The best laid plans and seeds go astray

In tennis and in politics the promises and predictions are rarely fulfilled. Therein lies the drama of both contests.

Take for example the second Trump Presidency. His stated ambition was to focus on making America great from within. Under the returning President, America would return to its isolationist days on the world stage.

However, over the last fortnight Donald Trump has arguably accumulated more international influence than any American President since Richard Nixon. He has executed what appears to be an effective strike against Iran’s nuclear programme . A ceasefire he ordered between Iran and Israel is holding, despite initial breaches by both states, which had the President fuming with audible ‘F Bombs’ on the White House lawn.

Days after America’s Iranian sortie, the President flew to the NATO Conference in The Hague and managed to gain agreement from member states to increase their defence spending. Not a bad fortnight’s work. Happy Birthday, Mr. President who turned 79 on 14th June.

He may well have more resistance having his “big, beautiful tax cut Bill, which he sees as his present for the American people passing through Congress.

Now, the world awaits Trump’s economic announcements as his hiatus on imposing tariffs nears its end. Canadians, who celebrate their national day today, are witness to their new Prime Minister being less belligerent in tone towards Trump as he seeks to mitigate damage to Canada’s economy.

Australia, whose economic wealth derives mainly from the export of its raw resources, also anxiously awaits what added costs await its producers seeking access to American markets.  Any loss of national revenue would make Australia’s Budgetary position worse. Is it little wonder that Mr. Albanese has been unwilling to commit to increased national defence spending?  After all, he and the State Premiers now have over one million bureaucrats to pay for. Productivity gains, anyone?

Luckily for Mr. Albanese, Australia’s parlous economic position, grants him an alibi for not following the NATO path which matches his foreign policy ideology. His and the Foreign Minister’s equivocal comments of support for America’s strike on Iran, confirm that Albanese is trapped in the mindset of the undergraduate left.  The Prime Minister pays lip-service to Australia’s primary foreign alliance with America, but his actions suggest an undisguised anti-Americanism. Worse still Albanese seems entirely reluctant to articulate clear support for Western values, lest he offend those within his party who practise insidious moral relativism which runs like this: Israel is not a perfect democracy, therefore it is no better than a terrorist jihad.

Australia’s Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, must also be wondering how his best laid plans have gone astray. The Treasurer wrote a Ph. D dissertation on former and fellow Labor Australian Treasurer and Prime Minister, Paul Keating. Dr. Chalmers has often eulogised the reformist zeal and social priorities of Mr. Keating when he was Treasurer from 1983-1991; he must now be wondering about the price of his hero worship.

Keating, when Treasurer, is on the left, Chalmers, the current Treasurer is on the right.

Mr. Keating has unsubtly declared his Opposition to Chalmers’ proposed superannuation tax on unrealised capital gains. Defended as a policy that would only affect the uber wealthy, Mr. Keating now predicts that given this month’s rise in the compulsory superannuation contribution to 12%, the “typical worker” will be affected by the proposed tax on superannuation balances of $3 million or more.  Mr. Keating was one of the principal architects of Australia’s national superannuation scheme. Now 80 years of age, he will not go quietly into the night if he senses that one of his key legacies is being subverted. In Australian politics, there is no fight as bruising as one between old and new luminaries and factions of the Labor Party. Stand by!

Imagine you were the organiser of a middle ranking tennis tournament. You have gathered a field of male players including Tsitsipas, Rune, Berrettini and Medvedev in addition to the players seeded 20 and 31 at Wimbledon. Not too shoddy!  Remarkably, all these players have lost their first round matches on the first and very warm day at Wimbledon.

Defending champion Alcaraz had an unexpectedly difficulty opening round match, winning in five sets against veteran Italian, Fabio Fognini.  Fognini’s wife, the 2015 US Open champion, Flavio Pennetta was in the stands with one of their children to watch Fabio’s brave performance. In the Royal Box was the recently anointed Sir David Beckham, now 50 years old, who must have admired the pluck of the 38 year old Italian.

The fifth seed, Taylor Fritz, has rallied from two sets to love down to force his match against Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard into a fifth set. Fritz recovered from 1-5 down in the fourth set tiebreaker to level the match. Yet to face a break point on his serve, Fritz will resume tomorrow courtesy of Wimbledon’s 11.00 p.m. curfew. The spectacle of matches at the Australian and US Opens which last until the witching hours, is not for the genteel English! Alex Zverev, the third seed, must also resume his first round match tomorrow at one-set all.

Australia’s leading male player is Alex de Minaur, seeded 11 at Wimbledon.  His fiancé is an English tennis player Katie Boulter, who has upset ninth seed Paula Badosa in the first round. Badosa is the girlfriend of Tsitsipas, whose recent career slump has been confirmed by his withdrawal from his first round match.

It seems that as in politics, so it is with tennis. Unexpected outcomes and strange relationships and alliances- old and new-are always more potent because of their unpredictability.  Thirteen days left at Wimbledon-who knows what might happen?

Postscript: 2nd July, 2025

Taylor Fritz prevails, but the seeds continue to scatter. Coco Gauff, the No. 2 seed joins the ignoble club of players who win a Grand Slam only to lose in the first round of the next Grand Slam. Jessica Pegula the no. 3 seed also departs in the first round as does the Men's No.3 seed, Alex Zverev. Lorenzo Musetti, a semi-finalist in Paris and the No.7 seed departs along with French quarter-finalist and recent champion at Halle, Alex Bublik, seeded 28.

Postscript: 3rd July, 2025

It's official: never before have so many seeds been defeated in the opening three days of a Wimbledon tournament.

Men's: 14 of the 32 seeds have gone: 3,7,8,9,12,16,18, 20,23,24,27,28,30 and 32

Ladies': The losses are no less severe: overnight last year's finalist, Paolini joined the exodus along with the 2023 champion, Vondrousova. So we have lost seeds, 2,3,4,5,9,12,20,21,22,29,27 and 31.

Sabalenka, the No.1 seed has battled her way through two matches, looking anything but convincing. It will be fascinating to see how Sabalenka maintains her mettle in ther 3rd round match against England's favourite Emma Raducanu.