Wimbledon, Day 3: A Wednesday we won’t soon forget
Wimbledon is underway, and with it our daily roundup of all things green and glorious. Prepare your strawberries and cream as we delve into the day's events, from the sublime to the absurd. Your serve.
What else could it be? Roger Federer fell to Sergey Stakhovsky in four sets in one of the most shocking upsets in Wimbledon history. This just doesn't happen. Federer had made 36 straight quarterfinals in Grand Slam events, an astonishing run of dominance. And it's come to an end ... as has any belief that Federer is invulnerable. The talk will begin in earnest now of whether he can ever win another Grand Slam.
Sir Bruce Forsyth, a British television host, does the "Mobot" for British Olympian Mo Farah. All right, then.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is in pain immediately before his withdrawal mid-match. He was one of seven players to retire from play on Wednesday, including Victoria Azarenka and John Isner. There will be questions about both the courts' surface and players' preparation in days to come.
"When you're playing Roger Federer at Wimbledon, it's like playing against two persons." -Sergey Stakhovsky, on the mystique of Federer at a place where he's won seven titles.
The Elton John-looking fellow there in the Union Jack may not be the worst-dressed fan in the world, but as he's participating in The Wave at Wimbledon, well, that instantly knocks him down a few pegs.
Who's left? Plenty of top-flight players. Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer are the top dogs scheduled to play Thursday on the men's side, while Serena Williams begins her second round with a wide-open route to another championship stretched out before her. But as we've seen on Wednesday, there's absolutely nothing we can take for granted. Make sure you keep up.
