The center court grass is impeccable, the strawberries and cream are ready to be served, the stars are already training in London. Wimbledon, the most traditional tennis tournament in the world, starts on Monday (27) with the usual relevance. But in this edition, it has not escaped controversy and will have absences and surprises.
It had been a long time since a tennis player from Brazil arrived with such morality. With impressive results in recent months, Beatriz Haddad Maia is one of the highlights. The 26-year-old from São Paulo jumped from 83rd position in January to 27th – the best performance by a Brazilian since Maria Esther Bueno, winner of 19 Grand Slams and world number one in 1959 and in the 1960s according to the International Federation, at a time in which the WTA ranking did not exist.
Bia won two of the three Wimbledon prep grass tournaments she played in England – the WTA 250 in Nottingham and the one in Birmingham – and reached the semifinals of the WTA 500 in Eastbourne. In London, she will be seeded number 23 and will debut against Slovenian Kaja Juvan, 61st in the ranking.
Still in the women’s, Serena Williams, 40, surprised by announcing that she will compete. In June 2021, the American left the court crying when she felt her left ankle in her Wimbledon debut and went almost a year without playing.
The seven-times champion of the English Grand Slam singles won an invitation to participate and arrives out of ideal shape. The quest to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles is going to be tough. Even so, I doubt that any tennis player wants to cross paths with her. Or with Bea.
The controversy of this edition was the organizers’ decision to exclude Russians and Belarusians, because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This means that names like world number one Daniil Medvedev and former ranking leader Victoria Azarenka will only see Wimbledon on television.
ATP and WTA reacted and announced that the tournament will not give ranking points. An athlete figured it out. Moscow-born Russian Natela Dzalamidze, 44th in doubles, has changed nationality and will represent Georgia. The family connection to the neighboring country is unclear, but the WTA approved the exchange this month.
In the men’s, the world number two is also out, but due to injury. German Alexander Zverev tore ligaments in his right ankle and is recovering from surgery. The spotlight is on Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz, 19, who has been in London since the beginning of the week.
Novak Djokovic lost his number one spot because he didn’t want to get vaccinated and was excluded from several tournaments. He and his participation in Wimbledon were at risk until recently. But British government rules have changed and now allow non-immunized people to enter the country without needing to be quarantined. The Serbian, current champion, has also arrived and is looking for a seventh title on English grass.
I asked colleague Eusebio Resende, narrator of SporTV and a true tennis encyclopedia, if the absence of points in the ranking would discourage anyone. He promptly corrected me: “Wimbledon is Wimbledon. Whoever wins will only remember that he was champion.”
And he cited as an example Rafael Nadal, who, with a chronic foot injury, left Roland Garros on crutches ready to play Wimbledon anyway. At 36, the Spaniard said he will try his best to compete. Two weeks from now, on July 10, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, will present the trophies to the champions. The stage is ready.
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