Bill Simons
QUESTIONS:
Who will have a better run: Taylor Fritz, the only American man left in the Wimbledon draw, or the US team at the World Cup?
Will Serena or Venus play again?
How much does tennis miss Carlos Alcaraz?
How has Andy Roddick done in his debut as an ESPN Wimbledon broadcaster? And who’s better behind the microphone – Andre Agassi at the French Open or Andy at Wimbledon?
Will the ageless Novak Djokovic finally go all the way and win his 25th Slam, at last surpassing Margaret Court’s record of 24 majors?
Can French Open champion Alexander Zverev take advantage of his soft draw to win Wimbledon and claim the “Channel Slam?”
What happens if there’s a stain on Osaka’s elaborate gown?
GO FIGURE: Now that Barbora Krejcikova has lost to her fellow Czech, Karolina Muchová, Wimbledon will have a first-time women’s champ for the tenth straight year…Once the WTA’s dominant No. 1, last year’s Wimbledon champ Iga Swiatek hasn’t won a tourney this year…America’s top ATP player, Ben Shelton, won the title in Stuttgart, and was the highest US Wimbledon seed since Andy Roddick in 2007. He’s been doing great in smaller tourneys, and many feel he’ll be the next American man to win a Slam. But he fell in the first round, and too often he’s been losing early in big tourneys.
THE JOY OF OSAKA: Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka have so much in common. Both came from a distant land to Florida. Both are unrepentant power blasters who got Nike deals and rose to No. 1. They’ve each won four Slams – all of them on hard courts. The natural surfaces – clay and grass – baffled them. And both have dealt with huge issues. Aryna’s dad died way too early. Her serve betrayed her. Her country backed Putin’s war. Her ex-boyfriend leaped from a skyscraper. She choked against Coco Gauff at last year’s French final and this year in Paris imploded against Russian Diana Schnaider.
Oh, well, she’s been the WTA’s dominant player since Iga Swiatek was knocked off her throne.
Aryna’s been No. 1 for 99 weeks, Osaka for just 25. Sabalenka has taken 24 titles, Naomi “only” seven. While not lighting Olympic torches, Osaka has gone from one challenge to the next: being tennis’ most outspoken racial justice advocate, boycotting French Open press conferences, battling for mental wellness, moving to LA, separating from her long time partner – and one other thing. She became a mother.
After being off the tour for 15 months she bravely returned – and was again celebrated. She and Coco were the most beloved, most charismatic and best paid WTA players.
But something shifted. Returning from childbirth is climbing a mountain. She dealt with severe post-partum depression, plus her baseline blur no longer overwhelmed. Her aura blurred – few trembled at the thought of playing her. Her performances were decent, but her ranking plateaued. Thoughts of climbing into the Top Ten were infrequent. She couldn’t beat the top players. Swiatek baffled her. This year, she lost three times to Aryna.
She spoke of quitting to spend more time with her 3-year-old daughter, Shai. It didn’t feel right that the beauty of her gowns was drawing more attention than the power of her guns.
Oh, well – in reaching the fourth round (without dropping a set) she exceeded her best ever Wimbledon run. And while the bookies said she only had a 35% chance of beating Aryna today, her almost endless white kimono-inspired walk-on gown amazed. Her pal Taylor Townsend was a loyal resident of her Friends Box and her pressers were still enchanting. Reporters laughed as she revealed how naughty her daughter was.
But, today, it was Naomi who was naughty.
Confident and unafraid, she served big and unleashed winners.
Unlike at the 2025 French Open, Sabalenka wasn’t unhinged by the wind and a savvy scrambler. She didn’t inexplicably collapse like she did this year against Shnaider at Roland Garros when she lost after being up a set and a double break.
Today, Aryna was outpowered and beaten at her own game. Osaka’s serve was a wonder – she won 87% of the points on her first serve. Her forehand was a weapon, her returns on second serves went deep, and she prevailed in long rallies.
Thanks to a blistering crosscourt backhand, Naomi broke early in the first set and then broke again to win the set 6-2.
Sabalenka did counterattack. Like a soccer team forcing a game to go to a shootout, Aryna pushed the second set to a tiebreak.
And why not? Amazingly, the Belarusian had won 21 straight tiebreaks. Mary Jo Fernandez asked the obvious question: “Will Naomi get tight? After all, this could be a defining moment in the second stage of her career.”
But, no worries. Today we flashed back to Naomi bravely downing Serena amid chaos on Ashe Stadium, and twice charming much of Australia.
After Osaka played a sublime tiebreak to claim her first ever Centre Court win, 6-2, 7-6(2) Radio Wimbledon told us, “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time. It’s all smiles. She couldn’t have played better.”
Naomi offered a similar message, saying, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun on court.”
Osaka, who turned pro at 15, is just 28. But it seems as if we’ve been following her family-friendly journey forever. Her clan moving from Japan, her mother working two jobs, her sorrow at missing out on big moments with her daughter. So it wasn’t surprising when she was asked what the secret of her success was today that Naomi didn’t say her power or her poise. She said it was her mother’s presence: “I think her cooking is powering me.”
WTA FINALS TO INDIAN WELLS : The WTA Finals will move from Riyadh in the Saudi Arabian desert to Indian Wells, in an American desert. The tourney will be staged from November 8–15. In a ten-month span, Southern California will host the WTA Championships, the BNP Paribas Open and the Laver Cup. Then, in 2028, will come another BNP Paribas Open and a competition called the Olympics.
TENNIS’ NEW MINISTER OF HAPPINESS: Ons Jebeur has been sidelined for a while, so no wonder everyone craves a new Minister of Happiness. With this in mind, Inside Tennis hereby appoints Alexander Bublik as our new Minister of Happiness. Who else hits more imaginative shots and plays with such glee? James Blake said Alexander was “the master of the inventive.” ESPN insisted, “Alexander Bublik doing something crazy is like saying water is wet.” We’ve also appointed Frances Tiafoe as the Associate Minister of Happiness.
THE SEA DID NOT RISE WITH TEARS: When Bjorn Borg’s attempt at a comeback in Monte Carlo failed, Curry Kirkpatrick wrote that the Swede’s return became “a tragicomic carnival. A phrase came to French lips: La mer s’est élevée avec les pleurs. The sea has risen with tears.”
Serena’s comeback had many an impressive moment – at times she dazzled. But, Maya Joint prevailed in the joint they call Centre Court, and Serena’s doubles efforts were ill-fated. Plus she stiffed the media, skipping out of her post-match interview and the sea did rise with tears.
SPEAKING OF STIFFING THE MEDIA: After her loss in mixed doubles, Venus also turned her back on the media and did not do her required press conference. And both WTA and ATP players again implemented their profoundly ill-directed initiative: protest that Grand Slams don’t pay them enough by reducing their time with the media, who still tell their stories to the public.
BREAKOUT STARS OF THE SEASON: Maja Chwalinska was the darling of Roland Garros. Now at Wimbledon there is the appealing Filipino southpaw Alexandra Eala, who downed defending champion Iga Swiatek. The 19-year old has drawn rave reviews and seems to be bound for stardom, unless she falls in love with a ballboy.
MOST SUCCINCT ANALYSIS: After losing to Eala, Iga Swiatek observed, “Shit happens.”
STILL A KID: There was nothing but adoration for a teen in Paris as Mirra Andreeva swept to the title. In London, the Russian again had her second controversial exit from a tourney. In Indian Wells, she told the pearl-clutching fans “F— you all!” At Wimbledon, when she fell to Barbora Krejcikova in the second round, she flung her racket from the baseline all the way to her seat.
SAY IT ISN’T SO: The ATP will be moving to have much smaller doubles draws in their tourneys.
JESSIE’S WORLD: From an apartment complex in Torrance, California, to Centre Court, Iva Jovic’s rise has been breathtaking. The 18-year-old American of Serbian-Croatian heritage first developed her game at Southern California’s legendary Jack Kramer Club before polishing it at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida. Now she’s up to No. 16 in the world, and an Australian Open quarterfinalist, who earned her first Top-10 victory by defeating Jasmine Paolini.
Wimbledon has long felt like home to her. Two years after capturing the girls’ doubles title here, Jovic has returned as one of America’s brightest young stars. No, she doesn’t have the passionate fan base of Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala. Nor has she claimed a Grand Slam title like 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva.
But against US Open finalist Jessica Pegula, Jovic came out fearless. She played aggressively, took full advantage of Pegula’s early uncertainty and shaky serves, and marched to a 6-3 first-set victory. “What is it about playing a teen that makes older players so tight?” ESPN wondered.
Billie Jean King was wary of Chris Evert. Chrissie, in turn, feared another Kramer Club phenom, Tracy Austin. Monica Seles’ youthful storm blew virtually everyone away. Opponents dreaded facing 14-year-old Jennifer Capriati. And then came Venus and Serena.
But there’s a reason Pegula is No. 4 and has won two tourneys this year. Battle-tested experience matters. Playing in her 30th Slam and seeking her 10th major quarterfinal, Pegula calmly regrouped. The 32-year-old relied on her guile, her devilish slice, her ability to read the wind, and, most importantly, she upped her power and improved her serve. She took command of the middle of the court and won 12 of the final 15 games to complete a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 comeback victory.
COCO BEATS THE CLOCK: It’s never easy with Coco. And it’s not easy being a Gauff fan. She rarely wins with ease – there’s always a plot. And today, she sprinted at the very end of her match to beat the Wimbledon clock, which insists everyone must strictly obey the local curfew and leave the ball at eleven o’clock. Just before the clock struck, the Floridian struck a winner to score a comeback win over Belinda Bencic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, to reach the Wimbledon quarters for the first time. She next plays her pal and former doubles partner, Jessie Pegula.
THE MAN WHO CANNOT STOP BREAKING RECORDS: With his four-set victory today over Russian Roman Safiullin Novak Djokovic broke Federer’s record for most Wimbledon wins – 105.
THE “I WON A SET OFF OF DJOKOVIC” CLUB KEEPS ON GROWING: Novak has won only three matches this year in straight sets. He’s dropped sets to Kamil Majchrzak, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Dino Prismic, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Valentin Royer, Yibing Wu, Arthur Rinderknech and, just today, to Roman Safiullin.
