Wimbledon, England
For 14 years, men’s tennis has mostly failed in America. I’m not blaming players, and especially not the U.S. Tennis Association. The demise is too complex for that. We have popular sports, like football and basketball, that attract young men. America’s size, perhaps, has made competition more difficult: Georgia, California, and Florida possess some of the best young players, but they’re farther away from each other than regions of France, where tennis is loved. Or maybe there are so many options for young players—basketball, baseball, science, technology, swimming, mathematics—that they’re less likely to commit to tennis early. And then, presto, it’s too late.
I don’t know the reason, but I’m happy to have something, at long last, to celebrate: An American man named Sam Querrey reached the semifinals of Wimbledon by beating Andy Murray—the defending champion!—3-6, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-1.
This doesn’t seem like much, and then you realize that no American man—none, no one, not once, never—has appeared in a Grand Slam semifinal since Andy Roddick in 2009. Roddick, of course, is the last American man to win a Slam, way back in 2003. That was the same year Roger Federer won the first slam of his magical (so far) 18.
But enough of all that, and more about Querrey. He’s 6’6”, 29 years old, known for his booming serve, and, generally, very relaxed. His arrival in the semifinals is something of a surprise, yet not an enormous one, considering his season so far. On hard courts in Acapulco, for instance, he beat high-ranked and dangerous pros David Goffin, Dominic Thiem, Nick Kygios and, most impressively, Rafael Nadal in the final.
“Sam’s been playing great all year, he really has,” said his coach, Craig Boynton. “Just competing very well, he’s getting off bad moments really well, and you saw today, he kind of went through a patch, but he just stayed the course, stayed with his game plan. He believes in himself and he’s an unbelievably great tennis player when all those things come together.”
And then there’s Querrey’s backhand, which was once a weakness. Today he’s rebuilt it into a more reliable shot. “It gives him more momentum through the swing,” Boynton said. “It was a little bit linear, a little flat on the take back prior. Now he hits it safer. There’s more rotation.”
Murray was clearly injured, but that’s not always a simple solution for an opponent. And injury can sometimes make a player loose and let him swing for more than usual. His opponent, meanwhile, can feel like victory ought to be guaranteed—and then get tight. Querrey, to his credit, didn’t. After he lost the tiebreaker in the third set, he continued to play aggressively. He lost just two games the rest of the match.
“I’m trying to stay positive, stay levelheaded, committing to a certain style of game,” Querrey said. “Andy was hurt, I was trying to play aggressive. When the ball is there to be hit, hit it.”
Up next for Querrey is Marin Cilic, the most dangerous man on grass other than Federer himself. Cilic ousted Gilles Muller in five sets, 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-1. Also on Wednesday, Federer beat Milos Raonic convincingly, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(4). The Swiss is now two victories away from a 19th major title (his 8th at Wimbledon) and yes, he sounds like he’s more than ready.
“This year I’m just a normal tennis player again where I can focus on tactics,” Federer said. “I think that’s the difference. I’m playing very well. I’m rested. I’m fresh. I’m confident, too. Then great things do happen. Confidence is a huge thing.”
Federer will play Tomas Berdych next, who advanced after beating Novak Djokovic. Djokovic retired in the second set because of an elbow injury that has bothered him off-and-on for more than a year.
