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Sandgren Outlasts His Apartment Rental At Wimbledon

  • Posted: Jul 07, 2019

Sandgren Outlasts His Apartment Rental At Wimbledon

Sandgren to face Querrey for spot in the quarter-finals at SW19

Odds are that if you outlast the duration of your accommodation rental, you’re probably having a pretty good tournament. And that has been the case for American Tennys Sandgren, who on Saturday defeated World No. 10 Fabio Fognini to reach the second round of Wimbledon for the first time.

The 27-year-old was more than happy to book a hotel room after his AirBnB’s rental expired.

“I was in an apartment. I actually moved yesterday. I ran out of my reservation because I didn’t want to overbook my stay. I’m not going to plan for the two-week experience,” Sandgren said, cracking a laugh. “So now I’m in a hotel and it’s good, it’s comfortable. As long as the weather stays cool, then my room will be cool and that’s a big deal. When the sun gets out and the room gets hot, it’s tough.”

This run was not the most expected for the World No. 94, who lost nine consecutive first-round tour-level matches entering the year’s third Grand Slam. That streak started after he claimed his first ATP Tour crown in January at Auckland.

“It’s exciting to be in the fourth round. I didn’t expect to really be in this position,” Sandgren said. “It’s been a tough few months. I’ve been playing some better tennis recently, but I had a tough stretch in there when I wasn’t winning many matches. So to feel like my game is coming together, and to feel like I’m playing well and actually things are falling my way, which hasn’t been the case, it feels good for sure.”

Sandgren’s two most recent first-round losses came after qualifying. And only four of those defeats came in straight sets. So although it was a tough stretch, he kept working hard so he would be ready to seize the moment when an opportunity to get back on track presented itself.

“The thing is, everybody’s really good. All these guys are incredibly good players and they’re all doing their best to be ready to play and to beat you on any given day, so to think you’re more deserving or that you’re going to win more matches because of X, Y or Z is sometimes unrealistic,” Sandgren said. “The fact that it just wasn’t going my way and I was losing a lot of close matches is disheartening, but I knew that if I stuck with it and kept working hard that it would turn for me and I would get out of that kind of season of defeat and hopefully have a week like this.

“It is very much a mental game. When you’re out there by yourself and there’s nowhere to turn, there’s no help, it’s just your game and how you’re feeling on the day and how you can keep it together. So it’s all on you and if it doesn’t go well, it’s easy to beat yourself up. But staying positive and keeping believing in yourself is a big facet in how you can ride those waves in a season.”

Sandgren won his first-round match in four sets against Yasutaka Uchiyama, and then battled past Fever-Tree Championships finalist Gilles Simon in a five-set thriller in which he converted nine of his 13 break point chances. Then against Fognini, freshly minted into the Top 10, Sandgren made only 18 unforced errors and won 70 per cent of his second-serve points.

“It’s been a great week so far. Finding my game as I go, starting to play some good tennis. Today was a very good match for me. I knew I had to play well because Fabio is an amazing player,” Sandgren said. “We had a really good second-set tie-break, 14/12. I think the match kind of hinged on that one. But yeah, felt good about my game.”

It’s not a new experience for Sandgren, who made last year’s Australian Open quarter-finals in his main draw debut. There, he beat then-World No. 8 Stan Wawrinka and then-World No. 5 Dominic Thiem.

“I have more experience than I did the last time when I was in this kind of situation. So I think it definitely helps me to at least know what to expect as far as nerves and to be ready for it,” Sandgren said. “The margins are so slim in these matches, so to have just a little bit more experience than I did the last time I think definitely helps me.”

An American man is guaranteed to reach the last eight at SW19, as Sandgren will play countryman Sam Querrey on Monday. Prior to Eastbourne last week, Querrey had not played since Houston due to an abdominal injury. But he made the final at that ATP 250 tournament, and has been broken just once at Wimbledon.

“Obviously he’s playing very well. I haven’t seen him play too much this week, but every time I walk by a TV with him on it, he’s hitting an ace, so I’m going to be ready for some big serves,” Sandgren said. “Excited for the opportunity for sure. I’ve never played Sam, but he’s a good friend, and it’ll be a lot of fun.”

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Federer, Djokovic, Nadal: Big Three Domination At Wimbledon

  • Posted: Jul 07, 2019

Federer, Djokovic, Nadal: Big Three Domination At Wimbledon

The all-time greats have won 14 of the past 16 Wimbledon titles

Dominating? Yes. Unbeatable? Almost. Untouchable? Together, without a doubt. The Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been all of the above during most of their careers. At the moment, on the cusp of another Grand Slam championship they’ve dominated, the three combine for 53 Slam titles.

But the trio has been especially selfish with Slam trophies during the past three years and nowhere more so than at Wimbledon, which starts Monday.

Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have won every Grand Slam title since the 2017 Australian Open, when Federer beat Nadal in five sets to complete his fairytale comeback from knee surgery. Since 2003, the all-time greats have won 14 of the past 16 Wimbledon titles – Federer with eight, Djokovic four, and Nadal two. Andy Murray, their friend and former rival who will be competing in doubles this fortnight with France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert, nabbed the 2013 and 2016 editions.

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“If you ask me about Federer, Nadal, I am grateful to be part of the era with them, because I think they made me the player I am today,” Djokovic said. “The success that I had, especially on the Grand Slams, was also due to the need to improve and to get better to win against these guys.”

Djokovic is the top seed and defending champion at SW19. The Serbian finished runner-up at last year’s Fever-Tree Championships (l. to Cilic), an ATP 500 event, but opted not to compete on grass before Wimbledon this year.

Big Three Slam Streaks

Consecutive Grand Slams Won

Time Period

18

2005 Roland Garros to 2009 Wimbledon

11

2010 Australian Open to 2012 Wimbledon

10

2017 Australian Open to 2019 Roland Garros

He had his own fairytale story by winning his 13th Slam at last year’s Wimbledon. Djokovic hadn’t won a tour-level title in 379 days – 2017 Eastbourne on 1 July – and hadn’t hoisted a Slam trophy for 25 months. But as his son shouted, “Daddy! Daddy!” after Djokovic beat South African Kevin Anderson, the Serbian had another Grand Slam title to celebrate.

I couldn’t pick the better place, to be honest, in the tennis world to peak and to make a comeback,” Djokovic said.

Federer, who is the second seed at Wimbledon, has only kept rising after winning the 2017 Australian Open. The Swiss has won 14 tour-level titles since January 2017, including his eighth Wimbledon two years ago and his 100th title in February at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (d. Tsitsipas).

Get Prepped For SW19
Federer Promoted To Second Seed At SW19
How Nadal Shrugged Off Disappointment In Paris
Flashback: Djokovic Wins Fourth SW19 Title

But a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title evaded Federer last year. Anderson saved one match point and came back from two sets down in their quarter-final to pull off the upset.

Federer, however, started the Big Three’s domination at the All-England Club in 2003, and perhaps it will be Federer who continues it on 14 July. The Swiss won his 10th NOVENTI OPEN title last week in Halle, the first time Federer has won a tournament more than nine times.

“I’m aware that usually when it went well for me here in Halle I’ve also had very successful Wimbledons,” Federer said. “This definitely sets it up nicely and next to winning, I also feel good physically.”

Federer’s NOVENTI OPEN-Wimbledon Success

Year

Halle Result

Wimbledon Finish

2003

Champion

Champion

2004

Champion

Champion

2005

Champion

Champion

2006

Champion

Champion

2008

Champion

Finalist

2013

Champion

Second Round

2014

Champion

Finalist

2015

Champion

Finalist

2017

Champion

Champion

Nadal showed last year that he’s more than capable of competing on grass, despite a limited schedule because of injuries. The two-time Wimbledon champion (2008, 2010) finished better than the fourth round for the first time since 2011 and pushed Djokovic better than anyone, falling 10-8 in the fifth set of their semi-final.

The 33-year-old, who is the third seed, will be armed with belief in London, having won his past 12 matches and his unprecedented 12th Roland Garros title earlier this month in Paris.

“As everybody knows, I love to play on grass. And as everybody knows, I am not able to play so many weeks in a row like I did 10 years ago, eight years ago. So I have to do my schedule,” said Nadal, who also did not play a tour-level grass-court event before Wimbledon. “I know I played a great event last year. I have been able to be very close to winning another title there… Honestly, the last two years that I played in Wimbledon, I felt close again.”

Did You Know?
This is the first time since 2012 at Wimbledon the Big Three are the Top 3 seeds and the fifth time (2008, 2010-11-12, 2019) overall.

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Gauff returns as Konta plays Kvitova – 'Manic Monday' preview

  • Posted: Jul 07, 2019
Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 1-14 July
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full details

Coco Gauff will face the toughest challenge of her Wimbledon campaign when she takes on Simona Halep on ‘Manic Monday’, with British number one Johanna Konta also in action.

After a day off on Sunday, play will resume as Konta plays Petra Kvitova.

Elsewhere in the women’s singles, world number one Ashleigh Barty – who is yet to drop a set – plays Alison Riske.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and former winners Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also return in the fourth round.

Djokovic will take on Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Court One, while on Centre Court, eight-time champion Federer faces Italian Matteo Berrettini and Nadal plays Portugal’s Joao Sousa.

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams plays Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro and Karolina Pliskova faces fellow Czech Karolina Muchova.

  • Nadal & Federer into Wimbledon fourth round
  • Williams & Kvitova ease into round four
  • Murray & Williams win on mixed doubles debut
  • ‘I hope Beyonce saw that!’ – Gauff’s wish after winning run continues

‘It’s cool that Michelle Obama knows I exist’

Week one of the Championships was a whirlwind for 15-year-old American qualifier Gauff, beating one of her “idols” Venus Williams before victories over Magdalena Rybarikova and Polona Hercog followed.

Twelve months ago, she was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the juniors competition at SW19 but has now become a household name around the globe, the world mesmerised by her journey.

Yet for this teenager, who can only enter 10 professional tournaments between her 15th and 16th birthdays, it’s the social media messages from Michelle Obama and Jaden Smith that have given her the biggest smile.

On the tweet by Obama, Gauff – who describes herself as “weird” and “goofy” – said: “I was super excited. She’s one of my role models, so it was just cool to see that she knows I exist.

“We don’t talk personally. I don’t have her number or anything. I would like that.”

In former world number one Halep, Gauff faces a player who, like herself, has dropped just one set in the tournament so far. Halep, though, has experience of the latter stages at Wimbledon, reaching the semi-finals in 2014 and two quarter-finals since then.

  • Live scores, schedule and results

‘Kvitova will be very inspired’ – Konta ready for battle

British number one Konta, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2017, faces Czech two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova in the fourth round. It is their fifth meeting, but only their second at a Grand Slam.

They have twice met on grass, the latter occasion coming in Birmingham last year, with Kvitova winning in straight sets.

Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, has yet to drop a set this campaign and Konta said she was looking forward to playing a “great champion”.

“I’m going to be coming up against a very, very inspired and very, very tough Petra,” said Konta.

“She’s also been playing incredibly well in the past couple of years.”

Kvitova acknowledged the British support for Konta, adding it would be a “difficult match”.

“Jo, I think for her, the grass is really going in the good way when she’s playing flat shots from both sides, especially from the backhand,” she said.

“I think she likes to play on the grass. Of course, the crowd will be on her side. I know what she’s able to do.”

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Williams jokes that she 'wanted to watch' much-hyped Murray match

  • Posted: Jul 07, 2019
Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 1-14 July
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full details

Serena Williams says she felt like she wanted to watch her highly-anticipated Wimbledon mixed doubles match with Andy Murray rather than play in it – and will try to see a video of their win.

American Williams and Britain’s Murray entertained Centre Court with a 6-4 6-1 win over Germany’s Andreas Mies and Chile’s Alexa Guarachi.

“This match was so hyped that I want to see it,” Williams, 37, said.

“We have a lot we want to get better on as a team.”

Williams and the Scot, 32, made the dream start to a blockbuster partnership that has been one of the main talking points at the All England Club this fortnight.

  • Murray and Williams start with impressive win
  • Konta into last 16 as Evans loses epic
  • Fognini apologies over bomb outburst

Anticipation had been high for their first appearance together, which was delayed until Saturday evening after Friday’s play on Centre Court and Court One moved the match back a day.

Eventually, it was played on Wimbledon’s main 15,000-seat arena in front of a healthy crowd in dwindling light, with those cheering on Murray and Williams soon rewarded.

The illustrious pair, who have 26 Grand Slam singles titles between them, had too much quality for the battling Mies and Guarachi as they won in one hour and 16 minutes.

But the intense focus in the build-up left even Williams, who reached the last 16 in the singles earlier on Saturday, feeling “a lot” of pressure.

“I thought, I have to do well because this match is so hyped that I want to see it,” she said. “I didn’t even want to be in it, I kind of just wanted to watch it. Maybe I’ll try to get a video of it or watch it somewhere.

“Overall I think I was able to handle my nerves pretty good, do better than I thought I was going to do.”

Murray and Williams gelled quickly in their first outing, breaking serve in the first game on their way to winning the opening set 6-4, before being more clinical in a one-sided second set.

They will meet 14th seeds Fabrice Martin and Raquel Atawo in the second round next week.

Murray only made his comeback from serious hip surgery last month, while Williams’ playing time this year has been hampered by a knee injury.

“We created lots of chances in the first set, but maybe weren’t as clinical as maybe we’d like to be,” Murray said. “That comes with matches a little bit. Neither of us have played much recently, but that will come.”

Williams added: “We have a lot we want to get better on as a team. I think we did great for the first day. We just want to keep it up.”

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Wimbledon 2019: Johanna Konta into fourth round but Dan Evans & Harriet Dart lose

  • Posted: Jul 06, 2019
Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 1-14 July
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full details

Johanna Konta is the only Briton left in the Wimbledon singles after staging a determined comeback against American Sloane Stephens to reach the last 16.

The 2017 semi-finalist had trailed by a set and was under pressure on her serve before regrouping to win 3-6 6-4 6-1.

Compatriot Dan Evans had many chances against Portugal’s Joao Sousa but lost 4-6 6-4 7-5 4-6 6-4 in an epic battle.

Fellow Briton Harriet Dart was earlier overwhelmed 6-1 6-1 by Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty.

Konta will face Czech 2011 and 2014 champion Petra Kvitova for a place in the quarter-finals on Monday.

“I just kept plugging away more than anything,” Konta told BBC television.

“I was fully prepared to not be coming back in that second set because she really was playing well. I was really pleased I could keep battling, I was pleased I could mix things up and I did a good job in getting her out of that zone.”

  • Ex-champion Kvitova into fourth round
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  • Follow Saturday’s Wimbledon action – TV, text & radio

Konta turns frustration into fightback

Konta had dominated Stephens in a 6-1 6-4 victory in the French Open quarter-finals last month, playing some of the best tennis of her career.

But the 28-year-old struggled to find her rhythm and became frustrated with herself at times against the 26-year-old American on Court One.

After losing the first set when she netted a backhand, Konta found herself under increasing pressure on her serve in the second.

She showed glimpses of the mental negativity that has hampered her in the past, shooting glances at her coach Dimitri Zavialoff and berating herself for her wayward shots.

But she then translated that into fighting spirit in the fifth game of the second set when she was taken to deuce six times and saved three break points before eventually holding.

That proved to be the start of a comeback as she went on to break the American in the 10th game to take the set and force a decider.

From then on she did not look back – the overcooked forehands found the lines and the head-shaking at changeovers became fist pumps as she won five games in a row from late in the second set to surge ahead in the third.

And her victory was complete when Stephens hit long with just over two hours on the clock.

“I’m really pleased that I’ve been able to make it to the second week in two successive Grand Slams. I’ve never been able to do that before,” Konta said.

Evans lets chances slip

Evans had prepared for his third-round match by having a one-hour hitting session with 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer on Friday and he started well with a break in the opening game.

He continued to put Sousa’s serve under pressure, carving out but failing to convert four other break points, and dominated to take the first set.

He went a break up early in the next two sets but both times allowed the Portuguese to get back into the sets with some excellent net play. Evans double-faulted to gift the second set to Sousa and then hit wide to hand over the third.

Evans again broke early in the fourth and let the advantage slip but this time he clawed his way back from brink when Sousa was one game from victory, delivering a cross-court forehand winner that sent the Court One crowd to their feet.

With the light fading, the new roof was closed on the court for the fifth set, and Evans once again went a break up but let that slip in the next game.

He went match point down on his own service game and with the clock ticking just past four hours, he netted to send Sousa into a last-16 encounter with 18-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.

“It is a hard one to take,” Evans, 29, said. “It’s just disappointing to lose such a tight one.”

He was keen to keep perspective, having enjoyed a successful grass-court season with two titles, and when asked how long it would take for him to get over the defeat he replied bluntly: “About 45 minutes.

“It is not the end of the world. It just hurts but what can I do? Feeling sorry for myself isn’t going to help.”

Dart learns ‘tough lesson’

Dart exits with her head held high after a tournament that marked her first back-to-back wins at tour level.

The world number 182 had said beforehand that the match against French Open champion Barty would provide her with a good measure of where her tennis was at.

Having lost 6-0 6-0 to Maria Sharapova in her last match against a high-profile player on a Grand Slam main show court at January’s Australian Open, she can be comforted by the fact she got herself on the scoreboard in the 53-minute defeat by Barty.

The Australian – who has been beaten by only one player outside the world’s top 10 this year – dropped just three points on serve in the first set, moving a double break up before the world number 182 was finally able to hold.

Dart went a double break down at the start of the second set before showing signs of her form of previous rounds, reaching four break points before allowing Barty to hold.

“It’s a good learning curve for me,” she said. “She played great. She didn’t let me in the match at all.

“It’s a tough lesson to learn. It’s been a great tournament for me. I should take a lot of positives from it.”

Barty, who is the first Australian to reach the women’s singles fourth round at Wimbledon since 2010, said the young Briton had a bright future.

“Harriet is going to have a fantastic career. I know she will play out on Centre Court again soon,” said the Australian, who will play American Alison Riske in the fourth round.

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Federer: 'Being At The Top Requires More Hunger'

  • Posted: Jul 06, 2019

Federer: ‘Being At The Top Requires More Hunger’

Swiss reflects on moving through the first week at SW19

This is Roger Federer’s record 21st Wimbledon appearance, and with his straight-sets victory on Saturday against Lucas Pouille, the 37-year-old Swiss is into the second week at SW19 for the 17th time.

It’s easy to forget that in three of his first four runs at the All England Club, Federer lost in the first round. So was he more motivated at a younger age trying to break through, or now, as he tries to win his ninth title at this Grand Slam championship?

“I think being at the top requires more hunger because in the beginning every number higher you can get, it’s like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m 50, I’m 25, I’m 13’. It’s just so exciting. It’s easy to stay motivated,” Federer said. “But to be at the top, obviously it’s also motivating because you can win tournaments. It’s a totally different ball game. I think you need both. But I think staying at the top requires a lot of dedication, sacrifice and all that. I’ve done well, so I’m proud of myself there.”

Federer has performed well through the first week after losing his first set of the event against Lloyd Harris. The 102-time tour-level titlist has been largely untroubled, while 10 of the Top 14 seeds have been eliminated.

“The panic can set in quickly on this surface. I don’t know if that’s got something to do [with it], and if age calms the nerves there,” Federer said. “I’m not sure. I also think it’s maybe a moment in time.

“At the same time, we know how hard it is to beat Novak, how hard it is to beat Rafa here. Me, as well. I have a great record here. We obviously also have better draws because we’re seeded, and we’re away from the bigger seeds earlier. Our path to the fourth round is definitely not as hard as maybe some of the younger guys on the Tour, as well.”

It did not take long for upsets to pop up at Wimbledon this year, with both reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev and reigning Next Gen ATP Finals titlist Stefanos Tsitsipas being sent packing in the first round, as was Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem.

“The surprises were definitely there that first day with Stefanos and Sascha and everything, Dominic. Now, I do believe it’s nice to have experience on this surface. The problem is it’s not like you can play a ton of tournaments, just say, ‘I’m going to focus on the grass court season this year’,” Federer said. “You can, and play three tournaments leading in, then maybe you’ll be tired by the third match. It’s just not so simple.”

It’s been a different season for Federer compared to the last couple of years, as the Swiss competed on clay for the first time since 2016. He has had no issues with the surface change, winning all eight of his matches on grass so far in 2019.

“I feel like I was able to come through [the clay] really good,” Federer said. “Number one, the first buildup I had on the clay when I started, before even playing tournaments, [I] didn’t know where it’s going to take me. In practice I felt really good.”  

Federer became the first player to earn 350 Grand Slam match wins on Saturday. And next Sunday, he’ll hope to lift a record ninth trophy here. But first, he will have to get by Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round.

“The records mean something to me, but not everything just because I am very much aware that not everybody for the last hundred years played all the Slams,” Federer said. “It’s really only the past 20 years that that’s been going on. Travelling has gotten easier. I’m sure that’s going to keep happening from now on, most of the players will keep playing.”

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Jamie Murray column: Men's doubles disappointment, mixed doubles success, Andy partners up with Serena

  • Posted: Jul 06, 2019

During Wimbledon, six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Jamie Murray is writing a column for BBC Sport. In his second, he discusses his mixed start to the tournament, brother Andy’s partnership with Serena Williams, and his ambition to help the tennis stars of the future.

My men’s doubles partner Neal Skupski and I lost in the first round of Wimbledon on Friday and it was a disappointing result. We got outplayed by Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek and lost 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-1 6-4.

Those guys played really well. They played very aggressively and were serving big, so we just got overrun a bit, which was unfortunate.

Play had started on Thursday but was suspended because of bad light, and it was disappointing for us not to be able to finish the match then because we were looking stronger, but that was just bad luck on our part and it didn’t work out so well for us.

Unfortunately, it was just one of those things. It’s only really at Wimbledon that it happens – at other tournaments, it only occurs if there are strong winds or you get rain. It’s happened to me a few times before and it is never ideal because you have to start again from scratch; it’s a new day, new feelings.

It also gives the players of both teams time to speak to their coaches, and to get a better handle on what has been happening in the match.

It changes the momentum in a way because it’s a fresh start. We were just unlucky because I think we were the only court that didn’t finish that night.

Neither Neal nor I felt that we did a lot wrong. It’s a new partnership and I think we both felt good together on the court.

We didn’t have great results instantaneously but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to be a good team and have a successful partnership going forward. We haven’t lost any belief at all in the team. We just have to look ahead now and prepare for the hard court season.

  • Jamie Murray progresses in mixed doubles but goes out of men’s competition

‘I’m really happy we won our mixed doubles opener’

Later on Friday afternoon, I had my first round mixed doubles match with my partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands. We beat Joe Salisbury and Katy Dunne 7-5 7-6 (10-8) but it took me a little while to get going because it was pretty soon after the disappointment of the men’s doubles.

Bethanie is great fun, a great character and a great player as well, and she’s a good partner to have in that situation. I was really happy that we were able to get the win and hopefully we will have a good few matches together over the next week.

Moving from clay to grass takes a bit of adjusting. On clay, you’re sliding around, the ball is bouncing up and you’re having to play a lot of balls around shoulder height.

But then you get on grass and you need a lot of small adjustment steps. The ball is bouncing lower so you are using a lot of different, smaller muscles and you need a stability that maybe you don’t need on other surfaces.

You’re able to move the ball around a lot more too. On serve, you can swing the ball a lot more so you get a lot more help from the grass courts than you would on other courts.

I prefer playing on hard courts; that is where I have had all my best results throughout my career. I do like playing on grass, but it’s such a short season and sometimes it feels like it’s over before it’s even started.

‘Andy and Serena playing together is unique’

I think it’s really cool that Andy has partnered up with Serena Williams in the mixed doubles. We didn’t speak about it before it was announced, but it’s great for the event because it puts it in the spotlight a lot more than it normally would be.

You’ve got two greats of the game competing with each other. We never get that at a Grand Slam, so it’s a unique situation.

Hopefully, they can compete hard and play until the end of the tournament because it would be great for the event of mixed doubles.

There was a lot of build-up pre-match and it was fun to see them playing in front of a packed Centre Court on Saturday night.

‘I want to coach when I finish playing’

I have recently launched a YouTube channel because I wanted to document my life as a tennis player, because it’s a very unique life that we live.

I wanted to showcase all the things we have to go through in our daily lives that the public wouldn’t see. They see us on TV hitting tennis balls but they don’t necessarily see what goes into getting us onto the match court in terms of the preparation.

There will also be a lot of instructional videos going up, with tips, advice and tactics on the game, and on training. Singles and doubles are very different and I just thought it would be interesting for people to see how we train.

I would like to coach once my playing career is over, but whether I would like to coach on the Tour, I’m not sure, because I have been travelling for so long.

I would like to help some of the younger players in our country. Not a lot of people have made it to the top of the game and can therefore share their experiences. I certainly feel that’s something I would be passionate and enthusiastic about.

Jamie Murray was speaking to BBC Sport’s Katie Falkingham at Wimbledon.

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Murray & Serena Storm Through Wimbledon Opener

  • Posted: Jul 06, 2019

Murray & Serena Storm Through Wimbledon Opener

Top seeds Soares/Melichar advance on Saturday

Andy Murray and Serena Williams put on a show for Centre Court on Saturday at Wimbledon, defeating Andreas Mies and Alexa Guarachi 6-4, 6-1 to reach the second round in mixed doubles.

“It was a great experience being back on Centre Court with Serena after the last year or so being tough. It was nice. I enjoyed it,” said Murray. “After the amount of success that someone like Serena has had for such a long period, to still be out there at 8:00 at night, having already won a singles [match] and just wanting to win and being competitive… That’s impressive.”

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Murray/Williams opened the match by breaking Guarachi’s serve and held the lead throughout the match. A forehand return winner from Murray sealed the victory after one hour and 16 minutes. Next up for Murray/Williams are No. 14 seeds Fabrice Martin and Raquel Atawo.

“At some point I started feeling a lot of pressure. I have to do well because this match is so hyped that I want to see it. I didn’t even want to be in it. I just wanted to watch it,” joked Williams. “Maybe I’ll try to get a video of it or watch it somewhere. I think I was able to handle my nerves pretty good, do better than I thought I was going to do.”

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Second-round mixed doubles action also took place on Saturday. Top seeds Bruno Soares and Nicole Melichar defeated Denys Molchanov and Galina Voskoboeva 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3. Joran Vliegen and Saisai Zheng upset second seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Demi Schuurs 6-4, 7-5.

On Friday, #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe won his opening match with Venus Williams over Scott Clayton and Sarah Beth Grey 6-2, 6-3. 

“I got a text from [my coach]. He said, ‘Do you want to play doubles with Venus?’ I was like, ‘That’s a dumb question.’ The next day, we are doing two-hour doubles drills,” said Tiafoe. “I looked up to [Venus and Serena] all my life. Still do. It’s an honour to share the court with them.”

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