World No 14 Andrey Rublev of Russia ended South African hopes by defeating 320th-ranked Lloyd Harris 6-7 (7/1), 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3) on Wednesday.
Despite the second round loss, there were positive takeaways for the South African star.
His comeback after an injury-laden hiatus, has shown just how capable he is on the big stage.
Little match practice
Since his second round exit from Wimbledon 2024, Lloyd Harris has had very little match practice.
A back injury saw him largely out of action.
In May, he advanced through the qualifying rounds to the French Open at Roland Garros – only to lose to the very person he faced at Wimbledon.
After Paris, there were some warm-up Challenger grass tournaments, before a Wimbledon comeback, thanks to a couple of player withdrawals and his protected ranking.
His 320th ranking is deceiving.
Wednesday’s fearless performance showed that his ability is no reflection on this ranking, something that Harris and his team should be proud of.
Noteworthy
Whilst their head-to-head favours Rublev, who now leads 4-0, their last two matches are particularly noteworthy.
At both Roland Garros and now at Wimbledon, Harris took a set off Rublev.
But there is a marked difference in Harris after just a month since that last meeting, as highlighted by Rublev himself at his post-match press conference.
Lloyd Harris took the first set to a tie-break with an impressive display of grit, grind and big serving.
A clearly rattled Rublev took to thrashing his own leg with his tennis racquet in frustration, as Harris put pressure on him with his dominant shot-making, often relentlessly targeting the Russian’s backhand deep into the baseline, keeping him from coming forward.
The strategy paid off in that first set, but thereafter Rublev regained his form and ultimately, experience prevailed.
Amisha Savani spoke to both players after the match.
When asked about his thoughts on Harris’s performance after taking a set off him in Paris and Wimbledon, Rublev commended Harris, emphasising his marked improvement since Paris.
“Here his level was – you cannot compare to Paris. Like, in Paris, I don’t know if he was injured or it was clay court or something. Here, he was playing really good. He was serving unbelievable. He was hitting the ball. So, it was different story”.
Elaborating on this, Rublev noted that the gap in level between top-10 players and those outside the top-10 had narrowed from what it had been in past years, comparing himself with Harris.
“Even three years ago when I played Lloyd in Wimbledon second round, was like, okay, inside the feeling was if I would just put focus, no chance for me to lose. Today was the feeling, even if I put focus and everything, it’s going to be really tough to beat him”.
After the match, Harris acknowledged that he had opportunities to capitalise, but was thankful for how his body was feeling, being appreciative for the ability to live life without pain.
“Where it feels better is the small things, you know, like just literally waking up in the morning, brushing my teeth, doing very mundane things, and not feeling pain, that’s where I am, am my happiest now, and starting to enjoy that, really.
“Forget about a four-hour match, that is happiness for me, just doing these normal things from day to day without pain, that for me is the big thing.
“The fact that I could already play a four-hour match is massive.
That’s just a huge bonus, and I feel like now that I’ve done two long matches, a couple of matches at Roland Garros … its only going to build and improve from here. I think every month is going to look better and better”.
It is evident that Harris’s injury-laden hiatus and this comeback have given him a fresh vigour and hunger for the main stage.
“I have unfinished business. My dreams, my goals are to win titles, to lift the trophy, to create memories”.
Amisha Savani is reporting exclusively from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon for The South African.
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