Murray practises as injured stars face Wimbledon race
Andy Murray practises as he tries to make a Wimbledon farewell, while Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka provide fitness updates.
Andy Murray practises as he tries to make a Wimbledon farewell, while Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka provide fitness updates.
Novak Djokovic provided a positive update regarding his recovery from knee surgery on Saturday ahead of Wimbledon. The 24-time major champion underwent an operation to repair a torn meniscus after withdrawing before his Roland Garros quarter-final.
“I arrived here on Sunday. It’s been a week of training. Very good week of training. I had, particularly the past three days, very intense tennis sessions. I had points. Practice sets played with Sinner, with Frances Tiafoe, with Medvedev yesterday, and Emil Ruusuvuori, actually double session, and then today with Rune, as well,” said Djokovic, who is set to play Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva in the first round. “High intensity. Lots of I guess situations on the court where the knee is tested to almost the maximum. Change of directions, so forth.
“The knee has responded very well to all of that so far, which of course then is a great sign for my participation in Wimbledon. That’s why I decided to be in the draw.”
Djokovic pointed out that he still has time before he begins his tournament Tuesday, but explained that he is “confident” about the health of his knee and general physical state.
“Obviously once the tournament starts, I’ll have more I guess sensations and more feedback from how knee reacts to a best-of-five Grand Slam match,” Djokovic said. “So far everything that was done was very positive.”
The Serbian revealed that he “made a very quick decision” to undergo surgery and that he “was very much in doubt of making Wimbledon”. But he spoke to Taylor Fritz, who went through a very similar situation three years ago.
“He said 21 days after [the injury] he played his first round in Wimbledon. Wawrinka, Lindsey Vonn, they all shared their experiences,” Djokovic said. “Really, that gave me faith and optimism that if rehab is done right and correct, and if of course the knee responds well, which is something that is very unpredictable, then there is a pretty good chance that I’ll make Wimbledon.”
[ATP APP]A reporter asked Djokovic why it was so important for him to return to action so quickly, given the wealth of experience and success he has already achieved at this level.
In part, Djokovic explained that, “It’s this incredible desire to play, just to compete. Particularly because it is Wimbledon, the tournament that always has been a dream tournament for me when I was a kid. I always dreamed of playing Wimbledon. Just the thought of me missing Wimbledon was just not correct. I didn’t want to deal with that.”
The 37-year-old also made clear he did not arrive at Wimbledon just to prove he can compete in “one or two matches”.
“I really want to go for the title,” Djokovic said. “So the last three days have given me enough optimism and good signs that I can actually be in a state to compete on the highest level for the next few weeks, hopefully.”
The best news for Djokovic is that he has not had a setback during his recovery.
“If I had one setback, I would be then questioning whether I should be here or not,” Djokovic said. “But I haven’t had a single one. Why not give it a shot?”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Jacob Fearnley is just weeks out of college tennis but after taking a first ATP Challenge title, is one win from facing Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz proved a quick study on grass courts last season, when he won both Queen’s Club and Wimbledon. As he was learning to adapt his game to the lawns, he watched videos of Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to analyse their play on the surface.
The 21-year-old is still watching footage of those legends this year, but he now has another player to learn from: himself.
“I put in videos of myself last year, I’m not going to lie,” he said with a smile. “Just to see what I did or how I did it. Just moving, hitting shots, to do the same as I did last year.”
[ATP APP]In terms of success on grass courts and in Grand Slams, there are few players in the history of the game who can match or exceed Alcaraz’s early return of three major titles. Fewer still have been able to complete the rare Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same season, a feat Alcaraz can accomplish this fortnight.
“Winning Grand Slams is difficult. Obviously changing from clay to a grass court, totally different surfaces, totally different game of play,” he said when asked about his opportunity. “Let’s say I’m going to try. Obviously I want to put my name on that short list to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year. I know that’s going to be a really difficult and big challenge for me, but I think I’m ready to do it.
“I’m doing a great work these last weeks just to get ready, just to feel comfortable to play Wimbledon here in my 100 per cent.”
❤️🌱 <a href=”https://twitter.com/Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon
📸 Getty pic.twitter.com/4ZdGAMcpkU
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) June 27, 2024
Alcaraz entered Wimbledon with more momentum last year after winning the Queen’s title. He said his grass-court game began to click in the later rounds of the ATP 500, but he could not progress beyond the second round this year. An early defeat to Jack Draper meant Alcaraz would have only two grass matches under his belt before Wimbledon. Still, his confidence is unwavering.
“I’m feeling great. Honestly, after Queen’s, I had a lot of days to adapt my game, to practise, to get better,” he explained. “I remember after losing in Queen’s, the next day I started practising my movement, my shots, just to be more comfortable moving on grass, playing on grass this year.
“Right now I had great practices with great players just to see how is my level. Right now I think I’m ready to start the tournament.”
Alcaraz will face Mark Lajal on Monday in the traditional opening day match for the defending champion on Centre Court.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Taylor Fritz wins his third Eastbourne International title with victory over outsider Max Purcell.
Taylor Fritz completed his Eastbourne hat-trick Saturday at the Rothesay International, where the American became the first three-time champion in tournament history.
The 26-year-old did not lose a set en route to his eighth tour-level title, defeating Australian Max Purcell 6-4, 6-3 in the final. Fritz dropped just four points behind his first serve in the title match, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
[ATP APP]“I’m pumped. I always feel like I play well here,” said Fritz, who won Eastbourne in 2019 and 2022. “I kind of just had that feeling coming into the week as well. I did a great job.”
Fritz relied on his booming serve and aggressive play to twice dig out of a 0/30 hole in the opening set. The top seed earned a decisive break at 5-4, with Purcell double faulting down set point. Fritz struck the ball cleanly and remained the more consistent player in baseline rallies, winning 12 consecutive points from 2-2 in the second set.
The first-ever 3x CHAMPION in Eastbourne 🙌
2019 🏆
2022 🏆
2024 🏆@Taylor_Fritz97 | @the_LTA | #RothesayInternational pic.twitter.com/AGglUx0JqI— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 29, 2024
The California native closed the one-hour, 10-minute final on his fourth match point and improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the qualifier Purcell, who was competing in his first tour-level final. Fritz was unbroken all week at the ATP 250, saving all five break points he faced.
Fritz, who also won Delray Beach in February, has earned multiple titles in a single season for the third consecutive year. He is up one spot to No. 12 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, reclaiming American No. 1 honours.
Another USA title on grass 👑🌱@Taylor_Fritz97 with a high Serve #ShotQuality to help create a high #InAttack score 👇#ShotQuality is calculated in real-time by analysing each shot’s speed, spin, depth, width, and the impact it has on the opponent#TennisInsights | @atptour… pic.twitter.com/KwzhRGFIwf
— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) June 29, 2024
Entering Roland Garros, there were questions regarding Jannik Sinner’s hip injury. The Italian made clear Saturday ahead of Wimbledon that there are no such doubts entering the grass-court major.
“After Paris I took some days off and then back to work. I mean, there are no secrets. I feel physically much better than in the beginning of Roland Garros because there I arrived with some doubts,” Sinner said. “Here I have no doubts about my body. We have been working a lot in the last days.
“I’m not concerned about my body shape. I’m just happy to be here and hopefully ready to compete.”
The 22-year-old, the first player from his country to reach No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is the top seed at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. He carries plenty of confidence into London after claiming his maiden grass-court title at the ATP 500 event in Halle.
“Obviously last week for me was an important week. Last year I played semis here, so in my mind I know that I can play also some good tennis on this surface. Obviously every year is a bit different. In Halle the conditions are different than here,” Sinner said. “I’m just trying to get used to it, building my confidence here on this court. That’s it. Thinking about seeding or all the rest, it doesn’t make any sense. Everyone wants to win and show their best here.”
There was plenty of chatter when Sinner <a rel=”noopener noreferrer” href=”https://x.com/Wimbledon/status/1806635761564828009″ target=”_blank”>took to Centre Court for practice with seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, who underwent knee surgery after Roland Garros.
“We hit only 45 minutes there playing points. It’s also tough to understand what level he is,” Sinner said. “But for sure he is one of the greatest to play on this court. So for me [it] was a huge privilege and honour to practise with him.”
[ATP APP]Djokovic was part of a documentary on the end of Roger Federer’s career, FEDERER: Twelve Final Days, which was just released. Sinner took note of how Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal pushed each other by competing against one another. Sinner’s Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz has become one of the most interesting matchups in the sport.
“At some point Rafa arrived, then Roger was struggling. After he tried to find a way how to beat him, then Novak arrived,” Sinner said. “I think that’s something that evolves the player and also increases the level of each of them. They have reached their 100 per cent of everything. This would be also my dream, to arrive at the point at the end of the career where I reached 100 per cent of my physical ability in the tennis and also [the] mental [side].
“I think that was the most impressive thing that they have done.”
Now Sinner is fully focused on Wimbledon, where he will try to claim his second major title after his triumph at the Australian Open earlier in the season. Last year, the Italian reached the semi-finals at SW19.
“Very happy to be back here. It’s a very, very special tournament coming up,” Sinner said. “Obviously I’m happy how I played last week. I’m trying to find a good form here on these courts, hopefully being ready for this tournament.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Watch the best shots as Daria Kasatkina beats Leylah Fernandez 6-3 6-4 to win the Eastbourne International final.
Alejandro Tabilo became the first Chilean man to win a grass-court title in the Open Era with his Saturday victory at the Mallorca Championships presented by Waterdrop. The 27-year-old defeated Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4 to win the second title of both the 2024 season and his career.
“It’s been an unbelievable year,” the fourth seed said post-match. “All the support of all the Chileans at home, my team, my girlfriend. It’s been a crazy year. It’s been very nice, this whole level I’ve been playing. Hopefully I can keep it up and just keep showing what I can do.”
🏆 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐍 🏆
Alejandro Tabilo gets past Ofner 6-3 6-4 and becomes the first Chilean man in the Open Era to win a tour-level title on grass!@MallorcaChamps | #MallorcaChampionships pic.twitter.com/0x63vO3zNK
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 29, 2024
Tabilo will rise five places to a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 19 behind the result, moving one place ahead of countryman Nicolas Jarry on Monday. It will mark the first time since 2005 that two Chileans are inside the Top 20 (Fernando Gonzalez, Nicolas Massu).
“It’s an unreal feeling,” said Tabilo, who was just inside the Top 150 this time last year. “I can’t believe it. Hopefully I can keep on going up.”
[ATP APP]In the ATP 250 final, Tabilo hit five aces and saved all three break points against him — including one as he served out the match — according to Infosys ATP Stats. The Chilean’s ability to consistently put returns in play kept the pressure on Ofner in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, with a single break of serve deciding each set.
Tabilo won his final six sets of the tournament and lost just two sets on the week, to Jaume Munar in the first round and Alex Michelsen in the quarter-finals. Alongside Eastbourne champion Taylor Fritz, Tabilo is one of two men to reach finals on hard, clay and grass courts this season (Auckland, Santiago, Mallorca).
Ofner fell short in his bid for his first ATP Tour title. He was denied the chance to join Dominic Thiem as the only Austrian man to win an ATP Tour title on grass in Open Era.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Daria Kasatkina sees off a spirited effort from Leylah Fernandez to win the Eastbourne International in straight sets.