Tennis News

Djokovic finds gray area in Wimbledon’s all-white policy

While all-white is all right at The All England Club, Novak Djokovic has discovered that gray is sometimes okay.

After a search for a white sleeve to protect his recovering right knee in the lead-up to The Championships proved fruitless, the seven-time tournament champion sported a gray covering during his 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win Tuesday against Vit Kopriva.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had worked to secure permission from the Club to wear the sleeve in the days before the match and received additional confirmation moments before stepping onto Centre Court.

“I did check. I actually just met chairwoman just before walking onto the court,” Djokovic said. “She gave me thumbs up, so it was okay. Of course, we did check in the days prior if we have permission. We’re trying to find a white one, trust me.

“I saw Frances Tiafoe played, he had actually a black colour sleeve. Gray, I think it’s maybe slightly better towards the white. I know it’s not ideal. I like to go all white and I like to respect the rules. But I got the permission. I said to them that I will give our best for next match the white one.”

Djokovic, who underwent surgery on June 5 to repair a torn medial meniscus suffered during Roland Garros, did not face a break point during his convincing win, which set up a second-round meeting with World No. 277 22-year-old Briton Jacob Fearnley.

The Serbian, who has claimed a record eight ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, said that he did not experience pain during the one hour, 58-minute match with Kopriva.

“For an opening match, I couldn’t ask for a better start,” he said.

“Obviously started a little bit more cautious, I would say. I didn’t really maybe go for certain shots 100 per cent in terms of, like, the far balls at the first set.

“… I felt like as the match progressed, I moved better. Those couple points I think when I broke him in the second set, I did one slide. That was the first slide of the grass court season for me. I haven’t done it even in a practice week. So that was a great test.”

Djokovic also took time to pay tribute to his great friend and rival Andy Murray, who withdrew from the gentlemen’s singles Tuesday after failing to recover in time from recent back surgery.

“Obviously, very sad news for the tournament and for the tennis world to hear that he withdrew from the singles event here in Wimbledon. I hear that he’s going to try to play doubles.

“Just incredible resilience throughout all his career. Multiple Grand Slam winner. Legend of the game. No. 1 in the world. Going to play Challenger circuit to build his rankings on clay, his least favorite surface, says a lot about his character.

“Just huge inspiration to all the players. Doesn’t mind getting out on the court for hours every day. Incredible professional. Just his approach is something to study, no doubt.”

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Draper lets his frustration out during his game against Ymer

Watch as Jack Draper lets his frustration out during his game against Elias Ymer during their match on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

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Vukic on Alcaraz: 'You could tell he was going to be special'

As dusk set across The All England Club on Monday night in London, Aleksandar Vukic leaned back on his chair and let out a sigh of relief. The Australian had just earned a gruelling five-set victory against Sebastian Ofner, saving a match point en route to reaching the second round at Wimbledon after three hours and 49 minutes.

His reward? A meeting with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

A smile broke across the Australian’s face when he was told his second-round opponent’s name. Gazing into the distance, Vukic recalled his first meeting with the 21-year-old Alcaraz.

“I remember first seeing him when I played him at French Open qualifying in 2020,” Vukic told ATP Tour.com. “I think he was 17 or something. You could tell he was going to be special. There was a lot of hype around him. I actually won that match. I saved a match point there and beat him in the first round. But there was so much hype and you could just tell he had that raw power to him. And age 17, he was destroying the ball. It was obvious something was going to happen. I think two years after that he was World No. 1. It is just a crazy rise.”

Since Alcaraz made his breakthrough on Tour in 2021, he has gained a reputation of being humble and warm. The defending Wimbledon champion often has a smile on his face when walking around site and looks excited when on court.

Vukic praised Alcaraz’s demeanour and believes tennis is in a good place with the Spaniard at the top.

“I practised with Carlos in Beijing last year and he’s a super nice guy,” Vukic said. “The way he handles everything, he’s becoming an icon of the sport. The way he handles himself with the crowd, with other players, with everyone, is impressive. At such a young age, he embraces that side of the sport, gaining a lot of attention but he embraces that. I have a lot of respect for him.”

When Vukic walks onto No. 1 Court to face Alcaraz on Wednesday, it won’t be the first time he has played a Top 5 star this year. In Indian Wells in March, the 28-year-old pushed Novak Djokovic to a third set before eventually falling short.

The No. 69 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is hoping to use the experience he gained against the Serbian in his match with Alcaraz, which will once again be in front of a capacity crowd.

“That was that was such a great experience to play Novak on the big court there in Indian Wells. It will be a similar experience with Carlos and I think one of the biggest challenges is to play tennis and not to play the guy across. I think I did a good job of that at Indian Wells,” Vukic said. “I think the more I’m able to play these guys, the less it becomes overwhelming and the more you get accustomed to it.”

Vukic played college tennis at the University of Illinois and broke the Top 100 for the first time in May 2023. The Australian reached his first ATP Tour final in Atlanta last year and arrives at Wimbledon off the back of a semi-final showing at the ATP 250 grass-court event in Eastbourne.

Confidence is high, but facing Alcaraz is a daunting task. The former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion became the youngest player to win a major on all three surfaces when he triumphed at Roland Garros last month, while he has earned victory in 14 of his past 15 grass-court matches.

“He’s got a lot of weapons, but I have got to play my game,” Vukic said. “My game does revolve a lot around my serve, my forehand and being very steady on the backhand. I really have to maximise that and go for my opportunities and be brave against him. I really need to have that mindset of going out there and going after him. I’m going to have to play great.”

Away from the court, Vukic is an avid chess player and enjoys watching football. The Australian is staying in a house with his team in west London and revealed his off-court interests help him switch off after long days on site.

“I am playing chess whenever I can. There are actually a few tennis players I’ve played, a few of the French guys, so it’s nice,” Vukic said. “I was playing in ‘s-Hertogenbosch as they had a board, and playing a bit now in London. It’s not relaxing, but it tests your brain in other ways, so I really do enjoy it. It kind of helps the brain stay active, and then I have been watching the Euros. I’m in a fantasy league with Popyrin and Demon is in there as well, so that makes you really into it. Initially I just picked a lot of the Arsenal players, so Saka, Havertz, Saliba. Fortunately, they’ve all been doing well.

“It’s so nice because we have a house here, so we just chuck the games on. It takes our mind off tennis as well, because sometimes we’ll go back and we’ll watch tennis, but we’re at the court for 12 hours a day, so we need to watch some football or something else.”

Football Fever! ATP Tour Meets The Euros

When Vukic wakes up on Wednesday morning, attention will be fully on facing Alcaraz. But what can fans expect to see from the Australian if they are watching him in action for the first time?

“I try to pride myself on how I compete,” said Vukic, who is aiming to reach the third round at a major for the first time. “If I can walk off that court and say that I have given it my best and made it tough for him I will be pleased. I want him to think ‘He’s tough to play, he doesn’t go away’. That’s what I want to achieve because I think that is something that I can do and that is something that makes you such a big competitor and very annoying to play for a lot of players.”

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Defending champion Vondrousova suffers shock first-round exit

Marketa Vondrousova’s Wimbledon title defence came to an early end as she fell to a surprising first-round defeat by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

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Day 2 play resumes at Wimbledon after rain

Play has resumed on all courts at Wimbledon after Tuesday’s schedule was interrupted by rain in London.

Day 2 action at the grass-court major began at 11 a.m. local time (BST), before the rain forced 10 men’s singles matches being held on uncovered courts to be suspended at approximately 12:15 p.m. The players returned to the SW19 grass shortly before 1:30 p.m, however, with seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz aiming to escape some early trouble on No. 3 Court. The Pole resumed his clash with Radu Albot trailing 5-7, 1-1.

Despite the weather, the action began at 1:30 p.m. on Centre Court and 1 p.m. on No. 1 Court, with both stadiums fitted with a retractable roof.

Seven-time Wimbledon champion and No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings Novak Djokovic will take on Vit Kopriva in the second match on Centre Court, before home favourite Jack Draper meets Elias Ymer. On No. 1 Court, fourth seed Alexander Zverev vs. Roberto Carballes Baena is the second match on.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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'If you can win that point, you can win any' – Brit Jubb wins rally

Watch as Paul Jubb wins the point after an exciting rally against Thiago Seyboth Wild during their first round match at Wimbledon.

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Andy Murray withdraws from Wimbledon singles

Andy Murray has withdrawn from singles at The Championships. The Scot remains in the doubles draw with brother Jamie Murray.

After exiting the cinch Championships at Queen’s Club, Murray underwent an operation on his back, which he said “wasn’t insignificant”. The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has been working hard to try to compete in both singles and doubles at Wimbledon, but will now turn his attention to doubles.

Murray owns a 61-13 singles record at SW19. He has lifted the trophy twice, in 2013 becoming the first British men’s singles champion at the tournament since Fred Perry in 1936.

This will be Murray’s third appearance in the Wimbledon doubles draw. In 2005 he partnered David Sherwood and in 2019 he competed alongside Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Murray will be replaced in the singles draw by David Goffin, who will take on Tomas Machac in the first round.

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Draper on Murray advice, Wimbledon and life with Ozzy the dog

BBC Sport’s Clare Balding visits Great Britain’s Jack Draper to discuss his run at Queen’s, friendship with Andy Murray and meet his dog, Ozzy.

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Raducanu credits England after 'winning ugly' at Wimbledon

Emma Raducanu makes a winning return to Wimbledon, but fellow Britons Heather Watson, Charles Broom, Liam Broady and Arthur Fery lose on day one.

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Alcaraz opens title defence with battling win over Lajal

Carlos Alcaraz opens his title defence at Wimbledon with a hard-fought victory over qualifier Mark Lajal, while Jannik Sinner also reaches the second round.

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