The third Grand Slam tournament, Wimbledon, begins on Monday.
France Télévisions – Sports Editorial
Published on 06/30/2024 07:00
Reading time: 4 min Italian Jannik Sinner during his round of 16 match against Carlos Alcaraz on July 3, 2022, at Wimbledon. (JOHN WALTON / MAXPPP)
In the lair of tradition. The Wimbledon tournament, which begins Monday, July 1, welcomes, on the London grass, the third round of the Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic, injured in the right knee during his round of 16 at Roland-Garros, will be there to try to win an eighth title, and thus equal Roger Federer’s record. But he is not the only one with ambition, among the men as well as the women. Overview with Arnaud Clément, former world number 10 and franceinfo: sport consultant.
Alcaraz and Sinner are essential for men
World number 1 status obliges, Jannik Sinner (22 years old) is one of the big favorites in London. Semi-finalist last year at Wimbledon, and recent winner of the Halle tournament, the Italian has already shown his qualities on the surface. “In Halle he had a lot of fun playing, observes Arnaud Clément. It was his first tournament as world number one, which can be an added pressure. But Jannik handled it very well, he played with a smile and scored exceptional points to get this victory.”
But to win the second Grand Slam of his young career, the Italian will have to overcome big obstacles (the number 13 seed Ben Shelton in the round of 16, Daniil Medvedev or Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals), and be able to beat Carlos Alcaraz (21 years old), brilliant winner in London last year, whom he could meet in the semi-finals. Comfortable on all courts, the world number 3 became the youngest player to win on all surfaces, at the beginning of June at Roland-Garros. Despite a sluggish start on grass with a defeat in the round of 16 of the Queen’s tournament, the Spaniard remains one of the two big favourites for this Wimbledon. “These two players [Alcaraz et Sinner] are already above the others, and they still have significant room for improvement” Arnaud Clément agrees.
In the other part of the table, Novak Djokovic, if his knee is no longer a problem, will be able to ramp up quietly. He will have a possible 3rd round against Holger Rune (n°15), an 8th against Hubert Hurkacz (n°7) or Alex De Minaur (n°9), and a semi-final against Alexander Zverev (n°4) .
A more open picture among women
Impregnable on the clay court of Roland-Garros, where she won for the fourth time this year, Iga Swiatek is much less dominant on the grass of Wimbledon. “She has a huge advantage on clay, particularly due to her quality of movement, but things level out a little when she arrives on grass, explains Arnaud Clément. The competition is tough, and I don’t think we can see her going through matches so easily.”
Since the Polish player has never made it past the quarter-finals of the tournament, others can dream. Among the main contenders for the title, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, winner of the 2022 edition, world number 3 Aryna Sabalenka, winner of the Australian Open at the start of the year, and Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur (finalist last year), will try to succeed Czech Markéta Vondrousova, who, in the defence of her title, could challenge the world number 1 in the quarter-finals.
Humbert, Mannarino and Garcia expected among the French
Eighth-finalist at Wimbledon in 2019, where he achieved his best Grand Slam result, Ugo Humbert represents the best French chance in the London tournament. “When you see the level he was able to play at at the start of the year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the quarter-finals or semi-finals,” Arnaud Clément advances. Very comfortable on grass, the French number 1 (16th in the ATP ranking), semi-finalist in Bois-le-Duc, Saturday June 15, had won the Halle tournament in 2021. To offer himself the most beautiful title of his young career, the Metz native had dominated the Russian Andrey Rublev, then world number 7.
He too is turning green on a fast surface. Adrian Mannarino (20th), already a two-time winner on grass (Bois-le-Duc in 2019 and Newport in 2023), dreams of qualifying for a fourth time in the second week of the London tournament. But he challenges his compatriot Gaël Monfils in the first round, after having won only one match in the three tournaments he has played on grass this season.
What should we expect from Caroline Garcia? The French number 1 (21st WTA) has not yet played on grass this year. Winner of three titles on this surface, the former world number 4, lacking benchmarks with only two Grand Slam victories in 2024, still remains one of the best French chances at Wimbledon. “Caroline (Garcia) is capable of the best, assures Arnaud Clément. She has a very offensive game, sometimes irregular, but she is quite capable of qualifying in the second week.” For her, the draw was not kind since she could cross paths with Iga Swiatek as early as the 8th finals. Luck is also not on the side of Diane Parry, semi-finalist of the Nottingham tournament in June and who has achieved the best performances in the French camp on grass. The world number 52 inherited, from the first round, the former world number 1, Naomi Osaka.
2024-06-30 05:00:01
#Alcaraz #Sinner #favorites #open #womens #field #French #people #search #exploits.. #forces #present #grass
