And the story just keeps on going.
Coco Gauff, at 15 years old and number 313 in the world, is into the second week of Wimbledon.
Surviving a three-set rollercoaster with Polona Hercog on Friday, Gauff continues to perform at a level that is almost beyond comprehension.
And no, I’m not talking about her game, as well-polished as it is already. More impressive is the mental fortitude – the way she handled being on centre court for the first time, or match points against her in the second set, or her first tour-level tiebreak, or losing an early lead in the third – that stuff doesn’t come easily to anyone, and indeed for many players, it never does at all.
Whether or not she wins another match this fortnight, Gauff has earned all the plaudits that come her way. That said, part of me worries people might start expecting too much of her too soon – at the end of the day, she’s still a kid, and it won’t always be smooth sailing – although after what we’ve learned of her this week, it sure seems like she can handle it.
Here’s your three to see on day 6 at Wimbledon:
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) v Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3] – Second on Centre Court
Because the tennis gods deemed one big-hitter wasn’t enough for Rafa Nadal, after facing down Nick Kyrgios he now gets Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Not quite the same player who made two straight semi-finals here in 2011 and ’12, Tsonga is nevertheless an interesting test for the Spaniard, having taken four victories in eleven career meetings, and as Milos Raonic in Stuttgart and Roger Federer in Halle can attest, he’s actually played very well on the grass as of late. Obviously, the expectation is still that Nadal comes through here, but having to deal with both the emotional comedown from his match against Kyrgios and Tsonga’s ability to hit through the court, he could definitely be in for a difficult day at the office.
Sloane Stephens (USA) [9] v Johanna Konta (GBR) [19] – Second on No. 1 Court
A rematch from the Roland Garros quarterfinals a few weeks ago, a third-round meeting here is both a chance for Sloane Stephens to earn some redemption, and, also just a few days after Independence Day, a chance to really stick it to the British public. That said, with her now 3-0 advantage in the head-to-head, Konta comes in the definite favourite, but there’s a reason Stephens is a grand slam champion and the Brit isn’t, and it would be no real shock to see the American take the fight to her here. Indeed, if Stephens is able to take a lead early, she should be able to take the crowd out of proceedings and make this a very tense affair, that said, even if Konta repeats her performance from Paris, the contrast between Konta’s punching and Stephens’ counter-punching will make this quite the entertaining contest.
Roger Federer (SUI) [2] v Lucas Pouille (FRA) [27] – Third on Centre Court
Not quite looking like his old, Wimbledon-winning self so far this tournament, the sooner Roger Federer can shift into high gear, the better, and he might not have much of a choice against Lucas Pouille. A frustratingly inconsistent, yet undeniably talented player, Pouille represents a legitimate threat to the Swiss if he comes out sleep-walking as he did in the first two rounds, as the Frenchman is unlikely to stay back and trade with Federer, and if he can maintain consistent pressure, the errors might begin to add up. That said, you can’t put it past Federer to have been playing 4D chess all week, and start his upswing now, exactly when he needs it, but in any case, this should be quite the showcase of attacking, all-court tennis.
