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Easier said than done: over the last eight days, we’ve seen some fantastic matches, incredible comebacks and ridiculous shocks. But now, as we begin our quarter-finals, we’re free to let it all out because that really big stuff is upon us.
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As is often rhapsodised in these pages, women’s tennis is the most unpredictable sport in the world. So just as it would’ve been impossible to predict that Jasmine Paolini would meet Emma Navarro and Lulu Sun play Donna Vekic, so it is impossible to guess which pair might make the semis.
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We’ll dig into the hows and whys later on, but for now, we have four players in terrific form who know that these are the days of their lives. They may reach this stage again or they may not, and with that comes pressure, intensity and emotion – for our delectation. So we can expect these matches to be moving, affirming and – given two of them must lose – distressing. What more could we possibly want?
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On the men’s side, meanwhile, we begin with a repeat of the Australian Open final, the last thing Daniil Medvedev will want to remember. For two sets he played celestially, only for Jannik Sinner to steal the title – his first major – to fortify an already brilliant game with confidence and legitimacy. It’ll take something special to stop him not just today but between now and Sunday teatime.
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To call Carlos Alcaraz merely special, though, is to insult one of the most inspiring talents in all sport. The energy, creativity and aggression he brings to court is unlike anything we’ve seen before, but there’s a sense he’s not quite at his best – unlike Tommy Paul, winner at Queen’s and in the form of his life. Like Taylor Fritz yesterday, if he stays calm and in the moment – easier typed than achieved! – he’s a chance.
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Play: 1pm BST on No 1 Court, 1.30pm BST on Centre
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Important Events
To balance things out, I ask questions. Does Novak Djokovic have the best hairline of all time?
Returning to Djokovic’s BBC interview, the general feeling is that he overreacted, but I took issue with his accusation that the crowd had no respect for him. It’s impossible for anyone with even a passing interest in tennis not to respect the greatest male player of all time, but what’s painful for Djokovic is that that respect isn’t always accompanied by love, especially when compared to how much love there is for Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz alike.
Regarding Sinner vs Medvedev: It’s unlikely that the world No. 1 will lose on grass. Assuming the roof is closed, it’s a win-win for both sides. Sinner hits it cleanly, and Medvedev will appreciate the sureness of his feet. Sometimes he won’t step in for fear of slipping. If he serves and returns like a god, he’ll have a chance, but Sinner’s confidence, authority and poise will likely be decisive, because almost everything Medvedev does, Sinner does better.
To be honest, I have no idea how the Lulu Sun vs. Donna Vekic match will go. Vekic is the obvious favorite to win and will do so if she plays close to her best. She hits it hard, moves well and has improved over the past few years, and as the 28-year-old knows, this may be her best chance to win the big guns.
But Sun is a wild card: she hits hard, too, but her moves aren’t as good, but she has much less to lose and the benefit of surprise: no one knows what to expect from her.
So how did today’s game go?
Also in progress:
And that’s not the only controversy. When Taylor Fritz came back from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev, people in his box were found to be cheering “too much,” according to the German.
Fritz’s girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, then posted a video (now deleted) to her Instagram Story with the caption “When your guy wins the girl,” and posted a photo of the court during the match (also now deleted) with the caption “Ladies, cheer loud.”
“His team is very polite,” Zverev said. “I think his coach, his physiotherapist and his assistant coach are very polite too.”
“I think there are people in that box who are probably not from the tennis world, who don’t particularly watch every match.
“They were a bit over the top.
“It’s OK. No problems. No drama. He came back from two sets down to win a love game. So obviously everybody’s excited and super pumped.”
“But I have no problem with Taylor. I think Taylor is a great guy. I have no problem with him.”
Meanwhile, Fritz said:
“I think he was annoyed because some spectators in my box were cheering me on too loudly,” the American said.
“Honestly, I can’t hear it. I don’t get it. It’s not a big deal. He said he never said anything to me or anything like that.”
Fritz added, “When I’m playing like this, I don’t really hear my box.
“I didn’t hear anyone shouting very loudly.
“If they were causing trouble, it is entirely permissible for him to cause trouble.
“One of the things I asked him online was, who was that? Again, it’s no big deal. It’s OK.”
I blogged about this match and I have to say I didn’t appreciate anything untoward. While there is certainly a phonetic similarity between “Ruuuuune” and “booooo,” “Ruuuuune” seems like a pretty obvious way to cheer for a player named “Ruuuuune.” In the UK in particular, chants of “Ruuuuuud” and “Rooooot” have been commonplace for decades. Maybe the officials were just enjoying the opportunity to boo as if they were saying “boo-urns” without booing, but who can know that for sure? If you think you’re being booed, you’re going to introspect and ask yourself, “why?” Novak Djokovic is the greatest player of all time, but not everyone identifies with his persona. On the other hand, I’m sure he’ll play even better as a result.
of course, We’re still processing yesterday’s controversy…
preamble
The great Mike Costello tells the story of how after his first time doing boxing commentary he was given advice by a seasoned pro: “Always leave yourself an escape route.” In other words, if you get excited too quickly, when something really big happens, it will inevitably sound like what’s come before.
That’s easier said than done. The past eight days have seen some amazing matches, incredible comebacks and some crazy shockers. But now, as the quarterfinals begin, we can let it all out, because something really big is on the horizon.
As we’ve often said on these pages, women’s tennis is the most unpredictable sport in the world. Just as it was impossible to predict that Jasmine Paolini would play Emma Navarro and Lulu Sun would play Donna Vekic, it’s impossible to guess which pairs will make it to the semifinals.
We’ll get into the why and how of this in more detail later, but for now, we have four players in top form who know this is a turning point in their lives. They may or may not reach this stage again, but with that comes pressure, intensity and emotion. We expect these matches to be emotional, confident and, at the thought of both of them losing, heartbreaking. What more could you ask for?
Meanwhile, the men’s match will begin with what Daniil Medvedev least likely wants to remember: a repeat of the Australian Open final. For two sets, he played like a star, but Jannik Sinner snatched the title, adding confidence and legitimacy to his already stellar performance at his first major. It will take something special to stop him, not just today, but between now and tee time on Sunday.
But to call Carlos Alcaraz simply special is an insult to one of the most electric talents in sports. The energy, creativity and aggression he brings to the court is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. But unlike Tommy Paul, who won Queens and is in the best shape of his life, there’s the sense that he’s not at his best yet. If he can stay calm and hang in there like Taylor Fritz did yesterday (easy to type, not so easy to accomplish), he has a chance.
Match times: 1pm BST on Court 1, 1:30pm BST on Centre Court
