Green grass, lower bounce, Coco Gauff bounced out by lesser-known Ukrainian at Big W

The Wimbledon fortnight is beautiful, if you have ever travelled to the most famous suburb South West of London during the classic fortnight. For fans who have the most elusive tickets or are debenture holders, getting a ringside view of the riveting action is a joy. Green grass, blue sky, white code and unannounced rain as well, it looks pretty for the eyes.

Ah, it comes with a catch as well. All that which looks beautiful to see with the naked eye, either inside the arena or on TV sets is different when a player has a mindset problem, playing on grass. In the good old days, a certain Ivan Lendl tried and tired, before falling. He failed to win Wimbledon and then said ‘grass is for cows.’ For those who have followed grass-court tennis over the decades, the season has been shrinking. It’s now so short, even before you blink your eyes, the grass season is over, just around three weeks. From the conclusion of the French Open to Wimbledon, there is just a fortnight’s gap. The best merchants of the game who ply their trade are aware of the toughness in adapting as well as coming to terms with vastly different conditions.,

And then there are those who slip on grass, literally, and burst into expletives. Welcome to The Championships, 2025, where many upsets have already been completed within two days. To be sure, the first week at Wimbledon is far more enchanting and filled with intrigue. For the seasoned pros -- men and women -- who are addressed as ‘gentlemen’ and ‘ladies’ in the draw, Wimbledon is about tradition. Be it the white clothing, etiquette or even the well-heeled spectators who come in suits (men) or chic clothes (ladies), this is more like a fashion show of sorts. You will not find too many dressed loutishly in ripped jeans or casuals. Wimbledon fans also love to dress up, with hats and ties fitting the occasion. After all, they love to sip Pims and expensive Champagne as well and then cheer the tennis.

On Monday night, Daniil Medvedev was bounced out by 64^th ranked Benjamin Bonzi of France in four sets. This marked the first time in seven Wimbledon appearances, Medvedev failed to reach the second round. He has, after all, been a semi-finalist twice at the same Major. But then, Danill, also known by critics as MADvedev was angry with the tennis season itself where three weeks on grass is a nightmare. Pardon his outrage, where he used the ‘F- bomb’ tennis on grass is beautiful.

Maybe, in the old days, well over 15 years back, clay court specialists avoided the trip to Wimbledon, easily the most beautiful tennis venue in the world. They would wait for the clay season and then slip into the hard-court season. Of course, legend Rafael Nadal, who retired last year and bowed out with great fanfare, had done exceedingly well at Wimbledon. As someone who was admired for his mind-blowing feats at Roland Garros, which hosts the French Open, Rafa had no qualms about Wimbledon. He had come with the right mindset needed to master conditions on grass. And that is how the Spaniard featured in some classics, wherein he won two titles on grass at Wimbledon, in his Grand Slam tally of 22. Rafa also had his share of problems but the way he won on clay and then came to grass, he was mentally ready.

Sadly, the same champion mindset was missing on Tuesday night in London as Miss Coco Gauff stuttered and spluttered before losing to Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in two sets. The first set went into a tie-breaker where Dayana teed off on her shots which were executed with fecundity and felicity. There was a delight as she took on Gauff, who, seemingly, has not recovered from the highs of a title-win at the French Open.

Coco was dressed for the occasion, all white in a New Balance outfit, with a hairband to keep things in place and also a wristband. Her racquet grip was a reminder she had not made the adjustments to play on grass, where the lower bounce and speed at which the ball travels off the court is different. She was unsteady and Dayana exposed the chinks in the second seed’s game with relish. Dayana’s forehand drives were skidding off the surface and her backhand looked slick on the well-manicured lush green lawns.

As the match wore on, Coco’s serve was tight. She was feeling the pressure and was also unable to play as well as she is capable of. And to lose the second set 1-6 was a reminder how the big players can fall early at Wimbledon. At the post match conference, Coco Gauff was calm. She needs to be appreciated for praising her opponent, ranked 42 in the world. Gauff also said that when she saw the draw, made on Friday, she knew it would be tough for the American. Indeed, Coco Gauff and Wimbledon are not made for each other, as observed from results over the years.