Wimbledon Week 1 Round Up
The last middle Sunday of Wimbledon has arrived. I know the majority of fans hate the break but I love it. It gives me the time to do all the work I seriously neglected in the past week. Players get to rejuvenate, which produces more competitive matches in the second week.
The break also allows for us to reflect on the hectic week that has just played out.
Slip and Slide
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The main story of the week was the condition of the courts. It’s been two years since the tennis elite graced SW19, which means it’s been two years of love and nurture for the grass that plays home to the best tournament on the calendar.
Maybe a little too much love.
We saw first-round retirements from Serena Williams and Adrian Mannarino on Tuesday. The latter thwarted a potential upset against eight-time champion Roger Federer. A shame for a man whose slice heavy game transitions so well for the surface.
There was a mid-match rant from Nick Kyrgios, labelling the conditions “a joke”. Suggesting that the courts were playing “too slow”. With home-favourite Andy Murray echoing the Australians words on Twitter writing “it’s extremely slippery out there”.
They are right.
The courts have not been playing well this week. Although groundskeepers are keen to defend the conditions, they understand it is hard to maintain footing out there. There are a couple of reasons for this, with the weather being the main problem.
Here in England, summer lasted about two weeks. We had a fortnight of 25-30 degrees which has since been followed by downpours. This meant that during the lead up and throughout the competition, rain covers have been on the courts. The moisture that builds up underneath the tarps, plus the water tracked onto the court from players and umpires, has created a wet surface, causing players to continuously lose their footing.
Centre Court and court one have their own problems. When the roofs are closed, the heat generated from a near-capacity crowd and the players themselves becomes condensated and creates a silky layer of moisture on the grass. Holding up the ball and unbalancing players. However, now the courts have been worn in, we should see fewer falls in the second week.
Murray Mania
In my haste to write off Andy’s chances of beating Basilashvili in round one, I forgot to take one thing into account - his elite ability on grass. If you read my last article, you would’ve seen my concern regarding the power of the Georgian’s forehand. Well, Andy handled it pretty well. He didn’t stay away from Nikoloz’s forehand, instead dished his shots evenly and moved his opponent from side to side. He kept himself in the point and let his seeded opponent make the unforced error. Something his opponent obliged, making 59 overall.
At 5-0 in the 3rd set, the whole of Britain was convinced the old Andy was back. Hell, so did I. He was engaging with the crowd, screaming after every point and his signature shot (topspin lob) was working to perfection. Then the 24th seed showed what he was all about. Using Murray’s nervousness to close out the game and to establish his own.
It was understandable for the Scot to be nervous. The man hasn’t played at the biggest stage for four years. He’s had injury after injury. Operation after operation. The 34-year-old is running around with a metal hip, crying out loud. If you still don’t understand the impact that has, I suggest watching his documentary on Amazon called ‘Andy Murray: Resurfacing’. You get to see the actual metal inside the former world number one and then all the work he puts in to compete at the top again.
He put all that work to use to see off the 24th seed in 4 sets. Then used it to battle through an intense five-setter against qualifier Oscar Otte. The German played out of his skin and utilized his height and volleying to lead the Brit by two sets to one. That’s when the crowd flashed back to 2012/13. They started believing in their legend. The country sat on the edge of its seats in disbelief. The fight this broken hero was showing was unbelievable. It was emotional. It may have only been against the world number 151. But at centre court at Wimbledon, two sets to one down, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. It was a pleasure to watch.
His run was ended in the third round by Canadian starlet Shapovalov, something I predicted and, I think, every realistic tennis fan saw coming. Nevertheless, what a spirited week it was from my King.
British Princess
Probably my favourite part about this week has been the emergence of 18-year-old Brit Emma Raducanu. Her run at Wimbledon has caught the attention of the home crowd. They have seen the wildcard go from strength to strength during each round.
She was understandably nervous during the first set of her first-round encounter against Russian Vitalia Diatchenko. But composed herself enough to win the tiebreak and then bagel the qualifier in the 2nd. I thought Vondrousova would be a step too far for the youngster. Marketa was coming off quarter-final runs at the last two majors. But Raducanu absorbed the Czech’s power and controlled point after point. Using her beautiful backhand to finish off numerous engrossing rallies.
Azarenka’s second-round loss to Cirstea opened up her side of the draw. A Court One meeting with the Romanian didn’t seem to phase her in the slightest. Constantly using the home crowd to psych herself up and intimidate her opponent. She seemed like a veteran. She’s now rewarded with a headline slot on Monday against Ajila Tomljanovic. If she wins that, a feisty match-up against the world number one may be on the cards. Let’s hope we’ll still be roaring her on come Wednesday.
Best of the rest
The curse of the French Open finalist continued on Monday. Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas looked tired and sluggish, being beaten in straight sets by American Frances Tiafoe. The Greek didn’t have any answers to his opponents dominant and controlled display. Making it back-to-back first-round losses for the world number 4 at the All England Club.
Novak Djokovic efforts to win the calendar year grand-slam continue to look in full swing. The Serb had a shaky start to the tournament, losing the first set to wildcard Jack Draper. Most probably just him re-adjusting to the grass because since he’s been absolutely lights out. Demolishing Kevin Anderson in the second round before dispatching Denis Kudla on Friday afternoon. He faces his first seeded opponent on Monday in Cristian Garin, but I expect him to make light work of the Chilean.
Ash Barty looks in pole position to take her second grand-slam title. She’s only lost one set so far this tournament- a tiebreak to Suarez Navarro. She looks fit and ready, considering she retired from the French Open last month. Her game plays well on the green stuff and seemed too powerful for her opponents this week. However, never rule out American Maddison Keys. The 23rd seed is a menace on the grass. Her power enables her to hit through her opposition. If the courts quicken up this week, then it could aid her chances even more.
Next week looks full of rain, unfortunately. Meaning a lot of indoor matches on Centre and Court One. With plenty of seeds still remaining on the men's side of the draw, there should be a lot of close, engaging matches. However, it's hard to look past the Djoker retaining his crown.
With the woman, power hitters like Keys and Sabalenka pose the biggest threat to Barty. I'm hoping, though, that Ash gets knocked out by an emerging youngster before she can face either. Nevertheless, it's Wimbledon. It's going to be entertaining.