Things change quickly at Wimbledon. Quickly and seamlessly.
That which seemed to be a shock or landmark event last year is overtaken, forgotten and replaced the moment the first ball is hit the following year. Come to think of it, that which seemed newsworthy yesterday is soon forgotten today. Things move fast around these parts.
This time back in 2014, we were sitting comfortably, reassuring ourselves with the thought that everything was going to plan. Well, almost. Anyway, it could not have been as bad as the first week in 2013 – remember Weird Wednesday back then? Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova dismissed in the second round and seven withdrawals due to injury? And that was after Rafa Nadal had been knocked out in the first round by Steve Darcis. Remember how shell-shocked we all felt after all of that? No, nothing could be as bizarre ever again.
So, reassuring ourselves that all was well last year, we celebrated the fact that Rafa had won two matches in a row. Phew. He was back on track. What we did not know on that Day Five 12 months ago was that Nick Kyrgios would be lying in wait for him in the fourth round and prove to be his undoing.
At the time, Kyrgios was resting up, having staved off nine match points against Richard Gasquet as he served his way to a 10-8 fifth set, second-round win. Young, flashy and a breath of fresh air, was he the future of men’s tennis? When he beat the world No.1 in four nerveless sets, we certainly thought so.
As it turns out, we might just have picked a keeper there. Where some young guns have a stunning run once in their early days and then spend half a lifetime trying to live up to it, Kyrgios is back this year and is looking as threatening as ever.
His 5-7, 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 win over Milos Raonic contained all the elements that make his fans adore him: big shots, a bit of banter with the crowd, quite a lot of running commentary about his mistakes and the most impressive racket bounce anyone had seen in years. It rebounded from the turf up and over the back wall of No.2 Court and into the stands. The umpire was not impressed but the spectators were.
Meanwhile, Raonic has seen another major championship go by without getting near the trophy. Last summer in SW19 was his best effort – he lost in the semi-finals to Roger Federer – and after that, his best result was the quarter-finals at the Australian Open this year. He had to miss this year’s French Open as he recovered from minor surgery to repair a foot injury and now he is gone in the third round here.
This has not been the best of weeks for Canadian tennis. Last summer, Raonic was not alone as he romped through the draw – his compatriot, Eugenie Bouchard was powering her way to the final to keep the maple leaf fluttering proudly over both draws.
Twelve months on and Bouchard’s confidence is in tatters and her form has disintegrated. She was pushed towards the exit by Ying-Ying Duan, a qualifier from China, in the opening round.
Rafa, as we all know, has suffered the same fate as last year: out hit and out manoeuvred by an aggressive, attacking big man who offered Rafa’s game no respect and ran away with the result. He may have lasted a couple of rounds more last year but the end result was just the same.
Serena Williams seems to have bucked the trend of the big names taking a bettering, mind you. But only just. She squeaked past Heather Watson 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the fourth round and keep her hopes of completing a calendar Grand Slam alive. After her nervy third round loss to Alize Cornet in 2014, that was an achievement.
Watson, once she gets over the disappointment, will take far more from the three sets than Williams – she played the match of her life on Centre Court. Compared to her three-set loss to Angelique Kerber in the second round last year (6-1 in the third set), this was a massive step forward. She served for the match. She was playing the mighty Serena. And she came oh, so close.
The feel-good factor has wrapped itself around British tennis this year. Andy Murray marched towards SW19 as one of the favourites for the title and, so far, has not disappointed: two matches played, not a set dropped. This time last year, he was still trying to get back to his best after having back surgery at the end of 2013 and no one, not even Murray, had any real thought that he could win the title. Today, his followers are eagerly plotting his path to the final and the world No.3 is looking like a man who is ready to lift the trophy again.
And, as it should be, this year Wimbledon is front and foremost in everyone’s mind. Last summer, even the most ardent tennis fan could not help but be distracted by a small football tournament being held in Brazil. The World Cup, we think it was called. It affected everything – including the match scheduling (it would be a brave man who would have put Murray on Centre Court just as England were kicking off). This year, tennis is all that matters. That is one thing that never changes at Wimbledon.
