Tennis

[Mike]

I think today was the day I finally accepted Petra is never winning a third Wimbledon title. Her record here since she won it the second time is woeful.

Not surprised at all by Tiafoe, I think he has the potential to go deep into the draw. Good to see Muguruza and Sabalenka out of the blocks cleanly as well.

 

[Sick Sad World]

Y’all’s countryman who’s carried British tennis hopes for about 20 years is turning back the clock to a straight sets victory and not a single post here? Disappointing.

He's choking as we speak... we were waiting until he actually won first.

 

[Mike]

Y’all’s countryman who’s carried British tennis hopes for about 20 years is turning back the clock to a straight sets victory and not a single post here? Disappointing.

Not you using your jinxing powers during a match.

 

[Mike]

Had to switch over to the football, because this is utterly painful to watch.

 

[Rooneyboy]

At 5-0 in the 3rd I switched over to watch the football .... then saw he lost it 7-5 and had to switch back.
Great to see him come through 6-3 in the 4th. I genuinely feared for him but he still has the fight and
desire. Brilliant to see him back.

 

[BTG]

Terribly sad scenes for Serena.

 

[Martyn]

Two falls / slips on center in back to back games leading to two retirements.

 

[Mike]

Absolutely gutted about Serena. That is not how a legend should be saying goodbye.

 

[StratusJM]

I feel like I must be forgetting something awful (any suggestions?) but Serena vs Sasnovich feels like the saddest thing I've watched in tennis for quite some time. It is total speculation on my part but it really felt like she intended this to be her final Wimbledon and she just refused to believe that it could end like this.

I have so much admiration for the sheer willpower she used to try to push through this, and seeing her crying while preparing to serve, and falling onto her knees when her body gave out was just horrendous. I really, really hope she's doing OK right now and that somehow she's back again next year.

 

[Mike]

I said after Melbourne that I think she's already made up her mind, but I wonder if she'd be tempted to return for one last Wimbledon next year so her story doesn't need to end like that. To think until yesterday, she had a perfect first and second round record at Wimbledon (and the US Open, and the Australian Open apart from her first appearance where she lost to Venus) and had never once retired from a match at any slam.

 

[Mike]

I know we're used to the WTA being a mess, but Bianca's trajectory since winning at Flushing Meadows is getting increasingly difficult to watch.

For a recent slam winner to go down 2 and 1 in the first round of Wimbledon, having missed the next three slams following her win and made similarly early exits from the next two, really does feel like an all time low.

 

[StratusJM]

I won't panic on Bianca until she's failing on hard courts. If she's out in the first round in New York, I'll be worried. For now I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

In other news, Pliskova hit 23 winners to 7 unforced errors against Vekic today, and the woman standing between her and the fourth round is Martincova. Stephens or Samsonova in the round of 16 seems like it would be a bridge too far for her, though, even if she avoids flopping in the third round.

 

[Mike]

Andy serving primetime TV drama, absolutely love it. Wish I was there this year.

Katie Boulter deserves a shout out for her performance today too, going toe to toe with the number two seed and showing no sign of being overawed. I liked Aryna engaging the crowd at the end as well - getting them onside can only help her if she is to live up to her billing.

Re the Bianca situation - yes, I accept the circumstances have been tough since her slam win, but I still don't think losing so meekly in the first round of a slam to anyone is a good look for her at all. Cornet is on her 14th Wimbledon and outside of that win over Serena, she's never gone beyond the third round or beaten anyone else of the slightest significance. This is not the player who should have one of the game's hottest young stars quaking in her boots.

 

[Mike]

Great match from Kerber and Sorribes Tormo today - good to see Angie still has some fight left in her.

Seems to have been a pretty tight battle between Kasatkina and Ostapenko too, although based on that handshake there's clearly still no love lost between them!

 

[Mike]

Worst Wimbledon since Wimblegeddon.

I'm not sure I'm ready to say that quite yet, but the top half of the women's draw looks...precarious to me. Barty was super-patchy today, I don't think Kerber has a run to the final in her and Coco isn't ready yet so we're already short on compelling finalists and it's only the second round.

 

[Mikal]

Christ that Kerber—Tormo game was all kinds of brilliance. Like, what more could you ask than two athletes going at it like that, shot after shot, playing every point like it's match point? Some of the winners they (particularly Angie) hit were jaw dropping. Incredible scenes. God I love tennis!

 

[Gabeee9292]

Yesssss, Sorana!

 

[swinginglondontown]

Probably too early for predictions but what the hell.....

Djokovic v Berretini/Medvedev
Gauff v Swiatek/Muguruza

(This will all fall apart by Saturday evening I'm sure) :-)

 

[Mike]

The idea of Djokovic/Medvedev, after that black hole of a Melbourne final, chills me to the bone. I'm due for my second vaccine that day, so there's always the possibility I'll sleep through it.

 

[Mike]

Iga just steamrolled Begu 6-1 6-0 in 55 minutes - and that's with Begu's final service game lasting 10. For someone who has a love-hate relationship with grass (her words) she's looking pretty good on it.