Wimbledon: Missing the Williams Sisters

Vendors (l-r) Russell Adams, John Hagan, and Donald Morris chat with Patrick Edwards about the world of sports.

Patrick: Wimbledon’s here and, as of this article’s recording, we’re on Day 8 of 14. I know we all have feelings about the Williams sisters, so let’s kick it off with that. Russ?

Russ: Well, there’s no Serena Williams, seeing as she retired in September. Man, a tennis tournament—men’s or women’s—just doesn’t mean as much to me when Serena’s not involved.

Patrick: You know her sister, Venus, entered this year, right? At 42 years old, and the older of the two, Venus is still giving it a go out there. Venus has always been my draw to modern tennis. Maybe it’s that she was first Williams to succeed; whatever the case, it was unfortunate to see her lose her first match.

Donald: I miss 'em both, but we do have to move on, right?

Russ: Right. It’s tough to get motivated, though. I get it, you know, considering there’re others still out there continuing to compete.

John: Agreed.

Patrick: So, John, what’s the biggest story—other than the Williams sisters—for you?

John: Well, initially, I hadn’t been closely following the seedings and things, but when I realized that Novak Djokovic was seeded No. 2, I became more interested in this year’s men’s Wimbledon. Turns out that Carlos Alcaraz is the No. 1 seed.

Donald: Wow…I didn’t know Djokovic wasn’t No. 1. Where’s the other guy…uhm….

Patrick: Nadal. Rafael Nadal.

Russ: He had to pull out of the French Open in May due to injury; it’s serious enough that it’s keeping him out of Wimbledon, too.

John: Also, I recently read that Nadal—aged 36—said 2024 is his last year.

Patrick: It’s funny, John, that someone else out there had the nerve to be seeded higher than Djokovic—and his name wasn’t Rafael Nadal. I say that because the other day I read through the men’s seeding, and I was shocked to realize I knew of more of these cats than I thought. Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe— man!

Russ: Good. I enioy Wimbledon because it's not a weekend sport like golf. This year, Wimbledon went from July 3 through July 16, so we had time to soak it up before unseeded Markéta Vondroušová of the Czech Republic took it all from last year's runner-up, Ons Jabeur (the first time an unseeded woman won the final in 60 years) and Alcaraz took the men's title from Djokovic--his first defeat at Centre Court in 10 years.

Patrick: Me, too. So, does either of y’all know the women’s seeding for the tournament?

John: Iga Swiatek of Poland at No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus following her, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and, then, the highestseeded American, Jessica Pegula, with Caroline Garcia of France at 5.

Patrick: A lot of foreign names in there. But, of course, I’m not shocked by your recall…just impressed. Time to wind down, fellas. Last words? Don?

Donald: I’m missing the Williams sisters like everybody else, but it’s time.

John: I may not tune in, but I’ll be checking out SportsCenter to see who wins.

Patrick: Real quick, Russ, before you have the floor: I miss the Williams sisters, too. That familiarity and higherexcitement level they bring’ll be missed; that said, there’s talent in this tournament, so I’ll watch.

Russ: Thanks for the last word, Pat. With regular life going down, sports seem so unnecessary…but, then, when I sit down and watch, or we talk and/or write about sports, I come back. I have priorities, but I also have a love of the overall game. Enjoy, people.