Djokovic didn't 'deserve' disrespect from crowd – McEnroe
Watch as BBC Sport pundit John McEnroe applauds Novak Djokovic for the way he reacted after his quarter-final victory over Holger Rune on Centre Court.
Watch as BBC Sport pundit John McEnroe applauds Novak Djokovic for the way he reacted after his quarter-final victory over Holger Rune on Centre Court.
With the day’s business successfully taken care of following his four-set win over Tommy Paul in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz turned his attention to the second important sporting contest of his day: Spain’s semi-final clash against France at Euro 2024.
Arriving to his media conference a little after kickoff, Alcaraz was asked first up whether the game was on his mind at any stage of his 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over the American.
[ATP APP]“Honestly, at the beginning of the match I wasn’t thinking about it,” Alcaraz said. “Once I feel like I’m dominating the game, 5-1 in the fourth set, yeah, I thought about it (smiling). I thought a little bit I was on time. I wasn’t.
“After I finished, I did everything in a rush just to be in time to watch a bit of Spain.”
The 21-year-old, who is two matches away from completing the rare Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year, rallied from a set down to beat Paul, No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Alcaraz has conceded four sets so far this fortnight, having taken four sets to beat 16th-seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the fourth round and five sets to run down American Frances Tiafoe in the third round.
During his recent Roland Garros title run, the 14-time tour-level titlist dropped just one set to reach the semi-finals. And last year at Wimbledon he conceded only two sets through the same stage. Winning under duress this fortnight seems to be making Alcaraz stronger.
“Well, we try just to find solutions. For me obviously it’s going to be really difficult to play my best tennis every match,” Alcaraz said. “I know that there are going to be some matches that I’m not going to find my best tennis even though I have to try to win it.
“I think that what the big three did along their career, they are not going to play [their] best tennis. Even like that, they are going to find their good tennis just to win those matches. That’s what I’m thinking.
“When I’m not playing my best tennis, I’m going to try to find solutions just to be a bit better, just to beat the opponent.”
Alcaraz next faces a rematch of last year’s semi-final against Daniil Medvedev, who took out top seed and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in five sets Tuesday. The three-time major winner dropped just nine games against Medvedev in the same match last year, but the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion continues to grow in confidence on grass.
Alcaraz is expecting a tough battle.
“The most difficult thing about facing Daniil, or the most special thing about him, is he can reach every ball. Well, he is like a wall. Every ball bounces back,” Alcaraz said.
“I feel like I can hit an unbelievable shot, the ball is going to bounce back. Is difficult to play thinking about that.”
Tuesday ended well for Alcaraz, with Spain edging France 2-1 to advance to the final.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Elena Rybakina faces Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, while Novak Djokovic returns to Centre Court to play Alex de Minaur.
Watch the best shots of Wimbledon day nine featuring Carlos Alcaraz, Jasmine Paolini and Tommy Paul.
Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon journey ended at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday. During the Italian’s clash with Daniil Medvedev, he received a medical timeout in the third set due to illness. Sinner had his pulse taken by a doctor and then left the court before he returned to lose in five sets.
“Already this morning I didn’t feel great. I had some problems,” Sinner said in his post-match press conference. “Then with the fatigue, it was tough. But take nothing away from Daniil. I think he played very smart. He played good tennis. That’s it. I went off the court. I didn’t want to go off. The physio told me it was better to take some time because he watched me and I didn’t seem in shape to play. I was struggling physically. It was not an easy moment. I tried to fight with what I had today.
“I was not feeling great. I didn’t vomit. But I took some time because I was dizzy quite a lot. Off court, I had the toughest time. When I went back, I tried my best.”
Sinner was aiming for a second consecutive Wimbledon semi-final appearance. The 14-time tour-level titlist had won his past five Lexus ATPHead2Head meetings with fifth seed Medvedev, who now holds a 7-5 lead.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who won in Halle last month, is frustrated he was unable to play at his best.
“I felt like I was playing some good tennis,” said Sinner, who dropped just one set en route to the fourth round. “I had tough opponents to reach this point. But it also gives you confidence when you beat certain players. It’s tough because I felt like I was feeling the ball in a very positive way. Also today I tried. Just the ending was not what I wanted.
“It is a tough one to swallow. But the season is going very positive, a lot of wins, not so many losses. The losses are very tight matches. The level is there. That’s the most important. Just watching out for the positives.”
[ATP APP]Sinner said that he never considered retiring during the five-set defeat despite struggling. The 22-year-old won the fourth set after receiving treatment in the third but was unable to match Medvedev’s intensity in the decider.
“I was surprised that I pushed the match longer. I retired a lot two years ago. I don’t want to retire if it’s only a little bit of illness or sick,” Sinner said. “I was still in shape to play somehow. In the fifth set I felt a little bit better again. The energy level was a bit up. Today the energy level was not consistent. It was up and down. It’s also not easy to handle the situations on the court.
“It happens. I was never thinking about retiring. For sure the crowd helped me a lot trying to push me. You don’t want to retire in a quarter-final of a Grand Slam.”
Sinner leaves Wimbledon holding a 42-4 record on the season, having won titles at the Australian Open and in Rotterdam, Miami and Halle. Sinner is first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin but Carlos Alcaraz can close to 250 points if he wins his fourth major.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz is digging deep in defence of his Wimbledon crown.
The Spaniard rallied to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 triumph against the in-form Tommy Paul on Tuesday to book a semi-final spot at the grass-court major. For the third consecutive match, Alcaraz’s resolve was given a stern test by his opponent, but the 21-year-old third seed kept his cool to seal a three-hour, 11-minute comeback victory on Centre Court.
“He has been playing great tennis on grass. He won Queen’s and has been doing great stuff here at Wimbledon, beating great players,” said Alcaraz of Paul in his on-court interview. “Of course today was a really difficult match for me.
“At the beginning, the first set and the beginning of the second set, it kind of felt like I was playing on clay. Big rallies, 10 to 15 shots every point. So I had to stay strong mentally when I lost the first set. It was difficult for me a little bit, but I knew it was a long journey, a long match, and I just had to stay there. I’m really happy to find the solutions and the good path.”
🗣 CARLOS 🗣
🗣 ALCARAZ 🗣Defending champion @carlosalcaraz comes from a set down to defeat Paul 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-2 to join Medvedev reaching his second <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon semi-final! <a href=”https://twitter.com/Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/O9Zy0cCYnG
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 9, 2024
Paul, the No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings, laid the foundations for an upset after he took the opening set and opened a 2-0 lead in the second. However, that was as good as it got for the American, whose hopes of extending his 10th consecutive win were dashed by Alcaraz’s ability to carve out opportunities on return.
Alcaraz broke Paul’s serve seven times across the second, third and fourth sets to secure a 3-2 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The three-time major winner, who converted eight of 27 break points he earned overall, will now prepare for a semi-final rematch against Daniil Medvedev, who earlier beat World No. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3.
A year ago, Alcaraz dispatched Medvedev for the loss of just nine games in the last four at the All England Club, and he has certainly been made to earn the right to try and repeat that result this year. After beginning his title defence with a pair of straight-sets victories, the Spaniard battled past Frances Tiafoe in five sets in the third round before being taken to four by Ugo Humbert and Paul in the fourth round and quarter-finals, respectively.
“I believe that I can come back,” said Alcaraz, when asked how he works through difficult moments on court. “If I am struggling a little bit, I try to find the solutions if the opponent is playing great tennis. I believe that at the end I will be able to come back and find solutions, the good rhythm. Today’s match is an example. Even here at the Grand Slams, where the matches are longer, I have more time to come back, so I believe in myself the whole time.”
It will be the fourth Grand Slam meeting between Alcaraz and Medvedev. The World No. 5 Medvedev will hope to channel his triumphs at Wimbledon in 2021 and the 2023 US Open as he attempts to avenge his heavy loss on Centre Court from a year ago.
“He’s a really great player. The same semi-final as last year and hopefully I’m going to get the same result,” said Alcaraz, when asked about the Medvedev rematch. “He just beat Jannik Sinner, the best player right now, so I know he is in really good shape. I have to play my best, I have to believe in myself and try to keep going if I want to beat him. It is going to be a difficult one, but I’m going to enjoy it.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Watch the moment Daniil Medvedev beats number one seed Jannik Sinner on Centre Court to reach his second-successive Wimbledon semi-finals.
Daniil Medvedev gained revenge against Jannik Sinner on Tuesday at Wimbledon, where he earned an epic 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 quarter-final win to snap a five-match losing streak against the Italian.
Earlier this year, Sinner rallied from two sets down to defeat Medvedev in the Australian Open final before he dispatched him in straight sets en route to the title in Miami.
History looked on course to repeat itself on the lawns of west London after Sinner won a tight first set, but Medvedev had other ideas. The fifth seed stood deep behind the baseline and went into lockdown mode to grind down the World No. 1, who received a medical timeout in the third set due to illness.
At 1-2, the Italian had his pulse checked by a doctor before he walked off court to receive further treatment. Sinner continued on, but had his head in his towel at times during changeovers.
Medvedev ruthlessly took advantage of Sinner’s slight drop in intensity, hitting 55 winners to inflict just a fourth defeat of the season on the World No. 1. With his thrilling four-hour win, Medvedev improved to 7-5 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Tuesday’s quarter-final marked his first victory against Sinner since the 2023 Miami final.
“I knew if I was going to beat Jannik it was going to be a tough match,” Medvedev said. “He is not a guy you are going to beat easily. At one moment he wasn’t feeling too good but he started playing better and I am happy I managed to stay at a high level. There were some great points, it was a great match and I am happy to win and I am looking forward.”
WIMBLEDON SEMI-FINALIST 🔥@DaniilMedwed takes out the No. 1 seed, Sinner, in a 5-setter to reach the semi-finals here for the second time 🙌<a href=”https://twitter.com/Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/HbcE0sndlM
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 9, 2024
Into his ninth major semi-final (second consecutive at Wimbledon), the No. 5 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is chasing his first Grand Slam title since the 2021 US Open. Medvedev will face third-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz or 12th-seeded American Tommy Paul on Friday.
Sinner has earned a Tour-leading 42 wins this season and was aiming to become the first Italian man to reach multiple Wimbledon semi-finals. Sinner lost in the last four to Novak Djokovic last year and was unable to match Medvedev’s consistency and ballstriking in the fifth set in London, where Medvedev was too strong in the gruelling baseline battles.
“It is very tough because I could feel he wasn’t moving that well,” Medvedev said when asked about Sinner. “You want to play more points to make him suffer a little bit more and at the same time you know at one point he is going to think he can’t run anymore and will go full power and that is what he did. He had set points to win the third set. In a way I would have preferred to not have this situation but everything turned out well.”
[ATP APP]Under the roof on Centre Court, there was little to separate both in the first set, with a tie-break left to decide the opener. In a low-quality breaker, Medvedev made a string of errors to give Sinner the advantage. The fifth seed double faulted at 3/1 and missed a backhand return on a Sinner second serve at 4/5. He then fired wide off rally-ball forehands at 6/5 and 6/6, before striking his second double fault of the tie-break at set point down.
Medvedev responded at the start of the second set by breaking in the third game and was the more consistent in the set, committing just six unforced errors compared to 14 from Sinner, who struggled to time the ball. Medvedev did not face a break point in the set, levelling with an ace.
Sinner then received a medical timeout at 1-2 in the third set, with a doctor checking his pulse. Seemingly unwell, the Italian briefly left the court before returning. The top seed did not look overly impaired by the issue but could not regain his lead, with Medvedev finding consistency in the tie-break to lead.
<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/09/14/45/sinner-wimbledon-2024-tuesday-2.jpg” alt=”Jannik Sinner leaves the court to be assessed early in the third set of his Wimbledon quarter-final.” style=”width: 100%;” />
Jannik Sinner leaving the court at 1-2 in the third set. Photo Credit: Getty Images
The Italian was dominant on serve in the fourth set, winning 85 per cent of points on his first delivery and all five on his second. He also converted his chances on return, winning both break points he earned to force the 36th five-set match of this year’s Championships, an Open Era record at majors.
Medvedev would not be denied in the decider, though. The former Nitto ATP Finals champion played front-foot tennis to dictate proceedings, while he refused to miss in the gruelling baseline exchanges to earn his first Top 5 win of the season. Medvedev struck 55 winners to 49 unforced errors, with Sinner holding a 61-45 count.
Did You Know?
Medvedev has won five of his past six five-set matches, with his only defeat coming to Sinner at the Australian Open in January.
Jannik Sinner has returned to Centre Court to resume his Wimbledon quarter-final against Daniil Medvedev after leaving the court for a medical assessment.
Sinner was visited by the physio at the changeover trailing 1-2 in the third set. Looking unwell, he had his pulse taken and then walked off the court for further assessment.
The Italian took the first set 7-6(7) before Medvedev levelled the match by taking the second 4-6.
After Sinner received a medical timeout, he returned to court but was unable to regain the lead against Medvedev, who won the third set 7-6(4) to move to within a set of his second Wimbledon semi-final.
[ATP APP]Sinner has won his past five meetings against Medvedev, including at this year’s Australian Open where he rallied from two sets down in the final to clinch his first major title. The top seed, who holds a 42-3 record on the year, is aiming to become the first Italian man to reach multiple Wimbledon semi-finals. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings lost in the last four to Novak Djokovic last year.
Medvedev is aiming to win his first major title since the US Open in 2021. The 28-year-old has dropped three sets en route to the semi-finals and moved past Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round on Sunday when the Bulgarian was forced to retire in the first set. Medvedev leads Sinner 6-5 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Novak Djokovic discusses his post-match comments on the Wimbledon crowd with BBC Sport’s Sam Harris.