2021 Wimbledon

Semifinals

(1) Barty 6/7 - 2/6 (25) Kerber

I've always thought Ashleigh Barty was uniquely built to win championships because she's so cool out there and yet when she gets deep in the Slams, she seems to get shook which is exactly what she doesn't otherwise display. Against Kerber she got up a break early and cruised through the 1st set. In the 2nd set, Kerber got a break on her quickly and we seemed destined for a 3rd set, but Barty got her break back and Kerber seemed completely devastated in the tie break. Kerber is good but when she gave up her advantage in the 2nd set, she kinda packed it in allowing Barty to get by in a relatively easy going straight sets.  

(2) Sabalenka 7/4/4 - 5/6/6 (8) Pliskova

I thought Sabalenka had the higher ceiling talent-wise, her movement was impressive and she could rip a forehand. But Pliskova played like the wily veteran and played a smoother, more controlled match and that's why she's moving on. If Sabalenka gets her head right, I think she can win big. As for Pliskova, she knows her game and she's cool enough to go deep in big tourneys. 

(7) Berretini 6/6/6/6 - 3/0/7/4 (14) Hurkacz

Berretini got up a break in the 1st, then Hurkacz really got down on himself and mailed in the 2nd set--don't know what happened to that guy but he gave out in the 2nd. The 3rd set was even and I figured the tiebreak was gonna be a slugfest but Hurkacz grabbed control early and seemed to right himself. Thought maybe we'd get a five-setter, thought maybe Hurkacz would rise up but he went down a break and just couldn't get back in it. Berretini was the better player and the correct winner, Hurkacz has game but falls apart at the first sign of adversity.

(1) Djokovic 7/7/7 - 6/5/5 (10) Shapovalov 

Right off the bat, the kid did not look up to the task and it felt like Djokovic was gonna roll him. But then Shapovalov took Djokovic's next serve with some blistering returns and all of the sudden it felt like Djok might have a match. But Shapovalov couldn't hold his advantage and then flailed through the 1st set tiebreak. But Shapovalov came back strong in the 2nd and this was a fun match. But he kept making the late fatal mistake that Djokovic would then take advantage of and that's why Djokovic won. Make no mistake: Shapovalov was the better player in the 1st and 2nd sets! But the fact that he couldn't seal the deal was why Djokovic went on to his 20th slam final. Shapovalov has a big serve (his sideways lefty serve in the ad court is unique and dangerous) and knocks some big returns, I really think this is the most talented youngster I've seen lately. If he gets his head together, this kid could be the guy. He didn't finish the match but he was better than Djokovic on this day. 

Finals

(1) Barty 6/6/6 - 3/7/3 (8) Pliskova

Barty won the first 14 points of the match and Pliskova's first two service games. Okay, felt like this wasn't going to be much of a match, felt like Barty had finally solved her championship intensity problem. And even though she dropped a serve, she still took the 1st set easily. 2nd set felt like Pliskova would pull it together and we'd be headed to a tiebreak. Well....sorta. Pliskova went up a break, Barty won it back. Tied at 5-5, Pliskova is up 40-love, then proceeds to drop the next five points and suddenly Barty is serving for the match. Barty whiffs on a Championship point, gives up her serve and now we're going to tiebreak, which Pliskova takes after piling up quick lead. Okay. In the 3rd, Barty went up a break early and rode it out--but only after shrugging off another break point. Barty's game on a Tuesday is probably the best in the world, but on Saturday she's just getting started.

(1) Djokovic 6/6/6/6 - 7/4/4/3 (7) Berretini

In the 1st set, Berretini dropped a serve and it felt like the match was over. But he broke Djokovovic back and was able to take full advantage of Djokovic's mistakes in the tie break to take the 1st set and suddenly it was a competitive match. Then Berretini dropped his first two serves in the 2nd set and even though Djokovic gave him a break back, it wasn't enough and you could see how the next two sets would take shape: Djokovic would make no mistakes and pounce on any little blip in Berretini's game to surge ahead. Yup, that's what happened. It's high level tennis, so it was watchable but outside of Djokovic fumbling through the 1st set tiebreak, it was clear who the better player was and who would win. I like Berretini, he's a nice player, but I never felt like I was watching the next Federer or the next Sampras, I never felt like I was seeing the guy that's gonna take over the sport soon (now Shapovalov , on the other hand, that dude could be the guy, we'll see). So, even though Federer got smoked worse than I've seen in a long time, it feels like he and Djokovic and Nadal are still the standard bearers for at least a few more years.