Wimbledon. One of the greatest sporting events in the world.
It always takes me a day to get over the madness of Wimbledon, Silverstone and Wimbledon again. This year I also added in Wimbledon preview week and the three-day wedding of a great friend of mine.
I should be lying in a dark room, but the whole experience feels too good not to share. Well, the Wimbledon part. I won’t share too many details about the wedding, apart from saying that I was lucky enough to fly up to Scotland with Sir Jackie Stewart and Mark Webber. My great friend David Coulthard had a beautiful celebration in the south-west of Scotland which was bathed in glorious sunshine. I was even able to watch the end of the men’s final on Sunday from a helicopter before heading back to Wimbledon that evening. What a crazy end to a hectic few weeks.
I was delighted for Jannik Sinner to join such an exclusive group of back-to-back champions. He becomes only the tenth man to win consecutive Wimbledon titles.
I’ve interviewed him a lot over the last few years and, of course, he’s a huge F1 fan, as I mentioned in a previous article. After every on-court interview, on his way to sign autographs, he always gives me a nod and says thank you before he leaves the court. He doesn’t need to do that, but it’s a lovely gesture.
I think back to his first-round match when his white shoe turned red with blood. It was a gruesome start to the fortnight, but this picture below sums it up brilliantly.
There were so many great stories throughout the fortnight. The all-Czech final in the women’s draw was testament to the incredible work Czechia has done to encourage children to take up the sport. I interviewed a journalist from the country on Thursday about why so many Czech players come through the system, and it all came back to putting the right foundations in place at grassroots level. Every country should take note.
Both finalists, Karolína Muchová and champion Linda Nosková, were brilliant examples of resilience and talent. The incredible semi-final on Thursday between Coco Gauff and Muchová was one of the best matches not just of these championships, but that I have ever seen.
One of the standout moments for me was another incredible and emotional match in week one, when Matteo Berrettini beat Stan Wawrinka. It was Stan’s final Wimbledon appearance and a hugely special moment. Unusually, I interviewed both players. He had played so well. It was vintage Wawrinka and a throwback to when he was winning his three Grand Slams. Wimbledon was the one that got away. He cried and Matteo was holding back tears. It was very special to be part of that moment.
