You are here: Home / Archives for wimbledon

Wimbledon, Day 6: Korda and Keys: ‘It’s crazy’

July 3, 2021 by
Madison Keys

Also: Andy Murray, Denis Shapovalov, Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur and more

Sebastian Korda is already streaking. He has a lot of variety, he is fast, he is powerful and he can meld it up. The young American took down Daniel Evans 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 at Wimbledon.

He is already consistent, and he started when he was born, as his father, Petr, and his mother, Regina, played on the tour. They pushed him a little bit, and they really talked to him. Oh, by the way, his two sisters play pro golf, Nelly rose to No. 1 last weekend by winning the PGA Championship and Jessica is No. 13.

“My dad won a Grand Slam, my sister just won her first major and is world No. 1 golfer in the world, so it’s super inspiring. It’s crazy,” Sebastian Korda said.

Yes it was.

He is not fantastic yet, but he is learning, and according to the ESPN broadcaster, Darren Cahill, who said: “I think he’s easy top five in a couple of years, two or three years, if he continues on this plane.”
 
The former champion Andy Murray won two matches, and then he folded on Friday, and he lost 6-4 6-2 6-2 against Denis Shapovalov. Murray is trying to come back during when he is playing, but he is still a little bit slow, his serve is so-so, and his forehand can be erratic. He has a jumbo way to go.

Shapovalov looked pretty good, the lefty, which some fine strokes, hard and deep. His serve is medicare a lot, and he is not great at the net, but he does focus at times, and he can swing away. He is already in the top 12, and after the tournament ends, he could be around No. 10. He is ready to outbreak.
 
Madison Keys won over Elise Mertens, and the American was absorbed. She is rugged, and she can crush the ball, but she can be hurt a lot. However, she looked happy and intense, and she has gone very deep at the US Open, and with the Australian Open, and Roland Garros. At Wimbledon, she has to commit what she has to do, on court. She has to learn even further.

Two weeks ago, Iga Swiatek didn’t like on the grass. Then, this week, she found it, and the one-time Grand Slam champion found it. She crushed Irina-Camelia 6-1 6-0 and now she is locked in. She does have a chance to go way deep next week. She is such a potent player.


The best match between the women on Friday was when Ons Jabeur jumped on against Garbine Muguruza. Jabeur is so robust , and she pushed herself in third set. She won it, 57 63 62. She is over the top. “To be able to pass the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam, like it’s something that I should do,” said Jabuer. “It is [the best day of my tennis career], seriously. This is my favorite centre court.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: , , , ,

Wimbledon, Day 6: Djokovic and Gauff look very comfortable

July 2, 2021 by
Coco Gauff

Novak Djokovic is setting his Grand Slam sights on Wimbledon. The Serbian has won it five times on the slippery grass. He is sharp on the hard courts and is more patient on clay. In London, he goes for it early, because the points are fast and and the ball stays low. He has to nail it, or go for drop shots that float it right over on the net softly

On Friday, he downed long-time American, Denis Kudla. Kudla can be very patient, but he can also go down quickly, as he doesn’t push himself enough. But, in a straight-set loss to Djokovic, Kudla proved more than a worthy opponent, stretching the No. 1 in a 64 63 76(7) battle. The American is the type of journeyman who can pop up with a strong showing every few tournaments or years. In this contest, Kudla’s best couldn’t dent the two-time defending champ’s more oppressive game.

Right now, Andrey Rublev is more than comfortable. Not only can he shatter the balls, he can also find his mark. Rublev was able to overcome a slight downturn at 1-1 in sets to exert his more consistent power and focus over Fabio Fognini.

Saturday matches
The No.1 Ashleigh Barty is still a little bit hurt, and why it will be tough to win the 2021 Wimbledon. It she just pushes herself, she can go deep. She did that on Thursday when she beat Anna Blinkova. She was not great, but good enough.

“I try to bring my game style and play my game style as often as possible, knowing what their strengths and weaknesses,” Barty said. “I go to work with Tyz [coach Craig Tyzzer]. We work on a few things. There’s nothing drastic that changes. I think for me it was just trying to get a rhythm on the court. I made a lot of unforced errors today, more than I’m used to. I think when I needed to step in, I did.”


Yes she did.


The No.20 Coco Gauff keeps going higher, as she beat veteran Elena Vesnina. Every event, she looks like not only can she belt the ball, but she is thinking all the time. The teenager will face another youngster, the 20-year-old Slovenian Kaja Juvan, who has had decent wins this year, but at the All-England Club, Gauff wants to reach the second week. She really might, and then, the fans will know who the 18-year-old is ready to do a winner’s dance.

Nice to see Vesnina competing after two-and-a-half years on the sidelines. Another mom is proving that significant victories continue to come after becoming a parent.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: , , , ,

Talking with Evert and McEnroe about Wimbledon

June 23, 2021 by

Two great, retired players, John McEnroe and Chrissy Evert, did a conference call on Tuesday, with ESPN. They were taking about Wimbledon, which starts Monday. Obviously, they have a lot of opinions. When they are talking on TV, they have some excellent comments. They are totally addicted to the Grand Slams and the other huge events, too.

Before the events start, they will list many people who can win the major or go very deep. As they know, when play starts, even the best players can be very nervous, or erratic, or calm, or nailing winners.
 
Here are four comments:

Evert about Serena Williams: How good will she be?
“That’s the question everybody’s been asking. Like Roger Federer, Serena’s best chance is on the grass obviously because of all the Grand Slams because of her power, because of her big serve, the first strike of the ball, shorter rallies. She’s won the most of any current player on grass. She has had the most experience and wisdom and instincts on the grass courts of any current player. 

“In saying that, I also have to say that if ever the field was at its most vulnerable, I would think it would be this year with the injuries, with the lack of grass court practice. This is to me her golden opportunity. 

“The big challenge for her in my mind will be stringing together seven matches where she plays at a high level mentally and physically. That’s always, for the aging athlete, the big thousand-dollar question: Can they string together seven high-quality matches? It’s physically, mentally staying healthy, staying involved with each match, staying present with each match.”

McEnroe on Djokovic, who won the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year: Can he win the Grand Slam (all four majors in one year)?
“Novak is biggest obstacle to me is if his body holds up through this. It looks amazing. He looked phenomenal. He’s halfway home. He won the tougher one. He’s the best player that ever lived, I would say, on hard courts. If he’s able to maintain his health through this, I think he’s got a great shot at winning the Slam.”

Evert about the young player Coco Gauff, who is she evolving:
“In a sense it’s been kind of gradual. I’m glad she hasn’t won a Grand Slam title thus far because then things would have gotten out of control if she would have done that at a young age. 

“Personally, I think if her game continues to evolve like it has, she could be the biggest thing in tennis by the end of the year. I believe that she could be the biggest thing in tennis at the end of the year with some great results. 

“At the same time, I don’t want to be like press building her up because then there’s more pressure on her. 

“I was amazed. I watched her play every tournament on clay. She started out a little slow. She beat some really quality players. Should have won the quarterfinal match at the French Open. She’s only 17. She’s got the game. She’s got the power. She’s got tremendous composure. You can tell it in her eyes, she wants it badly. There’s every indication she has the mental side and the skill set side to win a Grand Slam, to be No. 1 eventually. Now it’s just the waiting game. “

McEnroe on the controversial Nick Kyrgios, who decided not to play on clay, and he hasn’t played since January at the Australian Open.
“Nick? I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t play the clay. I was very surprised not to see him get to England earlier, or whenever he would go, to play a couple tune-up events considering he hasn’t played since Australia. That sort of worries me. Not that he can’t come out and hit 40 aces. I just have no idea what his conditioning is. The obvious questions: Where is his head at, the questions that we ask normally are magnified because he hasn’t played.”
 
“No one wants to play him first round, I can assure you that. But he’s going to be unseeded. He’s like [61] in the world. It’s unbelievable that he’s a guy that talented with that ranking at this present time. 

“I like Nick. He can be great for the game, but at the same time I don’t think even he could expect to just waltz his way in and suddenly pull off some incredible run. Maybe he’s doing something I’m unaware of as far as training. If he just left, he’s going to get there a couple days ahead of time. Well, I hope he’s ready to play. Let’s just put it that way.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: , , , , ,

Notes on a draw sheet: Serena, waiting for Wimbledon

February 25, 2021 by
Serena Williams

No. 2 Naomi Osaka won the 2021 Australian Open, beating Jen Brady in the final. We talked a lot about both of them, playing with some amazing points during seven matches. Now, it is better to talk about other people, to see how well they did, and what is ahead.   
 
Ash Barty just lost to Danielle Collins, which means that she isn’t quite right now and has withdrawn from Qatar. She will recover, eventually. Essentially, she is anxious. Click here for a piece I wrote about her a couple days ago.

Let’s talk about the three terrific veterans who have won the Slams:
Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Garbine Muguruza. Serena looked very good at times in the Oz Open, but she also had so many errors. Instead of waiting and getting into long rallies, she should nail a few winners with her forehand down the line. The 23-Grand-Slam winner sort of knows that, and she does have another chance, to grab No. 24 major. But not at Roland Garros on clay. Serena loves to play on grass, so here it is, waiting at Wimbledon. The tension starts mounting now.
   
When it just before at the AO, it looked like Azarenka said that she was feeling very good and slightly improved. You just had to watch her, because when she is calm and focused, she can smash her forehand and backhand. But, other times, she is irritable, she loses an important edge and starts complaining. The 31-year-old Azarenka loves to give a speech at press conferences. When she first started her career, she could be mean and she didn’t want to talk. Silence. Even though she isn’t playing great on the court, she finally has become a super nice person.  

Muguruza is playing fancy once again and she almost downed Osaka, but she lost 7-5 in the third. Had the Spaniard captured the match, she could have won another Grand Slam. But, she did not, because she hesitated. At Roland Garros, if she goes for it, then she could win. Her forehand and backhand are potent.
 
A few more notes: Karolina Muchova is so competitive, and very quick. … Bianca Andreescu is finally back. She didn’t play at all in 2020 and, if she is healthy, then she will go into the top-5. She can be spectacular. … Where is Karolina Pliskova going this year? No one really knows. …The same goes for Jo Konta, who hasn’t won a lot of matches over the past two years. Maybe because she gets injured a lot, or she isn’t really thinking. … American Madison Keys is stuck, currently, and if she can get back into the top 10, then she will have to find her forehand again. Or she hopes.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: , , , , ,

Can the GOATs graze again?

July 18, 2019 by

Serena Williams has 23 Grand Slams, while Roger Federer has 20.

Last weekend, Serena lost in the Wimbledon final to Simon Halep, very quickly, 6-2, 6-2.

Federer went down, but it was very close, super close. He lost 13-12 in the fifth set against Novak Djokovic. He had two match points at 8-7 in the fifth, and he couldn’t do it.

Serena wants to tie Margaret Court at 24 Grand Slams, and over the past two-and-a-half years, she has had an opportunity, but she couldn’t convert. And if she does so, then for sure, she will be the best player ever.

The Swiss is one of the best player ever, for now, but in the next few years, Rafa Nadal (who has 18 Slams) and Djokovic (who has 16 majors) could pass or tie him. They both are still playing, and the 37-year-old Federer might retire at the end of 2020. Maybe not, but he is aging,slowly, but still aging.

Serena is also 37-year-old, and next year, she might wave goodbye. Her older sister, Venus Williams, is still playing, and maybe she will continue to play until she is 40 years old. Clearly, they love tennis, which is why they can run forever, but that doesn’t mean that their bodies are wearing down. It happens for everyone. The heart might want to play but hurt legs end careers.

Years and years ago, like it is now, the best competitors wanted to play on the tour almost forever. For some, it didn’t really matter anymore if they were winning a title; they only wanted to hit the ball, anywhere, anytime. That was their mantra.

But two of the fantastic players, Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf, decided to retire fairly early. American Sampras hadn’t won an event for two years, and then, at the 2002 US Open, the huge server won it all. Twelve months later, he called it quits. He owned 14 Grand Slams, and at that time, that was enough.

Graf did much the same thing. In 1999, she won it at Roland Garros, and three months later at San Diego, she retired because her knees were totally wrecked. She was “only” 30 years old. She had won 22 Grand Slams, but she didn’t want to continue anymore. It was time to have a baby, and to have a new life. And she did, and now she has two children, and is married to Andre Agassi, another great player.

But that was a different era.

There have been a number of Grand Slam winners who continued to play after their prime: such as Sergi Bruguera, Thomas Muster, Petr Korda, Helena Sukova, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Nathalie Tauziat, among others. They believed that they could do it again, somehow, someway, but they weren’t even close. Eventually, they had to stop.

With Federer and Serena, they both have a chance to win it a Slam next year. Oh, sure, both of them have won the US Open, but to win it again, which will start in five weeks, I cannot see it. Last year, Federer lost to John Millman in the fourth round. Serena lost in the final against the rising Naomi Osaka. Federer was upset, and Serena was extremely upset, with a now infamous meltdown.

The last time that Federer won it was in 2008, 11 years ago. Serena won it 2014, which it wasn’t so long ago.

But, both of them aren’t quite as fast as they used to be, which is why over the past two years, they still look very good, but not great-great anymore. There was a day they were winning almost everything. However, to think they will shine forever is foolhardy.

In 2020, both Federer and Serena have a real chance to win just one more time. Perhaps at the Australian Open, and Wimbledon again. But after that, at the end of the season, both of them will walk away and retire. It will be time.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: , , , , ,

2019 Wimbledon final: Djokovic has slight edge over Federer

July 14, 2019 by

Novak Djokovic takes on Roger Federer, again, in a Wimbledon final.

This will be another tremendous match. The Serbian won it here last year, being so consistent and finally, secure. His backhand is truly remarkable, his return is deep and true, his forehand is very hefty, and at the net, when he gets in there, he bends down and he hits it right near on the lines. 

The Swiss Federer has learned to improve over the past 16 years. He is brilliant, he is cagie, he crushed his forehand, and he loves coming into the net. He softly drops it close to the net: a jaw-dropping winner. 

Djokovic and Federer have played three times in London. Novak beat him twice, while Roger won it once. This matchup is about grass, not about clay or the hard courts. There will be relatively short points, with huge serves. While they can be patient, here and there, there is no doubt when they have an opportunity, they will strike. 

Djokovic leads Federer 25 to 22 — 47 matches. That is an extraordinary number of head-to-heads.


During 2015-2018, Djokovic won six matches against Federer, and the Swiss won three. 

At Wimbledon in 2015 in the final, Novak beat Roger 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3. Then, and now, the smooth Serbian is slightly better than he is. It will be close, very, very, close, and it will go to the fifth set.

While many people fans will be screaming for joy for Federer, either on the Centre Court, or on TV, still, Djokovic will beat him again with his wonderful backhand cross-court. Then, the very strong Djokovic will have 15 Grand Slams. 

Halep crushes Serena for title, stalling her march to 24

By Ron Cioffi

Saturday was the day many thought that Serena Williams would tie Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam titles.

Simona Halep didn’t give the 37-year-old Serena a peak that the milestone.

In one of the most decisive beat downs in recent Grand Slam final history, Halep dominated the aging American and won her first Wimbledon trophy 6-2, 6-2.

There were three notable statistics that showed how one-sided the final was. Halep came out on fire rushed to a 4-0 lead in about 11 minutes. At that point, Williams had to start to wonder if she was going to find her A game.

It wasn’t until mid-second set that Williams served her first of only two aces. Another weapon dismissed.

But, the third stat was three. That’s the number of unforced errors by the Romanian. Three. In two sets. Versus the best woman player of all time.

Williams had 26, many hitting the net because she wasn’t bending for low shots or just not being in position to dent Halep’s accurate shots.

Halep called it the best match she’s ever played. I would hope so because it’s hard to see how she could play better.

Anticipating Serena’s massive serves was one of the keys to give Halep an important edge. She was often on the move as Serena’s toss was still in the air. One on serve up the T, Halep was so quick that she overran the ball.

Finally, it was quickness that slay the queen. Halep’s movement was a weapon that cut down the ferocious Williams backhand. Usually Serena can jump in and crush her cross-court backhand. But, Halep stunned the crowd by not only getting a few rockets back but hitting them for winners. Those shots had to make Williams wonder if she could ever break down Halep’s defenses. And, maybe if she can rise enough to meet Court’s record.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: , , , ,

Wimbledon: The top 32 men, the seeds have switched

June 27, 2019 by

On Wednesday, the All England Lawn Tennis Club pushed away from the ATP/WTA rankings for the 32 singles seeds.

There are a number of people who do not want to switch the seeds at Wimbledon. But, in reality, it makes for exciting matchups, especially on grass.

Rafa Nadal just won Roland Garros in Paris again, and he is on a roll, and he loves clay. He has been very good, too, and has two Wimbledon crowns. However, Roger Federer has won it in London eight times. It is clearly that he is the best player on grass ever.

So, Wimbledon swapped them; Federer is now seeded No. 2, and Nadal went down to No. 3.

Djokovic has won Wimbledon four times, including in 2018, so he is still No. 1 because of that. All three of them know how to win the Big W.

It is somewhat surprising that Kevin Anderson has been moved up to No. 4, even though he is ranked No. 8. That is a big jump, to leap four spots. But, he eliminated Federer and reached the final last year, so that helps.

Lately, he has been injured a lot. Anderson has only played four tournaments in 2019. While when he is heathy, he can play excellent ball, but right now, he isn’t on top of it. To knock him up to No. 4, that is a big deal.

A few more men have moved up: John Isner, from No. 12 to No. 9 (who lost 26-24 in the fifth set in the semis against Anderson), Marin Cilic from No. 18 to No. 13 (who won the Queen’s Club in 2018), Gilles Simon (who just reached the final at Queen’s Club), and Alex de Minaur, who went from No. 25 to No. 20. He won Nottingham on grass last year.

Of the top three, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal are the favorites, obviously, but there is a small chance that someone can win it for the first time. Andy Murray has won it twice, but he is not playing singles in Wimbledon, because he just came back due to a very tough hip injury. He just wants to play in doubles. Eventually I would think, sometime in the next few months, he will walk on court and play singles, because he totally loves it. But not next week.

There are a few very good young (22 and younger) men who can do deep: Alexandra Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Borna Coric, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. They are in the top 32 seeds.

Zverev isn’t playing great, but he can turn it around quickly. Tsitsipas reached the semis at the Aussie Open, and he can crush the ball, but he is still learning to play. The teenager Auger-Aliassime is rising up quickly, showing lots of confidence. The Canadian can out-hit a lot of good players. When he locks in and focuses, he definitely can reach the second week, or even further. The other Canadian, Shapovalov, can be very powerful, but he gets frustrated at times.

But just about everyone loves Wimbledon, so all of them will battle until it ends, win or lose.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

A frustrated, injured Andy Murray says he might retire very soon

January 11, 2019 by
Andy Murray, Australian Open
Andy Murray, Wimbledon

FROM THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN — It was a very tough day for Andy Murray. In a press conference, he cried and teared up. Why? He said, he cannot make the pain go away. He’s dealt with it for almost two years. He has tried as much as possible, but he isn’t fast anymore, cannot sprint, and cannot bend down due to his chronic hip. He limps, he yanks it, shakes it, but still, his head explodes.

Murray has won three Grand Slams, and he has won a bunch of other titles. When he was healthy, he was so steady, he was powerful and creative. But, once your body starts to crack, there is not much you can do. You can wait for a while, rest and change it up. If you work on it every day for many hours,  you can fail. In one leg, his two bones are destroyed and they won’t come back.

 He can try to fix it, to re-generate on court, when he is running, left, right, forward, backwards, and pounding it, there is no chance. For a few hours, he feels OK, but then the leg starts aching, the pain returns, and it just doesn’t want to hear it.
Murray knows that, or maybe as the frequently injured Juan Martin del Potro said, don’t leave yet, it is possible that eventually you can come back. It took DelPo seven years or so to get healthy again. However, with Murray, he is already 31 years old. If he wants to win a major again, seven years is way too long. If it takes a couple years, then maybe — given that the science improves every year — Murray can win some important wins. But he is very frustrated and in the next few months, he could wave goodbye, soon. Like maybe next week.    

“I’m not feeling great,” Murray said. “Been struggling for a long time, I’ve been in a lot of pain for probably about 20 months. I’ve pretty much done everything I could get my hip feeling better. I’m in a better place than I was six months ago but I’m still in a lot of pain. It’s been tough. The pain is too much really. I don’t want to continue playing that way. I think there is a chance this is my last tournament. There’s a chance for sure. I’m not sure I’m able to play through the pain for another four or five months.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: , , , ,

Third time lucky for Anderson?

July 25, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Kevin Anderson earned himself a legion of new fans after winning the hearts and minds of the tennis world during Wimbledon. It was Anderson’s semi-final showdown with John Isner that caught the world’s attention as the two giants slugged it out for over six and a half hours, which made it the longest Grand Slam semifinal of all time.

In the end, Anderson would prevail in this marathon encounter but it was his performance to the media directly afterwards that earned him the most respect from onlookers. The exhausted South African refused to celebrate and rather decided to sympathise with Isner after a duel where Anderson said, “At the end, you feel like this is a draw.”

It was a classy interview that Anderson gave and was a great advert for sportsmanship in tennis. Sadly, for the humble and hardworking South African, it wasn’t to be in the final as Novak Djokovic beat him in straight sets to claim his fourth Wimbledon title. Losing to the Serb would be his second Grand Slam final defeat in a year after going down to Rafael Nadal at the US Open final in 2017.

Even though Anderson didn’t win a maiden Wimbledon title, he still made history by being the first South African to appear in a Wimbledon final in 97 years. There are undoubtedly many positives to take away with one more Grand Slam to play this year. 

With the 2018 US Open only a month away, Anderson will be hoping that it’s third time lucky and that he is finally able to get his hands on a Grand Slam trophy. The disintegration of the Big Four is helping Anderson secure more of a foothold at the top of the men’s game. But, at 32, you do feel the South African will have to strike whilst the iron is hot or else look back on what could have been, as time waits for no man. 

Despite all of Anderson’s heroics over the last year, he is 33/1 to triumph at the US Open, which illustrates what an uphill battle he has on his hands. Djokovic is the favourite to win at Flushing Meadows, which is quite remarkable given he wasn’t sure whether he would play at Wimbledon after a quarterfinal defeat at Roland Garros in early June. It’s been an up-and-down few months for the Serb. But, in the blink of an eye, he now looks the most dangerous out of what is left of the Big Four. 

More so than ever it looks like a winner could come out of the chasing pack and that means it won’t just be Anderson who’s eyeing up the US Open as a chance to win a rare Grand Slam. Nadal and Federer will obviously be as big a threat as always, but their powers are waning with a younger crop of players smelling blood and ready to run them ragged.

Out of the last four US Opens, two have been won by players outside of the Big Four so history indicates that the face of the championship is beginning to change. Cilic and Wawrinka were the players to break the mould as, before 2014, nine of the 10 US Opens had been shared amongst Roger Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray. Now is the time for any player heading towards the end of their career to pounce and win their first Grand Slam.

Jennifer Carson is a recent sports journalism graduate and an avid follower of squash, tennis and lacrosse. She has previously written for publications including the Mansfield and Ashfield Chad and the Derby Telegraph.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: , , ,

Djokovic comes alive, wins Wimbledon

July 15, 2018 by Leave a Comment


Remember when Novak Djokovic won everything? The No. 1 was unstoppable. But last year, his body broke. After 2017 Wimbledon, he stopped, for six months, and when he came back in the start of this year, he was way off. He was upset, nervous, and mentally constrained. 

But he kept on and at Wimbledon, his confidence was resurrected. When he was practicing, he could crush his backhand, forehand, his serve, at the net, his return, but that didn’t work on court. He would shake his head a lot. He would hesitate. However, two weeks ago, he told himself that win or lose, he would be brave.

And that is exactly what he did. The Serbian won his 13th Grand Slam by beating Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6. He clubbed him. On Sunday, after he won, he admitted that it was a tough time this year.  

“There were several moments where I was frustrated and questioning if I’d get back to the desired level,” Djokovic said. “But that makes this whole journey even more special for me. …There were several moments where I was frustrated and questioning whether I could get back on [the] desired level or not,” he said. “There were turbulences – as well as moments of doubt, disappointment, frustration and anger. But it’s usually in a struggle that you get to know yourself. And get to have an opportunity to rise like a phoenix and evolve and get better.”

How about this? Just six weeks ago, at Roland Garros, he lost to Marco Cecchinato in the quarterfinals. Djokovic was so upset that in the press conference, that he might skip Wimbledon.

“I did not expect to be back in the top shape already here in Wimbledon so quickly,” Djokovic said. “If you asked me after Roland Garros, I would probably maybe doubt that. At the same time there is a part of me that always believes in my own abilities, believes in my own quality of tennis, what I possess. Whenever I come to the tournament and Grand Slam especially, I believe I can have a good opportunity to fight for the trophy.”

Oh, he battled, did he ever battle. In the semis, he was playing Rafa Nadal. In the fifth set, it looked like that he was very close to losing. But he never backed off and he won it 10-8 in the fifth. 

After that, Djokovic was going to win. On Sunday, he pulled the tall Anderson all around, and he returned whenever he wanted to.

On Monday, Djokovic will be ranked No. 5. At sometime, maybe in the fall, he can grab the No. 1 once again. After all, he is as good as Roger Federer and Nadal right now. It is all about the confident factor.

“I’m really grateful to go through these mixed emotions and turbulence mentally. I’m human and we all have to go through that,” Djokovic said. 


Angie Kerber knocks off Serena, wins Wimbledon

Last year, Angie Kerber said that she didn’t understand exactly what she was doing, losing all the time. She was frustrated and almost hopeless. 

But in 2018, she decided that she would push herself every match, everyday, looking for the confidence factor. 

At Wimbledon, she knew that she was right there. She was so, so fast, running and sprinting. This time, she would attack, hit it closer to the lines, returning deep, On her serve, she would mix it up constantly.

Kerber did and now she has won three Grand Slams, beating the famous Serena Williams 6-3 6-3 to win Wimbledon. 

“I just feel like I’m taking the steps in the right direction,” she said. “I took a giant step at Wimbledon, but my journey has just begun.”

When Kerber was just a baby, and she had just started playing tennis, the now 30-year-old German watched Steffi Graf at Wimbledon. Graf won everything, 23 Grand Slam titles, with an unbelievable forehand, her slice backhand, and a phenomenal serve. On occasion, Graf lost, but she was very calm inside and she was so focused. That is exactly what Kerber did over the past two weeks. 

“She was winning all the matches in two sets actually. I just remember that everybody was playing in white on the grass court,” Kerber said. “I think Wimbledon is something special. I think it’s traditional. To win here is forever. Nobody can take the title away from me now.”

Kerber will rise to No. 4 on Monday, and for sure, she could eventually become No. 1. She has been so much better over the past three years and without a doubt, now, she is a huge factor for years to come.
 
“I was enjoying [being No 1] but I was not expecting so many things because when you reach the top, you have no idea what you have to deal with in this moment,” she said. “What I have learned from that is that sometimes you have to say, ‘No,’ and take time for yourself, not doing every single day media or some stuff, just making a few days for yourself. When you do this, I think you can enjoy it more.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »