Tennis News

Kyrgios: 'I Could Have Done Some Damage, It's Heart-breaking'

Nick Kyrgios couldn’t hide his disappointment on Saturday after a third-round exit at The Championships, but the Australian insists he will look to play in more tournaments moving forwards.

“I definitely feel more comfortable getting out there,” said Kyrgios, after he retired due to an abdominal strain at the end of the second set against Felix Auger-Aliassime. “When they embrace you, they embrace your personality, they embrace the way you go about it. Of course, I want to go out there and play.

“When I do play, [fans] definitely tune in. All my matches are packed out. I think that’s the cool thing about it. They’re like, ‘Kyrgios will be playing’ [and] ‘Now he’s playing’. There’s full hype around it.

“I really enjoyed the crowd this week. It felt like I was playing back home in Australia. It was even better. So it was cool.”

The 26-year-old, who has already undergone an MRI scan, will remain in London for a couple more days before heading to The Bahamas for rehabilitation and training.

“[At] 4-1, 15/15, then 4-1, 30/15, on my service game I felt my ab, my lower left abdominal strain,” said Kyrgios, who underwent a medical time-out on Saturday when he led 5-2 in the first set. “It was just getting worse and worse… I did an MRI. I’ve done all the right things. I’ve iced it.

“I sacrificed a lot to be here, to try and play. [I] put myself in a position to do damage. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t think I was going to be able to play a good level. I actually played better than I thought I was going to play.

“It’s uncomfortable. If I breathe deeply, I can feel it. Obviously if I get in some certain stretches, I can feel it. So I’m not happy with my injury at the moment.”

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Nick Kyrgios, who also reached the Australian Open third round (l. to Thiem) in February, beat French 21st seed Ugo Humbert and Gianluca Mager of Italy at the All England Club this week.

“It’s funny because I woke up today feeling phenomenal,” said Kyrgios. “My hips felt good, my body felt good. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m back, I’m feeling good’. The luck just didn’t go my way.

“I felt today [that] I was playing unbelievable. I came out of the blocks. I was returning lights out. I was actually finding my stride. I’ve never felt more comfortable on the grass honestly. I felt like he was really struggling with the way I was playing. I was making a lot of returns. I was hot. I broke him I think three times in the first set.

“If I got past Felix today, which I looked like in the first set [winning it 6-1], I was playing lights out. I [was] confident going in against [Alexander] Zverev [in the fourth round]. Just so many things that needed to fall into place. I’m just disappointed.”

Kyrgios was partnering American Venus William in the mixed doubles, but barring a miracle will have to pull out of the competition.

”It’s heart-breaking, honestly,” said Kyrgios. “I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. I just got goose bumps thinking the fact I might have to tell Venus Williams I can’t play mixed doubles because of injuries. It’s brutal for me.”

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Zverev Continues Wimbledon Quest With Hard-Fought Win

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev fought past Taylor Fritz 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4) on Saturday to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, equalling his best performance at The Championships.

The German rallied after losing the first set, as he fired 19 aces and hit 45 winners to advance in two hours and 37 minutes. Zverev is bidding to win his first Grand Slam title at SW19 after reaching the semi-finals at Roland Garros (l. to Tsitsipas) in June and the US Open final (l. to Thiem) last year.

The 24-year-old, who also reached the fourth round at the All England Club in 2017, will next face 16th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime after Nick Kyrgios retired during their clash.

After Fritz fended off two break points in his opening service game, he grew into the match. The 23-year-old struck the ball cleanly from the baseline, hitting 13 winners to force a tie-break which he claimed when Zverev pushed a forehand wide.

Zverev battled back in the second set, winning 94 per cent (15/16) of his first-service points as he moved 3-1 ahead. The German was temporally pegged back but continued to close the net effectively, showing good touch to level. Zverev did not lose a single point (18/18) behind his first serve or face a break point in the third set as he moved ahead on No. 2 Court.

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In the fifth game of the fourth set, Zverev applied yet more pressure on Fritz’s serve, stepping up the court to attack his backhand. However, the World No. 40 held as he hit a superb forehand from well behind the baseline to deny Zverev on break point. The set then moved into a tie-break, which the German claimed when Fritz hit a forehand return long.

Fritz, who underwent knee surgery three weeks ago, matched his best display at a Grand Slam this week at SW19. The American has enjoyed runs to the semi-final at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open Doha (l. to Basilashvili) and the Sardegna Open in Cagliari (l. to Sonego) this year.

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Felix Books Place In Wimbledon Last 16

Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time after Nick Kyrgios was forced to retire after the second set of their match on No. 1 Court. The score was level at 2-6, 6-1.

Auger-Aliassime, who reached his eighth tour-level singles final at Stuttgart (l. to Cilic) and the semifinals at Halle (l. to Humbert) before arriving at SW19, has been one of the in-form players throughout the grass-court swing. He improves to 23-13 on the season.

“I’m sorry for Nick, he was playing so well in the first set,” Auger-Aliassime said in an on-court interview. “It’s really unfortunate, in front of a packed crowd. We both love playing here and there were some big expectations for this match. We were hoping to put on a good show and entertain the crowd, so it’s unfortunate that he had to retire. I hope it’s nothing too serious and that we’ll see him back during the US swing.”

The 20-year-old Canadian joined countryman Denis Shapovalov in the round of 16 here, marking the first time that multiple Canadian men have reached this stage at Wimbledon in the Open Era.

It was a bittersweet result for 16th seed Auger-Aliassime, who dropped the opening set to an on-song Kyrgios, currently No. 60 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Auger-Aliassime was broken three times in the first set as big-hitting Kyrgios mixed up the rhythm from the baseline.

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But one weapon that was missing from Kyrgios’ arsenal was his signature big serve as the Aussie seemed to struggle towards the end of the first set, requiring a medical time out. Kyrgios carried on in the second set, but won only 42 per cent (5/12) of points behind his first delivery. Auger-Aliassime pounced on the letdown, breaking twice and reeling off the last five games to take the second set. 

Kyrgios was unable to continue, retiring from the match citing an abdominal injury and sending Auger-Aliassime into the fourth round for the first time.

 

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“I haven’t played this level of tennis in a long time, and obviously playing someone as good as Felix I would want my main weapon, my serve, to be firing,” Kyrgios said in his own on-court interview. “I just felt my ab, I definitely did something to it at the end of the first set. But that’s the way it goes… He’s a hell of a player and he’s going to do great things in this sport.”

Auger-Aliassime will next face the winner of 31st seed Taylor Fritz and fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the fourth round.

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Wimbledon 2021: Emma Raducanu, 18, defeats Sorana Cirstea in straight sets to reach fourth round

Emma Raducanu’s dream debut run at Wimbledon continues into the fourth round with victory over Romania’s world number 45 Sorana Cirstea.

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Play Resumes At Wimbledon After Rain Delay

Play on the outside courts at Wimbledon has resumed on Saturday at 1:10 p.m local time after an interruption of one hour and 41 minutes due to rain.

Third round singles matches began as scheduled at 11:00 a.m. local time on No. 2 Court and the outside courts before being suspended at 11:30 a.m. local time. Seventh-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini is in action against Alijaz Bedene on Court No. 3, while 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz takes on Alexander Bublik on Court 12.

The Viking International Eastbourne finalist Lorenzo Sonego was 4-2 ahead against James Duckworth on Court 17 when rain halted play. Later today, Alexander Zverev will face American Taylor Fritz on No. 2 Court following the conclusion of a WTA match.

Play will commence on Centre Court at 1:30 p.m. local time and began at 1:00 p.m. on No. 1 Court. Eight-time champion Roger Federer and second seed Daniil Medvedev are among those in action.

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Murray: 'I Feel Like I Can Do Better'

Andy Murray was disappointed after winning just eight games against 10th seed Denis Shapovalov on Friday evening in the third round at Wimbledon. The former World No. 1 has battled so hard to find good form after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, but he is still far from the level that took him to two titles on Centre Court.

“There is a part of me that feels a bit like I have put in so much work the past three months and ultimately didn’t play how I would want and expect. It’s like, ‘Is it worth it?’” Murray wondered. “Is all of that training and everything that you’re doing in the gym — unless you’re able to practise and improve your game and get matches and continue, get a run of tournaments — is it worth all of the work that you’re doing?”

It was a despondent moment after a difficult loss against one of the most dynamic young players on the ATP Tour. It is tough for the 34-year-old to accept his current level, knowing what it feels like to be in full flight, especially on Centre Court, where he has created moments of magic that will be discussed for generations. He knows the buttons to push, but at the moment the remote is not responding.

However, there were a lot of positives for the Scot this week at the All England Club, where he won two tough matches in his first singles appearance since 2017. Murray made clear after his first-round win against Nikoloz Basilashvili that he is still pushing forward.

“I keep getting asked is this going to be my last Wimbledon, last match. I don’t know why I keep getting asked about it,” Murray said. “No, I’m going to keep playing. I want to play… I can still play at the highest level. He’s ranked 28th in the world and I haven’t hardly played any matches and I beat him.”

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Murray admitted that one of his big issues was a lack of consistency caused by a shortage of matches. This was just his fifth singles tournament of the season, and he did not win more than one match at any of the three previous tour-level events he played.

“I feel like I can do better tennis-wise. I feel like I can play better and close matches out better,” Murray said. “But to do that, I need time on the match court and I need more time on the practice court, and I’ve had neither in the past few months.”

There were plenty of bright spots. Most notably, Murray’s trademark fighting spirit was in full effect. Despite letting slip a 5-0 lead in the third set against Basilashvili, he fought back. The same was true when he fell two-sets-to-one down against Oscar Otte in the second round.

“This week has been really good in some ways, but it’s been frustrating too. I played two long matches, and it’s really significantly more than anything I have done in the past six months,” Murray said. “So if my game is not quite spot-on physically, I’m not perfect, or physically really fresh, it’s going to be hard for me. It’s extremely frustrating, because I feel like I put a lot of work into getting to this point, and then obviously to lose like that is tough.

“Being as good as he is. I don’t want to take anything away from his performance. He played really, really well. But if I’m going to put that much effort in, I want to be performing better than what I did here, even though there were some great moments.”

Importantly, Murray has come through three best-of-five-set matches healthy. For the past few years, that has been the three-time major winner’s biggest nemesis. The former World No. 1 believes that while his movement might not be as good as it once was, he is still capable of high-level tennis.

“I need matches and I need a run of them and time on the practice court if I want to improve my game, which clearly I need to. I’m not suggesting my game is in the best place,” Murray said. “I’m going to have to spend a lot of time on the practice court working on stuff.”

The Centre Court crowd tried to urge the two-time Wimbledon champion back into the match against Shapovalov. Murray greatly enjoyed the support and said he has missed it. But he still departs disappointed.

“I’m not expecting and saying I would beat Denis Shapovalov. He’s a brilliant player,” Murray admitted. “But I feel like I can do a lot better than what I did this evening.”

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Preview: Bring The Popcorn For Kyrgios, Felix Clash

Bring the popcorn, and No. 1 Court will bring the fireworks.

Big hitting Aussie Nick Kyrgios will take on 16th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in a mouth-watering third-round battle, before second seed Daniil Medvedev hits the court against former finalist Marin Cilic in back-to-back matches on Saturday at Wimbledon. Eight-time champion Roger Federer will also be in action on Day 6 as he takes on 29th seed Cameron Norrie on Centre Court. 

Kyrgios is contesting his first tour-level event since the Australian Open in February, but you would not be able to tell by the way he’s been playing this week at Wimbledon. The big-hitting Aussie has played his way into form with three victories – two in singles and one in mixed doubles with former WTA No. 1 Venus Williams – but perhaps most importantly, he seems to be having the time of his life on court in the process. 

“I’ve got every reason and every right to be happy,” Kyrgios said after his mixed doubles win. “I’ve worked hard the past couple of weeks, and it wasn’t easy for me to get back on the court the past couple months. I don’t have a coach, I don’t really have a trainer. I had to push myself to go out there. I had to find motivation myself. I’m just enjoying it.”

He will face a big test in the third round as he takes on 16th seed Auger-Aliassime, who is seeking a place in the fourth round at SW19 for the first time. The 20-year-old Canadian has been red-hot through the grass-court swing, with a final in Stuttgart (l. to Cilic) and semi-final in Halle under his belt. 

The pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting took place on the lawns of The Queen’s Club in 2019, and it went down to the wire with Auger-Aliassime prevailing 7-5 in the third set after two tie-breaks. With both players hitting their stride at the same time this week, fans will hope for more of the same on No. 1 Court.  

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After Auger-Aliassime and Kyrgios, second seed Medvedev will hit the court as he bids to reach the second week at Wimbledon for the first time. He has stated his case emphatically after only dropping one set against Jan-Lennard Struff and sweeping past Carlos Alcaraz having won 95 per cent of points behind his first serve. 

Medvedev will hope to keep those figures going as he faces big-serving Cilic, who lifted his 19th tour-level trophy in Stuttgart (d. Auger-Aliassime). The Russian will be high on confidence too, after claiming his first grass-court title in Mallorca last week.

“Marin is a great champion, definitely. It’s not an easy draw. He was in the final here in Wimbledon and he almost beat Roger, [it] was close. Tough draw, tough opponent. Huge respect to him,” Medvedev said.

Medvedev’s countrymen Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev have already booked their spots in the fourth round. If he joins them, it will mark the second time this year that three Russian men have reached the fourth round at a major. Before Medvedev, Rublev and Aslan Karatsev’s run at the Australian Open, it had only ever happened once in the Open Era: at the 2007 Australian Open (Igor Andreev, Nikolay Davydenko and Mikhail Youzhny). 

 

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Before the tournament began, sixth seed Federer told press that his biggest goal was to reach at least the second week at Wimbledon. Now, only Great Britain’s Norrie stands between him and the fourth round. Well, Norrie and most of the fans on Centre Court, that is.

“I never really walk out and expect everybody to be for me, to be honest. I’m a little bit the same. Sometimes I like the underdog,” Federer said with his usual equanimity. “You want to see a close match, too. When you see another guy hit great shots, I hope they applaud the guy. You want the atmosphere to be there.

“Not everybody in particular has to be for me. At the end of the day, you have to focus on your game. If the crowd gets into it, it’s good, even if it’s maybe for him. Let’s see what happens.”

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Federer has looked better and better with every set played at the All England Club this fortnight. He survived an early scare in the first round, and he found another gear to cruise past Richard Gasquet in straight sets in the second. Norrie, who arrived at the All England Club at a career-high No. 34 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, will be battle-tested and hungry after reaching three ATP Tour finals this year at Estoril, Lyon and Queen’s Club.

Elsewhere at the All England Club, fourth seed Alexander Zverev will take on 31st seed Taylor Fritz on No. 2 Court. The American had surgery less than a month ago after a knee injury at Roland Garros. But he has shown he is back to full match fitness after battling wins over Brandon Nakashima and Steve Johnson, the latter of which went to five sets.

Click Here For the Full Day 6 Order Of Play.

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Wimbledon 2021: Andy Murray on losing to Denis Shapovalov

Andy Murray says he needs to weigh up “if all the hard work is worth it” after an encouraging run at Wimbledon is ended by Canada’s Denis Shapovalov.

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Wimbledon 2021: Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares win doubles opener

Britain’s Jamie Murray and Brazilian partner Bruno Soares are into the second round of the men’s doubles at Wimbledon.

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Wimbledon 2021: Britain's Andy Murray loses in straight sets to Canada's Denis Shapovalov

Watch highlights as Andy Murray’s run at Wimbledon comes to end with a third-round 6-4 6-2 6-2 defeat by Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

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