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Murray to change schedule to 'return to top of game'

  • Posted: Jul 01, 2018

Andy Murray says he will make changes to his schedule to “return to the top of the game”, after withdrawing from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament.

The former world number one said it was “too soon” to play five-set matches after his comeback from hip surgery.

Britain’s Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion, returned after almost a year out at Queen’s last month.

The two-time Wimbledon winner, 31, said he had not had any setbacks but it was the “right” decision to pull out.

Murray discussed his decision to withdraw and how long he can continue to play in an interview on Sunday.

Can you get back to the top?

Andy Murray: I want to play for a couple more years and hopefully be back competing at the top of the game and I need to bear that in mind when I am making decisions right now.

I think I will make changes to my schedule and things to try and look after my body better. I will certainly not be having any ends to the season like I did in 2016 when I was playing and winning matches every single week and not stopping for a break.

I will be working hard but not killing my body in training blocks either. Providing I am smart with those things, I believe I will be able to compete.

When did you make the decision?

This morning [Sunday] I spoke with all of my team and my doctor, as well, just to get his view on things. I was just sort of feeling that I was not ready and willing to play.

I didn’t know how I was going to respond to playing five-set matches. I would have put myself in a situation that I haven’t been able to replicate in training or in practice recently – which is a maybe a bit unnecessary to do that at this stage.

I went through a similar situation last year when I went into Wimbledon. I didn’t feel good before Wimbledon last year but decided to play. I know how that ended up.

Have you had any setbacks?

No. I’ve made progress in the last month which hadn’t really been the case for the last 10 or 11 months. I was going in the right direction.

I didn’t come off a particular training session and feel bad. I was kind of just reflecting a little bit on the last 10 days. It’s been a positive 10 days, two weeks.

How difficult was it to make the decision?

I didn’t feel like I was going to win the tournament. I didn’t feel I was going to do extremely well in the tournament. There were just so many unknowns.

It’s been hard because I really wanted to play. Once you get back on the match court, you don’t want to be taking what feels like a bit of a step back in some ways.

I feel comfortable with the decision because it is the right one for me at this stage, long term.

If I was thinking I would not play Wimbledon again, it would be a different decision to make.

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Marach/Pavic Set Sights On First Wimbledon Crown

  • Posted: Jul 01, 2018

Marach/Pavic Set Sights On First Wimbledon Crown

Austrian-Croatian duo has reached three of past four major finals

In 2017, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo defeated Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic 13-11 in a deciding fifth set to lift the Wimbledon doubles title. Twelve months later, the two pairings return as the top two seeded teams in the 2018 draw.

But this season, it’s Marach and Pavic who are on a roll entering Wimbledon as they bid to go one step further and lift their first SW19 title as a team.

This season, Marach and Pavic have taken the ATP World Tour doubles scene by storm, compiling a 38-8 record in the first six months of the season. The Austrian-Croatian tandem, who lead the ATP Doubles Race to London, have reached seven tour-level finals (4-3) this year, including Grand Slam championship matches at the Australian Open (d. Cabal/Farah) and Roland Garros (l. to Herbert/Mahut).

Marach and Pavic, who will meet Federico Delbonis and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela in the first round, are 2-1 on grass this season after a semi-final run at the Fever-Tree Championships (l. to Murray/Soares). The top seeds share the top quarter of the draw with 2015 finalist Jamie Murray (w/ Peers) and Bruno Soares. Murray and Soares reached their 14th final as a team (7-7) at the Fever-Tree Championships in June.

Roland Garros champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who lifted the trophy at SW19 in 2016, also feature in the top half of the draw alongside Internazionali BNL d’Italia winners Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

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Defending champions Kubot and Melo, who won their second consecutive Gerry Weber Open crown in June, face a tricky first-round test as they begin their title defence. The second seeds will face Nature Valley International champions Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara. Bambridge and O’Mara, competing together at tour-level for the first time, defeated Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski in the first all-British doubles final since 2012 at Devonshire Park.

Kubot and Melo are joined by Americans Mike Bryan and Jack Sock in the bottom quarter. Bryan, a three-time champion, and Sock, who won the 2014 title with Vasek Pospisil, are competing at a Grand Slam for the first time as a team. Bob Bryan is still recovering from the right hip injury he sustained at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Henri Kontinen and John Peers enter the grass-court Grand Slam championship in strong form. The two-time reigning Nitto ATP Finals champions are riding an eight-match win streak in London after their recent success at the Fever-Tree Championships, dating back to the Round Robin stage at the O2 Arena last November.

The third seeds could meet Mutua Madrid Open champions Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya in the quarter-finals. Mektic and Peya, seeded eighth, face Jurgen Melzer and Daniel Nestor in their opening match. Nestor, who won back-to-back titles at Wimbledon in 2008 and 2009 (w/ Zimonjic), and 2010 champion Melzer (w/ Petzschner) are making their team debut.

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ATP to launch in World Team Cup 2020 as rival to revamped Davis Cup

  • Posted: Jul 01, 2018

A revamped World Team Cup will take place in Australia in the first week of January from 2020, the ATP said.

It comes after the International Tennis Federation set out plans for a rival 18-team end-of-season event to crown the Davis Cup champions from 2019.

In May, ATP executive chairman Chris Kermode said staging both tournaments within six weeks would be “insane”.

But on Sunday he said: “This announcement will change the landscape of the ATP World Tour.”

He added: “We believe this outcome will deliver long-term sustainability not only financially but also from a player health perspective, which is critical. This event has huge potential and we now look forward to working together with Tennis Australia in bringing our vision to fruition.”

The World Team Cup will take place in partnership with Tennis Australia and will feature 24 teams, offering £11.35m in prize money. Ranking points will also be available.

The tournament had previously taken place in Dusseldorf from 1978 to 2012.

Federations will vote at the ITF AGM in August on proposals to transform the Davis Cup, culminating in an 18-nation World Cup-style tournament at the end of the season in November.

The ATP and ITF had been in discussions to try to resolve the issue.

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Andy Murray: Two-time champion withdraws from Wimbledon

  • Posted: Jul 01, 2018
Wimbledon 2018 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club, Wimbledon Dates: 2-15 July
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, Connected TVs and the BBC Sport website and app; Live BBC Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra commentary; Text updates online.

Two-time champion Andy Murray has withdrawn from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament with a “heavy heart”.

The 31-year-old Briton said it was “too soon” to play five-set matches after his comeback from hip surgery.

Murray returned at Queen’s last month after almost a year out, losing to Nick Kyrgios, then played at Eastbourne, where he was beaten by Kyle Edmund.

In a statement, the Scot said he was “looking forward” to the US hard-court season, which starts in August.

  • Who will rival Federer & Williams? Who carries Britain’s hopes?

Murray, who won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, had been drawn against Frenchman Benoit Paire in the first round of the Championships, which start on Monday.

The former world number one said he had made “significant progress” over the past 10 days and did “everything he could” to be ready.

“It is with a heavy heart that I’m announcing that I’ll be withdrawing from Wimbledon this year,” the three-time Grand Slam champion said.

“We’ve decided that playing best-of-five-set matches might be a bit too soon in the recovery process.

“I will start practising on the hard courts from tomorrow and continuing with my rehab and recovery and I’m looking forward to the US hard-court season.”

This will be the first time since 2007, when he withdrew with a wrist injury, that Murray, who is now world number 156, has not played at the All England Club.

Lucky loser Jason Jung from Chinese Taipei will replace him in the draw.

Murray’s year of setbacks and comebacks

  • 12 July 2017: Loses to Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon
  • Misses the rest of 2017 season and loses the number one ranking
  • January 2018: Pulls out of Australian Open and has hip surgery
  • 19 June 2018: Loses to Nick Kyrgios on his competitive return
  • 25 June: Beats Stan Wawrinka in Eastbourne, his first victory in almost a year
  • 27 June: Loses to Kyle Edmund
  • 1 July: Withdraws from Wimbledon
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Who will rival Williams and Federer? Is Murray fit? Your Wimbledon guide

  • Posted: Jul 01, 2018
Wimbledon 2018 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club, Wimbledon Dates: 2-15 July
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, Connected TVs and the BBC Sport website and app; Live BBC Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra commentary; Text updates online. Full details.

Roger Federer begins his quest for a record-extending ninth Wimbledon men’s singles title when the 2018 tournament begins on Monday.

The Swiss great, 36, opens against Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic on Centre Court from 13:00 BST.

Seven-time champion Serena Williams, back at SW19 for the first time since giving birth, also plays on Monday.

Britons Andy Murray, who is returning from a long-term injury, and Johanna Konta play on Tuesday.

  • View the full Wimbledon 2018 draw
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Is Murray fit enough to play?

Murray looks set to feature after saying he is “most likely” to be fit enough to continue his comeback from almost a year out with a hip injury.

However, he also said “it is possible” that he could pull out because he is “literally taking it day by day”, adding “in terms of winning this event, I have no belief or thoughts that that’s going to happen”.

The 31-year-old Scot returned at Queen’s last month, losing to Nick Kyrgios.

Murray, who won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, then took a wildcard at Eastbourne. There he beat fellow three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka before losing to compatriot Kyle Edmund.

“I’m practising at a high intensity every day with some of the best players in the world,” said the former world number one.

“Wimbledon is the most important tournament of the year but my main priority is my health and I’ve got to have that at the front of my mind.”

Edmund leads British men

Murray has been replaced by Edmund as the British number one.

The 23-year-old Yorkshireman has broken into the world’s top 20 after reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

However, the world number 18 has only won one main-draw match at Wimbledon, reaching round two last year.

Murray has also been overtaken in the rankings by 22-year-old Cameron Norrie.

He has enjoyed a memorable breakthrough year, which started with an epic win on his Davis Cup debut, continued with his first ATP semi-final, and resulted in a ranking of 79.

Two other Britons – Liam Broady and Jay Clarke – have been awarded wildcards.

Federer and Nadal the men to beat

Federer is the favourite after moving clear of Pete Sampras with victory last year.

He decided to skip the clay-court season again, returning triumphantly at the Stuttgart Open.

Federer looked on course to continue his unbeaten run at Halle last week, but lost in the final to Borna Coric.

That meant Nadal, fresh from winning his 16th Grand Slam and 11th French Open, regained the number one ranking.

Nadal, 32, and Federer have won the past six Grand Slams between them.

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Who could stop them?

Novak Djokovic: The three-time champion is working his way back after a year disrupted by an elbow injury but showed glimpses of his best form at the French Open and Queen’s.

Marin Cilic: The Croat is a proven force on grass, having reached last year’s final and won Queen’s last month.

Alexander Zverev: Only Federer and Nadal have outperformed the 21-year-old this year.

Dominic Thiem: The Austrian reached his first major final on his favoured surface at Roland Garros.

Seeded Serena is back

Williams missed last year’s tournament as she was pregnant with her first child. She returns amid controversy about whether she should have been seeded.

The 36-year-old American has been given the 25th seed, a decision world number 32 Dominika Cibulkova – who has made way – described as unfair.

Williams, who has not lost a singles match at Wimbledon since 2014, has only played four events since returning after giving birth to daughter Alexis in September.

“You can never underestimate a champion like her,” said Muguruza.

Konta hoping to replicate memorable run

British number one Konta reached the semi-finals at the All England Club last year.

That helped the 27-year-old climb to a career-high fourth in the rankings, but she has since fallen to 22nd.

“I’m really excited to be back,” she said.

A record six British women have been given wildcards – Katie Boulter, Naomi Broady, Harriet Dart, Katy Dunne, Katie Swan and Gabriella Taylor.

Who are the favourites?

Simona Halep: The world number one won her first Grand Slam at the French Open.

Petra Kvitova: The Czech has won Wimbledon twice, and has secured five titles this year – more than anyone else.

Garbine Muguruza: The Spaniard has reached either the French Open or Wimbledon final in each of the past three years but her grass-court season began with defeat by Barbora Strycova at Birmingham.

Caroline Wozniacki: The world number two won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open and warmed up for Wimbledon by winning Eastbourne on Saturday.

Order of play – Monday, 2 July

Federer’s match against Lajovic is followed on Centre Court by second seed Wozniacki’s meeting with American Varvara Lepchenko.

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov is then scheduled to play Wawrinka.

US Open champion Sloane Stephens – seeded fourth – opens proceedings on Court One against Croat Donna Vekic.

British wildcard Broady is the second match on the show court, against 13th seed Milos Raonic of Canada.

Serena Williams is then due on Court One against world number 107 Arantxa Rus.

Elsewhere, Dart takes on seventh seed Karolina Pliskova on court 12 at 11:30, while Swan is third on court 14 against Romanian world number 36 Irina-Camelia Begu.

Norrie’s match against Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene will be allocated a court on Monday, with the match not scheduled to start before 17:00.

What is the weather forecast?

How can I follow the Championships?

Wimbledon returns to the BBC with comprehensive coverage across TV, radio, online and the mobile app.

Viewers can watch the best of the action on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Red Button.

There are also up to 18 available courts to choose from through Connected TVs, BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app.

BBC Radio 5 live and sports extra will also be at the heart of the action, with live commentary and expert analysis every day.

Today at Wimbledon on BBC Two each night takes an in-depth look at the day’s best matches and biggest talking points.

Stay up to date with all the latest SW19 news and go behind the scenes via BBC Sport’s social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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