A Great Experience for Ward

James Ward was beaten by Fernando Verdasco in the first round of Wimbledon however he didn’t go down without a fight.

Ward, playing in his first ever grand slam event, started nervously and lost the first set in 24 minutes however he started to find his feet on Court 1 in the second. He got much more involved in the return games and was able to match the Spaniard from the back of the court on many occasions.

In the third set he looked even more comfortable and had two chances to go 5-3 up when he piled the pressure on the seventh seed who coughed up some un-forced errors. Verdasco showed his class though by serving his way out of trouble before going on to break Ward at 4-4 and then closing out the match.

I noticed Verdasco was fist pumping during the third set which suggested he knew he was in a battle and this is a credit to the way the British number four played.

Ward will take encourgament from his performance as he played some brilliant shots and at times dominated rallys.

This is his first taste of the big time and I am sure he will work extra hard over the coming year to ensure he features at SW19 once again.

Catch him tomorrow on Court 6 at 12.00pm where he will be playing doubles with Alex Bogdanovic.

Final Score – F. Verdasco d J. Ward 6/1 6/3 6/4

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