Manic Monday is well and truly underway and all top seeds have returned to court after a long break as we get closer to seeing who will win the title at Wimbledon. With the absence of the most decorated women’s player here – Serena Williams, things have been shaken up quite a bit for the women, while the utter and complete return of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has put paid, almost, to any new hopeful looking to make inroads at Wimbledon – or even perhaps the reigning champion, Andy Murray.
Here’s what you should know going into week 2:
WTA draw open and exciting
Many had believed the absence of former World No. 1 Serena Williams – a six-time champion at Wimbledon, currently nearing the end of her pregnancy – would seriously hamper the WTA draw. While it is difficult for most players to replicate the firepower Williams has brought to the court, the WTA draw has not been lackluster in terms of performances. 2016 runner-up Angelique Kerber makes it to week 2, and she plays 2016 French Open champion Garbine Muguruza next.
That is a particularly good showing from the World No. 1, especially considering her poor showing this year. Last month, Kerber became the first top seed to exit a Grand Slam in the first round in the Open Era. But now she has progressed quietly to Round 4, and joining her are three other Wimbledon finalists – Garbine Muguruza, who will play her in Round 4, former World No. 1 Svetlana Kuznetsova, and the only remaining player in the women’s draw who has won the tournament before – a staggering five times - Venus Williams, considered one of the greatest all-time players of the game.
Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep, the latter of whom is a contender for No. 1, are also in hot pursuit and all into Round 4.
Williams’ absence has deprived fans, perhaps, of the most powerful hitting it has ever seen, but players have mounted quite the match. Barring three players, everyone into Round 4 is seeded – and of those three unseeded players, one is former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka.
Magdalena Ribarykova – who ousted tournament favourite Karolina Pliskova in Round 2 – has been a revelation here, as has World No. 88 Petra Martic – whom she now faces. A number of fan favourites are now in an open battle for the title and potential results are too close to call – giving us quite the contest in the WTA draw.
World No. 1 Angelique Kerber, the runner-up last year, has now been ousted by former finalist Garbine Muguruza – and now the German stands too to lose her No. 1 ranking once WImbledon is over. Talk about opening up things.
NextGen are in!
Tennis’ old guard have recently returned to such roaring form that the ATP’s youngest big talents – dubbed the ‘NextGen’ – have not been able to combat it. Regardless, some of tennis’ best have emerged from that NextGen, and excelled on various surfaces, giving fans hope for the future.
Among them are Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem, both of whom are now into Week 2. Zverev, the younger of two tennis playing brothers, is the tenth seed here. Currently World No. 12, he was ranked 10th – the youngest person in the top 10 – before a few losses saw him go down in the standings.
But now, Zverev has in quick succession proved his prowess on both clay and grass, taking his first ever ATP Masters 1000 title at the Italian Open in Rome on outdooor clay courts. He then made the finals at the Wimbledon warm-up in Halle, Germany, making the finals before being schooled by a dominant Roger Federer. He has carried that grass prowess into Wimbledon, breezing through the first three rounds without dropping a set.
Zverev’s only real trying moment came perhaps in his opening match with Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy taking him to a tiebreak in one set – but Zverev has made quick work of his other two opponents – relative newcomers in Frances Tiafoe – who has been rocketing up the rankings himself – and Austria’s Sebastian Ofner.
Now will come the 20-year-old’s biggest contest in former World No. 4 Milos Raonic, who, despite being the runner-up in 2016, has not really looked himself for a few months now.
The tall Zverev has some great game variations and moves quickly on court. Also tall with quite a big serve, the player has been able to adapt his game well to the surface. With the guidance of older brother Mischa – an experienced serve-and-volleyer, Zverev can go even further in the tournament.
Another face many have been watching for a few years now is Austria’s Dominic Thiem. The 23-year-old seeded 8th here, has not had as smooth a road as he would have liked during the tournament, but has done well regardless. Considered a clay-court specialist over all, Thiem defeated King of Clay Nadal on that surface earlier this year before ousting Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the French Open.
Until 2017, the young Austrian had never passed beyond Round 2 here. This year, however, he appears to not only have found a better all court game – with some great volleys in his most recent match of Week 1 – against American Jared Donaldson, and his good results will only strengthen his resolve.
... But age is just a number
It would be quite the understatement to say that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are in the form of their lives. The two former World No. 1s – Federer considered the all-time Great and Nadal the King of Clay – have long ago established their legendary status, but this year have seemed intent on cementing that, with Federer taking his 18th Major win at the Australian Open, and Nadal following it up with his tenth French Open title (his 15th Major overall).
The two are fit – fitter, likely, than most of their younger rivals on the court and moving with singular fluidity and speed. Federer’s reflexes are quicker than ever and his shots both comfortable and powerful – and as one of the oldest players in the draw, Federer has not let what many would have considered ‘slower’ recovery times hamper his athleticism or gameplay.
Neither Federer nor Nadal has dropped a set going into the fourth round here, and both look very comfortable in their games so far.
That does not just extend to the men’s draw – with one of the most decorated players at Wimbledon – Venus Williams – turning 37 last month. Competitor Svetlana Kuznetsova, also a former No. 1 and multiple Grand Slam winner, is, at 32, is a year older than Nadal.
Among both male and female players, age is absolutely no barrier – even if pundits – and even some players – consider above 30 to be ‘over the hill’ as far as a tennis player’s career goes.
Now, Venus Williams is the first of the ‘old guard’ into the quarter-finals with an absolute masterclass against Croatia’s Ana Konjuh in Round 4. It is her 13th showing in the quarter-finals at a tournament she has won five times.
Djokovic is no longer ‘out of form’
With all his (perhaps continuing) struggles in 2016 and now 2017, Novak Djokovic came into Wimbledon in not-so-ideal form. The defending champion at both the Australian Open at Roland Garros, he was knocked out in a shocker by Denis Istomin early on in the former, then made it to the quarter-finals at the French Open before being completely outplayed by Dominic Thiem.
After taking a last-minute wild-card entry to Eastbourne, Djokovic went into Wimbledon winning the title at the event and clearly in high spirits. A three-time Wimbledon champion, the Serbian ace appears to have been bolstered by that win, which likely benefited him more mentally than anything else.
Although Djokovic was aided early on by a Round 1 retirement for his opponent Martin Klizan, he was up two sets at the time and quite convincingly so, and despite a third-round, third-set challenge from former French Open semi-finalist Ernests Gulbis, Djokovic took a fairly one-sided tiebreak in the end.
Gameplay-wise, Djokovic seems really intent on winning, and following his win over Gulbis last week let out quite the audible roar. Both player and former coach Boris Becker said the “passion is back,” and now with both former World No. 1 Andre Agassi, who joined him at the French Open, and former top 10 player Mario Ancic, who came on for the grass court season.
Those changes have appeared to make a world of difference to Djokovic, who looks renewed and refreshed for this Slam, at least.
Roger Federer is ruling the roost
He’s considered the GOAT regardless of surface, but grass is special to Roger Federer – and vice versa! The now World No. 5 won his 18th Major this year at the Australian Open and looked completely unstoppable there – despite the fact that hard-court is by no means his favourite surface. The Swiss ace is into Week 2 at Wimbledon for the 15th time – and it was 14 years ago that he won his first title here.
Federer comes into Wimbledon a 7-time champion looking to break a record he shares with fellow icons Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, and with him already having broken his own all-time Major record, that doesn’t seem like much of a stretch.
He is also coming into Wimbledon on the back of a ninth title at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, where he defeated Alexander Zverev in a 53-minute, straight sets win – especially mammoth considering the kind of form the German wunderkind has been in of late.
Several players have picked Federer as their favourite to win – and indeed, he is considered the bookmakers’ favourite. That speculation and those statistics aren’t without reason, however, with the Swiss ace looking fierce and his backhand gaining quite the force.
Despite a ‘bad cold’ Federer is yet to drop a set at Wimbledon this year and completely outclassed experienced serve-and-volleyer Mischa Zverev in Round 3. Now up against old foe Grigor Dimitrov – described by so many before as ‘Baby Federer’ – the fact remains that the Bulgarian 13th seed has never defeated Federer so far.
Cold or no cold, Federer is clearly the man to beat here at Wimbledon.
