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Preview: Can Murray Rally Centre Court Again Vs Shapovalov?

  • Posted: Jul 02, 2021

From having fans cheering in the stands to having strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, tennis is taking nothing for granted amid the pandemic. Witnessing former World No. 1 Andy Murray fighting tooth and nail for an epic comeback on Centre Court felt like a comforting slice of normalcy on Wednesday night. But will the two-time former champion be recovered in time for his next big test as Day 5 dawns at SW19?

Murray is set to face 22-year-old Denis Shapovalov, the 10th seed, in the last match on Centre Court for a spot in the fourth round. Shapovalov has been going from strength to strength during the grass-court swing, reaching the quarter-finals in Stuttgart and semi-finals at The Queen’s Club.

Shapovalov will also come into the matchup rested and ready: While Murray was locked into a fifth set against qualifier Oscar Otte, the Canadian was watching from the comfort of the hotel after receiving a walkover from Pablo Andujar (rib injury) to move into the third round. 

“Honestly just as a tennis fan, it was fun to watch,” Shapovalov said of Murray’s 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 comeback. “[As] a fan of Andy’s, to see him back and moving so well, especially those last two sets, how he turned it around… It felt like he was the player that he was a couple of years back. It was really exciting to see.”

Along with his years of experience at Wimbledon and his never-say-die determination, Murray will have one other big weapon in his arsenal against Shapovalov in their first ATP Head2Head: the Centre Court crowd. They have willed him over the finish line many times in the past, and will be sure to give Shapovalov a debut to remember on this court.

 

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With the Centre Court crowd firmly behind him, Murray has already pulled off one improbable comeback during the fortnight. On Friday evening, he will be counting on them again… each and every single one of them.

“I picked a few people in the crowd and was basically staring at them pretty much after every point and trying to just engage with them,” Murray said after his win over Otte. “The crowd created a great atmosphere, but I think I was also engaging them and we were feeding off each other a lot at the end.

“I hope the fans like it and don’t think that it’s a bit weird that I’m sort of staring at them and screaming at them for like an hour, but they seem to enjoy it, as well.”

 

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Also in action on Day 5, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will headline No. 1 Court action as he meets Denis Kudla at a Grand Slam for the third time in their ATP Head2Head. Djokovic did not drop a set against the American, No. 114 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, when they faced off at Wimbledon or the US Open in 2019. 

Djokovic, who lifted the trophy here in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019, is aiming for his third consecutive Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy. A victory at the end of the fortnight would secure an all-time record tying 20th Grand Slam crown – and tighten his grip on the pole position in the battle for year-end No. 1.  

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Elsewhere at the All England Club, fifth seed Andrey Rublev will take on 26th seed Fabio Fognini on No. 3 Court. The Italian owns the 5-2 ATP Head2Head edge over Rublev, but all of their meetings have taken place on hard and clay courts. The Russian, who won their most recent match at the ATP Cup en route to Russia’s victory, will be high on confidence on grass after reaching his first final on the surface last week in Halle.

Ninth seed Diego Schwartzman and 22nd seed Daniel Evans will also feature on Day 5, as Stefanos Tsitsipas makes his return to the All England Club for doubles with brother Petros Tsitsipas. 

Click Here For Full Day 5 Order Of Play.

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Cam Conundrum: Will British Fans Cheer For Or Against Federer?

  • Posted: Jul 01, 2021

Roger Federer is a beloved figure around the world. No matter what tournament you attend, fans passionately cheer for the 39-year-old Swiss. But while the eight-time Wimbledon champion appreciates the support, he does not take it for granted. The 103-time tour-level titlist says that if he were in the fans’ shoes, he might not cheer for the favourite.

“I never really walk out and expect everybody to be for me, to be honest. I’m a little bit the same. Sometimes I like the underdog,” Federer said. “You want to see a close match, too. It does go in phases. When you see another guy hit great shots, I hope they applaud the guy. You want the atmosphere to be there.”

The 20-time major winner, who defeated French veteran Richard Gasquet in straight sets on Thursday to reach the third round at The Championships, has put himself in the fans’ shoes. Would he want the favourite to always come out on top?

“If it’s sort of one way only, it’s also not what it’s supposed to be,” Federer said. “I think you applaud in tennis the good shots, the good plays. Eventually when it gets really, really tight, down to the wire, that is where you see who people are cheering for.”

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Photo Credit: AELTC/Ben Solomon
Federer believes that because he is well-known throughout the world after more than two decades of success, some fans automatically are on his side. But he would not mind if fans take his opponent’s side. In the third round, he will play home favourite Cameron Norrie.

“Not everybody in particular has to be for me,” Federer said. “At the end of the day, you have to focus on your game. If the crowd gets into it, it’s good, even if it’s maybe for him. Let’s see what happens.

“The worst is if there’s a lot of people sitting there but there’s no noise. On Centre Court you always have a guaranteed good atmosphere regardless if they are for or against you. So that’s why I think for me it’s such a wonderful court to play on.”

On paper, Federer’s victory against Richard Gasquet was ordinary. But could it be the win that opens the door for the Swiss to find the level to push deep into the fortnight?

“What I was able to do today gives you a lot of confidence,” Federer said. “You can start to play so much more freely.”

After Gasquet forced a first-set tie-break, Federer took full control of the match and he hit 32 winners to just 13 unforced errors the rest of the way.

“I thought it was a good match. I was actually very happy with my [Daniel] Evans match this year, the [Marin] Cilic match in Paris was good for me, too,” Federer said. “I think this one is up there with the top three. I think it was a nice match back for me.”

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Federer Sweeps Past Gasquet For Third-Round Berth

  • Posted: Jul 01, 2021

Eight-time former champion Roger Federer moved up through the gears on Thursday as he became the oldest player in 46 years to reach the third round of The Championships.

The sixth-seeded Swiss recorded his 19th victory in 21 matches against Richard Gasquet of France 7-6(1), 6-1, 6-4 on Centre Court over one hour and 51 minutes.

Federer, the oldest player to reach the Wimbledon third round since Australia’s Ken Rosewall, aged 40, in 1975, extended his sets-winning streak to 27 in a row against Gasquet, who last beat the Swiss at the 2011 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.

The 39-year-old Federer, who is building his grass-court form after losing in the NOVENTI OPEN second round to Felix Auger-Aliassime two weeks ago, will next face British 29th seed Cameron Norrie for the first time at tour-level on Saturday.

Federer has a 103-13 match record at the All England Club and is attempting to break a tie with Rafael Nadal for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam championship crown.

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In a nervous start for both players on Centre Court, it wasn’t until the tie-break that Federer, who struck 18 winners in the first set, got into full flow. Gasquet, who had performed well, hit his second double fault to conclude the 49-minute set.

Gasquet struck a 112mph backhand winner down the line off a Federer smash to go up 40/0 in the second game of the second set. But that triggered an immediate response and Federer got to a 5-0 advantage, and later hit a sixth ace to clinch the set.

Federer continued to threaten Gasquet’s serve in the third set, finally breaking through after the Frenchman mis-timed a backhand drop shot at 3-3. Gasquet saved a match point at 3-5, 30/40 with a fine forehand approach and easy put-away. But minutes later Federer struck his 50th winner – an ace – to complete his victory.

Gasquet, 35, is a two-time semi-finalist at Wimbledon, losing in the last four in 2007 (l. to Federer) and 2015 (l. to Djokovic).

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