Get Inspired: A fast-paced game to help sharpen movement for tennis
LTA coach Jonny Thomson introduces children to the fast-paced game ‘mountains and valleys’ to sharpen their movement for tennis.
LTA coach Jonny Thomson introduces children to the fast-paced game ‘mountains and valleys’ to sharpen their movement for tennis.
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
Marburg Open (Marburg, Germany): Two months after prevailing at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Heilbronn, Germany, Filip Krajinovic earned his second title of the year on German soil in Marburg. The Serbian downed home favourite Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-2, 6-3 in the final.
The 25 year old started the year at No. 235 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but is projected to jump to around No. 150 when the newest standings are released. Krajinovic looks to eventually surpass his career-high ranking of No. 86 in April 2015.
Despite the loss, Stebe has enjoyed a banner few months. Ranked No. 314 in May, he came through qualifying to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP World Tour event in Geneva, then prevailed two weeks ago at the Challenger in Poprad Tatry, Slovakia. Stebe will move to just outside the Top 150 when the newest standings are released, cutting his ranking in half after less than two months.
Guzzini Challenger (Recanati, Italy): Qualifier Viktor Galovic of Croatia capped a dream week with his first ATP Challenger Tour title, defeating fifth seed Mirza Basic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 7-6(3), 6-4. The 26-year-old Galovic, currently ranked No. 491, had only won three Challenger matches since February 2013 and just six in his career.
Basic was looking for his second Challenger title after prevailing this March in Guadalajara, Mexico.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Krajinovic: “It’s my third title in Germany. It’s no secret that I like to play here. I love the crowd and thank the umpires, sponsors and ball kids for their great job. It’s really well organised and with many spectators during the week. I would love to come back next year.”
A LOOK AHEAD
There are a whopping six Challenger events on the calendar next week, with the $150,000 event in Braunschweig, Germany, headlining the action. The tournament celebrates its 24th year and features an array of illustrious past champions including Alexander Zverev, Tomas Berdych, Gaston Gaudio, Alberto Berasategui and Magnus Gustafsson.
All eight seeds are ranked inside the Top 100, with Horacio Zeballos of Argentina as the top seed and Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil as the second seed. Stebe and Galovic are also in the draw and look to extend their run of form.
The $75,000 tournament in Winnipeg, Canada, is back for the second year. Last year’s runner-up Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia is the top seed and local favourite Peter Polansky is the second seed.
Winnetka, Illinois holds its $75,000 Challenger for the 26th year and 12th consecutive year. Past champions include James Blake and Jack Sock. Americans take the top three seeds with Tennys Sandgren, #NextGenATP Taylor Fritz and Dennis Novikov, respectively. Other #NextGenATP players in the draw include sixth seed Michael Mmoh of the U.S., Akira Santillan of Japan and Omar Jasika of Australia.
The $50,000 event in Medellin, Colombia, returns for the 14th year. 2011 champion Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic, who won the ATP World Tour event in Quito for the third straight time this February, is the top seed. Darian King of Barbados is the second seed. Local favourite and 2013 champion Alejandro Gonzalez is also in the draw.
Bastad, Sweden holds its $50,000 Challenger for the second straight year. Dusan Lajovic of Serbia is the top seed and Renzo Olivo of Argentina is the second seed. Several #NextGenATP players are in the draw, including fifth seed Casper Ruud of Norway, Christian Garin of Chile and Swedish brothers Elias Ymer and Mikael Ymer. Former Top 5 player Tommy Robredo also competes this week and Krajinovic aims for another Challenger on red clay.
Lastly, the $50,000 Challenger in Perugia, Italy, returns for the fourth consecutive year. Nicolas Kicker of Argentina defeated Rola in last year’s final.
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The “Big Four” of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have swept the past 14 Wimbledons. But all dynasties come to an end, right?
ATPWorldTour.com looks at four players who might have what it takes to hoist the Gentleman’s Singles Trophy this fortnight.
“I think it’s the pursuit of excellence each and every day. I think that’s what those four guys have done better than everybody, ever in tennis. Despite how it could have been very discouraging for Novak being behind Roger and Rafa for so many years, then Andy the same thing, being behind a bunch. They just pursued excellence each and every day,” Milos Raonic said.
“That’s what I try to do. Hopefully that results in me being better and better, my level keeps improving, and that I keep playing important matches, learning from those important matches. These guys have an unmatched amount of experience in difficult moments.”
Milos Raonic
Of anyone outside the Big Four and still remaining in the draw, Raonic has come the closest to winning the Wimbledon title. The 2016 finalist was three sets away from winning the title last year before he lost to Murray, who claimed his second Wimbledon crown with the win.
But with Raonic’s injuries seemimgly behind him and a trip to the final under his belt, might this be the Canadian’s year? The right-hander faces #NextGenATP German Alexander Zverev in the fourth round.
“I’m not here waiting for anybody to play badly or not be who they once were. I’m just trying to be the best I can. Hopefully that can lead to bigger things each and every day,” Raonic said. “[The Big Four], you’ve seen many open doors and they’ve shut them. You have to take it in your hands if you want to make a difference against these guys that have been around for so long.”
Marin Cilic
Cilic has flourished on the grass so far this season, reaching the Ricoh Open semi-finals (l. to Karlovic) and the Aegon Championships final (l. to Lopez). Now the Croatian nears familiar territory again at the All England Club. The 6’6” right-hander has reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals the past three years but has never made it to the semi-finals.
“I’m quite happy with position I’m in, also with my own form. I’m extremely satisfied,” Cilic said.
Last year, the Croatian had three match points against Federer in the Wimbledon quarter-finals before falling to the seven-time champion. Cilic meets 18th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the fourth round.
“Players like Roger, Rafa, they have had great success this year. Novak and Andy, you cannot ever rule them out of Grand Slams. They are always having that little bit of extra pressure or spotlight on them,” Cilic said. “But still, I know that even under pressure I have been performing really well and playing quite good in those critical moments and situations. So definitely my big focus is to continue to play well. I have to show my abilities on the court and to bring them every single match.”
Grigor Dimitrov
At the Australian Open, Dimitrov was just a few games away from knocking out Nadal in the semi-finals. Dimitrov fell 6-4 in the fifth set in one of the best matches of the season.
The Bulgarian has experience with deep runs at SW19 as well, having reached the semi-finals in 2014. The right-hander faces a tough task to start his second week. He will try to beat Roger Federer for the first time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Federer leads their series 5-0.
Asked to compare this fortnight to 2014, Dimitrov said: “I feel better. I feel my game is better. My physique is better. I’m in a better place in my life, in my head. Those are a lot of positive things… I’m just excited… I’m not hiding it. Again, I appreciate being in that second week. My goal, my ultimate goal, is always to win Wimbledon.”
Alexander Zverev
The #NextGenATP German is into the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time, but he’s been clutch in big moments all season long. Zverev has won three ATP World Tour titles this year, including his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, when he beat Novak Djokovic at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Zverev, the leader of the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, will face Raonic on Monday.
“Of course it’s nice to reach the fourth round, but this is not the goal that somebody sets, ‘Oh, I want to be there fourth round and then that’s it.’ Obviously I want to keep playing good tennis and keep getting up there,” Zverev said. “It’s good. I think it’s another milestone in my young career.”
The “Big Four” have dominated for years, as much in recent times as any, considering they’ve claimed 44 of the past 49 Grand Slams. Yet somehow, this week at Wimbledon, tennis fans will have an opportunity with the Big Four that fans haven’t enjoyed in more than two years.
For the first time since 2015 Roland Garros, the entire quartet – Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – will play in the second week of a Grand Slam. Who will be the favourite, and who will be No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings next week? ATPWorldTour.com looks at the Big Four’s week ahead.
Andy Murray
On paper, Murray has the easiest route to the Wimbledon semi-finals. The two-time champion meets Benoit Paire in the fourth round, and the Frenchman has never reached a Grand Slam quarter-final. Should Murray dispatch the right-hander and make the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the 10th consecutive time, he would face either 24th seed Sam Querrey or former Top 10 player Kevin Anderson of South Africa.
While the two big servers may be well under the radar so far, both Querrey and Anderson have experienced playing the underdog against a member of the Big Four at a Grand Slam. Querrey, of course, knocked out Djokovic in the third round of Wimbledon last year, and Anderson reached his Grand Slam quarter-final in 2015 when he beat Murray at the US Open.
Survive Anderson or Querrey, though, and Murray’s path will get trickier without a doubt. Fourth seed Rafael Nadal and seventh seed Marin Cilic are the highest seeds remaining in Nadal’s quarter. Murray will remain World No. 1 if he reaches his fourth Wimbledon final.
Novak Djokovic
Is the Djokovic back? With new coaches Mario Ancic and 1992 Wimbledon champion Andre Agassi courtside, the Serbian certainly has looked like the Djokovic who won three Wimbledon titles. But the tests will continue for Djokovic, who next faces Adrian Mannarino, a tricky left-hander who’s playing with nothing to lose.
The Frenchman has reached the fourth round at a Grand Slam only once before – 2013 Wimbledon – but Mannarino has to be feeling confident on the grass after reaching the Antalya Open final last week in Turkey (l. to Sugita).
If Djokovic, who has yet to lose a set this fortnight, denies Mannarino his first quarter-final appearance, the second seed will meet either 2010 finalist Tomas Berdych or World No. 8 Dominic Thiem. Djokovic knows Berdych well – the Serbian leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 25-2.
But Thiem could be much more complicated. Last month, the Austrian knocked out Djokovic in the Roland Garros quarter-finals, running away with the straight-sets win 6-0 in the third. Thiem, who hadn’t made it past the second round at Wimbledon before this year, has said he’s feeling more comfortable on the grass as well.
Djokovic will return to World No. 1 by winning his fourth Wimbledon title, but only if both Murray and Nadal lose before the semi-finals.
Roger Federer
The start of his quest for title No. 8 at SW19 could hardly have gone smoother. Federer didn’t drop a set during his first three wins. But the seven-time champion might have the most intriguing fourth-round opponent in Grigor Dimitrov, a 2014 Wimbledon semi-finalist who has shown flashes of the play that brought him to the last four on the grass.
In the past, Federer has had no trouble with the Bulgarian – Roger leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-0 – but Dimitrov has been nearly as smooth as Federer thus far. Consider the scorelines of Dimitrov’s past seven sets: 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.
Stay unbeaten against Dimitrov and Federer will stroll into the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the 15th time. There, Federer’s path could become even more enticing, for fans, anyway, with either last year’s finalist Milos Raonic or 10th seed Alexander Zverev waiting in the quarter-final.
Raonic came back from two sets to one down to beat Federer in the 2016 Wimbledon semi-finals, the last time they played. Federer beat Zverev last month in the Gerry Weber Open final in Halle. If Federer advances to the semi-finals, we could see a re-match of the 2014 and 2015 Wimbledon finals, with Federer meeting Djokovic for a spot in the final.
Rafael Nadal
What could have been described as an enigma before the tournament – Nadal’s 2017 Wimbledon fortune – has become abundantly clear to anyone who has watched the Spaniard during his first three matches at SW19. Nadal has looked very much like the player who reached the final five times between 2006-2011 and much less like the player who hasn’t returned to the Wimbledon quarter-finals since 2011.
The Spaniard faces the confident and big-serving Gilles Muller in the fourth round, and another confident and big-serving player could lurk in the quarter-finals. If the seeds play out, Nadal will meet seventh seed Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals. Cilic faces 18th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the fourth round.
The 6’6” Croatian, who reached the Aegon Championships final (l. to Lopez) last month, has been aggressive and scary good on serve this season on grass. He’s averaging 21 aces a match during this Wimbledon fortnight.
In the semi-finals, fans could be in for another treat as Nadal could meet Murray for the first time since the 2016 Mutua Madrid Open, when Murray won in straight sets. If it occurs, that semi-final will decide who is No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 17 July. Nadal will return to No. 1 by reaching his sixth Wimbledon final.
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Andy Murray and Johanna Konta will try to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals as the men’s and women’s fourth-round singles matches are played on Monday.
The pair will attempt to give Britain a man and woman in the last eight for the first time since 1973.
Sixth seed Konta plays France’s 21st seed Caroline Garcia in the opening match on court one at 13:00 BST.
Defending champion Murray plays Frenchman Benoit Paire on Centre Court at about 15:00.
A packed schedule includes eight men’s and eight women’s singles matches, and spectators began queuing over the weekend for the remaining tickets.
In the men’s draw, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Murray have 13 Wimbledon titles between them, while five-time champion Venus Williams is the only former winner in a fascinating women’s event.
The 37-year-old American opens play on Centre Court against 19-year-old Ana Konjuh of Croatia at 13:00.
“I guess when you walk on the court, I don’t think either of us is thinking about the age,” said Williams, playing her 20th Wimbledon.
“You’re thinking, ‘How do I win?'”
They will be followed on Centre Court by Murray against Paire, before Federer takes on Bulgarian 13th seed Grigor Dimitrov.
“He’s in the prime of his career you would think right now,” Federer said of Dimitrov.
“I expect that every time I have played him he has become better. I expect the same on Monday.”
On court one, Spain’s two-time winner Rafael Nadal faces 16th seed Gilles Muller of Luxembourg in the second match, followed by Serbia’s Djokovic against unseeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
It is 44 years since Roger Taylor and Virginia Wade carried British hopes into both the men’s and women’s quarter-finals, and Murray and Konta look capable of matching that feat.
Murray, 30, has coped well with the hip injury that disrupted his preparation and came through his first serious test against Fabio Fognini on Friday in four sets.
He now meets Paire for the second time, after winning a dramatic match in Monte Carlo last year that sparked a brilliant run of form which ultimately ended in the number one ranking.
“He has very good hands, moves well, takes a lot of chances and goes for his shots,” said the Scot.
“He can be quite up and down. But he seems to have played pretty well so far at this event. I expect it to be tricky.”
Konta, 26, is doing her best to play down talk of being the tournament favourite but appears to have as good a chance as any of the 16 women left in a wide open draw.
Garcia will have similar thoughts, however, and won their previous match in a final set tie-break in Indian Wells earlier this year.
“I have said that everyone in the draw is in with a chance of taking the title,” said Konta.
“I think I’m pretty sure favourites also come and go. They change daily almost.
“I’m just here, happy to have actually made it into the second week, happy to come through three battles this week.”
The second Monday of Wimbledon is one of the most famous days in tennis, as the only one of the four Grand Slams that schedules the last 16 men and women together on the same day.
Germany’s Angelique Kerber is trying to rediscover her best form, and at the same time hang on to her world number one ranking, with Spanish 14th seed Garbine Muguruza her next opponent.
Such is the quality of matches all around the All England Club that this clash of the last two Wimbledon runners-up is the first match on court two at 11:30.
At the same time, newly-crowned French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia faces Ukrainian fourth seed Elena Svitolina, one of the form players of 2016, on court 12.
“To be honest, I’m really not looking at the schedule,” said Kerber.
“I’m trying to think more about my game, it doesn’t matter which court. I just go out there, try to play my game.”
Kerber and Muguruza will be followed on court two by an equally intriguing contest between Romanian second seed Simona Halep and unseeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
Halep continues to search for a first major title after losing in the French Open final last month, while Azarenka is making her Grand Slam return after giving birth to son Leo in December.
Sixth seed Milos Raonic, the Canadian who lost to Murray in last year’s final, completes the court two line-up against German 10th seed and rising star Alexander Zverev.