Mark your calendars! The crown jewel of tennis, Wimbledon, starts in just four days! To amplify the excitement even more, ESPN released a promo for the event on Tuesday. Naturally, fans are in a frenzy after watching a 30-second trailer for the event, blended with thrill and anticipation! Supercharged with a Hollywood trailer vibe, the promo featuring rising stars Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff’s as the “first ready” players has ignited a firestorm of excitement in the tennis world!
On June 25, ESPN PR released the promo of Wimbledon, captioned, “Check out ESPN’s new 2024 #Wimbledon spot featuring @oliviarodrigo’s ‘Obsessed.’” The whole theme of the promo is “Players are ready,” with Olivia Rodrigo, the American pop star’s “Obsessed,” song playing in the background. The promo starts with a glimpse of the London Bridge, setting the stage for the upcoming clash in London and then it quickly switches to the Center Court there. As the announcer says, “Welcome to Wimbledon,” short and quick shots of the event take fans down the memory lane!
After displaying the golden trophy of the tournament, the quick pace of the music, along with glimpses of pop stars like Nick Jonas and his wife Priyanka Chopra engrossed in watching a match, further heightens the excitement. “Please take your seats. Players are ready,” the announcer says next. Quickly, the promo moves towards introducing the top players of the season! Among them, the first name that catches everyone’s attention is when it is declared, “Coco is ready.”
As the camera zooms in on Gauff’s face with a racquet in her hand, the music turns loud, matching the enthusiasm of fans worldwide! Next up is Carlos Alcaraz: “Carlos is ready.” Naturally, the next thing that the promo shows is the scenes of his Wimbledon win last year! Reminding everyone of the audience’s standing ovation during that match, the moments from the video reignite every fan’s wish to witness him win once again! It takes every fan back to the iconic final match between Novak Djokovic and the Spaniard, where he showed his magic to the world! The announcement in the video further moves on to players like, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, Jannik Sinner, and Frances Tiafoe, declaring that they are all ready.
However, among the WTA players, Coco Gauff is also seeking her first Wimbledon title this season! Although the 20-year-old WTA player has graced the grass courts of Wimbledon two times(2021,2023), she has yet to reach the quarterfinals of the event. However, vying for her career’s second Grand Slam, the American player is steadily climbing up the ladder of WTA rankings this season. The World No. 2 who won the U.S. Open last year now has 7 singles titles to her name. Will she be able to win another one this season?
As the tournament draws closer, reactions from Gauff last year hint that she is not ready to have the same outcome as last year’s. However, for Alcaraz, it is an opportunity to quench his “hunger” for more success.
While Coco Gauff “wants to work even harder”, Carlos Alcaraz’s “hungry just to be better”
Coco Gauff has so far played 12 matches at Wimbledon, winning eight of them. However, last year, her first-round defeat to Sofia Kenin brought her dream of winning a Grand Slam in London to a disappointing end. The then-World No. 7, after finishing the round with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 score, said, “Defeat makes me want to work even harder. Right now I feel very frustrated and disappointed. I feel like I have been working hard, but clearly it’s not enough.”
However, for Carlos Alcaraz, who has already won a Grand Slam in the French Open this season, Wimbledon is a place to achieve more success. Before stepping onto the lush green courts of Wimbledon, he said, “Right now I’m hungry just to be better, to practice, and that’s all I have to do. “I’m really excited to start Wimbledon. Of course, I really want to win every title I (play for), and I think Wimbledon is even more special.”
