A two-team panel discusses some of the standouts at the All-England Club over the last fortnight whose accomplishments will be jut a bit overshadowed by Andy Murray’s triumph, not to mention by an epic semifinal between Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin Del Potro plus a multitude of headline-stealing upsets. Who else grabbed your attention at the year’s third Grand Slam? Who deserves recognition?
Josh (The Sixth Set): This was quite the Wimbledon for the ‘dogs, and I’m not referring to Alexandr Dolgopolov. Seven unseeded players reached the round of 16, including three that had never before tasted the second week of a slam. The biggest surprises were undoubtedly world No. 111 Adrian Mannarino and 80th-ranked Kenny De Schepper, a pair of Frenchmen who had never advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam in their collective careers. In fact, Mannarino had only won just one tour-level match in the past two years and De Schepper had registered four such victories in his entire career. A combined 4-17 in slams entering Wimbledon, De Schepper’s biggest win of the fortnight came in straight-set fashion over No. 22 seed Juan Monaco, while Mannarino hammered an inspired Dustin Brown in the third round. Now both inside the Top 75, assured of direct entry into the U.S. Open, we’ll see if they can parlay their SW19 runs into successful summer hard-court campaigns.
Ricky: Brown wasn’t exactly unheralded (after all, it’s hard for such a charismatic performer to fly under the radar), but his run was somewhat overshadowed by more monumental events such as Steve Darcis’ upset of Rafael Nadal and Sergiy Stakhovsky’s stunner of Roger Federer. In any case, Dreddy deserves a mention no matter what. Perhaps overlooked is the fact that he won three qualifying matches (all in straight sets, including one over No. 5 seed Jiri Vesely) just to get into the main draw. Even before Dreddy’s big win over Lleyton Hewitt, he triple-pretzeled (3, 3, and 3) Guillermo Garcia-Lopez–who is no slouch on faster surfaces. With his aggressive, almost kamikaze-like style of play, Brown will always be inconsistent. As such, his third-round loss to Mannarino was not a huge surprise and his stringing together of five wins previously is extremely encouraging. Dreddy is great for the game due to his look, style, flair for the dramatic, and personality (Brown’s Twitter feed). Up to No. 157 in the world, he needs to parlay this into some more good results in order to reach a ranking that will get him in directly to slams–and other tournaments–in 2014.
An unbelievable shot in doubles made by Brown:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbKCcy2nqGE]
Josh: It’s impossible not to root for an entertainer like Dreddy. His personality and charisma make him an instant fan favorite and having traveled from Challenger to Challenger in a van for most of his career, his underdog story is very relatable. As for the other unheralded stars of Wimbledon 2013, look no further than Lukasz Kubot and the Polish contingent. Three Poles (Kubot, Jerzy Janowicz and Michal Przysiezny) reached the second round at the All-England Club for the first time in history. Also, Kubot and Janowicz became the first Polish men to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam since Wojtek Fibak in 1980, and their encounter marked just the fourth all-Polish matchup in Grand Slam history. For a country not noted for having a rich tennis history, their performances were quite remarkable. With a run to the third round last year, as a qualifier, and having reached a Masters 1000 final in Paris, Janowicz was already a household name entering this year’s Championships. Kubot, on the other hand, at age 31 was a far more unheralded quarterfinalist. After upsetting No. 25 seed Benoit Paire in straight sets, he came back from down two-sets-to-one against Mannarino in the fourth round. Having fallen on the same stage against Feliciano Lopez in 2011, Kubot used grit and determination to push him past the finish line this time. For a player with just 80 match victories in 11 years since turning pro, reaching the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam was an impressive feat to say the least.
Ricky: Kubot’s game is refreshing to watch; somewhat similar to that of Brown and Sergiy Stakhovsky. One of the better doubles players in the world, Kubot can be effective in singles from all areas of the court. His all-court game is reflected in his results: he has reached the third round of all four Grand Slams, including a 4R and a QF at Wimbledon and a 4R at the Australian Open. Up 68 spots to No. 62 in the world, Kubot effectively just bought himself another year on tour in the main draw of almost any tournament he wants to play. As such, he will have an opportunity to build on this result. It’s also worth asking if Fernando Verdasco and Bernard Tomic can maintain some much-needed momentum. Verdasco, who by no means a grass specialist, reached the quarterfinals (crushed Ernests Gulbis in the process) before losing a two-set lead against Murray. Not only the result but also Verdasco’s quality of play make it very encouraging for his prospects of continuing to turn around what had previously been a disastrous year. I’m not as optimistic about Tomic, who had been hopeless both on and off the court since the Australian summer. Tomic has always been stellar on grass, so his fourth-round showing (upset Richard Gasquet en route) may be nothing more than a blip on the radar since he is now going back to hard courts. That being said, at least it’s not clay….
Lukasz Kubot
Josh: Verdasco would have actually fallen out of the Top 70 for the first time since 2004 with a first-round loss. His year has been that putrid. Instead, with a new racquet and new coach, he is back inside the Top 35–exhibiting the impressive quality of play that put him on the brink of the Australian Open final in 2009. It’s been that long since I’ve seen him strike his forehand so fluidly and play so aggressively and with so much confidence. A confident, focused Verdasco is always a dangerous opponent. Another unheralded star worth mentioning is Ivan Dodig, who used a semifinal run in Eastbourne as a springboard to success in SW19, reaching his first career major round of 16. A solid grass player, the Croat put a scare into Ferrer in the fourth round, winning the first set and pushing the Spaniard deep in a second-set tiebreak before eventually succumbing in four. Dodig, who reached the doubles final alongside Marcelo Melo, had just one match victory to his name at the All-England Club in three previous trips. Benefiting from retirements by his first and third-round opponents (Philipp Kohlschreiber and Igor Sijsling) and a a second-round matchup with a physically spent Denis Kudla, Dodig didn’t expend much energy in reaching the second week. Sisjling, meanwhile, earned his third Top 20 win of the year when he defeated the grass-inept Milos Raonic in the second round. Despite having to retire down 6-0, 6-1, 1-0 to Dodig due to lingering effects of a stomach flu, it was the Dutchman’s first Grand Slam third round of his career. It will be interesting to see if both Dodig and Sijlsing can maintain the momentum on the hard courts this summer.
Ricky: As for the younger contingent, there were not any real breakout stars at Wimbledon…but three at least fared relatively well. Kudla won a five-setter over fellow up-and-comer James Duckworth before succumbing to Dodig in a hard-fought three-setter (in which Kudla was clearly not 100 percent). The 20-year-old American is inside the Top 100 at a career-high ranking of 90th in the world. He plays way bigger than his 5’11” frame suggests, and his backhand is world-class. Kudla should excel on fast hard courts and with a few wild cards into U.S. events, he may be able to start making a real name for himself this summer. Same goes for Vasek Pospisil, who took care of Marc Gicquel before extending an in-form Mikhail Youzhny to five sets. The 23-year-old Canadian may be in a bit of a “sophomore slump” this season, but he should be confident after Wimbledon and will continue to gain valuable big-match experience in Davis Cup (Pospisil lost to Andreas Seppi in five sets but Canada fought past Italy and will face Serbia in the semifinals). Watch out for Pospisil especially in 2014. Also be on the lookout for Jan-Lennard Struff, who won his first ATP-level match (destroyed Blaz Kavcic in three sets) before getting edged out by Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4). Just a few points here and there and the 23-year-old German could have been battling Novak Djokovic in the third round of a major. Struff is taking a while to grow into his 6’5” frame, but he is about to power his way into the Top 100 for the first time and he will be able to get into more ATP events. At that point it will be time to take notice.
Kudla interview at the USTA’s Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo-EGlOQXno]
Josh: It’s worth mentioning that Kudla’s win over Duckworth was the first of his career at a Grand Slam. The lone bright spot in a very disappointing fortnight for the American contingent, which failed to produce a representative in the third round for the first time since 1912, Kudla is a raw young talent worth keeping an eye on this summer. The Ukrainian-born 20-year-old was also a surprising quarterfinalist at Queen’s Club two weeks before Wimbledon…and an even more shocking Wimbledon finalist in Andy Murray’s dreams!
Ricky: Truly hilarious stuff! Alright, how about favorite match or matches that did not get quite as much pub as…say…Darcis-Nadal, Stako-Fed, and Djoker-Delpo?
Josh: My under-the-radar match of the tournament was the lone “sixth set” (a self-coined term signifying a five-setter that extends beyond 6-6) battle between Zemlja and Grigor Dimitrov. It didn’t yield the best tennis you will see, but the second-round encounter definitely provided plenty of drama. A match that was suspended due to rain with Dimitrov serving down match point at 8-9 in the fifth, it was the second-longest of the tournament behind the Djokovic-Del Potro classic. Zemlja would eventually break for the match on his fourth match point, giving him a 3-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4, 11-9 victory and his second career third-round berth at a Slam. Dimitrov converted just two of 18 break-point opportunities and despite serving 22 aces and lacing 60 winners, it was his perpetual inability to close out tight–yet winnable–matches that sent him packing.
Grigor Dimitrov
Ricky: Two of my favorite matches were Del Potro vs. Seppi and Del Potro vs. Ferrer. By no means were they epics (in fact, they were straight-setters), but the affable Argentine astounded in both. He barely warmed up before his fourth-round date with Seppi and many expected him to not even take the court after hyper-extending his left knee against Zemlja. Instead, Del Potro steamrolled Seppi in three. The No. 8 seed defied the odds again when he re-aggravated the same injury in the very first game against Ferrer in the quarterfinals. Looking like he would retire on the spot, Del Potro basically laughed at that notion and hammered Ferrer in straights. Delpo was hitting U.S. Open 2009 forehands and he finished with 42 winners, including 12 aces (compared to no double-faults). Del Potro is arguably more fun to watch when he isn’t 100 percent because he is not as afraid to end points early by hitting those outrageous forehands. If he can get himself to play like that when he is 100 percent–hopefully–later this summer, you could be looking at the 2013 U.S. Open champ.
Match point of Del Potro vs. Ferrer:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRpcdYGSXN4]
Who did we miss? What did we leave out? Feel free to join the debate in the comments section!
I lost count of how many times the TV commentators speculated before, during, and after the final that Djokovic would be/ is/ was exhausted by the del Potro match.
Relatively little was said about Andy’s tough SF against Jerzy and the even tougher QF with Verdasco the day before that.
Over the two days (QFs and SFs) Andy actually played 91 games to Nole’s 87.
Bearing in mind they both had the same amount of recovery time for the final, and Nole’s famed stamina (well at least since early 2011) I fail to see why he attributed his less than stellar performance to tiredness. Particularly as he was behind from the outset – i.e. before the heat and the pace of the match had taken their toll.
IMO, the fatigue was mental not physical.
#PostRationalisation
yep, Djokovic was fine physically. That was a non-factor.
ed,
I agree with you about Novak. When I had the chance to watch the final in its entirety, I was struck by Nole being up a break in both the second and third sets. So he certainly had his chances. It’s not like him to lose when he is up a break, but that has been happening much more often to him this year. I think it’s some kind of mental fatigue.
The simple fact is that if Novak was playing his best, then he would have beaten Delpo in four sets. He couldn’t close out the match, again the same problem. It’s true that Delpo deserves credit for playing some fearless tennis, but Novak should have been able to get the job done. He is too physically fit not to be able to recover with a day off for the final.
There are no excuses. Andy was the better player that day and also the mentally stronger player.
I see the girlfriend waded in blaming the crowd rooting for Andy lol.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/kvarwtr
“His long-term girlfriend Jelena Ristic tells Mandrake that the all-strong British crowd created a “stressful” environment for her boyfriend to play in.
“It was really, really stressful and overwhelming,” she says at the inaugural London Gala for the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which helps disadvantaged Serbian children.
“Honestly I didn’t feel comfortable because they’re were so many people against us. Everyone was cheering against my boy.”
Still, the lingerie model hopes the nation will have warmed to the 26-year-old Serbian after he was graceful in defeat. “I hope everyone saw that side of him out there.”
A bit naive! Who did she think the crowd would be supporting?
True towards the end of the match there was sporadic applause from a few hecklers when Nole lost a point or double faulted but the majority of the crowd appreciated Nole’s play and applauded accordingly.
Re: His graciousness in defeat. He is definitely No.1 in that department on the court in front of the cameras but It would have been more gracious if he had not alluded in his press conference to the fact that tiredness had not allowed him to play his best game.
#BritishFairPlay
Lol always found it really funny how biased the wind is at the USOpen only blowing on Andy’s opponents side….
@NNY
Wanted to say if u have any problems with tx from anyone, don’t respond, just email Sean and state your concerns, email is at the bottom of the page. I did and got a brilliant and very illuminating response. He’s really on the case.
#ThumbsUPSean
deucey,
Thanks so much! I really don’t know if I should even bother to post there at all. Do you know who that elena person is? I don’t remember seeing that screen name on a regular basis.
So Sean is a good guy? I will go ahead and e-mail him.
Thanks for what you said on the blog.
That is usually the case!
It doesnt matter that Fed hasnt yet won his slam this year.
The goat will adjust his schedule in the new year to be back in the winners circle come 2014 year.
Good fight from fed to take the third set against mayer.
I noticed mayer splits the h2h against Nadal.
I think the new racket will even out the matchup with rafa for fed.
With few more matches hewill definitely be among top contenders come us open.
some huge rallies at times in the fed-Mayer match
Found my ex-TT buddies at last 🙂
Bottom line is muzz has finally found the champion mentality. He had the tennis from day 1, eventually built up the physical stamina, and over the past year now discovered the mental zone that nole has – at no point in any match can he not win. Ivan’s got to take big credit, as should muzz for connecting with him.
Don’t want to jinx our muzz – although somehow jinxes don’t seem to come into it any more – but I have a suspicion that the grass could belong to muzz for the next 2-3 years .
hello, alex. agreed that Lendl and Murray’s improved mental game were major factors. Not sure he had the tennis “from day 1” though. He’s gotten much stronger and much better. Used to be a counter-punch with no weapons and decent but not world-class defense. But yes, in general your points are good ones.
Hi wc – thanks for the kind welcome:-)
“Used to be a counter-puncher with no weapons …” – with stereotypes like that, I do hope we’ll get along! I think you’re just trying to goad me, so here goes …
If it helps, let me re-phrase “He had the tennis from day 1” as “He’s always had all the shots”. Mention any of murray’s apparently newly found slam-winning ‘weapons’ and I’ll instantly direct you to 2006-8 YouTube clips and let muzz speak for himself.
Did he over-do the dropshot in the early days? Sure. Did he under-do the forehand winner? Yep, definitely. but everything was there – even from before he turned pro. The ‘lack of killer weapons’ stereotype popularised by wordsmiths like Tignor was probably down to over-reliance fed-friendly highlight clips.
Interestingly, when Tignor first made your comment, muzz was already frequently using one of the best two or three (at most) backhand passing shots in tennis, and was lobbing the likes of karlovic at will, but apparently only forehands over 90mph (a la delpo, rafa, or soderling at the time) count as ‘weapons’ – and unfortunately muzz’s examples of the latter tended not to make the highlights reels, as they didn’t fit the caricature of muzz being a player of chess rather than tennis.
Also interesting, I recall seeing a BBC news feature on muzz in his early teens, and guess what they were raving about in this child prodigy? His drop shot? No. His lob? No. His back-of-the-court retrieving skills? No. His backhand return of serve, or his two-handed backhand down the line? No and no. What they couldn’t get over in this 13 (?) year-old was the sheer power of his forehand.
What has changed is the more positive, aggressive mental approach that steps up and takes the initiative and attacks. That’s where Ivan has come in, but the shots had to be there to use – and every one of them absolutely was.
And mark my words, the day will come when muzz wins the toss and elects to serve first! But when that day comes, the lendl effect will be complete. Why? Because such a change in strategy will not suddenly add something new to muzz’s repertoire (he’s already a supreme server) – it will breathe the kind of confidence into muzz’s service game that could even spill over into his second serve too – and pity help the rest of them when that happens.
As I said, the thrilling development that has finally brought muzz over the line, and with the confidence of his recent slam exploits, is set to only increase, is all up-top stuff mentality/composure/strategy. The tennis has always been there. Underused perhaps. And sure, his shot making has been improving – as it does for 99% of tennis players between late teens and mid-20s – but the weapons have always been there.
Btw, I see there’s another alex on here, so if it helps call me alex2.
maybe so. And to say that was a clarification would be quite an understatement!
Hey Alex. Good to see you!
Lately I’ve had some problems posting on here and I have also been posting on tennis-x.
Hoping Muzz, Rafa et. al. run deep in Montreal!
#VamosRafa
Yep, soooo hope rafa gets a good run on the hard courts and does himself justice at uso. I have to say, and I’ve been saying it before wimbie, that rafa, not nole, is the hardest match for muzz, and for me muzz vs fit rafa is the most exciting match in tennis. so here’s hoping for rafa.
will check out tennis-x.
Hey guys, still looking for you in TalkTennis –
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13
It’s all poster driven as the subjects for discussion are all originated by the posters and it’s well moderated. Trolling is not allowed. Not saying desert tenngrand by any means as I shall also be posting here regularly when the season picks up again.
#clayqueen
yes, T-warehouse is also good. The difference, obviously, is like TT we are familiar with each other here. There are zillions at T-warehouse. Hopefully both are worthwhile!
I’ve checked around and if there’s anything better than this I haven’t found it yet. the only other unmentioned place I’m aware of is tennis.com, which (imho) is good for an american perspective but can be (with exceptions) kind of highbrow and distant, TT was just right for me until the moderation fell away and the trolls started descending like dung flies. Glad to see this place is well moderated.
I agree with alex that rafa has been muzz’s toughest match and muzz KNOWS that too ! he has said it twice that nadal is his toughest opponent ever ! Funnily, I have always been really nervous and scared when rafa plays muzz because I always used to fear ‘what if its time muzz realizes his full potential’ ! lol..i was so nervous before their wimb 2010 semi haha…
alex, i dont think the day wil come when muzz will serve first 😛 lol…anyway, the 2nd serve is the only area where muzz needs some work..of course he can improve all other aspects but 2nd serve has really been punished by nole in their last 2 slam meetings…muzz finds a way to compensate for it though 😉
and yes, muzz did have the ‘shots’ from a very young age ! All his weapons have been ‘upgraded’ though ! The aggressive mindset and high intensity have come with time for him…he beat fed in cincinnati 06 (fed’s best year and one of fed’s best surfaces on the tour) … i always thought muzz played more aggressively against rafa ! check out al his matchces against rafa, 07 OZ open 3rd rnd, madrid 07 etc… may be he was deluded into thinking his routine counterpunching game was good enough to beat fed/nole on big occasions just because he was beating them on best of 3 events…he was continually beating fed and showing how talented he was but then thank God he realized that aggression was the only way to glory !
and muzz has always had RIDICULOUS retrieving skills !
sampras and others touting muzz for uso, but i reckon folks need to hold off to see what kind of state rafa’s in at montreal and cincy. If rafa’s not a serious contender, as I’ve felt over the past year, there’s zilch between muzz and nole – I don’t see how anyone can make confident predos at this stage at any rate.
not Rafa and not anyone outside the Big 4. That’s all I’m sure of.
ricky, what makes you think federer stands a better chance of winning USO than rafa? fed’s past record at the open? I would not give so much weight to fed’s past at the open.. andy is top pick, closely followed by novak..then there is a gap ..rafa, roger, delpo are the contenders for me… alex is right, there are uncertainties surrounding rafa…montreal and cincy would give us an idea…dont count rafa out ! semis at 09, winner in 2010, finalist at 2011 ! he is definitely a strong contender if he can find some form..i am quietly confident in rafa to be honest 🙂
he NEEDED a break..i know getting a break in that manner was not at all pleasant but I am glad he rested and is now training hard on hard courts…the knee is good too now.. rafa’s doctors said after acapulco to ‘take it easy’ but rafa was making it to the final of every single event so i cant really blame him …he skipped miami too.all is good, go rafa !
check their US Open history
I’m testing my connection
history? were not you aware of fed’s history at wimbledon? french open? dont tell me fed has a history of losing to nobodies three times in a row ! its no longer the same scenario for fed..dont think he can beat the other big 4 for 2 successive matches.i dont even want to talk about three successive wins over them
neither one has a good chance of winning the USO. but Fed’s is certainly better than Rafa’s.
#MustDiffer
Hi alex….2…;) Some brilliant muzza loving going on here. yay! Did u know andy’s being seeing Ivan’s ex shrink. Apparently she’s been helping him recover the “joy” of his early tennis years, which got lost under the weight of all that expectation, not only external either. Still can hardly believe the past year…
I too am having some problems posting, Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t.
#Puzzled
DEUCEY !! 😀
Cloud 9 days indeed, deucey 🙂 But have to say, like muzz, we’ve earned it!
No, didn’t know about ivan’s shrink, but it fugures and sure seems to have helped. Muzz has discovered the champion’s mentality, the final ingredient to greatness.
Did you see article by Judy on BBC site about games she used to play with the boys as kids and the family dynamics of their early development. Really interesting and inspirational. If anythin, Judy has had rougher treatment than muzz over the years, some horrible things written about her, but she’s a real gem, the sweetest ‘ogre’ I’ve ever seen.
#RoleModelMum
Hi All,
It’s good to see the gang here posting away! I was taking a bit of a break from all things tennis, but I checked here to see what’s going on.
First to deuce,
Thanks for your advice. I did e-mail Sean and got a very nice reply! Great to see you here!
Second to alex 1 or 2,
Which one is the alex I loved to help at TT? The one who would fall apart and get too negative when Andy was playing? If one of you is that alex, then let me know if you are 1 or 2!
vamosrafa,
Great to see you here! I am really looking forward to the North American hard court season. I see that Ricky has decided Rafa has no chance to win the USO. What else is new? One thing I know is that Fed’s not winning it. He has to worry about Cincy, where he’s defending 1000 points. He can’t afford to drop any lower in the rankings. Rafa, on the other hand, is not defending a thing!
I want to see how Rafa looks after being off for a while. We know that he gets rusty and out of form. Montreal and Cincy should let us know where he’s at. I just hope that knee is okay. If it is, then the form will come back and who knows what might happen!
NNY7, my shrink from TT !! 🙂 Hopefully I won’t need your therapy so much now muzz has broken through mentally! Yep, I’m now alex2 as I saw someone else posting under alex on this site.
Great to find y’all again.
Ricky, ok well that is your opinion but I strongly disagree…you think federer stands a better chance of beating murray/djo ?? you think fed is better equipped at the moment to handle delpo/berdy/tsonga? Rafa is better equipped at handling most of these opponents…this is simple logic for me…rafa stands a better chance of winning USO but yes his chances of winning it are nowhere near as high as djoker’s and murray’s..i still have rafa as the 3rd favorite though..
For fed, cincinnati would give us the exact idea of where his game and head is…
NNY, great to see you too 😀 yes, those are my worries too…will rafa’s knee hold up ? I am very confident it will ! will rafa be really rusty heading into montreal? Monteal is very important as rafa has a good record there ..rafa has never been comfortable at cincy ! even in 2010 he lost in 2 to baghdatis…I am hoping he gets plenty of matches under his belt and gets wins over murray/djo as best case scenario !! i know that would be asking too much but hey, its rafa and nothing is impossible for him
rafa is better equipped to handle*
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-111099-Injured-Federer-crashes-out-in-Gstaad
So Fed is injured too !!!