Bill Simons
KEEPING UP WITH THE KORDA-SHIANS: Now that Nelly Korda won the LPGA championships in Atlanta and is No. 1, Radio Wimbledon suggested there should be a show called “Keeping up with the Korda-shians.”
SEB-SATIONAL: “American fans take note,” advised Pat McEnroe, “Seb Korda is for real. It looks like he belongs and he plays like he belongs.” James Blake added, “You might think he’s the veteran out there.” Never mind that the 20-year-old was ranked No. 383 two years ago. He stayed cool in the biggest moments of his match on the biggest stage in tennis while playing a hometown favorite. Korda’s astounding Centre Court win over British No. 1 Dan Evans once again showed the uncanny savvy the poker-faced American displays. Years ago, his mother taught him to keep his feelings to himself so as not to tip off his foes. Not surprisingly, when he muffed a key overhead, it seemed like it was no big deal. Plus, in addition to his father, Petr Korda, and the well-respected Dean Goldfine, Seb has a secret weapon. Andre Agassi is also coaching him.
Korda reported that he’s been talking with Andre for a year and that he spent a couple of weeks in Vegas with the Agassi clan and soon felt he was a part of the family. “He has an incredible family,” said Seb. “Everybody is super nice. Kind of like a family like ours. Both my parents play tennis. He and Steffi play tennis. He has a son who is incredible at baseball and a daughter who is a street dancer…Andre’s just a special person,” Seb told Inside Tennis. “We talk basically every single day, every single match about how I’m feeling, what I should do. But the most important thing he told me yesterday was just to enjoy it. ‘It’s your first time on Centre Court at Wimbledon, just enjoy it, embrace it, have a lot of fun.’”
Most kids celebrate their twenty-first birthday with a beer. Korda will celebrate his by facing the No. 4 Russian, Karen Khachanov. The No. 25 seed has already beaten two Americans – Mackie McDonald and Frances Tiafoe.
TIP OF THE DAY: Chris Evert told Iga Swiatek, “Don’t eat too many strawberries and cream. My first year I ate them AND scones and gained 12 pounds.”
INJURY BUG: The fate of three of the most charismatic figures in tennis – Serena, Federer and Kyrgios – was impacted mightily by injuries that they, or their foes, suffered. And let’s not forget that the No. 1 player in the world, Ash Barty, withdrew from the French Open with a hip injury, No. 2, Naomi Osaka, decided not to enter for mental health reasons and No. 3, Simona Halep, is out with a calf injury.
QUOTEBOOK:
“She drops to the ground, exhausted but elated.” – Broadcaster Marcus Buckland after Ons Jabeur’s emotional third round win
“I’m okay, I just have to throw up.” – Jabeur fter explaining what she’s been going through due to a lingering inflammation in her stomach
“My dad won a Grand Slam, my sister just won her first major and is the world No. 1 golfer. So it’s super inspirational. It’s crazy.” – Seb Korda
“It wouldn’t be Wimbledon without all the magic and drama Andy Murray brings.” – Jason Goodall
“I told him at the net that he’s my hero.” – Denis Shapovalov after downing Andy Murray
NICK’S OUT: Nick Kyrgios’ mindset is clear. “I’m doing this for myself. Tennis isn’t my first love. I don’t have to win. I don’t have to be passionate. I’m an entertainer.” His asymmetrical “I’ll do it my way” approach sometimes leaves commentators at a loss.
John McEnroe asked, “Should he play a tune-up event? Should he train harder? Obviously that question goes without saying – that’s going to catch up with him.” And it certainly did today. In his third round match against Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Aussie came out on fire. He noted, “I was dominating…He’s 15 [in the world] and I’m making him look pretty ordinary. The way I was playing I could have done some pretty cool things.” After easily winning the first set 6-2, Kyrgios felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and, after splitting the first two sets, withdrew from the match. McEnroe quipped, “This is depressing, folks.” Later the Aussie said he never felt more confident, but injuries are part of the game. He said he was “heartbroken,” because he couldn’t continue playing mixed doubles with Venus Williams. But he could possibly team up with her at the US Open. As for his summer schedule he said, “I choose very wisely. I don’t want to be chasing a tennis ball every week.”
MURRAY’S AMBIVALENT FEELINGS: Before losing to Denis Shapovalov, Andy Murray gutted out two stirring matches that thrilled the British throng that so adores him. After he fell in the third round, the Scot repeatedly told the press he was pleased to get through two marathon matches and to play a Slam without being injured. But the father of three admitted, “My game is not spot on. It’s extremely frustrating…I’m not moving quite as well as before.” He then confided he wasn’t sure whether his modest results were worth all the effort.
SPICE GIRLS: Jelena Ostapenko took a medical timeout down 4-0 in the final set against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. During the break, the Aussie told the chair umpire, with Jelena just a few feet away, “You know she’s lying, right? We all know.” After she won, Ajla said, “I hope you feel better.” The 2017 French Open champ responded, “Your behavior is terrible. You have zero respect.”
A TALE OF TWO CITIES: In Paris, Stefanos Tsitsipas made it to the finals. In London, he lost in the first round to Frances Tiafoe and then he and his brother Petros lost in the first round of doubles.
GIDDY EMMA: Perhaps the greatest Wimbledon surprise is that No. 338 Emma Raducanu is through to the second week. Raducanu, 18, is the youngest British woman to reach the second week of Wimbledon in the Open Era. After her victory over Sorana Cirstea, the elated teen, who was born in Toronto and has a Romanian dad and a Chinese mother, was giddy. She may have been the first player ever to say that they like the bubble. The radiant overachiever joked that as she was packing for the tournament, her mother warned her, “Aren’t you packing too many sets of match kits?”
REMEMBERING GOOLAGONG: Chris Evert recalled that the vastly appealing Aussie Evonne Goolagong was so popular that fans even rooted for the Aussie when she was playing a tournament in Chrissie’s hometown. Evert added, “Even my mother was rooting against me.”
NUMBERS:
75 – Novak Djokovic became the first player ever to win 75 matches at all four Slams.
5 – the number of tournaments Federer has played this year.
27,000 – the most fun sign in the Wimbledon crowd today read, “We clicked refresh 27,000 times to be here! #Federer.”
23-5 – the odds for Ash Barty to win Wimbledon. Coco Gauff is 9-1.
23 – the number of aces Gauff has hit in three matches.
26 – the number of tour wins Coco has had this year, just one less than the tour leader, Ons Jabeur.
TAYLOR FRITZ – GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: Southern California’s Taylor Fritz dropped a fourth-set tiebreak to No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev. This is the seventh time Taylor has fallen in the third round of a major. The second-to-last American man left in the draw made his run just three weeks after having knee surgery. Amazing
WAGE GAP: Venus and Nick Kyrgios have a combined $50,901,174 in prize money. Their first-round opponents, Austin Krajicek and former USC player Sabrina Santamaria, have a combined $1,752,819 in prize money.
THE QUIET PIONEER: The appealing Tunisian veteran Ons Jabeur is quietly setting one record after another for Arab players. She’s the first Arab woman to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon and the first to win a WTA title.Some are wondering if Jabeur willcarry the Tunisian flag in the opening ceremonies at the Olympics?
GO FIGURE: Friday Jabeur won 16 points in a row – a Wimbledon record…Djokovic has won 17 straight matches in majors.
