Monday Marks the Beginning of Wimbledon

Gambling News - June 21, 2009 - Written by Jimmy

Monday marks the beginning of the most prestigious Tennis tournament, in the world, Wimbledon. Coming to you from the All England Club, Wimbledon starts on June 22nd, 2009 and runs through July 5th, 2009. Wimbledon is the tournament that every tennis player, young and old, dreams of winning.

This year, the tournament has already made news, before it started, with the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal, #1 ranked Tennis player in the World. Nadal pulled out of the tournament on Friday, due to tendinitis, in both quadriceps tendons, as well as fluid on his knees. "I’m here and I'm just not 100%. I'm better than what I was a couple of weeks ago but I don’t feel right," says Nadal at a Friday press conference from the All England Club. Nadal, not only the #1 ranked player in World, but he was also slated to be the #1 seed, coming into the tournament.

With Nadal gone, this opens the door for his chief rival, Roger Federer. Federer, coming off a championship at the French Open, appears to be in top form. Now with Nadal not in the tournament, Federer's odds to win Wimbledon have increased significantly. In the 2008 Wimbledon Final, Nadal beat Federer, in 5 sets, in a match that was dubbed one of the greatest of all time.

On the women's side, Venus Williams returns to defend her title, which beat her sister, in 2 sets, Serena Williams. Venus will have her work cut out for her, as there are several talented ladies competing this year. Her main competition will be the #1 seed, Dinara Safina.

First round matches start tomorrow, and will be covered on ESPN, ESPN2, and NBC, in high definition format. Live coverage begins at 7am EST, on ESPN2. During that coverage we will see Roger Federer take center court, at 1pm, London time, to take on Yen-Hsun Lu. As always, the matches should be exciting, especially with the tradition and lore that comes with Wimbledon.