Wimbledon Observations: 10 Things That Have Stood Out During the Opening Week

My Wimbledon observations from the opening few days are where tournaments begin to reveal themselves.

Some players confirm they’re contenders. Others expose weaknesses they still need to fix. A few emerge from nowhere to capture the attention of the tennis world, while veterans remind us why experience still matters.

After watching the first week at the All England Club, here are my biggest Wimbledon observations.

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1. Ben Shelton Blew a Golden Opportunity

Ben Shelton’s first-round exit wasn’t significant because it reshaped the draw. It was significant because he let a match he should have won slip away.

The numbers tell the story.

Shelton hit seven double faults, landed 69 percent of his first serves, and won just 74 percent of those points. His second serve was even less effective, winning only 55 percent of those points. He did an excellent job finishing points at the net, but the match ultimately came down to one glaring statistic.

Shelton converted just one of 12 break-point opportunities.

That’s simply not good enough for a player hoping to become a legitimate Grand Slam contender. What makes the loss even more frustrating is that Shelton lost the total points battle by just one point, 180-179. He wasn’t outplayed. He failed to capitalize when the opportunities were there.

I’m not ready to overreact because Shelton is still developing. Compared to most players near the top of the rankings, he’s relatively inexperienced and only recently began playing a full international schedule.

But if Shelton wants to take the next step, these are the matches he has to win. The elite players don’t let 11 break-point chances slip away. They recognize the opportunity, close the door, and move on.

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2. Aryna Sabalenka Looks Like the Player to Beat

If there were questions about Aryna Sabalenka’s ability to win Wimbledon, she’s answering them one match at a time.

Sabalenka has reached the third round without dropping a set. McCartney Kessler challenged her early, but champions aren’t judged by whether they face adversity. They’re judged by how they respond to it, and Sabalenka quickly regained control.

Her next challenge against Jelena Ostapenko should be one of the best matches of the opening week.

Ostapenko thoroughly outplayed Sabalenka the last time they met, but this feels different. Sabalenka is serving better, moving better, and playing with far more confidence than she was in that meeting. Ostapenko has looked dangerous herself, but she’s also spent considerably more time on court.

I expect Sabalenka to get her revenge, reach the second week, and continue what I believe will be a championship run.

Right now, she looks like the player everyone else has to beat.

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3. Michael Zheng Is Proving the College Route Still Works

One of the biggest stories at Wimbledon isn’t just that Michael Zheng has reached the third round.

It’s how he got here.

While many of today’s top prospects left for the professional tour years ago, Zheng stayed at Columbia University and built one of the greatest careers in NCAA men’s tennis history. He won back-to-back NCAA singles championships, became the Ivy League’s first four-time All-American, and finished with a record 19 career victories in the NCAA singles tournament.

At the same time, he quietly built an impressive professional résumé.

This season, Zheng successfully qualified for the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon, winning nine qualifying matches just to earn places in the main draws.

Then he started winning there, too.

He defeated Sebastian Korda at the Australian Open before knocking out former Wimbledon semifinalist Cameron Norrie to reach the third round in London.

This isn’t a lucky run.

It’s the reward for a player who chose a different path and is proving that elite college tennis can still prepare players for success on the ATP Tour.

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4. Barbora Krejcikova’s Title Defense Is Very Much Alive

After everything Barbora Krejcikova has battled through over the past two years, simply putting herself in a position for another deep Wimbledon run is a tremendous accomplishment.

Injuries have repeatedly interrupted her career, dropping her ranking and causing many to overlook the defending champion entering this year’s tournament.

That may have been a mistake.

Her victory over Mirra Andreeva was one of the biggest results of the opening week. By eliminating one of the tournament favorites, Krejcikova has given herself a legitimate opportunity to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

That’s a remarkable position to be in considering everything she’s endured physically.

Krejcikova has already shown she knows how to win on these courts. Last year’s championship wasn’t a fluke, and she’s beginning to display that same variety, composure, and confidence that carried her to the title.

If she reaches the quarterfinals, she’ll likely face Aryna Sabalenka. That’s a challenge for another day.

Right now, the story is that the defending champion has fought through injuries, rediscovered her grass-court game, and put herself in position to make another meaningful run.

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5. Mirra Andreeva Still Has Some Growing Up to Do

There’s no questioning Mirra Andreeva’s talent.

She’s already won a Grand Slam title and has everything needed to become one of the dominant players on the WTA Tour.

But her loss to Krejcikova showed there’s still another step in her development.

As the match slipped away, so did her composure.

She sprayed groundstrokes, showed visible frustration, argued with herself, and repeatedly looked toward her player box. Instead of solving problems, she allowed her emotions to dictate too many points.

That’s understandable from a young player trying to establish herself.

It’s different when you’re already a major champion.

Winning a Grand Slam changes expectations. At that point, you’re judged as much by how you handle adversity as by how you strike the ball.

Temper tantrums may be dismissed when you’re a teenager breaking onto the tour. They’re far less acceptable when you’re a teenager with a major trophy already sitting on your mantle.

The talent is unquestioned.

The next step is learning to control the emotions that sometimes get in the way of it.

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6. Taylor Fritz Is Peaking at Exactly the Right Time

Taylor Fritz may be playing the best grass-court tennis of his career, and the timing couldn’t be better.

After dealing with tendinitis in his knee, Fritz missed much of the clay-court season. At the time, it looked like a frustrating setback.

Now it may prove to be a blessing in disguise.

Instead of arriving at Wimbledon worn down from two months on clay, Fritz looks fresh, healthy, and confident. His serve has been one of the biggest weapons on tour throughout the grass season, and his movement has looked as sharp as it has all year.

Just as important, the draw has opened up.

Fritz has a legitimate opportunity to reach another Wimbledon semifinal, and once you’re in the final four of a Grand Slam, you’re only two matches away from lifting the biggest trophy in tennis.

For years, the question has been whether Taylor Fritz has the game to win a major.

I don’t think that’s the question anymore.

The question is whether this is the moment everything finally comes together.

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7. Serena Williams Still Has the Weapons

There was never any doubt that Serena Williams could still strike a tennis ball.

The real question was whether, at 44 years old and after playing very little tennis over the past four years, she could physically compete over three demanding sets against one of today’s rising stars.

The answer surprised me.

Serena lost to Maya Joint in three sets, but she had every opportunity to win that match. More importantly, she showed there is still plenty of elite tennis left in her game.

The serve was outstanding.

On multiple occasions, Serena topped 120 mph, proving that one of the greatest serves in tennis history hasn’t disappeared with age. The power was still there, and so was the competitive fire that carried her to 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

What ultimately decided the match wasn’t her ability to hit the ball.

It was her movement.

Joint recognized exactly where to attack. Time after time, she pushed Serena deep into the backhand corner before changing direction and forcing her to defend the forehand side. Serena’s anticipation was just a fraction late, and once she had to chase, her footwork couldn’t quite recover.

That’s understandable.

She hasn’t played much competitive tennis over the last several years. Timing, anticipation, and movement are always the last things to return after a long absence.

The encouraging part is that those are problems that can improve with more matches.

The power is already there.

The serve is already there.

The competitive instinct never left.

Watching Serena compete for three hard-fought sets at 44 years old wasn’t a reminder of what she used to be.

It was a reminder that she can still play this game at an incredibly high level.

If she chooses to continue, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her become even more dangerous as the matches add up. The footwork will improve. The anticipation will sharpen.

The weapons are already in place.

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8. Novak Djokovic Isn’t Done Yet

Watching Novak Djokovic at this stage of his career is a little surreal.

I can still remember watching him as a skinny kid trying to break through. Now he’s 39, sporting a little gray around the temples, but he’s still finding ways to win tennis matches at the highest level.

And through the opening week of Wimbledon, he’s looked awfully good.

Djokovic was dominant at times against Stefanos Tsitsipas. That’s not an easy thing to do. Tsitsipas has never been intimidated by Djokovic, yet Djokovic controlled the match with the same intelligent point construction, disciplined serving, and elite returning that have defined his career.

What comes next won’t be easy.

Arthur Rinderknech has the kind of big serve that can make life uncomfortable on grass. If the draw holds, a fourth-round meeting with João Fonseca would give us one of the most intriguing matches of the tournament and a rematch of their French Open meeting.

No one knows how much tennis Djokovic has left.

Father Time catches everyone eventually.

But after watching his first two matches, I’m not ready to write him off.

He still has the instincts.

He still has the movement.

He still has the ability to make elite opponents look ordinary for stretches of a match.

Hopefully Novak has a few more high-quality grass-court matches left in him because I’d love to watch them.

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9. Dan Evans Deserved Better

One of the biggest disappointments of this year’s Wimbledon didn’t happen on Centre Court.

It happened before the tournament ever began.

Dan Evans deserved a singles wild card for what is expected to be the final Wimbledon of his career.

Not because he was a favorite to make a deep run.

Because he earned the opportunity.

For years, Evans represented British tennis with pride. He played Davis Cup, represented Great Britain at the Olympics, and even skipped the chance to defend his Washington title so he could compete for his country. Last year, he took part in Andy Murray’s Wimbledon farewell and injured his knee in the process.

He continually put British tennis ahead of himself.

Instead of rewarding that commitment with one final singles appearance, the LTA chose another direction.

Evans didn’t hide his disappointment afterward, describing the past month as “nothing short of a shambles” and saying the organization lacked “the minerals” to explain the decision.

Honestly, I understand why he feels that way.

A Wimbledon wild card isn’t always about rankings or who has the best chance to win another match. Sometimes it’s about honoring a player who has spent years representing your country with professionalism, passion, and loyalty.

Dan Evans earned that honor.

In my opinion, the LTA missed an opportunity to give one of Britain’s fiercest competitors the farewell he deserved.

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10. One More Thing

If you’ve enjoyed these observations from the opening week of Wimbledon, don’t forget to check out my Thursday Wimbledon predictions over at Covers.

I’ve broken down the day’s best matches, betting angles, and the plays I like most as the tournament heads into another outstanding day of tennis.

Thursday Wimbledon Predictions: https://www.covers.com/tennis/wimbledon-predictions-picks-best-bets-2026