1. Carlos Alcaraz on his way to being all-time great
The Spaniard’s win over Novak Djokovic in the final means he has now won four Grand Slam titles before his 22nd birthday. That compares favourably with the big three of Djokovic (1), Rafael Nadal (3) and Roger Federer (1) and Alcaraz says he won’t rest until he’s up there with them. “It doesn't matter if I already won four Grand Slams at the age of 21. If I don’t keep going, all these tournaments for me, it doesn't matter. I really want to keep going. I will try to keep winning and end my career with a lot of them.”
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2. Not getting any easier for Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic surprised many people, perhaps even himself, by reaching the final so soon after knee surgery. At 37, he seems as motivated as ever as he chases a record 25th Grand Slam title. The problem for Novak is that Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, as well as Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, are becoming more and more difficult for him to beat. No one should ever write him off but with age and the improvement in his rivals, it’s not going to get any easier.
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3. Andy Murray got the send-off he deserves
If his singles withdrawal denied him a solo send-off, the celebration after his doubles with brother Jamie will surely have shown Andy Murray how much he is loved and how grateful the country is for his efforts over the past two decades. With a bit of luck, the 37-year-old will be able to play at the Olympics and while he plans to retire soon, with Murray, you just never know. But if this is his last hurrah, then he leaves an incredible legacy that Britain needs to build on.
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4. The Czech conveyor belt shows no sign of stopping
Barbora Krejcikova’s victory in the women’s singles not only gave her a second Grand Slam title but also showed that the Czech conveyor belt of talent shows no letting up. Krejcikova is the fifth Czech woman to win the Wimbledon title in the Open era, from Martina Navratilova in 1978 to Jana Novotna in 1998, Petra Kvitova, in 2011 and 2014 and Marketa Vondrousova last year. Whatever they’re doing there, it’s working.
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5. Wimbledon has a new favourite in Paolini
Smiling all the way through the fortnight, whether winning or losing points, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini quickly established herself as a fan favourite, her brilliant tennis and athleticism backed up by her eloquence and character in her on-court speeches. In Italy, where the country’s football team has been struggling lately, Jannik Sinner and now Paolini, who also reached the Roland-Garros final, are heroes.
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6. Swiatek still has to figure out grass
In theory, there’s no reason that Iga Swiatek won’t be a Wimbledon champion one day. The Pole is the best player in the world, has improved her serve and her movement is second to none. But she still has to learn the nuances of grass and how to deal with what happens when things are not going her way. Her loss to Yulia Putintseva was mostly her doing, the errors flowing way too much and her serve misfiring. Maybe we should have taken her at her word when, looking ahead to the grass-court season, she said: “I’m not expecting too much.”
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7. Rybakina and the one that got away
With Aryna Sabalenka pulling out beforehand and then Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff falling early, it looked for all the world like Elena Rybakina would cruise to a second Wimbledon title in three years. Despite an injury and illness-interrupted first half of the year, she looked supreme at this year’s event, until she didn’t, losing to Barbora Krejckova for the third time in their three meetings. The Kazakh has the perfect game for grass and will rue the missed chance.
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8. Emma Raducanu is on her way back
Three years on from her stunning US Open triumph, it’s good to see Emma Raducanu performing at a high level again. After wrist and ankle operations last year, she’s understandably cautious about overplaying but her efforts at Wimbledon in reaching the fourth round, including a win over Maria Sakkari, showed that her level is there. Now her body just needs to catch up with her ability.
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9. Hsieh Su-wei is a true magician
When Hsieh-su-Wei announced at the end of 2021 that she would be taking an extended break from the Tour, there were genuine doubts she would play again. Three years on, the Taiwanese former doubles No 1 is enjoying the best period of her career. Having teamed up with Jan Zielinski of Poland for the first time in January – and winning the Australian Open – the pair won the mixed doubles to give Hsieh her second Wimbledon title, 11 years after her first. She is a true magician with a racket.
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10. Too many serious injuries
Tennis loves to marvel at the athleticism of its players, revelling in the “survival of the fittest”. But at some stage, tennis needs to protect its stars. Aryna Sabalenka, Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka were among those who didn’t make it to the start line while Alex de Minaur, Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov were among those who suffered nasty injuries. Maybe the cooler, wet weather this year made the grass more lush but with tennis more physical than ever, players are being asked to play at their limits too often. That’s when injuries happen.
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11. Wheelchair stars hit new marks
The wheelchair events were as popular and impressive as ever, but none more so than the efforts of Diede de Groot (whose twitter handle is “Diedethegreat”). The Dutch star actually lost a match earlier this year, having gone three years and 145 matches unbeaten, but she won a fifth Wimbledon title and record 23rd slam singles title. Britain’s Alfie Hewett also recorded a landmark achievement, winning Wimbledon for the first time to complete the career Grand Slam in singles. The Briton has now won 30 slams in all.
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12. New bar set for celebrations
Anyone who missed it should look this up on YouTube. At the end of a brilliant men’s doubles final, Harri Heliovaara set a new bar when it comes to celebrations. The Finn, who joined Briton Henry Patten to win the title, fell to his knees, lifted his shirt over his head and proceeded to burst into tears, crying his eyes out with joy for much of the next 10 minutes. Heliovaara tried to put it into words afterwards: “What can you say? Can you dream of it? Maybe. Do you think it will happen? Probably not. But it has happened. I feel joy, huge emotions. Tears of joy. It's unbelievable.”
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