5 experiences that made Wimbledon 2018 amazing

The Wimbledon Championships came to a close on Sunday. The tournament this year was one filled with surprises and lot of upsets. Here, we take a look at the 5 amazing experiences in Singles at the All England Club:

1. The Djoker is Back!

Ever since his elbow injury last year, and subsequent procedures and surgery, Novak Djokovic wasn't himself, leave alone at his best. He had failed to taste any substantial success in the ATP World Tour after his Australian Open exit. Never had I seen such frustration before from the ice-cool Serb. That was understandable, as changing the technique you are so used to is incredibly difficult. In the French Open, we could see the momentum slightly changing, although still not enough to prove that he could challenge the elite again.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and cometh the most prestigious tournament in the world cometh the man did. Even from the start, the determination he showed was admirable. Technically he was surely much better and was barely troubled during the first week. All through we could see how much it meant to Novak with the way he reacted to every miss and every good point.

During the match against Nadal, two things showed he was mentally there as well. One was how he took the second set from a set and set point down. Secondly, the way he still played at the same level after the match was suspended and later went well into the final set. He hadn't played like that in a long long time, and with the final to be played next year there were some doubts about his fitness levels. But there was no doubt in Djokovic's mind and he coasted to the trophy, dominated even, in straight sets.

2. Anderson emerges as a challenge

Kevin Anderson wasn't such a known figure until he made the final of the US Open last year. Even though that was a good performance, consistency is always a challenge for players. He bowed out of the Australian Open in the first round and the French Open in the fourth. Just as people thought that the US Open was maybe a one-off, the Wimbledon Championships came along.

The South African breezed through till the Quarters with just 2 sets dropped. But against Federer it was a different story, he had to dig in and work harder than before. After dropping the first 2 sets Anderson roared back and tapped into his inner resolve in the 5th set to win it 13-11. If that was surprising, he did a similar job again in the semis beating John Isner from 2-1 down taking the final set 26-24 in a match that lasted close to 7 hours. This was the longest ever match in Wimbledon Semifinals. With that, Kevin Anderson had arrived, and no matter the result of the final he had made himself unforgettable.

Kevin Anderson acknowledges the crowd after receiving the runners-up trophy - Wimbledon 2018

3. Serena, Kerber comeback to Wimbledon

About 10 months before Wimbledon 2018 started Serena Williams had just given birth and had a complication the next day. She had developed a pulmonary embolism which left her bedridden six weeks. Her coming back into tennis and playing well would've been the last thing on her mind(maybe not, given her dedication).

When the American appeared in a catsuit for the French Open and pulled out midway, there were quite a few concerned experts and fans. A solid show in the rounds and a great comeback in the quarters was enough to calm all those people down, including Williams herself.

Her opponent in the final too wasn't going through the best of phases in her tennis. Angelique Kerber had last won a grand slam almost 2 years ago. She had suffered first-round exits a few times since the victory in the US Open and hadn't reached a final before Wimbledon. But this time she was ready, she had improved her game, especially the serve.

On her way to the championship, Kerber lost only a single set and was incredibly solid all the way through. She was broken only a few times and dominated her way to the title. With this, three magnificent comebacks had been completed in the championships.

Williams and Kerber congratulate each other after the final at Wimbledon 2018

4. Seeds toppled

The Wimbledon Round of 128 saw the most top 10 upsets ever in Grand Slams in the Open Era edition with 7 out of them bowing out.

Dimitrov's defeat to Wawrinka was the least of the surprises in this tournament. David Goffin, who had been impressive this season, was ousted in straight sets by Matthew Ebden in the first round. Dominic Thiem was 2 sets and a break down against Baghdatis when he retired for the tournament.

One of the favorites to win the tournament, and former finalist Marin Cilic, was dominating Guido Pella who was ranked below 70 when play was suspended. What followed the next day was one of the best comebacks I've ever watched, with the Argentine winning the remaining sets to stop Cilic in Round 2.

Another favorite Sasha Zverev bowed out in the 3rd round after being up 2-1 against Ernests Gulbis. The most shocking fact is that he was overpowered by 6 games to love by the unorthodox Frenchman in the final set.

The best upset for me and many people, it was Anderson's quarterfinals victory against Roger Federer. Why? Simply because he didn't have anytime to regroup after being 2 sets down like Pella, his opponent didn't lose steam in the 5th set like Gulbis'. The South African was as assured as a top-flight player and for that reason, it was the best upset indeed.

Sloane Stevens, who's been a hit and miss at the Grand Slams, lost to Vekic. Elina Svitolina bowed out in 3 sets against Belgium's T. Maria. The biggest surprise of Round 1 was Kvitova, one of the contenders for the title losing to Sasnovich in 3 sets with the last set reading 0-6.

The upsets continued in Round 2 as well with No.2 seed Caroline Wozniacki getting knocked out by Makarova in 3 sets after getting the 2nd set 6-1. Defending champion Muguruza too was not spared. She lost to Van Uytvanck in after taking the first set, not to mention that the upset came from a Belgian yet again.

Venus Williams was the first victim of Round 3 although she was sent packing by a seed. No.20 seeded Kiki Bertens showed admirable composure in the 3rd set to take it 8-6 to defeat the veteran. Bertens would go on to upset 7th seeded Karolina Pliskova in the next round. Another American Madison Keys lost to Rodina in 3 sets later in Day 5.

The shock of the tournament was Simona Halep's loss to S-W. Hseih in the 3rd round. The fact that the Romanian had won the French Open earlier, was in great form and was a set ahead in the match makes this the best upset in the Ladies' Draw.

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