The Ladies Final

There were too many unforced errors and pressures on Ons Jabeur to make the final enthralling but it was nonetheless an exciting encounter.

Jabeur was carrying the torch for Arab women and the first African to win a ladies title.

There was no such constraint on Marketa Vondrousova, the unseeded Czech, as her country is a conveyor belt of champions.

My grandad remembered Sukova winning in the early 60s – then the era of Martina Navratilova, though at one stage she was stateless.

I was rooting for the statuesque Czech as we would never hear the end of it from the BBC sisterhood if Jabeur had won.

Vondrousova mixed up her game well and Jabeur – for whom the occasion got the better of her – could never assert herself.

Even when she was 3-1 up in the second set the Czech bounced back to level 3-3 and then to win the set and match.

I like her grace and power and felt she was a worthy champion.

And who will be the men’s champion?

Whilst Carlos Alcaraz’s day will surely come I do not predict that he will topple Novak Djokovic.  The 37 year old Serb is unbeaten on Centre Court for 10 years and will have too much in his locker for the heir apparent