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.
Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova became the last of the women’s top 10 to be knocked out of Wimbledon, beaten in straight sets by Kiki Bertens.
The 26-year-old lost her fourth-round match 6-3 7-6 (7-1) to the Dutch player after a largely uninspiring display.
Bertens, who is seeded 20th and beat Venus Williams in the last round, was ruthless with break-point chances.
Pliskova gave glimpses of her ability in the second set but Bertens held her nerve to secure a quarter-final spot.
Revisit the week that was on the ATP Challenger Tour as we applaud the achievements of those on the rise and look ahead to who’s in action in the week to come
A LOOK BACK Guzzini Challenger (Recanati, Italy): Daniel Brands is back! Five years after ascending to a career-high World No. 51 in the ATP Rankings, the big-hitting German is plotting his return to the Top 100.
Brands claimed the title at the hard-court event in Recanati, Italy on Sunday, defeating Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 23 minutes. It was his first ATP Challenger Tour crown since 2012. Competing with a protected ranking after undergoing knee surgery last year, Brands did not drop a set all week in the Italian city.
“With this victory, I hope to get closer to a more appropriate [ATP Ranking], since I had stopped playing for some time,” said Brands. “It was a great tournament with a very challenging draw, but I believed in myself to the end. I congratulate Adrian, who put me in serious trouble especially in the first set.”
First #ATPChallenger title in six years! Daniel Brands is the champion in Recanati, returning to the winners’ circle without dropping a set all week. pic.twitter.com/1q9NDyPgmg
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 8, 2018
Brands is playing some of the best tennis of his career, having also turned in a strong performance at the Nature Valley International in Eastbourne last week. His defeat of Jack Sock in qualifying marked his first Top 20 win in five years, and the 30-year-old would nearly upset Cameron Norrie in the first round.
After kicking off his comeback outside the Top 400, he is projected to return to the Top 250 when the new ATP Rankings are released in a week.
Marburg Open (Marburg, Germany): Less than three months ago, Hugo Dellien got the better of Juan Ignacio Londero in the Sarasota semi-finals, en route to his maiden Challenger title. On Saturday, revenge never tasted so sweet for Londero.
The 24-year-old Argentine stormed back from a set down to dismiss Dellien 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 on the clay of Marburg. He secured his second crown of 2018 (also Mexico City), also scoring impressive wins over home hope Dustin Brown, top seed Jurgen Zopp, countryman Carlos Berlocq and #NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime along the way.
Londero, who started the year outside the Top 350, is projected to break into the Top 150 for the first time in one week.
A LOOK AHEAD The action heats up this week with five impressive tournaments. The 2017 Tournament of the Year in Braunschweig, Germany, features another strong draw, headlined by defending champion Nicola Kuhn, top seed Pablo Cuevas and home hope Florian Mayer. Mayer lifted the trophy in 2013.
Meanwhile, the U.S. summer kicks off in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, where Tim Smyczek – finalist in 2009 & ’10 – is the top seed. Tommy Paul makes his first Challenger appearance since February, in his return from injury, while Reilly Opelka, Ernesto Escobedo and Bjorn Fratangelo also feature in the draw.
The three-week Canadian swing kicks off in Winnipeg, where 2017 runner-up Peter Polansky leads the field. He is joined by second seed Marcel Granollers and #NextGenATP star Michael Mmoh.
In beautiful Bastad, Sweden, Elias Ymer and Mikael Ymer lead the home charge and are joined by top seed Guido Andreozzi and teens Corentin Moutet and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Finally, in Perugia, Italy, Gerald Melzer leads the pack, along with second seed Pablo Andujar and wild card Nicolas Almagro.
‘Manic Monday’ Preview: Del Potro, Federer Look To Keep Rolling
Jul082018
Nadal meets Vesely; Djokovic faces Khachanov for the first time
For Juan Martin del Potro, it’s almost as if it’s 2013 all over again. That season, the Argentine’s ninth on Tour, he returned to the Top 5 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since 2009, won four ATP World Tour titles and, at Wimbledon, recorded his best finish, making the semi-finals (l. to Djokovic).
This year, Del Potro, No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, has already re-entered the Top 5; he’s halfway to matching his four titles (Indian Wells and Acapulco); and, on Monday, he can come within a round of tying his best Wimbledon finish.
The fifth seed faces Frenchman Gilles Simon for the eighth time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (Del Potro leads 4-3). The two have played three times at grass, including twice at the All England Club, once during the 2011 championships and again the following year during the London Olympics. Del Potro won all three grass-court contests.
“I know my game, it’s adapting well for this surface. I had my chances to win here a few years ago when I lost against Djokovic in the semi-finals. But [he was] playing so good. I don’t know how far I will be in this tournament, but I’m confident with my game at this time,” Del Potro said after being Benoit Paire in the third round.
You May Also Like: First-Week Reflections From Wimbledon
Simon is looking to make his third Grand Slam quarter-final and his second at Wimbledon (2009 Australian Open, 2015 Wimbledon). The 33-year-old Frenchman has already turned around his grass-court season, having gone 1-3 at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, the Gerry Weber Open in Halle and the Nature Valley International in Eastbourne before The Championships.
Beat Del Potro and Simon, with some help from his compatriots, could make French tennis history. If Simon, Adrian Mannarino (vs. Federer) and Gael Monfils (vs. Anderson) all win on Monday, it will mark the first time a trio of Frenchmen have reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
Mannarino, however, will likely have the biggest challenge among the Frenchmen, or of anyone when “Manic Monday” commences. The left-hander, who’s trying to make his first Grand Slam quarter-final, is 0-5 against Federer in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, and Federer, an eight-time champion, has looked at his Wimbledon finest.
The Swiss has won 29 consecutive sets at SW19, his second-longest consecutive sets won streak at Wimbledon. His best – 34 – came in between the 2005 third round and the 2006 final.
What’s more, the top-seeded Federer hasn’t even faced a break point this fortnight. The 36-year-old has won 67 consecutive games on serve at Wimbledon. The last time he lost his serve at SW19 was during the eighth game of his 2017 semi-final against Tomas Berdych. Federer hasn’t had to erase a break point at the All England Club since the fourth game of last year’s final against Marin Cilic.
On Saturday, two-time champion Rafael Nadal ensured that he’ll stay No. 1 when the new ATP Rankings are released on 16 July. On Monday, the Spaniard will try to return to the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time since 2011, when he made the final (l. to Djokovic).
Nadal faces Czech Jiri Vesely, who’s trying to make his first Grand Slam quarter-final and become the seventh Czech man in the Open Era to reach the last eight at Wimbledon.
Twelfth seed Novak Djokovic, who knocked out top Brit Kyle Edmund to make the fourth round, will meet Karen Khachanov for the first time. The 22-year-old Moscow native came back from two sets down against #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe to post his best Wimbledon result. Djokovic, a three-time Wimbledon champion, is looking to make his 10th quarter-final at SW19.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori has reached at least the quarter-finals at the three other Grand Slams but never at Wimbledon. The 24th seed can change that against Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis, who upset fourth seed Alexander Zverev in five sets to make the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time.
Nishikori won their only FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, but it came on Barcelona clay four years ago. Gulbis, No. 138 in the ATP Rankings, last made a Grand Slam quarter-final in 2014 en route to the Roland Garros semi-finals (l. to Djokovic).
Eighth seed Kevin Anderson will try to beat France’s Gael Monfils for the first time (0-5) and make his third Grand Slam quarter-final (2015, 2017 US Open). Monfils, playing in his first Wimbledon fourth-rounder, will attempt to join Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the only two Frenchmen in the Open Era to make the quarter-finals at all four Grand Slams.
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Both American John Isner and his opponent, Greece’s #NextGenATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas, are making their Wimbledon second-week debuts. The ninth-seeded Isner will try to match his best Grand Slam showing (2011 US Open QF), while Tsitsipas, 19, will try to prolong the best Grand Slam run of his young career.
Canada’s Milos Raonic has been here – and much deeper – before, having reached the 2016 Wimbledon final (l. to Murray). The 13th seed will go for his eighth Grand Slam quarter-final, and fourth at Wimbledon, against American Mackenzie McDonald, who’s playing in his first Grand Slam fourth-round match.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams survives a brutal first week at Wimbledon, in which nine of the top 10 seeds crashed out of the women’s draw.
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.
They are worlds apart in terms of titles and profile but 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and qualifier Evgeniya Rodina, who meet in the Wimbledon fourth round on Monday, have one big thing in common.
Both are mothers – Williams’ daughter Olympia is just 10 months old, Rodina’s little girl Anna is five and a half years old.
And the number of women who have returned to the professional game after taking time out to have children is still small enough that the presence of two mums at this stage of a Grand Slam remains a relative novelty.
Rodina, whose surname means ‘motherland’ in her native Russian, is enjoying her best ever Grand Slam performance, having never previously got beyond the second round.
Williams, meanwhile, is chasing an eighth Wimbledon singles title and with just one of the top 10 women’s seeds left in the draw she is becoming a lot of people’s favourite to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.
The 36-year-old American’s return to tennis has been to great fanfare – she has been the subject of a documentary, her daughter already has her own Instagram account and Williams’ every match has been scrutinised for signs that she can return to her best form.
Rodina, 29, meanwhile, has a two-and-a-half-line personal biography on the WTA website, which says she likes swimming, listening to music and reading Dostoevsky.
Williams’ form looks ominous for rivals
It would be an incredible comeback for Williams to win the Wimbledon title just 10 months after giving birth, a difficult delivery during which, she has said, she “almost died”.
“It’s amazing for me to be out here. A year ago I was still pregnant,” said Williams, who won the 2017 Australian Open while around eight weeks pregnant. “Then my delivery took a turn south fast, so that wasn’t fun.
“But it’s that that makes me appreciate that I’m out here, that I’m alive, that I’m able to be here and do well and to play well.”
She returned to competitive singles in March and reached the last 16 at French Open but withdrew from her scheduled match against Maria Sharapova with a pectoral muscle injury that affected her serving.
She did not practise any serves from then until she arrived at the All England Club but she has still delivered the second fastest serve of the women’s tournament so far at 119mph, second only to her sister Venus’ 123mph.
It is not just her serves that have improved; her movement around the court is quicker than in her slightly laboured first-round victory over Arantxa Rus.
And in her third-round victory over Kristina Mladenovic she showed she still had the mental strength and desire to fight back when she won six games in a row from 5-3 down in the first set.
It all looks a little ominous for the rest of a women’s draw in which only Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova remains of the the top 10.
More mums on Tour
Williams is asked about her daughter and being a mum at every news conference, so rare is it for a woman at the very top of the game to take time out to have a baby.
Only three mothers have won Grand Slam titles in the Open era – Belgium’s Kim Clijsters and Australians Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Margaret Court.
Williams has backed Victoria Azarenka’s call for more childcare facilities at tournaments and hopes that Wimbledon’s decision to give her a seeding despite her world ranking of 181 will also help players if they want to start families younger.
“I think it will be nice to see ladies live their life and not start having families at my age,” she said.
“I think Wimbledon did such a good thing with the seeding. It will be really nice for these women to take a year off, and have the most amazing thing in the world, then come back to their job and not have to start from the bottom, scrape, scrape, scrape. Still give them an opportunity to be out there for bringing life into the world.”
Rodina had her daughter when she was 23, a year after she had reached a career-high ranking of 74. She then dropped outside the top 400 and has been working her way back up since – she has climbed back to 120 in the world.
Of the six mothers in the singles main draw at Wimbledon this year, Kateryna Bondarenko, Tatjana Maria, Vera Zvonareva and Azarenka are out. But with Williams facing Rodina, there will still be one there in the quarter-finals.
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.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams will all be in action on ‘Manic Monday’ at Wimbledon.
With all of the men’s and women’s last 16 singles ties taking place, it is one of the most exciting days in the tennis calendar.
Defending champion Federer faces French 22nd seed Adrian Mannarino while two-time champion Nadal plays Jiri Vesely.
Seven-time winner Williams, the favourite for the women’s title, plays Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina.
Three-time champion Novak Djokovic will play Karen Khachanov while Gael Monfils meets eighth seed Kevin Anderson.
Karolina Pliskova, the only remaining women’s top 10 seed, plays world number 20 Kiki Bertens.
Why are so many seeds out of Wimbledon?
Live scores, schedule and results
Federer expecting ‘strategic’ match
Federer made serene progress through the first three rounds, extending his run of consecutive sets won at Wimbledon to 29 as he bids for a record-extending ninth men’s title.
The Swiss swept aside big-hitting Jan-Lennard Struff in one hour and 34 minutes in round three but said he is pleased at the variety of opponents he has played so far.
“It’s good that I faced different types of opponents I think in this first week, and was able to find a way to get through,” Federer said.
“I think it’s always helpful. He is a hard hitter. In the next round it will be a lefty. It will be much more of a strategic match, I believe.”
Nadal, another player who is yet to drop a set, plays another left-hander in Czech Vesely, the world number 93.
Williams has ‘nothing to lose’
The women’s singles event has seen a record number of shocks this year with only seven of the 32 seeds making it to the second week.
The pre-tournament debate surrounded whether Williams, now the world number 181, should have been seeded for this year’s Championships as she continues her return following the birth of her daughter.
The American was seeded at 25 and is now favourite to win an eighth title but she insists she has “nothing to lose” going into the latter stages.
“I have absolutely nothing to prove. Everything is a bonus,” she said.
“Every time I step out there, I know what I’m capable of. I know every Grand Slam, I’ve won them, I’m capable of just going out there and enjoying it.”
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.
Six days gone, seven to go – many seeds have fallen but the queen and king of Wimbledon remain standing.
Between them Roger Federer and Serena Williams have made it into the second week 31 times in total – and going by their form so far they both look a good bet to go all the way.
Add to the mix Federer’s old foes, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, and you still have a strong men’s competition.
However, only Karolina Pliskova remains among the top 10 players in the women’s tournament.
I think Serena has as good a shot as anyone to win this event – which is crazy to think
Elsewhere, there are no Britons in the second week for the first time since 2007, with the two main hopes Kyle Edmund and Johanna Konta dumped out at the third and second-round stage respectively.
BBC Sport takes a look at the state of play at Wimbledon 2018 so far.
Paire entertains, but loses to Del Potro – best shots
Monday’s order of play
Federer looking better than ever – nailed on to defend his title?
The superlatives keep getting recycled for the Swiss player, who at the age of 36 seems to be enjoying a prolonged Indian summer.
It has been three matches and three easy wins so far this tournament, and the number one seed remains a short favourite to win his ninth title.
With the early departure of number three seed Marin Cilic and three-time Grand Slam winner Stanislas Wawrinka, the tennis great’s side of the draw has opened up.
However, former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe told BBC Sport that those remaining could still prove difficult opposition.
“After 22nd seed Adrian Mannarino, there’s the big-serving Kevin Anderson, or there’s the South African’s opponent Gael Monfils, who can provide excitement and seems to be playing at his best,” said the 59-year-old three-time champion.
“And in the semi-finals, he [Federer] could face John Isner, another player you cannot discount because of the way he serves, or maybe Milos Raonic, who would be the guy to take the racquet out of the hand.”
The players who could trip up Federer en route to the final – his record against them
Adrian Mannarino
W5 L0
Kevin Anderson or
W4 L0
Gael Monfils
W9 L4
John Isner or
W5 L2
Milos Raonic
W11 L3
Serena easing back into elite as top seeds fall?
There were question marks over how the seven-time Wimbledon champion would perform on her return “home”.
Williams only started competing again in singles in March after more than a year out during which she gave birth to her first child.
Then there was the chest muscle injury she suffered at the French Open prior to her fourth-round match against Maria Sharapova.
But she has navigated through three matches here without dropping a set, and according to former American tennis player Chanda Rubin, Williams is getting stronger by each round.
“Williams appears to be physically OK, and worryingly for her rivals we are starting to see that big serve,” the 42-year-old former world number six told BBC Sport.
“Going into the second week, I think Serena has as good a shot as anyone to win this event, which is crazy to think.
“The last-32 match against Kristina Mladenovic was tricky, but she was able to come through it like she’s been playing all year. It was remarkable.”
French player Mladenovic later posted on Instagram her thoughts about Williams: “You are definitely a different league than anyone else.”
Next up for the 36-year-old American is Russian world number 120 Evgeniya Rodina – they meet for the first time.
Wonder Williams
Tied with Steffi Graf on seven Wimbledon singles titles – only Martina Navratilova [nine] has won more
Victory next Sunday would see Williams tie Australia’s Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam singles titles
After her win against Mladenovic, Williams’ overall record across Slams is now 322-43 – the most victories by either women or men in the Open era
Can Djokovic go all the way?
Could Wimbledon mark the renaissance of the 31-year-old three-time champion?
By the summer of 2016 he was world number one and held all four majors – by the summer of 2018 he had dropped to 21 in the world and without an ATP Tour title since June 2017.
But during Saturday’s victory against Britain’s sole remaining competitor in the singles, Edmund, he showed glimpses of his best form.
The Serb went a set down and saw an umpire call go against him when he had break point in the fourth set, but still came through.
“I think this is admirable from Djokovic,” added McEnroe. “He kept his cool because it could have gone south really quickly. He has worked hard to keep his game up. This is why people feel he is a threat and getting closer to his best.
“I’ve been a bit surprised his comeback has been [staccato]. There were physical and mental issues – but this has now been two years [since he won a Slam]. It’ll be nice to see him do his thing in the way we are accustomed to.”
Djokovic faces Russian world number 40 Karen Khachanov in the last 16.
No Brits left – how significant is that?
Not too significant, according to former British women’s number one Sam Smith.
The 46-year-old said there is more to be excited about than downhearted.
“I was impressed with Harriet Dart, who had Pliskova on the ropes – a player who could end up as champion,” she told BBC Sport.
“Then there was Katie Boulter, Katie Swan and Gabby Taylor. A lot didn’t think Konta played very well during her loss, but the display by Dominika Cibulkova – you won’t see too many better on the Centre Court this year.
“I was impressed with Jay Clarke in the men’s competition, and then there’s Edmund, of course. Some of the guys lost because they lacked experience in big-match play.
“The British wildcards weren’t far from the main draw anyway. My worry was that nobody came through qualifying. I think that some who got wildcards might have benefited from coming through qualifying.”
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