I don’t know guys. But I have a bad vibe about the Djokovic match. This could very well be the biggest upset of the year.
Philipp Kohlschreiber is a very very difficult opponent to play with. He nearly won against roger in halle. And could potentially score against Novak.
Novak is totally out of sorts on grass right now. He lost to some 17 year old guy in the warm up tournament some days ago with a scoreline of 6-4,6-3.
Plus, his confidence is on lower side after the heartbreaking french open loss.
This is the worst first round match anyone could get.
Novak is a big champion and very match capable of raising him game when he need them the most. But he is a usually a tad bit rusty in first rounds of the open and I think Kohlschreiber is very much aware of that.

Lets see how Novak manage the pressure and rustiness. Its sure is a match of the day or perhaps tournament.
Though it sounds ridiculous to some but I am going with 4 sets Philipp Kohlschreiber win.

June 28th, 2015 at 10:38 pm

I’m going with Novak in straights!!

June 28th, 2015 at 10:53 pm

@jatin
Nole may not win in straights, but he’ll pull through. He won’t pull a “Rafa” first rd fiasco. He’s the worlds #1 in his prime for goodness sake!
—-
With Ferrer withdrawing it looks like lady luck is with the Beast, and he needs it. If he gets into the second week, and with this draw he may very well do that, he may do his “nearly impossible” and “always difficult” maneuver……. like win.

June 28th, 2015 at 10:56 pm

With the exception of a deep run in 2012, Kohlschreiber has historically played pretty poorly at Wimbledon:

2014: 2nd round loss to Bolelli
2013: 1st round loss to Dodig
2012: QF loss to Tsonga (all other opponents were ranked 50-100)
2011: 1st round loss to Istomin
2010: 3rd round loss to Roddick
2009: 3rd round loss to Federer
…

In other words, Kohlschreiber loses matches to the accomplished grasscourt players ranked above him…and then he also tends to lose to players ranked below him at Wimbledon.

If I were a Djokovic fan, I’d not be too concerned about tomorrow.

June 28th, 2015 at 11:07 pm

^Totally agree!

June 28th, 2015 at 11:09 pm

Novak will be fine,i said it the other day,its an interesting match up for a first round,but best of five,even if he starts off slowly he should come through all barring Phil.K playing the match of his life and performing a miracle,if anything i think the player who would be looking at the first round and losing sleep would be Phil rather than Novak,especially given it was 6 years ago since his last win….

June 29th, 2015 at 2:00 am

I can’t understand this crap about Novak’s first round match. When did Kohls became a world beater in grass. This is beyond ridiculous.

June 29th, 2015 at 2:12 am

Phillip is a toughy but Nole will get thru in 4.

June 29th, 2015 at 3:02 am

Djoker is getting a page from the RAFA textbook How to become an underdog?

Or better said: underdog for dummys.

June 29th, 2015 at 5:07 am

Djoko started great breaking but than made 2 FH long plus 2 great returns by Kohls and he broke back, 2-2. Djoko is serving great tough

June 29th, 2015 at 8:27 am

A lot of FH’s errors by Novak but still serving with authority. By the second set I think he will be playing better.

June 29th, 2015 at 8:30 am

Don’t understand why Djoko is not coming to the net at all. Now facing doible BP after having BP on kohl serve last game.

June 29th, 2015 at 8:39 am

Maybe he is just gauging his baseline game on grass.

Kyrgios already won in 3 sets.

June 29th, 2015 at 8:40 am

Cilic also through in straights

June 29th, 2015 at 8:52 am

Kohls making 2 DF’s handing the set to Novak who thanks very much. 6-4 Djoko and start serving second.

Now Djoko may feel more at ease, liked he went to the net a few times las games as well. Expect him to sail through now.

His return is still working and serving great also.

June 29th, 2015 at 8:55 am

Kohlschreiber has underperformed at Wimbledon, but all you have to do is look at his game to realize how good a grass court player he is. He does everything well on grass.

Last year, Bolelli played out of his mind to beat him and then came really close to beating Nishikori in the next round, choking when he had multiple break points in the fifth set.

June 29th, 2015 at 9:21 am

And, by the way, what a crap move by Ferrer to wait until the schedule came out before bailing. Lost a lot of respect for him. Wanted to help out his buddy Nadal instead of playing fair.

I was wrong the other day when I posted what would happen with the draw if a seed pulled out before the schedule came out. Isner, the 17 seed, would have moved into Ferrer’s spot, while Kohlschreiber would have replaced Isner and had an excellent shot to reach the fourth round on his best surface.

June 29th, 2015 at 9:26 am

Wow, what a BH winner Inside out DTL on set point. Perfect precision. 2-0 Djoko

June 29th, 2015 at 9:35 am

Djokovic playing lights out.
Another example why warm tournaments prove nothing. He was looking so rusty against alexender and Philip was looking really good.
Kind of tells what a great champion djokovic really is. He didn’t needed any warm up or anything to get used to grass courts. It seems like he is continuing where he left off last year ( against fed)
Lets see how Philip respond in the 3rd set. He had his chances in the first set.

June 29th, 2015 at 9:40 am

Novak’s through. Never gonna predict an upset ever again :)

Waiting for fed’s match tomorrow.

June 29th, 2015 at 10:17 am

hmm novak’s form was good but not great i thought. got some help from kohls at the end of set one. but glad he came through that test… and got the wee birdie off the court safely. ;)

hotsauce and klizan in quite the battle, on serve 10-10 in the 5th!

June 29th, 2015 at 10:26 am

hotsauce and klizan in quite the battle, on serve 10-10 in the 5th!
—
There we go again. This type of tennis only interests those who are amateur fans.

June 29th, 2015 at 10:32 am

Well done to Nole – he didn’t need the extra set that I thought he might – Phillipp played well but Nole raised his game when he had to – in retrospect this match could benefit Nole – it gave him a real game as opposed to practice.

Keen to see Stan next.

June 29th, 2015 at 10:35 am

The only thing I want ( apart from fed’s win ofcourse) is to see Hewitt win some matches and goes deep in his last Wimbledon.
I have always admired his game. He was so awesome when he was in his prime.
Comon Hewitt.

June 29th, 2015 at 10:44 am

stan is giving one pair of his roland garros shorts, lol

“When I reach 500k followers, I will give away 1 pair of my lucky shorts to a lucky follower !! #GoodLuck 🎁 “

June 29th, 2015 at 11:06 am

@Jane – maybe I should unfollow Stan. I don’t want those shorts!

June 29th, 2015 at 11:07 am

So much for the ALL TOUGH Kohlschreiber Opening round!!!

:-)

6-4,6-4,6-4
WIMPER !!!

June 29th, 2015 at 11:16 am

yes a few rounds for Hewitt would be a good way for him to say farewell. His spirit was immense a true champion to the bone. Killed as all time great as course of TMF.
the irony of course is that without Federer he would have won 4/5 slams easy. And not only slams won by TMF himself!
Champion with a big C.

June 29th, 2015 at 11:24 am

NEVER-IN-DOUBT ;)….

June 29th, 2015 at 11:27 am

the Aussies are giving me chills down my spine.
vut probs winner will be eaten alive by Djokocf

June 29th, 2015 at 11:30 am

I feel Nicky K and 4K have some work to do before they have selfbelief and mental toughness of Lleyton.

June 29th, 2015 at 11:34 am

Ferrer and Rafa are not “buddies”. They are both Spamiards!!!

June 29th, 2015 at 11:35 am

*Spaniards*

June 29th, 2015 at 11:36 am

nishikori acknowledging aan point when bolelli on brink winning Fourth set.

Djokovic should pay attention.
Djokovic does axknowledge many points but never such important. Only when he himself is infront.

That is why Djokovic never will be aan peoples champion like Fedal or only Federer as you wish.

June 29th, 2015 at 12:44 pm

Jeez: are you kidding? He won each of those sets by a break in the last game of the set – that’s nothing to shake a stick at. Apparently, had Ferrer pulled out 12 hours earlier than he did, Kohlschreiber would have been seeded, and he does have a grass court title in his career (Halle 2011).

I watched the match, and Djokovic did not look sharp until he really needed to be. That can be a good sign or a bad one, depending on whether the first part recurrs in subsequent matches. He might actually have an easier opponent in the 2nd or 3rd round than he did in the first, so it could be enough (as long as whoever he plays doesn’t come out of his socks) but on the face of how he played today, he doesn’t look great.

June 29th, 2015 at 12:51 pm

Kei comes through in five sets,struggling with a leg injury,not sure he will have much left for his next match,looks to be in alot of pain,i wouldnt be at all surprised if he pulled out….

June 29th, 2015 at 1:29 pm

Is nishikori injury prone ?

June 29th, 2015 at 1:36 pm

i was quite please that novak came to net 28 times and won 20 of those points for 71%. what he needs to do is cut down on errors. his first serve was generally strong and he won 57% on second serves which is good, though not great.

kind of thought leyton would make it past jarko, but i guess novak will play neminen instead for the second slam in a row. he’s got that tricky lefty serve.

of the young aussies, nick kyrgios was by far the most impressive with a bagel. 4-K is out and tomic took 5 sets to win, but he did get the W.

cilic and isner through in straights. raonic through too though he dropped a set.

—-
van orten, he certainly seems to be!

June 29th, 2015 at 1:46 pm

*pleased

June 29th, 2015 at 1:47 pm

Phew, now perhaps the extreme over-hyping of Kohlschreiber can stop for a good long while (the_mind_reels gave a good summation of why there was never anything more than some vague distant memory of him winning Halle to fear) and maybe even the secret draw conspiracy talk. As expected, Djokovic wins in straights.

BTW, for Djokovic fans, he is a clue in this week’s New York Times Magazine crossword puzzle.

June 29th, 2015 at 1:53 pm

MMT, glad to know a poster such as yourself recognizes kohls pedigree and game on grass.

June 29th, 2015 at 2:23 pm

^ and i don’t think it was 12 hours earlier for ferrer MMT; i believe it was if he had pulled out *by 12.* so yeah, that’s a bad break for kohls, who probably would’ve gone deeper in the draw.

June 29th, 2015 at 2:24 pm

interesting piece on the single-handed backhand… suggests it’s on the way out, which seems somewhat contradicted by stan’s recent success or by some of the younger players who use it, but feel free to read on :)

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/its-the-stroke-of-champions–so-why-is-the-singlehanded-backhand-on-the-way-out-10345668.html

June 29th, 2015 at 2:26 pm

I hope Kei is fit to play his next match,otherwise Simoni Bolleli with be pretty p*ssed off….

June 29th, 2015 at 2:35 pm

@jane – Doesn’t it seem like every year there’s a big brouhaha about teh 1HBH being on the way out?

And then somebody wins a big tournament with it, LOL.

Vee takes out Madison Brengle with a double bagel

o.O

June 29th, 2015 at 2:43 pm

m – perhaps, but i found that article a more in-depth approach to the question, or perhaps i missed some of the other ones in the past. anyhow, just thought i would share it, especially for those who play.

June 29th, 2015 at 2:48 pm

i had to look at this when i saw “blue tit” in the headline. o_0 anyhow, cute pictures…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-3143298/Novak-Djokovic-left-bemused-blue-tit-tries-best-seat-house-Wimbledon-clash-Philipp-Kohlschreiber-Centre-Court-tweet-it.html

June 29th, 2015 at 3:04 pm

LOL Too cute Jane….

June 29th, 2015 at 3:08 pm

jane: It’s an interesting article – he basicaly argues that the professional game has too much power and pace for a good 1-handed backhand, but you can produce more of each with the 1-handed backhand. Also, the professional game is not when the stroke is learned. You have to go to the juniors and earlier to understand why that choice is made.

He also discounts the technical advantages of the 1-handed backhand, and fails to analyze why 1-handers are over represented in the top 100. I believe that unless you’re extremely talented (which most players are not), you will choose the 2-hander as a junior in order to get better results earlier, and that’s because there’s more money in the game earlier.

He’s also very harsh on Nadal, which I don’t agree with – Nadal has a formula to his success, but it is hardly a “demented robotic extreme”. That may have been tinged with some personal bias (after all, he did write a book called “Federer and Me: a Story of Obsession”) Personally, I think Nadal is exceptionally talented (given that he’s won 14 majors with is weak hand) and does things that few players can repeat with their strong hand.

I do agree that the demise of the 1-handed backhand is not at hand – not only because being different can get you exceptional results, but because ultimately talent tells in tennis, and some percentage of the most talented kids will always learn the 1-handed backhand because of the benefits. They will also have earlier success because of their talent, even if their technique isn’t where it needs to be from the beginning.

Here’s my take on it:

http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2014/02/what-killed-one-handed-backhand.html

http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2014/02/federers-high-one-handed-backhand.html

June 29th, 2015 at 3:13 pm

thanks MMT, will look at your columns. and yes; i noticed the disdain for rafa in his tone and the connotations of his word choice. i’ve seen rafa hit a backhand winner from sitting position; that takes talent and reflex. i also don’t agree with his assessment that somehow stan’s backhand was the reason for this roland garros win. in fact he hit his forehand exceptionally well, including in the fed match, and he raised his first serve % by 10% in the finals. plus novak was too tentative. lots contributes to wins/losses, not just one type of shot.

June 29th, 2015 at 3:32 pm

Big congrats to Liam Broady ;)….

June 29th, 2015 at 4:02 pm

MMT,
Very well written pieces, thank you for providing such fantastic tennis tech, really enjoyed it. Would only add that the contact point for the SHBH is further in front on the average vs. the 2 hander and the FH side for that matter. That is one of its unique requirements when hitting with power.
Your concept of hitting options is spot on, and on the rise is by far the best solution. I thought the SHBH has improved through this era though, and no one can say now that a 2 hander has more power than a one hander. Just ask Stan the Man.

June 29th, 2015 at 4:07 pm

Poor Kohlschreiber. Great guy but the Draw Gods sure have punished him this year. Tomic 2nd round AO. Murray 2nd round Madrid. Federer 1st round at Aegon Halle, which he almost won. Then Nole 1st Round at Wimbledon.
Give Phillipp a break!!
He goes over to tell Nole they play 1st while they were over at Boodles..check out the reaction. The Djoker is still the Djoker behind the scenes and goofy. The picture all but invites a photoshopper to replace Phillipp’s head with a fetching gal tennis star.

https://twitter.com/Kohlscribbler/status/614380395711361024/photo/1

June 29th, 2015 at 4:33 pm

I do think Kohlschreiber got a rough patch of luck (though not Djokovic who actually benefited from a challenging but not truly threatening opponent early on), but of course the only answer is to raise his ranking to get better early draws. Then again, he is another one who has already crossed the line of 30, but 30 is the new 20 in tennis these days!

June 29th, 2015 at 7:49 pm

@MMT

Though Kohlschreiber got the break back in each(not SET 2 I guess as 1 break did him in) of SETS 1 & 3,he did CAPITULATE @ the end GIFTING Djokovic the SETS..

But the one good thing we could say is that Kohlscreiber didn’t CHOKE from either having 2-1 SET lead or WASTING a bunch of MATCH POINTS which would have been even more

EXCRUCIATING !!![Losing 4-6,4-6,4-6 is better than 4-6,7-6,7-5,6-7[losing MP],1-6 .!!!]

But that’s just my opinion

:-]

June 29th, 2015 at 8:34 pm

“of course the only answer is to raise his ranking”

maybe to some degree, but not really – it’s (bad) luck of the draw to meet the number 1 player in round one when you’re ranked 33! that’s the highest first-round match-up you can have, ranking-wise.

it’s not his fault he drew fed, murray etc, early on. other lower ranked players didn’t. a good part of it is simply bad luck.

June 29th, 2015 at 9:52 pm

Obviously the lack of match practice was showing in Novak’s game and yet surprisingly he cruised through in straight sets although the easy score line betrays the competitiveness of the match. Novak took full advantage of Kohlschrieber’s double faults at crucial junctures in the match and he knows the class of his opponent to take him very lightly. So, at the moment it appears that Novak is keenly poised to successfully defend his title at the Premier Lawn of Tennis. I think he definitely needs it to compensate his morale shattering loss at Rolland Garros which sagged his spirit.

As far Kohlschrieber, one of the players who has tremendous potential but very little to show in terms of record and is a rather unlucky player in my opinion. He has missed quite a lot of close matches in his career but he still continues his pursuit for excellence. That shows the tenacity and determination of a player despite all the road blocks he is confronted with !!

June 30th, 2015 at 1:46 am

Michael can we hold off please before we put Novaks name on the trophy,theres alot of tennis to be played between now and then,im hoping some other player might also have a say on that score yet?….

June 30th, 2015 at 4:38 am

Alison,

Ofcourse. Who knows ? The Tennis world might see a new Wimbledon Champion as we saw recently at Rolland Garros. That is what makes this Sport the spectacle it is braced with uncertainity. However, right now you cannot deny that Novak is the favourite though I would not go far to say it is overwhelming. For me, Andy appears on the top with Novak not much behind !!

June 30th, 2015 at 8:13 am

So, Rafa, Novak and Fed appear easily through to the Land of 64. Tsonga needing 5!

And now, Genie Bouchard looks ready to follow up her finals run with a first round exit. Sad…. oh! I spoke too soon, Genie breaks back. Good to know there’s some fight left there.

June 30th, 2015 at 11:18 am

well tsonga was injured coming in, and muller’s been playing quite well this season. so yeah, i’d be surprised if jo goes deep actually.

June 30th, 2015 at 11:21 am

Saw only end of Fed match and he was playing great,

Murray is inconsistant today, his first serve deserted him, don’t know if is the heat, but something is off with his serve. He should have bag this set already,

June 30th, 2015 at 11:55 am

Wow! Genie is out! That is going to really hurt in the rankings.
The Handshake Curse continues. You do not mess with the Handshake Curse.

June 30th, 2015 at 12:44 pm

@Daniel – Murray never makes it as easy as it should be. But a straight set victory is good. Onward and upward!

June 30th, 2015 at 12:54 pm

Hmmm yes, reminded me little bit too much of what we hoped had been moved on from
Ahem
Or maybe he should try a mental insitution instead of a psychiatrist to truly understand his demons
lol (it will be fine I’m sure)
Onwards and upwards.
And it was a cauldron out there
A good test even!

June 30th, 2015 at 12:57 pm

Forecast is great so far, pretty warm with this extra week. 40% rain only expected on Wednesday, day of Quarterfinals. Hope this Wimby goes rain free, hate when their is schedule issues and match postponed.

A lot of 5 sets already this tourney. yesterday and today.

June 30th, 2015 at 1:23 pm

First Bouchard(24th ranked)then Halep(3rd ranked)Would Wozniacki(5th rank) be next !!??

:-)

June 30th, 2015 at 1:36 pm

@Daniel
He was serving very well at Queens, so here’s hoping. I think he finds first round matches nerve wracking.
Dunno about shrink, have heard he works for Steve Peters. Last I heard it was someone from “Chimp Management.” Lol, Andy knows how to keep his fans on their toes.
Very sad with Halep. What is up with her? She was nursing an injury I believe.

June 30th, 2015 at 2:49 pm

Yes Margot, hope he improves on that. The other parts of his game was excellent, love how he uses variety on grass, a few slices and suddenly a missile BH flat. The thing with grass is when you hit a great return is almost impossible to get back.

June 30th, 2015 at 5:25 pm