Breakfast at Wimbledon: A Look at the Ladies’ Final

Breakfast at Wimbledon is an honored tradition at my house. Once a year, I get to sit down and watch the action on Centre Court as two women seek to bring home the most coveted prize in all of tennis, the Rose Water dish.

It is pretty hard to recreate the ambiance of the Championships at Wimbledon in Texas, where green grass is a commodity in the summer, but we do our best. Strawberries are a required fare for breakfast, complete with whipped cream and Belgian waffles. Before you cry out that I am being a bit too partial for a certain finalist, my choice had nothing to do with Justine Henin-Hardenne. I enjoyed my waffles last season while watching Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams, and I have never been a huge fan of crumpets.

With less than twenty-four hours before the start of the final, we can only imagine what is going on in the heads of Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne. Drama and controversy has shrouded the relationship between these two players this season, and you can expect them to bring it all onto the court tomorrow. Mauresmo is out to prove that she can beat Henin-Hardenne, even if she is playing without a stomachache. As much as her Grand Slam title at Australia meant to her, it was probably not the triumphant victory that she had envisioned for years. She can set the record straight tomorrow and solidify her position as the number one player in the world.

For Justine Henin-Hardenne, the grounds of Wimbledon stir up bittersweet memories. It has been a long five years since she first reached the final at SW19, and even her loss was overshadowed once she headed off the court by a much-greater sorrow, the death of a beloved grandfather. Now, five years and five Grand Slam titles later, she is eager to win her first Wimbledon title and make history as the tenth woman to complete the career Grand Slam.

Amelie Mauresmo may be the number one player in the world, but she will have to play like it if she wants to get past Henin-Hardenne tomorrow. I try to be as balanced and objective as possible, but Henin-Hardenne is simply the favorite to claim the title. She has stormed her way to the final of the first three Grand Slams this season, won Roland Garros in straight sets, and has not dropped a set over the past two weeks. Mauresmo struggled, but she got past Maria Sharapova in the semis because she mixed up her game with quality drop shots and volleys. It worked against Sharapova, but Mauresmo knows that drop shots will not work one bit against a player as comfortable at the net as Henin-Hardenne. Mauresmo will only have a chance at winning if she stays calm and is willing to go the distance against Justine. Henin-Hardenne may be the hottest player on the tour right now, but even she has been struggling with temporary lapses in concentration.

If Mauresmo can meet her game-for-game, and force Henin-Hardenne to three sets, she may have a chance at her second Grand Slam title. Unfortunately, that is a big “if”, and my gut feeling is that Justine Henin-Hardenne will get her Wimbledon title, the career Grand Slam, and the added distinction of winning Roland Garros and the Championships back-to-back in straight sets.

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