By Chris Oddo | Tuesday July 18, 2017
Another Wimbledon is in the books and all we’re left with—sniff, sniff—is the memories. Ah, but aren’t those memories glorious? A history-making 8th Wimbledon title for Roger Federer and a brilliant maiden voyage at SW19 for Garbiñe Muguruza. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Read on as we bring you our top 20 Wimbledon takeaways…
1. Federer the Grass Goat
Where do we start when we begin analyzing Roger Federer’s record eighth Wimbledon title? It was a crowning achievement in so many ways. First, Federer established himself as the all-time king of Wimbledon, passing Pete Sampras and Williams Renshaw to claim his 8th title at SW19, something that will likely never be tested. Second, Federer ticked off another box that will ultimately help solidify his legacy as the greatest men’s player to ever pick up a racquet: He became the oldest Open Era Men’s Singles winner at Wimbledon, and became just the third man in history to have won more than two majors after turning 30.
It’s one thing to be great, but it’s another thing to be great over a span of 15 years. History has proven that one of the hardest things to do is win majors after turning 30. By winning a pair this season, Federer has proven that he is that rare athlete that can stand the test of time. It has been said for years that Federer’s playing style—his aggressiveness and his “dancing on air” footwork—would enable him to play at his peak at a more advanced age. It may have been true all along, but with Djokovic and Murray dominating the majors for the last three years, the results weren’t there. This season, with Djokovic and Murray struggling, Federer has outlasted a pair of generational players five years his junior. Whether it was by clever scheduling or sheer fortuity does not matter—Federer’s two major titles in 2017 have for all intents and purposes closed the door on the GOAT debate.
2. Garbiñe the Great?
Now that Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza has been to three major finals in three seasons, can we assume that we have enough of a sample size to project another seven major finals for her before she turns 30? And if she keeps winning two of every three, can we then project that Muguruza is likely to become a five or six-time major winner in the years to come?
It hardly seems unlikely, especially given that Serena Williams’ days of dominating majors may be gone forever. Muguruza has shown a great deal of inconsistency over the last three seasons, but when we take a step back and assess her complete body of work we are looking at the premier player of her generation. Her second major title and first at Wimbledon is more proof that the Spaniard is a big-stage juggernaut that is a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. Even more exciting is what the future might hold.
3. Woe is Andy, Woe is Novak
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic will need to prove that they too can win majors beyond the age of 30 in the upcoming years. If they can each will further solidify their legacy among all-time greats. If they can’t it will only make Federer look more accomplished.
Both Murray and Djokovic are in poor health at the moment and it appears that both would benefit by taking a page from Federer’s playbook. Take a break, get healthy and fill up the tank, boys.
4. All Praise Venus
In the end she fell short, but let’s take a moment to recognize the remarkable season that Venus Williams has been having. The 37-year-old has reached multiple major finals for the first time since 2003 at an age where most players have long since retired. After six years out of the Wimbledon spotlight, Williams reached the semifinal in 2016 and the final this year. Only the pitch-perfect tennis of Garbiñe Muguruza could keep Williams from becoming the oldest major winner in Open Era history on Saturday. If she had done it she would have stolen one piece of thunder from her sister Serena, who became the oldest major winner in Open Era history earlier this season at the Australian Open. But we all know how that story goes…
5. Big Step for Johanna Konta on Home Soil
Great Britain saw Johanna Konta become the nation’s first Wimbledon semifinalist in 39 years when she knocked off Simona Halep in dramatic fashion to reach the last four at Wimbledon. Make no mistake: this was a massive step for Konta, who entered Wimbledon with a 1-5 lifetime record at SW19. She learned how to survive the British media maelstrom deep into week two, and emerges at a career-high ranking of No.4 in the world this week for her troubles. At 26, Konta is likely to be a Wimbledon second-week fixture in the years to come.
6. Serve-and-Volley not Quite Dead
Thank goodness for players like Gilles Muller, Mischa Zverev and Roger Federer, who embraced the grass and employed traditional tactics like serve-and-volley on a regular basis. We should also add CoCo Vandeweghe on the women’s side—the American was one of the few women that served and volleyed with any regularity, along with Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova. We get that Wimbledon’s grass isn’t as fast as it used to be, but it’s still fast, and there’s no excuse for players not to keep their opponents guessing with the tactic, at the very least.
7. Wawrinka on grass disappoints again
It was another sorry season on grass for Stan Wawrinka and it really doesn’t make sense. He adds Paul Annacone, a notable grass guru who once guided Roger Federer to a Wimbledon title, and manages to go 0-2 on grass for the year. Maybe he’ll never win Wimbledon—we’re fine with that—but it’d sure be nice to see Wawrinka play to his potential on the surface.
8. Pliskova Falls Early and Climbs to No.1
Czech Karolina Pliskova, our pick to win Wimbledon before the fortnight began, ended up getting knocked out of the Wimbledon draw (in the second round) and then rising to No.1 in the world on Monday. And now the clock is ticking on Pliskova. Every week she hangs on to that ranking without having a major title under her belt, the media is going to heap criticism on her (history has proven: woe is the Slamless No.1). The good news for Pliskova is that she may not head to the U.S. Open as No.1—she has round of 16 points at Rogers Cup and title points at Cincinnati to defend before New York.
9. Toughest Luck: Simona Halep
What a crazy pair of majors for Simona Halep. She was three games from winning the Roland Garros title and fell in heartbreaking fashion to Jelena Ostapenko, then she was two points from becoming No.1 (and reaching the semis) at Wimbledon but ended up falling to Johanna Konta in what was one of the Wimbledon matches of the fortnight. But at 25 years of age, the Romanian has time on her side. Hold your head high, Simona.
10. Two American Surprises
Life without Serena at the majors is not going to be easy for American women, but there was a big bright spot in the junior draw as Claire Liu took the title from Ann Li. Liu’s win marks the first time that Americans have won the Girls’ title at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year since 1981.
Life on the men’s side at majors has been very difficult of late, but full props to Sam Querrey for becoming the first American male to reach the semifinals at a major in eight years at Wimbledon. Querrey, who has reached at least the quarterfinals in each of his last two Wimbledon appearances, knocked off top-seeded Andy Murray in a five-set quarterfinal.
11. Thanks for your honesty, Bernard Tomic
So many in the media have been quick to credit Bernard Tomic for his candor after his uninspiring three-set loss to Mischa Zverev in Wimbledon’s first round. Sure, it’s nice that we can all get our hit count up after Tomic’s annual Wimbledon confessional, but at the heart of the matter lies a terribly sad pattern for the Aussie. Wildly talented, especially on grass, Tomic has a unique capacity for squandering his abilities—and NOBODY seems to be helping him. Clearly his father John is not up to the task, but is there anybody at Tennis Australia that can help this young man make the most of his abilities? We’d all love to see it.
12. Ode to Magdalena Rybarikova
She was blasted out of Wimbledon semis by Garbiñe Muguruza, but before she left we were blown away by the clever, crafty grass stylings of the Slovakian at Wimbledon. She backed up her upset of No.2-seeded Karolina Pliskova by going on a run for the ages, reaching her first major semifinal and finally proving that she can be as good at Wimbledon as she is at other grass venues. There’s a reason that Rybarikova owns a 12-9 record against the Top 50 on grass, and she proved it at Wimbledon, where she was 2-9 at Wimbledon entering this year’s draw. She’ll be one to watch at Wimbledon for years to come.
A pattern for Marin Cilic?
He fell in heartbreaking fashion in this year’s final, but it’s not that hard to envisage a day when Marin Cilic comes in and wins the title at SW19 as a sentimental favorite, much like his compatriot Goran Ivanisevic did in 2001.
Cilic has reached at least the quarterfinal at SW19 in each of the last four years, and this year’s performance, plus his relatively young age, suggests that he will have several good chances to win Wimbledon someday. Federer will be gone soon. Murray and Djokovic are already into their 30s. Generation next doesn’t look ready to make a significant impact at SW19 yet. Why not Cilic?
The Vesnina Slam
It’s been a good couple of years for Russia’s Elena Vesnina at Wimbledon. Last year she reached the ladies singles semis for the first time in her career. This year she did her damage on the doubles court, taking the title with compatriot Ekaterina Makarova. Vesnina has now won a title at all four Grand Slams. She owns the mixed title at Australia, and doubles titles at the other three. She also won the Olympic Gold and WTA Finals titles last season. Not bad at all.
Ostapenko Backs it up
Maiden major winners don’t have a history of backing up their titles with deep runs at their next Slam on the WTA side, so big props to Jelena Ostapenko who pushed her winning streak at the majors to 11 matches before finally falling to Venus Williams in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. The Latvian’s ability to handle the media pressure and continue to play her own courageous brand of smashmouth tennis at these Championship’s bodes well for her future.
Not with a Vengeance, but Vika’s Back!
Victoria Azarenka’s first major since giving birth to her baby boy Leo was a big success. She reached the second week and put herself back in the mix in just the second event of her comeback. For those who think she’s behind where Kim Clijsters was when the Belgian returned to tennis after the birth of her first child, think again. Clijsters took 18 months off after having Jada. Azarenka was back on the tour less than six months after having Leo.
It’s normal for Azarenka to need some time at this stage of her comeback, but by reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon, she’s proven enough to earn consideration as a potential U.S. Open contender. With another three events under her belt on her best surface she could be back in prime form by the time the Open rolls along.
Signs of Life for Angie Kerber?
It was the match of Wimbledon on the women’s side, and it could have gone either way. Garbiñe Muguruza got by Angelique Kerber, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, but the spectacular tennis that Kerber played in this tilt is a sign that the German will be a player to watch during the hard court season.
23 for Hingis
Martina Hingis’ decision to bail on Leander Paes and pick up Great Britain’s Jamie Murray for the mixed doubles competition went swimmingly. The pair took the title, marking Hingis’ 6th title at Wimbledon and 23rd major title overall. The Swiss now owns 5 singles titles, 12 doubles titles and six mixed.
Murray now owns four major titles—two in mixed (both at Wimbledon) and two in men’s doubles.
WTA Excites more than ATP
The lack of depth outside of the Top 10 makes for some pretty uneventful tennis in the second week on the men's side. People in the media room were dreading the Querrey-Cilic semifinal, and it was frustrating to see players like Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios and Kei Nishikori offer up very little resistance in their biggest matches at Wimbledon this year. Karen Khachanov was an exciting young player to watch at Wimbledon, as was Alexander Zverev, but the ATP is definitely suffering from a lack of star power beyond the usual suspects.
On the flip side, the WTA continues to provide compelling storylines and an air of chaos. Women’s tennis may not have a big four, but what they lack in stability they more than make up for in drama.
Goodbye, Wimbledon
There’s nothing like Wimbledon. The pageantry, the history, the tennis in an English garden ethos. No other sporting event nurtures its history and traditions better than Wimbledon. And that’s what sets the event apart from all the others. From the uniformed umpires and linesman to the obvious absence of changeover music or post-match on-court interviews, one gets a glimpse of tennis’ past while simultaneously witnessing it’s gleaming present and future. It’s truly a beautiful place, unlike any other, and as much as players want to complain about the state of the grass, we can honestly say, first-hand, that it is a sight to behold, even in the second week when battered and bruised.
See you next year!