Like:
New names up in lights.
Grand Slam events often allow for some lesser names to have their moment in the sun (no pun intended), and this year is no different. On the women’s side, the biggest story is New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, who started this tournament 2 weeks ago ranked 123. Lulu fought her way through 3 rounds of qualifying, and has since defeated Qinwen Zheng, Yuliia Starodubtseva, Lin Zhu, and hometown favourite, Emma Raducanu. Her ranking now sits at a live 53, but will jump into the top 40 if she can get over her quarter-final opponent, Donna Vekic. On the men’s side, 20 year-old Frenchman, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was also forced to go through qualifying, as his ranking wasn’t high enough at the time of cut-off. He has slashed his ranking this year from outside 200, up to a live ranking of 44. After playing 3 compatriots in qualifying, Giovanni fell just short, losing in the final round to Maxime Janvier. However, sometimes good fortune comes at the right time, and a Lucky Loser spot opened up for him. And hasn’t he taken advantage! Knocking over Sebastian Korda, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Emil Ruusuvuori, he is due to take on Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round.
Like:
Jasmine Paolini.
There were plenty after the French Open saying ‘that was probably her one chance at a major’. Well, we didn’t have to wait long to put that to bed. While we’ll never know if Keys would’ve got the better of her in the 4th round had she not had to retire, there’s every chance Paolini would’ve got through anyway. We all know a little bit of luck is needed to win a Slam, and currently she finds herself in a Wimbledon quarter-final, where she’ll be the favourite in her match against Emma Navarro. Should she overcome that hurdle, she’ll face Lulu Sun, or Donna Vekic for a place in the final. Considering the Italian started the year ranked 30th, and wasn’t on anyone’s radar until making the 4th round in Melbourne, it’s been a remarkable season. She now finds herself at 6th in the live ranking (5th with one more win), and 4th in the end-of-year race. She’s one of the best stories of the year.
Dislike:
The Wimbledon weather.
Whilst we always expect some rain, and dreary days, this year has been extremely difficult to deal with. Barely a day has been completed without some sort of rain delay or two. Making it even more frustrating, is the fact that often, the rain has come at the start of the day. Due to the odd rule that says Centre Court (the court with a roof) doesn’t start until 1:30 local time, spectators around the world have been forced to sit and wait before any live play on their tv screens. It’s certainly not easy watching from Australia, where play should start at 8pm, but often hasn’t commenced until after 10. Let’s start Court 1 and Centre Court at the same time as the outside courts, especially when scheduling is so badly affected.
Like:
Andy Murray Tribute.
It was always going to be an emotional day when the Scot called time on his career. Sadly, injuries prevented him from taking his place in the singles draw, but somewhat poignantly, he was able to share the stage with his brother Jamie, for a men’s doubles clash. Although they went down fighting, the wonderful tribute afforded to him, beautifully encapsulated how the tennis world feels about the former World number 1, and two-time Wimbledon champion. He’s been one of the all-time greats on the court, and a champion for women’s tennis off court. Hopefully he’ll have a big role to play in the sport in retirement. He’s still got the Olympics to get through first though.
Dislike:
The Raducanu vitriol.
The hype surrounding an Andy/Emma mixed doubles pairing reached fever pitch within hours of their announcement. So it was probably expected that the disappointment amongst fans would at least match that, once Emma withdrew from the event. Raducanu woke up after her round 3 singles match with wrist soreness, and ultimately made the right decision to not take any risks considering her injury history, and the fact that singles will always take priority.
“Yesterday morning I just woke up with stiffness. I have to prioritise myself, my singles and my body.” she confirmed.
“Of course, I didn’t want to take his last match away from him. But at the end of the day I think a lot of the players in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritising their body.
“I stand by the decision. Yeah, obviously it was a tough decision, though.”
However, the backlash across social media was swift and harsh. The 2021 US Open champion has always been somewhat of an easy target for the online trolls, and this (despite it being the correct call) just put more fuel on the fire to those – usually anonymous – cowards who take great delight in trying to cut people down from their success. Losers.
Like:
Emma Raducanu.
In spite of what transpired around the mixed doubles, it seems the British star is finally getting back on track, after what was an absolute horror show of injuries last year. It’s easy to forget the 2021 US Open winner is still only 21, and is one of the least experienced players in the top 100. Following a successful grass court lead up, which saw her defeat 4 top 50 players, hopes were cautiously high heading into Wimbledon. After dispatching Renata Zarazua in the opening round, she then took care of Elise Mertens, and demolished 9th seed Maria Sakkari. Unfortunately for the locals, she wasn’t able to get over Lulu Sun in the fourth round. However, the consolation is that Emma’s ranking will now be firmly inside the top 100, giving her more chances to build during the back half of the season.
Dislike:
Injuries to top players.
No one likes to see any players cut down with injuries, but when the injuries occur during an important match; ie. round 4 of Wimbledon, it is doubly upsetting. Sadly, that was the case for American, Madison Keys, and Bulgarian, Grigor Dimitrov, who were both forced to retire, in emotional scenes. For Keys, the women’s draw was starting to open up nicely for her, and as someone I personally have touted as a potential (or probable) major winner, watching her go down with a leg injury at 5-5 in the deciding set against Italian, Jasmine Paolini, was heartbreaking. Even Jasmine wasn’t happy to win it like that, speaking in her on-court interview, “Now I am so sorry for her, to end the match like this is bad. What can I say? I think we played a really good match, was really tough, lots of up and downs. I am feeling a little bit happy but also sad for her because it’s not easy to win like that but I hope you enjoyed the match.”
Equally unfortunate was Dimitrov, who has been in some of his best form in the last 12 months, and would’ve fancied himself of knocking off Daniil Medvedev. Sadly, he also injured his leg early in the encounter, and had to pull the pin before the first set was in the books. Tennis can be a cruel sport.
Like:
Five set tennis.
Grass court 5-setters are different to clay and hard-court 5-setters. They just don’t seem to go for quite as long, but the tension and drama are all still there. Already in the men’s draw, there have been 34 matches which have gone the distance, just one short of the record 35, at the 1983 US Open, and equalled at this year’s Australian Open. America’s Ben Shelton has been involved in 3 of them, with all three of his wins combining for a total of 15 sets. Understandably, he ran out of juice when facing world number 1 Jannik Sinner. For those wanting a best-of-3 format at the majors, we’ve already had 10 comebacks from 2 sets to love down, showcasing just how exciting, and important the traditional format continues to be. I totally understand 5 and 6 hour matches on the clay or hard courts might be too much, but with the faster surface, the Wimbledon 5-setters have been exciting to watch. May they live forever.
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