Wimbledon Midterm Grades: Favorites Advance, but Plenty of Brits (and Americans) Don’t

Some familiar faces from last year’s final have advanced, but the same can’t be said for plenty of Brits and Americans.

The match schedule may not confirm it, backlogged as it was after days of rain (inescapable) and 1:30 start times for Centre Court play (an unforced error). But, chronologically anyway, we are through Week 1 of Wimbledon 2023. Seeds have advanced. Brits have been eliminated. Americans, too. Schedules have been backlogged. Players have been asked to expound on victories they did not achieve. The passive voice has been used.

Our Week 1 grades from The All England Club, through Saturday’s play:

Djokovic won every set of his first three matches at The All England Club this year :: Alberto Pezzali/AP

A

The faves: Novak Djokovic and Iga Światek have ranged from unplayable to merely excellent. And the top men’s seed (Carlos Alcaraz) is still very much alive.

Chris Eubanks: Former Georgia Tech star wins an ATP tournament the week before Wimbledon. The first week of the Championships he takes out Cam Norrie (a semifinalist last year) and then wins again. Look for him to be seeded at the U.S. Open. Credit the fan who quipped: Who knew EU banks could be this effective and efficient?

Mother Ukraine: Elina Svitolina is veering toward contender status. Marta Kostyuk took out No. 8 seed Maria Sakkari and then (by injury) Paula Badosa. Lesia Tsurenko won the longest women’s match and is still in the draw as well. You go, tennis karma. (And an assist to Wimbledon for making the conditions as hospitable as possible for players escaping war at home.)

Stefanos Tsitsipas: An eventful week—two former Major champs as opponents; five straight days of play; an injured girlfriend (see below)—and he is still standing.

Matteo Berrettini: Unseeded after a tennis annus miserabilies, the 2021 finalist has won 35 of his last 37 grass matches.

Last year’s finalists: Despite questions coming in, both Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur are rounding into 2022 form.

Sally Jenkins: And for that matter Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Sportswriting, folks. This is as good as advertised

Anett Konaveit: Estonian star—and consummate professional—plays her final match, forced from the sport on account of a chronic back injury.

Sonia Kenin: The most recent American to win a major has been through tennis hell these last few years. But she qualified, beat Coco Gauff, won again, and lost a battle against Svitolina.

B

Saudi Arabia: Wherever you land on this bubbling issue, the Kingdom’s foray into tennis is a given. It’s just a question of form. Do the Saudis inject money into the tours? Or go the LIV route and form a rival tour?

Dominic Thiem: Former Major winner comes within a few points of a much-needed tight win, but falls 7–6 in the fifth to Stefanos Tsitsipas. “That’s tennis. In the end, only a few points determine the match’s outcome. Nevertheless, I’m going home with my head held high; it was definitely a good match.”

Milos Raonic: In his second event in two years, Raonic, a former finalist here, wins a round and loses a round.

Venus Williams: At age 43—in the familiar venue of Centre Court—she started strong, slipped, and could not subdue Elina Svitolina. But Venus acquitted herself just fine. And didn’t exactly project a sense that this was her final Wimbledon.

Fritz won the first two sets before falling to world No. 59 Ymer :: Alberto Pezzali/AP

B-

Americans: A few remain, not least honest Jessica Pegula, Eubanks, Madison Keys. But lots of bad losses. Taylor Fritz dropping a five-setter to Sweden’s Mikael Ymer. Sloane Stephens losing a 6–4, 5–2 lead to Donna Vekić. Sebastian Korda getting chopped up by Jirí Vesely. Coco Gauff going down in round one to fellow American Kenin.

Scheduling: It’s never an exact science. Inevitably there will be injustice. Compounding matters, there’s pressure to conserve grass on the big courts. But come on, guys. You don’t start play until 1:30 p.m.—because the club members have to eat lunch—and then can’t fit three matches into one session. When some players are in Round 3 and others have yet to play their first match, that ain’t right. The U.S. Open would sell urinal sponsorship if someone came up with the money, and start play after 3:00 a.m. informercials if it suited commercial interests. But sometimes Wimbledon’s hidebound ways work to the detriment of the event. And, more critically, the fans.

C

Clueless journalism: It’s entirely plausible to go into a press conference not knowing if the featured player won or lost. What’s implausible? Asking the first question. The result is this cringe-o-rama.

Casper Ruud: Fourth seed falls in Round 2 to British wild card Liam Broady. Ruud was characteristically gracious in defeat. And didn’t seem to consider the result especially remarkable, especially given his antipathy for grass. But no top-five player should be okay with losing to opponents outside the top 100.

Protestors: Just Stop Oil? Okay, most of us can get squarely behind that. But how does it help your cause and arouse sympathy to interrupt a sporting event, invade sacred space, spook athletes, and interrupt competition? Contrary to the shibboleth, not all attention is good attention.

Nick Kyrgios: Not for any bad acts. But it’s been a lousy year for a guy who showed much promise last year. On the eve of the event, he pulls out with a wrist injury. There’s just this nagging sense that in 20 years, there will be a Kyrgios documentary and, silhouetted by a black backdrop he will say: “I wish someone had grabbed me by the lapels and screamed, ‘You have so much talent. I beg you to show it proper respect, mate!’”