Tag: wimbledon

Sports / Tennis

Rafael Nadal beats Taylor Fritz in epic five-setter to seal Nick Kyrgios semifinal clash

Rafael Nadal battled injury problems to come from behind twice to reach the Wimbledon semifinals as he beat American Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) in an epic final set tie-breaker.

Nadal’s quest for a Calendar Grand Slam and a record 23rd major was in serious doubt when he required a medical timeout to treat an abominable issue in the second set. He admitted in his post-match interview he considered throwing in the towel but after four hours and 20 minutes on court the 36-year-old somehow came through it.

Channelling the same mentality that saw him come from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev to win the Australian Open back in January, Nadal found his rhythm in the latter stages of the match and saved his best til last in a crucial final set tie-break. A dejected 11th seed Fritz departed Centre Court to huge cheers as he missed out on a first Grand Slam semifinal appearance. Instead, it’ll be Nadal who takes on Aussie livewire Nick Kyrgios, who sailed through his quarterfinal in straight sets against Cristian Garin.

Rafael Nadal vs. Taylor Fritz result

1 2 3 4 5
Rafael Nadal (2) 3 7 3 7 7 (10)
Taylor Fritz (11) 6 5 6 5 6 (4)
…
Sports / Tennis

Novak Djokovic fights back from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon quarter-final

Novak Djokovic is a man made for five-set tennis. Only once out of 11 five-setters at the All England Club has he been a loser and that was back in 2006 to Mario Ancic. This incredible win also meant Djokovic pulled back a two-set deficit for the seventh time in a grand-slam match.

It may have been five years since the Serb has been defeated at Wimbledon and he has stretched his winning streak to 26 with this quarter-final victory, but it was not made easy for the six-time champion as he lost the two opening sets to the 20-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner. Djokovic did not look himself as he missed multiple drop shots in those two sets, but he maintained his habit of being a master of the marathon as he set up a semi-final with Britain’s Cameron Norrie.

Some may argue that the status quo prevails in the men’s game but Djokovic did look fallible and given how young Sinner is and the fight he put up, this is surely a positive sign for a player in his first Wimbledon quarter-final and another name to add to the list of young male grand slam challengers of the future.

Djokovic was frank in his assessment of both how he will be received by a partisan crowd when he takes on Norrie and the gulf in experience that exists between the world No  3 and No  12.

“Playing here in Wimbledon on Centre Court semi-finals of a slam in his country, of course I know what to expect, you know, in terms of the crowd support,” Djokovic said. “For him, [he has] not much to lose. Every victory from now onwards is a big deal for him. I know that.”

Djokovic moved comfortably on the grass in the opening games of the match and the defending champion moved 4-1 up, but Sinner – buoyed by the cheers of “Andiamo” [here we go] and, of course, his own determination and talent – began to find his natural game and …

Sports / Tennis

Tatjana Maria Stuns Jelena Ostapenko for first Wimbledon quarterfinals

Tatjana Maria, 34, stunned Jelena Ostapenko in the Wimbledon last-16 and made tennis history in the process as she is now the oldest woman in the Open Era to make a Wimbledon quarterfinal debut. Maria had her back turned against the wall and was facing an elimination but somehow was able to produce a stunning comeback and edge out 12th-seeded Ostapenko 5-7 7-5 7-5.

Ostapenko was up by a set and a break before Maria stormed back to win in three sets. In the 10th game of the second set, Maria saved two consecutive match points and then also won the following two games to force a decider.

Ostapenko started the second set with an early break and a 2-0 lead but Maria managed to recover and complete a stunning comeback win. In 2021 July, Maria returned to tennis following a second maternity leave.

Maria after stunning Ostapenko

“There’s always the belief that I can do it.

I mean, that’s why I came back after the first one. It’s why I came back after the second one. If not, if I don’t believe I can do these things, then I would not be here. So there’s always this believing and keep going and improving and trying my best at the end,” Maria explained, per the WTA website.

“It’s also really hard work. It’s not coming from nowhere, let’s say. We are outside on the court every day. We are working. Yeah, like I said, we are trying to improve. But maybe in myself there’s this feeling now, OK, I can do it, I can go for it.

Sometimes little things can change a whole match. It’s really little parts.” Maria now has a good chance of reaching her first Wimbledon semifinal as she plays next fellow compatriot Jule Niemeier. Niemeier is also having a great Wimbledon and it will be interesting who of the two Germans will reach the semifinal.…

Sports / Tennis

Lorenzo Sonego admits he was not happy with Rafael Nadal action during their match

Italian tennis player Lorenzo Sonego said Rafael Nadal distracted him with his action and added the Spaniard should have had a word with the chair umpire if he was having some issues. After Sonego broke back Nadal in the eighth game of the third set to tie the set to four games apiece, Nadal went to the net and called Sonego for a quick chat.

Once the match continued, Sonego got broken back in the ninth game as Nadal served out for a 6-1 6–2 6-4 victory in the 10th game. “A player should not call his opponent on the net. You cannot do that at Wimbledon.

Nadal should have just had a word with the umpire. He distracted me,” Sonego said after the match.

Nadal apologized to Sonego

After the match, Nadal went to Sonego in the locker room to apologize. Also, Nadal admitted he was wrong in his decision to call Sonego to the net in the middle of action.

“Well, first of all, I have to say that I was wrong,” Nadal said. “I should not call him to the net. So apologize for that. My mistake in that. No problem. I recognize that. “Then after that, all the stuff during the match that I don’t want to comment, because is something that I spoke with him in the locker room and it stays there.

Only thing I can say is I saw him personally. I apologize for that. My intention was never to bother him at all. Just to tell one thing that was bothering me that I think he was doing
in that moment, but that’s it. I think there is some codes between players.

Yeah, we had some issues there. But that’s it”. Even though Nadal didn’t publicly disclose what was the reason for his decision to call Sonego to the net, many suspected that the reason for that was the Italian’s grunt.…

Sports / Tennis

Andy Murray knocked out of Wimbledon by big-serving John Isner

Andy Murray was blown away by big-serving American John Isner in four sets as his Wimbledon campaign ended in a blur of aces.

Two-time champion Murray failed to reach the third round for the first time as 6ft 10in missile launcher Isner secured a first career victory over him at the ninth attempt.

Murray threatened another of his epic, late-night comebacks from two sets down when he won a third-set tie-break.

But this time he was unable dip into that seemingly endless well of reserves as Isner clung on for a 6-4 7-6 (4) 6-7 (3) 6-4 victory.

Isner, at 37 two years older than his opponent, crashed down 36 aces among 60 unreturned serves to leave Murray in a daze.

In fact the Scot managed to win only 15 points against the relentless Isner first serve.

But there was so much more to the 20th seed’s victory, with a host of neat drop shots and deft touches at the net leaving Centre Court stunned.

Murray’s serve needed to be firing as well, but too often in the early stages he gave Isner a look at his second attempt, and it was a searing return which was too hot for the home favourite as he was broken in the third game.

It was only the second time Isner had broken the Murray serve in 25 sets of tennis over the last 12 years.

The second set whizzed by with neither player laying a glove on the other, but Isner drew first blood in the tie-break and when Murray got a solitary chance to retrieve the damage he dumped a simple pass into the net.

On set point Murray actually did well to get a racket on the 136mph rocket, but the return floated wide and Isner had a 2-0 lead.

In the inevitable third-set tie-break errors from Isner crept in for the first time, a long forehand and a volley into the net giving Murray the initiative and the fired-up former champion jumped wildly in delight as he halved the …

Sports / Tennis

Serena Williams loses Wimbledon thriller, discusses tennis future

Serena Williams lost in her first singles match in 364 days as 115th-ranked Frenchwoman Harmony Tan outlasted her 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7) in the Wimbledon first round in Williams’ longest match in a decade — 3 hours, 10 minutes.

Williams, a 40-year-old with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, did not say definitively in a press conference afterward whether she plans to continue playing competitive tennis.

Asked if it was likely her last singles match, she said, “That’s a question I can’t answer. Who knows? Who knows where I’ll pop up.”

Asked if she’s OK if this is her last memory at Wimbledon, she said, “Obviously not. You know me. Definitely not.”

Asked if there’s any part of her that wants to play the U.S. Open in two months, she said, “That being the first place I’ve won a Grand Slam [in 1999], is something that’s always super special. … There’s definitely lots of motivation to get better and to play at home.”

Williams followed a rusty first set with a more Serena-like second set, which included a marathon 30-point second game.

She squandered a third-set break of serve but managed to force the 10-point super tiebreak, where she won the first four points, then lost the next four points. Tan went up a mini break at 8-6 in the tiebreak, then served it out.

It was Williams’ first three-hour match since her 2012 French Open first-round loss to another Frenchwoman, Virginie Razzano (which was 3:03). Those are her lone two defeats in completed first-round matches in her Grand Slam career.

Before the tournament, Williams said she was largely motivated to take a wild card into Wimbledon by what happened last year at the All England Club. Last June 29, she tore a hamstring in a first-round match and withdrew, leaving her future in tennis in the air.

“It was always something since the match ended that was always on my mind,” she said Saturday. “So it was a tremendous amount of motivation for that.”

Also Tuesday, …

Sports / Tennis

Serena Williams to begin Wimbledon against 113th-ranked foe

Serena Williams will begin her Wimbledon comeback by facing Harmony Tan, a 24-year-old from France who is ranked 113th and owns a 2-6 career record in Grand Slam matches. The placement of Williams in the women’s bracket was the most anticipated aspect of Friday’s draw at the All England Club. She is making her first appearance in singles at any tournament since she hurt her right leg and stopped playing during the first set of her first-round match at Centre Court a year ago. Because of her lack of activity over the past 12 months, Williams — who has been No. 1 in the rankings — is outside the WTA’s top 1,200 this week and so could have ended up anywhere in the field and against any opponent in the first round. She only returned to the tour this week by playing two doubles matches at a tune up event in England. While the 40-year-old American’s track record would merit a seeding, the All England Club now adheres strictly to the rankings in determining how it seeds players. Williams has won seven Wimbledon championships, part of her total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a record for the professional era. Tan, meanwhile, will be making her debut at the grass-court tournament. If Williams gets past Tan, next up could be a match against Sara Sorribes Tormo, who is seeded 32nd but has never been past the second round at the All England Club or the third round at any major in 19 past appearances. The third round potentially would put Williams against a tougher test: No. 6-seeded Karolina Pliskova, who was the runner-up to Ash Barty last year at Wimbledon and also reached the final of the 2016 U.S. Open — beating Williams in the semifinals there. Barty retired at age 25 in March and so is not defending her title when play begins on Monday. That also leaves open the question of which woman will have the honor of playing the first match at Centre Court on Tuesday, a …

Sports / Tennis

Djokovic top men’s seed for Wimbledon in absence of Medvedev, Zverev

Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will head into next week’s tournament as the men’s top seed with Russian world number one Daniil Medvedev banned from taking part while Germany’s second-ranked Alexander Zverev is out injured.

Organizers of the grass court Grand Slam have banned players from Russia and Belarus from playing at this year’s Wimbledon following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a ‘special operation’.

Zverev had surgery on torn ligaments in his right ankle this month after he was forced to retire from his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic, who was unable to defend his 2021 Australian Open title and the 2,000 ranking points he earned due to his non-vaccinated status against COVID-19, recently lost his world number one spot to Medvedev.

The Serbian, who has won the last three editions of the grasscourt major, will slip further down the rankings after Wimbledon as he will lose another 2,000 points with the ATP and WTA stripping the tournament of points.

The absence of Medvedev and Zverev means Nadal, who is halfway through a possible calendar year Slam after winning the Australian and French Open titles, to be seeded second.

It also results in Djokovic and Nadal finding themselves in different halves of the draw and they cannot face each other until the men’s final on July 10. The duo met in this year’s Roland Garros quarter-final where the Spaniard triumphed.

Britain has two players in the top 10 seeds at their home major with Cameron Norrie ninth while U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu is 10th in the absence of Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka.

Poland’s world number one Iga Swiatek will be the women’s top seed with Estonian Annett Kontaveit the number two.

Wimbledon organizers had previously used a computer-based system favoring results on grass courts in the previous two years to determine the seedings but from the 2021 edition seedings mirror the world rankings.…

Sports / Tennis

Naomi Osaka withdraws from Wimbledon, citing Achilles’ injury

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from Wimbledon, citing a lingering left Achilles’ tendon injury.

This is the second consecutive year Osaka has sat out the tournament. The 24-year-old last participated in the grass-court Grand Slam in 2019, when Yulia Putintseva upset her in the opening round.

Osaka suffered the Achilles’ injury in Madrid in May. On Saturday, she wrote on social media, “My Achilles still isn’t right so I’ll see you next time.” She included a motivational note titled “after the storm comes the calm. “I feel like life keeps dealing cards and you’re never gonna be used to them but it’s how you adapt to uncomfortable situations that really says stuff about your character,” Osaka wrote. “I’ve been repeating mantras a lot in my head recently. I don’t know if it’s to subconsciously help myself through stressful times or to ease my mind into realizing that everything will work out fine as long as I put in the work. Cause what more can you do?” Osaka played through the Achilles’ injury with tape on her foot at the French Open last month. She fell to American Amanda Anisimova, 7-5, 6-4, in the first round. Osaka, who stretched her tendon during that match, said she took a painkiller beforehand.

Afterward, Osaka cited the Women’s Tennis Association removing ranking points from Wimbledon as a reason to skip the tournament. The WTA made that decision after the tournament banned Russian and Belarusian athletes amid the invasion of Ukraine.

Osaka, formerly the world’s top player, is ranked 42nd by the WTA after missing a significant amount of competition over the past few years. Osaka has played 17 matches this season.

“I’m not sure why, but I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it’s more like an exhibition,” Osaka told reporters last month. “I know this isn’t true, right? But my brain just feels that way. Whenever I think something is like an exhibition, I just can’t go at it 100 percent. I didn’t even make my decision yet, but I’m

…
Sports / Tennis

Serena Williams to play at Wimbledon aged 40 and could face Emma Raducanu in mouth-watering clash

The seven-time singles champion, will make a sensational appearance at the 2022 Championships in her first competitive singles match in a year.

The American withdrew from the 2021 tournament after tearing her hamstring on Centre Court after six completed games of the first set against Belarussian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Williams has fallen to 1,208 in the WTA world rankings due to her inactivity but there was never any doubt someone of her stature would be missed off the initial wildcard list.

All England Club chiefs had to change their plans and bring forward the announcement by a day after an unexpected social media message by Williams to her 14.9million followers on Instagram.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion posted a photo of her white Nike trainers on grass and captioned it with: “SW (Serena Williams) and SW19. It’s a date. See you there. Let’s go.”

Raducanu, 19, will be seeded in the first round and if the draw is unkind, she could play the global superstar on the hallowed green turf.

As part of her warm-up plans, Williams will appear at the Eastbourne International next week but in doubles action alongside Tunisian world No.4 Ons Jabeur.

Tim Henman, who is on the committee board at Wimbledon, said: “It is a good selection on the women’s side.

“Serena requested one actually a couple of weeks ago and she is going to play down at Eastbourne.…

Sports / Tennis

Tennis Great Roger Federer Withdraws From US Open

A third surgery on his right knee looms for tennis great Roger Federer, casting doubt on the 40-year-old’s ability to continue as one of the world’s top players.

Federer announced his US Open withdrawal today in a video post on Instagram. In the video, he said there is no assurance he can come back from this latest setback.

“I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to return to the tour in some shape or form,’’ Federer said. “I am realistic. Don’t get me wrong. I know how difficult it is at this age to do another surgery and try it. But I want to be healthy and I’ll go through the rehab process.”

That could take months, Federer admitted.

“As you can imagine it’s not been simple,’’ Federer said. “I’ve been doing a lot of checks with doctors on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further in the grass court season  and Wimbledon. It’s not the way to go forward. Unfortunately for the medium to long-term to feel better, I will need surgery. I’ll be on crutches for many weeks and out of the game for many months It will be difficult, but I know it’s the right thing to do. ‘’

Federer made it to the quarter finals at Wimbledon , which many believed was planned to be his last pro event. Federer is tied with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for the most men’s Grand Slam titles (20). At Wimbledon, Federer was beaten by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. Soon after, Federer revealed his knee problem.…

Sports / Tennis

Novak Djokovic wins Wimbledon to join Federer & Nadal as 20-time Grand Slam champion

World No 1 Novak Djokovic wins sixth Wimbledon title to claim sole ownership of fourth place on the list for most men’s singles titles at the All England Club, ahead of Bjorn Borg and Laurie Doherty; the Serb also becomes the fifth man in history to win the first three Slams of the season

Djokovic eventually overawed his Italian opponent 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 6-3 on Centre Court to become the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the first three titles of the year, keeping him on track to emulate the Australian by claiming a calendar Grand Slam.

Throw in an Olympic singles gold medal in Tokyo, for which he will also be favorite, and Djokovic is on course to become the first man ever to win a Golden Slam. “That was more than a battle. Congratulations to Matteo for a fantastic tournament. It was a tough match today. He’s a true Italian hammer,” said Djokovic.

“Winning Wimbledon was always the biggest dream as a kid. I have to remember how special this is and not take it for granted and be aware this is a huge honor and privilege.

“From being a seven-year-old constructing a Wimbledon trophy out of raw materials to standing here with a sixth trophy. It’s incredible.”

On drawing level with Nadal and Federer, he added: “It means none of us three will stop!

“I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger. They are legends of our sport. The two most important players I ever faced.

“They are the reason I am where I am today. They made me realize what I had to do to improve. The last 10 years has been an incredible journey that is not stopping here.”

Djokovic has been a one-man brick wall in keeping the younger generation’s hands off the biggest titles, defeating Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and now Berrettini in Slam finals this year.

Big-serving Berrettini came into Wimbledon as one of the favorites having won his first grass-court title at Queen’s Club, …

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer knocked out by Hubert Hurkacz in quarter-finals

The Swiss lost 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to the 14th seeded Pole, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final.

It is the first time 20-time major champion Federer has lost a set to love at the All England Club.

Hurkacz will play seventh seed Matteo Berrettini for a place in Sunday’s final.

The Italian defeated Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-3 to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final.

“It’s super special for me,” said Hurkacz, only the second Polish man to reach the semi-finals at a Grand Slam.

“Playing here and the special things [Federer] has done here, it’s a dream come true.”

Hurkacz, who was six when Federer won his first title at SW19, is the first player to win a set to love against the Swiss since Rafael Nadal in the 2008 French Open final.

Federer, at 39 years and 337 days, had been bidding to become the oldest man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in the Open era.

But defeat marked his first straight-set loss at Wimbledon in 19 years and left pundits and fans wondering whether this could turn out to be his final appearance at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Federer himself said he “does not know” if he will play at Wimbledon again.

Off-colour Federer falls short in bid to match record

Federer had two knee surgeries in 2020 and this was only his fifth event in 17 months, but had made no secret of the fact Wimbledon was his target this year as he looks to equal Martina Navratilova’s record of nine singles titles here.

With Novak Djokovic – into the semi-finals after defeating Marton Fucsovics – breathing down his and Rafael Nadal’s necks in the race for the most Grand Slams, this could have been his last chance to pull clear of his old foes on his best surface.

There had been concerns over his form coming into the tournament after a last-16 defeat by Auger-Aliassime at the Halle Open last month left him despondent, and he avoided an upset in the opening …

Sports / Tennis

Marcus Rashford and Andy Murray Support Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon after struggling with her breathing during the second set of her fourth-round match with Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic; Marcus Rashford leads defence of the teenager after she faced criticism for pulling out of the match.

Raducanu revealed she struggled with her breathing and felt dizzy during her fourth-round Wimbledon clash with Ajla Tomljanovic on Monday before being advised to retire.

Difficulty breathing was given as the official reason for her withdrawal on Monday night but the initial lack of explanation for what caused it led to intense speculation.

John McEnroe was heavily criticized after jumping to the conclusion immediately after the match on the BBC that she could not handle the occasion, and Piers Morgan said on Twitter saying she needed to toughen up.

Andy Murray weighed in, replying to a tweet from Kevin Pietersen about mental toughness being what separated good athletes from great ones, although the former England cricketer later insisted he had not been referring to Raducanu.

Murray wrote: “No question mental toughness can be what separates the best in sport but surely both of you aren’t judging her mental toughness on yesterday’s match?!

“I think some of what he (McEnroe) said was fair yes.. however the timing of it was a bit off considering nobody had any clue what her issue was injury/illness/breathings issues etc at the time of his comments.”

Several other sports stars then got behind the teenager who announced herself as a new star of British tennis by reaching the last 16 on her debut at the All England Club.

Rashford, who has taken on politicians in his bid to improve childrens’ lives for the better, drew

…
Sports / Tennis

Angelique Kerber blasts past Coco Gauff and into Wimbledon quarter-final

Five short weeks ago, Angelique Kerber stepped up to the baseline for the first round of her Roland Garros match against Anhelina Kalinina, then the world No 139, trailing 6-2, 5-0 and seemingly lost on the tennis court. The saddest part of the grim scene was that it was no surprise given Kerber’s form over the prior two years. Kerber was eventually snuffed out 6-2, 6-4 for her third successive grand slam first-round defeat. As she flailed outside the top 25 it was fair to wonder what the future held for her at 33 years old.

If ever there is an example of how quickly fortunes can change in tennis, the 2018 Wimbledon champion now stands resolute in the quarter-final as clear proof. On a particularly manic Monday, Kerber exhibited calm and considerable experience as she outplayed Coco Gauff, the 20th seed, on Centre Court to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon with a clean 6-4, 6-4 win.

Both players struggled early on in a swirling wind that forced them to abort ball tosses and make last-minute stroke adjustments but Kerber, the 25th seed, eventually settled into the match and was mostly faultless thereafter. The German limited her unforced errors, her defense was often impenetrable and she returned Gauff’s nuclear deliveries with depth and consistency. When the opportunity presented itself, she consistently wrong-footed her American opponent with trademark down-the-line forehands before finishing the match with an array of winning passing shots.

Faced with a champion in full flow, Gauff did all she could to maintain contact. She pieced together numerous holds with enormous serving, her first serve consistently clearing 120mph, and constantly unleashed on her backhand. But her forehand was the clear difference between the two. Each time Kerber was in danger, she directed returns or defensive shots to the Gauff forehand, which could not consistently penetrate her defense.

Despite falling in the same round as in her breakthrough at Wimbledon two years ago, the identical results belie the clear progress Gauff has made over as her game continues to grow. …

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer Beats Lorenzo Sonego, Advances to Singles Quarterfinal

After surviving an early test in the first set, Roger Federer found his rhythm in a 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 win over Lorenzo Sonego to reach the quarterfinals in the 2021 Wimbledon gentlemen’s tournament. Federer made history, becoming the oldest men’s player to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in 44 years.

With the first set tied 5-5, weather intervened to provide both players a brief rain delay and let the retractable roof over the Centre Court close.

Sonego looked like he was on the verge of taking control at the time of the delay. The 26-year-old Italian was up 40-15 at one point in the 11th game before play was suspended. After the delay, Federer was able to gather himself and take control of the match. Sonego made several mental mistakes down the stretch of the opening set that cost him. Federer wasn’t at his best in the opening set either. The eight-time Wimbledon champion committed 17 unforced errors, compared to nine for Sonego.

Once he closed out the first set in just over an hour of match time, Federer started to look more comfortable. He needed 44 minutes to wrap up the second set.

The stats from Federer’s 6-4 second-set win were much more in line with what fans are accustomed to seeing from him. The 39-year-old won 12 of his 15 first-serve points and 11 of 15 net points while committing four unforced errors.

The third set was largely more of the same from Federer. He had as many aces in the third as he did in the first two sets combined (two) and won two of his four break-point chances.

Federer has been careful to monitor his playing time at this stage of his career. The Switzerland native withdrew from the French Open after a third-round win because “it’s important that I listen to my body” coming off two knee surgeries.

The decision came after Federer played a four-set match against Dominik Koepfer that lasted 3.5 hours.

After the first set Monday took 61 minutes to finish, Federer …

Sports / Tennis

Teenager Emma Raducanu reaches the third round on her Wimbledon debut

The 18-year-old, who sat her A-Levels just two months ago, overcame her Czech opponent 6-2 6-4 having been a late wild card entry into the tournament.

It follows on from her first-round win against Vitalia Diatchenko and means she is now Britain’s last woman standing in the singles at the All England Club. The world No 338 will now face Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian beat 12th seed Victoria Azarenka 7-6 3-6 6-4.

Raducanu had showcased her impressive serve early on as she claimed the first set 6-2, but found herself three love down in the second amid a fightback from the world No 42 Vondrousova, who was runner-up at the 2019 French Open.

The Grand Slam debutante held her nerve and clawed her way back to three games apiece, eventually securing a crucial break courtesy of a double fault to earn a 5-4 advantage before serving out for a landmark victory in one hour and 12 minutes.

In sealing a place in the next round Raducana will earn £115,000, almost quadruple her career earnings heading into the match having only made her debut on the WTA Tour in June.…

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer edges through after Adrian Mannarino retires in fifth set

Each year that Roger Federer returns to Wimbledon, the scene of eight of his grand slam titles and on the surface that has slotted so snugly into his game for two decades, he does so with the aim of winning the title once more. He undoubtedly arrived in London with similar intentions this year but he has some elementary concerns for the time being. After two knee operations and more than a year out of competition, he is still trying to rediscover his form after difficult months back on tour.

Under the Centre Court roof and against a quick-witted veteran opponent who knows his way around a grass court, those sensations did not quite arise even though he escaped. Federer reached the second round after Adrian Mannarino was forced to retire with a knee injury following a bad slip, the score was 6-4, 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-2 ret.

“It’s awful,” said Federer in his on-court interview. “It shows that one shot can change the outcome of a match, a season, a career. I wish him all the best and I hope he recovers quickly so I can see him back on the courts because he could have won the match at the end. I definitely got a bit lucky but who cares about that? I wish him all the best.”

Across the net from Federer stood one of the unique games on the tour. Mannarino is a diminutive lefty with some of the most compact, flat groundstrokes in the men’s game. Early on Federer looked comfortable but as the second set wore on, he became increasingly tentative with his forehand as Mannarino cut down on his unforced errors. It culminated in an extremely low-quality tiebreak from Federer, in which he made four unforced forehand errors.

Throughout the third set, Mannarino continued to play intelligently, forcing Federer to move into his forehand side and producing some excellent angled backhands as the Swiss’s form continued to drop. He fell down 0-2 after losing his serve with a meek service game: four consecutive groundstroke …

Sports / Tennis

Serena Williams out after suffering ankle injury during first-round match

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion suffered the ankle injury during the early stages of her first-round match on Centre Court; Williams was in tears on court as she tried to serve at 3-3 and then retired from the match shortly after and had to be helped off court

Serena Williams’ bid for a record equaling 24th Grand Slam singles crown ended in tears at Wimbledon as an ankle injury forced her out of her first-round match with Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The 39-year-old, who has seven Wimbledon singles titles on her glittering CV, had broken to lead 3-1 against her Belarusian opponent when she turned her left ankle badly.

When world No 100 Sasnovich broke straight back, Williams – her right thigh already heavily strapped – was forced to leave the court for a medical time-out and, while the American made her way back onto Centre Court in an attempt to compete, the tears were in evidence as she could barely move.

Sasnovich levelled the match at 3-3, but another slip from Williams left her laying on the ground and, amid gasps from the crowd, she was helped to her feet by the chair umpire and the retirement was confirmed

Williams has been on 23 Grand Slam titles since the 2017 Australian Open – but her last two visits to Wimbledon have yielded finals.

Having lost to Simona Halep in 2019 and Angelique Kerber in 2018, sixth seed Williams arrived with ambition of finally levelling Margaret Court’s supreme tally, but she was left disraught and released a statement via her Instagram feed.

“I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg,” said Williams.…

Sports / Tennis

Andy Murray wins on singles comeback

Andy Murray recomposed himself to ensure his Wimbledon singles return ended with a dramatic four-set victory over 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.

In his first singles match in SW19 since 2017, the two-time champion led 6-4 6-3 5-0 against the Georgian.

The Briton could not convert two match points and wobbled as Basilashvili, 29, fought back to force a fourth set.

After a break to shut the Centre Court roof, Murray returned reinvigorated to win 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-3 under the lights.

There was still more tension at the end of the fourth set, though. Murray was unable to take a third match point when Basilashvili nailed a forehand winner down the line, but clinched victory with the fourth when his opponent hit into the net.

The majority of the home fans leapt to their feet, with a relieved Murray coolly raising his arms in the air before launching into a more manic leap moments later.

“I was really disappointed I had lost the third set and had to remember what I was doing to get into the winning position. I managed to turn it back around,” said Murray, who is now ranked 118th in the world.

The Scot will have a day off playing before his second-round match on Wednesday, knowing he will play a qualifier as Germany’s Oscar Otte or France’s Arthur Rinderknech await him.

The pair saw their match suspended at 21:00 BST because of darkness – with the deciding set delicately poised at 9-9.

It wouldn’t be Andy without the drama

 

When Murray limped off Centre Court following his 2017 quarter-final defeat by American Sam Querrey, few would have predicted the 2013 and 2016 champion would not play in the singles again until four years later.

That has been a combination of the injury problems which led to him contemplating retirement and the championships being postponed last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

While it was not quite like the heady days of old on Centre Court, 34-year-old Murray did offer a reminder to those 7,500 …