Tennis: The six stories you won’t want to miss at Wimbledon

LONDON | Wimbledon. Lawn trimmed to the millimeter, strawberries with cream, British phlegm, sparkling white outfits (although that will change this year): the major tournament par excellence begins on Monday and, to put you in the water To the mouth, The newspaper brings you six stories you won’t want to miss in the next 15 days.

The war on the ground too

Russians and Belarusians will return to the All England Club this year, a year after being banned due to their country’s invasion of Ukraine.

As a response to this decision taken by the English Tennis Federation, the ATP and the WTA imposed a hefty fine on him. It had also decided not to award points to participants, which meant that some athletes did not see their rankings improve despite their good performance.

So it will be back to normal. But, as we saw last month at Roland-Garros, the tensions between Russia and Ukraine sometimes carry over to the field.

In Paris, several Ukrainian players, including Elina Svitolina, refused to shake hands with their rivals coming from these two nations once the match is over.

It is therefore to be expected that politics and sport will come together again during the fortnight.

To equal Margaret Court’s record

At Roland-Garros, on the land of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic became the most successful Grand Slam player in history. On 23 occasions, he lifted the champion’s trophy on the last Sunday of the fortnight.

At Wimbledon, he will be able to further cement his legend. He will be able to achieve the feat that eluded Serena Williams for so many years: equaling Australian Margaret Court’s ultimate mark of 24 major titles.

This record, it combines the titles that Court scooped before and after what is called the era openwhere professionals were able to start playing Grand Slam tournaments (in 1968).

Defending champion, the world number 2 has won top honors on seven occasions. He has not lost since 2017, when he withdrew in the middle of the match in front of the Czech Tomas Berdych, injured in an elbow.

A little color… on the underwear

The players will still be dressed in all white at Wimbledon this year, as tradition dictates. With the exception… of ladies, who can wear colored underwear at their convenience.

Many of them pleaded for an amendment to this strict rule unique to the All England Club. Because some said they felt anxious about putting on white shorts, very visible under their dresses, when they were menstruating.

Well, it will not change much at the end of the matches, you will say. But some athletes may play a little more liberated! And we will have to get used to seeing a little more color in our televisions.

Can Carlos Alcaraz win on grass too?

He dominates everywhere, the young world number 1, but the grass remains the surface on which he has the least experience. Before this season, the only place he had played on grass was at… Wimbledon.

But the 20-year-old Spaniard has proven in recent days that he could also be a formidable opponent at the All England Club by winning the Queen’s tournament, which serves as a preparation for the prestigious event.

The key to his rapid progress on this surface which is also particularly fast? The prodigy revealed watching videos of Roger Federer and Andy Murray, the two players he (and many others) believe are the best movers on grass.

Now, will the body hold up? The epic semi-final between him and Novak Djokovic in Paris took a sad turn when Alcaraz was overcome with cramps. But, as he learns quickly, we suspect that the young star will also have found a solution so that it does not happen again.

Felix’s good or bad knee?

Félix Auger-Aliassime’s left knee has been causing him pain for several months, he revealed to the Log this week. He knows some good days, but some not so good ones as well.

Which knee (and which Felix) will show up at the All England Club? On this fast surface that suits his powerful serve well, the Quebecer should in theory be able to deliver great performances. But for that, the body will have to hold on.

And the mind, too. Because “FAA” is not having a season that lives up to the hopes it raised by winning three ATP titles in a row last fall.

The 12^e world had lost outright at Wimbledon last year. The previous year, he had reached the quarters. In short, with the Quebecer, you never know!

There will also be several other Canadians in contention: Leylah Annie Fernandez, the returning Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov, Bianca Andreescu, Rebecca Marino as well as Carol Zhao, who is part of the main draw of a major tournament for the first time.

Will the women’s ‘Big Three’ continue their dominance?

No, they do not enjoy the immense notoriety of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. But Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have emerged as the players to beat since the start of the year.

Rybakina, naturalized Kazakh but of Russian origin, also triumphed on the English turf last year. Sabalenka has the ideal power to dominate on this surface.

And Swiatek, the undisputed number 1 in the world, can win everywhere, even if the grass remains a surface that benefits her game less.

Logically, we should see all three of them very far in the big picture. A little consistency in women’s tennis can’t hurt.