FUTURE STAR? IT’S COCO BY A LANDSLIDE
And Nadal lives up to the hype again
ASIDE from yesterday’s epic men’s final, as was the case last year Rafael Nadal was involved in both. Contests against Nick Kyrgios and Roger Federer were hyped to the heavens, and somehow they came close to fulfilling expectations. The Kyrgios match shades it for its unusual mixture of strangeness, brilliance and personal enmity. The third round match between Coco Gauff and Polona Hercog was not necessarily the Grand cru in technical terms, but as an absorbing battle with some fascinating human dimensions it was hard to beat.
BEST TALKER/WORST TALKER
SImoNA HAlEP, not previously a sweetheart of the Centre Court, charmed the birds from the trees with her acceptance interview on Saturday, and in press conferences can be relied upon not to succumb to groupthink. The worst performer in press conferences award can hereon be known as winner of the Venus Williams award, named after the player who has performed the unusual trick of becoming ruder and less articulate with age.
ROYAL BOX GUEST OF THE FORTNIGHT
WooDy HARRElSoN showed, er, stamina in watching the men’s doubles final only for his refuelling habits to be caught on camera and shared via social media. It should be said that Harrelson is a regular visitor to tennis, and has a reputation for being a genial and down-to-earth guest.
SO LONG, FAREWELL
CyPRuS’S former semi-finalist marcos Baghdatis played his last match and emptied his bags in a mass giveaway of equipment to the crowds. maria Sharapova, not quite such a universally popular figure, spoke as if there were doubts over whether she would return.
DOUBLES KARMA
THE machinations of who plays with who caused plenty of intrigue, and probably the odd ripple of
schadenfreude thereafter in certain quarters. Andy murray’s partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Jay Clarke were among those who failed to prosper after upsetting their partners. Nicolas mahut had the last laugh on Herbert by making the men’s doubles final.
NICE TO SEE YOU
THE all- star dream team of Serena Williams and murray (below) did not sweep all before them but seeing the twice-singles champion back at SW19 warmed the heart. Next year, hopefully he will be back in the singles, but it should not be underestimated how much will have to go right for that to happen.
BIGGEST FAIL
THE next generation of men’s players continues to be worryingly invisible, with no end in sight to the dominance of the three titans. The gestation period of new stars is starting to make that of an elephant look short. Say what you like about Kyrgios, but at least he stood up to the challenge of Nadal.
MOST WELCOME NEWCOMER
GAuFF, by a landslide. A real player and impressively articulate with it, the 15-year-old provided a huge shot in the arm to the tournament and was partly responsible for a surge in American TV viewing figures. Gauff (right) will need to be handled carefully. With a potential 20 or more so Wimbledons to play, this need not be a young woman in a hurry.
BIGGEST FINE
THE book was thrown at Bernard Tomic, aka The Tank Engine, due to his previous in this department. His swingeing fine of £45,000 sparked an intelligent debate about where the boundaries should be on judging how much a player has tried or not. you do not want to crush the sport’s more mercurial characters, but there are limits to indulgence.
PRESS CONFERENCE DRAMA
A NATIoNAl debate, almost eclipsing weightier news matters such as the departure of Britain’s man in Washington, ensued after Jo Konta’s caustic exchange with a newspaper reporter. Hard questioning? yes. Sexist? No. The more melancholy incident was Naomi osaka, a double Grand Slam champion, curtailing her interview as she was overcome with emotion — Gauff’s handlers take note.
BEST INNOVATION
DJoKoVIC won his fifth title following the first 12-12 tie-break decider in Wimbledon history. The Court one roof was a welcome addition, and made scheduling easier. Court 12 has been nicely expanded and looks impressive, and is now a better arena than Court 3. Suggestions for next year: the introduction of an on court shot clock and restrictions on dubious toilet breaks.
THE BRIT AWARDS
A BENIGN set of draws meant there was no first week Brit wipeout, luckily for the lTA. While her run ended in disappointment and controversy, it should not be forgotten that Jo Konta followed up her French open semi by taking out two top-10 players and making the last eight, a fine effort when all was said and done. An honourable mention, too, for Dan Evans.