Welcome to the Conversation
After 10 days of high drama in SW19 we’re approaching the final weekend of the Championships, Tumaini Carayol an answers your questions live
Key events
Does Fery have what it takes?
SidKirkwood asks: Can the wildcard Fery go all the way?
Tumaini: This has been a truly incredible tournament from Fery. First he showed his fighting spirit in consecutive comeback victories over Zizou Bergs and Grigor Dimitrov, then he showed his quality and level in that incredible performance against Flavio Cobolli on Thursday, where he was nearly flawless.
However, I find it very hard to see him winning the title. Fery had a fair draw against five opponents he knew he was capable of beating. The three remaining players in the draw, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and his opponent Alexander Zverev, are by far the three best players in the draw right now. I do not see him beating two of those three players back to back.
Would resceduling the grand slams reduce injuries?
Baronsamedi68 asks: Could the tennis calendar change to help ease the constant stream of injuries which players seem to experience and which seems almost bound to lead to burnout in some cases?
Tumaini: In a perfect world, the seven kingdoms of professional tennis – the ATP, WTA, ITF and the four grand slam tournaments – would come together, tear up the calendar and start from scratch. It is undeniable that the season is too long, inefficient and should be streamlined. This has been a talking point for many decades and there have been so many proposals over the years to address these issues. The increasingly physical nature of the sport has only exacerbated this problem in recent years and the number of injuries on the tour this year, particularly to younger players on the ATP tour such as Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fils, is alarming.
However, the way things currently are, I do think players have a measure of power over their scheduling decisions. It can be tempting for them to chase points, prize money and appearance fees, and there are certain penalties that come with splitting certain tournaments, but in order to be a top player for an extended period of time, players have to prioritise their bodies when scheduling tournaments. I think the most obvious example of this is Alcaraz, who is still nursing the right wrist injury he suffered three months ago after opting to compete in Barcelona a couple of days after reaching the final in Monte Carlo.
Is success at top level tennis only for the wealthy?
Bungalows asks: Is it possible for an ordinary person from a normal background to do well in these tournaments or do you have to be rich? The LTA needs to address why the UK has so few top players due to the lack of investment.
McFilmCritic asks: Jack Draper came from our local (underfunded) tennis club in Sutton, but this is getting rarer. British tennis players need more support or else only the rich hedge funded ones will have any chance.
JC2024 asks: How much does it cost to be a top 10/20 tennis player? You can see the career earnings for some singles players who have never won a grand slam, maybe reached quarters or semis at best, and it’ll be in the tens of millions. But how much of that do they need to spend – coaches, physios, flights, hotels, training facilities, food etc?
Tumaini: There are some players from ordinary backgrounds who succeed in this sport. I think the most prominent examples inside the top 20 are players like Naomi Osaka and Frances Tiafoe. Novak Djokovic’s family did not come from great wealth. However, there is clearly a reason why there are currently multiple billionaire heiresses, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro, competing on the tour. Arthur Fery, of course, also comes from great wealth and Jack Draper’s father, Roger, was the chief executive of the LTA between 2006 and 2013.
This is an incredibly expensive sport that requires hundreds of thousands of pounds of investment into players each year in order to fund coaches, equipment, travel costs and so many other things. Unlike other sports like football, where the talented players are eventually employed by teams, that investment does not stop when players first “make it”. This is a financially challenging sport for many players that even make it to Wimbledon. Players ranked outside of the singles top 100 are unlikely to break even.
Great Britain is actually in an advantageous position compared to other nations due to the LTA’s resources. The LTA can invest in so many more players than other nations, so it speaks volumes that a large amount of British players still come from wealthy backgrounds. So many talented tennis players fall through the cracks because of how expensive this sport is.
Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Is Sinner ready for his semi-final against Djokovic?
Emiemi asks: What’s your take on Sinner’s game going into the semi vs Djokovic?
Tumaini: I think the good news for Sinner is that he is serving at an incredibly high level this year and since his tough first round win against Miomir Kecmanovic, in which he served a career best 31 aces, he has not dropped a set. However, he has had a great draw, avoiding a seeded player until the semi-finals and his forehand has looked erratic at times. Djokovic, if he is in good shape after his marathon against Auger-Aliassime, will be a massive step up in level for Sinner and it will be the first true indication of his level, particularly the confidence he has in his forehand right now
Welcome to the Conversation
After 10 days of high drama in SW19 we’re approaching the final weekend of the Championships, Tumaini Carayol an answers your questions live
