Familiar contenders set for grass-court major
The future can wait as men’s big three refusing to budge • Obstacles galore await women’s favorite Barty
LONDON (Reuters) – They say it’s high time the new generation start blazing a trail in men’s tennis yet as the All England Club opens its doors for another Wimbledon fortnight Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retain a vice-like grip on power.
Led by swashbuckling Greek 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas a queue of brash young talents has formed, all trying to be the man to smash the triopoly and officially usher in a new era.
The trouble is despite all being at an age when mere mortals begin winding down their careers, the top three appear fitter and hungrier than ever to reach new milestones.
World No. 1 and defending champion Djokovic fell agonizingly short of holding all four Grand Slams (for the second time) when he was blown off court by a gale and Dominic Thiem in the French Open semifinals last month.
But unlike last year when he arrived at Wimbledon ranked outside the top 20 after one of the most difficult periods of his career, only to silence the doubters to win a fourth title, the 32-year-old looks at the peak of his powers.
One more title here would take him level with the five of Swedish great Bjorn Borg and third on the all-time list for men’s champions in the modern era. It would also leave the Serb four behind Federer’s men’s record total of 20 Grand Slams.
Federer, seeded two on the 20th anniversary of his first main draw appearance, is chasing his ninth title and looked razorsharp last week when he warmed up by winning the Halle title for a 10th time. Then there is the 33-year-old Nadal. He last triumphed at Wimbledon in 2010, two years after his epic final against Federer, but since then he has endured some bitter setbacks on the lawns – suffering early losses to the likes of Steve Darcis, Nick Kyrgios, Lukas Rosol and Dustin Brown before rebounding last year to reach the semis.
After taking a 12th French Open title the Mallorcan seems highly-motivated, and physically strong, as he targets a third French Open/Wimbledon double – a feat only Borg has achieved.
Fueled by desire and unencumbered by the pressure to prove themselves that weighs on the likes of seventh seed Tsitsipas and sixth seed Alexander Zverev, it is hard to see the trophy not in the hands of one of the big three on July 14.
After all, they have won the last 10 Grand Slams on offer and only Andy Murray (twice) has managed to keep their hands off of it since Lleyton Hewitt won in 2002.
“It’s just awesome to see a dynasty, and then there’s another part that says, hey, let’s get some other people in the mix here,” said three-time Wimbledon winner John McEnroe. “To me we have the three greatest players that have ever lived, playing at the same time.
“They’re extremely hungry, which is an amazing quality at that age.”
Tsitsipas, with his aggressive all-court game, looks the most likely contender to shake things up while 18-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, a semifinalist at Queen’s Club last week, has jumped the queue after a stunning rise from outside the top 100 at the start of the year.
“Tsitsipas is going to be a great champion and player. He’s got everything that you could hope for,” McEnroe said. “I think Felix, to me, he’s going to be No. 1.”
Throw another Canadian, 20-year-old Denis Shapovalov, and even the mercurial magic of Australian bad-boy Kyrgios into the mix, along with old Swiss warrior Stan Wawrinka, Austrian stylist Thiem and a gaggle of powerful Russians led by Karen Khachanov and an absorbing chapter of Wimbledon awaits.
The ending may be a familiar one though.
On the women’s side, meanwhile, the angle of Ash Barty’s climb to the top has been so steep, the rise so fast, that the sight of her name perched on top of the Wimbledon draw as top seed and favorite still requires a second glance.
A month ago when the French Open began the 23-year-old Australian was just another name in a wide-open women’s field being spoken about as a title contender.
When she walks on court on Monday she will do so as the newest member of the Grand Slam winners’ club and as world number one, just three years after returning to the sport she quit at the end of 2014 for cricket.
In her own words the last few weeks have been a “whirlwind” and while the tranquility of the All England Club in the days leading up to the Championships offers a chance to catch breath, she knows it is only a temporary lull.
Reaching the summit is one thing, but setting up camp there is an entirely different proposition, especially at Wimbledon where Barty is joined by 14 other Grand Slam champions and four finalists in a draw fraught with danger.
Barty could face Spain’s 2017 Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza in the third round and awaiting in the quarterfinals could be defending champion Angelique Kerber or seven-time winner Serena Williams with twice champion Petra Kvitova a potential obstacle in the semifinal.
Predicting the outcome of women’s Grand Slams has been a fool’s game since Serena Williams earned her 23rd title at the 2017 Australian Open before breaking off to have a baby.
Eight different players have won the nine Grand Slams since then with only Japan’s Naomi Osaka winning two.
Only six women – Court, Billie Jean King, Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams – have won Wimbledon straight after the French, however, and it would take a “Herculean” effort for Barty to join that group.
Kerber, meanwhile, is bidding to become the first woman to defend a Grand Slam title since Serena at Wimbledon in 2016 and the sixth at the All England Club in the last 50 years.
Wimbledon first-round action (live on Sport5 and Sport5+ from 1:30 p.m.)