'24 Wimbledon Day 6 Order of Play & Discussion

[ponchi101]

Yet another demonstration on how much weaker Swiatek is on grass compared to clay. And some still say all surfaces similar...

We say all surfaces have become more similar, not identical. In 1985, playing on grass was a totally different process than on clay. Nowadays, the difference is not so marked.
Iga remains a great, great champion on clay. She is already among the GOAT on that surface. But, once off it, she become a very good player. She will win more slams off clay, but her claim to greatness will reside there. That extreme grip will always hinder her.
I will not be surprised if she never conquers W.

[mick1303]

Come on now. She is FAR from clay court specialist. Slam on HC, YEC on HC, out of 10 (!!!) masters - 6 on HC and 4 on clay.

[mick1303]

Her Wimbledon "struggles" IMO are the function of her success at RG. In her case winning Wimbledon means winning channel slam. Not easy.

[ponchi101]

Come on now. She is FAR from clay court specialist. Slam on HC, YEC on HC, out of 10 (!!!) masters - 6 on HC and 4 on clay.

Not saying she is not very, very good off clay. But it is not the same quality. On clay she is truly without peers.

[meganfernandez]

Raducanu pulled out of mixed doubles which means Sir Andy is done at Wimbledon

This is a bad PR move.

One of my first thoughts. I mean, the schedule was unworkable as it turned out - she couldn't go on late tonight and 2nd tomorrow in singles. No one should expect that. Would hav been nice for Andy to back her up or W to schedule her singles last on tomorrow, if it would have mattered.

It's also possible Andy decided not to play, but then he shouldn't have let her take all the heat. The way Judy responded, it doesn't sound like Andy was part of the decision.

[JTContinental]

You kind of know the risk partnering with someone who pulls out of a lot of tournaments for little to no reason.

[ti-amie]

I feel that both Boris Becker and Judy Murray have been in tennis world long enough to know how the behind the scenes game is played and that their statements show this blindsided the Murray camp.

It's not as if the players get the schedule the same time we the public do. If there was any doubt on Raducanu's part she should've been up front about it so that another player could've been chosen if she opted to drop out, especially after her win against Sakkari.

I agree with JTC that she is totally unreliable when it comes to keeping commitments. She's stiffed people in tennis and out of tennis often pulling out of events because she "doesn't feel like it".

I wonder of the LTA wanted this doubles pairing and forced Murray's hand to make him choose her. However it went down it's a bad PR move for Raducanu who has done nothing to widen her fan base.

[nelslus]

Guys. This ain't a Wars Crime level incident here. Among other surgeries last year- Emma had surgery on this right wrist last year. NO one here knows all that her body has put her through. However, again, we do know she has had multiple surgeries- which would be very scary for anyone of any age. I do not at all feel that it is fair to just say that Emma has dropped out of tennis matches and responsibilities just because she feels like it. Many players have dropped out of doubles- right or wrong- for many reasons. Emma made a professional decision.

Sure, Emma should most definitely never have agreed to this. IMO, it is a shame that she can't just have a fully nice moment here. YAY!!!! if folks boo her now on court.

And, I am sorry, but this time, Judy Murray is wrong to call this out, period. Stay in your own lane, and let your 37 year old son handle his own business. She knows damned well how bad the internet will be to Emma about this as is. You do not need to set flames to all of this. AND, Judy- you are my age- 64 years old, vs. 21 year old Emma. Classless.

I also get that, objectively, Emma has made quite questionable decisions- including the zillion coaches. And, I am also sick and tired of the constant Emma! Emma! drama.

[skatingfan]

This whole thing is reminding of Graf/McEnroe back in the day.

[nelslus]

This whole thing is reminding of Graf/McEnroe back in the day.

Yup. Except, except in McEnroe's camp- Steffi didn't have to face any particular backlash- which, sure, I would agree with- not being any kind of fan of Steffi. Plus- anything that infuriated McEnroe was always a joy for me. Both Steffi and Emma want/wanted to have the best chance to win the singles title.

[nelslus]

I feel that both Boris Becker and Judy Murray have been in tennis world long enough to know how the behind the scenes game is played and that their statements show this blindsided the Murray camp.

It's not as if the players get the schedule the same time we the public do. If there was any doubt on Raducanu's part she should've been up front about it so that another player could've been chosen if she opted to drop out, especially after her win against Sakkari.

I agree with JTC that she is totally unreliable when it comes to keeping commitments. She's stiffed people in tennis and out of tennis often pulling out of events because she "doesn't feel like it".

I wonder of the LTA wanted this doubles pairing and forced Murray's hand to make him choose her. However it went down it's a bad PR move for Raducanu who has done nothing to widen her fan base.

....OK, if Boris Becker is now gonna be our guide on etiquette here....

[ponchi101]

Special circumstances make things different.
Emma should be very well aware of her physical limitations. Knowing them, she should have made provisions for reaching 4R and being in the mixed tournament.
Not classless, but Murray deserved a bit better. He could have partnered with other players, had he known this.

[Suliso]

Come on now. She is FAR from clay court specialist. Slam on HC, YEC on HC, out of 10 (!!!) masters - 6 on HC and 4 on clay.

She's a dominant power on clay, a top 3 on hard and outside the top 20 on grass. Don't you think that's fair?

And talking about great champions Osaka is the same. Not in the top 10 on grass and clay (results wise at least).

[mick1303]

Come on now. She is FAR from clay court specialist. Slam on HC, YEC on HC, out of 10 (!!!) masters - 6 on HC and 4 on clay.

She's a dominant power on clay, a top 3 on hard and outside the top 20 on grass. Don't you think that's fair?

And talking about great champions Osaka is the same. Not in the top 10 on grass and clay (results wise at least).

I do not agree with "top 3 on hard". In my estimate she is clearly #1 on hard as well. Swiatek has a record on hard 138-38 (78.4%)
You probably had Sabalenka and Osaka as other two?
Sabalenka has a record 194-79(71.04%). Osaka has 140-66(67.96%). The gap is so significant that for me she is clearly above those two.
I ran a weighted ranking comparison for WTA 2020-2024 (for hardcourts only). What stood out for me is that Swiatek won over 28% of the tournaments she enteres. Sabalenka won 14%. Yes, Osaka has 4 slams. But this is a distant past now...

[ponchi101]

I don't mind your numbers to support your claim of Iga being, currently, also the #1 player on hards. But her claim to GOAT on clay is building up at a very fast pace, while her results on hards are slower. That is solely my point. Iga by now is not competing against the current crop, she is starting to gun for records held by previous greats. On clay, she will get much more. On hards, the loot will not be so extensive.
On grass, as Suliso says, she is not impressive. And her preparation leads to these results.