The star gunfighters just will not leave town. For all the fleeting concern about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal they are still standing, still shooting from the hip, still dangerous.
And, speaking of hips, even Lleyton Hewitt, just a few months after having his spliced and braced, is moving like a young colt and has revived memories of his 2002 triumph here. Given he is the last man to beat Federer, on grass in Halle two weekends ago, it would be folly to dismiss the 29-year-old Australian.
Nadal, who started well then dropped two sets to the precocious Dutchman Robin Haase yesterday, gets the third examination of his tennis here on Centre Court tomorrow, against the German Philipp Petzschner, whom he has beaten easily twice, on hard court and clay. Federer passed his test today in a match he might have ordered personally.
The No1 seed roared back to something like his best with a thoroughly convincing performance against the 32-year-old Frenchman, Arnaud Clément, who these days talks a better shoot-out than he delivers. "I knew Clément was going to allow me to play a bit more" was Federer's diplomatic take on a match he won in straight sets with barely a challenge to his dominance.
As if by some alchemy the ball left his strings on command again, full of menace in all directions, so unlike the near inexplicable shambles of his first-round flirtation with an early exit against Alejandro Falla, a five-set nightmare that seems as surreal in retrospect as it did at the time.
Then there was a blip against the flamboyant Serbian Ilija Bozoljac but now, with the freedom to express himself against an opponent he knows finds consistency a problem, the deftness returned as crisp, deceptively gentle shots flew into just the right spaces, parts of the court Clement could only dream of reaching.
Federer was detained a mere 28 minutes in polishing off Clément in the first set; the second took him 10 minutes longer; by the third inevitability crowded out expectation and went by in a twinkling, the Frenchman going home with eight games to his name. It was a decent hit-up. Federer faces a stiffer test on Monday against the Austrian Jürgen Melzer, who beat Spain's Feliciano Lopez in four sets.
Melzer and Federer have not met in serious competition since the juniors but the Swiss remembers him well enough. "We played doubles back at the Orange Bowl, probably in '97 or '96. So we go way back," Federer said. "It's funny because I've practised with him, chat with him every day in the locker rooms. Usually we always play the same tournaments as well because he's Austrian, I'm Swiss."
"We tend to have similar schedules, but we never met. Kind of cool we finally get a chance to play each other, especially here at Wimbledon, which I think is one of his best surfaces on grass, and he's coming off of a great French Open." The idea that Melzer think it is kind of cool to get a public thrashing from Federer is an interesting one.
When Hewitt looks across the net at Novak Djokovic on Monday, he will see not just a player he has lost to three times out of four but one of the faces of the future. This is recent past v recent present, as Djokovic has yet to convince he can move on from being a threat to a kingpin. It makes for a classic encounter and form dictates it will not disappoint. Djokovic will start favourite, having overcome a slow start to move impressively through the gears to swipe away Albert Montanes in 101 minutes on Court One.
But a win for Hewitt is less preposterous than it might have seemed a few months ago, given the hell the Australian has gone through since being bounced out of his own Open in Melbourne in January and then having his hip and knee sliced and patched up so he can carry on what has been a career of many highs and lows.
Hewitt does not look like a crippled old pro; rather, on the evidence of his dismissal of France's faltering young talent, Gaël Monfils, 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 on Centre Court, he is a man reborn, an opponent to fear again – as Federer learned to his cost in Halle.
Djokovic will be in a state of heightened preparation for him, and not just on the back of that result, Hewitt's first win over the world's best grass-court player in 16 attempts. Although Djokovic beat Hewitt here in four sets three years ago and far more easily in the Australian Open the following year, as well as putting him away at Queen's the same year, he knows there is class in those worn bones.
Djokovic felt the power of Hewitt near its peak when he could take only six games off him in the first round at Flushing Meadows in 2006. He was a pup of 19 then. He is a hungry wolf of 23 now.
They have other scores to settle, given Australia beat Serbia 2-1 in the World Cup. "If we had the draw," said Djokovic, "we would go through." There will be no draw on Monday, no second chance, no way home but the quick way.
Andy Roddick, so near here so many times with no joy, fights on, beating the German Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3.
That's more like it!. A straight set win (6-2, 6-4,6,2). Finally some normalcy has been restored to the craziness that has been the first week of Wimbledon.
On the women's side things are finally getting exciting.
Both Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin made it through their respective 3rd rounds setting up what is sure to be a highly entertaining 4th round match on Monday. So looking forward to that!.
At the moment I'm very split about who to root for since I like them both. But I will give Kim the edge.
In a way I almost wish those 2 were on the opposite sides of the draw so that I wouldn't be forced to choose.
Equally as exciting will be the possible potential meeting between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
Assuming they both make it through tomorrow. I'm rooting for Maria to kick some major booty.
Next week is going to be jam packed. The tennis geek in me is doing a happy dance just at the prospect of all the good stuff to come. Is it Monday yet?!.
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