Bill Simons
Wimbledon
JUST WONDERING: You say to yourself, “This gorgeous place, Wimbledon, has to be the most beautiful sporting ground in the world,” – right? Then you remember that the golf courses at Pebble Beach and Augusta aren’t exactly shabby.
IT’S POSSIBLE: US women could still score a calendar Grand Slam. Madison Keys won the Aussie Open, and Coco Gauff won in Paris. Amanda Anisimova is into the semis against Aryna Sabalenka. And, for all of us patriots who are still hoping against hope that there might be both an American male and female Wimbledon champion, Taylor Fritz is still alive. The last time that happened was in 2000, when Venus and Pete Sampras prevailed.
SINNER’S A WINNER: Big Ben beams, Big Ben blasts. His smiles ignite rooms. His serves are thunderbolts. He was a quarterback – he has a fluid, imposing athleticism. He looks like he could still light up a gridiron. His elastic power delights. He loves the moment and the big stage.
But Jannik Sinner, the least Italian-like Italian we know, didn’t care. He doesn’t let the noise, the externals, or the fate of others shake him.
The man suffered a drug suspension that torpedoed his reputation. It hasn’t seemed to faze him. In just his second tournament on his comeback, and in one of the great shortfalls of our era, Jannik failed to convert three championship points in Paris to gain the French Open.
Oh, well. He gave a gracious, tone-perfect concession speech. But certainly there would be psychological aftershocks.
No way. The impassive man came to Wimbledon and shrugged. To him, the loss was no biggie. He said, “Wimbledon’s a new tournament, a new Slam, a new surface.” He marched to the fourth round and set a record by losing just 17 games.
Then Monday on Centre Court, Jannik tumbled and suffered an elbow injury. But it was his opponent (and friend) Grigor Dimitrov who withdrew from the match with a sudden pec injury.
Sinner then got an MRI and altered his practice schedule. Little alters Jannik’s mindset, but he’d have to face Shelton, who was having the time of his life. With his family and his athletic girlfriend looking on, Ben had lost just one set as he’d become the youngest American quarterfinalist since Andy Roddick in 2004.
In the first set, Shelton unleashed his usual blasts, but Sinner bent low, hit flat, re-directed the ball brilliantly and, going into the first-set tiebreak, had lost just one point on his serve.
Then Shelton, who’d won four of his Wimbledon tiebreaks here, immediately scored a mini-break to go up 2-0. He was ahead – what a shock!
But not to the Italian. He’d beaten the No. 10 player in the world five straight times, including last year at Wimbledon and earlier this year at the Aussie Open. And he’d had beaten Americans 19 straight times and won 24 of his last 25 Slam matches.
Taking the ball early and keeping Shelton from charging the net, Sinner’s brilliance shined. He won seven straight points in the tiebreak and proceeded with a surgical precision to absorb Ben’s power. He stretches wide – he hits low and hard. Clearly his elbow or hand bothered him in the second set.
Sinner soldiered on and, like he always does, focused on his favorite task: winning tennis matches. There was barely a wobble.
Commentator Nick Monroe noted Sinner’s great gift: “I’m so impressed how balanced he remains. He’s a guy who just puts blinders on and moves on, and doesn’t let things affect him. That’s what makes him No. 1.”
QUOTEBOOK:
“That was the cruelest twist of fate.” – Marcus Buckland on the brutal pec injury Grigor Dimitrov suffered when he was up by two sets against Jannik Sinner. BTW: Many feel the Bulgarian is the most popular player in the locker room.
“Mentally she might have to go head first into the ice bath.” – The BBC, after Aryna Sabalenka’s shaky play against Laura Siegemund
“Me vs. My biggest idol on Centre Court” – Flavio Cobolli post on Instagram about his upcoming quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic on Centre Court
“He’s into tennis. He didn’t give me any tips…[But] I hope he give me luck for the future” – Jannik Sinner to ESPN on Pope Leo who he met in May
FROM TEARS IN ABU DHABI TO TRIUMPHS IN A PLACE SOME SAY IS SNOBBY: She’s not the most popular tennis player in Switzerland. That would be Mr. Federer. But Belinda Bencic has her own pedigree. Switzerland’s best WTA player since Martina Hingis emerged young, and she was coached by Hingis’ mother, Melanie Molitor. She’s won nine titles and Olympic gold.
Perhaps most of all, Belinda has inspired many a tennis mother. Just 15 months after giving birth to her daughter, she won the Mubadala Open in the United Arab Emirates. The BBC noted, “There wasn’t a dry eye in Abu Dhabi.”
Bencic played her first match on the remote Court 17. Today, the No. 35 in the world and the only mom left in the draw couldn’t break the serve of the only teen in the draw. Still she was clutch, and won 7-6(3), 7-6(2). She’ll face Iga Swiatek tomorrow.
The Pole, who has dropped to No. 8, beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5 to reach her first Wimbledon semi.
THE FEDERER BEAT GOES ON: Radio Wimbledon reported that Roger Federer was on Wimbledon’s practice court with his eleven-year-old son.
GO FIGURE: Mirra Andreeva, who’s just eighteen, could have played the Wimbledon juniors…Djokovic is 15 years older then his foe today, Italian Flavio Cobolli
RUBLEV’S EARNED RUBLES BUT NOT SLAM TITLES: Andrey Rublev has finished in the top eight for five years in a row – great! But despite playing in 31 Slams, he’s never gotten beyond the quarterfinals. He’s lost ten times in the quarters.
