Wimbledon 2021: Ashleigh Barty beats Karolina Pliskova to win title
World number one Ashleigh Barty wins her maiden Wimbledon title as she beats Karolina Pliskova in a nervy final.
World number one Ashleigh Barty wins her maiden Wimbledon title as she beats Karolina Pliskova in a nervy final.
World number one Ashleigh Barty wins her maiden Wimbledon title as she beats Karolina Pliskova in a nervy final.
Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty says it was a “miracle” she was at the event and that her team kept from her the chances of her recovering from injury in time.
Watch the best bits from day 12 of Wimbledon including Ashleigh Barty winning the women’s title in front of Tom Cruise, and Alfie Hewett & Gordon Reid taking victory in the men’s wheelchair doubles title.
British pair Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid win a fourth Wimbledon men’s wheelchair doubles title, beating the Netherlands’ Tom Egberink and Belgium’s Joachim Gerard 7-5 6-2.
Ashleigh Barty wins her maiden Wimbledon title beating Karolina Pliskova to become the first Australian women’s champion for 41 years.
Watch the moment Australia’s Ashleigh Barty wins Wimbledon after beating the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova in three sets.
The ATP Tour returns to clay this week with Stefanos Tsitsipas leading the field at the Hamburg European Open, an ATP 500 event. The Greek reached the final in Germany last year, and will be joined by ATP stars Pablo Carreno Busta and Jan-Lennard Struff.
There are also two ATP 250 tournaments taking place, with one on clay at the Nordea Open in Bastad, and the other on grass at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport. Casper Ruud and Lorenzo Musetti will be in action in Bastad, while Alexander Bublik will be joined by a plethora of Americans in Newport at the last grass-court tour-level event of the season.
ATPTour.com looks at what you should watch at these three events.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HAMBURG
1) Tsitsipas Leads The Way: The top seed in Hamburg is World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is pursuing his third clay-court ATP Tour title of the season in Germany. The Roland Garros finalist reached the championship match (l. to Rublev) in Hamburg last year and will look to bounce back after his first-round defeat to Frances Tiafoe at Wimbledon. Tsitsipas will also feature in the doubles with his brother Petros Tsitsipas.
Boom ???
World no. 4 and #Hamburg crowd favourite @steftsitsipas ?? accepted a WC for the 2021 ??????? ???????? ???? 〽️ ?@atptour | #hamburgopen pic.twitter.com/bnzexRnXh0— Hamburg European Open 〽️ (@hamburgopen) July 3, 2021
2) Super Carreno Busta: Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta is enjoying one of his best-ever clay-court seasons, having won the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open title (d. Munar) in Marbella and reaching the semi-finals at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (l. to Nadal). The 29-year-old holds a 13-4 record on the surface this year and will be the second seed in Hamburg. Carreno Busta has had success at the ATP 500 event before, reaching the semi-finals in 2019.
3) Ramos-Vinolas Success: Albert Ramos-Vinolas won his third ATP Tour title on clay at the Millennium Estoril Open (d. Norrie) in May. The 33-year-old has slightly struggled since and will be aiming to snap a seven-match losing streak against either Federico Delbonis or a qualifier in the first round.
4) Home-Favourite Struff: Jan-Lennard Struff will lead the German charge on home soil. The World No. 45 equalled his best Grand Slam performance last month as he reached the fourth round at Roland Garros. He will begin against Laslo Djere and is joined in the draw by three other countrymen, including Philipp Kohlschreiber.
5) Basilashvili Goes For Third Title: Nikoloz Basilashvili has loved his time in Hamburg in recent years, having lifted the title in 2018 and 2019. The Georgian, who lost a four-set thriller to Andy Murray at Wimbledon in June, will begin his quest for a third title against either Corentin Moutet or Aljaz Bedene.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BASTAD
1) Ruud Top Seed: Norway’s Casper Ruud will lead the field at the Nordea Open as the top seed. The 22-year-old is currently at a career-high No. 14 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, having won the Gonet Geneva Open (d. Shapovalov) in May. He will face either Radu Albot or talented #NextGenATP Dane Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune in his first match.
2) Clay-Court Specialist Garin In Action: Cristian Garin had never won a match on the lawns of Wimbledon before his run to the fourth round this year. The Chilean will look to build on this in Bastad at the ATP 250 tournament on a surface he is far more acquainted with. Garin has won all five of his ATP Tour titles, including the Chile Dove Men+Care Open (d. Bagnis) in March, on clay in Santiago.
3) Former Champions: With Fabio Fognini and Pablo Cuevas both competing in Sweden this week, there are two former champions in the draw. Italy’s Fognini defeated Richard Gasquet in 2018 with Cuevas overcoming Joao Sousa in 2014. The former begins against either Facundo Bagnis or Roberto Carballes Baena with the latter facing Norbert Gombos.
4) Rising Musetti: #NextGenATP star Lorenzo Musetti has gone from strength to strength in the last year. He has risen from outside the Top 250 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, currently at No. 63. Having reached the semi-finals at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon (l. to Tsitsipas), the 19-year-old is in fourth position in the ATP Race To Milan. He will look to claim a maiden tour-level title in Scandinavia.
5) Swedish Stars: The last Swedish man to claim the title on home soil was former World No. 4 Robin Soderling in 2011. Brothers Mikael Ymer and Elias Ymer have both been handed wild cards and will carry the hopes of the home supporters. The former is currently the World No. 98 and starts against eighth seed Emil Ruusuvuori.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN NEWPORT
1) Return Of Bublik: The former finalist, Alexander Bublik, returns to Newport seeking to go one step further and win his first ATP Tour title. The Kazakhstani lost to four-time champion John Isner in 2019. Bublik is the top seed at the last grass-court tour-level tournament of the season.
The gang’s all here for #ATPNewport ?? @atptour
The Hall of Fame Open kicks off tomorrow with the qualifying rounds ? It’s not too late to snatch up tickets for the week!
? https://t.co/mwJlkqVZ1i pic.twitter.com/7hVBRAQxe4
— Tennis Hall of Fame (@TennisHalloFame) July 10, 2021
2) American Hopes: Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson are part of a contingent of seven Americans that will be competing on home soil at the Hall of Fame Open. Johnson, currently No. 72 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, has had success in Newport before, winning the title against Ramkumar Ramanathan in 2018.
3) Big Servers Take Wild Cards: Big servers Ivo Karlovic and Kevin Anderson have taken wild cards into the ATP 250 event. Croatia’s Karlovic lifted the trophy in 2016 but has played just three tour-level tournaments this year. Anderson, whose best result this season was a run to the quarter-finals at the Millennium Estoril Open, is competing in Newport for the first time since 2008.
4) Nishioka’s Debut: It will be the first appearance for Japanese star Yoshihito Nishioka in Newport. The 25-year-old is the second seed and will be aiming to bounce back after his second-round defeat to Aljaz Bedene at Wimbledon.
5) Sock Is Back: Jack Sock will compete at a tour-level event for the first time this year after also being handed a wild card. The World No. 229 last played a tour-level match at Roland Garros in September, when he came through qualifying to reach the second round. Sock has twice reached the semi-finals (2014, 2015) in Newport.
With history on the line, a mouthwatering clash awaits in the final match at The Championships, Wimbledon, as World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will take on seventh seed Matteo Berrettini for the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy on Sunday.
The battle between 19-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic – who is going for his third consecutive major title of the year and contesting his 30th final – and Berrettini, a first-time Grand Slam finalist, is being billed as a ‘David vs Goliath’ type clash on Centre Court.
Most Grand Slam Finals (all-time)
| Player | Slam Finals |
| 1. Roger Federer | 31 |
| 2. Novak Djokovic | 30 |
| 3. Rafael Nadal | 28 |
| 4. Ivan Lendl | 19 |
| 5. Pete Sampras | 18 |
But in our tale, David actually towers over Goliath at 6’5”, and Berrettini’s weapons – a booming serve and powerful forehand – can do quite a bit of damage on grass courts. The seventh-seeded Italian is riding an 11-match winning streak after lifting the cinch Championships trophy, his first ATP 500 triumph, in the build-up to Wimbledon.
[TENNIS POINT]“I’m just so, so happy for everything,” Berrettini said after his semi-final win. “My year started in a good way, with the finals in the ATP Cup. Then I got injured again. I kind of saw those ghosts again, of my body kind of struggling.
“Again, I came back stronger. I think I fully deserve to be here. I want to enjoy it like I did today. I want to enjoy my first final… I just appreciate what’s happening.”
After an injury-affected 2021 season, Berrettini is back at his best at the All England Club, where he is searching for his sixth tour-level trophy and his first at the Grand Slam level. He previously featured in the 2019 US Open semi-finals (l. to Nadal), but he is in uncharted territory after recording victories over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz to reach the championship match.
A victory on Sunday would make Berrettini the first Italian man to lift a Grand Slam trophy since Adriano Panatta’s 1976 triumph at Roland Garros, and the first to do so at Wimbledon.
Italian Men In Grand Slam Finals (all-time)
| Player | Finals Reached |
| Nicola Pietrangeli | (4) 1959-61, 1964 Roland Garros |
| Matteo Berrettini | (1) 2021 Wimbledon |
| Adriano Panatta | (1) 1976 Roland Garros |
| Giorgio de Stefani | (1) 1934 Roland Garros |
But he’ll have to find a way past heavyweight Djokovic, the top seed, whom he trails 0-2 in their ATP Head2Head. Berrettini has never defeated a Top 10 player in a completed Grand Slam match; in Paris, he received a walkover from World No. 8 Roger Federer into the quarter-finals, where he met Djokovic.
Berrettini, still finding his feet after an abdominal injury kept him off the courts at the start of the season, managed to take one set from the eventual champion. The Italian got his big game going too late in a dramatic 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 defeat on Court Philippe-Chatrier – he’ll be aiming for a faster start on Centre Court.
Novak Djokovic (right) defeated Matteo Berrettini in four sets in their most recent meeting at Roland Garros. Photo Credit: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/Getty Images
Berrettini and his powerful serve will face a major challenge against Djokovic, one of the best returners in the game. The pace and precision of the World No. 1’s backhand will also provide a perfect counterbalance to the seventh seed’s heavy forehand when they settle into baseline battles.
“He’s one of the best players in the world in the last 12 months, I think,” Djokovic assessed. “With big weapons in [the] serve and forehand, he can play well on any surface. Obviously, grass favours him even more, favours his game.
“If he serves big, as he did throughout the entire tournament, it’s tough to break his serve. It’s tough to go into the rhythm, to find a good positioning to return, make him play. But I believe in my return. I think [the] return has served me very well throughout my career.”
Djokovic has looked more and more untouchable at SW19 since the tournament began as he looks to add another Grand Slam crown to his ever-growing haul. The World No. 1 has won 17 matches in a row in 2021, a streak that dates back to his Belgrade trophy and includes a historic Roland Garros triumph, where he became the first man in the Open Era to win all major titles twice.
On grass, it’s an even longer streak of success for Djokovic. His last defeat on the surface came at the hands of Marin Cilic in the 2018 Queen’s Club final – since then, he’s won 20 matches in a row, including back-to-back Wimbledon titles. He has only dropped one set this fortnight, against wild card Jack Draper in the first round, and aced big tests against former finalist Kevin Anderson and lefty Denis Shapovalov on the way to the final.
A third consecutive triumph, his sixth overall at Wimbledon, would bring him to 20 Grand Slams – tying the all-time record shared by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“It would mean everything. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m playing,” Djokovic said after his semi-final victory. “I imagined myself being in a position to fight for another Grand Slam trophy prior to coming to London. I put myself in a very good position. Anything is possible in the finals. Obviously, experience is on my side.”
Perhaps in a sign of the times, it will be Djokovic’s third consecutive Grand Slam where he has not met another member of the Big Three – Federer or Nadal – in the championship match. In fact, since the start of 2019 all but three Grand Slams have featured finals with one 25-and-under player: Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and now Berrettini.
“I think that experience definitely favors me every single time,” Djokovic reflected. “Next time I get to work on the court, [I do so] knowing that I’ve been through everything that I could possibly go through as a tennis player. I know my strengths. I know what I’m capable of. I rely on that.”
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After a fortnight of chasing triumph and dodging disaster at the All England Club, Djokovic stands one match away from a monumental achievement. Can he continue fending off newer and younger challengers, or will Berrettini be the one to find a way to topple the ‘giant’ and seize the moment for himself?
Italian star Matteo Berrettini has broken new ground at Wimbledon this year. The 25-year-old overcame 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz to reach his first Grand Slam final on Friday.
If Berrettini can upset five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Centre Court, he will complete one of his dream goals, and there will be one man in particular, coach Vincenzo Santopadre, who will be bursting with pride.
Santopadre has worked alongside Berrettini as his coach for 11 years, helping the World No. 9 win five tour-level titles and develop into the player he has become today. It is a deep-rooted relationship, built on respect and admiration, with the Italian duo like family.
Ahead of Sunday’s final, ATPTour.com caught up with Santopadre about his work with Berrettini and the key behind their success.
How special has it been for you to watch Matteo reach his first Grand Slam final?
It is a dream, it is unreal, it is a lot to process. But I told him after, that I think if he can play like this, he can win Wimbledon. It is a dream that can come true. The unbelievable thing, which I told him after the match when we met, it was a real surprise.
You have been working with Matteo for more than a decade, so how much more emotional does that make this achievement for you?
It is unbelievable. We grew up together. Everyone in the team – me, the physio, the trainer, the mental coach – we have been working with Matteo for 11 years. It is a long time, it is special. I still had hair when I started working with him and I don’t know if it is the passing of the years as to why I have lost my hair or because of watching him play every match! I was so young, and he was a child, and now, I am not yet an old man, but he grew, and is a man. It is something really special because we have spent a lot of time together, so many years.
This is a very big moment for him, so how difficult will it be for him to block that pressure out and get him to treat this like any other match?
On Friday after his victory, I asked him, and I spoke to the mental coach. The mental coach said he was tight and felt the pressure. But we really think this is normal. A player has to feel the pressure, of course. It is not easy to turn it around to make it a positive vibe, and positive adrenaline, but he is able to do this. He is able to feel the pressure and with the passing of the points, he is always able to get into the match and it is something that is unbelievable. The match he played on Friday, he showed great power, dominating the court.
Ajla [Tomljanovic] told us that Matteo’s game is great, but that his mentality is even better. How much has he improved that over the years?
The key to his career is that he is always trying to improve. He is working to be better day by day. He is not missing any shots in training and has improved much more than everybody expected, me and him too. No one could say two or three years ago that he was going to become such a champion.
For me, you are a champion when you are able to work to be better and able to work like he does. He knows everything. He is aware he gave a big part of his life to be better, and it is not only about natural talent but work [ethic] too. He is a champion. I want to be humble, but the message is that Matteo can be a role model.
From all the years you have spent together, what is the best decision you have made with Matteo’s game?
We were able to build a complete player. In my opinion, a lot of coaches try to specialise players too soon when they are young. Instead, when Matteo was young, aged 14, 15, 16 years-old, we wanted to build a player who could play on every surface. We wanted him to be able to play attacking and defensive tennis, have every shot, such as a backhand slice. I think he is a complete player.
