My Wimbledon Experience: What To Expect & How to Get Tickets

So I was lucky enough to get tickets for the first two days at Wimbledon this year and after reading up on various forums and travel sites, I've created a guide on what to expect for those who are thinking of visiting the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

How To Get Tickets

French Open: Nadal Wins Over Djokovic

Nadal won a record seven French Open titles today by defeating Djokovic in 4 sets. This is not too surprising given Nadal's historical reign on clay courts and his two clay court titles earlier this year, both over Djokovic in the finals. His lefty spin that kicks high to the backhand, super speed and consistency make him virtually impossible to beat at Rolland Garros. Novak did beat Rafa in the last three Grand Slam finals so I'm sure Nadal wasn't going to take it too easily.

Roger Federer On A Roll, Wins Indian Wells

Roger Federer has been on a roll since last year's US Open. He's won 39 of his last 41 matches (unfortunately both losses in Grand Slams) and won four of the last six tournaments he entered. His win at BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, ties Nadal for the record at 19 Master 1000 titles. Federer also leads the South African Airways ATP Ranking Race to London which is no surprise given his recent victories.

Book: Rafa, Rafael Nadal's Autobiography

Here is my take on Rafael Nadal's autobiography "Rafa". Being a huge tennis fan, I found it interesting to read what went on in Nadal's head throughout his career up until the end of 2010. It's kind of funny for someone to have an autobiography when they're only 24. I guess someone in his entourage really wanted this project to go through and it did.

Fun Facts

• Rafa was born and raised in Manacor, Mallorca, a town of 40,000
• Rafa feels closer to Mallorcans compared to other Spaniards (he speaks Mallorqui, dialect of Catalan and incomprehensible to Spanish)
• Mallorca is the only place Rafa can be in peace, people leave him alone with the notion that everyone is equal. A quote from a book that describes the culture of Nadal's hometown well, "Dear Mallorcans", tells us, “Anyone who tries to raise their head above the rest will immediately have it chopped off.”  
• Nadal literally mean "Christmas" in Catalan 
• Rafa cut out running from training (says he runs enough in practice/matches) Wow! 
• Uncle Toni did not get paid for his time as a coach but he owns half of Rafa's father's company and takes half the profits without doing any work. 

Manacor on Google Maps

Tennis: Australian Open 2012, Djokovic vs Nadal Rivalry

Novak Djokovic does it again to win his fourth Grand Slam title. What's interesting to note is that he now owns Rafael Nadal (he won his last seven matches against Nadal, three in Grand Slam finals) after starting off with a mediocre 30% win percentage in their first 23 head-to-head matches over a five-year span.

*Just added at the bottom, a video of Nadal and Djokovic about to collapse after playing for six hours at the Aussie Open Final and having to listen to the long winded sponsors and admin speeches. Pretty funny.

What's interesting about this rivalry, compared to say Federer vs Nadal is that the tide has completely shifted. Federer never owned Nadal, in fact, Nadal went from beating Federer half the time, to almost beating him every time (just like how Federer owns Roddick). Even though Federer destroyed Nadal (6-3, 6-0) in the 2011 year ending Championships in London, he hasn't beaten the Spaniard in a Grand Slam in five years.

Why Tennis Is Fun For Everyone (+ Tips for Beginners)

Don't try this at home

Before I comment about the wonderful sport of tennis, I must comment on last week’s US Open. I know it’s a bit late but the Djokovic vs. Nadal match was history in the making. First, Djokovic’s record of 64-2 will most likely not be equaled anytime soon, but then again it wasn’t that long ago in ‘84 when Johnny McEnroe went 82-3. Congrats to him and I’d love to rally with someone of his caliber one day.