01-07-2025
Lloyd Harris serves up a masterclass in lawn tennis
On the hottest opening day on record, South Africa's Lloyd Harris served up a masterclass in lawn tennis, securing a second-round place at Wimbledon.
The world No 320 defeated world No 50 Zizou Bergs of Belgium in four spellbinding sets – 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (7/5), 6-2.
The first three sets were tie-breakers, which fuelled the drama and lively crowds on a packed Court No 7.
The match lasted four hours and six minutes.
For fans who had queued since 05.30 for a Grounds Pass ticket, this match certainly delivered.
Their chanting, cheering and even offers of beer (!) clearly encouraged Harris to push through.
The three tie-breaker sets were reflective of the tight margins, until Harris upped the aggression, and dominated in the fourth.
His variety of explosive shot making was perfectly suited to the hot conditions, making the court play faster.
There was plenty of serve and volley, dotted with some dives and tumbles, reminiscent of vintage Boris Becker!
After the match, Amisha Savani spoke to Harris about how well his game suited the grass.
When asked whether he had worked with his coach to hone these skills, or whether his recent warm-up Challenger events on grass had helped perfect them, Harris responded, smiling: 'It only comes out for Wimbledon!'
Harris was originally set to enter the qualifying tournament, before his protected ranking allowed him an extra 10 days to prepare for Wimbledon.
Harris noted that this extra time had not only helped him improve his grass level, but also enabled him to play some of the best tennis of his life.
He was very happy with his performance, particularly in overcoming three tie-breakers, including the physical endurance required in playing a match lasting just over four hours.
This was particularly laudable, given his lack of match practice over the last year due to recovering from major back surgery.
Given how suited Harris's game is to grass court tennis, Savani asked Harris about his thoughts on whether the UK needs an ATP 1000 event on grass.
He reflected that a Masters 1000 event would only be good if the grass season was extended.
'I think if they're gonna extend the grass court season, then it would be good. Most guys, if you look at the top guys, they play only one event, on grass, right, because the other events are not mandatory.'
He added: 'You have three surfaces but one is only being played for one month, you know, so I think it would be good'.
Harris's Round 2 opponent is world No 14 Andrey Rublev.
Whilst Rublev leads their head-to-head 3-0, Harris was buoyant, saying that his plan was to 'focus on the serve and try and take the racquet out of his hand when I can.'
Lloyd Harris's second round match against Andrey Rublev is scheduled for Wednesday, 2 July.
Amisha Savani is reporting exclusively from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon for The South African .
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