Rule Britannia

2012 was a high point for widespread British sporting success. 2013 is not shaping up too shabbily either. The Lions, Murray, Froome, the Ashes, Justin Rose. Hamilton got in on the act on Sunday at the Hungaroring.

Andy Murray has not been doing too badly lately. 2012 Wimbledon runner-up. Olympics singles gold, & mixed doubles silver. US Open champ. Runner-up Australian Open 2013, & now Wimbledon champ. Famously the gap since Perry won was 77 years. There aren’t many title droughts in sports to beat that. Two of the longest are in baseball: the Chicago Cubs haven’t won the world series since 1908, & it took the Red Sox 86 years to lift the so-called ‘curse of the Bambino’.

It pains me to say it, but with recent results Federer  looks finished as force as the top level. He has lost to players ranked outside the top 50 in three straight events. It’s even possible, if his current poor from continues, that  he may not qualify for the year-end top eight finals.

Chris Froome dominated the Tour de France. Only on the last Alpine stage did he concede time to his major rivals. His Sky team slowed up behind the peloton on the Champs Elysees to cross the line together, losing 40 seconds, otherwise his margin of victory would have exceeded five minutes. Froome showed his class both in the time trials and the mountains.

After  three  rounds at the Open an Englishman topped the leaderboard, but a certain Californian lefty claimed the claret jug. Mickelson has never been ranked world no. 1, but that’s due to playing in the same era as Tiger Woods, having been in the year-end 2^nd spot four times.

Performance of the Month

Harsh not to give it to Murray for ending that long wait, but Froome shades it.

Honourable mention:
The Lions for that rare series win.

Vamos !

Rafa Nadal enhanced his credentials as the greatest ever on the red dirt with an eighth Roland Garros title. Even the most die-hard fans of Bjorn Borg would find it hard to disagree now. Nadal was seriously troubled in the first two rounds but produced his best when it mattered, & the epic semi-final v Djokovic was my sporting highlight of the year so far. 

Serena Williams is on ominous form, on her weakest surface was taken to three sets only once, by Kuznetsova. 

It’s difficult to choose for performance of the month between Rafa & Serena. Rafa edges it for the epic semi-final win over Djokovic. Since I drafted this Rafa blotted his copybook with the loss to Darcis in the first round of Wimbledon, but still… 

At Wimbledon, with all the top seeds falling, it seemed to be the end of an era. It was the first Slam with both Federer & Nadal in the draw that neither made the third round.

The Confederations Cup saw another great run brought to an end. An inspired Brazil took energy & inspiration from the Rio roar to thump the mighty Spain three-nil and again upset the form book. 

After Justin Rose won the US Open, it surprised me to realise that it was so long since an Englishman (Faldo)  last won a major. With Scots, Ulster, & Irish winners having been celebrated in recent years, it didn’t register that there was a barren spell for the English. I remember Rose’s stunning debut at the Open as an amateur. Famously he struggled with the burden of expectation after turning pro, missing 21 straight cuts.  

Performance of the Month 

 

Nadal. 
 

Honourable Mentions:

Rose.

Brazil.