Andy Murray Out of Singles Action
You could almost hear the collective sigh of disappointment around the world, as news filtered through of the Scot’s decision to withdraw from the singles event. Murray just didn’t feel as though he had enough time to recover from back surgery just 10 days prior, which is a totally understandable call. The positive news, is at this stage, he remains in the doubles draw with his brother Jamie. While not really the way he wanted to finish his Wimbledon journey (assuming this is the finale), there may not be a better way than walking off the court one last time, with family by his side.
Djokovic Passes his First Test
Another former world number 1 on the injury list, has been the 24-time major winner, Novak Djokovic. The Serb has also been in discussions about whether to compete at this year’s event, due to recent knee surgery. However, take the court he did, and in good news for his legions of fans, Djokovic didn’t have to exert himself for long, dropping just 5 games, and staying on court for less than two hours, defeating Czech, Vit Kopriva 6-1, 6-2 6-2. How he navigates his way through the rest of draw, may depend on how easily he can sneak through this first week.
Check out the Takeaways From Day 1 at Wimbledon here.
Where to Now For Rublev?
Off court, it’s said Andrey is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet. On court these days however, you wouldn’t want to be near him. Nor would you want to be his physio, as the Russian slammed his racket on his knee multiple times in frustration during his round one loss to Argentinian world number 122, Francisco Comesana. Apart from the on-court meltdowns that are fast becoming the norm, Rublev’s form has been nothing short of horrendous for a top ten player. Apart from winning Madrid (seemingly out of nowhere, he has lost in his first match of Wimbledon, Halle, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Miami, and Indian Wells this year. He also won just one match in Rome, and lost in the third round at Roland Garros. Does he need some time away? A new coaching set-up? Whatever he’s doing, doesn’t seem to be working for him at the moment.
Reigning Wimbledon Champion Gone
Marketa Vondrousova, the world number 6 (projected to drop down to around 15 after the tournament is completed), and 2023 champion, has been knocked out in the first round. The Czech never really looked comfortable against the Spanish 21-year-old, and world number 83, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, going down in just over an hour, 6-4 6-2. Her Wimbledon profile is an interesting one, with 6 appearances, now 4 first round losses, a second round loss, and a title.
Mpetshi Perricard Announces Himself
Twenty-year-old , Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard caused what some may see as an upset, defeating the 20th seed American, Sebastian Korda in a marathon 5-setter, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3. However, the 2.03m Frenchman has been in brilliant form this year, moving his ranking up from outside 200, to a live ranking of 52. Already, he has won Challenger titles in Nottingham, Morelos, and Acapulco. He took out the Lyon 250 event in his birth city, and qualified for Wimbledon. Now he is through to the second round, and will take on Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, before potentially, a clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Top Women Cruise Through
While the reigning champion may have been packing her bags, the rest of the top chances in the women’s draw, had no such issues. Elena Rybakina got through her match 6-3 6-1 against Elena -Gabriela Ruse, Iga Swiatek overcame a potentially tricky match-up against former Australian Open winner, Sofia Kenin, 6-3 6-4, and Jess Pegula continued her strong form, needing just 49 minutes to dispatch compatriot Ashlyn Krueger, 6-2 6-0. Two-time runner-up, Ons Jabeur opened her campaign with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Moyuka Uchijima. With Aryna Sabalenka out of the event this year, there will be a few players at the top feeling like they have a strong chance of lifting the trophy.
Centre Court Starting Time
With the first rain delay of the day commencing approximately an hour after action on the outside courts began, you could be forgiven for thinking there’d still be some quality tennis to watch while the covers are on. After all, Wimbledon built a roof over centre court for this very reason. However, the decision to keep the traditional start time for Centre Court at 1:30pm local time – 2 and a half hours later than the outside courts – seems ridiculous for the international audience. TV’s at home turned off, and spectators around the grounds were left with nothing to even watch on the big screens.
Another obstacle that comes with the late starting time (Court 1 also begins just half an hour early at 1pm), is that the tens of thousands of spectators with seated tickets for those courts, have to spend the first two hours of the day around the grounds. This can only cause more congestion for ground pass holders, who already have to fight for a seat on the small courts. Surely if Centre Court started at 12pm, it would be better for TV audiences, and the tennis public at the All England Club.
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