Special envoy to London
It must be admitted that this 2023 edition left us hungry for a long time. Gloomy as the weather more capricious than ever this year in London. But that was before the men’s final between the phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz and the giant Novak Djokovic. A masterpiece of almost five hours where the intensity almost never subsided. An epic duel that confirmed that Alcaraz is a budding genius. It took a UFO like him to defeat the boss Djokovic and his ten years of invincibility on the Center Court. The master of the place suffering the lightning of a kid, without complex, the strongest in five sets (1-6 7-6 6-1 3-6 6-4). An anthology duel of 4h42. Of these finals that remain in the memories. Purists will place it behind the Nadal Federer of 2008 or the Borg McEnroe of 1980, or even the Djokovic – Federer of 2019. Nevertheless, it is a great moment in the history of tennis that unfolded before our amazed eyes. July 16, 2023.
The 24-year-old Czech became the first non-seeded player to triumph in the Temple of Tennis since Billie Jean King in… 1963. An eternity. Marketa Vondrousova, with numerous tattoos adorning her arms, made history by beating Ons Jabeur in an otherwise very forgettable final. The story is beautiful for the one who a year ago had a cast on her left wrist due to a second operation in three years and who had come to do some sightseeing in London. The story is also tasty because she had won only two matches in her career on this surface before her epic! Dropped by her equipment supplier Nike in January, she had still not found a sponsor when she arrived in London. She should find some now…
With a smile still on his lips and a pure old-fashioned attacking game, the 27-year-old American stirred up the often civilized crowds of Wimbledon. The English public fell in love with this almost unknown who had never passed a second round in a Grand Slam, never beaten a top 10 player before the London Grand Slam and who never made it into the top 100. .only in April. “I feel like I’m living a dream, it’s crazy (…) It’s surreal, I can’t believe it”, hammered the 43rd player in the world, Christopher Eubanks offered himself in particular the scalps of Cameron Norrie, semi-finalist in title or Stefanos Tsitsipas, world number 5. In the quarter, the American also almost brought down world number 3 Daniil Medvedev. After a magnificent fight against the Russian, the best match of the fortnight before the men’s final, Eubanks gave up in five sets, but won hearts.
After five editions covering the tournament, we understand better why “The championships” is magical and unique. For any tennis lover, pushing the prestigious door of the temple of the little yellow ball is an absolute fantasy. Like crossing the gates of the Augusta Masters, for golf enthusiasts. When one enters the precincts of the Temple, one feels like a privileged person in a sacred place. The magic happens. Always. The oldest of the four Grand Slam tournaments, remains unique with its immutable traditions, some would say outdated. Wimbledon? Players in white battling on the court, a tradition imposed by the All England Lawn Tennis
The contrast is striking. If the Alcaraz – Djokovic final has its place very high in the history books, that between Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova will quickly be forgotten by tennis lovers. For a good final it takes two people and know how to manage the pressure of the event… The management of emotions again played a major role this Saturday in the final match of the women’s draw lost by Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6- 4. And Vondrousova was a little less taken by the challenge, than the Tunisian inhibited by the heavy pressure attached to the status of favorite. The Czech, without making the match of her life, was the most solid and the most enterprising, like a match point won at the net. Not very powerful, but very creative, it dominated Jabeur who also has the same qualities, as a rule. The strongest moment of this final will unfortunately remain the tears of a Tunisian, inconsolable after having suffered a third defeat in three Grand Slam finals, including a second consecutive one at Wimbledon.
It’s a defeat that will be hard to digest for the French number 1, the last survivor of the French camp, whose adventure ended in the 3rd round. Disappointment. A frustration. One more in 2023 for the one who had raised the wildest hopes after her fabulous end to the 2022 season, rich in particular in a semi-final at the US Open and a coronation at the prestigious Masters. After a big fight, Caroline Garcia, still too inconstant, smashed against the Czech wall in the person of Marie Buzkova. True to her game plan, the Lyonnaise constantly attacked her opponent who was “content” to wait for too many faults from the leader of French tennis. And in the last set, when she had the match in hand, the 5th player in the world let her tough opponent come back into the match. Too nervous, Garcia accumulated errors in the money time. The attack is good, having a plan B, sometimes too. The 29-year-old Lyonnaise wants to go to the end of her ideas. Respectable but damaging, because the feeling of a big mess continues, especially since the grass seems the ideal surface for the Lyonnaise…
Wimbledon is a prestigious tournament that takes place outdoors (outdoors) but many of its matches have been played indoors (indoors) this year. And not only because of the capricious weather. On the Center Court, three matches are scheduled per day but the day begins at just 1.30 p.m. UK time (compared to 11 a.m. on the outlying courts), and ends no later than 11 p.m., due to the curfew. This year two matches have already been interrupted before their end at the mythical London central: the second round between Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas, started under the roof and completed on Friday outdoors, and the round of 16 between Novak Djokovic and Hubert Hurkacz, which the curfew was interrupted under the roof at two zero sets in favor of the Serb, and which ended the next day outdoors. Novak Djokovic sent a message by proposing to advance the matches, so that we avoid these indoor night sessions. But for tournament director Sally Bolton, economic logic takes precedence over sporting logic: “TV ratings speak for themselves: they exceed our expectations and the figures of previous years,” she said. All is said…
It is therefore not only at Roland-Garros where the spectators have concerns with geopolitics. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, Ukrainian players have chosen not to greet their Russian and Belarusian opponents. After her incredible showdown against the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka in the round of 16, the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina therefore did not greet her opponent, who for her part nevertheless gave her a sign of the racket. And it was the Belarusian who received the whistles when she left court 1, from an audience probably ignorant of the context… Unfair for the former world number one who deserved the ovation as much as her brave opponent , at the end of the magnificent fight delivered by the two champions. Asked at a press conference, the two-time Grand Slam winner did not hide her annoyance: “I can’t control the crowd. I’m not sure a lot of people understood what was going on, so… There were probably a lot of Pimm’s (Wimbledon booze) that were drunk throughout the day. What can I do ?” The authorities kicked into touch. The problem remains and could happen again at the US Open in early September…
