Wimbledon

[jimlosaltos]

Djokovic wins a struggle with De Minaur in four. Alex had 19 breakpoints and won 57% of his seconds serve points vs only 41% for Djokovic.

Cobolli with a nice win over Marin Cilic in four. Haven't seen Cobolli much, looks very athletic, had a potential football (aka soccer) career I read.

[don_budge]

Novak has always been a very, very good server. Over the years I have mentioned many times how he is one of the best of "taking care of his serve game". That being said...this match with what's his name has devolved into a nonstop backcourt game. Novak looked as if he might just give the fourth set away and he gave De Minaur the old limp leg and then he gave it a bit of shuck and jive...he evened up the set and now he will make a serious play to win it in four. After he looked to be resigned to going five. Typical Djokovic. He is the best tennis player in the draw. He may not win the tournament as his legs are thirty-eight years old and there is no disguising this...although he is doing a tremendous job of it. Does he break the De Minaur serve here? Yes he does. Serving for the set now. Let's pay attention kids as he tries to serve it out...with his "new and improved serve". Not.

Novak serves it out at love...what a surprise. Best thirty-eight year old legs in the business. Basically there are two players that can challenge him day in and day out. He is by far the best tennis player in the tournament...with the oldest legs. The legs will be the issue in the end.

[don_budge]

Novak has always been a very, very good server. Over the years I have mentioned many times how he is one of the best of "taking care of his serve game". That being said...this match with what's his name has devolved into a nonstop backcourt game. Novak looked as if he might just give the fourth set away and he gave De Minaur the old limp leg and then he gave it a bit of shuck and jive...he evened up the set and now he will make a serious play to win it in four. After he looked to be resigned to going five. Typical Djokovic. He is the best tennis player in the draw. He may not win the tournament as his legs are thirty-eight years old and there is no disguising this...although he is doing a tremendous job of it. Does he break the De Minaur serve here? Yes he does. Serving for the set now. Let's pay attention kids as he tries to serve it out...with his "new and improved serve". Not.

[stroke]

Cabolli takes Cilic in 4. Both played very well, great win for Cabolli. Demon and Novak at a set each. Demon is playing like he believes, but we all know this will be a huge task for him to win this match. Demon, with his combo of court coverage and holding the baseline, not giving up court, is really making Novak work. Demon does not hit anything real hard by today's standards, but his court position makes up for it if he is playing well.

[jimlosaltos]

The "Shot Quality" index for Ben Shelton is ever more lopsided than I anticipated.

Stellar serve, of course, but forehand is rated even higher than his serve. But Ben's return is well below average.

P.S. I don' know if this is the same "Shot Quality" that Tennis Insights/ TDI produces or whether it uses the same algorithm. But there is no credit for the source. Curious.

filedata/fetch?id=107802&d=1751840164&type=thumb

[jimlosaltos]

Quite the match, Nicholas Jarry hit 103 winners (yes, he topped the century) including 46 aces and came to the net 65 times yet lost to Cam Norrie in five sets. His +/- is plus 32 vis Cam's +10 (36-26).

Jarry is likely just happy to be able to play after losing months to vestibular neuritis, which causes vertigo, dizziness, and difficulty maintaining balance.

Taylor Fritz gets a second set retirement, which could help him going into the quarters recovery from back-to-back five setters.

1 of 2 Table. Highlight vid is below.

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2 of 2

Highlights 9:22 min

[stotty]

How Djokovic has stayed near the top as his return and backhand have regressed with age.

Answer: His serve has improved every year. Is it "The Goran Factor"?

In BBC interview, Nole credits deception. Can go anywhere with same or similar toss.

This year is the best he has ever served, no question. I would say he's a little more conservative in his play than he was, and he has used his DTL backhand less often and less frequently over the years, and even less since Rafa has left the scene – it’s not as piercingly accurate either.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/videos/ce8z61g5lnzo

[stroke]

Novak is no doubt the template for what is possible even in the twilight of his career

[jimlosaltos]

How Djokovic has stayed near the top as his return and backhand have regressed with age.

Answer: His serve has improved every year. Is it "The Goran Factor"?

In BBC interview, Nole credits deception. Can go anywhere with same or similar toss.

filedata/fetch?id=107791&d=1751825894&type=thumb

[stroke]

A Fritz vs Alcaraz and Sinner vs Novak looks likely in the semis.

[jimlosaltos]

Jannik Sinner is quietly moving through his matches like a hot knife through butter and has lost a Wimbledon record-tying low of 17 games through first three matches. Sinner is the second man in the Open era, which began in 1968, to cede just 17 games through three completed matches at the All England Club. The other player to do that, Jan Kodes, ended up losing in the semifinals in 1972.

[don_budge]

Goran Ivanisevic blasts Stefanos Tsitsipas after Wimbledon exit: “Never seen such a poorly prepared player” https://share.google/DvKIPkg95x5ikp5fD

Goran on Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been dancing to the tune of "Zorba the Greek" after his initial burst on to the ATP tour. He has "Daddy" issues, as in he should have canned the father as his coach a long, long time ago. I prophesied from the beginning that parents as coaches don't cut it. That's number one. Number two is closely related to "Daddy Coach" and it is the persistent lack of progress in anything for that matter. Most telling is the service motion. With his size and build his serve should be the toughest on the tour. All that he had to do was take a page out of Roger's book and the don_budge theory of perfect motion. As the serve goes, so goes the rest of the game. The thing about the serve is twofold. Number one...with the necessary changes he holds his serve virtually all of the time. Serving out sets and matches becomes more routine and the norm. Secondly...with such bold confidence in his service game he can take chances on the opponents serve. This is a huge advantage that Roger Federer took advantage of as a staple in his repertoire of tactical play.

Stefanos has been acting out rebellious notions against the father for some time. It is readily apparent on full display in their interactions during matches. Off the court where we are not privy, he has made a real mess of things as well with the women or woman as the case may be. More rebellion. The current coach is not overly bright as far as I can tell and if he hasn't identified the serve as a culprit in the lack of progress of Tsitsipas then going forwards is going to be as much of a crap shoot as it has been the last few years. Now there is a question of the back and who's to say that isn't related to that nasty little hitch in the service motion. It could be. Hitting serves off balance is a recipe for disaster.

Then there is the issue of the lack of idea about the slice backhand. If you are playing the game one handed on the backhand side then you must be aware of the pros and cons. Not to mention tactical options. Once again we look to Roger Federer for the answer. When the chips were down at the end of a match it was the slice backhand that was paying big dividends as Roger would interject the slice to change the pace and to gain CONTROL. Once he was dictating play towards the end of any given match he seized on every single opportunity to CONTROL everything on the court. He CONTROLLED how the match was going to be played on his terms. I think one of the most amazing stats of his career was the number of wins he had against Nadal after he switched racquets. With the switch of the racquet he was able to dictate terms to Nadal and get CONTROL of how the match was going to be played.

Stefanos has a major hurdle to clear now. He has to rethink things in terms of where he is at and where he wants to go and how to get there. Is this coach up to this monumental cerebral task? I doubt it.

[stotty]

Novak on the key to a good serve: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/videos/ce8z61g5lnzo

[jimlosaltos]

What a crop this Wimbleton. The seeds were planted but most just won't sprout. Out of 64 total seeds across men's and women's singles only 21 remain and we're only into the fourth round. With Barbora Krejcikova out to Emma Navarro, and Elena Rybakina to Clara Tauson we will have our eighth straight, different and I believe first-time champion in women's singles. Meanwhile Carlos ploughs on toward a three-peat, with Jannik Novak and Taylor in hot pursuit.

[stroke]

Goran Ivanisevic blasts Stefanos Tsitsipas after Wimbledon exit: “Never seen such a poorly prepared player” https://share.google/DvKIPkg95x5ikp5fD

Goran on Tsitsipas