WINNETKA, Ill. — Center court at the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center in this leafy suburban enclave along Lake Michigan sits nearly 4,000 miles away from Wimbledon’s pristine grass-court setting. Tim Smyczek had planned on competing at the Grand Slam event, but instead he was here on Monday, locked in a three-set match in front of a couple hundred spectators.
Smyczek, ranked 121st in the world, found himself at this ATP Challenger Tour event nearly a month after he accidentally failed to register for the Wimbledon qualifying tournament. It had nothing to do with his on-court performance: He just hadn’t read the entirety of a weekly email of tournament entry deadlines sent out by his agent.