Not-So-Quiet Confidence

On Carson Branstine of Canada, who made lots of noise in Wimbledon qualifying this week.

ROEHAMPTON, England — Wimbledon is a tough place to unlock the gates into, even as a player who plays at other Grand Slam venues during the year. Uniquely among the four, the qualifying draw is held not at the All England Club but at the Bank of England Sportsground at Roehampton—3.5 miles away from the main event—in order to preserve the grass and stratify the classes, two passions of Wimbledon.

After three rounds that start with 256 players in Roehampton, are ultimately 32 qualifiers—16 men and 16 women who make it through to the All-England Club.

In lieu of a golden ticket, the lucky Augustuses, Violets, Verucas, Mikes, and Charlies are given a sterling silver one; Roehampton legend Alex Bolt was nice enough to let me photograph his—and the accompanying note and the snappy green case—after he made it through on Thursday.

Like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Grand Slam qualifying is, nearly always, a script written for an ensemble cast. With 224 matches held in just four days, there’s often a dozen intriguing spectacles happening at once, with countless storylines and characters on offer.

But this week in Roehampton, there was a clear runaway star, one player who turned her side court into center stage as she completed—and narrated, and emoted—the most memorable qualifying run in recent Grand Slam memory, with an indelible post-match interview to go with it.

“This is something I've actually kept to myself for most of my life, but there's never been one match that I played in my life—not one—where I felt like I was genuinely outplayed.” -Carson Branstine

To read more about the sudden star turn of confident Canadian Carson Branstine, please subscribe to Bounces! -Ben