Tennis: James Ward insists plenty to look forward to after crashing out of Wimbledon in the first round

Published: 23 June, 2011
by STEVE BARNETT

EUSTON ace James Ward insists there is still plenty to look forward to after crashing out of Wimbledon in the first round on Tuesday. 

The British No 2, who grew up in Eversholt Street, lost 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 against French 19th seed Michael Llodra. But the straight sets defeat disguises the fact that Arsenal fan Ward had his chances to turn the match around and cause an upset. 

Having lost the opening set the 24-year-old, who started his career at the Islington Tennis Centre in Market Road, was 4-2 up in a vital second-set tie-breaker, but failed to level the sets as he succumbed to grass-court specialist Llodra. It was a moment in the match that he feels was key to his defeat.

“I was 4-2 up in the breaker,” he said. “He hit a great slice just over the net and that’s not an easy ball to deal with. If I had won that set, you never know what might have happened. The momentum might have changed. 

“My serve let me down a little bit, especially in the third set. I still had chances though. I still had a lot of break points out there, but he came up with the goods at the right time.”

Ward struggled from the start, losing his first service game to leave him with an uphill struggle to contend with in the first set.

Llodra’s powerful serve was too hot to handle as Ward lost the first set through an ace and was unable to seize the initiative in the second-set tie-break. 

He was broken again early in the third set as his opponent saw out the match to progress into round two.

Ward’s Wimbledon adventure isn’t over just yet, however, as he joins forces with Dan Cox in the men’s doubles, before teaming up with Andy Murray for Great Britain against Luxembourg in the Davis Cup in July. 

Although there was no repeat of Ward’s Queen’s Club heroics he can be proud of a string of recent performances that have helped him catch the eye of the tennis world. 

Beating the likes of Sam Querrey and Stanislas Wawrinka en route to the semi-finals of the AEGON Championships at Queen’s helped Ward rise to a career-high 176th in the world, although his subsequent defeat at Eastbourne saw him drop down to 192nd. 

Ward said: “I have proved to myself and to others that I can beat players on a consistent basis. Llodra has a high ranking. He was not the easiest draw out there. I’ve got to look at what I did the week before Wimbledon and just take it forward for the rest of the year.”