So local and likeable and unpretentious that last week he was travelling to practice at SW19 from his London apartment on the tube, just an unrecognizable strap-hanger.
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And for the first time in your career, you’re bound for the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam.
Pospisil’s Canadian upbringing is reflected in his lumberjack’s physique and giant redwood thighs.
The Briton would not be denied squaring the match as he wrestled away the authority from Pospisil, who had become passive and error-strewn in his ground-strokes, which lacked the punch of the opening set.
After going 2-1 up against Vasek Pospisil – ranked 55 places above him – Ward appeared to have his opponent on the ropes. But a hometown house can beat the odds. Pospisil has combined for 42 aces and 103 winners in his last two matches. Pospisil thus chose to serve to the Ward forehand for most of the match, though in the final set it hardly mattered, for he was striking the serve so sweetly that it was nearly impossible to return from any position. “So I wasn’t nervous about that”.
Pospisil, who won the doubles title a year ago, will next play Viktor Troicki.
James Ward could not conjure any great lessons he had learnt from his Wimbledon third-round defeat by Vasek Pospisil immediately after the match, but he did vow to try to keep his emotions in check in future.
On this afternoon, he almost lost his focus before regaining it in time.
“Obviously I didn’t bring the same energy or the same intensity into the third set”, Pospisil said.
Kvitova had only lost three games in her first two matches and led 4-2 in the second set before Jankovic turned the match around.
Ward struggled to build any momentum on the Pospisil serve and that ensured the right-hander stormed into a first set lead without having to break sweat as the home favourite toiled. I did well to bounce back from the second and third sets which weren’t so good on my part. “When your back’s against the wall in the fourth set, if you lose that set it’s over”. It set up a odd rhythm to the fifth set: Ward would scratch and claw to hold his serve, and then Pospisil would take his turn and fire bullets. “That was key”.
It was history repeatin’, though. Although the player he most resembles, both in body shape and shot production, is a man who shares his Czech heritage: the world No6 Tomas Berdych.
Canada now has two players in the third round at Wimbledon.
“The plan from the beginning was that if I’m not in the tournament, I will be there for the team and play (Sunday)”.
“I don’t think here will be any different”.
His provisional ranking has already tipped number 87, securing him automatic qualification for the United States Open later this year.
At some point soon, he’ll light down in Jamaica to more fully savour what happened this past week.
“Winning in the third round would probably be like Arsenal winning the league next year to be honest”, said Ward.
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Tennis fans saluted a group of British military heroes today as they joined a host of sporting greats in the royal box at Wimbledon.
