Not many open their Grand Slam accounts at Wimbledon. Arguably the most prestigious of the four Grand Slams, the Venus Rosewater Dish and the Gentlemen's Singles Trophy are generally claimed by veteran major winners who are really comfortable on grass. But wait, Wimbledon 2011, the 125th championships at the hallowed All England Club, was just proven to be an exception. The charmingly cool Petra Kvitova captured the Ladies' Singles title, after the top seeds all fell one by one.
Kvitova was only the third Czech woman to walk away with the dish, after the legendary Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna. Both her illustrious compatriots were present at the Centre Court in the box to watch a famous win for their country. Navratilova has nine singles titles at Wimbledon alone, but Kvitova is not aiming as high just yet.
I didn't expect her to win at all, let alone in straight sets. But Sharapova's weakness when it comes to holding serve was exploited in full by the eventual champion, with fatal consequences to the Russian's dream of a second win at the All England Club. Kvitova was calm and composed after her win, very much unlike Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's wild happiness after simply securing a break point when he didn't even go on to win the match. She went down on her knees after a superb ace, grinning from ear to ear, applauded by her compatriots and an appreciating British crowd.
Sharapova wasn't downhearted either. Perhaps it had sunk in as she got broken repeatedly through the match. She acknowledged the crowd, then stated she would be back to aim for the big prize. The players did the ceremonial lap of honour, photographed and lauded.
There's more to come. Hours away is the mouthwatering clash of new World No. 1 in-form Novak Djokovic and holder Rafael Nadal. Both men are confident, but only one will have the last laugh!
Kvitova was only the third Czech woman to walk away with the dish, after the legendary Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna. Both her illustrious compatriots were present at the Centre Court in the box to watch a famous win for their country. Navratilova has nine singles titles at Wimbledon alone, but Kvitova is not aiming as high just yet.
I didn't expect her to win at all, let alone in straight sets. But Sharapova's weakness when it comes to holding serve was exploited in full by the eventual champion, with fatal consequences to the Russian's dream of a second win at the All England Club. Kvitova was calm and composed after her win, very much unlike Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's wild happiness after simply securing a break point when he didn't even go on to win the match. She went down on her knees after a superb ace, grinning from ear to ear, applauded by her compatriots and an appreciating British crowd.
Sharapova wasn't downhearted either. Perhaps it had sunk in as she got broken repeatedly through the match. She acknowledged the crowd, then stated she would be back to aim for the big prize. The players did the ceremonial lap of honour, photographed and lauded.
There's more to come. Hours away is the mouthwatering clash of new World No. 1 in-form Novak Djokovic and holder Rafael Nadal. Both men are confident, but only one will have the last laugh!
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