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Simona Halep used past experiences to beat Serena Williams and win Wimbledon

  • Posted: Jul 13, 2019

Simona Halep says controlling her nerves and forgetting about who she was playing enabled her to play the match of her life and win Wimbledon.

The Romanian’s 56-minute 6-2 6-2 demolition of Serena Williams earned her a second Grand Slam title.

“The nerves were positive this time. I felt them in the stomach,” she said. “I always play well when I have emotions.

“I didn’t think at all against who I play. I’ve always been intimidated a little bit when I faced Serena.”

Williams had been the pre-match favourite to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title but could not find an answer to Halep’s brilliant returning game and movement around the court.

“I decided before the match that I’m going to focus on myself and on the final of Grand Slam, not on her,” said Halep, 27.

“That’s why I was able to play my best, to be relaxed, and to be able to be positive and confident against her.

“I’m very sure that was the best match of my life.”

  • Halep beats Williams in less than an hour
  • Someone told me not to look at records – Williams
  • How Halep stunned Williams – clips, quotes & text

Past experience helps Halep to victory

Before winning the French Open in 2018 for her maiden Grand Slam title, Halep had often been viewed as something of a choker having lost in three previous major finals.

But she said those experiences had helped her here – on a surface that, as a player of 1.68m, she never thought she would be able to win on against “all these players that are very tall and serving with a lot of power”.

“The finals I lost in the past helped me to be different when I face this moment,” she said. “It’s never easy to face a Grand Slam final. You can get intimidated by the moment. You can get nervous, too nervous.

“I have learned that it’s a normal match, not thinking that much about the trophy, just going there and try to be the best as you can.

“So I did that. I said that every time I would play a final of Grand Slam, I will do exactly the same thing. So today I did it.”

A trophy – and a dream membership to club

While Halep fell to her knees to celebrate her win and kissed the trophy repeatedly, she seemed almost as pleased to be wearing a little badge that meant she was now a member of the All England Club.

“It feels good,” was the first thing she said when she walked into her news conference pointing at the purple-and-white round badge.

“I wanted this badly. When I started the tournament, I talked to the people from the locker room that my dream is to become a member here. So today it’s real and I’m really happy.

“I met [Wimbledon chairman] Philip [Brook]. He told me: ‘Any time you want, you can come, have dinner, have lunch, playing a little bit tennis.’ I will come for sure.”

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Djokovic & Federer: 15 Essential Stats

  • Posted: Jul 13, 2019

Djokovic & Federer: 15 Essential Stats

Top two seeds compete in their third Wimbledon final against each other

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will meet for the fourth time at Wimbledon when they take to Centre Court for Sunday’s final. This is the 48th match in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry and their first on grass since Djokovic prevailed in the 2015 final at The Championships.

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ATPTour.com looks at 15 of the stats you need to know ahead of Djokovic and Federer’s latest encounter:

  • At least one of Djokovic and Federer has reached the final in all but two editions of The Championships since 2003.
  • Djokovic has won his past four matches against Federer and eight of the past 10.
  • They have faced off in 13 of the 14 most recent seasons on the ATP Tour
  • Djokovic is competing in his 25th major final, Federer his 31st.
  • Their most recent clash at the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters, won by Djokovic in a third-set tie-break, was named “Best Match Of 2018” by ATPTour.com
  • Both men have won more matches here than any other Grand Slam (Djokovic 71-10, Federer 101-12).
  • Federer became the only player to win 100 matches at a Grand Slam with his quarter-final victory over Kei Nishikori.
  • Federer is making his 21st consecutive appearance at Wimbledon. He’s the only player from the draw in his debut appearance (1999) to still be active in singles.
  • At 37 years and 340 days, Federer will become the oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title if he prevails.
  • Djokovic is looking to win his fourth major title since turning 30, which only Federer, Rafael Nadal and Rod Laver have accomplished.
  • The Serbian looks to become the first man in the Open Era over the age of 30 to successfully defend a Wimbledon title.
  • Djokovic has been aggressive on returns throughout the tournament, racking up 71 break points and converting on 34 (48%). He leads the tournament in return games won (34 of 89, 38%).
  • The 32-year-old has been efficient in conserving energy, spending 12 hours and 54 minutes on court to reach the semi-finals.
  • Djokovic has held serve in 86 of 92 service games (93%), saving 15 of 24 break points. The World No. 1 has only been broken twice in his past four matches.
  • Federer is competing in his 12th Wimbledon final, more than any other player in tournament history.

More On Djokovic & Federer
* Preview: Federer Battles Djokovic For Title
* Federer & Djokovic At SW19
* Roger & Novak: Every Match Ever Played
* Mission Impossible: Slowing Down The Big 3 At SW19
* Federer Earns Historic 100th Win

Djokovic and Federer’s Three FedEx ATP Head2Head Meetings At Wimbledon

Year Round Winner Score
2012 SF Roger Federer 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
2014 F Novak Djokovic 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4
2015 F Novak Djokovic 7-6(1), 6-7(10), 6-4, 6-3

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Wimbledon 2019: Britain's Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid beaten in men's wheelchair doubles final

  • Posted: Jul 13, 2019
Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC
Event: Wheelchair competitions Venue: All England Club Dates: 11-14 July
Coverage: Watch live on BBC iPlayer, Connected TVs, BBC Sport website and app from Thursday, with Saturday and Sunday finals live from 11:00 on BBC Two.

Britain’s men’s wheelchair doubles pair Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid lost in straight sets to Joachim Gerard and Stefan Olsson in the Wimbledon final.

Defending champions Hewett and Reid, seeking a fourth successive title, were beaten 6-4 6-2 by the 2019 Australian Open winners in one hour, 25 minutes.

Earlier, fellow Briton Andy Lapthorne was defeated in straight sets by Australia’s Dylan Alcott in Wimbledon’s first quad wheelchair singles final.

The top seed won 6-0 6-2 in 50 minutes.

Alcott – now a nine-time Grand Slam singles champion – and Lapthorne, both 28, won the quad doubles title on Friday.

  • Shuker wants increased wheelchair draw
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“Dylan was far too good, he’s probably the best player I’ve ever played,” said Lapthorne, who was out for four months with a broken wrist before Wimbledon.

“If he’s on like that and I’m not, then fair play to him. I’m trying so hard right now not to do an Andy Murray [and cry].

“I thought my career was over after Australia, and even though I got my behind kicked, hopefully next year I can come back and put on a better show.”

Quad wheelchair tennis made its competitive debut at Wimbledon this year having appeared as an exhibition event in 2018.

“Andy is an absolute legend, but more important he is a great bloke,” said Alcott.

“To come out at Wimbledon and get to play on the grass, for a kid who grew up in a wheelchair, it was a dream come true.”

‘They deserved that win’

Three-time winners Hewett and Reid were out-played by Belgium’s Gerard and Sweden’s Olsson in a repeat of the 2018 final at SW19.

The British duo won 6-1 6-4 on that occasion, but were broken when tied 4-4 in the first set on Saturday before their opponents raced clear with a double break in the second.

“They fully deserved that win and I hope they celebrate well tonight,” said 21-year-old Hewett.

“To play on Court Three when we thought we were on Court 14 last night is amazing.”

Reid, 27 – winner of the singles title in 2016 – added: “Congratulations from us to Stefan and Jo, they played a great match.

“A big thanks to Wimbledon and the LTA, they have helped grow the game. But most of all a massive thanks to everyone for filling the seats today, especially my crew in the corner.”

Reporting by Katie Falkingham at Wimbledon and Harry Poole

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Preview: Djokovic & Federer Battle In Wimbledon Final

  • Posted: Jul 13, 2019

Preview: Djokovic & Federer Battle In Wimbledon Final

Djokovic seeks his fifth Wimbledon title, Federer his ninth

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer’s legendary rivalry gets another chapter on Sunday when they face off for the Wimbledon title. Both men have become synonymous with championship matches at The All England Club. At least one of them has made it to the final Sunday in all but two editions of The Championships since 2003.

“It’s the final of Wimbledon. This is the kind of match that I always dreamed of being part of as a young boy with the tennis racquet. This is what I worked for. I wanted to be in this position,” said Djokovic. “I have a chance to fight for a trophy. Regardless of who’s across the net or what is happening, I’ll definitely give it my all.”

More From The Championships
Federer Beats Nadal, Sets Sights On Ninth Title
Djokovic Reaches Sixth Final At SW19
Roger & Novak: Every Match Ever Played
Federer Earns Historic 100th Victory

Top seed and defending champion Djokovic leads second seed Federer 25-22 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. They have the second-most prolific rivalry in the Open Era, only trailing Djokovic-Nadal (54 matches). Federer and Djokovic have squared off in 13 of the 14 most recent seasons on the ATP Tour, but the Serbian has gotten the upper hand lately, winning their past four matches. Djokovic also leads their grass-court series 2-1, prevailing in the 2014 and 2015 Wimbledon finals.

Their recent battles have still been highly competitive, though. Djokovic’s victory over Federer at the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters was named “Best Match Of 2018” by ATPTour.com.

Their familiarity with each other means there will be no secrets when they take to Centre Court. Djokovic knows what he must do to beat Federer, and vice-versa. It will come down to who can execute their game plan most effectively.

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“I think the moment you’ve played somebody more than 15 times, there’s not that much more left out there. You know where the players go when it really matters,” said Federer. “I don’t think there’s much I need to do in terms of practice. This is like school: You’re not going to read lots of books on the day of the test. You don’t have the time. It’s quite clear the work was done way before.”

The two finalists carry different playing styles and personalities, but their paths to Sunday’s final have been similar. Federer and Djokovic each dropped two sets this fortnight, one in the first week and another in the second set of their respective semi-finals, Djokovic against Roberto Bautista Agut and Federer against Rafael Nadal. They’ve also hit more winners than unforced errors in all of their matches this fortnight.

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Federer and Djokovic’s dominance for well over a decade makes it easy to forget that they’re both at an age when many of their contemporaries have either slowed down or retired. The 32-year-old Djokovic is looking to win his fourth major title since turning 30, something that only Federer, Nadal and Rod Laver have accomplished in the Open Era. A win on Sunday would also make the Serbian the first man in the Open Era over age 30 to successfully defend a Wimbledon title.

But Djokovic knows that to make history, he must beat history. With eight Wimbledon titles to his name, Federer is considered by many to be greatest grass-court player of all time. The ways in which he gives the World No. 1 trouble are amplified even further on this surface.

“We all know how good he is anywhere, but especially here. This surface complements his game very much. He loves to play very fast. Takes away the time from his opponent. Just doesn’t give you any of the same looks. He rushes you to everything,” said Djokovic. “For players like Nadal or myself that like to have a little more time, it’s a constant pressure that you have to deal with.”

Meanwhile, Federer could become the oldest man (37 years, 340 days) in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title. He’s already made history this fortnight by becoming the first man to win 100 matches at a Grand Slam with his quarter-final victory over Kei Nishikori.

Most Wins By Grand Slam

 Tournament  Player  Wins
 Australian Open  Roger Federer  97
 Roland Garros  Rafael Nadal  93
 Wimbledon  Roger Federer  101
 US Open  Jimmy Connors  98

Reaching his 12th Wimbledon final at age 37 is a mind-boggling achievement on its own. But with 20 major titles to his name already, Federer won’t be content with a runner-up finish. The Swiss believes he’s playing well enough for one last push against Djokovic.

“I know it’s not over yet. There’s no point to start partying tonight or getting too emotional, too happy about it, even though I am extremely happy,” said Federer. “If it was the end of the tournament, it would be very different right now. I’d be speaking very different, feeling very different.

“There is, unfortunately or fortunately, one more match. It’s great on many levels. But I’ve got to put my head down and stay focused.”

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