This does not detract from the great Champion that he is and the fight, character and fantastic human qualities he possesses as a man. His tears were heartfelt and a measure of his love for tennis and his contribution to the game as part of a great rivalry.

However tennis is a sport that measures the total package at any given time and 'Fed' is not addressing the weakness in his game whereas Nadal has continued to pay both the physical price and the dedication to one thing: Improvement!

I would love nothing better than Fed to come again with an improved net game and win Wimbledon but I fear that this issue has either not been spotted or that perhaps an unnecessary pride is preventing him from hiring the right person and doing the work to improve this area.

Having said all that what enormous credit must go to Rafa, another great Champion who is also on course to break the Sampras record and possibly Borg's six French Open titles. Rafa has always had an incredible balance to his approach - fight hard every day and keep improving win or lose without letting disappointment ever cloud his objective of getting better. This is a key mental component for a tennis player because wanting to win is universal so the focus has to be on what it is that gives you the best chance which is to fight to make every ball with better and better quality.

The women's event was predictably won by the best player in the world. I just wish I could warm to Serena but as much as I admire her tennis and athletic qualities I can't quite connect with her and feel that everything with the William's family is a touch ego-centric. In fact I venture the question as to which leading female player does capture the 'soul of tennis' and lead the sport like Nadal and Federer do in the men's game?

The MCTA Touring Academy has had an excellent start to 2009 with Stefi following her Futures semi-final by qualifying (beating her Glasgow conquerer on route) and making the quarters of a Challenger in California. Meanwhile Christina Mathis has put in 2 weeks of excellent training and produced a brilliant display losing a close match to the top seed in Portugal qualifying but showed what an interesting prospect she is. Jim Edgar has done a fantastic job getting her to understand what true competing is about. Anna unfortunately is still building strength in her foot and will be out for another 2 months. This is a tough break but we feel confident she will return stronger than ever.

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