NADAL Rafael Nadal‘s chances of winning Wimbledon seem legitimate for the first time in a number of years after the…
As is tradition, defending champions kick of action on Centre Court at Wimbledon. It will be Andy Murray, who is hoping…
Going back 6 months, noone would have expected Petra Kvitova to be fighting fit for Wimbledon never mind being seen as…
| Wimbledon 2017 on the BBC |
|---|
| Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July Starts: 11:30 BST |
| Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for full times. |
Britain’s Andy Murray will open Centre Court play on Monday as he attempts to make history once again at the 131st Wimbledon Championships.
The Scot, 30, begins his title defence against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in the first round at 13:00 BST.
Murray, who is fit following a hip injury, hopes to match fellow Briton Fred Perry as a three-time champion.
British number one Johanna Konta is also in action on day one, along with Venus Williams and Rafael Nadal.
Defending women’s champion Serena Williams is absent as she awaits the birth of her first child.
The weather forecast for the early days of the tournament suggests little or no rain but play is guaranteed on Centre Court thanks to the roof, which has been in place since 2009.
Court One will be even more open to the elements than usual this year as work has begun on installing a roof there in time for the 2019 Championships.
The earliest places in the famous queue for tickets were taken 48 hours before play starts by those prepared to camp out.
Approaching half a million spectators will pass through the gates of the All England Club across the 13 days of play – and they will consume 28,000kg of strawberries and 10,000 litres of cream along the way.
And after 647 matches, the two singles champions will walk away with record prize money of £2.2m – double the winners’ cheques of just six years ago – while first-round losers will take home £35,000.
Much of the focus will again fall on Murray, who hopes at add to his victories of 2013 and 2016, having overcome the worst of a hip injury he suffered in the build-up.
He will carry the burden of knowing his number one ranking is under threat from Nadal, Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic, as well as trying to retain his title.
“I don’t feel like I’m coming in trying to defend something,” said Murray.
“I’m going out there trying to win Wimbledon again. I want to try to win the competition.
“Maybe it adds a little bit of extra pressure. Maybe a few more nerves, especially at this Slam with the way the scheduling is, that you’re the first one out there on Centre Court.
“You feel like you’re opening up the tournament a little bit, and that adds a few more nerves.
“But I feel OK. I’ve felt fairly calm the last few days, considering how I’ve been feeling.”
Konta, 26, has her highest ever seeding at a Grand Slam at sixth, but she too is on the mend after injuring her spine in a heavy fall at Eastbourne on Thursday.
“It’s much better,” she said. “Definitely it was medically the right decision to not continue playing in Eastbourne, to give my body that chance to recover.
“It was a bit of a traumatic fall on the body.”
While both Murray and Konta have serious ambitions for the next two weeks, Switzerland’s seven-time champion Roger Federer and Czech players Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova are the favourites for the men’s and women’s titles.
Federer, 35, is trying to win a record eighth Wimbledon title and his first since 2012, and has enjoyed a superb 2017 that began with victory at the Australian Open – his 18th Grand Slam title.
He skipped the entire clay-court season, taking a 10-week break that leaves him fresh for the challenge of Wimbledon.
“That was the decision for me – no compromise really,” said Federer, who would surpass Pete Sampras with an eighth title.
“To give myself the best chance for the grass, so I would never look back and have regrets once I came here.”
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
Kvitova, 27, is playing only the third tournament back since suffering a career-threatening injury to her hand during a knife attack at her home in December.
She will follow Murray onto Centre Court when she takes on Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, with Swiss fifth seed Stan Wawrinka then up against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.
Five-time champion Venus Williams opens play on Court One against Belgian Elise Mertens.
Nadal is fully fit and looks like a title contender once again, having last won Wimbledon in 2010, and the Spaniard follows Williams in his match against Australian John Millman.
Konta completes the line-up on Wimbledon’s second show court when she plays Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan.
Britain has 12 players involved in the singles draws – four through their ranking, seven offered wildcards and one, world number 855 Alex Ward, having come through qualifying.
Jamie Murray and Brazil’s Bruno Soares are seeded third for the men’s doubles, while Gordon Reid, Alfie Hewett and Jordanne Whiley defend their wheelchair titles.
Seven Britons are in singles action on day one: Murray, Konta, Heather Watson, Naomi Broady, Laura Robson, Aljaz Bedene and Cameron Norrie.
Alex Ward and compatriot Kyle Edmund are sure to carry plenty of support when they meet on Tuesday.
| Other Britons in action |
|---|
| Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) v Laura Robson (GB) |
| Naomi Broady (GB) v Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) |
| Maryna Zanevska (Belgium) v Heather Watson (GB) |
| 12-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) v Cameron Norrie (GB) |
| Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) v Aljaz Bedene (GB) |
| Alerts, Live Guide & MySport |
|---|
| Alerts: Sign up to get tennis news sent to your phone |
| Watch: Check out all the live video streams |
| My Sport: Sign up to follow all the tennis news |
Petra Kvitova discusses her recovery and return to tennis after she suffered multiple injuries during a knife attack by an intruder in December 2016.
| Wimbledon 2017 on the BBC |
|---|
| Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July Starts: 11:30 BST |
| Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for full times. |
World number one Andy Murray says he will be fit to defend his Wimbledon title, despite struggling with a hip injury.
The Briton, 30, picked up the problem earlier this week and was hobbling during practice sessions at the All England Club.
Murray plays Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in Monday’s opening match on Centre Court at 13:00 BST.
“I’ll be fine to play the event and play seven matches,” the Scot said.
“If I feel like I am today, I’d be delighted and have no issues getting through.
“If necessary, I can take some anti-inflammatories if my hip flares up. Hopefully that’s not the case.”
A little bit like at the French Open, where maybe I didn’t come in as well-prepared, I still found a way with each match to feel a bit better, and built confidence each day
Murray pulled out of two exhibition matches last week and missed three days of practice, preferring instead to rest the injury and work with his physio.
“It’s been sore for a little while now and with each day that I was practising it was feeling a little bit worse,” Murray told the BBC. “It was hampering my movement and therefore I wasn’t getting things out of my practice session.
“Obviously I would have liked to have trained the whole week and got a couple of exhibition matches but the positive from it is that I’m fresh.
“I certainly haven’t played too much tennis – but I’m certainly going to have to work my way into the tournament. I’m probably not going to come out and play great straight off the bat.
“It’s just a little bit stressful. Right before the biggest tournament of the year for me as a Brit, you want to be out there practising, and I haven’t been in that position before really.”
Murray has visibly struggled at times between points since returning to practising at Wimbledon under the watchful eyes of coaches Ivan Lendl and Jamie Delgado.
However, the two-time Wimbledon champion believes his recent run to the semi-finals at the French Open sets an encouraging precedent.
“The last few days have been very good,” Murray said.
“Practice each day has got a little bit better. It’s been slightly stop-start preparations. But each day I’ve felt better.
“A little bit like at the French Open, where maybe I didn’t come in as well-prepared, I still found a way with each match to feel a bit better, and built confidence each day.
“So, you know, I’m hoping that’s the case here.”
Fellow British number one Johanna Konta has also been struggling with injury after a heavy fall in Eastbourne on Friday, but was practising apparently without issues at Wimbledon on Sunday.
| Alerts, Live Guide & MySport |
|---|
| Tennis alerts: Sign up to get the latest news sent to your phone |
| Watch: Check out all the live video streams via our Live Guide |
| My Sport: Sign up to follow all the tennis news and reports |
The news comes as Murray prepares for his opening match at Wimbledon as defending champion.
How four players fare will determine No. 1 post-Wimbledon
The battleground for No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings is beginning to take shape. The picture will become clearer over the next two weeks as to whether Andy Murray is to remain in top spot.
Here are the key scenarios for the four players in contention for No. 1 on 17 July, the Monday after Wimbledon concludes…
Emirates ATP Rankings Points Totals On 17 July By Wimbledon Results
|
|
Winner |
Final |
SF |
QF |
R16 |
R32 |
R64 |
R128 |
|
Player |
2000 |
1200 |
720 |
360 |
180 |
90 |
45 |
10 |
|
Murray, Andy GBR |
9390 |
8590 |
8110 |
7750 |
7570 |
7480 |
7435 |
7400 |
|
Nadal, Rafael ESP |
9285 |
8485 |
8005 |
7645 |
7465 |
7375 |
7330 |
7295 |
|
Wawrinka, Stan SUI |
8130 |
7330 |
6850 |
6490 |
6310 |
6220 |
6175 |
6140 |
|
Djokovic, Novak SRB |
7965 |
7165 |
6685 |
6325 |
6145 |
6055 |
6010 |
5975 |
World No. 1 Murray, who lost his opening match at last week’s Aegon Championships, where he had been the defending champion, currently has a 2,105 points lead over No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal (7,285) in the 52-week Emirates ATP Rankings. But the Scot has 2,000 points dropping off as defending champion at Wimbledon, which begins on 3 July.
So, with a two-week time horizon, Murray’s effective lead over the Spaniard is a mere 105 points.
Should Nadal perform well at SW19 and continue his strong run of form, which includes winning 24 of his past 25 matches, then there will be a battle royale for No. 1. The left-hander must reach at least the fourth round to have a chance of rising to No. 1. If seedings hold and Murray and Nadal meet in the semi-finals, the winner of that match will be No. 1 after Wimbledon.
Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon champion, does not have any points to defend through to mid-August. Last year, the Spaniard was forced out of tournaments that awarded Emirates ATP Rankings points, due to a left wrist injury, from 26 May to 17 August 2016.
Murray has spent the past 34 weeks at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings since first attaining the top spot on 7 November 2016. Nadal has spent a total of 141 weeks – in three separate stints – at No. 1, but was last at the summit of men’s professional tennis on 6 July 2014.
View Latest Emirates ATP Rankings
World No. 3 Wawrinka must win the title to have a chance of usurping No. 1. The Swiss, who has brought on board Paul Annacone, the former coach of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, for the 2017 grass-court swing, is defending just 45 points after a 2016 Wimbledon second-round exit. He is drawn in Murray’s quarter. Should Wawrinka win the title, it would mean that Murray could not advance beyond the quarters and Nadal could go no farther than the semis. Should Wawrinka meet Djokovic in the final, that match would decide No. 1.
Djokovic, who dropped out of the Top 2 on 12 June for the first time since 4 July 2011, on Saturday won the Aegon International in Eastbourne – his first ATP World Tour grass-court event prior to Wimbledon since 2010 London-Queen’s Club.
While Djokovic will lose 90 points from his tally of 5,805 points for his 2016 Wimbledon third-round exit, like Wawrinka, the Serbian must win Wimbledon to stand a chance of returning to No. 1. For Djokovic to add to his 223 weeks at No. 1, he would have to win the title and have Murray and Nadal lose in the quarter-finals (or earlier).
While still in contention for year-end No. 1 honours, seven-time tournament champion Roger Federer cannot move into top spot after Wimbledon, despite capturing his ninth trophy at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle last week.
Wimbledon’s grass is cut to eight millimetres, and by 17 July – when the post-Championships’ Emirates ATP Rankings are published, a similarly fine margin may be all that separates the contenders for No. 1.
What a difference a year makes. It has been nearly one year since Roger Federer ended his 2016 campaign following a semi-final defeat at Wimbledon to Milos Raonic. One year since the Swiss hung up his racquet in order to continue to rehab his knee following surgery.
As all eyes once again turn to the All England Club for the Wimbledon Championships, Federer is back and ready to retake his throne. Fresh and fit, the 35 year old says the right preparation is essential to success. How does the seven-time champion get ready for his 19th consecutive appearance at SW19?
“Today, for instance, I was just trying to have good energy in practice,” Federer told the assembled media on Saturday. “Short and sweet, just get it done. Tomorrow I’ll be off. Then sort of basically resting, just making sure I come in fresh into that first round with the right mindset.
“I don’t want to be at the mercy of my opponent. I want to take charge and play aggressive myself. So for that I need to be fast on my feet and quick in my mind. I just need enough rest so I can play enough inspired tennis.
“In practice itself, I’m just trying to play forward, serve-and-volleying some. Making sure I don’t get stuck behind the baseline and just making shots. It’s more being really proactive in practice right now.”
Most Grand Slam Appearances (entering Wimbledon 2017)
| Player | Appearances |
| Roger Federer | 70 |
| Fabrice Santoro | 70 |
| Lleyton Hewitt | 66 |
| Mikhail Youzhny | 64 |
| Feliciano Lopez | 63 |
| Andre Agassi | 61 |
| Tommy Haas | 60 |
Federer is bidding for his eighth Wimbledon crown, which would make him the all-time title leader at the All England Club. He is currently tied with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw with seven singles trophies. He would also join Rafael Nadal as the only players to win at least eight titles at a single Grand Slam tournament, with Nadal also achieving the feat at Roland Garros. The Spaniard holds the record with 10 titles after completing ‘La Decima’ last month.
Federer knows that he’ll have his work cut out to lift the trophy again this year. With Nadal in top form after dominating the clay-court season, Djokovic on the heels of a title in Eastbourne and Murray the defending champion, it won’t be a routine task.
“Depending how fit he is, if he’s anything close to 100 per cent physically, I consider [Andy] one of the big favorites to win the tournament,” Federer added. “It’s that simple. It’s the same for Novak and the same for Rafa.
“I think it’s very even when we put it all out on the line. Everybody has their own little story right now. I feel like Andy’s one of the best players in the first week at Wimbledon, so I don’t worry too much for him there. He can play himself into shape hopefully for week two.
“Novak is just coming back from winning Eastbourne now. Rafa is coming in red hot from the clay. So I see it positive for them rather than negative in some shape. But I see that they are going to be tough to beat here.”
Federer is riding a wave of momentum into his 70th Grand Slam main draw appearance, having streaked to the title at the Gerry Weber Open without dropping a set. He owns a staggering 24-2 win-loss mark in 2017, also including victories at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami, as well as his 18th major title at the Australian Open.
He will open with a tough test against the unpredictable Alexandr Dolgopolov. Federer has not dropped a set in three FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters, with their most recent meeting coming at the 2016 Australian Open. A potential second round date with #NextGenATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas awaits, with Raonic, Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov and John Isner also looming in his quarter of the draw.