Steve Johnson, the 2018 Infosys Hall of Fame Open champion, made a good start to his pursuit of a second Newport title on Monday.

The American defeated countryman Stefan Kozlov 7-5, 6-3 to reach the second round at the final tour-level grass-court event of the season.

“[My level was] decent when it needed to be decent and average when it needed to be better. I thought I played well at the end of sets, but there was a stretch there in the middle of both sets that I didn’t like the way I was playing and executing,” Johnson said. “But when you’re not doing that and you still get a win, that’s a good sign.”

This was the fourth time this year at all levels that Johnson and Kozlov have clashed. After Kozlov took the first two meetings, Johnson has now claimed two in a row, with both coming on grass.

“Glad to get a win today and try to put the first couple this year behind me,” Johnson said. “He plays a very awkward, tricky style game and he does it well.”

Another American also moved on when Jack Sock clawed past Moldovan Radu Albot 6-1, 7-6(2). Sock is chasing his first tour-level singles title since the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters.

“Definitely a tricky first match against a very solid opponent,” Sock said in his on-court interview. “But happy to get through.”

German Peter Gojowczyk, a 2017 Newport semi-finalist, eliminated Frenchman Ugo Humbert 7-5, 6-4. Gojowczyk entered the match with a 1-9 tour-level record on the season, but is now 6-2 at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open. He will try to improve that record in the second round against four-time champion John Isner, the second seed.

In an all-Australian battle, Jason Kubler ousted Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3 to set a clash against top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is making his Newport debut.

Top Seeds Advance In Doubles
Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo, the top seeds in the doubles draw, eased into the second round with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Serbian twins Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov.

Indian Ramkumar Ramanathan and Australian John-Patrick Smith upset second seeds Hans Hach Verdugo and Hunter Reese, while Americans Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson ousted Frenchmen Quentin Halys and Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.

While all eyes were on Wimbledon last week, three legends of the sport made an impact of their own away from the grass courts of the All England Club.

On 4 July, Roger Federer joined fellow Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award winner Richard Krajicek and wheelchair tennis icon Esther Vergeer for a clinic at Krajicek Playground Reigersbos in Amsterdam, providing a special day for children supported by the Krajicek Foundation and the Esther Vergeer Foundation.

“It was a pleasure playing tennis with all the children. Tennis has connected Esther, Richard and myself throughout our whole career, so I think it’s nice for us to stand on a court together and motivate and inspire the new generation of players,” Federer said. “It’s great that the Roger Federer Foundation, The Krajicek Foundation and Esther Vergeer Foundation are all connected through the Postcode Lottery.  I enjoyed myself a lot here in the Netherlands. And I hope I will see a future champion from here.  

“I want to congratulate Richard and Esther on everything they do with their foundation and also on their incredible careers.”

^{Photo Credit: Gilian van Twist}
The Krajicek Foundation serves vulnerable children in the Netherlands by helping them play sports in a safe environment. The Foundation, which received an ATP ACES For Charity grant in 2020, builds Krajicek Playgrounds to help create leaders who can make an impact on other children in their community.

“With my foundation we do everything we can to give children living in deprived urban areas the opportunity to do sports and play outside in a socially safe environment, close to home,” Krajicek said. “The fact that the National Postcode Lottery then makes it possible for Roger Federer to come along to give a clinic to those children is of course fantastic.”

The Esther Vergeer Foundation, which was launched in 2004, introduces children with disabilities to sports. As part of the clinic, children in wheelchairs got to rally with Vergeer, Federer and Krajicek.

“The Esther Vergeer Foundation helps children with a physical disability to play sports at a regular club. As a result, they learn to deal with their disability, their self-confidence grows and they are stronger in society,” Vergeer said. “So cool that with this special tennis clinic with Roger Federer we were able to show a large audience what sports can do. It was an incredibly beautiful day for us, but especially unforgettable for the children. Great that this has been made possible by the Postcode Lottery.”

Former Canadian player Peter Burwash, one of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs and coaches, passed away last Thursday (7 July) aged 77.

Burwash earned a physical education degree at the University of Toronto, where he played both ice hockey and tennis. He won 19 singles and doubles titles as a touring tennis pro from 1968 to 1975, when he founded Peter Burwash International (PBI), a leading tennis management company.

Burwash, one of the Association of Tennis Professional founders in 1972, went on to introduce new standards to the teaching industry as an original USTPA Master Professional member. Burwash and his coaching team worked with the likes of Venus and Serena Williams, Leander Paes, Greg Rusedski and Sebastien Lareau.

Burwash also used his experience as a motivational speaker to influence the health, hospitality, business and travel industries. He worked as a colour television commentator for CBC and TSN, was a CBS radio host, contributed to Tennis magazine for 25 years and was the author of 13 books, ranging from tennis, aerobics and vegetarianism.

Burwash, who had been inducted into six Hall of Fames, passed away in his hometown of Carmel, California, and is survived by his wife, Lynn, and their daughters Kimberley and Skyler.

Peter Burwash, tennis player, coach and manager, born 10 February 1945, died 7 July 2022.

With the 2022 edition of Wimbledon in the books, let’s relive some highlights through memorable quotes from The Championships. 

Who called first-time Grand Slam finalist Nick Kyrgios a “tennis genius”? Which WTA star – Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek or Serena Williams – mentioned that she’s always “rooting for Rafa”? Which American enjoyed a breakthrough win on the 4th of July?

Let’s find out how closely you followed the action at Wimbledon. Take this quiz, share your results and challenge your tennis friends!

Pablo Carreno Busta could not have asked for a much tougher first-round draw at the Nordea Open in Bastad on Monday, but the Spaniard found an impressive level to overcome 16-time tour-level titlist Stan Wawrinka at the ATP 250 event.

The fifth-seeded Carreno Busta claimed a break in each set to prevail 7-5, 6-4 in a high-quality encounter against the former World No. 3, who showed flashes of his trademark thunderous groundstrokes in just his sixth tour-level tournament since missing 13 months with a foot injury.

“It was a very tough match for me in the first round,” said Carreno Busta in his on-court interview. “Against Stan it is always very difficult to start the tournament, so I’m happy because I thought my level was good. I played very solid from the baseline. It was a bit difficult with the wind, but I thought my serve was very good throughout the match. It was very important to my game.”

Carreno Busta has endured a tough run on the clay of late, going 1-4 on the surface since reaching the final at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in April. Yet despite Wawrinka firing 10 aces and winning 90 per cent (27/30) of points behind his first serve to keep the Spaniard under pressure in Sweden, Carreno Busta was clinical in converting two of his six break point opportunities to triumph in one hour, 24 minutes.

It is Carreno Busta’s maiden ATP Head2Head victory against Wawrinka, whose three previous triumphs against the Spaniard included a semi-final victory at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Carreno Busta has reached the quarter-finals twice in four previous appearances in Bastad, and he will attempt to make that three from five in a second-round clash with countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Argentine qualifier Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Also on Monday, Laslo Djere produced an impressive all-around display to ease past #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti. The Serbian broke his opponent’s serve four times and dropped just six points behind his own first delivery on his way to a 6-3, 7-5 victory on tournament debut. Djere’s second-round opponent will be seventh seed Holger Rune or Swiss qualifier Marc-Andrea Huesler.

There was also opening-round success for the only Swede in the draw, Elias Ymer, who edged Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 7-6(5) in the pair’s first tour-level meeting. The 26-year-old wild card has now won his opening match four times in nine appearances at home in Bastad, but he will be looking to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in his next match against third seed Diego Schwartzman.

It was a familiar scene on Centre Court Sunday. Just moments after securing another Wimbledon title, the Serbian knelt down, pulled a piece of grass from the court and tasted his victory.

On this occasion, that bite was extra sweet. Djokovic claimed his first major title of the season and his 21st Grand Slam overall by defeating Nick Kyrgios in an exciting four-set final.

“Obviously over the moon with joy and happiness of experiencing this moment once again. I’ve said it many times, this tournament is extra special for me because it has been the first tournament that I’ve ever watched as a kid that got me to start playing tennis,” Djokovic said. “I don’t take any wins for granted, and particularly not [at] Wimbledon. In contrary, actually every time feels a bit different, special in its own way. Of course, having family and close people in my life here to share this victory with them, it was beautiful.”

This time one year ago, Djokovic earned his third major of the 2021 season and positioned himself for a run at the Grand Slam — lifting all four major trophies in a calendar year. Entering this edition of The Championships, however, he had only claimed one trophy for the season.

That did not spoil the Serbian’s confidence, though. The 35-year-old has now won four straight Wimbledon titles and has not lost a completed match at the tournament since the third round in 2016 against Sam Querrey.

“Coming into Wimbledon, I felt good for my tennis because I’ve won three titles in a row here prior to this year. I always liked playing on grass. I felt like each year I’ve been improving my tennis on grass,” Djokovic said. “I came off from Paris from a tough and also emotional loss against Nadal that obviously was disappointing. But Rome, Paris, I was already playing the tennis that I want to play, that puts me in a position to compete for the greatest titles.

“I liked my chance coming into Wimbledon. As I always am, I’m very inspired to play my best tennis in London.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovic-kyrgios-wimbledon-2022-final-brain-game

Read More From The Final
Kyrgios: ‘I Was Right There’ With Djokovic 
Brain Game: The Moment Djokovic Flipped The Final Against Kyrgios
Ivanisevic Praises Djokovic’s Win, Calls Kyrgios ‘Tennis Genius’

Kyrgios has proven a fan favourite around the world with his unpredictable game, which features everything from underarm serves to tweeners. But Djokovic had his own supporters who got behind him on Centre Court as he closed in on the trophy, which put him in a tie with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw for second-most Wimbledon men’s singles titles in history behind Roger Federer.

“I did definitely feel support and feel love from the crowd today, so I’m very grateful for that,” Djokovic said. “Obviously it’s not [a] secret that any player would like to have people backing him during the match because in the end of the day this could make a quite big difference with how you feel mentally. Definitely easier to overcome certain obstacles and situations in the match when you have people supporting you and being there for you.”

In the end, it was Djokovic’s experience that helped him over the line against Kyrgios, who put up a spirited effort in his first major final. The Serbian has appeared in 32 major championship matches, the most of any man in history. Kyrgios pointed to the 27-year-old’s composure as a key in the match, which the champion appreciated.

“I’m obviously thankful to him for praising my composure. I knew that that probably was one of the key elements today in order to win against him,” Djokovic said. “Not that he’s not composed, but he had never played in a Wimbledon final. We know that also he kind of has his ups and downs in the match. My experience of playing in this kind of occasion before could eventually decide or could help to my own advantage and favour.”

Rod Laver Arena, the centre court at the Australian Open, has been Djokovic’s most successful court — he has lifted the trophy at the season’s first major nine times after all. But having won seven of the past 11 editions of Wimbledon, the 35-year-old is proving more than comfortable on the hallowed lawns of Centre Court.

“The more you win, it’s logical the more confident, the more comfortable you feel out there every next time you step out on the court,” Djokovic said. “So the run keeps going. I feel very connected with this court and with this tournament, without a doubt.”

The longest rally had the biggest effect on the final outcome.

Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, turning around his fortunes early in the second set by finding his consistency and rhythm in a 23-shot rally when serving at 1-1, 30/30. It was the longest point of the match, and the exact tonic Djokovic needed to reinvigorate his game after dropping the opening set. He won that long point and a 19-shot rally on the next point at 40/30.

Those two points were the dividing line in the match. They signaled exactly when the momentum shifted and where Djokovic took control of the match with his championship mojo. The following breakdown identifies the change in fortunes in extended rallies before this moment in time and after it.

Rallies Of 9+ Shots
First 8 Rallies (Up to 1-1, 30/30, Second set): Kyrgios won 7/Djokovic won 1
Rest Of The Match: Kyrgios won 3/Djokovic won 16

Djokovic’s confidence was suddenly brimming after hammering home his advantage in longer rallies, and he broke Kyrgios’ serve to love in the next game. It was the first time Djokovic had broken Kyrgios in just more than five sets of tennis, dating back to their two matches in 2017, which the Australian won. Breaking serve broke the focus and concentration of Kyrgios, whose body language became increasingly irritated for the remainder of the match.

Djokovic only won 36 per cent (4/11) of all rallies that went five shots or longer in the opening set, but that escalated to 63 per cent (36/57) over the remaining three sets as Djokovic figured out it was far better to grind with Kyrgios than go toe-to-toe with him playing first-strike tennis.

Djokovic craved baseline exchanges and his winning percentage from the back of the court proves his plan worked to perfection.

Baseline Points Won
Djokovic: 63% (61/97)
Kyrgios: 33% (33/100)

Djokovic won almost double (61-33) the number of points when he finished the point at the back of the court compared to Kyrgios. His primary target was to go after Kyrgios’ forehand out wide in the Deuce court, breaking it down by making the Australian repeatedly have to hit his forehand on the run. Djokovic only committed 14 forehand errors for the match, while Kyrgios notched 41.

It is important to note that the final, like most matches on Tour, was not won by the player that hit the most winners. The following breakdown speaks to the reality of taking titles on the world’s biggest stage.

Total Winners
Djokovic: 46
Kyrgios: 63

Total Errors
Djokovic: 50
Kyrgios: 86

As Djokovic’s groundstroke game blossomed, that success spilled over to other areas of his game, particularly with his first serve.

Djokovic First-Serve Points Won
First Two Sets: 74% (29/39)
Last Two Sets: 92% (33/36)

The Serbian only lost three points behind his first serve in 11 service games in the last two sets. Once he got his teeth into the match by winning the 23 and 19-shot rallies early in the second set, it felt like a light switch had been flipped. Until then, Djokovic had been mostly reacting to the heat Kyrgios was throwing at him with big serves and aggressive net play. After that, Djokovic was the more confident and positive player, running Kyrgios side to side from the back of the court.

The two long rallies settled Djokovic’s game and gave him a pathway forward for his fourth straight Wimbledon title and 21st Grand Slam trophy overall.