What a Week in Flushing Meadows, Amirite?

Mary Carillo was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame last week for a trailblazing career, more in the commentator box than on court. Explaining the parameters of getting into the Hall of Fame feels mysterious. Lots of people make history in sports. Is that reason enough to keep going? Is it enough to clear that invisible HOF line?

Because there's actually no tennis being played on the Tennis Channel right now, I have had multiple opportunities to see her induction. (For some reason, not Roger Federer's so much, which I would have preferred, but whatever.) I noticed something about Carillo's ceremony -- as much of it as I could stomach. It seemed like there were a lot of players there from her generation, like John McEnroe, which is interesting considering that she is still active. 

But that part makes more sense given Carillo's commentary during Naomi Osaka's match against Elise Mertens last night. She apparently (I keep Carillo commentary on mute in my house) suggested that Osaka's struggles and demeanor during the match was because of mental health struggles. 

It is almost as if this woman has never played tennis before. 

Getting frustrated during a difficult match is what I like to call normal. It's like Carillo knows one thing about Osaka and it colors all her commentary. But this is par for the course for the announcer. She can be witty and has some rando good one-liners, which probably helped with tennis' popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. Now? It looks at least lazy, or at most out of touch. Look, players didn't withdraw from tennis tournaments to focus on their mental health back in Carillo's day. And it clearly bothers Carillo that that's a thing now. But learning and evolving is the hallmark of growth. And like her commentating colleague McEnroe, Carillo seems to deliberately keep her commentary frozen in time. 

I Have an Idea 

Look, anyone who has read this blog more than once knows that Venus Williams can never do wrong in TWA's book. She's a legend, and her decision to return to tennis has concerned me, thrilled me, concerned me, concerned me and concerned me. 

That said, it is hard to watch this version of Venus, mainly because there are enough flashes of greatness to think that, hey, if you can still do something, why not keep doing it? I mean, this ain't Mitch McConnell or something like that -- the woman is still there doing the work. So why not keep going?

What makes it harder is this wild-card situation. Venus, right now, is sitting at a 14-match singles losing streak. When she got a wild card for the U.S. Open this year, even fans of hers complained that she was taking it from a potential up-and-comer. Which, I hate to say, is a fair statement. Sure, being a legend should count for something. But 14 matches?

But what if Venus (and myself) think that she is *right* *there* and that she needs some more match play to find her current level?

Qinwen Zheng has been as high as No. 4 in the world and made a run to the Australian Open final in 2024. The same year, she almost won the year-end championships. She's an Olympic gold medalist and in 2025, she had elbow surgery that kept her off-court for a few months, and she's been on the comeback trail ever since. She's now No. 121 in the world. This year, she came to U.S. Open as a qualifier. Quiwen advanced through three rounds of qualifying to advance into the main singles draw. In her third-round match against Madison Keys, she came back from 0-5 down in the third set to win the match in what has to be one of the most stunning comebacks in recent history. This is a great story for the U.S. Open, for tennis. 

Which is what organizers who give out wild cards want, right? And here we have a qualifier, writing a story that you can't make up. 

Qinwen's story, even if she loses tomorrow, is a great one for her as well. Coming back to tennis after a long time away is hard, and anyone will tell you that the only real solution is match play. The road she's on is one that is filled with ups and downs, frustrations, and victory if you keep at it. (Victory, as careers go, can be celebrated and observed best by the eye of the beholder.) And if you're someone who is trying to rediscover her game, maybe consistent match play is a good idea. Maybe it's even better than getting one pass into a tournament, losing, and coming back to do it again a few weeks later. (Which could happen also in qualifiers for a while, I suppose.)

What am I saying. It isn't fair to tell someone that they need to stop doing something they love, especially if they can keep going. But the fairest way to do it, for someone like Venus Williams, might be doing it through qualifying for tournaments. 

Everyone Has the Right to a Dumb Take

Congrats to this person for getting theirs published in the New York Times.

 

In fairness to myself, I knew it would be stupid before I clicked the link.

Australian Open 2026: OK, Happy Slam. I See You.

         I will be the first to admit that I used to make fun of over-the-hill NFL quarterbacks who couldn’t call it quits, no matter how badly their skills were waning. 

        OK, I’m probably still going to make fun of them because for the most part, these dudes tend to bring a whole team down with them when they start to decline. That said, I understand them a little better now after watching Venus Williams battle in round 1 of the Australian Open. 

        I’ve said before that the older you get, the less likely you are to tell someone they need to retire, for obvious reasons. I’ve wondered why Venus is still doing this and I’m convinced it’s not just for the health benefits. It’s not likely to win another Slam (which would be difficult in this current climate anyway). It’s for the love of the game. It’s because you can still do it. Stephen King is 78 years old. Imagine telling him to stop what he’s doing because he's old and doesn’t have a shot at his former glory. Despite wondering why Venus is still doing this, last night, it was obvious to the stadium and her opponent Olga Danilović that she is willing to show up and do the job. So I’m done cracking wise about age and just going to sit back and watch this extraordinary athlete steer her career wherever she wants it to go, and doing that well. 

        (But. Losing a 4-0 lead in the final set is brutal. Hang in there, girl.)

                  

The Happy Slam Gets Happier!

        Every time tennis tries to do something to draw in the masses, I give tremendous side-eye. But this year’s run-up to the Australian Open included a 1-Point Slam, and legends matches that involved Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Pat Rafter and Ash Barty! This is what I’m talking about! I am talking about exhibitions that combine pros with amateur players and events that take full advantage of what tennis already has. That, notably is not the same as changing the rules to make the game more palatable. Or taking an actual Slam event and turning it into an exhibition. 

        Also, uh, got a chance to check in one of the sports legends that we don’t talk about enough (except on this corner of the Internet): 

 

        Is that ... is that Marat Safin!

        Oh, it is. And I thought he couldn’t get hotter. Long hair!?!!!? (#swoon)

U.S. Open 2025: Pure Chaos, Per Usual

Full disclosure: I wasn't going to post about the U.S. Open until the weekend. I'm trying to finish this project and wanted to prioritize it, so I thought I would chill on the seed report, predictions and early observations. But why did the U.S. Open have to go ham, like, right out the chute? Let's start with ...

Messy Medvedev

Look, I know Daniil Medvedev does it for the drama, and by "it" that's anything. That is his bag. But Sunday night was another level. Honestly, I had turned my head for one second, listening from the other room for the start of the match point that Benjamin Bonzi had against Medvedev and all of a sudden, I heard booing and screaming. I came back in and literally had no idea what I was witnessing. Medvedev hyping the crowd, the crowd going insane, the umpire going "please" and this guy with a huge camera and a wry smile on his face. Yeah, buddy, it was you. You started it. 

I say this every year -- New York fans at night are a dangerous crew. Not only are they drunk, but most of them came in with no advance knowledge of how tennis works anyway. Of course Bonzi should have gotten a first serve. I don't even get what Medvedev was going on about, but questioning the umpire's manliness and intentionally riling the crowd?

That's not even the worst of what he did. The other problem is that Medvedev had an opponent who was standing there trying to serve so he could win his match. Tennis is supposed to be played at the server's pace, but Medvedev kept inciting the chaos so they couldn't even play. And it didn't even change the call? AND the call to give him a first serve was 100 percent the right call!

Another thing I thought would happen Sunday night was that I would go to bed at a decent hour, but after that mess? I absolutely stayed up to watch Medvedev lose. Rest assured, had he won, I would have turned off the TV at match point. But truly, another low from Medvedev. Maybe his lowest. I was rooting for the umpire to not shake his hand. Livid, I was. Over tennis. Again. Help.

After the match, Medvedev snuck on his angel's wings and claimed ignorance, that he did nothing wrong in the moment, that he was just a little upset with the first-serve decision. You know whose perspective I'd like on that one is his wife, who left when he started beating up his racquet after his loss. 

SIDEBAR: And by the way, when we try to accommodate non-fans of tennis, this is what we get. I'm not just talking about the half of the dunderhead crowd that got mad when the umpire did his job. The mixed doubles. I mean what are we doing. What we're doing is accommodating the people who know who Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu are, but not who Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac are. And instead of educating new fans (because that Siniakova/Machac story is something else), what do the tennis powers that be do? They rush the mixed draw and make it more like an exhibition instead of a legit part of the tournament -- and leaving doubles specialists high and dry so we can watch Jack Draper and Jess Pegula fart around on center court. Why do we always abandon what tennis is for the people who don't appreciate it? Tennis is the only sport willing to change its core identity for the sake of a few dollars and extra street cred. Anyone who mentions baseball: Look, that is a boring-ass sport to watch and they needed to do something about it. Tennis is not that. Sigh. End SIDEBAR.

It's a Game of Inches, But My God Clara Tauson

That's basically the whole point. In case you didn't catch this insane drama during the Tauson/Alexandra Eala match:

OK, so. I know there's money on the line here. So I can almost forgive Tauson wanting a closer look at this call to see if Eala made contact with the ball past the net into Tauson's court because you can't do that. This image shows that it's right there. OK. Move on, right. No! Shockingly, Tauson turned this into a five-minute debate with the umpire which in retrospect mainly served the purpose of throwing her own self off her game. Porque? To what end? 

Probably the part of this interaction that made me cackle was when Eala just walked up like she was in the office: "Excuse me, what is the score?" I hollered. 

Anyway, Tauson's young. Hopefully this was an expensive lesson learned.

Avoiding Chaos: Venus Williams

I have to acknowledge that I was a little afraid of watching the night match last night between Venus Williams and Karolina Muchova. First of all, I anticipated a shellacking and I hate to see the queen getting beat up like that. Second, as mentioned, I was convinced to the point of hyperventilating that she was going to retire at this tournament. 

I'm pleased to report that neither happened. I gotta say, Venus looked better last night than she has in a minute. No one has seen her on court a lot, but I mean the way she was getting hang time on some of those ground strokes? Vintage, baby. Let's goooooo!

She was defending her second serve better than she has in a while, too. Yes, it's still a meatball, which I do not understand given her height and power, but she placed it better and although Muchova was able to take some of them for a ride, Venus stayed in it. 

I really thought we were looking at an upset after she won the second set. But one thing you wouldn't have known from that crowd was how well Muchova was playing. She was hitting that serve in the corner pocket every time. She played smarter and cleaner tennis. And it's also a little eerie how much she looks like a young Chris Evert. That's not weird to anyone else?

Anyway. Obviously, we are on the tail end of an illustrious career and I really am going to try to settle down and just enjoy it. 

The Hall of Fame Has Me LOLing

Last thing, I promise. Look, I'm not going to link to the post I wrote after I read about Maria Sharapova's drug suspension because that would open up the line of inquiry as to whether someone who has had a drug suspension should be in the Hall of Fame to begin with. Given today's climate, it would be a cold and empty place. But anyway. 

Sharapova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame over the weekend before the start of the Open, and Serena Williams came out to introduce her. Look, if Serena can get over their non-rivalry being called a rivalry, I guess I should too. But still, I had to crack up when I saw this. She came out there like

How to Keep Calm and Enjoy Venus' Return (Suggestions Welcome)

While I was preparing for my summer vacation to Denver, some major news popped out of the tennis world. THEE Venus Williams was actually going to play a tournament! This was not another false alarm. THEE Venus Ebony Starr Williams was coming out to play some tennis! As longtime readers to this blog know, the reason I even tennis at all is because of Venus. And now she's back! Just in time for the U.S. Open swing! I was holding out hope that Venus hadn't just quit tennis without so much as an announcement. It kinda felt like something she would do, but on the other hand, Venus was a flag bearer for American tennis, and for black athletes in tennis. 

She and Serena Williams opened the door and a floodgate continues to this day. But even before Serena could join Venus on those big stages, it was just the big sister, out there by herself, in a sport no one felt she belonged. No one felt she should have confidence and when she showed that confidence, she was questioned. She became a target. So it's always hard to be the first. Now? Tennis players thank themselves when they win tournaments. I see that kind of squaring up of the shoulders, and I think of Venus. It's only in the last few years that she's dropped the stoic attitude on court and has opted for showing joy when she wins. She didn't get to do that her whole career because she was the first one. Venus got screwed out of a point at Wimbledon -- just straight-up robbed -- and no one did anything about it. Think that would happen to Coco Gauff now? 

So, anyway, fans deserve a chance for a goodbye from Venus. So imagine my surprise to learn that she was coming back to say hello! Just in time for the U.S. Open swing! The tournament where she first made her mark as a major threat to the top tier of tennis. Even though she didn't win that tournament, it put her on the map. So it's perfect timing, you see, to make a return --

Oh, um. It would also be a perfect timing for an announcem --

Whoa. 

Uh, so my vacation was fun! We went to Colorado, which is just beautiful. The first thing we saw when we got out there were these weird little squirrel-looking things that are actually called prairie dogs. 

See? Adorbs.

There's also an Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, where we passed through on the way to Pike's Peak. Venus won three gold medals, by the way. She won her gold medal in 2000 in the middle of a 35-match winning streak, I believe? Wow, that was really in the year 2000. What a career. 

Anyway!

So I opted to drive up Pike's Peak, which is not a choice for the weak of stomach. 

When we arrived, I got talked into upgrading my sedan rental car to this boat called the Chevy Traverse. This seemed like a pretty good deal until it was time to drive up a 14,000 foot-tall mountain. Obviously, we made it. But, like, there isn't even railing on a large chunk of this road and it's hard not to look to your right or left and see that we were up pretty high. But I realized that if I took my eye off the quite narrow road, my chances of success getting to the top were going to be pretty slim. 

Anyway.

The next day, we went to this place called the Red Rocks Amphitheater, which is a concert venue that's surrounded by these rocks and is an acoustical wonder. There's a visitor center that detailed the history of the amphitheater, including the grounds on which they were built. It's an eye-opening reminder that this place, and most of the state, was once Native American grounds and at the amphitheather, there's actually a map showing how a series of "land deals" left the original inhabitors on a plot of land the size of my thumbprint. The current inhabitants charge you $60 to drive up a mountain and buy some overpriced trinkets or drop $200 for a concert ticket. And we do it, knowing what it cost a whole race of people who were there to begin with. Capitalism, man. Hell of a drug.

Venus won her first match at the Washington D.C. tournament against Peyton Stearns. After, she said that she was back on tour because she needed to have health insurance. Capitalism, amirite? Maybe that's really the only reason she's back? If that's true, we might get another year, maybe two, maybe another Slam run. But maybe Venus Williams, winner of seven Slams, three Gold medals, with countless other titles, who leads active players with $42 MILLION dollars in prize money and god knows how much more in endorsements, could afford good insurance, or even to live somewhere where she wouldn't have to worry about it.

And if that's true, then ...

So, right. I was talking about vacation. The crazy part about watching her play this week was that she looked good out there. Even in doubles. She was playing with Hailey Baptiste, and honestly it was Baptiste who looked like she was selling (lingo from the kids). 

Still. Venus looked good out there, and happy. Just in time for that U.S. Open swing.

French Open 2021: The Women

 

So, I had a lot of fun filling out the women's draw. Here it is -- and a legend! 

Legend

*: How are we getting this match in the first round?! 

(sad-face emoji): I don't know. Given Venus' recent results, not seeing this year being that breakthrough into the second round against a seeded player. Sigh.

!: OK, yes, Sofia Kenin is ranked fourth, but is having a bit of a rough time of it. She gets Jelena Ostapenko in the first round? Where she gets an opportunity to develop a rhythm as the match continues, no doubt. Yikes!

Plus, Azarenka vs. Kuznetsova right out the gate?! 

(squiggly-face emoji): Kaia Kanepi and a seeded player in the first round. LOL

Aussie Open: Go to Your Rooms! No, Seriously

Part of me thinks it's pretty noble, trying to play an international tennis event in a pandemic. If they can have the Super Bowl, right? 

Even if the event goes off without a hitch, there are players who aren't going to have fond memories. Several players had to lock themselves in their hotel rooms for two weeks of hard quarantine after a case arose on a flight to Melbourne. First, let me congratulate Australia for taking a pandemic seriously. Not everyone has. (In America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just recently issued a mask mandate on public transportation and flights. We're almost a year into this thing and that would have been useful advice about a year ago.) A few players who flamed out early are blaming this hard quarantine -- they literally couldn't leave their rooms to practice -- and yeah, it's a tough situation. You can't bend the rules for one group and not the other, but on the other hand, these people came here just to play in a tennis tournament and they're not being allowed to practice? You can see both sides of it and there's no easy answer -- except to not play a Grand Slam right now. Obviously, no one is going that route.

This quandary has led to several early-round losses that are a surprise -- Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka among them. Both directly cited the quarantine as a problem. Then again, so did Tennys Sandgren, but ... well, I don't know how else to say this, but when you don't exactly have a reputation for being very good, claiming that quarantine hampered your prep sounds more like an excuse than a real reason. 

But presuming no one gets sick, I am here for this version of the Australian Open. I just need to retrain my body for this tournament. You know, staying up until 3 a.m. in the early rounds to watch Novak Djokovic get pushed to the limit by Frances Tiafoe, then chugging copious amounts of coffee to achieve baseline usefulness at work. I just need, like, one more day to get adjusted. 

I never did get around to doing predictions for this tournament, but I realized that the first Slam of the year usually is a waste when it comes to forecasting. Usually, the one thing you can predict is early-round drama in a Stan Wawrinka match and that thing had more twists than fame achieved via TikTok. (I told you I've had no sleep.) I mean how do you come from the brink of defeat to force a tiebreak, gain a huge lead in the tiebreak and then just drop the tiebreak? Well, at least it was entertaining? 

It wasn't as entertaining watching Venus Williams last night. And everyone here knows Venus is my girl. But there is persistence and there is stubbornness. If you can barely walk on a tennis court, where's the nobility in saying, "Hey, at least I finished the match?" when you are not mounting a real challenge? Sure, her movement seemed to loosen up after rolling her ankle, but it was never enough to play the way she did in the first round. Where's the wisdom in risking further injury? I always wonder if she does things like this because she knows she's going to retire soon, but I've had this thought for three years, so I'm thinking sheer stubbornness. And also, like, where did Sara Errani come from again all of a sudden?  

Speaking of throwbacks, I just finished reading this Stephen King book called Revival. Pretty good book. The premise is that there's this guy, Jamie, who keeps running into this other guy throughout his life. Jamie refers to this person as his fifth business, as a person who isn't part of your everyday life, or even someone you randomly encounter in a coffee shop. No, this fifth business person's role is to simply bring drama to your doorstep. Kaia Kanepi is the fifth business for top-tier women's tennis. There you are, being Sonia Kenin, the Aussie Open defending champ, and you walk into your second-round match to encounter a very unseeded player. Sixty-four minutes later, you're done, having lost to the woman who has snatched the likes of Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Sam Stosur and Justine Henin out of tournaments at the height of their games. Kanepi is 35, so she's developed a bit of a reputation for this kind of drama, and no one knows what's happening at this tournament anyway, so it does feel like this is a good time and place for fifth business-y antics.

French Open in 2020: I Know, I Know

My enthusiasm well for pro tennis is back at sub-zero, so.

Part of this is because I'm watching this Venus Williams/Anna Schmeidlova match, a match in which Venus started out 4-2 up. Now she's a set down and also a break. Venus still has game and it's too bad that she's not connecting at the right times. I mean, she could still come back, but she's 1-7 this year. Not that records mean much in a year like this.

There are a few fans scattered in the stands and their scattered applause is a sight better than the piped noise at the U.S. Open and other sporting events. There's something to be said for silence, especially in tennis. You can hear the way the ball is hitting the strings, the sheer effort from the athletes. Music and piped noise was always a bad idea and needs to go. Even small crowds are better, but they don't capture the suspense of that second match point Venus just saved. And if the regular French crowd had been there to watch Venus argue this line call with the umpire, they'd be raining boos on her. So, again, maybe this is good.

Welp, Venus just lost. The Carolina Garcia/Anett Kontaveit match has a lot more people in it. Kei Nishikori is back in action. Victoria Azarenka's continuing her run. I'm trying here. Give me a few days? 

U.S. Open in Coronavision: I Got Nothing Right Now

This is supposed to be my last-minute U.S. Open preview post. But true-confession time: It's been hard to watch tennis and I sure as hell have not seen the draws yet. This disinterest isn't just for the obvious reasons, I'm starting to realize.
Chadwick Boseman died the other day, on top of this dumpster fire that is 2020. It's hard to watch this country tear itself from the inside because that's a better option for some than properly valuing the lives of black people. It's also hard to look away. And it makes sense to look at something else, and I thought that thing would be tennis for me. But I've not been able to watch more than five minutes of this rebooted season. Not even Venus v. Serena XXXXXVIII or whichever one this was. As I watch athletes do the work that our government won't in demanding justice and fairness, I realized why sports isn't doing it for me right now.
It's because we're asking athletes to put their safety on the line for our amusement/distraction when we know it isn't necessarily safe. It's not just that -- it's that other countries are well underway living their best post-pandemic-wave-1 lives, while so many Americans were willing to ignore facts and get mad about masks, yet many of those same people demand that these athletes come to New York and entertain them. Or suit up in Alabama for college football. No one should be in this position, and most importantly, I should be in New York enjoying my rainy day make-up ticket from last year.
That was a joke. I used to have a ton of them.
The fact is that they're there now, ready to play and I have almost no interest in tuning in. I want to try, though. This is mainly because I've finished binging Schitt's Creek. Also, theoe players are there, doing their jobs, for better or for worse, and if they're OK with it, then I guess I'll get OK with it, too.
I don't think, however, I'll be OK with this Novak Djokovic-led union for men only. Sounds ... er, promising. Just about as promising as anything involving John Isner would. (I'm including that whack-ass Wimbledon match.)

We Really Having the Aussie Open, Huh: No, I'm Not Watching Venus v. Gauff Live

Does anyone else remember that movie, "The Day Before Tomorrow?" I remember watching it and finding it a bit unrealistic, even for a sci-fi movie. It starts with everything going sideways, right out the chute. (Also starts and ends with Jake Gyllenhaal, but that's not the point, which is rare from me.) Anyway, the thing that seemed ridiculous was that all of a sudden, the world was melting down and yet, everyone seemed off guard. I just mention this now because we're playing the Australian Open and people having trouble breathing because of these raging wildfires and we're ... just playing the Australian Open. Maybe this is what we're going to do before everything goes truly sideways.

So, yeah, switching gears. Here are the draws. 

Some notes:

1. If Coco Gauff can beat Venus Williams at Wimbledon, what will she do at the Slam where Venus routinely underperforms? I don't want to know, not right away. 

2. Philipp Kohlschreiber is still out here, fam.

3. I am fascinated by this Ernests Gulbis/ Felix Auger-Aliassime matchup in the first round. 

4. Same with Daniil Medvedev v. Frances Tiafoe. I am picking Medvedev, but barely. 

5. It was funny, filling out the men's draw. I'd gone through it, thinking Nadal has shockingly little pushback to get to the semis and wondering who was missing. Then I went to the next page, and all of a sudden, there's Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Denis Shapovalov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, heck, even Grigor Dimitrov. Back half loaded much?

6. Whatever happened to Daria Kasatkina?

7. I think Petra Kvitova has a nice shot at a deep run here, but her first round against Katerina Siniakova could be a rough one. 

8. Aryna Sabalenka v. Carla Suarez Navarro?! 

9. It's nice to see Serena Williams break the title drought. But yikeys, does she have a bad draw. Johanna Konta. Dayana Yastremka, old nemesis Sofia Kenin and other old nemesis Sloane Stephens? 

10. Why can you never print a normal-sized draw for the Australian Open?

Postscript: I Went to the U.S. Open!

For the last eight years or so, I'd been telling myself that next year, I was definitely going back to the U.S. Open. But then I'd think of the logistics -- travel, child rearing-related stuff, finances -- and I'd talk myself out of it. This year, I had a bonus incentive. Earlier this year, I'd found myself back in Brooklyn for an unpleasant event -- my father's funeral. It could have been the sentimentality of the moment, but I actually found that I missed my hometown, and wanted to spend more time in it. So I booked my ticket and landed back in New York, and even in the house I grew up in (my mom still lives there).
There was more than one reunion happening. I found out that one of my old co-workers from my first job in newspapers was now covering the Open for a bunch of publications wanting local content on their hometown players. He offered to buy my ticket in advance so I could avoid the long lines of the olden days. I'm old enough to remember when you had to go to Flushing Meadows at the crack of dawn to buy grounds passes. I am sorry, but that is not happening for me on a vacation, no less. So, yes, Michael, thanks for that.
I was glad to know that Michael would be there because as the day drew closer, it only then occurred to me that I would be wandering around the Open by myself. Which you can do, of course. I generally prefer fewer people around me anyway, but what if I got to see Venus Williams (which, yeah, was another good reason not to wait any longer to go to this tournament) and had no one near me to shake maniacally after she hits a winner? I had sort of assumed the answer would be "no one" until a random conversation with my mother. Not only had she never been to the Open, but she really wanted to go! So did my sister in New Jersey. So off we went!
The Billie Jean King Tennis Center is completely different from the USTA National Tennis Center. Same location, completely different experience. The old place was really homey. I still remember walking on the grounds one year and Martina Navratilova just passed me, heading to her match. In the common area! That was one thing I looked forward to every year, but that part of it is largely gone. I did see Amelie Mauresmo shuffling her babies around (I think), but that was just about it. So where were the big wigs? Well, I figured that out by accident, when we stumbled upon a fenced-off area for VIPs. You had to show a badge to get back there. I tried to tell the security guy at the entrance that I was the CFO of JP Morgan Chase, but that I had just forgotten my badge, and I think I almost had him persuaded, but ultimately, we did not gain entry. Ah, well.
I knew I'd only be in New York for a few days, so I had to choose which day I'd be going to the Open. After a lot of back and forth, I finally decided on the first Wednesday -- and I chose wrong. Kind of. (I'll explain in a moment.) Once I got to NYC, the forecast suggested perfect weather throughout my stay, except for one day. Can you guess which day?
Still, the rules have changed a bit for access to stadium courts with grounds passes, which meant that there would be some tennis for us. Armstrong Stadium, which has a roof, would have play that day, as would Ashe, which still cost extra to get into. When we got there, Kei Nishikori was working to wrap up his second-round match with American Bradley Klahn. Nishikori was a game from winning the match in the third set, but blinked (napped might be better term because he went away for a bit), before finally prevailing in the fourth set. By then a lot of us were rooting for him to win quickly because of who was next up.
This is why Wednesday wasn't a total loss.

That's right. Venus Ebony Starr Williams. (And Gael Monfils in the second row.)
The main thing I wanted when I went to the Open was to see Venus play. That's why I chose the first week -- and early. I hate to say it, but you never know. Especially because if Monfils was there, it wasn't to root for Venus -- it was to root for his girlfriend Elina Svitolina. This was not a kind draw. Venus' record against Svitolina wasn't good, either, but given the surface, I thought there was maybe a chance. Maybe.
We were way up there in the stadium during the first set, and it was still a great seat. Check these out:

This angle can also be misleading ...

Well, everyone knows by now how this one went. I was pleasantly surprised to see Venus keep it so close and not so surprised that she double-faulted under pressure at the worst times. I'm about to start a GoFundMe for a coach who can finally get her out of that.
Of course, because of the rain, we were in Armstrong most of the day. (Michael had upgraded my seat to get into Ashe for the day session, but there was more going on in Armstrong, and so I ended up eating that extra five bucks. Oh well.) We kept jockeying for closer seating and slowly, but surely, it worked. Next up was Madison Keys against Zhu Lin, which was over by the time we got comfortable in better seats.

(That's Keys' serve, in case you couldn't tell.)
Then I consumed the most expensive personal pizza I've ever eaten. It was *checks wallet* yes, 14 dollars. Well, when you have a captive audience ...
Anyway, by this time, we were approaching the night session and I wanted to stay because if I could I would just live at the BJK Tennis Center and arrange my life around it. But I had company and I was almost afraid to ask them if they'd be down to stay for just one more match. Of course, they said.
(My family is great.)
So we got to watch Ash Barty take on Lauren Davis, which looks like an overmatch on paper. In person, and even from a distance, the size difference was obvious, too.

Lauren Davis is another one of those players who just has more K-tape on her each time she shows up to a tournament. Bless her heart, which is much larger than she is. She pushed Barty in this match and it might have been the best one of the day.
Then we went home. For an abbreviated version of the Open, it was still pretty great, and plus, we get a raincheck for next year. Which, uh, means we're going back next year. Which means I need to start saving up for lunch NOW.

Coffee at Wimbledon: The Bonfire of my Wimbledon Draws

Welp, I had planned to take the middle Sunday off to update the ol' blog, reacquaint myself with my family and maybe do some laundry. But then I ended up spending the weekend teaching my son about rankings, seedings and women's soccer. Yes, of course we watched the U.S. team bring it home, which led to an awkward question from my son: What about the men's team?
Well, yeah, they play too ...?
I digress. I just finished watching Venus Williams and Francis Tiafoe stand around as groundstrokes and volleys whizzed by them in a second-round mixed doubles match. So while I'm wallowing in disappointment, let's talk about the trash that some of my predictions turned out to be.
But where to start with this first week? I think a countdown-styled approach is the right call!

No. 5 Moment that Torched My Wimbledon Draw:
Serena Williams making the quarterfinals: Yes, it is a bad idea to bet against Serena, no matter how jacked her footwork looks and how lackluster she looked at the French. But sure enough, as the other seeds toppled around her, she looks a little better with each match, although the surface has been giving her a little trouble:

You okay there, @serenawilliams 🤣#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Z4JgZEdRt1

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2019

I could watch that 100 times.
And to say the draw has opened up for her is an understatement. No more Angelique Kerber, no more Ash Barty and beyond, no more Petra Kvitova. Still, Alison Riske accounted for two of those seeds, which means she's a little dangerous, too. Am I picking against Serena again? My draw is still singed on the sides. No!

No. 4:
BARBORA STRYCOVA BARBORA STRYCOVA BARBORA STRYCOVA: (Does anyone remember how Kenny Smith used to say "Manu Ginobli" on the NBA pre- and post-game shows?)  She's got that me energy on a tennis court and I hope she wins a major in singles one day.

What do you think she said to Kristina Mladenovic after she hit that overhead at her? You know it was saucy.
Did not quite see her taking out Kiki Bertens and Elise Mertens, but whatever. Draw's ruined. It's fine. Really.

No. 3:
Naomi Osaka out in the first round: It is hard to believe that there is more pressure to be had out there than winning her first Grand Slam over a legend in some heated circumstances, or to back up that first Slam with a second one right away. But obviously there is, and Osaka isn't coping with it well. It's hard to watch her break down post-match. I also think she'll adjust and will figure it out.

No. 2:
Alexander Zverev out in the first round: This looks bad to begin with. But the idea that he is right now having to deal with a dispute with his former agent while he has a veteran -- Ivan Lendl -- as a coach? What?! Lendl can't be cheap, and he's got no advice, no people who can put a layer between Zverev and this drama during a major? What?!

No. 1:
Venus Williams out in the first round: Now, if you look at my draw, it's clear that I had some denial issues about what was going to happen for Venus at this tournament.

And I picked her winning over Cori "Coco" Gauff, but, well, it wasn't to be. I want to spend a little tiny amount of time on Gauff, because for a 15-year-old, it is obvious that she (1) grew up watching Venus and (2) that she's only going to get better. Yes, I saw her lose to Simona Halep already today, and it wasn't pretty, but she needs some legit weapons. She'll get there. But before that, she beat three very experienced players, and that win against Polona Hercog was more impressive to me than anything else she did. I say I'm going to spend a little time on Gauff because as excited as she makes me for the future of women's tennis, I hope we let her live. I hope that we remember that Jennifer Capriati was young, and talented -- and unprotected from fame and its pitfalls. I hope she gets to 18 or 19 at least before she's shackled with unreasonable expectations. But man, she's gonna be good! But everybody cool it, OK?

Coffee at Wimbledon: The Women

I look at this draw and a few questions come to mind: Whatever happened to Garbine Muguruza? What if Venus loses to her clone? Does Maria Sharapova have one more good run in her -- at, like, any event? What if Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka begin a legendary rivalry that starts right here at Wimbledon? Andy Murray wants to play mixed with which sister? The one who has never been that great a volleyer? Oh, OK, got it.
Anyway, let's check out this draw before I smack Murray upside the head with Venus' racquet:

Early Rounds to Watch:
Svetlana Kuznetsova v. Alison Van Uytvanck: I try to make it a rule to never miss Svetlana Kuznetsova play, or to type her name into my blog.

Donna Vekic v. Alison Riske: Should be interesting. Riske just won a warm-up tournament on grass.

Kaia Kanepi v. Stephanie Voegele: I think the Kanepi Upset Effect only works when she's playing a top seed in the first round, but worth keeping an eye on.

Belinda Bencic v. Ana Pavlyuchenkova: I did have to cut-and-paste that one. So Pavly is a tough competitor and although Bencic looks like she has rediscovered her court legs, this will be a test right out the gate.

Carla Suarez-Navarro v. Sam Stosur: I just like their game styles.

Ons Jabeur v. Petra Kvitova: Jabeur looked good in Eastbourne and Kvitova's getting over injury. Just saying.

Su-Wei Hsieh v. Jelena Ostapenko: What a world. Ostapenko won the French Open, like, two years ago and is now unseeded. Hsieh has one of the most entertaining games out there right now. So this should be ... something.

Victoria Azarenka v. Aliza Cornet: This one's gonna take a while and will involve at least four impassioned entreaties from Cornet to the court umpire with very dramatic hand gestures.

Venus Williams v. Coco Gauff: So in preparation for this post, and this entry, I did go ahead and watch the most recent match I could find of Gauff and it happened to be the one in Wimbledon qualifying where she beat the top seed. She's 15. And I hate to be that person, but watching her reminded me of Venus' game. Didn't see much of her at net, which is where Venus might consider going to win this match. Yes, the similarities are compelling, but this is Venus' best Slam, and even now, in a sort of lull, I don't think this will be a big brawl for her. That'll probably come later, against Aryna Sabalenka.

Who Are Our Quarterfinalists?

Some of these are obvious. Based on what we've seen this year from Serena Williams, it is just hard to see her beating an in-form Angelique Kerber. I mean, Julia Goerges could beat her in the third round. And Kvitova is always good on grass, but Johanna Konta has actually been doing well on it over the last couple of weeks, so she gets a very slight edge.
Hsieh's my fun pick. I know Pliskova just won a grass warmup, but she doesn't bend her knees. Don't any of you find that odd?

Who's Going to Win?
I am not sure! I would give Barty and Kerber the best odds. Osaka has a good draw through to the semis, but she has not been consistent lately. But she's a kid, too, and is the holder of two Slams. I also think this conversation really hinges on the health of Kvitova. If she's ready to go, she is going to be hard to beat. I guess what I'm saying is we'll see.

So You Say There's A Slam Going On: French Open 2019

Of course I knew the French Open started today.
Kinda.
Well, I knew it would start on Memorial Day weekend. I just didn't realize this was actually Memorial Day weekend?
Seriously, I've been stretched thin, more so than I realized, so for the first time in a while, I unfortunately didn't have my draw breakfast party in my office. Unfortunate also, though, is that I did pick up on the fact that I was missing a major in time to watch Venus Williams flame out to Elina Svitolina. I've said many times that Svitolina's game is utterly boring and it is, but she didn't need much today. I don't think there'd be any shame in sitting out of your least successful major. I mean, Roger Federer did it for, like three years, right?
Also could not help but notice that Nicolas Mahut is playing this tournament in singles. Did he not say he was retiring last year? Uh ...
OK, so true fact -- I was on YouTube looking for writing music when I noticed a clip of Garbine Muguruza's match against Taylor Townsend. And that's when I realized today was kind of a big deal. So I watched the highlights. Yes, Townsend lost, but she played a really good match! But once Muguruza decided to step into the court, she didn't have much of a chance. But still.
Oh, and Kerber got her butt kicked too. We all caught up on the important stuff? All right, let's do some first-round predictions (for the ones that haven't been played yet):

Jeremy Chardy v. Kyle Edmund: This is the only match on the men's side that looks like it could be remotely interesting. But you never know. Maybe Yannick Hanfmann pulls off a miracle against Rafa Nadal?
(Time out)
OK, time in. I just watched some clips with Hanfmann and he is a big, strong dude with big groundstrokes. He also appears to be error-prone. Here's hoping big-confidence Rafa shows up tomorrow instead of early clay-season 2019 Rafa.

Kaia Kanepi v. Julia Goerges: I do not believe Kanepi has ever met a seeded opponent in the first round of a major that she didn't beat. After that, yeah, nothing, but she lives for those first-round upsets!

Sorana Cirstea v. Petra Kvitova: Kvitova, but should be at least entertaining ...

Luksika Kumkhum v. Ana Sevastova: I'd give the edge to Sevastova, but this is almost definitely going three sets, right?

Barbora Strycova v. Sam Stosur: YASSSSSS

Serena Williams v. : Yeah, against whoever. Look, we all have questions about Serena Williams right now. She had a strong 2018, and this year, in Australia, she snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory and let Karolina Pliskova, who was just playing OK, back into the match. She's played one clay court match. Keeps backing out of matches with some injury. Like, what is going on?!

Hot Takes About Indian Wells

Shame to see that Sloane Stephens didn't play Indian Wells this year. I was wondering about her form, especially considering her rough start to the year. Maybe she took some time ... what? Did you say she did play this tournament and won just three games against Stephanie Vogele, a player who has made nary a peep on the tour for some time? Ah, OK. I want to say something snarky, but Stephens is streaky and could just as easily pull off the French Open before another severe swing in the opposite direction.

BREAKING: Phillip Kohlschreiber has a nickname on tour that's easier to spell than Phillip Kohlschreiber! That was my biggest takeaway from the response from this tweet from yesterday:

Kholi! I love it. It's mine now.
Oh, and so, Nick. There's not a nice way to say this, but there's a difference between an inconsistent player producing inconsistent results versus a consistent No. 1 player losing to an unseeded opponent. Kyrgios has a ways to go before he can call out comments like these.

One day, I am going to do a longer post about the Venus Williams of the early aughts and the player she is today. She's having a good run at IW -- that win over Petra Kvitova was peak vintage Venus, only in the grit she showed. But to suggest that we're seeing a vintage Venus in regards to her game? No. She was never this good in her "heyday." Her court awareness, her willingness to take the net IN SINGLES and the way she uses her backhand is all present-day. She has been working on her game. It didn't leave her in 2008, only to return in 2017. She is better now than she ever was, regardless of her age. Full stinkin' stop.

I honestly don't know how Elina Svitolina does it. I probably would if I took a bit more time to watch her play, but, man. Her game is boring. I don't know. Is it just me?

Here is my current salvo in the war I am waging against on-court coaching for women only:

That's it. That's the whole salvo.

Alright, gotta go to work. Or ... do I? ...

This is quite the slate for today and I definitely feel like I have the sniffles all of a sudden. 

HOMELAND SLAM: The Women

The draw gods were very kind to tennis fans. I am not sure if the actual players feel the same way, but here we go!

Seeds

1. Simona Halep: The one to beat. And it won't be easy. So good luck, ladies listed below. Here stands one of the most mentally tough players the tour has seen since Serena and Maria. I know a lot has been made of the logjam in her quarter, but what she did this summer turned me into a convert. Her match against Sloane Stephens, and even Kiki Bertens, were just awesome displays of tenacious tennis. When you consider that she was doing two-a-days in her last two tournaments. And all of that extra tennis played could come back and bite her in the form of exhaustion. But I don't think she gets tired, y'all.

2. Caroline Wozniacki: Ever since she won Australia, she's been all over the place. Her first round is against Sam Stosur, and if/when she comes up against Bertens, she's probably going to go to the low end of that "place."

3. Sloane Stephens: I have to admit that I thought that her title here last year was a blip, a lucky bounce here and there. That semi against Venus literally hung on a couple of tough rallies. But Sloane has backed it up with a French Open final appearance and a couple of really strong showings against Halep. I wish she had a real weapon, something that could end a point in under 15 minutes, but here we are.

4. Angelique Kerber: Hey, when's she's not No. 1, she's killing the competition. Her Wimbledon final performance was just stellar. She's got a good draw and I can see her making the semis, easy.

5. Petra Kvitova: She's had a strong summer, but there are some floaters in this draw she needs to look out for -- Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka.  

6. Caroline Garcia: Garcia has had an up-and-down season, not a lot of consistency. And her first round is against a resurgent Johanna Konta, so that's not great. Then possibly Monica Puig, who beat her last week in Connecticut, and as someone who watched that match, I have no idea how Garcia managed to lose. So not much hope for her here.

7. Elina Svitolina: If this were a tournament that wasn't a major, I'd say, sure. Let's go with Svitolina. But it's a major, so Agz Radwanska will likely be the first and last person Svitolina sees on a tennis court in New York. 

8. Karolina Pliskova: I have concerns. She's got some coaching changes going on -- she just snagged Conchita Martinez, so maybe she can help Pliskova figure out how to win this summer. She's had losses to Sabalenka and Bertens, and even Ekaterina Makarova the last few tournaments, so we will see.

9. Julia Goerges: It's great to see Goerges having great results again and she's in Svitolina's quarter, so maybe things will work out for a run to the quarters? 

10. Jelena Ostapenko: Given her high-risk game, you just have to wait until the match with her. Andrea Petkovic is going to be a tough first round because Petkovic can handle the power, so should be fun!

11. Daria Kasatkina: Gonna have to do a hard pass here.

12. Garbine Muguruza: We just gotta see what kind of mood Muguruza is in right now. If she's in a good mood, this draw is here for her. If she's in a bad mood, Maria Sakkari or Pliskova will be waiting to see her out of Queens.

13. Kiki Bertens: It has a heckuva year for Bertens. I really love her game. The thing that had been missing until this year was the mental toughness. She'd have players in a corner and then she'd blink. Not this year. The way she handled that Halep match in the Rogers Cup final was really impressive. Quarters at the least for her.

14. Madison Keys: On the whole, it's been a pretty meh year for Keys. So I'm not expecting another run to the final from her. 

15. Elise Mertens: Nah.

16: Venus Williams: It's not been a great year for Venus, and if she wants to replicate her semifinal run from last year, she'd have to bypass her sister, Simona Halep, and probably Muguruza and Pliskova. That's just her quarter. I don't know is all I'm saying.

The Stragglers

Serena Williams: Yes, it is completely possible she wins the whole thing. What's more likely, though, is that her lackluster court movement will be exposed early on by some quality opponents -- there are many in her quarter alone -- including her own sister.

Aryna Sabalenka: I still want to know if what she was sniffing during the Fed Cup last year was legal. Whatever it is might have taught her how to volley, because her game is locked and loaded right now. I just watched her win the Connecticut Open and her game is BIG. It's also INCONSISTENT. She is also as MOODY as the average teenager.

Magdalena Rybarikova: She's in Svitolina's quarter and I see her as the main beneficiary when Svitolina flames out for some ridiculous reason.

First Round Matches to Watch

These first round matches could be very consequential to the way this tournament shakes out. Not even hyperbol-ing right now.

Patty Schnyder v. Maria Sharapova: I don't give her more than six games, but you gotta love Patty Schnyder out here talking trash on the Tennis Twitter streets like she never left the game. 

Maybe someone know this, but I think in 18 years I never loose a first round @usopen ...

— Patty Schnyder (@pattyschnyder) August 21, 2018

Simona Halep v. Kaia Kanepi: Picking Halep, but should be entertaining at least.

Venus v. Svetlana Kuznetsova: The sad part is that if Venus gets out of this match, it just gets worse for her.

Sachia Vickery v. Svitolina: Many opportunities for Svitolina flame-outs. This will be just the first.

Johanna Konta v. Caroline Garcia: Konta needs to get her ranking up. Because this is cruel.

Jelena Ostapenko v. Andrea Petkovic: Petkovic has retired that dance by now, right?

Sabalenka v. Danielle Collins: Collins has cooled a bit since the spring, but this still could be entertaining. 

Laura Siegemund v. Naomi Osaka: Fully expecting Osaka to make it through this one, but should be a good match. 

Wozniacki v. Stosur: Sam Stosur won the U.S. Open once. Let that one marinate.

Wimbledon for Breakfast: On the Menu? Nothing Involving Seeds, Apparently.

Dominika Cibulkova and Serena Williams have advanced to the second week of Wimbledon and almost none of the top 10 seeded women can say the same. This is just the top half:

It's probably redder than that -- this was just off the top of my head. It's exhausting. Having said that, what a tournament! Let's not forget the resurgence of Ernests Gulbis and the early upset of Grigor Dimitrov by Stan Wawrinka (while his girlfriend Donna Vekic beat Sloane Stephens in the first round). Kei Nishikori's takedown of Nick Kyrgios is also of note. And it would hardly be a Grand Slam tournament without Caroline Wozniacki whining about something really inconsequential. We can talk about seeds and whether they matter, and who should have been seeded and who shouldn't have. Or we can just take a look at the best moments of Wimbledon so far, according to me. We're gonna do the latter.

No. 5: 

Bad call(s)

Kyle Edmund got about three levels of lucky here. He got credit for a double bounce, hitting the net early AND for hitting an out ball. I feel as though he was aware of at least one of these factors, as he surgically removed himself from the discussion between Novak Djokovic and the line judge. Perhaps if he had owned up on that point, Edmund would have saved some luck for later in the match. 

No. 4:

"Minority Report" tennis

No. 3:

Venus v. Bertens

If you're a Venus fan, it's torturous watching her in these titanic battles. At the same time, she is still in these matches, still a factor and still able to win. After the French Open, her coach said something about Venus not really picking up on opponent weakness 

David Witt shared his thoughts about Venus' 1st-round loss at the French Open with @HowardFendrich yesterday. Worth a read. 👇🏽  https://t.co/KHD7QMxM6w pic.twitter.com/cpUzPop8qM

— Chad (@CCSMOOTH13) May 28, 2018

and in watching her against Bertens, I kept wondering why Venus was staying back when she had such success at net.

And another thing. Watching Venus press conferences (at the end of the ESPN clip) is now worse than having a root canal. Here's what I propose: 

1. Venus walks in.

2. Enterprising journalist says, "You got anything to say?"

3. Venus says, "Nope" in no particular type of tone.

4. She stares at room. Room stares back.

5. Venus leaves. Everyone feels less awkward now.

This isn't hard.

No. 2:

Bahmahgawd Ernests Gulbis is back

First, it seems as though ever since Alexander Zverev yelled "It's my f***ing time!" at Roland Garros for the world to hear, it has indeed been a time for him. A fifth-set-bagel-to-a-player-ranked-outside-the-top-100 kind of time.

Second, Gulbis' forehand prep now looks like a bird in flight, and I don't think it's supposed to be like that, but (shrug emoji).

No. 1:

Serena Williams

I asked Serena Williams if she minded always being the one to beat.
Her answer blew me away. #Wimbledon @serenawilliams @Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/XsHI26FSi4

— Jamie Johnson (@JamieoJohnson) July 7, 2018

So here's the thing. Serena Williams has been saying stuff like this for years (as has her sister). And for years, everyone has thumbed their noses, wondered who exactly she thinks she is. Maybe a few years ago, I would have thought it was a bit much. 

But it appears that the sisters Williams, as always, were ahead of the curve. In the intervening years, we -- meaning women -- have come to understand that it's OK to acknowledge your talents. That's because in general, no one else will acknowledge them for you. Recently, I discovered a tic in myself at work to apologize for other people's mistakes, and to shoot down any compliments. I've done it for years. No one taught me to do it. It's society's default position for women and we tend to fall in unconsciously. But that's ridiculous, isn't it? What the hell is the point of doing anything if you don't think you do it well? Why crawl out of bed in the morning in the name of mediocrity? You don't. That thing you're good at? You know you're good at it and you acknowledge that to yourself. Acknowledge it to others, too.

Wimbledon for Breakfast: The Ladies Preview

Listen, this women's draw is full of intrigue and great matchups right out of the chute, and I'm not even going to pretend that I feel as strongly about the men's draw.
Here's what I'm talking about:

Apologies for the crooked and cutoff draw at the edges. I think it might be time to do an "Office Space" on my printer.
Now, let's talk about some of these first-round matchups. Danielle Collins v. Elise Mertens. Heather Watson and Kirsten Flipkens. Naomi Osaka and Monica Niculescu. Belinda Bencic v. Caroline Garcia. Barbora Strycova and Svetlana Kuznetsova. But I really can't wait to see this Vera Zvonareva/Angelique Kerber match. I can't even cope with how excited I am to see Zvonareva again at a major. She was one of my favorite players to watch, because she struck a clean ball and her meltdowns were *chef's kiss* epic. I mean



It's always the racquet's fault.
Seriously, it's great to see older players coming back and redefining what a career looks like, especially after having a child. I wouldn't miss this one for anything. What time do they play now? Oh, 6:30 tomorrow morning? OK. Cool. Always fun when a Slam comes around and ruins your whole life for two weeks.
Anyway, on to the rest of the draw. For all the talk about whether Serena Williams should be seeded, it turns out that in the end, you still have to beat your opponent. For her 25th seeding, she gets a probable second-round match with Magdalena Rybarikova, who I believe just made the finals of a grass-court warm-up. And then fifth-seed Elina Svitolina. Let's say Serena advances through those matches. There's still Madison Keys, Coco Vandeweghe, Ana Sevastova, and Caroline Wozniacki just in her quarter. (Just for grins, Dominika Cibulkova, who complained about Serena potentially pushing her out of seeding range, opens against Alize Cornet and is in Simona Halep's quarter, which is also occupied by Elise Mertens and Petra Kvitova. No one won here.)
Venus. OK, I have her advancing to the semis. Venus does tend to come to life at Wimbledon, and if she can avoid donating entire games in double faults, then I think she has a friendly-enough draw to accommodate a nice run. If there's a quarter without a clear favorite, it's this one. Karolina Pliskova has had a pretty rough grass run. Sloane Stephens has had no grass run. So there's that.
The Garbine Muguruza/Kerber/Garcia quarter will be really interesting, too. You have to think Muguruza, having won Wimbledon last year (I can't believe that crazy final against Venus was just last year!) has an edge, but man, there's also Daria Kasatkina, and Osaka and Ash Barty, and Anett Kontaveit. Also Genie Bouchard, who advanced through qualifying. Big props to Bouchard, by the way, who played qualifying to get into the main draw, unlike some people who said last year that they would qualify to fight for her place ... and then didn't. Definitely not looking at you, Maria Sharapova. This has nothing to do with you. AT ALL.