Strawberries & Cream. Pimm’s & Lemonade. Tennis & Wimbledon. Some things just go together. The only Grand Slam to be played on grass has returned this summer following its postponement last year, and we have already bore witness to some thrilling action out on Centre Court in the opening rounds.
There was also plenty of drama in the leadup to the tournament—not the least of which were the withdrawals of Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem in the men’s singles event and Naomi Osaka and 2019 winner Simona Halep in women’s singles.
In terms of the British contingent, Johanna Konta was forced to withdraw on the eve of the tournament after a member of her team tested positive for Covid-19. While she is no longer considered in the 2021 Wimbledon odds, all eyes will be on Andy Murray in the men’s singles as the two-time Wimbledon champion and former world Np. 1 makes his return to the Grand Slam for the first time since 2017.
Despite it being the only grass Grand Slam and played at the iconic and prestigious All-England Club, Brits generally don’t fare well in this tournament. In fact, it was Murray who last gave the home crowd something to cheer in 2016, when he beat Milos Raonic (another of this year’s withdrawals) in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2) for the title. You have to go back to the last century to find when a British woman last won the singles title. In 1977, Virginia Wade came from a set down to beat Dutchwoman Betty Stove 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Let’s go back into the not-too-distant past to see how Brits have fared in the most recent editions of Wimbledon.
2019
This was the last time the Centre Court opened its doors and Murray Mount was occupied by spectators. Dan Evans is now Britain’s No. 1 and he reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2019. In round two the unseeded Evans beat Nikoloz Basilashvili, who was the 18th seed, before losing out to Portugal’s João Sousa—who went on to face Nadal in the fourth round. The third round is Evans’ best performance to date.
In the women’s singles, Konta reached the quarterfinals and met the recently retired Barbora Strýcová. Having come from a set down in both the third and fourth rounds to defeat Sloane Stephens and Petra Kvitová, respectively, Konta was defeated in straight sets by Strýcová. The unseeded Czech won the opening set in a tiebreaker and progressed to face Serena Williams in the semis.
2018
There was disappointment all-round in the women’s singles as far the Brits were concerned, with all three hopefuls—Konta, Katie Boulter, and Katie Swan—exiting in the second round. Wild card Boulter lost to Naomi Osaka, who was seeded 18th, in straight sets. Swan was also defeated by a seed, as Romanian Mihaela Buzărnescu dominated 6-0, 6-3.
The only Brit in the men’s singles field was Kyle Edmund, and after beating two qualifiers in straight sets he was rewarded with a matchup against three-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic. Unsurprisingly, it was the end of the road for Edmund. Despite taking the opening set, he lost 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Of course, there was no shame in losing to the eventual champion.
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