Dissecting why Djokovic excels on grass, the quick turnaround from the French Open, why so many are skipping the Olympics and more.
It’s day three at Wimbledon. We’ve already had an abundance of twists, turns and slips.
Here are some thoughts on Roger Federer and Serena Williams—39-year-old parents trying to establish records—one still in the draw, the other not. But, as it is written: Wednesday is Mailbag Day; so here goes….Jon, I saw your seed reports and agree that Novak Djokovic is the player to beat. My question: Why is he so good on grass? I understand hard courts. And we know that if Nadal weren’t around, he would have many more French Opens. But why grass?
Charles, LA
• For the record, after beating Jake Draper in round one, Djokovic now has precisely the same winning percentage on grass as he does on concrete. He is the de-de-fending champ at Wimbledon and most people have him versus the field.
We were talking about this on Tennis Channel (h/t Martina). Too often we are stuck in 90s stereotypes about grass. It’s serve-bots. It’s power. It’s Goran and Philippoussis. The truth: It’s all about movement. Grass benefits the athletes, the fleet of foot, the players who can change direction, those who are flexible. When players' movement gets exposed (Tsitsipas, Pliskova), they are vulnerable. When players can combine ballstriking and returning and serving with slick movement, they can excel. Which Djokovic does.
Is only having two weeks off between the French Open and Wimbledon really such a big deal? I heard you say that on Tennis Channel. But what’s the difference?
Carlito, NY
• Until 1977, there was only ONE week between Roland Garros and Wimbledon. In 1978, there were two weeks between the two majors and—while causation doesn’t equal correlation—note that this was the same year Bjorn Borg started his three straight years of winning “the Channel double”—both the French and Wimbledon. The two-week gap remained until 2015, when it was moved to three weeks.
As far as this year, I think the short turnaround had a huge impact. For all the talk of homogenization, grass and clay are distinctly different. They require not just different shoes, but an entirely different approach to movement. There were no grass court events in 2020, which meant that for players like Tsitsipas, who declined to play a tuneup, they went a full two years without grass matches. Also, just as with emotional reset during a period with lingering COVID-19 effects, the field could have used an additional week to exhale and then inhale.
Recognizing it will be some time before [Wednesday's] Supreme Court ruling…allows dollars to flow to college tennis players. But if I’m Gaudenzi, I’m thinking this is yet another reason to move with urgency to ensure journeymen (women) earn a living wage.
Dale Stafford
• Context: Another blow against the antitrust protection that the NCAA has enjoyed, the Supreme Court ruled that colleges and universities need to limit the educational benefits conferred on athletes. (Presumably, compensating athletes would also not withstand this antitrust exemption.)
I’m not sure whether this is a concern of Andrea Gaudenzi, head of the ATP. But I do think we are nearing a day when the NCAA won’t—or can’t—restrict the earnings of college players who can earn money playing pro events.
Just a quick observation while watching Federer play Mannarino….Federer NEEDS Steffi to teach him how to slice a backhand. As much as Federer’s topspin/drive backhand has vastly improved, he is merely floating his slices.
A Fed Fan, Toronto
• I was going to suggest the opposite. Federer is blocking and slicing so many balls—serves especially—hit to the backhand. Take a whack, especially against Adrian Mannarino, who doesn’t overpower his opponents.
Jon, do you still do WTHIGOW? If so, WTHIGOW Tsitsipas?
Thanks, Carl R.
• For the uninitiated, WTHIGOW is an anagram: “What the hell is going on with.” It seems a little too harsh, especially as I get softer and older. But let’s invoke it here: WTHIGOW Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has now lost six straight sets?
Let’s be clear. Frances Tiafoe played perhaps the match of his life. He had nearly twice as many winners as errors. He broke Tsitsipas five times and didn’t get broken once himself. He was magnificent on getting the crowd on his side with energy and projecting a sense of this-means-a-lot-to-me. But we always have this balancing exercise in sports. Tstisipas looked vacant and lost and emotionally beaten. Fifteen days ago, he was a set from a career-transforming win, his first major and a takedown of the Mighty Djokovic. He lost three straight sets. And then, still perhaps shellshocked, he lost another three today. A number of us wondered whether Tsitsipas would benefit from (see above) the short interval between the French and Wimbledon. No time to sulk when you have another major pending. This was opposite: not enough time had elapsed. He didn’t play a match between the French final and the first round of Wimbledon. Like a plate not fully cleaned, there were remnants of his French meal that were still apparent Tuesday
Hey Jon, Wimbledon Pre-Tournament Interview. It’s kind of embarrassing for a…reporter to ask Novak his thoughts about his “20” major titles. Sorry Jon—am not buying the niche sport argument. If an individual gets an opportunity to ask Nole a question—not knowing the stats is not acceptable. Read up!
Deepak, New York .
• I didn’t hear that. I’m with you that basic research is in order. Not knowing Novak’s major count is inexcusable. But there is a tension between the knowledgeable tennis type and the mainstream broadcaster. I would love for, say, Stephen A. Smith or Dan Patrick to spend more time in and on tennis. If they didn’t know that Kohlschreiber hits a one-handed backhand or that Carla Suarez Navarro has had a hell of an 18 months, that’s O.K.
It seems like every day another player pulls out of the Tokyo Olympics. For a while there, I thought the Olympics were equal to a major. Now it doesn’t seem that way. What happened?
The Sidewinder!
• We talked about this last week. There’s really a huge range here. For some players, the Olympics represents EVERYTHING. Wang Qiang has skipped Wimbledon expressly to train for the Olympics. For others, it’s clearly a been-there-done-that, more of a bucket list item than an event that—like a major—must be won as many times as possible.
I do think—to use our favorite symbol on the qwerty keyboard—there’s an asterisk around the Tokyo Games. It’s entirely understandable that, for reasons having nothing to do with their esteem for the Games, they would want to beg off.
Hi Jon, So Venus won her 90th match at Wimbledon. Wow! Do you remember when her father said that she was thinking of retirement after losing to Hingis in the 1999 U.S. Open semifinals?
Joe Johnson, Easton PA
• I remember Richard Williams, in the 90s, explaining that his daughters had only a few more years of tennis because they had an abundance of other interests. I say, great. The longer stars stick around, the better. And if Venus and Serena still find fulfillment and are playing decades (!) longer than had initially been thought, this is something to be celebrated.
Can [you] explain why the ball persons behave like they just got out of basic training? Their military-style movement is disconcerting.
@pazmagat
• We’re all for precision. But a smile would be nice.
Enjoy the holiday weekend of tennis!
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