the floor in a big heap and is crying!

All credit to Rafa though - he put in a great performance. Maybe next year will be his year? He's definitely getting closer to the trophy.

5:59pm: A Rafa netted forehand gives Federer a second Championship point. You can feel the tension!

5:58pm: Rafa's just pushed a forehand long to bring up a Championship point to Federer. Phew. Rafa's saved it when a Federer forehand sailed long.

5:54pm: Federer just punished a weak second serve by Nadal to take the game to deuce.

5:50pm: Roger's just served three aces to hold his serve to love. He now leads 5-2. Has Rafa got anything left in reserve?

5:49pm: Roger's got the advantage in this fifth set. A lovely forehand whipped down the line has sealed the break to lead 4-2

5:47pm: Roger's just stepped up a gear. The Swiss master is now a shadow of the frustrated figure of the third set. Eeeek. He's got three break points on the Rafa serve.

5:46pm: Molly Cullen writes: "My entire family is rooting for Fed, while I'm hoping for Rafa. This match is legendary and I can't believe the moves these men are making. This is truely tennis history in the making. I still think Rafa's got it. I hope he does."

5:41pm: We just had a straw poll who we want to win. Five of us are rooting for Fed, while two want Nadal to win. Paul, ever the diplomat, wants tennis to be the winner! I think Paul might be right. After all of the rain that's annoyingly graced this tournament it's great that we have a fantastic final under the sunny skies. A great example for the sport.

5:35pm: Federer has saved the break points and its now 2-1 to the Swiss. The television screen has just flashed up to show an image of Bjorn Borg. Is his record safe?

5.33pm: The Fed Express has been halted momentarily. Nadal has got two break points on his serve.

5:30pm: Stat alert! It's now the fifth longest men's singles final of all time overtaking the 1977 classic between Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors, who are both here today watching. Nice.

5:27pm: Rafa's taken the set 6-2. All evens now. I've just been told that this is the first time Roger has been taken to five sets at Wimbledon since his 33 match winning streak began. That's an amazing achievement in itself by Rafa!

5:23pm: Jon is back with another stonker of a stat. It's currently the sixth longest men's singles final of all time. Interestingly the top five were all played between 1977 and 1985. We'll keep you updated as this one climbs the list.

5:20pm: More comments. John Kiel from the USA writes: "Does it really get any better than this? Both players have confidence and poise. I love the game and am thankful for the rivalry. Roger will prevail in 5 sets.

Luisa Camargo from Colombia adds: "Federer is playing somo awesome tennis. Sure, Nadal is fighting hard, but hopefully Federer will continue to serve well and win. Go Federer!!!!!!"

Bill from the USA writes: "With all the hoopla about how many times Nadal played this week, and Federer getting a pass on one match, I thought Nadal might tire in the third or fourth set. No sign of it."

5:17pm: Office geek (AKA Jon) has just told me this is now officially the longest match since Boris Becker beat Kevin Curren to take his first Wimbledon title in 1985 (3 hours 18 minutes).

5:15pm: Rafa has a slight scare at 15-30, however keeps his focus to hold and stretch his advantage to four games.

5:10pm: After a quick massage and with heavy strapping under his right knee-cap, Rafa steps up to serve at 4-1. He's hobbling around a bit, but manages to take the first point with a fizzing forehand cross court.

5:06pm: Oh no. Nadal's just called for the trainer to look at his right knee. Let's hope it's nothing serious.

5:05pm: Federer looks to have re-focused - he's just held serve to get on the scoreboard in the fourth set.

5.04pm: The winners are just flying off Rafa’s racquet now. I’ve never seen Federer look so flustered on grass. Could he have finally met his match?

John Calleja from Malta writes: "I really think that Nadal should win this encounter!!! Federer is a great player but Nadal is showing great fighting spirit and certainly deserves to tame Federer on grass!!!"

4.58pm: High drama on Centre Court. There’s a hawk-eye challenge which the 3d animation calls in but Fed’s not happy, saying that it was out. He nets the next shot and is broken by Rafa. He’s still complaining to the Umpire during the change of ends. Rafa then holds his next serve and suddenly the Spaniard is 4-0 up in the fourth set. Has that hawk-eye decision got to the ice-cool Fed?

4.56pm: Roger may have momentarily lost his concentration but his fans are fighting back, Nick from Belgium wrote: “Of course there are Roger fans out there ! It's clear that Nadal has improved on grass, but it's also clear that Roger is going to win this match, one way or another...”.

4.52pm: Federer may be one set away from his fifth title but this match isn’t over by a long shot. A brutish forehand down the line from Nadal has given the Spanish warrior a break in the opening game of the fourth set.

4.45pm: Federer fans, I have good news for you. Your man has just taken the first set thanks to a wild forehand from Nadal. I’m a physical and emotional wreck watching this so as the fourth set gets underway, I’m handing you over to Beci.

4.39pm: As the tie-break begins, no superlatives can do this match justice. A word of caution though, a nasty black cloud has just parked itself above Centre Court.

4.32pm: It’s 5-5 in the third and finally we have some love for Roger. Svetlana from Poland writes: “I believe Roger is the No.1 player in the world ever. He plays high class tennis! This is exactly why I love tennis! Good luck Roger!!!”.

4.19pm: Seriously, is anyone out there supporting Roger? Adélia Rocha for Portugal is another Nadal fan. She writes: “If it goes to five sets I don't think Federer will have it in him both mentally and physically to win. Remember Nadal has the better 5 set record, 9 wins and just 2 losses”.

4.06pm: Nadal is winning the battle of the emails. The complements are flooding in for the Spaniard. Ron Luthra from Canada says: “Rafa is playing his best tennis on grass. He's definitely going to give Roger a run for his money. I predict Roger takes it in five,”. We’re still on serve in the third set and the tennis is still out of this world.

3.51pm: This is turning into one fantastic final with both guys playing some exceptional tennis. It’s a joy to watch. Just as it looked like the second set was heading for another tie-break, Nadal pounced. He bagged two break points on Federer’s serve. However, the pirate-panted Spaniard only needed one as he sent a backhand down the line, leaving Federer helpless at the net.

3.44pm: Clement and Llodra have just won their first Grand Slam doubles together in the biggest upset of the day. The French fourth seeds were ecstatic, throwing racquets and shirts into the crowd. In fact, Llodra had to borrow a shirt from someone in his camp in order to collect his trophy!

3.40pm: Pasko Pancirov from Croatia is loving Rafa’s work. He writes: “Nadal is sooo much better than last year ...I think its going to be a 4 Set Game" at least.”.

3.32pm: Brit Jeremy Bates with Swedish partner Anders Jarryd have just won the Gentlemen's Senior Invitation Doubles, beating holders Kevin Curren and Johan Kriek. 20 years ago, Bates with Jo Durie won the mixed doubles championship at Wimbledon. Maybe this bodes well for Jamie Murray this afternoon.

3.20pm: Just time for a quick Court One update as the main event is with serve. Clement and Llodra have just scooped the third set against the top seeded Bryan Brothers.

3.14pm: What a tie-break. Roger was serving at 6-5 hoping to convert his third set point. Rafa hit a chip down the line and it was called out. First set Federer, you’d assume, but no. Nadal called on Hawk-Eye which revealed the ball clipped the line. The point was replayed, Federer netted and it was all-square. Unfortunately for the Spanish quarter, this was all in vain as the defending champion meandered to the net moments later, dispatched a crisp volley to take the opening set.

3.00pm: Over on Court 18 Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova, past champions of the circuit, have won the Ladies' Invitation Doubles. For Jana, this was her fourth win of this cup in a row, though she's had different partners in this streak. Back on Centre, a tie-break will decide the opener.

2.48pm: Nadal is back! The Spaniard is swaggering around Centre with a steely look of determination in his eye. He looks so at home, hitting 83 mph passing shots for fun. It’s as if the grass has turned to clay. FYI – It’s 5-4 to Federer with serve.

2.41pm: Turing our attention to No.1 Court momentarily, the Bryan Brothers have just dropped their first set of the tournament in the Men's Doubles final against Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra to level the match at one set apiece. The support for the brothers is overwhelming!

2.36pm: Just as I was uttering the words: “This could be over very quickly”, Rafa broke back with a sublime passing shot down the line. Game on! Its 3-2 and on serve.

2.28pm: It’s advantage Federer. After comfortably holding his serve, the super Swiss has just converted his third break point to take a 2-0 lead when Rafa slapped an easy cross court forehand into the net. I’ve just blinked and it would appear Roger is now 3-0 up. It’s the perfect start for the defending champion.

2.17pm You’d have thought the tennis world would have stopped in honour of the Gentlemen’s Final but it hasn’t. Out on Court 2, Urszula Radwanska has just captured the girls’ junior crown and made history in the process. Her sister Adnieszka won it back in 2005 - they’re the first sisters to win the title.

2.10pm: Roger’s got off to a winning start. He’s won the toss and elected to serve.

2.01pm: Nadal is marching onto centre court hopping from foot to foot. The Spaniard seems agitated as he takes his seat by the umpire’s chair, he can’t stop fidgeting. The reigning champion on the other hand saunters onto the grass like he’s stepped out for an afternoon stroll. All that’s missing is a Martini

2.00pm: – Rafa has just been interviewed by the BBC and the boy looks nervous. By contrast, Federer has just strolled into shot with a big grin on his face. He doesn’t seem to have care in the world and looks like he’s about to pop out for a spot of lunch.

1.55pm: The line-up of the mixed doubles final has just been decided. Jonas Bjorkman and Alicia Molik will be heading over to centre court later this afternoon following their victory over Fabrice Santoro and Severine Bremond.

1.30pm: Good afternoon its Paul here. Weather permitting this is final day of the 121st Wimbledon Championships. I’m delighted to say there is still bright blue sky over Centre Court, the sun is blazing and there is a very light breeze. To put it another away, it’s the perfect conditions for a men’s final. But before we get onto Mr Federer and Mr Nadal, I bring news of their young pretenders. The American Donald Young has just captured the boys’ junior title with a straight sets victory over Vladimir Ignatic.

1.16pm: Looking ahead to today's final Giovanni Minieri of Italy thinks that Nadal will be a difficult proposition for Roger this afternoon. "Rafa, compared with last year has improved a lot, especially on serve, return and volleys...". Giovanni's plumping for Rafa to win in five. While I think it will be a cracking match this afternoon between the two best players in the men's game, I just can't see Rafa beating Roger.

1.10pm: We're less than an hour away from the Roger and Rafa show. Meanwhile, the other finals around the grounds are heading towards the finish line. Donald Young is a set up and leading 2-0 in the second set in his boys' final against Vladimir Ignatic. Meanwhile in the other junior singles match today, Madison Brengle is beating Urszula Radwanska in the girls' final after taking the first set. She's a break up in the second. The defending men's doubles champions, Mike and Bob Bryan have come on court for their final against Arnaud Clement and Michael Llondra.

12.43pm: Stephen Malone from Australia has written concerned about whether it will be possible to have any play on Centre Court, what with all the construction work going on. Well Stephen, next year they'll be playing on Centre Court with a fixed roof covering the stands. The retractable roof will be up and running for the 2009 Championships.

12.25pm. Just to remind you, the men’s final starts at 2pm on Centre Court. After that will be the mixed doubles final.

Court No. 1 kicks off at 1pm, so go and prepare lunch now, so you can settle in front of the telly or the Wimbledon LIVE stream. First up is the men’s doubles final, followed by the ladies’ doubles final.

12.15pm. The girls’ singles final has started. One-to-watch Urszula Radwanska, the sixth seeded Polish girl I was telling you about yesterday, is out on court with Madison Brengle from the USA. I’ll keep you posted.

Jelena Jankovic was out in the village last night, not out-on-the-town, just wandering around, according to our insider info in the website bunker. And the other J was not with her. So not a single iota of gossip to report on this count.

11.50am. Hi guys and gals, Sally here. It’s a beautiful day, hay, hay. It’s a beautiful da-ay.

We have clear blue skies all round. There the exact same colour of my very first car. A Citroen Dyane who was called Ludwig, named after the children’s TV programme that used to be on at about 5.35pm before the news at 5.40pm. So now many of the Brits will be able to pinpoint my age, but I have already monikered myself a fuddy-duddy.

I’m writing a feature on the invitation doubles finals today, so if any of you have useful facts and tidbits on any of the finalists, boys or girls (non-age specific), do let me know.

11.20am: Good morning. David here and it's a beautiful day at the All England Lawn Tennis Club for the final of the men's singles between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. We'll be here throughout the day with all the news from the big match itself, as well as all the other assorted finals taking place today.

Play starts at 12pm on the outside courts today so there isn't much happening around the grounds at the moment apart from a demonstration of the talented kids from the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative on Court 14. Send us in your thoughts and predictions for the day, as well and anything else that crosses your mind.

Written by AELTC Staff


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