LONDON—Centre Court at Wimbledon, quite frankly, wasn’t ready for another match.
It almost seemed bad form, really, that soon after Andy Murray departed with the men’s singles championship, there was one more match to play.
So, with the building still buzzing, the mixed doubles final commenced between Canada’s Daniel Nestor and his French partner, Kristina Mladenovic, and the Brazilian-American tandem of Bruno Soares and Lisa Raymond.
“I knew that people would pretty much leave after (the Murray) match,” said Nestor. “We were happy there were some people.”
Yes, it’s hard to follow history. But with Centre Court about one-third full and the Royal Box still about half full, the teams put on a pretty good show, battling deep into the third set until the 40-year-old Nestor and the 20-year-old Mladenovic emerged with a 5-7, 6-2, 8-6 victory.
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For Nestor, it was his 11th Grand Slam doubles title, third at Wimbledon, and third in mixed. For Mladenovic, it was her first of any kind.
“She’s going to be one of the top singles players eventually,” said Nestor. “Right now, you know, she’s focusing on doubles and mixed. I think that will change one day. I caught her at the right time.”
The two, who almost won the French Open last month before losing in the final, had forged a solid connection with Nestor’s guile and Mladenovic’s big-hitting style.
“I’m really happy to play with him,” she said. “It’s such an honour. He’s such a big player in doubles. He won almost everything.”