2018 Wimbledon...ATP 2000...London, Great Britain

[don_budge]

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/wimbledon/540/draws?matchtype=singles

Finally we have arrived at our destination tennis-wise. Wimbledon. The Holy Grail of tennis and Roger Federer is in the house. All eyes on Roger. What a tale this man has woven for us who care to dream of grass courts, white tennis balls, white tennis clothes and wooden racquets. They still play this game here at Wimbledon...in our dreams. I guess that I should probably say my dream. Who else cares?

It's all about Roger. Should he lose at any point the tournament takes on a different and lesser meaning. But should he remain in the draw in a round by round basis he makes the whole thing that much more interesting. Round by round, should he survive, every players becomes more interesting because they play a role in what could be. The permutations and combinations...so wonderfully classic when he is still around.

I think it is just a tremendous draw for Federer. There are of course road blocks. Stumbling stones. A potential match-up with Ivo Karlovic, for instance, could turn into a slippery slope for the Swiss Maestro. But with a 13-1 head to head against the big serving giant shouldn't keep Federer awake at night. Neither should a potential match-up against Borna "Born Again" Coric. I relish the thought of these two taking to the court again. More and more convinced that Roger was doing his coach a solid and playing it "less than solid" against Coric in their last two matches. Should we see this one again it wouldn't surprise me to see Roger play "pin the ears back" on the donkey. Politics is a dirty business.

It's a great draw for Federer. He has the bull by the horns right out of the gate. Now he just needs to get going round by round...building up a full head of steam. Why shouldn't we project him out to the semi final with a draw like this. It is all too tempting...so let's not be bothered. Just like Roger we must stay in the moment and not get ahead of things. The point in front of the nose is the focus. Hey...it is how he made himself "Great Again". MRGA. Made Roger Great Again. An unbelievable story that began with a bigger racquet. A racquet I advised fully three or four years before he finally did it. But what do I know?

The most interesting first round in the top half is a match that pits Stan Wawrinka versus Grigor Dimitrov. I wouldn't expect either of these guys to be around to have a shot at Roger Federer come semifinal time. But Wawrinka is seeking what was lost and Dimitrov is seeking what has never come to be. Make any sense to you? I'll tell you what...I would love to see either one of these two seekers play the young Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round. This kid is seeking a big scalp at a big time venue and either of these two guys would do. But Stefanos has to get there first. There are no gimmes on the grass for nineteen year old upstarts. Everyone is well aware of him now and they are looking to put the kid back in his place. The more I think of it the more it would excite me to see "The Kid" against either Wawrinka or Dimitrov. Beautiful one-handed backhands...all three. But you know how I am.

The bottom half. Let's see. Let's peruse a bit. Hmmm...oh look here. It is none other than Nick "Curious George" Kyrgios. Is it time Nick? Is it your time to grow up now? Nick has looked to be really solid and really competitive for the past three or four weeks. Starting with that nice match against Federer at the Mercedes. He has looked somewhat dangerous. If he can manage to stay half way focused for a week or so we might get to see him demolish Alexander Zverev in the quarters. But that is a big ask. Number one...who knows which Kyrgios is going to show? Number two...who knows which Zverev is going to show for that matter? It's hard to take this kid seriously after watching him disappoint over and over and over at the Slams.

There is lots of good stuff just waiting to happen. The bottom half might just appear to be a bit more loaded that the top. Is there a "Sleeper" in the draw? That remains to be seen so stay tuned. I know I will be.

Andy Murray is looking at a total mine field in front of him. Another tough draw for Sir Andy. Should be some clutch and grab not to mention scowling and grousing about in his future.

[don_budge]

All Eyes on Federer...ATP says so. So does don_budge.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/federer-wimbledon-2018-preview

[gzhpcu]

Murray just pulled out...

[don_budge]

Federer wearing UniGlo.

[don_budge]

The Three Hundred Million Dollar Man...Roger Federer

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/wimbledon/540/draws?matchtype=singles

It's all about Roger.

I think it is just a tremendous draw for Federer. There are of course road blocks. Stumbling stones. A potential match-up with Ivo Karlovic, for instance, could turn into a slippery slope for the Swiss Maestro. But with a 13-1 head to head against the big serving giant shouldn't keep Federer awake at night. Neither should a potential match-up against Borna "Born Again" Coric. I relish the thought of these two taking to the court again. More and more convinced that Roger was doing his coach a solid and playing it "less than solid" against Coric in their last two matches. Should we see this one again it wouldn't surprise me to see Roger play "pin the ears back" on the donkey. Politics is a dirty business.

The most interesting first round in the top half is a match that pits Stan Wawrinka versus Grigor Dimitrov. I wouldn't expect either of these guys to be around to have a shot at Roger Federer come semifinal time. But Wawrinka is seeking what was lost and Dimitrov is seeking what has never come to be. Make any sense to you?

I'll tell you what...I would love to see either one of these two seekers play the young Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round. This kid is seeking a big scalp at a big time venue and either of these two guys would do. But Stefanos has to get there first. There are no gimmes on the grass for nineteen year old upstarts. Everyone is well aware of him now and they are looking to put the kid back in his place. The more I think of it the more it would excite me to see "The Kid" against either Wawrinka or Dimitrov. Beautiful one-handed backhands...all three. But you know how I am.

Andy Murray is looking at a total mine field in front of him. Another tough draw for Sir Andy. Should be some clutch and grab not to mention scowling and grousing about in his future.

It's all about Roger. You know what I mean? The guy came out sporting a new line of clothes. Goodbye Nike...see you never. He routined Dusan. No muss, no fuss. He was only hamming it up with Borna Coric in the finals of the Gerry Weber. That wasn't Federer. Did I mention that before? What a deal it was to have Coric's manager as a coach. The plot thickens.

What a surprise? Coric wasn't his "new" self either. There was an article on the ATP website where the title was Coric saying he had never played better than he was playing now. Well then Mr. Born Again...how did you manage a straight set loss to Daniil Medvedev. You cannot write this stuff any better. Or is it just me?

I was watching Stefanos Tsitsipas and it is a little tough to get this kid's pulse. How good is he playing? Saw a little of Wawrinka and Dimitrov and it looked like Dimitrov was going to crash. The sixth seed was enough to get Wawrinka seeing the ball again. He and Tsitsipas need to win just one more match and they face off.

As for Federer. All that clowning around for the past six months. Unbelievable. What has be been doing all of this time? Sipping PED cocktails down in Dubai with friends and family. The guy looked like 300 million dollars in his new get-up. The draw sets up beautifully for him and the whole tournament is confused as to who the real Roger is now. Is it the guy who floundered about at Indian Wells and Miami and then took a dive against Coric last week or two? Or is it the real thing. The guy who takes forever off of the tour and then just comes back to rock the joint.

Stay tuned. Try to watch Tsitsipas. What do you think? Seeded #31. Not bad for a kid.

[gzhpcu]

Stan the man beats Dimitrov in 4 sets. Fought well.

[stroke]

The oddsmakers are pretty clear on the Roger they expect to see at this tournament. Tomic looked very good in his 1st round win, very professional effort. If he and Nick get to 3rd round, could be a good one.

[stroke]

Lacko has 16 winners and 7 unforced errors and is down 2 sets, being routined. The only player that to me appears to have a legitimate shot of beating the best tennis player ever, who is also in form, is a completely engaged every point Kyrgios. Seems unlikely. I really like Tsitsipas' game, but I do think clay is his best surface, and grass is probably his worst. I see him truly in the mix for the FO very soon.

[don_budge]

Roger Federer and the 2018 Wimbledon Championships

Lacko has 16 winners and 7 unforced errors and is down 2 sets, being routined. The only player that to me appears to have a legitimate shot of beating the best tennis player ever, who is also in form, is a completely engaged every point Kyrgios. Seems unlikely. I really like Tsitsipas' game, but I do think clay is his best surface, and grass is probably his worst. I see him truly in the mix for the FO very soon.

Well we can only take it one round at a time. But next up for Federer is none other than Jan-Lennard Struff who defeated the lumbering Croatien Ivo Karlovic 6-7, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 13-11. A monumental win over the monumental Karlovic. It would seem to me that it would be a rather daunting task to be down two sets to none and staring down the barrel of Karlovic's canon of a serve. But Struff managed to win two tiebreakers in a row and outlasted Ivo in the fifth. Good stuff Mr. Struff. But I would imagine that had to take some of the wind out his sails and Roger will be a whole different ball of wax to work with.

Against Lukas Lacko, Federer was nearly perfect on serve. He took care of his serve rather meticulously and it seems to me that Roger has a very different look about him than he had at Indian Wells and Miami...the German grasscourts as well. He is all about preparation and it looks as if he has arrived at the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon with perfect timing. The draw won't hurt either. Struff is potentially cat food for the prowling and growling Federer who is eating up the court presently like some big mean, feral cat. He's looking fresh and clean in his new UniQlo get up. I think that this might just be a big boon for Roger not to mention the 300 million. But a new look might be just what the doctor ordered mentally. Freshen things up a bit. A little change can have a big effect. He is feeling good and looking good. A bad sign for anyone on the opposite side of the net.

But Stefano Tsitsipas is now getting a lot of attention. It isn't like I saw him first but when I did first see him I saw it. This kid has potential and he gave a glimpse of it in the first two sets against Jared Donaldson yesterday. He took the two sets and looked to be very impressive doing it. I saw some backhands that he produced that Stan Wawrinka wouldn't be unhappy with. The thing is this kid has that sort of stringy type of body that just might be best suited for this game. He will fill out nicely in time but he moves so well. Here's the other thing compared to say a player like Denis Shapovalov or even Donaldson....he has so much potential variety in his game that it makes him perhaps the most interesting player to watch after Roger Federer.

So one of the things that separates him from the other Next Generation hopefuls is he can go from offensive to defence and all points in between from stroke to stroke. His use of the lob and his ability to retrieve and stay in a point are a key ingredient in the make up of a tennis player. He lobs as good as any player that I have seen. Everything is a work in progress with Stefano and it is time for the kid to be shopping around for a coach other than Daddio. The old boy has done a great job but now it is time for Stefano to be his own man without having his father around to second guess or provide too much input. It would be nice to see the finishing touches put on that service motion and also to light a firecracker under his butt to get to the net. With his height and nose for the ball he will be a multi faceted threat. You have to like the kids attitude also. He seems to be impressively poised but I heard the umpire warning him about his use of possible profanity in Greek. Nobody understand Greek...it's all Greek to me, right? So the kid let loose some expletives, apparently, and he got a warning. Temper is not necessarily a bad thing. Particularly for a Greek. Ever read "Zorba the Greek"? Perhaps you should.

[don_budge]

Roger Federer and the 2018 Wimbledon Championships

Roger Federer and the 2018 Wimbledon Championships

Well we can only take it one round at a time.

But Stefano Tsitsipas is now getting a lot of attention. It isn't like I saw him first but when I did first see him I saw it. This kid has potential and he gave a glimpse of it in the first two sets against Jared Donaldson yesterday. He took the two sets and looked to be very impressive doing it. I saw some backhands that he produced that Stan Wawrinka wouldn't be unhappy with. The thing is this kid has that sort of stringy type of body that just might be best suited for this game. He will fill out nicely in time but he moves so well. Here's the other thing compared to say a player like Denis Shapovalov or even Donaldson....he has so much potential variety in his game that it makes him perhaps the most interesting player to watch after Roger Federer.

The only player that to me appears to have a legitimate shot of beating the best tennis player ever, who is also in form, is a completely engaged every point Kyrgios. Seems unlikely. I really like Tsitsipas' game, but I do think clay is his best surface, and grass is probably his worst. I see him truly in the mix for the FO very soon.

I have always liked Cilic. He has had the top 10 game for years. It has appeared the mental lack of self confidence has been his biggest detriment to a run to the very top. It may have it all lining up for him now. Fed and Nadal aging in their own way, Novak with his own issues. Cilic has a window, and I sure would like to see it. He is such a professional.

It looks to me that Roger Federer "owns" the top half of the draw. Hopefully he will treat each of his opponents like an "unwanted, red-haired, freckle faced, left-handed stepchild" and dispense with them all "tout de suite". Now we watch the drama develop in the bottom half to see who the opponent will be in the final. That is getting ahead of things but a couple of "big" roadblocks have been removed from his path to the semi-finals. Number one was Ivo Karlovic and now Marin Cilic joins Ivo on the sidelines. How did he let that one slip away from Guido Pella up two sets to none and a break in the third. Could it be a "mental lack of self confidence" or is it something more? Marin is getting a reputation here and it isn't a very good one. He is not a great finisher. Roger is though...watch him hammer his way through the top half now. Hopefully this will up his focus a notch.

Stefano Tsitsipas on the other hand is taking things in increments. He is young and relatively inexperienced on the big stage and hopefully we get a chance to see if he relishes the opportunity to show his stuff or if like Marin he becomes a "shrinking violet" when the glare of all eyes on you becomes too much. Stefano crossed a hurdle of his own against Jared Donaldson the other days. First of all he hit a stride in the first two sets where he may have even surprised himself he was playing so well in dismantling Donaldson. Then he came down to earth a bit and Donaldson did a nice job of applying some pressure of his own. He wasn't going to disappear without a fight. In the middle of a game in the third set Donaldson suddenly went to his chair and summoned the trainer. He was worked on and a bandage was wrapped around his knee for support. Then he really came out swinging. Amazing how the tide can turn if your opponent unexpectantly pulls some sort of fast one and he gets into your head. The rules need to be reevaluated here. No way should Jared have been afforded a "timeout" in the middle of a game. I have misgivings about this whole medical timeout business.

But the match was then stopped when some drizzle hit the All England Club and when play resumed the next day Donaldson managed to collect the fourth set as well. So this was a huge moment for young Tsitsipas and he evidently responded with daring and swashbuckling...he pounced on the fifth set and the match was his. Stepping stones. The kid is climbing and now he is in the third round facing another opponent who he can beat.

It might be true that his best surface is clay. But I have heard him repeatedly say that he loves the grass and he played like he loved it during the Donaldson match. He found out too that in a five set match there is going to be considerable ebb and flow. He weathered his opponent's comeback bid and sent him home in due time. Time and time again Tsitisipas was clearly out of position in the middle of points but he was able to scramble and play an INTELLIGENT reply to work his way back into the point. This is called scrambling. Points won scrambling can take their toll on the opponent if you take something away that he thought he had in his pocket. This is almost an old fashioned aspect of tennis as nowadays so much is emphasized on the attack.

It is probably too much to ask for to see Tsitsipas in the semi-final against Roger Federer but this young man has a future if he can follow through and collect and connect all of the dots between all of the points during his development.

The bottom half is playing it's way out. Ernests Gulbis is making an appearance after disappearing from the radar screen for some years. He took down the number 27 seed Damir Dzumhur in five sets. Dzumhur looked to be glaring at Ernests at times as Gulbis was using drop shots very effectively. I guess Damir doesn't like to fun forwards. Taylor Fritz is facing a similar situation to what Stefanos Tsitsipas had as he has a two sets to one lead on Alexander Zverev. He needs to close this one out and send the tall lanky wannabe home. But it isn't over until it's over and Alexander made a couple of five set escapes at the French. He will be hard pressed to duplicate that at Wimbledon though as his game is not so suitable for the lawn carpet. Benoit Paire made a mess of Denis "The Menace" Shapovalov. Shapovalov is messy to begin with and the unrythmic style of Paire drove the Canadian to the brink of insanity. He couldn't make heads of tails of Benoit's game. Another early exit for another wannabe. Juan Martin del Potro is looking plenty destructible and he faces Paire next. This could get interesting.

Beyond that it might be all about Rafael Nadal. Maybe Fabio Fognini could derail Nadal if that match should develop by both players winning this next round. Can we take Novak Djokovic or "George" Kyrgios seriously? If then win another round or two I think we have too. Like stroke says...if Kyrgios is hitting on all eight he is a handful. Novak may not be ready for the grind but he has been there before. He knows deep inside if he is ready...I suspect that he is not.

Stay tuned. Don't touch that dial. Or rather nowadays...don't touch that mouse.

[stroke]

Roger Federer and the 2018 Wimbledon Championships







It looks to me that Roger Federer "owns" the top half of the draw. Hopefully he will treat each of his opponents like an "unwanted, red-haired, freckle faced, left-handed stepchild" and dispense with them all "tout de suite". Now we watch the drama develop in the bottom half to see who the opponent will be in the final. That is getting ahead of things but a couple of "big" roadblocks have been removed from his path to the semi-finals. Number one was Ivo Karlovic and now Marin Cilic joins Ivo on the sidelines. How did he let that one slip away from Guido Pella up two sets to none and a break in the third. Could it be a "mental lack of self confidence" or is it something more? Marin is getting a reputation here and it isn't a very good one. He is not a great finisher. Roger is though...watch him hammer his way through the top half now. Hopefully this will up his focus a notch.

Stefano Tsitsipas on the other hand is taking things in increments. He is young and relatively inexperienced on the big stage and hopefully we get a chance to see if he relishes the opportunity to show his stuff or if like Marin he becomes a "shrinking violet" when the glare of all eyes on you becomes too much. Stefano crossed a hurdle of his own against Jared Donaldson the other days. First of all he hit a stride in the first two sets where he may have even surprised himself he was playing so well in dismantling Donaldson. Then he came down to earth a bit and Donaldson did a nice job of applying some pressure of his own. He wasn't going to disappear without a fight. In the middle of a game in the third set Donaldson suddenly went to his chair and summoned the trainer. He was worked on and a bandage was wrapped around his knee for support. Then he really came out swinging. Amazing how the tide can turn if your opponent unexpectantly pulls some sort of fast one and he gets into your head. The rules need to be reevaluated here. No way should Jared have been afforded a "timeout" in the middle of a game. I have misgivings about this whole medical timeout business.

But the match was then stopped when some drizzle hit the All England Club and when play resumed the next day Donaldson managed to collect the fourth set as well. So this was a huge moment for young Tsitsipas and he evidently responded with daring and swashbuckling...he pounced on the fifth set and the match was his. Stepping stones. The kid is climbing and now he is in the third round facing another opponent who he can beat.

It might be true that his best surface is clay. But I have heard him repeatedly say that he loves the grass and he played like he loved it during the Donaldson match. He found out too that in a five set match there is going to be considerable ebb and flow. He weathered his opponent's comeback bid and sent him home in due time. Time and time again Tsitisipas was clearly out of position in the middle of points but he was able to scramble and play an INTELLIGENT reply to work his way back into the point. This is called scrambling. Points won scrambling can take their toll on the opponent if you take something away that he thought he had in his pocket. This is almost an old fashioned aspect of tennis as nowadays so much is emphasized on the attack.

It is probably too much to ask for to see Tsitsipas in the semi-final against Roger Federer but this young man has a future if he can follow through and collect and connect all of the dots between all of the points during his development.

The bottom half is playing it's way out. Ernests Gulbis is making an appearance after disappearing from the radar screen for some years. He took down the number 27 seed Damir Dzumhur in five sets. Dzumhur looked to be glaring at Ernests at times as Gulbis was using drop shots very effectively. I guess Damir doesn't like to fun forwards. Taylor Fritz is facing a similar situation to what Stefanos Tsitsipas had as he has a two sets to one lead on Alexander Zverev. He needs to close this one out and send the tall lanky wannabe home. But it isn't over until it's over and Alexander made a couple of five set escapes at the French. He will be hard pressed to duplicate that at Wimbledon though as his game is not so suitable for the lawn carpet. Benoit Paire made a mess of Denis "The Menace" Shapovalov. Shapovalov is messy to begin with and the unrythmic style of Paire drove the Canadian to the brink of insanity. He couldn't make heads of tails of Benoit's game. Another early exit for another wannabe. Juan Martin del Potro is looking plenty destructible and he faces Paire next. This could get interesting.

Beyond that it might be all about Rafael Nadal. Maybe Fabio Fognini could derail Nadal if that match should develop by both players winning this next round. Can we take Novak Djokovic or "George" Kyrgios seriously? If then win another round or two I think we have too. Like stroke says...if Kyrgios is hitting on all eight he is a handful. Novak may not be ready for the grind but he has been there before. He knows deep inside if he is ready...I suspect that he is not.

Stay tuned. Don't touch that dial. Or rather nowadays...don't touch that mouse.


great post on the state of Wimbledon. I wanted to see Nick vs Tomic, but Tomic was just giving up too much movement to Kei. Nick and that Goran type serve though, is a real weapon of destruction. It is just a scary fast twich motion. I just cannot see him with the necessary focus to take down the guy with the perfect technique, and the perfect mental game. Regarding Fritz, I really like his game. He is only the #9 ranked American, but he is the one that has the most potential to me. Good to see him really get it going vs Zverev. He is definitely hanging with him off both sides groundstroke wise, and he has a bigger serve/more live arm. And I like his demeanor on the court.

[stroke]

Well, Fritz has some more work to do on the non technique side of tennis

[klacr]

The draws are decimated.
2.5 hours into the fifth day of Wimbledon and...
15 of the 32 women seeds have been eliminated
16 of the 32 men's seeds have been eliminated.
7 of the top 10 women seeds have been eliminated.

Fritz needs to work on the short ball approach. He tries to hit every approach for a winner, needs to accept the fact that he should volley.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Goodbye Alexander Zverev...welcome back Ernests Gulbis

Fritz needs to work on the short ball approach. He tries to hit every approach for a winner, needs to accept the fact that he should volley.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

This is a weakness that is like a infestation in the modern game of tennis. No sooner does klacr make this observation then the man who took out Taylor Fritz meets his demise by the man who just may have turned out to be the "Sleeper" in the draw.

Alexander Zverev is history once again in the first week of a Grand Slam event. At the French Open for the first time in his career he defeated a player ranked in the top 50 but here at Wimbledon he found his demise at the hands of the number 138 ranked player in the world...Ernests Gulbis. He with the "Crawl Stroke Forehand"...or what were we calling it back when it was posted here on the forum. Zverev was quoted in an article on the ATP website making a comment on how he was going to make up distance between himself the the only two players currently ranked ahead of him. Frankly...he better be a bit more concerned with the 136 players ranked below him. All of whom seem to have a chance of upsetting his apple cart on any given day.

Personally I have zero feeling for Alexander Zverev either way. Rafael Nadal annoys the hell out of me and I personally cannot stand the sight of him. This guy has no such side to him. He doesn't seem like a bad sort at all but if he is the number three ranked player in the tennis world, then the tennis world is in a world of hurt. Realistically he is a number 15 or thereabouts in a sport that has any sort of depth.

I only saw the first and last sets so I wasn't watching the Alexander Zverev highlight reel, but Ernests had him on a string and at the end if it wasn't a tank it was very close to it. Quite possibly he was out of gas from the previous five setter combined with this match. I have to credit Gulbis for being very clever with his use of a sliced forehand. That's right...a sliced forehand. He played this shot in a variety of ways that kept young Alexander completely off balance and feeling uncomfortable. I noticed the same thing against Gulbis' previous opponent, Damir Dzumhur. Dzumhur seemed to be glaring in the direction of Ernests a lot towards the end of the match as Gulbis was taking advantage of fifth set legs and was playing the ball short and angled to Dzumhur. It seemed to be a rather frosty handshake at the end and it almost seemed as if Damir made some comment that Ernests took exception to.

It might seem like a cheap shot tactic...a bit chicken shit. But it doesn't strike me that way. To me it was extremely clever. On one point against Zverev he threw in three or four of these nothing balls and found more and more angle. On another occasion he chased down a mediocre drop shot from Zverev and made a forehand volley sort of swing and sliced the ball deep into the corner to the Zverev backhand. Now to me...that is an approach shot. A shot not played to win outright but engineered to disrupt and knock the opponent off balance with guile. With clever percentage tactics. 'What are the possibilities of the return of such a shot that is well played against a player camped out at the net? Whatever they might be...they are limited.

Strong serving from Gulbis too. His next opponent is currently engaged on the court he just dusted off Zverev on...Nick "Curious George" Kyrgios against Kei "I'm Hurt" Nishikori. I like "Curious George" here if he can keep his nose to the grindstone. He has to be tired of losing to the much shorter Nishikori at this point he is 0-3 against him head to head.

So if Nick can prevail then we might find out who the real "Sleeper" is. It could be Nick after all if he can keep his fragile egg shell mind on the task at hand. Right now it doesn't look good for Nick as he is down a set and a break. He might just rollover. His habit of playing it "too cool for school" and just holding serve might backfire on him here. But here he breaks back so it is game on again.

Novak Djokovic is serving for the match against Britain's last hope Kyle Edmund. Novak doesn't look as invincible as he once was but he seems to be getting his teeth into the tournament. If he proceeds to a match against a Nadal, a Del Potro or Kyrgios or even Gulbis...who knows?

Just killing time until Roger played again. And oh yeah...Stefano Tsitsipas. Wimbledon...you have to love it. Even if modern players are clueless on how to approach the net. You can't always get what you want you know. But if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need. Remember that tune by the Stones. Donald Trump played that song after he won the election. Maybe he was just telling us something.

You get what you need. Brilliant.

[stroke]

Db makes some good points, but to me, it is just more simple. Fed and Nadal are the 2 best players ever(for different reasons) and they are always going to be a very tough out. Neither ever goes away any point in a match. Fed has the perfect technique and perfect mental game. Nadal is the best ever slam dunk clay courter of all time and also has the perfect mental game. Novak, just the fact that he has won 12 majors playing against those 2, makes him the 3rd best ever in my book.