'Nobody will believe I won Wimbledon – I still can't'
As Barbora Krejcikova stood with the Venus Rosewater Dish in her hands, there was one thing she could not stop saying – “it is just unbelievable”.
As Barbora Krejcikova stood with the Venus Rosewater Dish in her hands, there was one thing she could not stop saying – “it is just unbelievable”.
Watch highlights of a gripping final as Barbora Krejcikova withstands a Jasmine Paolini comeback to win her first Wimbledon title.
Barbora Krejcikova holds off a charge from Jasmine Paolini in a gripping Wimbledon final to earn her second Grand Slam singles title.
Nadal vs. Borg sounds like a fantasy matchup between two clay-court giants who have combined to win 20 Roland Garros titles. And Nadal will face Borg in Bastad at the Nordea Open.
But it will be Rafael Nadal taking on Leo Borg, the 21-year-old son of former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Leo Borg. The pair of wild cards trained together on Friday ahead of the ATP 250 event.
“It was crazy because we were looking when they did the draw and my name just popped up against Rafa,” Borg said. “I’m feeling very excited and it’s going to be a great match.”
Borg explained that Nadal is one of the reasons he picked up a tennis racquet when he was a kid. Now he is looking forward to competing against the 92-time tour-level titlist.
“It was a very good practice and of course he’s been my idol since I was very young, so it’s going to be a very special moment in my career,” Borg said. “But I’m looking forward to that and I’m feeling really, really excited.”
[ATP APP]Nadal has competed in Bastad on three previous occasions, most recently in 2005, when he lifted the trophy. The 38-year-old will pursue his first title of the season this week. Borg earned his lone ATP Tour match win last year in Bastad against Elias Ymer.
The top seed is defending champion Andrey Rublev, who will begin his tournament against Thiago Agustin Tirante or a qualifier. The second seed is Casper Ruud, who will face Federico Coria or Thiago Monteiro in the second round.
Nadal and Ruud are competing together in the doubles draw. They will open against second seeds Guido Andreozzi and Miguel Reyes-Varela.
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Although Wimbledon is approaching its end, the action never stops on the ATP Tour. Next week there will be four tournaments, including an ATP 500 (Hamburg Open) and three ATP 250 events (Nordea Open, EFG Swiss Open Gstaad and Infosys Hall of Fame Open).
There will be plenty of stars in action, including Rafael Nadal, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Who could be good choices for your team in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor? ATPTour.com takes a look at three players to consider.
Make Your Picks Now!
[ATP APP]Rafael Nadal — defending 0 points
If Nadal enters any tournament without points to defend, he will always be a good player to select. The Spaniard has won 82.7 per cent of his career tour-level matches according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index and will try to improve his record this week in Bastad.
Nadal has competed in Bastad on three previous occasions, winning the title on his most recent appearance in 2005. That edition, the lefty defeated four players who would reach the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings — Juan Monaco, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo and Tomas Berdych — en route to the trophy. Nineteen years later, he will open his tournament against Leo Borg, the son of legendary Swede Bjorn Borg.
Stefanos Tsitsipas — replacing 15 points
Tsitsipas suffered a surprise second-round loss at Wimbledon to Emil Ruusuvuori, and will be keen to return to form this week on the clay of Gstaad. The top seed will begin the ATP 250 event against 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF Hamad Medjedovic or Marc-Andrea Huesler.
The Greek star has won five of his 11 ATP Tour titles on clay, including both of his ATP Masters 1000 trophies (in Monte-Carlo). One of those Masters 1000 triumphs in the Principality came earlier this year.
Arthur Fils — replacing 25 points
One year ago, Fils made the Hamburg semi-finals. It remains his only semi-final at an ATP 500 event. The Frenchman will hope his happy memories of that run help him this week at the German tournament. The last time Fils was in Hamburg, he defeated Casper Ruud for the loss of just four games.
The first-placed player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah is in good form, having advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon. The fifth seed will begin his tournament in Hamburg against Jaume Munar.
Bonus Ball — Rafael Nadal
With no points to defend this week, Nadal has plenty to gain and by placing your Bonus Ball on the Spaniard, you can double those points. The 38-year-old did not compete on grass and has continued his training on clay. So while players will need to regain their clay footing, Nadal will be ready to go.
The former World No. 1 lost in the first round at Roland Garros to Zverev in a tight three-setter, but showed some of his best tennis of the year. Zverev went on to the final and was close to lifting his first major trophy, showing how high Nadal’s level was to challenge him. The 63-time tour-level clay-court titlist will try to bring even better tennis to the Bastad courts this week.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]The men’s Wimbledon final will be the princess’s second public appearance since her cancer diagnosis.
In one of the most anticipated matches of the year, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will meet in the Wimbledon final in London at 2 p.m. BST on Sunday on Centre Court in a repeat of last year’s title match.
The Serbian lost to the Spaniard in five sets last year at The Championships but leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-2.
[ATP APP]Read more ahead of the 2024 final
Wimbledon final preview: Djokovic seeks Alcaraz revenge in blockbuster rematch
Djokovic v Alcaraz: The Rivalry
Alcaraz set to lead Spanish sporting super Sunday… Just don’t tell the SW19 fans!
Djokovic on Alcaraz: ‘I see a lot of similarities between us’
For more information on how to watch the final, click here.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will meet once again in a blockbuster Wimbledon championship match on Sunday in a repeat of last year’s final.
Twelve months ago, the Spaniard Alcaraz lit up Centre Court where he earned a thrilling five-set victory against the Serbian to clinch his first Wimbledon title and end Djokovic’s run of dominance in west London. With his four-hour, 42-minute win, the 21-year-old became just the fourth active male player to lift the trophy at SW19 after Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Djokovic, who won four consecutive titles at the grass-court major from 2018-2022.
By advancing to the championship match again in 2024, Alcaraz has become just the fourth man in the Open Era to reach multiple Wimbledon finals aged 21 and under. The Spaniard has never lost a Grand Slam final (3-0) and last month at Roland Garros he became the youngest player in the Open Era to win a major on all three surfaces.
If the third seed overcomes Djokovic on Centre Court on Sunday afternoon, he will become just the sixth man to achieve the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double, joining Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic.
“Winning Grand Slams is difficult. Obviously changing from clay to a grass court, totally different surfaces, totally different game of play,” Alcaraz said earlier this fortnight when asked about his opportunity to complete the clay-grass double. “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.”
This is going to be FIRE 👀🔥
The <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon final is SET ✨<a href=”https://twitter.com/Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@wimbledon pic.twitter.com/TINN0FoaOM
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 12, 2024
On Sunday, Djokovic will seek revenge against Alcaraz and aim to equal Roger Federer’s record eight trophies at The All England Club. If he wins the title, the 37-year-old will become the oldest champion in tournament history and move to a record-extending 25 majors.
Djokovic is relishing the opportunity to test himself against Alcaraz again on the biggest stage.
“He already beat me here in a thrilling five-setter. I don’t expect anything less than that,” Djokovic said looking ahead to the final. “A huge battle on the court. He is as complete a player as they come, so it is going to take the best of my abilities on the court overall to beat him on Sunday.”
Djokovic takes a 3-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head series into their final clash, with little to separate them. The second seed, who is chasing his first title of the season, arrived at Wimbledon having undergone knee surgery in early June. The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings has moved well throughout the event, dropping just two sets en route to his 10th Wimbledon final.
“There was plenty of doubt,” Djokovic said about his chances of playing and competing at Wimbledon. “Coming to London about eight days before the tournament started I didn’t know whether I would play the tournament or not. I was keeping everything open until the day of the draw. I played a couple of practise sets with top players and an exhibition match which proved to me I was in a good enough state to be not just part of Wimbledon but to go deep.
“I said before the tournament that if I didn’t think I had a chance of going deep in the tournament I probably wouldn’t be playing. The mentality is there, it is ever present and I am just very pleased and thankful to all the team members for helping me.”
[ATP APP]Alcaraz’s game is no replica of Djokovic’s. But in last year’s final, the Spaniard showed similar traits. Djokovic has spoken about the mental edge he owns over most opponents because of what he has achieved. But the same way the 37-year-old had no fear of Federer and Nadal when he was on the rise, Alcaraz did not shy away from the challenge of going blow for blow with the seven-time Wimbledon champion. It did not matter that it was just the fourth grass-court tournament of his career.
So often, the 98-time tour-level titlist has escaped inescapable positions in matches by finding a way to win the biggest points, giving himself a shot to find his best tennis later in the match. Alcaraz essentially Djokovic’d Djokovic that day on Centre Court and in doing so, pierced the Serbian’s aura of invincibility.
Twelve months on and two defeats to the Serbian in between (Cincinnati & Nitto ATP Finals) the question remains if the Spaniard can do similar on Sunday.
“Obviously everybody knows Djokovic. He has played multiple Grand Slam finals, has won a lot of them. Last year it was a really difficult match. He put me in real trouble, I’m going to say,” Alcaraz said on Friday. “I know how it’s going to feel playing against Djokovic. I’ve played few times in Grand Slams, finals of Masters 1000 multiple times against him. I know what I have to do. I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me. It’s going to be a really interesting one.”
Djokovic will be competing in his 37th major final and has experience on his side. However, the Serbian knows more than anyone about the task of trying to defeat No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz.
“He is a great example of a young player who has a well-balanced life on and off the court. Great team of people. Great values in his family,” Djokovic said. “A lot of charisma and carries himself well on and off the court with a smile. That is why people like him and he is deservedly one of the greatest 21 year olds we have ever seen in this sport. We are going to see a lot of him in the future no doubt. He is going to win many more Grand Slams, but hopefully [on Sunday] maybe not this one.”
Earlier this season, Alcaraz successfully defended his Indian Wells title and in 2023 he retained his trophies in Madrid and Barcelona. When asked about pressure of defending his crown at SW19 ahead of the final, the Spaniard was quick to play it down.
“I try not to think that I’m the defending champion. I just go into every match thinking that obviously I have chances to lose. Every match, it’s a war,” Alcaraz said on Friday after beating Daniil Medvedev in four sets. “The opponent, they are going to put his best tennis to beat you. I am thinking that I have to play my best tennis if I want to keep going. Honestly, since the tournament began, I didn’t think I am the defending champion.”
With the eyes of the world watching, Alcaraz and Djokovic will be desperate to make more history on Sunday from 2 p.m. local time when the men’s singles final will commence.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Finalist Jasmine Paolini, Coco Gauff and Grigor Dimitrov answer BBC Sport’s wildcard questions at Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic will aim to gain revenge when he meets Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final.
The Serbian, who defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets in the semi-finals on Friday, admits that he sees a lot himself in the 21-year-old Spaniard, who beat the World No. 2 in five sets in last year’s final.
“He surprised I think all of us last year the way he played in Queen’s and Wimbledon, which he won back-to-back,” Djokovic said on Alcaraz. “You would think that for someone growing up in Spain, as he did, the way he’s playing, clay court, Grand Slam wins, which happened this year at Roland Garros, and US Open a few years ago was maybe not as surprising as Wimbledon. But the way he has moved, played the past couple of years on grass has been terrific to watch.
“I see a lot of similarities between me and him in terms of ability to adapt and adjust to the surface. I think that’s probably his biggest trait, is that he’s got skills to play equally well on any surface and to adapt to a given opponent that particular day.”
When Djokovic steps onto court on Sunday he will be aiming to clinch a record-equalling eighth crown at The Championships, drawing level with Roger Federer.
“Obviously I’m aware that Roger holds eight [titles at] Wimbledon. I hold seven. History is on the line. Also, the 25th potential Grand Slam,” Djokovic said. “Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it’s also a lot of pressure and expectation. Every time I step out on the court now, even though I’m 37 and competing with 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win most of the matches, and people expect me to win, whatever, 99 per cent of the matches that I play.”
[ATP APP]Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon having undergone knee surgery in early June. The second seed has moved well through his five matches at the grass-court major, dropping just two sets to reach his 10th Wimbledon final.
The 37-year-old is relieved with how his knee has held up during the past two weeks.
“I wasn’t sure until three, four days before the tournament whether I’m going to take part in it. I made an extra effort to recover as quickly as possible just because it was Wimbledon,” Djokovic said. “So I’m really, really happy to make the finals because I was not thinking about [that] in the first couple of matches. I was just thinking about moving well, not injuring myself and feeling more free to say in my movement.
“That’s what happened I think in the third and particularly fourth round. I felt like, ‘OK, I’m actually playing close to my best, and I can have a shot at the title’.”
Djokovic will aim to win his 99th tour-level title and first of 2024 when he faces Alcaraz on Sunday afternoon in west London. The Serbian takes a 3-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead into the clash but memories of last year’s final defeat to Alcaraz will still be fresh in the mind.
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