by Pete Bodo
Even the compound words, like "mind-boggling" or "odds-defying" are inadequate to describe a Wimbledon draw which has given us, as first-round opponents, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut—the two men who sent shock waves way, way beyond the shores of tennis and even sports at-large last year, when they contested the longest tennis match in history, an 11-hour, five-minute marathon that ended with Isner winning, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68.
The Associated Press reported that a "gasp" was heard throughout the room as the pairing was announced during the official Wimbledon draw ceremony, followed almost immediately by. . . laughter. I imagined that for Isner or Mahut, tears might be a more appropriate response: Don't wait for me with dinner after the match, mom. I may be a little late getting home. . .
Good grief. How could this happen?
It doesn't matter—the important thing is that it did. I can just hear the conspiracy theorists working themselves into a lather over this, should they ever get over their obsession with the way Roger Federer seems to keep winding up in Novak Djokovic's half of the draw at majors.
If you were Isner or Mahut in this situation, you might go either way—smash your fist on the table and demand a re-draw, fling yourself off the London Bridge on Monday night (the men are in the bottom half of the draw, and the men's top half usually plays on Monday, with the lower half starting on Tuesday), or do what most everyone else did once they recovered from the initial shock.
Laugh.
Which is precisely what the fellas appear to have done, turning what could have been a somewhat sour and just plain weird coincidence into a semi-magical moment for tennis—one which will have anyone who's aware of the situation talking about it and even more important, smiling as they speak. How could you not, despite there not being very much at all to say?
Isner and Mahut have become friends since that epic confrontation; they had even scheduled a Saturday pre-tournament practice against each other. And shortly before the news broke, Isner innocently tweeted, "Anyone see the Wimby draw? Who do I play?"
Once the news got out, Andy Murray, the No. 4 seed, was among the first to post a comment: “Isner vs mahut drawing each other in the first round after last year is the most amazing thing I’ve seen in tennis! Centre court anyone?!”
Hear, hear!
Well, we certainly know what the lead story on the web will be come Tuesday night, won't we?
Still, there will be scads of matches completed by the time Isner and Mahut finish (or have to stop because of darkness) on Tuesday, and here are just a few of the other first-round pairings that I'd like to watch:
The Men:
Juan Martin del Potro (seeded No. 24) vs. Qualifier: I'd give this one a set, set-and-a-half, just to see how del Potro's big serve and forehand look on Wimbledon grass. I'd do that because top-seeded Rafael Nadal could face Delpo as early as fourth round. It may be too much to expect young Milos Raonic (No. 31) to upset the defending champ—should they meet in the third round—but no matter how you cut it, this is no easy draw for Rafa.
Radek Stepanek vs. Fernando Verdasco (No. 21): This is a clash of two familiar veterans, a 32-year-old Czech who's ranked just 57th but trying to make a comeback, and a 27-year old Spaniard who's ranking is in free fall. Stepanek leads the head-to-head, 3-2, but none of those matches were on the clay that would favor Verdasco.
Last year at this time, Verdasco was coming off a spectacularly successful Euroclay season and ranked inside the Top 10. Now he's No. 23 and trying to stop the bleeding. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so this one ought to be a real barnburner. Stepanek's age disadvantage is made up for by his proficiency on fast surfaces. Call it a toss-up.
Donald Young vs. Alex Bogomolov Jr.: This clash is noteworthy simply because Bogomolov was once in Donald Young's shoes—a prodigy expected to become the next big thing. That was almost a decade ago; Bogomolov is now 28 and ranked No. 80. Young is just 21, but he's had trouble cracking and remaining in the Top 100. Will Young look across the net and see himself in seven years time? How will he feel about that, and how will Bogomolov treat a kid who's walking a path with which he himself is familiar? I like the psychic resonances of this one.
Ivan Ljubicic vs. Marin Cilic (No. 27): Call it the Battle of Croatia, and the most surprising thing about the pairing is that these countrymen have only met once (Ljubicic leads, 1-0). Ljubicic is giving up a full decade in age (he's 32) to his young rival, but Cilic has been one of the most puzzling—and disappointing—players in recent times. Ljubicic has played downright lousy tennis in Grand Slam events for most of his career, so we're looking for the Cilic win.
Ivo Karlovic vs. Janko Tisparevic (No. 23): These two men have met only once, and in all honesty, the match-up is intriguing mostly because when Karlovic is involved, there's always the chance that he'll simply serve the other guy off the court. The only time these men played, at Delray Beach earlier this year, Tipsarevic won in straights. But the first set went to a 14-12 tiebreaker. It' s always interesting to see how opponents deal with Karlovic's monstrous serve, and just how the outcome is reached against a guy with such a huge weapon.
Alexandr Dolgolopov (No. 22) vs. Fernando Gonzalez: Dolgo beat Gonzo handily on clay in their only meeting, at the 2010 French Open. And while Gonzalez grew up on red clay, he's an offensive-minded guy who loves to hit the crap out of the ball. He posted his best Grand Slam result on hard courts in the Australian Open, losing to Federer in the final in 2007. These two men are spectacular shotmakers, so it ought to be a tremendously entertaining shootout. Gonzo is 30 and ranked No. 454 after having missed most of last year because of a bad hip. What's he got to lose?
Robin Soderling (No. 5) vs. Philipp Petzschner: A week ago this pairing might not have even raised an eyebrow, but Petzschner is coming off a career tournament in Halle—he reached the final, but had to quit against Philipp Kohlschreiber with a lower back injury. Soderling, for his part, has been having trouble keeping up his standard—and keeping coaches employed. The big Swede's game (and probably mind) seem to be in disarray, which makes Petzschner a legitimate threat to pull off the upset. Soderling won both of their previous meetings, including a three-set battle last year at Halle.
Marcos Baghdatis (No. 32) vs James Blake: If I were Blake, I'd be happier playing the seeded Baghdatis than some of the unseeded floaters in this draw. But I must confess I'm interested in this match mainly because Blake is 31 and his chances for making a successful comeback are getting slimmer by the day. Baghdatis won the only time these two men have met, dropping just six games on an indoor hard court in Rotterdam that perfectly suited Blake's game.
The Women:
Sania Mirza vs. Virginie Razzano: Despite the loss of her coach/fiance Stephane Vital to brain cancer shortly before the start of the French Open, Razzano played Roland Garros (partly because that was Vital's deathbed wish). She was, understandably, unable to adequately focus. Mirza has been all over the place, and her hit-or-miss style ought to give Razzano plenty to work with. Razzano is ranked No. 98, a full 30 places below Mirza, but she won the only time the two previously met.
Angelique Kerber vs. Laura Robson: Always nice to drop in to see how Robson, the British, female Donald Young, is doing.
Sabine Lisicki vs. Anastasija Sevastova: Lisicki crushed everyone (including Daniela Hantuchova) in her path in straights last week in Birmingham, and I'm just wondering if she's for real.
Ana Ivanovic (No. 18) vs. Melanie Oudin: Ivanovic is certainly a big name, a former No. 1 and Roland Garros champion, but she isn't as huge a win as the record might suggest. That means Oudin ought to be in with a shot. Both of these players have suffered and experienced difficulties delivering on their early promises. Ivanovic won a three-setter on hard courts in 2009, the only time they've played.
Aravane Rezai vs. Serena Williams (No. 7): Serena had to go to 6-4 in-the-third the only time these two women met, in Sydney in 2010. Serena was elevated to the No. 7 seed despite her ranking of No. 26 (due mostly to not having played for almost a full year) but never mind about that—she's the defending champion and a four-time Wimbledon winner.
Lately, Rezai has been best known for her off-court turmoil (she recently accused her father of trying to steal all her money), and she's without a doubt one of the most unpredictable players on the tour. But when those savage groundstrokes begin to fall in—watch out, everyone! And that includes Serena.
Naomi Broady vs. Anne Keothavong: Both of these women are British, which means the UK will have a female player in the second round. I still have to see it to believe it.
Katie O'Brien vs. Kimiko Date-Krumm: Kimiko is over 40 years of age, and it's worth going to see her just like it's worth seeing any other wonder of the world.
Isner vs. Mahut, anyone?