10 things to look for at 2024 Wimbledon

 

On Monday, July 1st, Wimbledon will begin. That means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for at The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. Shout out to Croquet! If you have not yet checked out the draws, click here. 

#1. Can Iga Świątek make a run on the grass? Iga Świątek is the top player in the world on the ladies' side, most recently winning the French Open just a couple weeks back. Four of her five grand slam titles have come at the French Open with the US Open in 2022 being the other grand slam she has won. The furthest she's gone at Wimbledon is the quarterfinals last year. She's established herself as a dominant force on clay, but she now needs to start winning on other surfaces. It would be for her to win Wimbledon this year and show she can go the distance on grass. If she does that, that's really gonna stoke a lot of fear into the rest of the WTA. 

#2. Can Jannik Sinner go the distance? Jannik Sinner is ranked #1 in the world on the gentlemen's side, winning the Australian Open this year. He's coming off a run to the semifinals at the French Open and reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last year. If he wants to solidify himself as the top player in the world for this year, he needs to win a second grand slam. Wimbledon would be a great place for him to pick up that second grand slam title of the season and of his career. 

#3. Can Coco Gauff threaten to win it all? Coco Gauff comes in as the number two ranked player in the world. She won the US Open last year and has become a legitimate star of the sport. Funny enough, she first made headlines with her performance at Wimbledon when she was 14 years old, reaching the 4th round. Since then, she has not been able to go any further on the grass. At some point, you have to think she'll reach the quarterfinals and beyond at Wimbledon, but so far she hasn't done it. It'll be interesting to see if this is the year she finally does so. 

#4. How will Novak Djokovic's knee hold up? Novak Djokovic comes in as the number two ranked player in the world, but he also comes in having had surgery on his right knee after the French Open to address a medial meniscus tear. Djokovic says the knee is feeling fine, but will it still feel that way after a few matches in? That's the question. 

#5. How far will Jasmine Paolini go? Jasmine Paolini comes in ranked #7 in the world after reaching the 4th round of the Australian Open and final at the French Open earlier this season. She clearly appears to have figured something out with her game and will look to build on her success at Wimbledon. It's hard to figure out how she'll do at Wimbledon since she's never gone past the 1st round in her career. I suspect she'll go further than that this year, but 1st round upsets do happen. I'll be very interested to see how these two weeks go for her on the grass. 

#6. Can Carlos Alcaraz defend his title? Carlos Alcaraz comes in as the #3 ranked player in the world on the men's side and the defending Wimbledon champion. He won the French Open a couple weeks back and now will look to complete the feat of winning the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back. Given how close the two grand slams are to each other and the differing surfaces, doing so is no easy task. If Alcaraz can defend his title, regardless of what the rankings say, he'll be sending a firm message that he is the top player in world. 

#7. Can Marketa Vondrousova defend her title? Marketa Vondrousova comes in ranked #6 in the world, having won the ladies' Wimbledon singles title last year. After a disappointing 1st round exit at the Australian Open this year, she had a solid performance at Roland Garros by reaching the quarterfinals. She came out of nowhere to win Wimbledon last year and she had previously never gone further than the 2nd round. It's tough to figure how she'll perform, but on paper she's certainly a threat. 

#8. Can Casper Ruud make some noise? Casper Ruud comes in ranked #8 in the world having reached three grand slam finals in his career (2022 French Open, 2022 US Open, & 2023 French Open). That said, he's really struggled on the grass, never getting past the 2nd round of Wimbledon in his career. It would be huge for him to be able to have a bit of a breakthrough at Wimbledon and at least reach the quarterfinals. The 25 year old Norwegian is at a point of his career where such a breakthrough needs to happen soon. 

#9. Can Ons Jabeur win her first grand slam? Ons Jabeur comes in ranked #10 in the world, having reached back-to-back Wimbledon finals in 2022 and 2023. She also reached the US Open final in 2022. She's come close to winning a grand slam, but so far no cigar. At 29 years of age, she still has some time but one has to wonder whether or not she's got what it takes to go the distance at a grand slam or if she's maxed out with these trips to the final. If she were to win Wimbledon, she would put those questions to rest. 

#10. Can Ben Shelton prove himself at Wimbledon? Coming in ranked #14 in the world, Ben Shelton is a rising star in the game at just 21 years of age. However, he's never gone further than the 2nd round at Wimbledon. His top grand slam performance overall is the semifinals at the US Open last year. He's got the pieces to be a consistent grand slam threat. He just needs to prove it. It would be cool if he made some noise in London this year. 

Prediction: On the gentlemen's side, I have to roll with Carlos Alcaraz. I think he's the best player in the world regardless of what the rankings say and he proved me right in Paris when I picked him to win the French Open this year. On the ladies' side, it's much tougher to make a prediction, but I'll pick Coco Gauff to win it all. I do think she'll find a way to take it up a notch on the grass this year and win her first Wimbledon crown. She's one who will have a lot of support from the crowd, too. 

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10 things to take away from 2023 Wimbledon

                                             (Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports) 

2023 Wimbledon has come and gone, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Let's dive in! 

#1. Carlos Alcaraz established himself as #1 in the world: Everyone thought Novak Djokovic would cruise to an 8th Wimbledon title and a 24th grand slam title, but Carlos Alcaraz had other plans, defeating Djokovic 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the gentlemen's singles final. I would say after the way he outplayed Djokovic and beat him in a 5th set, Alcaraz solidified himself as the top player in the world. It should also be noted that Alcaraz came in at #1 while Djokovic came in at #2, so in hindsight we should have respected Alcaraz' ranking a bit more going in. 

#2. Marketa Vondrousova is a grand slam champion: Marketa Vondrousova defeated (6) Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the ladies' singles final. It's Vondrousova's first grand slam title though it wasn't her first trip to a grand slam final. Back in 2019, she reached the final at Roland Garros, losing to Ashleigh Barty 1-6, 3-6. What makes Vondrousova's title particularly amazing is that she became the third unseeded player to ever win a Wimbledon title and the first on the women's side. She's now ranked #10 in the world as a result of her title and will enter the US Open with more pressure. It'll be interesting to see how that goes for her and then just long-term, whether or not she'll be able to win more slams. She's only 24 years old, so she's still got many years in front of her. 

#3. Novak Djokovic is human: Part of this is the simple fact that he's now 36 years old, but just in general, Djokovic showed himself to be human. He got out-played by a guy who simply played better than he did. As Djokovic said, he's won some matches that he probably shouldn't have won, so now it's even-Steven. Still, while he wasn't able to win it this year, Djokovic is still a major contender at slams. He'll get #24 soon and likely walk out with even more before it's all said and done. 

#4. Ons Jabeur needs to do some soul searching: Ons Jabeur came into the ladies' final as the heavy favorite. Everyone expected her to defeat Vondrousova. Jabeur was playing in her third grand slam final after reaching the Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2022. Instead of coming through and winning her first slam, she was not able to deliver the goods and lost to an unseeded player who was in her second grand slam final and first one since 2019. Not to take anything away from Vondrousova, but Jabeur should have won this match. It'll be interesting to see how she'll respond in future slams, especially in her next final assuming she gets back to one. 

#5. Daniil Medvedev needs to up his game on the grass: While he did reach the semifinals, Daniil Medvedev got rolled in straight sets by Carlos Alcaraz, losing 3-6, 3-6, 3-6. As one who has won a grand slam before (2021 US Open), one would expect Medvedev to perform better in the semis. He has work to do on the grass for sure. On the positive side, this was the furthest Medvedev has gone at Wimbledon, so there's certainly hope for him to do even better next year. Still, getting waxed in straight sets is not the way he wanted this to end. 

#6. Aryna Sabalenka needs to up her game on the grass: Aryna Sabalenka came in as the #2 ranked player in the world and was my pick to win the ladies' singles title. She came up a bit short in the semis, losing to Ons Jabeur 7-6, 4-6, 3-6. This was Sabalenka's second trip to the semis at Wimbledon and she just wasn't quite able to reach her first Wimbledon final, yet alone win it all. She won the Australian Open earlier this year and is only 25 years of age. She's just starting to hit her prime and will have plenty of chances. So hopefully for her this will be a really good learning experience. 

#7. Jannik Sinner had a bit of a breakthrough tournament: Jannik Sinner fell to Novak Djokovic in the semis 6-3, 6-4, 7-6. This was the furthest Sinner has gone at any grand slam, so for him this was a real breakthrough tournament. Coming in as the 8th seed, Sinner had a relatively smooth run to the semis, not facing a seeded player until he faced Djokovic. So it's fair to wonder whether or not he just happened to benefit from a soft draw. Still, you have to beat the guy in front of you and you can't really control who you face, so that's certainly not a reason to diminish Sinner's run.

#8. Iga Świątek needs to figure out the grass: Progress was definitely made by world #1 Iga Świątek given that this was her first trip to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. That said, it's clear that grass is the surface she needs the most work on. She's won Roland Garros three times, making the clay her top surface and then she's won the US Open (2022) while also reaching the Australian Open semis in 2022. If she can figure out the grass and start winning Wimbledon, she'll be on path to domination in the women's game. 

#9. Christopher Eubanks burst onto the scene: Christopher Eubanks came out of nowhere to reach the quarterfinals, upsetting (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 4th round 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Eubanks played at Georgia Tech and hails from Atlanta, Georgia so he was truly representing the Peach State in this tournament. The furthest Eubanks had gone at any other grand slam until this year's Wimbledon was the 2nd round, so this was truly an amazing run by him. It'll be interesting to see if he'll be able to build on this and make deep run at the US Open. 

#10. Elina Svitolina is knocking on the door: Elina Svitolina fell to Marketa Vondrousova 3-6, 3-6 in the semifinals. This was Svitolina's second trip to the Wimbledon semis (2019) and her third trip to a grand slam semifinal overall (2019 US Open). She's knocking on the door and keeps putting herself in position to be a threat, but she just hasn't been able to find that extra gear to reach a final or go the distance. It'll be interesting to see if she can find that next gear and win a slam in the future. She's 28 years old, so she's still got enough years ahead to make it happen. 

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10 things to take away from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics tennis tournament

 

                                              (Credit: ausopen.com) 

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are over one year after they had to hit the pause button due to COVID-19. In tennis, Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev took home the gold medal in singles. It was a breakthrough for both players as neither has won a grand slam before. Both players are hoping their gold medals will propel them to future success and grand slam titles. Below is my list of 10 things to take away from the tournament in Tokyo. 

#1. Alexander Zverev is on the rise: Currently ranked #4 in the world, Alexander Zverev is inching closer and closer to his first grand slam title. Winning an Olympic gold medal has to give him a lot of confidence with the U.S. Open coming up. What makes this gold medal even more sweet is the fact that he defeated Novak Djokovic 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals. Honestly, it feels more like a question of when rather than if Zverev gets a grand slam title. This Olympic gold medal is just another data point that indicates he's not that far off. 

#2. Belinda Bencic could be on the verge of a grand slam breakthrough as well: Belinda Bencic is currently ranked #11 in the world, but she's been ranked as high as #4 (February, 2020). She's never reached a grand slam final before and has only advanced past the 4th round at the US Open in which she reached the semifinals in 2019. It'll be interesting to see how this gold affects Bencic's confidence as she heads into the US Open. Perhaps she too will get a grand slam title in the near future. 

#3. Novak Djokovic is human: Novak Djokovic's quest for a golden slam came to a halt in the semifinals against Zverev and he didn't leave gracefully either, throwing his racket and pulling out of his mixed doubles match after that. As great as he is, Djokovic showed us that he is human and that he can't always be on. One thing that should be noted is that the Olympics are three set matches and Djokovic really thrives in five set settings. So this shouldn't be interpreted as any sort of indication that he's not going to win the US Open. Still, given how great he is, it was surprising to see him fall short and not get the elusive golden slam. The calendar slam is still possible for him, though. So, he should still have plenty of motivation heading into the US Open. Perhaps even more. 

#4. Naomi Osaka is back on the court: While she didn't get a medal as the hometown favorite, Naomi Osaka did compete in the Olympics, losing in the 3rd round to Marketa Vondrousova. Given that she withdrew from the French Open and skipped Wimbledon due to emotional health reasons, it's big for her to just get back on the court and compete on a big stage. Hopefully this will boost her confidence heading into the US Open. 

#5. Karen Khachanov could be on the verge of something special, too: Karen Khachanov came in as the #12 seed and walked out with the silver medal, losing 3-6, 1-6 in the gold medal match to Zverev. Khachanov has never reached a grand slam semifinal before, but maybe this run to the Olympic final will give him more confidence. The US Open historically has been the most wide open event in men's tennis in recent years. Maybe Khachanov will make a deep run of his own. 

#6. Ashleigh Barty couldn't keep the good vibes rolling: After winning Wimbledon, there was hope that world #1 Ashleigh Barty would roll into Tokyo and take gold. Instead, she fell in the first round. Fortunately, this had zero effect on her ranking, but even so, she was hoping for a better outcome in these Olympic games. Fortunately, she has the US Open to look forward to. 

#7. Daniil Medvedev's consistency needs to improve: Daniil Medvedev came in as the #2 seed and he exited in the quarterfinals to Pablo Carreño Busta by a final score of 2-6, 6-7. Medvedev is still in search of his first career grand slam title, showing flashes of what could be in store for him. The big thing he needs to work on is consistency and getting to finals with even more regularity. This tournament was another reminder of that. 

#8. Iga Świątek needs to figure out the hard courts: Iga Świątek is only 20 years old, she's got one French Open title under her belt and no doubt has the potential to win more grand slams. That all said, she does need to figure out how to win on hard courts. Her 2nd round exit was disappointing for someone of her potential. 

#9. Stefanos Tsitsipas blew an opportunity: Stefanos Tsitsipas came in as the #3 overall seed and he fell in the 3rd round. He had a great chance to get a medal and he failed to do so. Given the draw, this is a tournament he'd wish to have back. One does have to wonder if that trip to the French Open final this year wore on him more than we thought. The US Open is going to be big for him. 

#10. Can Marketa Vondrousova build on her silver medal run? After taking out Naomi Osaka, Marketa Vondrousova made it all the way to the final before losing to Belinda Bencic in the gold medal match. Vondrousova hasn't had much grand slam success with the 2019 French Open final being her lone trip to a grand slam final. In the other grand slams, she hasn't gotten past the 4th round. It'll be interesting to see if this is the beginning of something new for her and whether or not we'll see her compete in the second week of grand slams with more regularity than she has in the past. 

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