Djokovic guidelines, Serena falls quick: What we discovered at Wimbledon

LONDON — Welcome to the key season, the post-Wimbledon return to the clay courts — a phase embraced some years in the past by each excursions partly to guard the well being of the gamers. The prospect of shifting from cushiony grass to punishing laborious courts instantly after Wimbledon and staying on them by way of the US Open and past didn’t attraction to anybody.

These July clay occasions additionally assist stability the variety of tournaments obtainable on clay and the bulk floor, laborious courts. Europeans generally and clay specialists particularly have fought to maintain the clay custom alive. Seven of the 9 tournaments resulting in the North American hard-court swing that climaxes on the US Open are on clay, together with essentially the most resonant of all of them, the ATP 500 in Hamburg.

So this can be a good time to take a seat again, take a deep breath after that incredible Wimbledon males’s ultimate, and course of a number of the issues we discovered from “The Championships.”

Novak Djokovic demonstrated his greatness once more at this yr’s Wimbledon. Carl Recine/Getty Photos

It is a GOAT hunt!

Roger Federer stood one swing of the racket from the Wimbledon title on two events within the ultimate, however Novak Djokovic foiled him each instances. The really wonderful half: Main title 21 may need put the lads’s Grand Slam singles title report out of attain for the 2 males chasing Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. However Djokovic’s win will supercharge the subsequent handful of Grand Slam occasions — as in the event that they wanted it on this age of the Huge Three.

Djokovic has 16 main titles, Nadal has 18. Given Nadal’s conspicuous superiority on the French Open, the place he already has a mind-boggling 12 titles, it is simple to see him profitable Roland Garros two extra instances regardless of whom he faces. At 32, Djokovic just isn’t solely a yr youthful than Nadal, he additionally has a extra well-rounded recreation that makes him equally harmful on all surfaces. However this is the massive factor: Djokovic already leads the sequence with each males (28-26 vs. Nadal; 26-22 vs. Federer).

All different issues being equal, Djokovic ought to have the ability to preserve his dominance. Federer is already 37, Nadal is injury-prone and hasn’t gained a significant anyplace exterior Paris since he gained his third US Open in 2017. Federer appeared to have the GOAT title locked up after he gained the 2018 Australian Open, however Djokovic may properly find yourself dominating his friends and bagging essentially the most main titles. Is that of concern to Federer?

“The chase [for the record] is in a special place [now],” Federer stated after the Wimbledon ultimate. “I take motivation from a special place, not a lot from attempting to remain forward as a result of I broke the report, and if any individual else does, properly, that is nice for them. You may’t defend all the pieces anyway. I did not turn into a tennis participant for that. I actually did not.”

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ESPN’s Pam Shriver says “it is going to be powerful” for Serena Williams to match Margaret Courtroom’s 24 Grand Slams after her third consecutive defeat in a significant ultimate.

A final stand for Serena?

The query on everybody’s lips following Simona Halep’s surprisingly simple 6-2, 6-2 win within the girls’s ultimate was, “What number of extra probabilities does Serena have?” It is a cheap ask, provided that Serena Williams, the sporting world’s most well-known mother, will flip 38 in September. She hasn’t gained a match of any form for the reason that 2017 Australian Open, and faltered at Wimbledon regardless of asserting that she’s absolutely wholesome once more. She benefited from a surprisingly manageable draw as properly.

Halep and Angelique Kerber, who snatched the Wimbledon title from Williams’ arms final yr, each performed extraordinarily properly in these finals. However Williams, who has been maybe essentially the most intimidating general presence within the WTA since Steffi Graf, performed an element of their success. Williams described her bearing in the latest ultimate as that of a “deer within the headlights.” That is very un-Serenalike.

Many have recommended that Williams should abandon her peripatetic actions as a spokesperson and superstar. Many imagine she ought to play extra occasions to prep for majors. She would not appear to be inclined to do both. Rivals now meet her with larger confidence. The strain on her to lock down No. 24 solely grows extra intense with every failure. It’s going to take an imposing effort to beat the obstacles. If this wasn’t Williams’ final finest likelihood, the US Open is perhaps.

Time to rethink ‘Subsequent Gen’ hype

The primary storyline out of the primary spherical at Wimbledon was the flameouts of No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem, No. 6 Alexander Zverev and No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas. Thiem, 25, simply missed out (by age) on being a part of the catchy ATP “Subsequent Gen” marketing campaign, however Zverev, 22, and Tsitsipas, 20, didn’t. The pair have loomed giant in that branding effort.

2 Associated

However it is time to let go of the concept that there is a fleet of extremely gifted, formidable younger gamers prepared to maneuver in and take over from the Huge Three and their cohorts within the prime 10. For one factor, the Huge Three merely don’t get out of the highway, which makes the shortcomings of the Subsequent Gen gamers considerably comprehensible. However most of the higher recognized Subsequent Gen gamers merely appear removed from contending at majors, by no means thoughts profitable.

The very best 21-and-under performers at Wimbledon have been comparatively unknown Ugo Humbert, 21, of France and No. 19 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The previous misplaced to Djokovic within the fourth spherical — after beating F2A (who continues to be simply 18), within the earlier spherical.

No. 10 seed Karen Khachanov and No. 11 Daniil Medvedev, No. 25 Alex De Minaur, No. 29 Denis Shapovalov — all present or former Subsequent Gen staples — have been passed by the fourth spherical. The fact is that the “younger” (22 and beneath) gamers are all around the board, no kind of more likely to crash the highest 10 than anybody else.

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Wimbledon champion Simona Halep joins ESPN’s panel of specialists to replicate on her victory over Serena Williams to safe her second main title.

‘Simo’ is Primo

All through the Wimbledon fortnight, Simona Halep has needed to clarify that her ambition to be “chill” this yr, after making her Grand Slam breakthrough at Roland Garros in 2018, did not imply that she was mailing in her outcomes. It may need appeared that approach, although, as a result of Halep hadn’t gained a match all yr, and fell from No. 1 to No. 7 simply weeks earlier than Wimbledon — a match the place she by no means felt comfy regardless of having been a semifinalist 5 years in the past.

That each one modified dramatically as Daniel Dobre, the 27-year-old Romanian’s unsung coach, helped her grasp the grass fundamentals within the weeks main as much as Wimbledon. After profitable her quarterfinal, Halep declared: “All the pieces modified. I’ve a whole lot of expertise now. I am extra assured. I really like grass. It is first time once I [can] say that.”

In beating Williams, Halep dedicated the fewest unforced errors (three) ever in a Grand Slam title match. Halep, who has struggled all through her profession with a deep streak of negativity, stated: “I simply got here right here relaxed. I got here right here motivated to see how good I may be on grass. I am blissful on court docket. I feel this helps me quite a bit.” That is honest warning to her WTA rivals.

A brand new wave of ATP contenders?

A few of the acquainted names lacking from the Wimbledon quarterfinals this yr: Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, John Isner, Kevin Anderson, Juan Martin del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Grigor Dimitrov … all however Wawrinka are one-time semifinalists (or higher), out earlier than the quarters resulting from unhealthy luck, damage or droop, typically age-related. Solely Kei Nishikori, the No. eight seed, held the fort for the previous guard.

The gamers who took their locations within the fourth spherical or higher have been a shocking combine, suggesting a reshuffling of the ATP deck under the Huge Three. Essentially the most acquainted Subsequent Gen stars have been notably absent. A variety of skilled, underrated campaigners helped fill the void: Sam Querrey, Guido Pella, No. 21 seed David Goffin, and No. 23 Roberto Bautista Agut have been quarterfinalists. All however Pella have proven top-10-level expertise — if not at all times outcomes — for lengthy sufficient to make them viable contenders at majors.

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When requested what it is like doing information conferences with Andy Murray, Serena Williams tries her hand at interviewing her blended doubles teammate.

Andy is simply dandy

The Andy Murray-Serena Williams blended doubles pairing was a spotlight of Wimbledon — for “Serandy” or “Murena” (Williams’ most well-liked moniker for the pair) as a lot as for followers and the media. It is unlikely that we’ll be seeing an excessive amount of of this squad, although, as Murray appears to have his coronary heart set on taking part in singles once more, and it is laborious to think about Williams forming a workforce with as a lot curb attraction as her partnership with the British star had at Wimbledon.

Murray’s profession hung within the stability early this yr when he selected to bear hip “resurfacing” surgical procedure. It was so profitable that Murray performed doubles at Queen’s Membership (he gained the occasion with companion Feliciano Lopez) and males’s doubles and blended at Wimbledon. “Sooner or later I began feeling a whole lot of strain. Oh, my God, I’ve to do properly as a result of this match is so hyped,” Williams stated after the workforce gained their first match. The partnership lasted two rounds.

Murray and companion Pierre-Hugues Herbert misplaced within the second spherical of males’s doubles. Murray stated he was happy together with his progress however reluctant to hurry his return to singles, rejecting the thought of a return on the US Open.

“I feel it is fairly unlikely simply when it comes to timing,” he stated. “The quantity of labor I must do on the court docket to prepare for singles, the quantity of labor I must put in off the court docket to get myself sturdy sufficient to play best-of-five units, it is nonetheless fairly a methods away sadly. I might like to play. [But] I must look fairly long-term with this. I do not wish to be having to undergo one other huge operation in a number of years’ time.”