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!
Great thoughts on some of the lesser known players at Wimbledon! For myself, it was nice to see Verdasco come back to life after such a long time. I thought he was hitting his forehand better that I can remember in the last few years. Who would have thought he would get to the quarterfinals and be up two sets on Murray? That was a tough loss for Verdasco, who has never been a mental giant but this is a great result that he can hopefully take and build on for the rest of the year.
I have not warmed up to Jerzy, but it was exciting to see him get to the semis. He took advantage of a draw that opened up without Rafa and Fed. Good for him. He’s definitely got the serve and the shots to do very well in this sport. Since his run last at the Paris Masters we haven’t heard anything from him. Now that I have gotten a good look at him, I can say that he has the potential to be a future star. I say that with a few caveats. First, he needs to lose the attitude. He kind of went after Murray in the semis and tried to intimidate him. It backfired badly. He also needs to keep his temperament and emotions under control. Otherwise he could go the way of Marat Safin. I think this experience will help him going forward. He certainly managed to hold his own for three sets. I thought in the fourth set it kind of fell apart for him. But he has the game to make some noise in this sport.
I loved the Delpo/Ferrer match, too! When I saw Delpo fall, I thought there was no way he could continue. But to see him get some treatment and go out there and give it his best was wonderful. He showed some courage and heart and guts. He was hitting 2009 USO forehands. That shot has finally come back to what it once was and that’s a good thing for Delpo. If he can manage to stay healthy, look out!
To me, Delpo is the only guy outside ‘big 4’who can beat them on a regular basis and winning consecutive matches amongst them.
I have been his fan (my next fav after Roger) when he won those 4 consecutive titles in 2008. A great player and performer, a real treat to watch.
Poor fella! His career seems to have been badly jinxed, always marred by injuries which does not allow him to prepare/perform his best at the tournaments. I have no doubts that had he not been marred by those injuries after 2009, he definitely would have won at least 2 more slams. Nobody beats Fed and Rafa back to back in a slam (except Nole) and that testifies his talent and abilities.
I just pray for him, that atleast from now on, he remains injury free during the season.
C’mon Delpo! You gotta add to your GS tally and I know you will.
Australian Open should be ideal for Delpo. And he should have a good chance of winning another US Open if 100 percent. But I think the court surface is even better for him Down Under.
Why do you say the AO is his best chance? He hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory there in the past and has been beaten in straights sets twice by Roger in the QFs – including a double bagel in 2009. Mind you, Dell Boy got his revenge later that year!
I thin the US OPEN is best for del potro. Ricky- y do you believe that the AO surface suits him better
Well, I feel that Delpo has a great chance of winning RG. He seems to be the only one after Nole whose game can throw off Rafa at clay. His height, power of shots ideally match up against Rafa. It was sad that the 2 couldnt compete against each other on clay after that great Davis Cup final tie in 2011.
I think a slower, higher-bouncing hard court is best for Del Potro. He likes to have some time to set up for shots and he likes it at waist level or higher, which he obviously doesn’t get at Wimbledon (still reached the semis) and not entirely at the US Open. He also has the power to hit through the Australian Open court, whereas less powerful guys need a US Open surface in order to hit winners. So I think Delpo matches up well with almost everyone at the Aussie, but a few would have an edge over him at the USO (and at Wimbledon).
I agree…technically it should be the plexicushion surface at Aus open that should suit delpo’s game the most…. But may be, its a little easier to defend against delpo’s HUGE forehands on the slower courts… Yes delpo has more time to set up and take his big swings on slower courts but defending against his strokes is the most difficult on grass. followed by the surface at US open … I believe delpo would have stood a much better chance of beating djo had their match been a 4th rnd when the grass is slipperier and its really tough to defend…Its easier to defend in the later stages of wimbledon thats why both nadal and djo favor from it..
I think it would be tougher for delpo to break djokovic’s wall-like defense on the hard courts but he may well do it…He beat djo in indian wells and I noticed he used the backhand slice quite intelligently in that match…Backhand slice can be a good weapon against if used cleverly and effectively
Good points. And yeah, the good thing for Delpo is that he is a force on all surfaces. Never thought that would be the case on grass. He can contend at all 4 majors.
Even though people say 2009 US open was delpo’s best level…I believe he is a much more complete and better player in 2013…yes fitness is an issue though…poor guy…really like him for his demeanor too….I am amazed at how he hits awesome volleys under pressure now..a 6 ft 6 guy hitting stretch volleys is great to watch
Delpo may be more consistent now (when healthy), but I don’t think he’s ever played as well as he did at the 2009 US Open.
I agree about the 2009 US Open. At that time Fed had just come off wins at RG and Wimbledon. He was still in good enough form to be a favorite at the USO that year. Delpo was playing very well at that time but hadn’t done anything at the USO.
Fed did miss an opportunity to go up two sets, but credit to Delpo for seizing the opportunity. He played the match of his life up to that point to beat Fed.
Delpo’s biggest problems are staying healthy and his fitness. I think he’s working on the fitness issue. The knee should be okay and I think he could be the dark horse at the USO this year.
Picked Delpo to win a major this year and he’s my dark horse pick for the USO.
I didn’t pick him to win a major but did pick him to finish in the top 4 in the world.
I may be wrong on both……
Hope he can straighten out his knee in time for Montreal.
hawkeye,
Sorry, I didn’t see your comment when I wrote mine. So Delpo is also your dark horse pick? If the knee is okay, then I think he has a shot.
Like the rest of you, really enjoyed watching ‘Dreddy”. Hope he can make it into the draw at the US Open so that we can see him there.
Ricky, he is a much more complete player now. He is twice a better volleyer, definitely a better defender and has more variety in his game. I would say, he was more consistent in US 2009 ! I mean, he was able to play at a really high intensity throughout that event and dont forget that the rest of the field is always improving and that was the time when delpo was not taken that seriouly having been double bagelled by fed in Oz 09. It was after USO 2009 that coaches and players had their eyes on him and players must have focused on identifying and attacking his weaknesses. The field is always improving.
vamosrafa,
I agree about Delpo being a more complete player now. He had to learn to adjust his game on the grass. Initially he had trouble getting the low balls because his movement wasn’t good enough. However, the shot that won him the 2009 USO was that formidable forehand. Since he came back from the wrist surgery, he has only been able to hit his forehand that well at certain times. He hasn’t been able to hit it the way he did all through the final of the 2009 USO. That was his money shot and it worked very well on the hard courts at the USO.
In that match with Djoker, he was hitting that forehand the way he did in 2009 consistently throughout the match. That shot is what forced a fifth set. I think his issue is still fitness and of course, being so injury prone.
He is now an all surface player. I think that is what is better about him now as opposed to 2009.
Us open ows roger another final. I feel this is his best tournement.
Roger doesn’t have a god given right to another USO: he has to earn it!
But just because he has not had a stellar year so far is not to say he won’t win it again.
He has been written of in the past and stormed back but it will be harder this time round: Nole has upped his level, Andy has come into his own, and Rafa has a new lease of life.
That’s without taking into account a whole raft of younger players capable of taking on the top 4.
Whoopsadaisy: I should have said top 5.
ed,
The issue now is Fed will be ranked #5 coming into the USO. He has never been ranked that low since he came into his own in this sport. So he will be the one bumping up against one of the other top four in the quarterfinals. We don’t know how his draw is going to be and it’s not a given that he will get through to the second week. Other players are starting to feel confident when facing him. There is a belief that they can beat him now.
I would never write him off completely but he won’t be among the favorites this time. He has had an abysmal year for him. Getting knocked out in the second round at Wimbledon was the toughest blow for him. Now he has fallen to #5 and there are challenges with that.
It’s true that Andy has come into his own and Rafa was doing well until Wimbledon. Delpo has also come on strong at Wimbledon and is showing some of that 2009 form. Now we have JJ coming off his best result in his first semifinal at Wimbledon. His game should be ideal for hard courts. Then we also have Tsonga and Berdy. So this could be a very competitive USO.
Dear fellow posters,
After the death of TT (I still don’t know very well why) I’d like to make my first contribution here.
I didn’t see the semis or the final. Was glad (sorry Novak fans) to find that Andy had won it. I think the match of the tournament was DelPo-Djokovic, no doubt. I’ve been seeing the highlights of that and maybe it might have affected Novak in the final, I don’t know.
It’s amazig that Andy was able to win it in straight sets, had it not been for Verdasco, Murray would have won this Wimby without dropping a set. Very impressive performance.
From my part, I can’t way to see Rafa playing again soon. I’m not making any predictions about USO yet.
welcome, Shireling!
Glad to see you’ve arrived here. Hope the rest of the regulars and old-timers find their way over too. Imagine if the forum had been closed down before Wimbledon!
Pospisil beat Kudla.
#VamosPopsicle
not good, Kudla
He’s Ukrainian when he loses. He’s American when he wins.
#Merica
absolutely right NNY ! delpo’s forehand was like a mechanical arm in that USO final. He is able to hit mind boggling forehands now as well but as u said, he is unable to do it as consistently as he did in the USO final. His win over djokovic at Indian wells this year also featured HUGE forehands hit consistently.
Also, even though I believe delpo has a huge serve, it is not huge enough for a man of his size and power. His serve could be a lot better. I do not think he able to put everything into his serve. There is still plenty of room for improvement. May be delpo just does not ‘pace through’ this service motion to generate maximum forward thrust and racket head speed. Andy roddick for instance had such a speedy motion ! he used to fly into his motion. Berdych’s serve is also not good enough for his size. His ball toss is questionable, too high in my opinion. But I guess the coaches are so well aware nowadays, there must be reasons !
That was a bit of my little technical knowledge on serves of those giants lol..just shared my thoughts 😉
well… look at where a bad serve has taken Bartoli 🙂
At least she’s modified the serve action. The ritual she went through before was beyond bizarre. It made Rafa’s preparation look positively laid-back 🙂
Anyone laying a big stake on her winning in straight sets is laughing all the way to the bank.
Matchplay is what fed is missing. The new schedule has come to haunt himplaying to smaller events is just hoping to get some matchplay and matchfitness under the belt.
I think he will be focussed and eager to make in impact in the next part of the season .
Winning the slam will be maybe to much to ask, but semi or final is well within his capabilitie.
I think Rafa is going to ease out the remainder of the year. His goal was to retain the clay kingdom
Novak is good, but not that good. He can be upset.
Murray might find it hard to be the favorite. Different set up for him entering slam winner, defender.
Speaking of Rafa, heseems to be contradicting Toni here, no?
At least he’ll be in Montreal next month!
http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/220223.html
http://tinyurl.com/lyntmgw
#Practise?
Everything unfolded just like I predicted, whether you like it or not. Djokovic had no more gas left in the tank. Too bad, I hope the FAIR British are very proud of their successful draw.
— Elisabeth Steiner, Boca Raton, Fla.
• I’m working on the assumption that this was sarcastic. Murray, of course, was drawn into the same rough half as Federer and Nadal, though he ended up facing the unseeded Ferando Verdasco in the quarterfinals and No. 24 Jerzy Janowicz in the semifinals.
Also, this got lost in the shuffle: After the third set of Murray’s semifinal against Janowicz, the tournament referee ordered the Centre Court roof to be closed. This was a judgment call and it was completely at variance with Murray’s vocal preference and best interest at the time. (A faster, potentially cooler indoor match would obviously benefit his hard-serving, hard-breathing opponent.)
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20130710/mailbag-wimbledon-marion-bartoli-andy-murray/#ixzz2YfqMCjHo
#RoofMatters
#WheresTwinge