Bill Simons
JUMPING JACK DRAPER DIDN’T READ THE SCRIPT: Never mind that it had been 715 days since Wimbledon had been played. Monday morning it was as if nothing had changed. Once again there was a very Wimbledon-like mix of dazzle and drizzle that brought to mind Christopher Clarey’s financial truism that, in London, “What you lose in the cost of lodging and food, you make up in the cost of sunscreen.”
This morning’s dreary-gray atmosphere was offset by giddy fans on Henman Hill retrieving their chutney and cheese sandwiches from their jammed rucksacks. “It’s lovely to be back,” they gushed. “The stewards have been so helpful. Everybody is so happy.”
That would include a 19-year-old named Jack Draper. The British wildcard, ranked No. 253, had been talking about what a wonderful opportunity it was to be facing the No. 1 player in the world, Novak Djokovic, in the first round.
But then Wimbledon was hit by an unexpected jolt. Commentators quickly stopped talking about how, as a 6-year-old kid, he’d chugged too much cocoa at Britain’s National Tennis Center. You see, Draper, who was playing in his first Wimbledon match ever, hadn’t read the script. Setting aside his jangled nerves, he called on his big Bob Bryan-like left-handed serve and some clutch play on break points, and, out of nowhere, marched to a 6-4 first-set win over the slipping, tripping and stunned Djokovic.
It was the first time in 11 years that the Serb had lost an opening set at Wimbledon, and it broke his Wimbledon streak of 28 straight sets. Djokovic shot a sharp look of disbelief at the Brit, whose dad once ran the Lawn Tennis Association and years ago tried to get the Serb to become a British citizen. [Editor’s note: good luck with that.]
Soon, not surprisingly, Novak started running Draper all around Centre Court. His serve was mighty. The Brit slipped and tumbled, whiffed on an overhead, and, in a flash, Djokovic was putting the tennis world back in order. He blasted 25 aces, won 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 and promptly praised Draper for his plucky effort. And that’s what Brits are good at.
A GLORIOUS DAY FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS: In 1957 Queen Elizabeth presented a slim athlete from Harlem, Althea Gibson, with the first of her two consecutive Wimbledon trophies. The first Slam won by an African-American set the table. In 1975, in one of the most iconic matches in history, the lithe and savvy Arthur Ashe lifted his fist after drubbing Jimmy Connors. Zina Garrison beat Stefanie Graf en route to the 1990 finals and Mal Washington (one of the best American players never to crack the top 10) streaked to the Wimbledon final in 1996. The virtually unknown Alexander Stevenson reached the 1999 semis in an implausible out-of-nowhere run, and Coco Gauf’s 2019 breakout captured our imaginations. And, by the way, Venus and Serena have essentially been writing the Wimbledon script for decades. Over the past 20 Wimbledons, they’ve won 11 titles, and at least one of them was in a final for 15 of those 20 years.
In other words, African Americans have played a mighty role at Wimbledon. And today was another fine moment.
At first, you wouldn’t have thought Frances Tiafoe would have much of a chance against the No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek has more wins this year than anyone, and coulda-shoulda-woulda won the French Open, after being up two sets against Djokovic in the final. Then again Frances, the product of College Park Maryland’s celebrated Junior Tennis Champions Center, loves the big stage, and there aren’t too many bigger stages than Wimbledon’s Court One. Plus he spent a lot of time preparing on grass, recently won a challenger, and, under the tutelage of his savvy coach Wayne Ferreira, has been working to upgrade his often erratic game.
Today there was something particularly delicious about this matchup between two of the most appealing players in the game. Philosophical, moody and sometimes deep, Tsitsipas would clearly have a good shot to win the title in a world without Djokovic. In contrast, few have more charisma than the beaming, often ecstatic and beautifully muscular Tiafoe. And today, he was at his best. Fast and athletic, he unleashed James Blake-like forehands, was incredibly aggressive at crunch time and never gave the shell-shocked Greek any rhythm. His 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory was his first ever win over a top 5 player.
Like Tiafoe, 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens was a considerable underdog against the vastly popular two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who, like Tsitsipas, was considered to have a decent shot at the title.
Never mind that No. 73 Stephens was at her lowest ranking since 2017 and hadn’t won a grass court match in two years. “Everything was a little out of whack,” she confided later to the press. “I had to find my rhythm.” She did reach the quarterfinals in Charleston and at the French Open and excelled again today. Focused and athletic, her serve was a considerable weapon today, and she dismissed the 31-year-old No. 10 seed Kvitova with ease, 6-3, 6-4.
Meanwhile, 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals back in 2015, was in command throughout her 6-3, 6-4 win over British qualifier Katie Swan.
Tiafoe, Stephens and Keys combined to craft one of the finer opening days for African Americans at Wimbledon in recent memory. And Serena, Venus and Coco haven’t even taken to the court yet.
CALIFORNIA SCOREBOARD: Northern California qualifiers fell in the first round. Mackie McDonald fell to Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-7 and Katie Volynets fell to Irina Begu 4-6, 5-7. Southern California’s Danielle Lao lost to Brit Katie Boulter 7-6, 3-6, 4-6, despite being up in the deciding set. Lao was upbeat when she spoke to Inside Tennis, referring to her long battle just to get to Wimbledon. The 30-year-old, who lives with her parents in Arcadia, spoke of her long journey and how it fostered her love of the game. A zealous student of tennis, she spoke of the nuances of the game. And now, winning $70,000 for her Wimbledon work will help the 2013 USC grad get through the grind of the tour this year.
To finish the day, the Stanford grad, TikTok whiz Christie Ahn gutted out a 2-6, 7-6, 8-6 win over Britain’s very own Guernsey girl, Heather Watson. A lucky loser who barely got into the draw, Ahn said the win was “very special, a cherry on the top.”
MURRAY’S DRAMATIC RETURN: Nikoloz Basilashvili was hoping to bring down yet another member of the Big Four. Earlier this year, he had shocked Roger Federer in Qatar and now was hoping to down fan favorite Andy Murray on Centre Court. But Andy was having none of it. Up 6-4, 6-3, 5-0, the Scot was in command. But his entire life seems to have been all about drama. He promptly lost 7 games in a row and dropped the third set 7-5. All seemed lost for the local hero. But British skies were darkening and the roof had to be closed. Murray soon found redemption, escaping his first-round scare 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
QUOTEBOOK
“He’s got more towels than the tournament shop.” – Radio Wimbledon, on Frances Tiafoe
“We did get an offer, but it was very short. We didn’t want to switch.” – Novak Djokovic, on being offered British citizenship in 2010.
“Attention to detail. That’s what Wimbledon is all about.” – Broadcaster Marcus Buckland
