Tumbles, tears and a true trailblazer as Wimbledon serves up drama
There were tumbles, tears and even speculation that time was up for some of the big names at Wimbledon. AFP Sport looks back at some of the biggest talking points of the tournament:
Murray memento
• The crowd may have cheered Andy
Murray to the rafters as he showed his mental resilience and flashes of his old brilliance, but at the end it was not enough to see the former world No 1 into the second week.
“Is it worth it?” mused two-time champion Murray after his straightsets third-round defeat to world No 12 Denis Shapovalov.
The two-time Wimbledon champion, who has been fighting hip and groin injuries, sets himself far higher goals than just being there to entertain the fans.
On-stoppable force
• Ons Jabeur endeared herself to the show-court crowds with wins over five-time champion Venus Williams and
2017 Wimbledon winner Garbine Muguruza.
However, the 26-year-old Tunisian was aiming at a far greater audience than those who paid a lot of money to watch her play — for she hopes her achievements will galvanize young Arab women and Africans to take up the sport.
The first Arab woman to win a WTA tournament on the eve of Wimbledon, and then the first into the last 16 of the major, seldom has there been a better opportunity for her wish to be fulfilled.
“I hope that so many of the young generation is watching, and I can inspire them,” she said. “Hopefully one day I could be playing with a lot of players next to me.”
Jabeur went on to make the quarterfinals where she was knocked out by Aryna Sabalenka.
Serena’s heartache
• Serena Williams’ latest bid to equal Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam singles record of 24 titles did not even get into first gear and indeed ended with the 39-year-old “heartbroken”.
Williams will not wish her tear-filled farewell to the Centre Court crowd — after she injured herself slipping early in her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich — to be how she is remembered on a stage where she has been crowned singles champion seven times.
Williams did not divulge much about the extent of the injury, only that it was to her right leg, and preferred to address her broader fan base.
“Feeling the extraordinary warmth and support of the crowd today when I walked on — and off — the court meant the world to me,” she said.
Surface tension
• Williams’ retirement came soon after Frenchman Adrian Mannarino ended his 33rd birthday not with a win over Roger Federer, which looked a possibility at one point, but instead having to concede he could not carry on, having taken a tumble on Centre Court.
Others found it hard to keep their footing in the early rounds of the tournament.
Novak Djokovic joked about how many tumbles he had taken in the first two rounds. “I seem to be having a really nice connection with the grass!” said the Serbian.
The All England Club defended the state of the courts but many players were not convinced after two days of heavy rain.
Felix Auger-Aliassime said parts of the court were like “mud”.
Miraculous return
• A heartwarming story was to be found in seeing big-serving American Taylor Fritz turning up for his first-round match.
Those who had seen the 23-yearold exiting the French Open a month ago in a wheelchair would not have placed money on that being the case.
Wearing a black knee-support stocking was a small price to pay for a quick operation to have him fighting fit for the tournament.
“I’m positive this is the quickest anyone has ever returned to actual professional competition from this surgery,” said Fritz.
He lasted a week and eventually bowed out in four sets to fourthseeded German Alexander Zverev 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the third round.