On grass, a new shot at Wimbledon for Swiatek

Iga Swiatek
Mal Taam/MALT photo

It is pretty obvious that Iga Swiatek won Roland Garros four times, and in the next few weeks, now she will try to win Wimbledon for the first time. Last year, she lost against the tough competitor, Elina Svitolina. Maybe they can face off again, or maybe not, but the No. 1 Swiatek wants to really try to change in up, on the slick grass. It depends on the day, when it can rain, a lot, or warm and sunny. No one really knows until it started.  

Swiatek is on the roll, winning Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. She played fantastic, almost each match, but now she has to take a breath, and breath, and think about it.

She might have to, as Naomi Osaka almost beat her in the second round, but she came through, 7-5 in the third. However, she rose up, and the former No. 1 Osaka was a little erratic, but already, she is darn good. She has won four Grand Slams, but the Japanese has never gone into the third round at Wimbledon. She must do it ASAP, as on the court, she can be brilliant. But she has to play more consistent. 

This week, she is playing at the Libema Open, and she defeating versus Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-4. Impressive.

 “I’m kind of taking it as if this is my first year on grass,” Osaka said. “I think even now, this is my first time at this tournament so in some ways I feel like a newbie all over again. I’ve been in Europe since April, so this is a lot of commitment for me. I’m really happy that I’m doing this.”

She is ranking No. 125, so if she can win a few matches, then she will be  at Wimbledon, and she won’t have to qualify, unless they will give her a wild card. Either way.

In England, at the Rothesay Open, there are some interesting  matches. Almost everyone is there from Britain, such as the No. 30 Katie Boulter, who won it in San Diego on the hardcourts, and that has her best tournament, ever.  But after that, she began to struggle, so to go deep in Nottingham, she will drive hard, early. Two of the top seeds are Ons Jabeur and Marta Kostyuk.

The Americans really have a chance to win Wimbledon, with Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, Madison Keys, and Emma Navarro. None of them have reached into the final, but it is possible, as Serena and Venus Williams did it so many times. Both of them will nail the ball, with there first serves, there backhands, and there returns. Even Serena could also split her forehand, into the corners. The current players have watched her a ton, so then they must have seen them, on the court. Then try to do a new thing. Last year, Marketa Vondrousova won it, beating, believe it or not, Jabeur, in the final. Both of them could go very deep, this time.

The No. 5 Pegula just returned to play in the Netherlands of the Libema Open.The American had not played  since April when she got a rib injury. Now she feels much better, and she knows that she will have to play a lot now, on the grass, and the hard courts, and then in Paris on clay in July.  Good, luck.

“It’s just such a crazy year with the Olympics squeezed in. With my game, I’d rather be ready for grass and the rest of the hardcourt season and grind out the rest of the year, than try and push it for clay and it doesn’t feel well,” Pegula said.” That’s why we played it safe.”

She says that when she watched during Roland Garros, she thought that the No. 1 is stunning. 

“Iga dominated the clay season, what else is new,” Pegula said. “Now we go into grass and I’m sure the grass-court players will do well. I feel like I’m walking back into the same kind of thing. That’s good.”

The picks at Cincinnati: Friday, August 18

Karolina Muchova

There has been a lot of rain, in Cincinnati, and also, the same thing last week in Canada. It is odd in  August, during the heat. Every year, the players pull out when they are injured, because they played so many matches, on the clay, at Roland Garros, on the grass, at Wimbledon, and now they started to play on the hardcourts. It can be brutal. However, some of the excellent players can control what they are doing, and not play every second. Many of the Slam winners have learned within him or her bodies, just like Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, for the most part. They are playing this week in Ohio. They can actually win the event. Here are four matches on Friday.

Karolina Muchova  over Marie Bouzkova
Believe it or not,   Swiatek  edged Muchova in Montreal a week ago. It was darn close, so right now, if the excellent doubles player can play wonderfully, the No. 17 can go very deep at the tournament. She did reach into the final at Roland Garros, so when she is healthy, she can beat anyone. The other Czech, Bouzkova, is very decent, and she does have some interesting defense, point to point, but she has yet to be in the top 20. Maybe she will do it, eventually, but not now. Muchova will win it in straight sets, around 6-4, 6-3.

Carlos Alcaraz, over Max Purcell
Alcaraz edged Tommy Paul 6-4 in the third set. He could have lost, as in the second set tiebreaker, he threw so many errors, which is very unusual. But the young Spaniard re- composed, and he was more consistent. When he attacks, he can crush the ball. Purcell is a very good doubles player, but currently, he is trying to hit some bigger shots, in the singles. However, he did have a very good year in the singles, the small ones, so it looks like his forehand and his backhand are stronger. Yet Alcaraz will push him back, into the wall, and he will win it in two sets.

Alexander Zverev over Adrian Mannarino
The German had a terrific match on Thursday when he beat Daniil Medvedev in three, brutal sets. Yes, Zverev can be super  steady, and now he can really mix it up. As he said, “But at the end of the day I did what I had to do. I kind of fought it out and I’m happy to be sitting here as winner.” He can belt it, into the corners, but as he has said, he still is not 100 percent after he became hurt last year. Mannarino plays almost everyday, and he is older, but he just keeps moving on, on the court, consistently. He does like to mix it up, and change it around, but on Friday,  Zverev will be tired, but he will go for it, early. Zverev will win it in three sets, 6-4.

Iga Swiatek over Marketa Vondrousova
Almost once a month, Swiatek  can turn it on, and then she can rush forward, to hit some massive shots. His first serve is very big, and she can return and hit it very deep. Yes, though, she can become frustrated, and over hit, it. Vondrousova is skill full, and she can aggrieve. Her backhand is powerful, and her forehand is improving a lot.  She can upset Swiatek, as long as she can be super consistent, and really go for it, into the corners. However, Swiatek is on fire again, so she will win it in three sets, 6-3.

Roger Federer to retire: Famous for his forehand, serve, respect

Roger Federer
Mal Tam/MALTphoto


The great Roger Federer will retire. The 20-time Grand Slam winner decided that trying to play in a competitive match was impossible. He has had a lot of surgeries, and to make an attempt to play in the fall, and next year too, was beyond what he was ready to do.

If you want to look at the quotes, there are dozens of them by people who really liked the man. Off the court, he is special, teaching them how to play better, and to re-act with them, too. He was not only just brilliant, but with his serve, into the corners, twisting, his famous forehand, and he would skip to the net. Also, who almost always returns, very deep, and he would mix it up all over the place. Most of the players would think, “Where is he going? I cannot figure it out.”

It is a sad day, but that happens with everyone who will retire.

Here are some good quotes from the ATP players. Here are some comments from the WTA players.

Next week, Federer will play an exhibition at the Laver Cup in London, along with Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, among others. That will be sold out, up into the top at the ceiling.

NOTES
Both Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Świątek won the US Open, and they both played brilliantly. They are the No. 1s. They are very young, very fast and can also be so aggressive, with their forehands and backhands, too. They can return, and put it back deep, and they are also pretty good at the net. That is why they rose to No. 1.

Yes, they have improved a lot. But, this result doesn’t mean they will end up with more than a handful of majors. Don’t believe those TV commentators who have said. “Oh, for sure, he/she will win a lot of the Grand Slams.”

Yes, some did, but more than a few have won just one championship. If you look at the history, you will see that. Maybe he or she became hurt, and it was hard to play fantastic again. Or it was mental.

Do you want a list?

Here are a few who have retired, such as Andy Roddick, Caroline Wozniaki, Juan Martin Del Potro, Sam Stosur, Flavia Pennetta, Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Gaston Gaudio, Anastasia Myskina, Goran Ivanovic, Francesca Schiavone,and Marion Bartoli.

Now, with the current players, will they win a huge amount of the Grand Slams? Federer won 20, Rafa Nadal has 22 Slams, and Novak Djokovic has 21. Alcaraz has just one.

We can also Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slams. Others are close, like Steffi Graf (22), Martina Navratilova (18) Chris Evert (18).

Here is the list of current one-Slam wonders from the WTA: Bianca Andreescu, Emma Raducanu, Sofia Kenin, Jelena Ostapenko, Barbora Krejcikova and Sloane Stephens.

Świątek has won three now, and she is very young, so to get up to win 10 Slams, yes, it is possible. The same goes with Naomi Osaka, who has four.

However, will anyone reach five titles at the Slams before they retire? It is possible, but tough. They have won two Slams like Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Garbine Muguruza.

Can Świątek and Alcarez get in double digits for major victories. But, there is no sure choice who will be the future king and queen.

On Fire: Nadal and Swiatek win Rome

Iga Swiatek

On Sunday in Rome, Rafa Nadal and Iga Swiatek won the tournament, and they were joyful. Nadal knocked down Novak Djokovic 7-5 1-6 6-3. In the third set, he hit deeper, he moved to different areas, and his massive serves can twist it into the corners and he yanked Djokovic almost on the ground. Then Nadal would crack a winner. 

Swiatek played one of the best matches ever. Given feeble opposition from Karolina Pliskova 6-0 6-0, Swiatek still performed at the level we saw when she took 2020 Roland Garros. Let’s say it again: The former US Open finalist Pliskova was out of it. She couldn’t face come with anything when it was time to raise her game. She was sleeping, maybe a bad dream? Where she goes, it is ruthless to say. Playing great or awful? In the last 10 years, for the most part, she is a head case. 

Swiatek really understands how to play fantastic on clay, which is why she dominated Sofia Kenin in last year’s French final. Now she can do it again. She moves really well, she can scramble, and eventually, she can smoke a winner, with her forehand and backhand. She returns super well, too.

In Paris, she should be ranked No. 8, as Simona Halep is injured and likely she won’t play at the French Open. Is Swiatek the favorite? I would say yes, but Aryna Sabalenka , Garbiñe Muguruza and Jessica Pegula have a shot to win it, too.

NOTES
At RG, Nadal will be ranked No. 3, while Djokovic stays No. 1. Guess who is ranked No. 2? That’s right, Daniil Medvedev, who loves playing on the hard courts. But, as he said, he just doesn’t like clay. He could lose early in the first week in Paris…

Novak said: “Rafa and I had a little laugh today in the locker room after I won against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas. We kind of joked around that the old guys are still not giving up. I saw he said somewhere a few days ago that Roger [Federer], him and I think we’re showing some different, fresh energy.”

Swiatek likes to attack, and last year at RG, few of the fans knew who she was. Not know: ‘I’m, like, surprising myself actually when I’m not doing well because I’m pretty ambitious. I’m a perfectionist, which I’m fighting with actually sometimes. 

“I always try to learn from what other girls experienced. There are many players that had some kind of regress, after winning their first Grand Slam. I always thought try to be different, just work, just focus on not doing the same mistakes. It works pretty well.”