Venus win would be Hollywood ending – Navratilova

Posted: Jul 07, 2016

Wimbledon on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 27 June-10 July
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Venus Williams winning a sixth Wimbledon title following illness and a loss of form would be a Hollywood ending, says Martina Navratilova.

Williams, 36, is the oldest Grand Slam semi-finalist since Navratilova lost in the 1994 Wimbledon final aged 37.

The American meets Angelique Kerber in her first SW19 semi-final since 2009.

“I didn’t see her competing at this level again. I don’t think she did,” said 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Navratilova.

Here BBC Sport analyst Navratilova discusses Venus’ remarkable revival, the prospect of meeting sister Serena in an all-Williams final and how top players manage to maintain longevity.

LADIES’ SEMI-FINALS: ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court – play starts at 13:00 BST
Serena Williams USA [1] v Elena Vesnina RUS
Angelique Kerber GER [4] v Venus Williams USA [8]

‘Venus’ revival is astonishing’

Many observers – including Navratilova – doubted the likelihood of Venus Williams ever competing for a Grand Slam title again.

She dominated Wimbledon for almost a decade between 2000 and 2009, winning five titles and finishing runner-up in another three finals.

But the seven-times Grand Slam champion had become a peripheral figure – until this year – after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an illness that causes fatigue and joint pain, in 2011.

She says she refused to consider retirement, despite her world ranking plummeting to 103 by the end of 2011.

Now she is back in the top 10 and just one more victory away from a ninth Wimbledon final.

“Her revival is astonishing,” said 59-year-old Navratilova.

“We all thought she was going to quit and then she comes back into the top 10. Now she is two matches away from winning her sixth Wimbledon title.

“It is an amazing effort – most of all because of what she has gone through with this syndrome that is sapping her energy.

“It is so hard managing your energy when you get into your 30s anyway. So to be dealing with this disorder on top of that, and competing at the highest level, is extraordinary.

“Venus winning Wimbledon would be a Hollywood ending, no doubt.”

Oldest women to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in the Open Era
Player	Age	Grand Slam	Result
Billie Jean King	39 years, 223 days	1983 Wimbledon	Semi-final
Billie Jean King	38 years, 224 days	1982 Wimbledon	Semi-final
Martina Navratilova	37 years, 258 days	1994 Wimbledon	Runner-up
Martina Navratilova	36 years, 259 days	1993 Wimbledon	Semi-final
Venus Williams	36 years, 21 days	2016 Wimbledon	???

‘Smiling Venus is lighting up Wimbledon’

Navratilova became the oldest female Grand Slam champion when, aged 33 years and 263 days, she won Wimbledon in 1990 – a record that stood until Serena Williams’ victory last year.

The American won three major titles in her 30s, another record – alongside Margaret Court – until it was surpassed by current world number one Williams.

But, with multiple Grand Slam titles in the trophy cabinet and millions of pounds of prize money in the bank, what keeps the likes of Navratilova and the Williams sisters going?

“I still felt that I could play better tennis, was still learning about the sport and just the love of it,” said Navratilova, who retired from the singles tour shortly after her 1994 final defeat by Conchita Martinez.

“That’s obviously coming through with Venus. When you see that smile on her face after winning, it lights up the whole court.

“You know your time is running out – I knew 1994 was my last Wimbledon, Venus might still be here for many more years – but you don’t have many more opportunities.

“She’s enjoying herself.”

‘You play smarter in your 30s’

So the fire stays in the belly of these great champions, according to Navratilova. But there is one opponent they cannot beat – the ageing process.

“Everything gets slower when you get older. Your legs, your mind and it takes longer to get ready,” Navratilova said.

“So you have to get smarter. And that’s what Venus is doing.

“Against quarter-final opponent Yaroslava Shvedova she had 15 winners and 12 unforced errors. They are numbers of a veteran who knows what they are doing and when to pull the trigger.

“Older players play safe within their ability. Venus is managing her energy and managing her winners/unforced errors percentage very well.

“It is maturity and knowing what your limits are.”

What makes a perfect Wimbledon champion?

Another all-Williams final?

Few would have predicted an all-Williams final at the start of the tournament. Now their first meeting in a Grand Slam final since Wimbledon 2009 is a possibility.

Serena must beat unseeded Russian Elena Vesnina, who had never even reached a Grand Slam quarter-final until this week, while Australian Open champion Kerber stands in Venus’ path.

“It’s hard to go against the Williams sisters both reaching the final because they have been there so many times,” Navratilova said.

“Serena is the huge favourite to win the whole thing when she gets this far in a Grand Slam.

“She seems to get better and better as a tournament goes on and you cannot go against her.”

Kerber, 28, has a 3-2 advantage over Venus Williams in their head-to-head record, although the American won their last meeting at the Montreal Open in 2014.

“For Venus, a lot of balls will be coming back from Kerber, but it is Venus’ match to win or lose,” Navratilova said.

“If she plays well enough she will definitely win the match. But Kerber is playing her best tennis since the Australian Open.

“I’d say maybe a slight edge to Venus.”

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Top Seeds Advance To SFs, Bryans Ousted

Posted: Jul 06, 2016

Top Seeds Advance To SFs, Bryans Ousted

Jul062016

All-French team top Murray/Soares

Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin ousted third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(11), 6-7(1), 10-8 on Wednesday to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals. The French duo could not capitalise on their three match point opportunities – at 6/5, 8/7 and 11/10 – in the third-set tie-break as the British/Brazilian pair stretched the match to a fourth set. Finally in the fifth set, Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin broke for a 9-8 lead before closing out victory to love. The unseeded team saved five of the six break points they faced to prevail in a lengthy four-hour, 30-minute battle.

Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin next face No. 11 seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram, who topped three-time Wimbledon champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 7-6(2), 6-1, 7-6(4). Klaasen and Ram did not face a break point and capitalised on both of their own break chances to reach the final four in one hour and 43 minutes.

Top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut needed four sets to reach the last four. The French pair beat No. 10 seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(8), saving six of the seven break points they faced to reach the semi-finals.

With the win by Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin, Mahut will return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings on Monday.

Herbert and Mahut next face Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi, the No. 12 seeds, who beat former Wimbledon doubles champion Jonathan Marray and his partner, Adil Shamasdin, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3. Mirnyi, who was celebrating his 39^th birthday, and his partner hit 11 winners, eight of them aces, en route to the semi-finals.

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Wimbledon 2016: Murray through to semis after Tsonga slog

Posted: Jul 06, 2016

Britain’s Andy Murray beats Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five sets 7-6 (12-10) 6-1 3-6 4-6 6-1, to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the seventh time.

READ MORE: Murray wins thriller to reach semis

WATCH MORE:Tough match against Tsonga – Murray

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Murray Outlasts Tsonga To Move Into Wimbledon SFs

Posted: Jul 06, 2016

Murray Outlasts Tsonga To Move Into Wimbledon SFs

Jul062016

Scot will face Berdych for the 15th time

Andy Murray overcame a fiery Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(10), 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1 in almost four hours on Wednesday to sprint into the Wimbledon semi-finals, where he’ll be the favourite to reach his third final at the All-England Club.

Watch Murray vs Tsonga Highlights (not available in UK, USA, South America, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Australia)

Murray will face Czech Tomas Berdych, who swept first-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist Lucas Pouille 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2. Murray leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 8-6, including their past four meetings, but the two have never played on grass. Berdych also reached the Wimbledon final in 2010.

“He’s a big guy who serves well. When he’s dictating the points, he hits a big, big ball,” Murray said. “Ideally, I don’t want to have him dictating all of the points because then I’ll be doing a lot of running.”

Murray looked like he’d waltz into his seventh Wimbledon semi-final and continue his perfect sets record this fortnight. The Scot grabbed a tight first set on his fourth opportunity and denied Tsonga three set point chances. The Frenchman didn’t regroup in time for the second, either, and Murray dashed to a two-set lead, pushing his Wimbledon set record to 14-0.

Tsonga responded strongly in the third and fourth sets, though. He blasted winners from both sides and landed a high percentage of first serves. The 31 year old hit 14 winners and 15 winners in the third and fourth sets, respectively, compared to three in the second set. He also won nearly 80 per cent of his first-serve points in the third and fourth sets, compared to just 57 per cent in the second set.

You May Also Like: Berdych Breezes Into Final Four Over Pouille

Tsonga broke Murray at 2-1 to take the third set. In the fourth set, Murray was serving at 4-all, 40/40 when Tsonga belted a run-around forehand winner and a backhand pass for the break. The two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist held to 15 to even the match at two sets apiece, and the Centre Court crowd roar had been muted.

“Jo played great,” Murray said. “He was serving well. He was returning very well. He was mixing the pace up, playing with a lot of variety, coming forward, hitting his forehand big. He came up with some great passing shots.”

A comeback was not unforeseeable. Tsonga had overcome a 0-2 sets deficit four times in his career, including earlier this fortnight. In the third round, Tsonga beat American John Isner 6-7(3), 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 19-17.

But Murray would not be denied in the fifth set. He stepped into the court more often and continued to encourage the British crowd. The second seed overcame a break point in the first game and minutes later was up 4-0. “To get that [first] hold and just be ahead again was big,” Murray said. “I was up 4-2 [in the fourth set], had lost four games in a row at that point. Pretty much all of them were tough, tough games to lose.”

The 2013 Wimbledon champion sealed the five-set win with an ace and fist pump of relief.

“I came back strong in the third and fourth, but I didn’t play well in the fifth,” Tsonga said. “Andy was a little better than me in the last set.”

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Federer Escapes, Moves Into Wimbledon SF

Posted: Jul 06, 2016

Federer Escapes, Moves Into Wimbledon SF

Jul062016

Seven-time champion will face Raonic in SF

Roger Federer has climbed back into his Wimbledon quarter-final contest against Marin Cilic, staving off three match points to force a decider on Centre Court on Wednesday 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9).

The two played an enthralling fourth-set tie-break that saw Federer save one match point and Cilic erase four set points. But the seven-time Wimbledon champion evened the contest on his serve.

It was a back-and-forth tie-break in which Federer led 6-4 and both players showed resolve to push it to 20 points. Now Federer will try to continue his comeback and achieve what has never happened: Cilic is 51-0 at Grand Slam championships when taking the first two sets. Coming back from two sets down is familiar to Federer, though. He’s done it nine times in his career.

In the third set, Federer stayed in the match by breaking the Croat for the first time when Cilic double faulted on break point at 3-4 in the third. The Swiss star then served out the set. During the first two sets, Federer had been 0 for 3 on break points.

For the first two sets, Cilic had been pushing Federer around the court, often landing a first serve in the 125 miles per hour range and seizing play with a directed groundstroke. He won 87 per cent of his first-serve points during the first two sets. At 3-all in the third set, the 6’6″ right-hander also had three break points to go up 4-3. But Federer reeled off five straight points and has continued that momentum.

Both players have looked to practise quick-strike tennis during their seventh FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. Strong first serve, aggressive next shot. Cilic was dictating play in the beginning, often looking untouchable. But Federer has picked up his play, serving and volleying and charging the net more often against the Croat. The fan favourite also has used the crowd to his benefit.

You May Also Like: Raonic Puts On Serving Clinic Over Querrey

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Jamie Murray out of doubles in second five-set epic

Posted: Jul 06, 2016

Wimbledon on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 27 June-10 July
Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with more on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for more details

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares have been knocked out of the men’s doubles in five sets by French duo Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

The Australian Open champions fought back from two sets down but lost the quarter-final 6-4 6-4 6-7 (11-13) 6-7 (1-7) 10-8 in four and a half hours.

Briton Murray and his Brazilian partner, seeded third, had saved three match points in the third set.

They had won their last-16 tie 16-14 in the fifth and final set.

Murray lost in the final last year with then partner John Peers.

Three-time champions Bob and Mike Bryan, seeded second, were beaten 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 7-6 (7-4) by Raven Klassem and Rajeev Ram, who face Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin in the semi-finals.

Briton Jonathan Marray, who won the Wimbledon men’s doubles in 2012, and Canadian partner Adil Shamasdin lost 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 to 12th seeds Max Mirnyi and Treat Huey.

They will play top seeds Pierre Hugues-Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in the last four after the Frenchmen overcame Henri Kontinen and Peers 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (10-8).

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'Balance a weakness but I can be a top-five player'

Posted: Jul 06, 2016

Wimbledon on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 27 June-10 July
Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with more on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for more details

A British teenager with a rare condition that left her without two fingers and three toes says it will not stop her becoming a top tennis player.

Francesca Jones, 15, was born with Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia and faces issues with balance, and gripping her racquet.

Jones lost in round two of Wimbledon’s junior tournament this week.

“I know I have the level of a top-five player so I’m just going to go for it,” she said.

Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia is caused by a mutated gene, and Jones has had three operations this year alone.

“If I have to do the operations again, I’ll do them again,” she said. “Everything’s mental and everything’s work, so if you keep at it then eventually it’s going to work out for you.”

When Jones started playing tennis, she needed special handles fitted to her racquet.

At the age of nine she decided to move to a tennis academy in Barcelona and was number four in the world at under-14 level.

“I got to the point where I thought with my condition, I could have a massive point that I could prove here to people, that willpower and determination is everything in life,” she added.

“I have three toes on my right foot which is obviously my dominant foot, so balance had always been a weakness of mine.

“As I matured, as I got older, I have just worked on that day in, day out.”

After a “disappointing” 6-4 5-7 1-6 defeat by fifth seed Kayla Jones in the singles, Jones is competing in the Wimbledon girls’ doubles with Ali Collins.

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