Wimbledon 2022: 5 things we learned

There was also a career-best fourth-round appearance for Heather Watson and encouraging wins for Katie Boulter, Jack Draper and break-out stars Ryan Peniston and Alastair Gray.

There is wonderful camaraderie among the British ranks with the players all pushing each other and improving as a result.

Point-less punishment

Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian competitors due to the invasion of Ukraine, and the subsequent move by the ATP and WTA to strip the Championships of ranking points, only hurt the players.

Despite winning the title, Djokovic, unable to defend the points he won last year, could find himself as low as seventh when the new world rankings are published.

Lower-ranked players who had decent runs, such as Dutch wild card Tim van Rijthoven who reached the fourth round, will also see no benefit in their rankings.

And as if to illustrate the futility of it all, Russian-born Rybakina won the title. She is 12/1 to follow her Wimbledon 2022 success by winning the US Open.

Frustration at late finishes

Wimbledon’s Centre Court and Court One roofs ensure the show goes on even if the weather is not playing ball, but the Championships have become a late-night event by stealth.

While the other three grand slams schedule matches for the evening crowds, Wimbledon staunchly does not. And yet with the lights in the roof beaming matches are regularly finishing close to the 11pm curfew, which pleases the broadcasters but not the players.

Both Djokovic and Murray said they advocated an earlier start to the day’s play on the show courts.

Ons the way to the top

The women’s draw threw up another first-time winner among another field for the pin stickers.

With Iga Swiatek proving fallible, Serena Williams providing only a brief cameo, Raducanu out early and Naomi Osaka not showing up at all, the women’s tournament lacked in star quality.

So much so that the defeat of the second seed, Anett Kontaveit, in round two, caused barely a ripple.

But runner-up Ons Jabeur, the watchable and likeable Tunisian, has the game and the personality to provide some much-needed quality and charisma at the very top of the sport.