Iga Swiatek is back and Jack Draper needs time – what we learned at Wimbledon

South Wales Argus

2 days ago

Here, the PA news agency looks at six things we learned from the 2025 Championships.
Iga is eager again
Iga Swiatek was a surprise winner (John Walton/PA)
Iga Swiatek has positioned herself back among the top three in the women's game with Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff.
The Pole did not feature on many lists of potential champions after her clay-court struggles but unexpectedly found comfort and joy on what had been her least favourite surface.
And even Swiatek at her most dominant has never won a French Open final 6-0 6-0 – the fate of poor Amanda Anisimova, whose maiden grand slam decider turned rapidly into a nightmare.
Sinner turns the tables as rivalry grips
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the dominant forces in men's tennis (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
It was a thrilling fortnight with shocks throughout but all roads eventually led to a Sinner versus Carlos Alcaraz final, the latest chapter in an increasingly gripping rivalry which looks likely to endure for years.
Alcaraz had threatened to make it a one-sided duel having won their last five meetings, including last month's epic five-setter in the French Open final.
But Sinner got his revenge for that, dethroning the two-time champion for a first Wimbledon title and a fourth grand slam crown, one behind the Spaniard. The US Open promises to be a fascinating next instalment.
Novak nears end of line
Novak Djokovic was well beaten by Jannik Sinner (John Walton/PA)
Novak Djokovic was forced to admit age is catching up with him after falling to Sinner in the semi-finals, signalling the final throes of the drawn-out changing of the guard in men's tennis.
The 38-year-old had suffered a fall late on in his quarter-final win over Flavio Cobolli, and his aching limbs simply could not cope with the power and athleticism of the 23-year-old world number one.
The 24-time grand slam winner did vow to be back next year, but there is an inescapable feeling that Wimbledon, who always make a good job of paying tribute to its former champions, could be hosting Djokovic's farewell party.
Draper a work in progress
Jack Draper came unstuck against Marin Cilic (Ben Whitley/PA)
It has been a great season so far for Jack Draper, with Britain's number one climbing into the world's top four, but he is still searching for how best to impose his game on grass.
As the 23-year-old said after losing to former finalist Marin Cilic in the second round: 'I think there's a bit of a misconception, just because I'm a 6ft 4in lefty, I must be incredible on grass.'
Cilic gave Draper a lesson in how to play on the surface but the British number one lacks nothing in attitude or professionalism and will surely crack the code at some point.
Raducanu still riding the rollercoaster
Emma Raducanu, right, with coach Mark Petchey (Mike Egerton/PA)
Unlike Draper, Emma Raducanu knows exactly how to get the best out of her game on grass and she again performed strongly at the All England Club.
A second-round victory over former champion Marketa Vondrousova was very impressive and she was unfortunate to lose out to world number one Sabalenka in one of the matches of the tournament.
A key feature of Raducanu's success was her close partnership with coach Mark Petchey, but she faces more uncertainty on that front with Petchey unwilling to give up his media career.
Raducanu thrives with people she trusts around her so finding a stable set-up must be the priority.
Technology out of line
Umpire Nico Helwerth on the phone after the technology failed during the match he as overseeing (Adam Davy/PA)
Wimbledon rolled out electronic line calling for the first time after dispensing with line judges, and it was not without its teething problems.
The most high-profile mistake came during Sonay Kartal's fourth-round defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, when the system was inadvertently turned off and did not flag that a shot from the British player was out.
There was another embarrassing malfunction during Taylor Fritz's quarter-final victory over Karen Khachanov, when 'fault' was incorrectly announced after the American's forehand landed well inside the baseline.
Raducanu and Draper had earlier questioned the technology's accuracy, while Khachanov even said the absence of line judges made him feel 'lonely' on court.