Wimbledon

[stroke]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hKKmF6b6HfN3tNaH6

Betting odds. Certainly the match of the 3 is Fritz vs Carlos. Fritz is playing at the best level he ever has, but certainly up against it vs Carlos. He is giving up a lot of foot speed/raw athletism, and hand skills. Fritz has a great forehand, but Carlos' is better. Fritz probably has a slightly better 1st serve. That is about it. I think Fritz may have a slightly better bh, but not significant edge there.

[stotty]

https://open.substack.com/pub/hughclarke/p/wimbledon-week-1-notes?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android& r=1t7zzc

Here is a good write up by Hugh week 1 Wimbledon. He points out quantitatively that Grigor's slice bh has the most rpm's and mph's on Tour. I am certainly not surprised. I have long felt he had the 2nd best on Tour after Roger.

I've seen it up close and can say it’s definitely one of the best, if not the best, out there. He really cuts into it and gets it to move quick. He did a fantastic job with it all week — done that well, slice is a weapon and not just something used for a tactical change up.

[stroke]

https://open.substack.com/pub/hughclarke/p/wimbledon-week-1-notes?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1t7zzc

Here is a good write up by Hugh week 1 Wimbledon. He points out quantitatively that Grigor's slice bh has the most rpm's and mph's on Tour. I am certainly not surprised. I have long felt he had the 2nd best on Tour after Roger.

[don_budge]

The Match of the Tournament that Never Was...Grigor Dimitrov vs. Jannik Sinner

Grigor "The Bulgarian Playboy" Dimitrov needs to channel his inner "Baby Fed" and it appears that he might be approaching the Sinner match along those lines. A generous portion of slice backhands at the onset of the match.

Now the acid test for the service motion…serving out the set.

Now the acid test for the service motion…serving out the set.

Channeling the inner “Baby Fed”.

Grigor certainly had this one in his wheelhouse yesterday. I believe he failed to serve out the second set on the first try, thus failing the serving motion acid test. No surprise. It appears he managed on the second try but he must have had to break back. It was an interesting match by today's standards but not quite up to the Roger Federer standard. Roger made the draw interesting. With him in the draw the field as a whole became infinitely more interesting.

Dimitrov was using his slice backhand more effectively than I have ever seen him in a huge match. This would have been such a huge win for him if he had managed to pull it off. It was very interesting to watch him pull a page out of the don_budge book of tennis tactics, watching him slice and dice his stronger and younger opponent. The Wimbledon grass just fast enough to make this possible. Grigor was really applying the juice to the underspin and one ball hit the service line and slid under Sinner's racquet untouched. A whiff...swing and a miss. Not surprisingly it seemed that Dimitrov was struggling a tad with the serve under such intense pressure and scrutiny. The motion that was never fixed. The little hitch. Enough to throw the motion off the track...particularly under pressure.

But the entire tournament has been in foreplay mode so far. Nothing has happened and the field is only jockeying for position. A Sinner upset would have been the exception to the norm. A real shame about the injury. A pec muscle? Odd. Dimitrov at 34 years of age is getting to the point where the legs are a question mark. Djokovic has crossed this threshold extremely well. Federer managed for a few years as well until the knees cried out...no mas. Nadal also succumbed to Father Time. Time to hit the links...the golf course. You need fresh legs in this business. Novak remains the only compelling question left in the field. Hopefully he can break the monotony. Another Sinner/Alcarez snooze fest is not what tennis needs. It is not watchable.

[stroke]

Agreed BUT some broadcasters, notably ESPN in the US, might be equally or more to blame. They choose what sounds to pick up and how much to amplify it, adding "action" to the broadest my making the grunts louder than then are in the stadium.. I'm starting to believe they also add artificial sound. I've noticed rallies where the ball is just booming off players rackets, then someone hits a soft, drop volley and mysteriously that also makes a loud noise. Someone forgot to turn off the tennis equivalent of a laugh track.

As JY like to say, we will have to agree to disagree on "the blame" here

[jimlosaltos]

Alcaraz is cruising so far vs Norrie. Not to curse things, but a Fritz-Alcaraz semifinal might be interesting, even though Fritz has never won a set off Carlos in their only 2 meetings.

[jimlosaltos]

Anisimova is through! 11-9 in the second set tiebreaker.

Semifinals vs Sabalenka.

[jimlosaltos]

She is never going to stop unless someone decides to enforce the rules, which is very very unlikely. Serena did the same thing forever. I think you are right, it is some kind of unbelievably annoying attemp to intimidate.

Agreed BUT some broadcasters, notably ESPN in the US, might be equally or more to blame. They choose what sounds to pick up and how much to amplify it, adding "action" to the broadest my making the grunts louder than then are in the stadium.. I'm starting to believe they also add artificial sound. I've noticed rallies where the ball is just booming off players rackets, then someone hits a soft, drop volley and mysteriously that also makes a loud noise. Someone forgot to turn off the tennis equivalent of a laugh track.

[stroke]

Her screaming drives me crazy. She does it to intimidate her opponent on those easier balls and it’s not right. She should absolutely be penalized. I hope Anisimova takes it to her. Amanda can match her power.

She is never going to stop unless someone decides to enforce the rules, which is very very unlikely. Serena did the same thing forever. I think you are right, it is some kind of unbelievably annoying attemp to intimidate.

[jeffreycounts]

And all that screaming on balls that are not hit that hard is such a no. To me, not that it matters, the hindrance rule should come into play. She was even screaming bunting the ball around with slice forehands.

Her screaming drives me crazy. She does it to intimidate her opponent on those easier balls and it’s not right. She should absolutely be penalized. I hope Anisimova takes it to her. Amanda can match her power.

[stroke]

Sabalenka is a tough watch. Days ago, Martina Navratrilova was commentating during Katie Boulders match that Katie was just missing routine groundstrokes. Ditto that with Sabalenka. And all that screaming on balls that are not hit that hard is such a no. To me, not that it matters, the hindrance rule should come into play. She was even screaming bunting the ball around with slice forehands.

[jimlosaltos]

Sinner hurt his elbow early.

I did not see or hear about this until now:

"Sinner fell and appeared to injure his elbow in the first game of his match against Grigor Dimitrov today. Then he shockingly lost the first two sets, as Dimitrov put on a sizzling performance of aces, net rushes and all-out attack in the face of a player who has been untouchable this first week in London.

[jimlosaltos]

I've never heard of this in tennis before. NFL, seemingly every weekend during the season. NBA, occasionally.

A player was ordered to retire because he failed a concussion protocol.

From NYT:

The No. 2 seeds in the boys’ doubles draw, Dominick Mosejczuk and Alejandro Arcila, were serving to level their match with Timofei Derapasko and Jacapo Vasami, with Mosejczuk serving and Arcila at the net. The American unleashed a first serve, which found a target it was definitely not supposed to find {the back of his partner's head}. Ouch:

After falling to the court and receiving attention from the umpire, Arcila waved things off, hit two winning volleys and helped his partner win the second set 6-3, having lost the first by the same scoreline.

But then Arcila had to go through concussion treatment. He failed the tests conducted by the medical staff, and he and Mosejczuk had to retire with the third set still to play.

[stotty]

That was rotten luck for Dimitrov. He still had work to do but he was well on his way to winning that match. He’s one of the few great all round players around – and lovely to watch. I was really enjoying that match.

[jimlosaltos]

Quarters are Set And Chock Full of Surprises.

Women's Qs. Lesser known Laura Siegemund, a 37 year old doubles specialist, faces Aryna. Pavy vs Amanda is another welcome retro reunion. Teen Mirra is in her first quarterfinal at Wimby, possibly first of many, this vs mother-returner Belinda Bencic. Iga meets the improbable Liudmila Dmitrievna Samsonova, who at 26 years old has hit the fastest serve of the event by a woman, now upped to 128 MPH.

Gotta' admit it. I'm pulling for Amanda Anisimova. What a comeback story that would be for a kid that's been through it.



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Men

Hard to know what to think of Jannik vs Ben. The Italian had looked great all week, then reverted to uneven form he's shown sporadically since his return. If Grigor could serve Jannik off the court, one would think Ben has a puncher's chance. This really opens the way for Novak, who dodged Jack Draper, the biggest threat in his quarter, and could make the semifinals without meeting a single player in the top 10. Fritz, Alcaraz and Djoko will be heavy favorites. But this has been a crazy event.




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