The headlines
Rafael Nadal crashed out at the early stages for the second
year running, as an inspired Steve Darcis triumphed 7-6 7-6 6-4. It was part of
a hugely exciting line-up for day one of the championships, with Federer,
Murray and Sharapova also featuring. On Tuesday, Laura Robson pulled out all
the stops as she blasted through the tenth seed, Maria Kirilenko, while Heather
Watson was knocked out by the impressive American teenager, Madison Keys.
What next for Rafael
Nadal?
Many pundits tipped Nadal to win Wimbledon this year given
his remarkable form in 2013. Nine tournaments played, seven titles, and his
knee seemed to be holding up well. However, most of these had come on his
favourite surface, clay, which is relatively kind to the knees compared to hard
courts and especially grass.
From the very start against Darcis, he was constantly running
around his backhand to hit forehands, making errors and finding himself out of
position against a savvy grass court player. The damp, heavy conditions would not have
helped the Spaniard either; he was unsure with his footwork and his classic
spinning forehand caused fewer problems.
By the third set, it was clear he was struggling physically
when he limped trying to chase down a drop shot. His left knee had given up
although Nadal refused to talk about it during the press conference. Darcis was
clearly feeling tense towards the end, aware of the enormity of what he was
about to achieve, but he completed one of Wimbledon’s biggest upsets.
But was it? A fully fit Nadal would have cruised through
that match on whatever surface and, let’s be honest, Darcis did not play
blindingly good tennis throughout. It was different to Nadal’s early exit last
year; even though Nadal did have knee
problems, Lukas Rosol could have beaten anybody playing as he did. He went
for the big shots and, somehow, they all came off.
The result is deeply concerning for Nadal fans. His
comeback was arguably incomplete until he experienced a change of surface; the
shift from clay to grass was going to be the acid test. The danger is that he has
become a one-surface player again, too vulnerable to play his intense style on
the less forgiving fast courts. He at least has time to recover and contemplate
what he’s doing for the rest of 2013, because this could be a defining period
of his career.
Mixed bag for the
Brits
Overall, the first round was somewhat disappointing for the
British players. Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha completed their annual
first round exits while Johanna Konta and Tara Moore both put up a good fights but
narrowly lost out.
Heather Watson was clearly not fully fit after a bout of
glandular fever. Her game doesn’t depend so much on shot power, but on
athleticism, being a solid returner and chasing down lost causes – a bit like
Andy Murray a few years ago. Against a big hitter like Madison Keys, it was
always going to be a difficult task to retain such intensity.
James Ward performed well, but succumbed to the experienced
Yen-Hsun Lu in four sets. This is the same player who defeated then-runner-up
Andy Roddick in the fourth round in 2010, and also beat Murray at the 2008
Olympics. Meanwhile, no one expected 18-year-old debutant Kyle Edmund to beat
Jerzy Janowicz – it will be crucial experience if he is to reach the top 100.
As for Laura Robson, her win over Maria Kirilenko will
surely give her huge confidence going into her the second round match against world
number 36 Julia Goerges. She hit an astonishing 31 winners to the Russian’s 8
and won 80% of points behind the first serve. This was intimidating enough, but
perhaps most encouraging was the fact she won 60% of points on her second serve
and double faulted only three times. Clearly, new coach Miles Maclagan has been
trying to improve Robson’s results during the pressure moments and it’s
working.
By contrast, we didn’t learn much from Andy Murray’s win
against Benjamin Becker; it was similar in many ways to their clash at Queen’s
the other week. For me, his only weakness is the second serve and at times Becker
found it too easy to take charge of the rallies. But there’s plenty of time to
tweak these things before the potential semi-final against Federer, who looks
in ominous form after his straight sets win over Hanescu.
First round summary
Best men’s performance
– Steve Darcis: Not quite a Rosol performance but still mightily impressive,
as the Belgian took out Nadal in straight sets. Despite playing an injured
opponent, he still had to produce his best tennis and utilised the slice and
drop shot to devastating effect.
Best women’s performance
– Laura Robson: Outgunned the
world number 10 Maria Kirilenko with a masterclass display of serving and
dictacted points from the baseline.
Best men’s match – Bernard
Tomic vs Sam Querrey: The talented, yet unpredictable, Australian Tomic
came through in five sets against the 21st seed despite suffering from
dizziness. His next opponent will also be an American – James Blake.
Best women’s match – Ajla Tomljanovic vs Bojana Jovanovski: This was a marathon which 21-year-old
Serbian Jovanovski eventually won 3-6, 6-1, 9-7 against a plucky qualifier.
Second round: ones to watch
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs
Ernests Gulbis: Here we have two supremely talented players but only one
who is fulfilling their potential. While Tsonga is pushing hard for his first
major under the gaze of new coach Roger Rasheed, Gulbis’ career is languishing
somewhat. Expect some remarkable shot-making from both players. Prediction: Tsonga in four sets
Tomas Berdych vs
Daniel Brands: Keep an eye on the speed gun for this match – these two give
the ball a good whack. Former finalist Berdych is expected to progress but
Brands is no mug, having taken a set off Nadal at the French Open. Berdych’s
superior backhand will probably be the deciding factor. Prediction: Berdych in four sets
Monica Puig vs Silvia
Soler-Espinosa: It will be interesting to see how Puig, who toppled fifth
seed Sara Errani in round one, fares against lesser opposition. If Puig
maintains her aggression (she hit 38 winners against Errani) she could go deep
into the tournament. Prediction: Puig in
straight sets
Madison Keys vs Mona
Barthel: Keys was impressive against Heather Watson and struck the ball so
cleanly on both wings. With a big serve and excellent temperament to boot, she
will surely be a top 10 player in future. Great things are also expected of 22-year-old
Barthel, one of the youngest players in the top 30. Prediction: Keys in three sets