Wimbledon: The Numbers are a Target

The irony is that as a tennis player, the goal is to play, and win, as much as possible during the year so that when the big tournaments come up, like Wimbledon, you are seeded, and that in theory keeps you from playing the Jannik Sinners of the world in the first round. 

And then, when you get there, some player you scouted by watching them frame their way through a previous match takes you out in the first round on a surface you're pretty sure isn't even for tennis.

I'm talking about Daniil Medvedev, who had this to say about the guy who beat him in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday, thus starting a cascade of seeded players to tumble out of the draw at what has to be a record pace:

From The Athletic: "I was supposed to play him or (Quentin) Halys in Halle. I watched the match. He couldn't play two balls in a row in the court. I was surprised."

Who needs Sinner when you have ... whatever is in the water at Wimbledon right now?

Serena Williams was sort of mocked by everyone (OK, me) when she'd say that the women are playing their best against her. I'm starting to understand what she's saying. Right now, I'm watching Laura Siegemund on the precipice of taking a set off of Aryna Sabalenka. (She just did it.) Sinner himself was moments away from being out of Wimbledon if not for a freak injury sustained by Grigor Dimitrov. 

So the remaining question: Who takes advantage of the void left by the 22 seeds who went home after round one? The fact is that on both sides, the favorites are still there. Sinner is the biggest question mark as he is also coping with injury. But he and Carlos Alcaraz are still on a collision course. Sinner's got a harder path. Ben Shelton is playing some great tennis right now, but does he have the maturity to hold it together for a whole match against Sinner? I'm not 100% sold on that one, but even if Sinner gets through, he'll have Djokovic (probably) to contend with, which is basically like a final to get to a final. 

Although she is down a set, I find it hard to believe Sabalenka won't make it through this match. I think she could manage either Ana Pavlyuchenkova or Amanda Anisimova. The bottom half is ... interesting. The thing is that Iga Swiatek has been having a pretty good year, but has been faltering right around this stage. I really would pick the winner of the Belinda Bencic and Mirra Andreeva match to get to the final. 

And at this point, it's probably just wise to choose anyone without a seed by their name. 

AO'19: Random Thoughts

It's been a while. Still with the personal stuff, but that doesn't mean I haven't been watching tennis. I have thoughts. Here they are:

Frances Tiafoe: I come from a long line of West Indians who believe that working hard would lead to great success. Because of this, there is this steady line of progression through my family line as far as I can trace it. My grandfather would leave his country of origin to come work citrus fields in Florida, paying steadily for the entry of each of his children, then his wife. His children came, saw, got a job and showed their children how to make something of nothing. It really is the ultimate Houdini trick. When you grow up seeing each generation pushing for the coming crop and it's your turn, what do you do? You go above and beyond. Someone's got to set the bar for whoever is next. So when I read about Frances Tiafoe beating Kevin Anderson, then advancing into the quarterfinals of a Slam and making comments like this: "It means the world. I worked my ass off, man. I told my parents 10 years ago I was going to be a pro and change their life and my life," well, you get it. It makes sense. All he saw growing up was pushing boundaries. Why not keep pushing boundaries?

Serena v. Pliskova: It really is an insult to make excuses for Serena at this point. So let's not do it. If she sprained her ankle and never tried to get it checked, that's a decision she made. The foot fault call was important, and perhaps unwise and incorrect, but let's not forget she was up 5-1. When you are leading like that, you can create as many opportunities than you need. One foot fault does not make a match. Having said all of that, I was stunned watching the second half of the third set play itself out. Serena had hit the gas towards the end of the second set and all the way up to 5-1, so it was crazy! Even at the end, there was no one clear reason for the plot twist, well, besides Serena having an injury.

Federer losing to Tsitsipas: I haven't written about Stephanos Tsitsipas before. I will rectify this now. He's pretty good. I haven't seen what happened against Nadal yet, but in his match against Roger Federer, he showed a maturity that suggests to me that he will win a Slam, and probably before Alexander Zverev. One thing I personally look for when I see up-and-comers playing straight legends is how they react to victory. Usually, if they're all excited they hit an ace, or won one set, it doesn't bode well. But Tsitsipas kept his head down against Federer for the most part. He's almost ready.

People Coming Out of Nowhere: Danielle Collins had a nice stretch of success last summer, then went away. As I write, she's playing Petra Kvitova in the semifinals. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been flirting with success for a long time now. Beats Sloane Stephens and Kiki Bertens and makes the quarters. Amanda Anisimova taking out a title favorite in Aryna Sabalenka. My point is to make your draw with your gut, not your brain. Also that we are in for a heckuva ride this year, and the newbies are at the wheel.

Rafael Nadal: and his sexy ass hopefully will win the Australian Open, glistering in sweat.