WIMBLEDON – Alizé Lim on Harmony Tan who faces Anisimova in 8th: “I had a good feeling…”

“Harmony asked me to hit the ball with her just before she left, she needed to ‘clean up’ her shots after a tournament in Italy where the rebound was so low she lost her rhythm a bit, says our consultant. I found her very calm, very confident, absolutely not stressed. So I had a good feeling for her before this tournament, and I’m not at all surprised by what happened to her.”

Tan, a complete player

During this famous tournament in Italy (in Gaiba), marked according to the testimony of many players – in particular that of Diane Parry – by rather catastrophic conditions with a rebound almost non-existent, Harmony had (like Diane) reached the semi-finals by opting for a radical solution to the problem: the service and volley at full speed.

“She told me she had never done so many serve and volleys in her life. !, Says Alizé Lim. Harmony is a gamer who knows how to solve problems.She has all the strokes of tennis, she can slice, round, accelerate… she can really do everything and that’s a big advantage on grass. I think this surface is perfect for his game.”

For the former 135th in the world, Harmony Tan (115th in the world for her part this week after having briefly crossed the doors of the top 100 last April) also has another major asset: she is unknown to her rivals, who for the most part discover his atypical and disconcerting playing.

A game that earned him to pass under the radar of many recruiters in his youth but which is today a real strength. And if it’s a strength, it’s because she knew how to cultivate her difference, rather than trying to blend into a mold that was clearly not made for her.

“Harmony has a very clear vision of how they want to play and that’s a sign of maturity.further explains Alizé Lim. It is this quality that has also enabled him to manage his career intelligently. A coach who wanted to make her work on her forehand so that she would let go more probably wouldn’t have lasted long by her side, because she knows it’s not her game. Somehow, she’s surprising. You’d think she’s a laid back girl because she’s not the type to shake her fist or scream her rage. But she is there, and she believes in herself…”

Qualities that will not be too much to try to derail the “machine” Anisimova on Monday, in the totally opposite style. The American had beaten her dryly at Roland-Garros in 2019, the year she reached the semi-finals. But at the time, the Frenchwoman was still only ranked 265th in the world. Now, she finally seems to have found the right tempo, Harmony.