Wimbledon Approaches Big Finish with Sharapova, Djokovic Eying Finals

The 2011 Wimbledon tournament has only three days left to go. Since Wimbledon is the biggest event in tennis, these next few days are set to be the biggest in the sport's entire year. Things have gone right on schedule for a big finish in some aspects, while others have been less predictable. But the men Friday will form a final pairing for Sunday's finale, while the last two women standing prepare for a championship showdown Saturday.

Today's TV coverage started on ESPN 2, with Novak Djokovic taking on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the last Cinderella left on the men's bracket. Thanks to a two-set comeback over Roger Federer, Tsonga has made the last weekend less of an event, since Federer can't face Djokovic in the semis or Rafael Nadal in the finals.

However, Tsonga needed a repeat performance, as Djokovic took another two-set advantage. Though a big third-set comeback and lengthy tiebreaker victory got Tsonga started, Djokovic dominated the fourth set to win anyway.

But for London, the major event of the day is the second match, as Nadal takes on hometown hero Andy Murray in a showdown that will move to NBC after noon. If Murray finally breaks through in a Grand Slam semifinal and gets one step away from Britain's first Grand Slam title since the mid-'30s, then this will become the greatest day in modern Wimbledon history for London fans.

Yet although Nadal has struggled at times and has a hurt foot, he is still the heavy favorite to repeat. In any case, there hasn't been much room at all for upsets in this tournament, at least in most of the men's bracket.

The women have been another matter: Only Maria Sharapova has avoided the upset bug. It has been seven years since she got this far at Wimbledon, and now she can finally win her second title by beating Petra Kvitova Saturday.

That match will start at 9 a.m. ET on NBC, as ESPN cedes its coverage for the final weekend. Now the tournament has moved to the "Breakfast at Wimbledon" stage for the last Saturday and Sunday, with NBC set to carry the big finish.

History may be made to close things out, as Sharapova can set the record for biggest gap between Wimbledon championships. But if Murray beats Nadal, he can end a seven-decade-plus drought for British tennis Sunday. Yet the more likely Nadal-Djokovic final would still make headlines, especially since Djokovic has already overtaken Nadal as the world's No. 1.

There is nothing in tennis like the end of Wimbledon, and the finale in 2011 could be as unforgettable as any other. But first, Friday's men's semifinals can set an even higher bar for the finals to come, although fans hope the best is still ahead.

Sources

Go To Tennis- "2011 Wimbledon TV Schedule"

Yahoo Sports- "Wimbledon men- live"

SI.com- "Sharapova, Kvitova move through to Saturday's Wimbledon final"