Wimbledon

[stroke]

I think Fowler was the one that got the translation, probably in his ear mike from a producer, of what Carlos was yelling at this camp. Regardless ...

Through out the tournament, Carlos was coming to the net. But Sinner was returning too well, or jumping on short returns when it was his turn to serve.
Look at this change.

Serve and Volley Points in the tournament coming in to the final:

Sinner won 1/2 (50%)
Alcaraz won 61/77 (79%)

Net Points Today

Sinner won 30/40 at the net
Carlos 17/23 ... perhaps 3 of those were S&V ?

I know S&V and "at the net" aren't the same but those are the stats I could find.
Sinner took the net away -- with the quality of his return, the placement of his own serve, and by getting there first.

Look at the placement of Sinner's first serve in the third set. All but 1 serve within 2 feet of a line, if not on a line. 1 of 2

filedata/fetch?id=107925&d=1752445876&type=thumb

And how his serve got more effective. 2 of 2

filedata/fetch?id=107924&d=1752445876&type=thumb

#

Good clarification there. Fowler has definitely grown into the tennis commentator job

[jimlosaltos]

To me on the mainstream Major telecasts, they are so dumb downed there is not hardly any interesting thing said , but in this instance, there was. Patrick McEnroe pointed out that Carlos, at some point early in the 4th set, in a bit of frustration, spontaneously said to his camp that he could not deal with the pace of shot coming from Jannick. Patrick pointed out(astutely to me) that he has never seen that reaction from Carlos before. To me, very telling moment.

I think Fowler was the one that got the translation, probably in his ear mike from a producer, of what Carlos was yelling at this camp. Regardless ...

Through out the tournament, Carlos was coming to the net. But Sinner was returning too well, or jumping on short returns when it was his turn to serve.
Look at this change.

Serve and Volley Points in the tournament coming in to the final:

Sinner won 1/2 (50%)
Alcaraz won 61/77 (79%)

Net Points Today

Sinner won 30/40 at the net
Carlos 17/23 ... perhaps 3 of those were S&V ?

I know S&V and "at the net" aren't the same but those are the stats I could find.
Sinner took the net away -- with the quality of his return, the placement of his own serve, and by getting there first.

Look at the placement of Sinner's first serve in the third set. All but 1 serve within 2 feet of a line, if not on a line. 1 of 2

filedata/fetch?id=107925&d=1752445876&type=thumb

And how his serve got more effective. 2 of 2

filedata/fetch?id=107924&d=1752445876&type=thumb

#

[jimlosaltos]

The oddsmakers were right. What made them flip?

I was worried Sinner might be dissected after the first set. He was struggling to move a little and looked constantly pressurised. He was serving in straight lines and Carlos returned everything. Things really turned around after Carlos lapsed at the start of the second set. Sinner started to serve more precisely and his groundies got heavier and heavier. It was a great win and thoroughly deserved.

Match is yet more proof of how close things are at the top levels of pro tennis.

For a while, it started as if Carlos would win his third "Channel Slam", now if Sinner had converted one ( just 1) of his match points at Roland Garros, he'd be going for a "True" Calendar Slam at the US Open.

Or consider this crude graphic. Alcaraz has won 3 matches where he was down, twice down match points, another one swing from going down 2 sets to love.

• Rudd had match point against Alcaraz in their 2024 ATP Finals opening round
• Djokovic had a point to be up 2 sets to love against Alcaraz in their Wimbledon final in 2023
• Sinner, of course, had match point(S) at Roland Garros.

Like his idol, Fed, Caspar can play Houdini.

filedata/fetch?id=107922&d=1752444600&type=thumb

#

[stroke]

To me on the mainstream Major telecasts, they are so dumb downed there is not hardly any interesting thing said , but in this instance, there was. Patrick McEnroe pointed out that Carlos, at some point early in the 4th set, in a bit of frustration, spontaneously said to his camp that he could not deal with the pace of shot coming from Jannick. Patrick pointed out(astutely to me) that he has never seen that reaction from Carlos before. To me, very telling moment.

[stotty]

The oddsmakers were right. What made them flip?

I was worried Sinner might be dissected after the first set. He was struggling to move a little and looked constantly pressurised. He was serving in straight lines and Carlos returned everything. Things really turned around after Carlos lapsed at the start of the second set. Sinner started to serve more precisely and his groundies got heavier and heavier. It was a great win and thoroughly deserved.

[stroke]

https://www.oddschecker.com/us/tennis

Odds have shifted a bit. Sinner now the very slight favorite

[stroke]

https://open.substack.com/pub/hughclarke/p/alcaraz-x-sinner-wimbledon-final?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1t7zzc

[don_budge]

2025 Wimbledon Men's Single Final...Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz

“It's just age, the wear and tear of the body. As much as I'm taking care of it, the reality hits me right now, last year and a half, like never before, to be honest,” Djokovic said. “It's tough for me to accept that because I feel like when I'm fresh, when I'm fit, I can still play really good tennis. I've proven that this year.”

As I mentioned some weeks back in some unrelated thread...perhaps it was the French Open thread. Father Time...he takes no prisoners. Novak has done unbelievably well holding him off until now but the legs are going, going...gone. He took a tumble two days before his match and couldn't shake off the effects. Hangovers get harder to shake off when you are older. Instead of one day it takes two. Not that I would know. I'm as clean as the driven snow twenty years now. Not that I ever had a "problem". Nah...it's just that society condones recreational use of all kinds of things. Djokovic was the most compelling story left in the draw. I used to write about how Roger Federer would make the entire draw more interesting. Novak never came close to doing what Roger used to do to peak interest in the game. I would never miss a point of any match Roger was playing. I can walk away from Djokovic matches for hours and not give a hoot.

Which brings us to this battle between the two hapless finalists. Dumb and dumber. Oh yeah...the French Open match was the greatest ever played. What a joke. The most I can say for it was...it was close. So what? It's boring. Mind numbing. Dreadful. I told you so. When Roger Federer left the stadium tennis was going to make a noise like all of the air going out of a balloon. It's been more like a toilet flush. I dare anyone to go and watch that French Open final in person. It is not watchable. You could not stay awake. These two are as boring as it gets. They cannot wean themselves from looking to their respective coaching boxes after every single point. The gestures. The vote of confidence. Who are these boys? John McEnroe didn't travel with a coach. These guys have entire teams. What's interesting is how every buys into it. It's dumbed down. Totally dumbed down. Here is the grand finale. The Wimbledon finals.

Imagine...if you would have told anyone back in 2001 that in 2025 Wimbledon would be a tournament of nonstop mind-numbing, monotonous backcourt points. They would have looked at you as if you had lost your mind. Just imagine.

Let alone 1984. If you would have told anyone about the 2025 Wimbledon they would have looked at you as if you had lost your mind. Anyone except little old don_budge that is. I predicted it. Point by point. I saw it coming. Tennis without art. Ruled by science, statistics and bookies. Fake tennis...call it by any other name except tennis. Sinner vs. Alcaraz. Certainly this will be the greatest match ever played. Everyone will get tired of the monotony after a while. Except the celebrities who will continue to show up for the photo ops. Imagine...it all came down to this. Again. Still...give it up for Djokovic. How old is he anyways? Yet 99% of the field can't touch him. Neither would either of these two wannabes if Novak had his young legs.

Price of admission? It's too much at any price. I wouldn't go to the end of my driveway if it were for free. I'll turn the television on for the spectacle of things. It's Sunday. I've already done my three hour practice session at the club this morning. Maybe take a nap while the match is on. What are the bookies saying? Do people actually bet on this crap? I wonder if Novak will watch the match. He's probably busy with the kids. This will be just like the French...just maybe not as long. Hopefully.

[stroke]

People over here are complaining already. The cost of a ticket was ?315 for a 57 minute match. I don’t know Anisimova but she doesn’t seem the brightest on court. I mean, you'd think she just dig in and rally down the middle…or anything to cut down the errors, get some rhythm, and not hand the match to Iga on a plate. Mind-boggling!

To me, now is the perfect time for all the WTA players, and their supporters, to double down and fuss about court assignments and pay. Don't give into the man. Who cares if WTA tournaments have hardy any attendees or interest. The best defense is always a good offense. Anyone who does not agree can be labeled as chavanistic or such.

[stotty]

The 1980 Wimbledon final between Borg and McEnroe remains the most watched final ever in the UK with 17.3 million viewers tuning in. That’s over 30% of the population of that time. It dwarfs the viewings of even the 2008 final. The contrast between Borg and McEnroe captured the nation like no other players before or since. They were irresistible viewing…riveting. Can Sinner and Carlos match them? You tell me.

[stotty]

Sinner desperately needs a win against Carlos. He’s lost their last five meetings. It’s only a rivalry if both players win more or less equally.

[jimlosaltos]

I have a feeling the men’s final will be a better spectacle...

Better be or there may be riots

[stotty]

I have a feeling the men’s final will be a better spectacle...

[stotty]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8dUidNYzyu43krnPA

Not much else to say, but they sold tickets to that "match"

People over here are complaining already. The cost of a ticket was ?315 for a 57 minute match. I don’t know Anisimova but she doesn’t seem the brightest on court. I mean, you'd think she just dig in and rally down the middle…or anything to cut down the errors, get some rhythm, and not hand the match to Iga on a plate. Mind-boggling!

[stroke]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8dUidNYzyu43krnPA

Not much else to say, but they sold tickets to that "match"