logo
Wimbledon: All the early upsets could stem from a lack of experience on grass courts

Wimbledon: All the early upsets could stem from a lack of experience on grass courts

Mint2 days ago
LONDON (AP) — Successful as Novak Djokovic has been on the grass courts of Wimbledon — he's won 100 matches and seven of his 24 Grand Slam trophies there — it's not as if he grew up plying his talents on the surface.
Indeed, he never competed or even practiced on it at all until 2005, when he entered the qualifying event held at the nearby Roehampton facility and won three matches there to earn the right to make his debut at the All England Club at age 18.
'That was actually the first year I stepped out on the grass,' said Djokovic, who will play 11th-seeded Alex de Minaur on Monday for a quarterfinal berth at the Grand Slam tournament. 'I must say that it felt very natural for me to adapt to it, even though I grew up on clay.'
That's a common refrain among today's pros, and the lack of familiarity with, and comfort on, grass could be one of the reasons for all of the upsets in the early going at Wimbledon. The eight total top-10 seeds — four women, four men — who lost in the first round were the most at any major since they began seeding 32 in brackets in 2001.
'Grass,' 2022 champion Elena Rybakina said after her third-round exit Saturday, 'is very unpredictable.'
With her departure, and defending champ Barbora Krejcikova's loss to Emma Navarro a few hours later, there is guaranteed to be yet another first-time women's title winner this year at the All England Club. Whoever takes home the trophy on July 12 will be the ninth woman to do so in the event's past nine editions.
Plenty of top players learned to play tennis on hard courts, especially in North America, or clay courts, especially in Europe and Latin America. Grass? Not so much, except for those from England or Australia. It's an acquired taste and skill, and it doesn't help anyone that the portion of the season spent on the turf is so abbreviated.
'Usually when I was on grass,' joked Eva Lys, a 23-year-old German who reached the second round at Wimbledon, 'it was when I was tanning.'
There are more than 35 hard-court tournaments listed on the 2025 WTA calendar, 11 held on clay and seven on grass, which is used from June 9 through Wimbledon.
'It's not just that we only play on grass for about a month,' said Lorenzo Musetti, a semifinalist at the All England Club a year ago and a first-round loser as the No. 7 seed this time. 'It's a surface that requires a lot of adapting. You have to go by feeling.'
There isn't much of a chance to get used to the slippery footing, needing to bend one's knees to reach shots that skid more than bounce, or dealing with the inconsistent ways balls move.
'Everything is so different about it,' said Tommy Paul, the 13th-seeded American who bowed out in the second round after coming down awkwardly on his foot during a point.
Growing up in North Carolina, Paul picked up a racket at age 7 and his first surface was green clay. It wasn't until he was 15 or 16 that he first tried hitting on grass, at a junior event at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
'I was probably diving all over the court when I didn't need to. I've always said it's the most fun surface to play on,' Paul said. 'I like the disorder about it."
His grass debut arrived earlier than for many who reach the sport's top levels. Like Djokovic, most never set foot on on the stuff until they're about 17 or 18 and heading to England (unlike Djokovic, usually for Wimbledon's junior tournament).
Some have one rough encounter that sticks with them.
Naomi Osaka, a former No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion on the hard courts of the U.S. Open and Australian Open, slipped and hurt her knee nearly a decade ago on grass and that created fear, she said. She has never been past the third round at Wimbledon.
Iga Swiatek, another former No. 1 and the owner of five major trophies earned elsewhere, did win a junior Wimbledon title, but it's her least-successful Slam as a pro. She will try to equal her run by getting to the quarterfinals with a victory against No. 23 Clara Tauson on Monday.
'This year on grass, I had some moments where I just felt comfortable and I didn't have to think much,' Swiatek said. 'It was just pretty smooth.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wimbledon 2025: Teenager Andreeva sets up quarterfinal clash with Bencic
Wimbledon 2025: Teenager Andreeva sets up quarterfinal clash with Bencic

The Hindu

time32 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Wimbledon 2025: Teenager Andreeva sets up quarterfinal clash with Bencic

Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva powered her way into her first Wimbledon quarterfinal with a 6-2 6-3 win over American 10th seed Emma Navarro on Monday, becoming the youngest player in the last eight of the women's singles since 2005. The 18-year-old looked at home on Centre Court, using her booming serve, regularly above 110 miles per hour, and power from the baseline to book a meeting with Swiss Belinda Bencic in the next round. In doing so she matches the feat of compatriot Maria Sharapova in 2005 at the exact same age - 18 years and 62 days at the start of the tournament. ALSO READ | Djokovic battles back against De Minaur to stay on track for Wimbledon glory With a light breeze swirling around the showcourt, Andreeva took an early break in the match thanks to a fine backhand past her 24-year-old opponent who was looking to reach a second successive quarter-final at the All England Club. Navarro struggled to return the Russian's serve, with Andreeva not giving up any points on her first serve throughout the first set. The American surrendered another break by hitting into the net from a fierce Andreeva forehand for 4-1. Navarro saved two set points but Andreeva converted the third courtesy of another unreturnable serve, taking the lead in the match after little more than half an hour of play. The second set brought an upturn in form for Navarro as the pair traded breaks and continued to slug it out from the baseline. However, Andreeva held on to a break advantage over her opponent and executed a beautifully weighted lob on her way to bringing up three match points. The teenager needed only one thanks to a fortunate net cord but had obviously lost track of the score as she lined up at the baseline again before apologising and running to the net to shake hands with her beaten opponent. 'Honestly, I kept telling myself I was facing break point and was trying to tell myself I'm not the one who is up on the score, I'm the one who is down and in the end I completely forgot the score. I happy I did it, otherwise I would have been three times more nervous on my match point,' she said on court. 'I felt like my serve was not bad today... happy that (coach) Conchita (Martinez) gives me nice advice and my serve keeps working,' added Andreeva.

Wimbledon 2025 results, highlights: Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek survive shocking defeats. Full results here
Wimbledon 2025 results, highlights: Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek survive shocking defeats. Full results here

Time of India

time3 hours ago

  • Time of India

Wimbledon 2025 results, highlights: Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek survive shocking defeats. Full results here

Novak Djokovic continued his quest for Grand Slam glory at the All England Club with a battling victory over Alex de Minaur while five-times major champion Iga Swiatek found her grasscourt wings to fly past Clara Tauson. Top seed Jannik Sinner struggled with an elbow problem and was given an almighty scare before advancing to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2025 after a cruel twist of fate for his 19th-seeded opponent Grigor Dimitrov who retired injured while two sets up. Bencic made her first Wimbledon quarter-final in nine attempts after dismissing 18th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(4) 6-4 in a little under two hours on a breezy Court One. She will need all her battling qualities when she takes on seventh seed Mirra Andreeva, the Russian teenager who made short work of American 10th seed Emma Navarro 6-2 6-3 on her Centre Court debut with her idol Federer still in attendance. Swiatek shrugged off a slow start to beat Danish 23rd seed Tauson 6-4 6-1 and set up a meeting with Liudmila Samsonova, who saw off Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5 7-5. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas Prices In Dubai Might Be More Affordable Than You Think Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Quote Undo Men Live Events Fourth round Jannik Sinner (ITA x1) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x19) 3-6, 5-7, 2-2 ret Ben Shelton (USA x10) bt Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 7-5 Flavio Cobolli (ITA x22) bt Marin Cilic (CRO) 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3) Novak Djokovic (SRB x6) bt Alex de Minaur (AUS x11) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Women Fourth round Mirra Andreeva (RUS x7) bt Emma Navarro (USA x10) 6-2, 6-3 Belinda Bencic (SUI) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS x18) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 Iga Swiatek (POL x8) bt Clara Tauson (DEN x23) 6-4, 6-1 Liudmila Samsonova (RUS x19) bt Jessica Bouzas (ESP) 7-5, 7-5 FAQs Q1. Who has won Wimbledon 2025? A1. Roger Federer leads with 8 gentlemen's singles titles. Novak Djokovic has 7 titles. Q2. Who is reigning Wimbledon champion? A2. Reigning Wimbledon champion is Carlos Alcaraz.

Wimbledon 2025: Jannik Sinner advances to quarter-finals as injured Dimitrov retires while leading
Wimbledon 2025: Jannik Sinner advances to quarter-finals as injured Dimitrov retires while leading

Time of India

time3 hours ago

  • Time of India

Wimbledon 2025: Jannik Sinner advances to quarter-finals as injured Dimitrov retires while leading

Grigor Dimitrov's injury woes continue at Wimbledon. He retired against Jannik Sinner due to a pectoral injury. The incident occurred when Dimitrov was leading by two sets. Sinner will now face Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals. He expressed sympathy for Dimitrov. Dimitrov has a history of injury retirements. This marks his fifth consecutive Grand Slam retirement. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Grigor Dimitrov 's struggles with injuries continued on Monday, July 7, 2025, when he was left devastated after being forced to retire injured at Wimbledon. He was two sets up on world number one Jannik Sinner before he fell on the floor holding his right pectoral after serving an ace. Italian top seed Sinner is now in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for a second Dimitrov was leading an enthralling contest 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 before being seriously injured. After being caught up by injury during the match, he appeared to be in serious discomfort, and Sinner rushed over to Dimitrov returned to his chair, he received medical treatment. Then he briefly left the court only to return teary-eyed to call off the match and shake hands with the Italian star player. He received a standing ovation as Sinner accompanied him off the served an ace out wide to hold serve for 2-2 in the third set and then collapsed in pain, holding his right pectoral muscle. The Bulgarian showed initial signs of the injury after he missed a low backhand volley at 40/0 in that game. He swung his arm across his body to take the shot, then reached for his pectoral Dimitrov, 34, it is the latest in a series of injury struggles; he retired injured from his first-round matches at the Australian Open and French world number one Sinner had also taken a medical timeout midway through the second set for an apparent elbow injury. He had looked uncomfortable after he fell in the opening game but later appeared to be finding his rhythm when Dimitrov's injury the match, Sinner said, "Honestly, I don't know what to say. He is an incredible player; I think we all saw this today. He's been so unlucky in the past couple of years. An incredible player and a good friend of mine, also, we understand each other very well off the court, too. Seeing him in this position, honestly, if there were a chance that he could play the next round, he would deserve it,' as quoted by "I hope he has a speedy recovery. It's very unlucky from his side,' added world number also stated that he does not take this as a win and calls it a 'very unfortunate moment.' As far as Dimitrov's battle with injuries is concerned, the latter stages of his career have been marred by injury. It is pertinent to mention that, besides the Bulgarian, no other player has been forced to retire injured from ATP Tour matches more often than him. He has now quit 12 matches. He has retired injured on each of his past five Grand Slam appearances, including at this year's French and Australian will next face World No. 10 Ben Shelton in the quarter-final. This will be his fourth consecutive appearance in the Wimbledon quarter-final. Shelton, 22, American, earlier rallied past Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(1), 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals at SW19 for the first time.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store