By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday July 16, 2024
Emptying the notebook after a brilliant Wimbledon fortnight, we look back at the highs and a few lows.
Photo Source: Camera Sport/ Rob Newell
Today we will put our final touches on our Wimbledon coverage for 2024, with a long look back through our notebooks. Without any further ado, here are 24 (short and sweet) thoughts on Wimbledon 2024.
1. Don’t Count Barbora Out
In Miami in 2023, many rolled their eyes when Barbora Krejcikova made her own case for being one of the WTA’s “Big 4.”
"I feel like I deserve the recognition from the media and I'm not getting it," Krejcikova said at the time. "I guess I just have to win more matches and prove to everybody that I'm there as well."
Now that she’s a Wimbledon champion, we have to say – she was right. What a magnificent run the Czech put together, employing her vast array of tools to defuse prohitive favorite Elena Rybakina in the semifinal, then edging Jasmine Paolini in a tense three-set final.
All the extra points available go to Krejcikova for completing the cycle and keeping Jana Novotna's name relevant at Wimbledon. The magic of tennis, it bridges the gap between generations!
2. Carlitos the New King
There was a moment, in Sunday’s Wimbledon’s men’s singles final vs. Novak Djokovic on Sunday, when Carlos Alcaraz was in a bit of tailspin. He had squandered three championship points, one of them when a fan screamed out just before he was going to hit a winning drive volley. It was then that Alcaraz’s true colors were revealed: Alcaraz didn’t even get upset. He didn’t complain to the umpire, or even frown. He just stayed cool, kept his eyes on the prize, and went about his business.
Alcaraz’s struggles would continue – for a very short while – he made two excruciating errors in the third set tiebreak, replays revealing that he had missed both balls by mere millimeters, and suddenly it looked like Djokovic was going to take the third and who knows what would have happened from there.
Not so fast. Alcaraz was so mature in those moments, accepting the struggle, remaining poised, and eventually tapping his self-belief to finish off the 24-time major champion in three sets.
And there’s your reason why Alcaraz is able to do what he does at such a young age. Because he’s more than an incredible shotmaker. He’s got incredible mental game! Just look at his 12-1 record in five-setters and his 4-0 record in major finals if you don’t believe us.
3. Jasmine’s double a sign of things to come?
What’s next for Italy’s Jasmine Paolini? Not sure we need to worry about her future, as the 28-year-old Italian has given herself a blueprint for success over the last two months. You don’t reach the finals in consecutive majors, putting yourself alongside names like Graf, the Williams sisters and Justine Henin, if you aren’t something special.
It took a while, but as of this spring/ summer Paolini has tryul unlocked her potential. Yes, staying in the Top-5 will be a challenge, particularly this time next year when the points are there to defend, but we don’t think she’s done making noise at the majors. If you’ve recently become a fan, sit tight and enjoy the ride.
4. Novak, you hero
Nothing but praise for Novak Djokovic, who very well could have won Wimbledon if Frances Tiafoe had managed to finish off his upset over Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round. Who knows what would have happen if Tiafoe could have pulled the shocker? And how many players, other than Alcaraz, would have defeated Djokovic, even in his current state with the knee taking him down a level?
It was clear that Novak’s knee didn’t allow him to be as explosive as he needed to be to have a shot against Alcaraz in Sunday’s final, but he showed immense fortitude by just playing at Wimbledon. To reach another final was unthinkable, and shows that he still has enough left in him to win at least one more major.
5. Iga on grass?
Give it time. 2024 was not the year, for myriad reasons, most of all the Olympic Games and how important it is for Swiatek to capitalize – both for herself and Poland – on the fact that the Olympics are on clay. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for Swiatek – can you blame her for not putting everything into her Wimbledon preparation this year?
Take the long view on Swiatek when it comes to Wimbledon. She’s still developing, and when she does place more of a priority on her grass performance, she will give herself a chance to win.
6. Sinner steps back
In the spring we wondered if Jannik Sinner had become tennis’ premier player. He was the Australian Open champion, and about to become No.1. Now, we know who the sports’ premier player is, but if we know Sinner, he’s taking all the steps to become a better player as we write.
Sinner, who had a difficult draw this year at SW19, was pushed out of this year's draw by Daniil Medvedev, but the World No.1 is still very much a player on the rise, and destined to do big things in the sport. Don’t think he’s going to back away from the Alcaraz challenge.
7. Five-setters and comebacks
It was entertaining to watch the men break the all-time record for most five-setters in the Open Era (37), as well as the Wimbledon record for comebacks from two sets to love down (11). Nobody can say that Wimbledon 2024 didn’t deliver the drama.
8. Here comes the Sun
Props to qualifier Lulu Sun who went on a qualifying run for the ages, all the way to the quarterfinals, before falling to Donna Vekic at Wimbledon. Sun brought a hard-hitting attacking game to Wimbledon, and played textbook grass-court tennis that featured aggression, nuanced net play and some left-handed wizardry.
We’ll see a lot more of the 23-year-old in the months to come, as she’s now ranked 53 (up from 123) and will feature in main draws across the tour this summer.
9. Emma X 2
Was a great tournament for a pair of Emmas. Raducanu reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon, getting that far at a major for the first time since her run to the US Open title in 2021, and was picked by many as a potential title contender at that point. Navarro completed stirring upsets of former Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff on Centre Court en route to the quarterfinals.
Keep an eye on both Emmas for the rest of 2024 and at Wimbledon in the future.
10. Wimbledon has a French future
Take a look at the ATP rankings this week to find that France has the two youngest players inside the Top-50: Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Both reached the round of 16 in Paris and were a part of a very successful fortnight for the French men. We’ll see a lot more of them at Wimbledon in the year’s to come, as Fils is still 20 and Mpetshi Perricard just turned 21.
11. Only one defense this year
Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon title defense was stunning, and the 21-year-old is now one of just nine players in Open Era history to have successfully defended the men’s singles title at Wimbledon. It was a different story on the women’s side (more on that down the page) as Marketa Vondrousova became the first defending champion to lose in the first round since Steffi Graf in 1994.
No shame in that Marketa, if it can happen to Steffi it can happen to anyone!
12. Junior champs
Renata Jamrichova became the first Slovakian women to win the Girls title at Wimbledon (it was her second major of 2024), while Norway’s Nicolai Budkov Kjaer made history by becoming the first Norwegian to claim a Grand Slam singles crown.
13. Diede the Great
Wheelchair legend Diede de Groot claimed her 15th consecutive major title at Wimbledon. The 27-year-old has won six at Wimbledon, and 23 overall. She’s just five shy of Shingo Kunieda’s overall record of 28.
14. Elena Rybakina was a favourite, for a while
Just when the dust had settled over the women’s singles draw, leaving Elena Rybakina as the highest seed remaining prior to the quarterfinals, we anointed the Kazakhstani as the heavy favorite. Her lethal game just makes sense on the grass, and when she has been healthy in 2024, she has been lights-out.
Barbora Krejcikova had other ideas, of course, as she rallied from a set down to hand the 2022 champion her third career loss at Wimbledon. So much for betting odds.
15. Gutted for Demon
Fingers crossed that Alex de Minaur’s hip injury isn’t too serious. The Aussie injured himself in the conclusion of his fourth-round victory over Arthur Fils, and missed out on a chance to take on seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic for a spot in the semis. In the midst of a fantastic year (36-12 with two titles and a career-high ranking of six) we’re hoping to see more of the Demon in 2024.
16. Mirra’s first disappointment at the majors
After reaching a semifinal at Roland-Garros, Mirra Andreeva suffered the first opening-round loss of her Grand Slam career at Wimbledon. She was defeated by fellow 17-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova. Andreeva had managed a win in each of her first five first-round matches at the majors, and compiled a 14-5 record at the majors prior to that loss.
17. American breakthroughs
It was a good fortnight for the American men, even if none made it past the quarterfinals. Ben Shelton (round of 16), Tommy Paul (quarterfinal) and Taylor Fritz (quarterfinal) all made or matched career-best performances. Frances Tiafoe also changed the narrative on his season by reaching the third round and nearly defeating Alcaraz.
18. Coco’s struggles?
What to make of Coco Gauff after she was blown out by compatriot Emma Navarro in the round of 16? Hard to say. The game needs work, but the future looks bright. Maybe results aren’t as important as experimenting and working out the kinks right now.
19. The biggest withdrawal?
Aryna Sabalenka’s withdrawal shook the women’s draw from the foundations, and was one of the biggest reasons that the lower half was so wide open. She has been to the quarterfinals of the last seven majors she has played.
Another – perhaps bigger, and more controversial withdrawal: Andy Murray’s. The Scot was denied a chance to play singles for a final time at SW19 due to back surgery. He did play doubles, with brother Jamie Murray, and was sent off on Centre Court in style, but unfortunately Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal from the mixed denied Murray one last chance to play on Wimbledon’s grass.
20. Muse you can use
Lorenzo Musetti is officially a multi-surface threat. It was a very pleasant surprise to see how well the Italian used his variety on the grass, with his backhand slice becoming a real asset on the surface. The 22-year-old was the only player that could solve the mammoth serve of Mpetshi Perricard, as he dispatched the Frenchman in the round of 16 before defeating Taylor Fritz in five sets to reach his maiden major semifinal. He even gave Djokovic fits in their semifinal clash, at least for the first two sets.
Known for his game on the clay, Musetti, up to 16 in this week’s rankings, has a bright future on this surface.
21. Zverev’s latest failure
Alexander Zverev falls short at another major, suffering a knee injury in the third round, and squandering a two sets to love lead against Taylor Fritz in the round of 16. It was yet another disappointment in a long line of them for the German. Even worse, he called out Fritz’s team for cheering too vociferously for their man during the match, saying that they knew he was injured and should have shown more respect. Interesting is this: Zverev was not injured enough to play – and win the first two sets.
22. Movement is key
The difference between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on grass? Movement!
Watching Sinner look very coltish as he struggled to keep his feet during his matches at Wimbledon, while Alcaraz’s looked light and stable on his feet, we can see why Jannik has some ground to make up against Carlitos on this surface. Thanks to his incredible ball striking and beefed up serve, the Italian is not far off at all. But it’s Alcaraz who has improved more dramatically since they last met on grass in 2022, when Sinner handed Alcaraz his last Wimbledon loss.
23. Thank goodness for two roofs
There was so much rain at Wimbledon this year. It’s not supposed to be an indoor tournament but it sure felt like one for the first ten days. How did it change the tournament? How does the roof allow the rich to get richer?
In the end, the roofs were not great for the rank-and-file, but they were a savior for TV, in that the networks had marquee matchups to show to live audiences without fail.
24. More of the same?
Wimbledon has produced only first-time winners on the women’s side since 2017. I’m not sure why we were not talking about the dominance of the Williams sisters more this year at Wimbledon. They were the reason the tournament was not wide open for nearly two full decades, as Serena and Venus combined to win the title in 12 of 17 seasons at one point. We’ll never see anything like it again. What will we likely see next year? Another first-time winner. Bank on it.