At Wimbledon, perhaps more than anywhere, preparation is key. The shorter than average season on grass courts means players often arrive at the All England Club in differing states of confidence, fitness and belief. This year, that seems to be more true than ever, with Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova all underdone as they prepare for a crack at the title.
It has been a tough year for Williams, who turns 38 in September. Injuries have restricted her to five events and she comes into Wimbledon having not played a warm-up event. Over the years, the 23-times grand slam champion has made a habit of playing well at Wimbledon without much practice but, with so little tennis under her belt, she does not know how she will perform when the tournament begins on Monday.
“Obviously, I haven’t had the best time and preparation that I normally would have,” Williams said. “I’ve had a good week and a half but I have been really just mentally training, physically training for that time here. I’m just going to do the best that I can now that I’m here. I know how to play tennis. I was dealing with some bad injuries all year. I just haven’t had enough match play, quite frankly. I finally feel like I found some good results in Paris. I stayed there. I saw some good doctors. Yeah, I’m feeling better.”
The knee injury that hampered her at the French Open, where she lost in the third round, has held her back physically but at times, it has seemed as if the quest for her 24th grand slam title, which would equal the record held by the Australian Margaret Court, has weighed heavily on her shoulders.
But the American, whose last grand slam title came at the Australian Open in 2017, when she was pregnant with her first child, is not getting ahead of herself. “I can’t go into grand slams thinking about records. I just have to go into a grand slam and think about just the first match. If I get that, I think about the next match. If I’m in the final, try to win one for once. That’s kind of what I think about.”
Osaka, who was deposed this past week as the world No 1 by the French Open champion, Ashleigh Barty, went into Roland Garros with a hand injury and arrives at Wimbledon in less than confident mood having won only one match on grass in the buildup. Having won the US Open and Australian Open, the Japanese player was under the spotlight in Paris and lost early, the weight of expectation too much to cope with.
“Mentally it was way more stress and pressure than I could have imagined,” Osaka said. “I don’t think there was anything that could have prepared me for that, especially since I’m kind of an overthinker. I think it’s better for me to be No 2 here because the only upside is if you win the tournament, you’re automatically No 1. That, for sure, is a really big goal of mine. I don’t have to think about defending the ranking or anything.”
Kvitova pulled out on the eve of the French Open with a muscle injury to her left arm and began practising a few days ago. The champion in 2011 and 2014 admits that had it not been Wimbledon, she probably would have taken another week. “Of course, my expectations are not really high,” she said. “Maybe this can help me, as well, to be more relaxed on the court. Sometimes when playing, the expectations come, suddenly I cannot put the ball in. Now, I’m relaxed. I’m not really happy that I didn’t have my best preparation [but] I think from the past I learned a lot about me. Sometimes I don’t really have to hit for so many hours to be prepared.”
If Williams, Osaka and Kvitova are all missing something, the same cannot be said for Barty, who followed up her French Open win by winning Birmingham to top the rankings for the first time. Barty looks a worthy favourite and pressure, it seems, does not bother her. “The only pressure that I put on myself is to make sure I do everything correctly and prepare as best I can to try and play a good tennis match, try and play well, to enjoy myself,” a smiling Barty said. “Regardless of whether I win or lose the match, I can walk off with a smile, know I’ve done everything possible to try to do my best.”