Google Play App Download

Tennis News

From around the world

Williams and Kerber feature in women's semi-finals

  • Posted: Jul 11, 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 Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra commentary; Text commentary online.

Shocks decimated the women’s draw early on but there is no real surprise that three of the players in Thursday’s semi-finals are Grand Slam champions.

And even less so that eight-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams is one of them, even if it is just 10 months since she gave birth.

The American takes on Germany’s Julia Gorges, with 2016 Australian and US Open champion Angelique Kerber facing 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the other battle for a place in Saturday’s final.

While there has been a sense of inevitability about Williams’ march through the rounds, dropping just one set on her way and yet to face a top-50 player, Gorges says it is “unreal” for her to be into her first Grand Slam semi-final.

The world number 13 even apologised to her quarter-final opponent and friend Kiki Bertens for beating her but will have to be a bit more hard-nosed about things if she is to stop Williams reaching a 10th Wimbledon final.

Expect short rallies in a contest between the two leading servers of the championships so far, with Gorges having delivered 44 aces to Williams’ 39.

Gorges, 29, says it is an “honour” to share the court with Williams and that it is a reward for her decision three years ago to “start from zero” by changing her coach and physio and moving from the north to the south of Germany.

With Kerber still here too, it marks the first time in the Open era – since tennis went professional in 1968 – that there have been two Germans in the women’s semi-finals.

Inspired to play tennis?

Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.

Left-hander Kerber, runner-up to Williams at the All England Club in 2016, has been involved in six of the top 20 longest rallies here this year and says she has been trying to be more aggressive than her usually defensive style.

The 11th seed has never faced Ostapenko, who says she is playing with freedom after the disappointment of her French Open title defence ending with a first-round exit in May.

The 21-year-old Latvian revealed she has a novel way of improving her balance and composure on the tennis court – ballroom dancing.

“I think it helps a lot because you have to be very coordinated to do it, and also those small steps, which are very useful in tennis,” she said,

But who will be dancing into the final?

  • Live scores, schedule and results
  • BBC TV, radio and online coverage
  • Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone

Source link

'It's just unfair' – Watson penalised for swearing in doubles defeat

  • Posted: Jul 11, 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 Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra commentary; Text commentary online.

Heather Watson was docked a point for swearing as she and Tatjana Maria lost 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 to Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova in the women’s doubles last eight.

The 26-year-old British number two branded a line judge “pathetic” for reporting her to the umpire.

It followed an earlier warning for hitting the ball off the court.

But Jamie Murray stayed on course to defend his mixed doubles title with new partner Victoria Azarenka.

Scotsman Murray and former singles world number one Azarenka moved into the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 win over Matwe Middelkoop and Johanna Larsson.

Murray lost in five sets in the men’s doubles quarter-finals with Bruno Soares on Tuesday but he and Belarusian Azarenka overcame the 12th seeds in an hour and 20 minutes.

Watson, who lost in the mixed doubles on Tuesday, said after her defeat against the third seeds: “I asked everybody behind me out loud, ‘What did you hear me say?’ And everybody said ‘stupid’.

“I just think it’s really pathetic. It’s like there is no point in it. You have got people in all different languages swearing constantly all the time.

“I just said ‘stupid’, nobody heard anything else and I just think it is really bad.

“I think it is a poor choice from him. It’s just unfair. In that situation you’re not telling people off when they are swearing in Czech or Spanish or whatever.

“It’s literally like a snitch running to the front of the class saying, ‘I heard her say this!’ I think it is so stupid. It is. I can’t even explain.”

  • Live scores, schedule and results
  • BBC TV, radio and online coverage
  • Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone

Source link

Rejuvenated Djokovic reaches first Wimbledon semi-final since 2015

  • Posted: Jul 11, 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 Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra commentary; Text commentary online.

Novak Djokovic became a serious Wimbledon title contender as he made his first semi-final since 2015 with a 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-2 win over Kei Nishikori.

It was performance of resilience and resolve from the former number one, reminiscent of the player who held all four Grand Slam titles two years ago.

After taking the first set, Djokovic’s Japanese opponent saved four break points before levelling.

The Serb took the next and fought from a break down in the fourth to win.

More to follow.

Source link

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers Wimbledon Return Points

  • Posted: Jul 11, 2018

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers Wimbledon Return Points

Jul112018

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analyses the return performances of Wimbledon’s last-eight line-up

You would think winning points returning serve on Wimbledon’s grass courts would be a tougher task on average than normal.

Not so for the eight men who booked their spots into the quarter-finals.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers comparison of the 2018 season leading into The Championships and the performance of the eight quarter-finalists through the first four rounds shows that overall return performance is improving at SW19 for the players that are still alive in the tournament.

Return Points Won vs. First Serve

Roger Federer and Milos Raonic have shown the biggest improvement with return points won at Wimbledon against first serves with an eight percentage point jump over their 2018 season average leading into The Championships.

Wimbledon Quarter Finalists: Return Points Won vs. First Serve

Player 2018 Season To Wimbledon 2018 Wimbledon Percentage Point +/-
Roger Federer 31% 39% 8
Milos Raonic 26% 34% 8
John Isner 25% 28% 3
Kevin Anderson 28% 30% 2
Novak Djokovic 36% 38% 2
Rafael Nadal 39% 40% 1
Juan Martin del Potro 29% 27% -2
Kei Nishikori 31% 27% -4
– 30.6% 32.9% 2.3

Six of the eight players all improved in this category, with only Juan Martin del Potro (-2 percentage points) and Kei Nishikori (-4 percentage points) faring worse against their 2018 season average.

Rafael Nadal only improved one percentage point, which seems like a nominal gain for one of the best returners in our sport. But when you compare his metrics against the field, you see that he is actually leading the tournament with return points won against first serves at 40 per cent (84/209).

The majority of play in 2018 for these eight players has been on hard courts and clay courts, where conventional wisdom says it should be easier to win more return points than on grass. Two possible explanations are that Wimbledon’s pristine grass courts are not as hard to return on as we think, and/or these eight players have currently uncovered an improved vein of good form returning this year.

Return Points Won vs. Second Serve

Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro have shown the biggest improvement with return points won against second serves at Wimbledon, with Djokovic improving a substantial nine percentage points the past week and a half against his 2018 average.

Wimbledon Quarter Finalists: Return Points Won vs. Second Serve

Player 2018 Season To Wimbledon 2018 Wimbledon Percentage Point +/-
Novak Djokovic 53% 62% 9
Juan Martin del Potro 53% 59% 6
Roger Federer 50% 55% 5
John Isner 40% 45% 5
Kevin Anderson 45% 49% 4
Kei Nishikori 53% 53% 0
Milos Raonic 50% 46% -4
Rafael Nadal 60% 52% -8
– 50.5% 52.6% 2.1

Out sport may need a timely paradigm shift of just how successful players can really be winning points when returning serve at Wimbledon.

Source link

Mike Bryan Clinches No. 1 By Reaching Wimbledon SF With Sock

  • Posted: Jul 10, 2018

Mike Bryan Clinches No. 1 By Reaching Wimbledon SF With Sock

Jul102018

Mike Bryan, 40, to become the oldest No. 1

It hasn’t been the same for Mike Bryan at Wimbledon this fortnight. The American is playing without his twin brother Bob (hip injury) for the first time at the All England Club.

But with countryman Jack Sock, Mike has forged ahead, and he even secured himself some history on Tuesday. Bryan/Sock advanced to the semi-finals, beating Indian Divij Sharan and Artem Sitak of New Zealand 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4.

With the win, Mike Bryan guaranteed that he will return to No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Rankings on Monday, when the new rankings are released. He will become the oldest No. 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings and ATP Doubles Rankings. Mike will be 40 years, 78 days old on Monday.

Daniel Nestor previously held the record. He was 40 years, five days old when he was last No. 1 on 9 September 2012.

Mike Bryan isn’t finished at SW19 yet, either. The seventh seeds will next face Dominic Inglot of Great Britain/Franko Skugor of Croatia. Inglot/Skugor, the 15th seeds, beat Dutchman Robin Haase and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(1), 6-4.

Frederik Nielsen of Denmark and Brit Joe Salisbury stopped 14th seeds Ben McLachlan of Japan and German Jan-Lennard Struff from reaching their second Grand Slam semi-final of the season (Australian Open) 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). Nielsen/Salisbury will meet 13th seeds Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Michael Venus of New Zealand, who beat fifth seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-4.

Source link

Wimbledon No Longer 'House of Horrors' For Isner

  • Posted: Jul 10, 2018

Wimbledon No Longer ‘House of Horrors’ For Isner

Jul102018

Top American meets Raonic in QF

For years, John Isner’s results at Wimbledon read like stuck vinyl: first round, second round, second round, first round, second round, third round, third round, third round, second round. Ten years, and not one trip to the fourth round at the All England Club.

He had his high moments: Namely 2010, when he won that match against France’s Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth. But there have been far more disappointments than triumphs at SW19 for Isner.

The past three years, he lost in the fifth set. In 2015, he fell 12-10 to Marin Cilic; in 2016, he lost 19-17 to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga; and last year, Isner led Israel’s Dudi Sela two sets to one but lost 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3.

“This tournament, since that long match, has sort of been a house of horrors for me. I’ve lost a lot of close ones since that match in 2010, a lot of very, very close ones,” Isner said.

“There was certainly some doubt. When you have left this tournament the last nine, 10 years pretty disappointed with my result, gone home sort of hanging my head a little bit. But not the case this year.”

You May Also Like: Isner Hopes Daughter Will Have Better Backhand

The ninth seed has built upon what had been his best start to a season, which was highlighted in April with his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

Isner has continued his aggressive return strategy, and he’s also been quick to attack the net on the London grass. During his fourth-round match against Greece’s #NextGenATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas, Isner charged forward 33 times, winning almost 70 per cent of his tries (22/33).

“When I find myself in a good place on the court mentally, not getting frustrated when I miss a chance, things just generally turn out well for me. That was the case (on Monday),” Isner said.

Read More: SW19 QF Preview: Federer, Nadal Look To Keep Marching Onwards

His thundering serve, as always, has helped. The 6’10” right-hander hasn’t been broken yet, having erased all six break points he’s faced. He leads the Wimbledon field with 134 aces.

“I’ve always told myself, ‘Just keep doing what you do, keep giving myself more chances.’ I want to keep coming to this event feeling good, playing well. That was the case this year. I’ve made good on that,” Isner said.

He has more than a standing chance of advancing to his first Grand Slam semi-final as well. Isner leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Raonic 3-1.

“It’s going to come down to a few points here and there. It’s strength on strength, for sure. He serves exceptionally well. He does other things very well, too. He attacks well. He looks for his forehand a lot, which is effective on this surface,” Isner said. “If one of us gets a crack, a few chances, we’re going to have to take it.”

Source link

Missing Wimbledon the best decision I could have made – Murray

  • Posted: Jul 10, 2018

Andy Murray is not playing at Wimbledon this year as he continues his recovery from a hip injury, but he has been at the All England Club this week and will be co-commentating for BBC Sport on Wednesday.

In his regular BBC Sport column, the 31-year-old Scot talks about his fitness, his preparations for the American hard-court season, why he thinks Novak Djokovic can win Wimbledon, and not asking Tim Henman for commentary tips…

Not playing Wimbledon was the best decision I could have made – I have no regrets about it.

Last year I came in when the hip was bad, managed to get through to the quarter-finals but ended up missing a whole year because of it.

I didn’t want to go in this year, potentially play four or five matches, and do any damage.

Obviously I was very disappointed I wasn’t able to play, but I wasn’t going to win the tournament and I wasn’t well enough prepared.

It was a hard decision but a smart one.

The positive things were being able to spend some more time with the family while I’m here at home, and being able to practise on the hard courts.

As soon as I got on the hard courts I felt better. When you’re coming back on an unstable surface you worry about every step.

So I felt more comfortable and hopefully that will help my movement and free up the hip. The impact on a hard court is greater than on grass but it felt more positive.

My plan is to play in Washington, which starts on 30 July.

I’m going to be here in London for the next 10 days, practising on the hard courts, and then I’ve got a friend’s wedding.

I’ll be going to that and then heading over to the States, having a week’s training either in Washington or maybe Miami before getting back on the match court.

Feeling better than I did at Queen’s

I’ve been practising since last Monday, so when the tournament started it felt a bit odd because I was practising about 10 minutes away in Raynes Park.

I feel good and a lot better this week than I did at Queen’s a couple of weeks ago, so that’s positive. Hopefully it keeps going the same way.

I’ve not been playing more sets than I was in the run-up to Wimbledon, I’ve just been getting used to the hard courts again.

I practised with Thanasi Kokkinakis on Tuesday and I’m practising with Jeremy Chardy on Wednesday so I have got some good sessions lined up over the next few days.

Then hopefully I will start playing more sets towards the end of next week.

Conditions perfect for Rafa

I’ve been following the Championships, of course, although I thought it would be harder watching than it has been.

I haven’t watched every match but when I’ve finished my training I’ve watched a lot – I saw Juan Martin del Potro playing Gilles Simon, Rafael Nadal against Jiri Vesely, Kyle Edmund against Novak Djokovic – pretty much each day I’ve watched some and seen what’s going on.

The conditions are perfect for Rafa right now.

When it is hot like this, the courts are hard and the ball bounces up so he gets more movement with his serve as well. With the problems he’s had with his knees, the ball bouncing up higher makes it is easier on his body too.

In the top half of the draw, Roger Federer has a brilliant record against all of the guys. He looks like he is playing extremely well and he is moving well.

Djokovic winning Wimbledon would not surprise me

Novak could beat both Roger and Rafa. From what I have seen in the past couple of days, he looks to be playing really, really well.

He’s not been in the latter stages of major events so much recently, Queen’s was his first final in almost a year and it looked like he had doubts in that match against Marin Cilic.

But I think his level is back to where he wants to be and mentally he is where he needs to be.

Novak said the mental side has been difficult for him. Last year he suffered from a slight dip in motivation which is normal because of what he achieved in 2016, when he won the French Open to complete the career Grand Slam.

It must take an incredible amount out of you. Winning the French Open must have been huge for him but then where do you go next?

Maybe the injury and being away from the sport helped him realise how much he misses it and what it means to him.

It wouldn’t surprise me if he went on to win this tournament.

I tell Henman he talks rubbish on TV!

On Wednesday I will be commentating on one of the men’s quarter-final matches for BBC TV.

I’ve done bits and pieces on radio before but not a whole match. I’ve not had any tips from Tim Henman – I would get tips off someone different. From one of the experts!

I’m always messaging him when he’s commentating, telling him he’s talking rubbish! Of course, that’s a joke.

Who is my favourite commentator? I like listening to Mark Petchey. I know him well, he coached me, and I think he is knowledgeable about the game.

I’ve not had any tips from him either – I might give him a text later. I’m a bit nervous about it to be honest.

  • Live scores, schedule and results
  • BBC TV, radio and online coverage
  • Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone

Source link

Wimbledon 2018: Jamie Murray loses doubles quarter-final

  • Posted: Jul 10, 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 Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra commentary; Text commentary online.

Britain’s Jamie Murray and Brazilian Bruno Soares were knocked out of the men’s doubles in the quarter-finals after a five-set thriller at Wimbledon.

The fifth seeds led twice against Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus before dropping serve twice in the final set.

Play was suspended after Murray and Soares won the fourth set tie-break while the roof covered Centre Court.

The match lasted more than four hours before the 13th seeds won 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 4-6.

Murray is still aiming to defend his mixed doubles title after reaching the third round with Belarusian and former world number one Victoria Azarenka.

The Scot won the event at Wimbledon and the US Open with now-retired partner Martina Hingis last year.

  • Williams into women’s semi-finalss
  • Kerber to face Ostapenko in semi-finals
  • Del Potro sets up Nadal quarter-final
  • Has Djokovic rediscovered his mojo?

Meanwhile, Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Dominic Inglot progressed to the semi-finals with victories in their quarter-finals.

Salisbury and Denmark’s Frederik Nielsen will play South Africa’s Klaasen and New Zealand’s Venus in the semi-finals after they defeated 14th seeds Ben McLachlan and Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4).

Inglot and Croatian partner Franko Skugor defeated Robin Haase and Robert Lindstedt 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 and will face former world number one Mike Bryan and fellow American Jack Sock in the semi-finals.

British 15th seed Inglot has won three outdoor ATP titles in 2018 but had not gone further than the third round at Wimbledon prior to this year.

  • Live scores, schedule and results
  • BBC TV, radio and online coverage

Elsewhere, compatriots Jay Clarke and Harriet Dart are in the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles after they comfortably defeated Mate Pavic and Gabriela Dabrowski 6-3 6-4 in the third round.

But British 16th seed Heather Watson and Finland’s Henri Kontinen were knocked out in the third round by third seeds Ivan Dodig and Latisha Chan after losing 2-6 6-7 (4-7).

Source link