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The first week of a grand slam tournament, at least in contemporary tennis, has been about the serene passage of players who reinforced reputations. Not in London this year, where 13 of the 32 seeded players have already been forced to pack their bags before the third round and find an early ticket home. On that count alone, the 127th Wimbledon Championships have been a revelation. But it is not just the numbers that have surprised this week, but the people disposed and the manner of their dismissal. After a lengthy drought, the floodgates are open and the first week has seen the rightful celebration of the unheralded underdog.
The week began with the shock exit of Rafael Nadal in the first round, suffering a stunning straight set defeat at the hands of Steve Darcis. The Belgian, ranked 130 places below the Spaniard, concocted a potion made up of some slice and volley in equal proportions to oust the indefatigable twelve-time Grand Slam champion. As if the seismic event wasn’t enough, SW19 was subjected to another after-shock.
The second round exit of defending and seven-time champion Roger Federer shook the London Borough of Merton with such historic intensity that the tremors left a crater on centre court. Filling the void this time was yet another unsung hero – a journeyman from Ukraine that went by the name of Serhiy Stakhovsky. The 116th ranked player brushed aside a first set loss to come from behind and help Federer to his earliest exit at a Grand Slam in over a decade.
The 27 year old had never beaten a top ten player in 20 matches, but suddenly discovered a lethal secret from beyond the grave. Playing like he belonged in another age, Stakhovsky managed to stretch Federer to his backhand side, before stinging the champion with volley winners that left the Swiss stranded.
And then there was the forever warrior – Lleyton Hewitt. Discounted by doctors and dealt a raw hand by fate, the Aussie fought valiantly to gift fans some of the best excitement this week. Hewitt played with the spirit of an Aztec warrior to consign the 11th seeded Stanislas Wawrinka to a straight sets defeat in the first round.
The English embrace tragedy with unparalleled enthusiasm and the fascination for the underdog provides them just the recipe they crave. The story of the many men that strive on the side-lines traveling from one defeat to another is as compelling as the story of the few champions. Last year for instance, there were just 58 men who managed to win more than $500,000 for their effort on the circus.
Most of the rest just made enough to get by or dug into the pockets of their support systems to survive the season. It is this prolonged vacuum of the suffering sergeants, which makes it fascinating to share in the experience of a rare victory. So it was fitting too that the Jamaican-German Dustin Brown gave the English crowd some more tears and drama.
Brown played sensational tennis to knock out Lleyton Hewitt in the second round, offering a dose of tragedy for some and an equal measure of hope for the others. But with these journeymen, hope lasts about as long as a one night stand. Tragedy is never too far behind. Ironically therefore, none of these men have their name in the draw as we head into the second week of Wimbledon.
Inevitably, we will shift our focus towards the regular suspects, who will brush aside the shocks and tremors of the first week to continue their relentless pursuit towards glory. Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro understand what it takes to last the fortnight and fly home with silverware. The tireless David Ferrer is still afloat, as usual a picture of consistency amidst the chaos of the wild week.
But before we get to the weekend that matters, there are still some of those struggling men alive in the draw to offer their share of stories. Ivan Dodig is the beneficiary of a second retirement this week, as he was helped into the fourth round for the first time in his career. German Philipp Kohlschreiber retired in their first round encounter and Igor Sijsling, the man who took down Milos Raonic in the second round, repeated the favour today.
31 year old Lukasz Kubot reached the round of 16 when he dismissed the 25th seeded Benoit Paire in straight sets earlier this evening. It is only the second such experience for the Pole in London – he lost in four sets to Gael Monfils when he reached the same stage in 2011. He has another Frenchman standing between him and a first Grand Slam quarter-final.
Fortunately for Kubot, the man across the net is going to be equally inexperienced. The 25 year old had never been past the second round in a Grand Slam earlier in his career, but is riding his luck this time. The Pole was expected to play Nadal in the second round, but Darcis relieved him of the burden before withdrawing from the tournament with a heavy shoulder.
The 111th ranked Mannarino is proving just as lucky – marathon man John Isner was forced to withdraw due to injury in the second round and the left-hander ousted Brown in a one sided match to outdo his best performance on a grand slam stage. Mannarino had just won three Grand Slam matches before this Wimbledon, but has already won as many in reaching the fourth round here.
Another Frenchman is in the mix too and luck has played its part with him too. Kenny de Schepper was meant to play Marin Cilic in the second round, but the Croat pulled up lame just before that match. To his credit, the 80th ranked man outplayed the 22nd seeded Juan Monaco to earn his spot in the round of 16. Incredibly, the 26 year old has never been past the first round of a Grand Slam and hasn’t even ever qualified to play at the US Open.
Those on the lookout for a dark horse will not be disappointed either – 24th seeded Jerzy Janowicz upset 15th seeded Nicolas Almagro to book his spot against Jurgen Melzer. The Austrian completed his unpleasant task of bringing Stakhovsky back to earth from the rarefied heights of defeating Federer. Janowicz is coming off third round appearances at Melbourne and Paris, but this is the best showing yet in his nascent career.
And finally there is Bernard Tomic, who has just about as much talent as he lacks temperament. The unruly Aussie is in the midst of a fine run – his latest victim was the 9th seeded Richard Gasquet. Tomic has been more in the news for his open defiance of ATP’s decision to ban his father from being courtside during his matches. The Aussie has done a tremendous job of keeping the controversy out of his mind as he tries to emulate his impressive run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2011 as an 18 year old freshman.
All in all, Wimbledon this year is offering plenty of thrills and spills, a rarity in this era of super consistent top players who have made a fine habit of winning where expected. 13 retirements and just as many upsets, if not more, have added a few layers of drama and intensity that have been missing in the early phases of these major events for some time now. Enjoy the ride while it lasts.
