The anatomy of a record Wimbledon serve
Fritz somehow managed to return the missile – the fastest in tournament history – to win the point in Tuesday's match, and Mpetshi Perricard was ultimately beaten 6-7(6-8), 6-7(8-10), 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 to exit in the first round.
But the shot will stick in the minds of fans around the globe who have marvelled at the speed, accuracy and agility of tennis greats on display at Wimbledon.
In a clear sign of just how the art of the serve has captivated fans around the world, an Instagram post of world No.1 Jannik Sinner appearing to serve a ball on to a match stick, lighting it in the process, has garnered more than 475,000 likes.
Much of Tuesday's post-match focus was on Mpetshi Perricard's reputation for hitting huge serves, which the 21-year-old told reporters came naturally.
'I didn't check the speed, to be honest... I lost the point,' the six-foot-eight Frenchman said. 'I'm not doing some special technique to have a big serve or a fast serve. I'm serving like I'm supposed to do.'
But what actually goes into a great serve? We spoke to professional tennis coach Marc Sophoulis, from the Melbourne International Tennis School, to find out.
'The big thing with Mpetshi Perricard's serve [is that] he has a step-up serve, gaining a lot of momentum from his back foot moving up to his front foot before he serves,' Sophoulis, who has worked with Anastasia and Arina Rodionova, Victor Hanescu, and the Bryan brothers, observes.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
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Bryant's lightning in a bottle uncorks hole-in-one
Davis Bryant has carded the lowest score of the tournament to open up a two-shot lead at the BMW International Open. The American entertained the fans at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried when he recorded the 12th hole-in-one of the DP World Tour season with an ace at the 166-yard par-three 12th, his third hole, en route to his brilliant 63. He added nine birdies and two bogeys to set the halfway target of 12 under par, moving two clear of Norway's Kristoffer Reitan. "I don't really know what happened today. I think the ace kind of jumpstarted things," Bryant said. "I don't feel like I've played my best golf since Q school to be honest. I had some time off over the holidays, played some HotelPlanner Tour events to start the year and feel like my game is starting to get back to where I want it to be. "Just super pleased with last week's finish, the first two rounds here and then today, catching lightning in a bottle and just rolling with it. "Not really thinking too far ahead. Everyone in the field can win this event. We've still got two rounds to go." Reitan rolled in seven birdies in his flawless 65, while English pair Jordan Smith and Daniel Brown sit at nine under alongside Japan's Yuto Katsuragawa. Scotland's Scott Jamieson is one shot further back in a tie for sixth, but defending champion Ewen Ferguson missed the cut by one shot despite a four-under 68 on Friday. Australia's Elvis Smylie is on 139 after going round in an eye-catching 66. Compatriot Daniel Gale is on 142. David Micheluzzi, two shots further back, missed the cut. Davis Bryant has carded the lowest score of the tournament to open up a two-shot lead at the BMW International Open. The American entertained the fans at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried when he recorded the 12th hole-in-one of the DP World Tour season with an ace at the 166-yard par-three 12th, his third hole, en route to his brilliant 63. He added nine birdies and two bogeys to set the halfway target of 12 under par, moving two clear of Norway's Kristoffer Reitan. "I don't really know what happened today. I think the ace kind of jumpstarted things," Bryant said. "I don't feel like I've played my best golf since Q school to be honest. I had some time off over the holidays, played some HotelPlanner Tour events to start the year and feel like my game is starting to get back to where I want it to be. "Just super pleased with last week's finish, the first two rounds here and then today, catching lightning in a bottle and just rolling with it. "Not really thinking too far ahead. Everyone in the field can win this event. We've still got two rounds to go." Reitan rolled in seven birdies in his flawless 65, while English pair Jordan Smith and Daniel Brown sit at nine under alongside Japan's Yuto Katsuragawa. Scotland's Scott Jamieson is one shot further back in a tie for sixth, but defending champion Ewen Ferguson missed the cut by one shot despite a four-under 68 on Friday. Australia's Elvis Smylie is on 139 after going round in an eye-catching 66. Compatriot Daniel Gale is on 142. David Micheluzzi, two shots further back, missed the cut. Davis Bryant has carded the lowest score of the tournament to open up a two-shot lead at the BMW International Open. The American entertained the fans at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried when he recorded the 12th hole-in-one of the DP World Tour season with an ace at the 166-yard par-three 12th, his third hole, en route to his brilliant 63. He added nine birdies and two bogeys to set the halfway target of 12 under par, moving two clear of Norway's Kristoffer Reitan. "I don't really know what happened today. I think the ace kind of jumpstarted things," Bryant said. "I don't feel like I've played my best golf since Q school to be honest. I had some time off over the holidays, played some HotelPlanner Tour events to start the year and feel like my game is starting to get back to where I want it to be. "Just super pleased with last week's finish, the first two rounds here and then today, catching lightning in a bottle and just rolling with it. "Not really thinking too far ahead. Everyone in the field can win this event. We've still got two rounds to go." Reitan rolled in seven birdies in his flawless 65, while English pair Jordan Smith and Daniel Brown sit at nine under alongside Japan's Yuto Katsuragawa. Scotland's Scott Jamieson is one shot further back in a tie for sixth, but defending champion Ewen Ferguson missed the cut by one shot despite a four-under 68 on Friday. Australia's Elvis Smylie is on 139 after going round in an eye-catching 66. Compatriot Daniel Gale is on 142. David Micheluzzi, two shots further back, missed the cut. Davis Bryant has carded the lowest score of the tournament to open up a two-shot lead at the BMW International Open. The American entertained the fans at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried when he recorded the 12th hole-in-one of the DP World Tour season with an ace at the 166-yard par-three 12th, his third hole, en route to his brilliant 63. He added nine birdies and two bogeys to set the halfway target of 12 under par, moving two clear of Norway's Kristoffer Reitan. "I don't really know what happened today. I think the ace kind of jumpstarted things," Bryant said. "I don't feel like I've played my best golf since Q school to be honest. I had some time off over the holidays, played some HotelPlanner Tour events to start the year and feel like my game is starting to get back to where I want it to be. "Just super pleased with last week's finish, the first two rounds here and then today, catching lightning in a bottle and just rolling with it. "Not really thinking too far ahead. Everyone in the field can win this event. We've still got two rounds to go." Reitan rolled in seven birdies in his flawless 65, while English pair Jordan Smith and Daniel Brown sit at nine under alongside Japan's Yuto Katsuragawa. Scotland's Scott Jamieson is one shot further back in a tie for sixth, but defending champion Ewen Ferguson missed the cut by one shot despite a four-under 68 on Friday. Australia's Elvis Smylie is on 139 after going round in an eye-catching 66. Compatriot Daniel Gale is on 142. David Micheluzzi, two shots further back, missed the cut.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Thompson marks Wimbledon career milestone, Hijikata out after bad light drama
Darderi's mood darkened as the end neared, complaining to the chair umpire after Thompson delayed serving on the first point of the next game as a bee flew nearby. It still paled in comparison to Darderi's fury after Thompson clinched the opening set with his cap in his left hand after it came loose in his service motion. The Australian managed to catch his hat mid-air and continue the point before clinching the set with a neat backhand volley. Darderi protested for several minutes afterwards, arguing it had distracted him, and he tossed his racquet to his chair as it became obvious he was not going to win the debate. 'My hat's fallen off before, and I know what the rules are. It didn't hinder him – it hindered me,' Thompson said. 'I don't know what he was complaining about … the rule is, if it doesn't hinder the opponent, play on.' Fifth-seeded American Taylor Fritz, who also won his opening two matches in five sets, stands between Thompson and an unlikely maiden grand slam quarter-final. Fritz downed Spain's No.26 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1. Thompson won the pair's most-recent clash on grass in straight sets in the Queen's Club quarter-finals in London last year, and Fritz is preparing for a 'tricky' clash. 'I'm not going on the court if I don't think I can win,' Thompson said. 'That's a pathetic outlook if I go out there thinking I can't win. I won last time it was on grass, but [it was] very different grass and different circumstances. It'll be a new day.' Bad light drama Thompson is one of three Australians left – along with Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina – after Hijikata's controversially suspended second-round match took a breezy 71 seconds to complete on Friday. American 10th seed Ben Shelton, who argued animatedly but unsuccessfully for the chance to serve for the match on Thursday night, fired three aces and an unreturnable second serve on resumption that kicked over Hijikata's head to clinch a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win. Shelton failed to convert three match points in a row on Hijikata's service game before chair umpire Nacho Forcadell and court supervisor Ali Nili suspended play the previous night amid boos from the crowd. Bad light was the official reason, but the dual major semi-finalist revealed post-match it was more complicated than that. '[The official] said it was a five-minute warning until the Hawk-Eye was going down. That was including the changeover, so there wouldn't be enough time to complete the game,' Shelton said. 'I was telling him, 'I only need 60 seconds'. That's kind of what my goal was when I went out there today [but] he told me there wasn't enough time. I was like, 'Well, has it gone down yet, or did they give you the five-minute warning?' … [and] he was like, 'We don't want it to be in the middle of the game'. 'At that point, I'm not as upset about that decision. It was a difficult decision that was forced because of what they did earlier [in not suspending play at the start of the third set].' Shelton also played down his fury towards Forcadell as court supervisor Nili came between the duo, saying it was 'nothing' and 'probably looked more tense than it was'. Speaking after advancing to the third round of the doubles with Dutchman David Pel, Hijikata said the drama did not impact the result but that he would like some clarity on the decision-making. The 24-year-old Australian said both he and Shelton, who next faces lucky loser Marton Fucsovics, who outlasted Gael Monfils in five sets, would have preferred the match to be suspended at the end of the second set, and queried why play stopped so much earlier on other nights. 'I don't know what the reasoning was, but they told us. By 3-2 or 4-2 [in the third set], it was already dark, then we were playing in the dark for, like, 10, 15 minutes,' Hijikata said. 'It was slippery also. I asked the umpire as well in the third set to come check the court, [and] he said it was fine. I said, 'Mate, I think it's slippery'. Ben agreed … [but Forcadell] said, 'It's the same for both of you', which is the case. But it also means it's maybe not safe for both of us.' Loading Hijikata said it was a nightmare to return Shelton's service thunderbolts, which topped out at 234km/h and came down at 200km/h on average. 'It's not easy when you have someone like that coming out for one game,' he said. 'You can pick your return spots or guess all you want, but when he is serving down 145 [mph], or whatever it is, I could have guessed right, and still probably not got a racquet on it. I mean, that's an absolute clinic on how to serve out a match if you've got one game to go.'
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Bryant's lightning in a bottle uncorks hole-in-one
Davis Bryant has carded the lowest score of the tournament to open up a two-shot lead at the BMW International Open. The American entertained the fans at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried when he recorded the 12th hole-in-one of the DP World Tour season with an ace at the 166-yard par-three 12th, his third hole, en route to his brilliant 63. He added nine birdies and two bogeys to set the halfway target of 12 under par, moving two clear of Norway's Kristoffer Reitan. "I don't really know what happened today. I think the ace kind of jumpstarted things," Bryant said. "I don't feel like I've played my best golf since Q school to be honest. I had some time off over the holidays, played some HotelPlanner Tour events to start the year and feel like my game is starting to get back to where I want it to be. "Just super pleased with last week's finish, the first two rounds here and then today, catching lightning in a bottle and just rolling with it. "Not really thinking too far ahead. Everyone in the field can win this event. We've still got two rounds to go." Reitan rolled in seven birdies in his flawless 65, while English pair Jordan Smith and Daniel Brown sit at nine under alongside Japan's Yuto Katsuragawa. Scotland's Scott Jamieson is one shot further back in a tie for sixth, but defending champion Ewen Ferguson missed the cut by one shot despite a four-under 68 on Friday. Australia's Elvis Smylie is on 139 after going round in an eye-catching 66. Compatriot Daniel Gale is on 142. David Micheluzzi, two shots further back, missed the cut.
