After two years away, Wimbledon returned with aplomb, delivering titanic battles, eyebrow-raising results and the triumphant return of the home hero to grab the headlines.
Andy Murray’s performance against the disappointing Basilashvili was a compelling affair. So many glimpses of the Scot’s magic jarred awkwardly with a scattershot of match-rough rustiness. Still this was not a guaranteed win so it left the crowds delighted, and how good it was to hear the cheers once more.
Novak Djokovic had a brief scare from Queens star Jack Draper, but it proved to be nothing more than a brief blip as the Serb found his feet on the grass after such his historic achievements only a few weeks ago on the clay.
His victim in the final at Paris is out already however. Tsitsipas is known to not yet embrace the green stuff, and so it proved with a limp straight sets exit to the dangerous Tiafoe, so not actually a huge shock really. The shocks continued soon after with two-time winner Kvitova never really at her best, losing to Sloane Stephens. A more surprising result given the American’s indifferent 2021 so far, and on that continues my rich vein of awful predictions.
Elsewhere, Sabalenka and former champ Muguruza looked very good indeed, and Kevin Anderson prevailed to ensure we have a repeat of the 2018 final between the South African and Djokovic.
All Things Tennis 