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12 Things To Watch At Wimbledon

  • Posted: Jul 03, 2017

12 Things To Watch At Wimbledon

An executive summary of what every fan should know about the coming fortnight at SW19

1) Battle for No. 1: Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic will battle at Wimbledon to be World No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 17 July. Nadal must reach the fourth round, while Wawrinka and Djokovic must win the title for a chance at unseating Murray from No. 1. Among the scenarios, four certainties exist for Murray, Nadal, Wawrinka and Djokovic:

– Murray will remain No. 1 by reaching his fourth Wimbledon final.

– Nadal will return to No. 1 by reaching his sixth Wimbledon final.

– Wawrinka will debut at No. 1 by winning his first Wimbledon title.

– Djokovic will return to No. 1 by winning his fourth Wimbledon title, but only if both Murray and Nadal lose before the semi-finals.

2) Roger Eyes Record: Seven-time champion Roger Federer is bidding to become the greatest champion in Wimbledon history by breaking a tie with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw for the most titles at the All England Club.

Federer returns for his 20th straight Wimbledon appearance dating back to his junior singles and doubles titles in 1998. The Swiss is also six aces shy of 10,000 for his career – not including Davis Cup and the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.

3) Quite the Quartet: The Big Four of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray has swept the past 14 Wimbledon titles. Since Nadal won 2005 Roland Garros, the quartet has accounted for 44 of 49 Grand Slam titles (90 per cent).

Wawrinka (3), Juan Martin del Potro (1) and Marin Cilic (1) are the only other Grand Slam champions in the past 12 years. Cilic, 28, is the youngest player with a Grand Slam title, while 2016 Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic, 26, is the youngest to have reached a Grand Slam final.

Four men with multiple Wimbledon titles are in the draw for the first time since 1992: Federer (7), Djokovic (3), Murray (2) and Nadal (2). In 1992, the players with multiple titles were Boris Becker (3), John McEnroe (3), Jimmy Connors (2) and Stefan Edberg (2).

4) Top-Seeded Brit: The reigning champion Murray is the first British No. 1 seed at Wimbledon since Bunny Austin in 1939. Murray reached the Roland Garros semi-finals, but lost his opening match at Rome and the Aegon Championships in his only two title defences thus far this season. He meets lucky loser Alexander Bublik in his opener on Monday. Murray is 0-2 against lucky losers in 2017.

5) Nadal, Federer on Fire: Nadal and Federer lead the tour with four titles this season, each winning one Grand Slam, two ATP World Tour Masters 1000s and one ATP World Tour 500. Neither has ever won the Australian Open and Roland Garros in the same year.

However, this is fifth year in which Nadal and Federer have combined to win in Melbourne and Paris (2006-07, 2009-10, 2017). Either Federer (2006-07, 2009) or Nadal (2010) went on to win the Wimbledon title in all four prior instances.

6) Tale of Two Rafas: From 2006 through 2011, Nadal reached the Wimbledon final in five consecutive appearances, winning the title in 2008 and 2010. However, he failed to reach the quarter-finals from 2012 through 2015 before missing the event in 2016 due to a left wrist injury.

Nadal’s past four losses at Wimbledon came to No. 102 Dustin Brown, No. 144 Nick Kyrgios, No. 135 Steve Darcis and No. 100 Lukas Rosol. He meets No. 137 John Millman on Monday.

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7) Stan Eyes Career Slam: No. 5 seed Stan Wawrinka would become the oldest first-time No. 1 in ATP World Tour history and complete a career Grand Slam by winning Wimbledon. The two-time quarter-finalist is one of five men in the Open Era to capture every Grand Slam title except Wimbledon. The others are Ivan Lendl, Ken Rosewall, Guillermo Vilas and Mats Wilander

8) Historic Run: Djokovic entered 2016 Wimbledon as the first man to win four consecutive Grand Slam singles titles since Rod Laver in 1969. However, Djokovic’s 30-match win streak at Grand Slams ended with a third-round loss to Sam Querrey.

Djokovic won the Eastbourne title on Saturday against Gael Monfils. He will try to become the first player to win ATP and Grand Slam titles in consecutive tournament weeks since Patrick Rafter swept Long Island and the US Open in 1998.

9) Lopez Rolling at 35: Feliciano Lopez leads all players with nine wins in 10 matches on grass this season, capturing the biggest title of his career at the Aegon Championships one week after reaching the Stuttgart final. The 35-year-old Spaniard is appearing in his 62nd straight Grand Slam main draw. Federer holds the all-time record at 65, a streak that ended at 2016 Roland Garros.

10) Sascha Seeks Breakthrough: Alexander Zverev, who was born in 1997, beat Djokovic at Rome on 21 May to become the first Masters 1000, Nitto ATP Finals or Grand Slam champion born after 1988. The No. 10 seed, however, has not reached the fourth round in eight prior Grand Slam appearances. Zverev and his older brother, No. 27 seed Mischa Zverev, are the first brothers to be seeded at Wimbledon since No. 4 Sandy Mayer and No. 6 Gene Mayer in 1982.

11) #NextGenATP Watch: The field features 14 #NextGenATP players, who were born in 1996 or later and have broken into the Top 200. Zverev leads the way with an 1,835-point lead in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan. The Top 7 finishers in the race will qualify for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in November. Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who won the 2016 Wimbledon junior title, is the youngest player in the draw at 18. Former World No. 2 Tommy Haas, 39, is the oldest.

12) Doubles No. 1: As in singles, there is a race at Wimbledon for World No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings. Current No. 1 Henri Kontinen and former No. 1s Marcelo Melo and Jamie Murray could leave the All England Club atop the rankings. Among the scenarios:

– Kontinen will remain No. 1 if he and John Peers reach the final.

– Melo will return to No. 1 if he and Lukasz Kubot reach the final.

– Murray will return to No. 1 if he and Bruno Soares win the title, but only if Kontinen/Peers lose before the semi-finals and Kubot/Melo lose before the final.

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Wimbledon 2017: Andy Murray to begin defence on Monday

  • Posted: Jul 02, 2017
Wimbledon 2017 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July Starts: 11:30 BST
Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for full times.

Britain’s Andy Murray will open Centre Court play on Monday as he attempts to make history once again at the 131st Wimbledon Championships.

The Scot, 30, begins his title defence against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in the first round at 13:00 BST.

Murray, who is fit following a hip injury, hopes to match fellow Briton Fred Perry as a three-time champion.

British number one Johanna Konta is also in action on day one, along with Venus Williams and Rafael Nadal.

Defending women’s champion Serena Williams is absent as she awaits the birth of her first child.

The weather forecast for the early days of the tournament suggests little or no rain but play is guaranteed on Centre Court thanks to the roof, which has been in place since 2009.

  • Monday’s order of play
  • Podcast: Can Murray defend the title?
  • BBC coverage times and channels

Court One will be even more open to the elements than usual this year as work has begun on installing a roof there in time for the 2019 Championships.

The earliest places in the famous queue for tickets were taken 48 hours before play starts by those prepared to camp out.

Approaching half a million spectators will pass through the gates of the All England Club across the 13 days of play – and they will consume 28,000kg of strawberries and 10,000 litres of cream along the way.

And after 647 matches, the two singles champions will walk away with record prize money of £2.2m – double the winners’ cheques of just six years ago – while first-round losers will take home £35,000.

‘A few more nerves’ for Murray while Konta ‘much better’

Much of the focus will again fall on Murray, who hopes at add to his victories of 2013 and 2016, having overcome the worst of a hip injury he suffered in the build-up.

He will carry the burden of knowing his number one ranking is under threat from Nadal, Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic, as well as trying to retain his title.

“I don’t feel like I’m coming in trying to defend something,” said Murray.

“I’m going out there trying to win Wimbledon again. I want to try to win the competition.

“Maybe it adds a little bit of extra pressure. Maybe a few more nerves, especially at this Slam with the way the scheduling is, that you’re the first one out there on Centre Court.

“You feel like you’re opening up the tournament a little bit, and that adds a few more nerves.

“But I feel OK. I’ve felt fairly calm the last few days, considering how I’ve been feeling.”

Konta, 26, has her highest ever seeding at a Grand Slam at sixth, but she too is on the mend after injuring her spine in a heavy fall at Eastbourne on Thursday.

“It’s much better,” she said. “Definitely it was medically the right decision to not continue playing in Eastbourne, to give my body that chance to recover.

“It was a bit of a traumatic fall on the body.”

Federer favourite to land eighth title

While both Murray and Konta have serious ambitions for the next two weeks, Switzerland’s seven-time champion Roger Federer and Czech players Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova are the favourites for the men’s and women’s titles.

Federer, 35, is trying to win a record eighth Wimbledon title and his first since 2012, and has enjoyed a superb 2017 that began with victory at the Australian Open – his 18th Grand Slam title.

He skipped the entire clay-court season, taking a 10-week break that leaves him fresh for the challenge of Wimbledon.

“That was the decision for me – no compromise really,” said Federer, who would surpass Pete Sampras with an eighth title.

“To give myself the best chance for the grass, so I would never look back and have regrets once I came here.”

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Kvitova, 27, is playing only the third tournament back since suffering a career-threatening injury to her hand during a knife attack at her home in December.

She will follow Murray onto Centre Court when she takes on Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, with Swiss fifth seed Stan Wawrinka then up against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.

Five-time champion Venus Williams opens play on Court One against Belgian Elise Mertens.

Nadal is fully fit and looks like a title contender once again, having last won Wimbledon in 2010, and the Spaniard follows Williams in his match against Australian John Millman.

Konta completes the line-up on Wimbledon’s second show court when she plays Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan.

  • Take on the legends in our interactive game
  • Wimbledon 2017 – all you need to know

Seven Britons play on day one

Britain has 12 players involved in the singles draws – four through their ranking, seven offered wildcards and one, world number 855 Alex Ward, having come through qualifying.

Jamie Murray and Brazil’s Bruno Soares are seeded third for the men’s doubles, while Gordon Reid, Alfie Hewett and Jordanne Whiley defend their wheelchair titles.

Seven Britons are in singles action on day one: Murray, Konta, Heather Watson, Naomi Broady, Laura Robson, Aljaz Bedene and Cameron Norrie.

Alex Ward and compatriot Kyle Edmund are sure to carry plenty of support when they meet on Tuesday.

Other Britons in action
Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) v Laura Robson (GB)
Naomi Broady (GB) v Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania)
Maryna Zanevska (Belgium) v Heather Watson (GB)
12-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) v Cameron Norrie (GB)
Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) v Aljaz Bedene (GB)
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Wimbledon 2017: Andy Murray says he is fit to play despite hip injury

  • Posted: Jul 02, 2017
Wimbledon 2017 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July Starts: 11:30 BST
Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for full times.

World number one Andy Murray says he will be fit to defend his Wimbledon title, despite struggling with a hip injury.

The Briton, 30, picked up the problem earlier this week and was hobbling during practice sessions at the All England Club.

Murray plays Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in Monday’s opening match on Centre Court at 13:00 BST.

“I’ll be fine to play the event and play seven matches,” the Scot said.

“If I feel like I am today, I’d be delighted and have no issues getting through.

“If necessary, I can take some anti-inflammatories if my hip flares up. Hopefully that’s not the case.”

A little bit like at the French Open, where maybe I didn’t come in as well-prepared, I still found a way with each match to feel a bit better, and built confidence each day

Andy Murray

Murray pulled out of two exhibition matches last week and missed three days of practice, preferring instead to rest the injury and work with his physio.

“It’s been sore for a little while now and with each day that I was practising it was feeling a little bit worse,” Murray told the BBC. “It was hampering my movement and therefore I wasn’t getting things out of my practice session.

“Obviously I would have liked to have trained the whole week and got a couple of exhibition matches but the positive from it is that I’m fresh.

“I certainly haven’t played too much tennis – but I’m certainly going to have to work my way into the tournament. I’m probably not going to come out and play great straight off the bat.

“It’s just a little bit stressful. Right before the biggest tournament of the year for me as a Brit, you want to be out there practising, and I haven’t been in that position before really.”

Murray has visibly struggled at times between points since returning to practising at Wimbledon under the watchful eyes of coaches Ivan Lendl and Jamie Delgado.

However, the two-time Wimbledon champion believes his recent run to the semi-finals at the French Open sets an encouraging precedent.

“The last few days have been very good,” Murray said.

“Practice each day has got a little bit better. It’s been slightly stop-start preparations. But each day I’ve felt better.

“A little bit like at the French Open, where maybe I didn’t come in as well-prepared, I still found a way with each match to feel a bit better, and built confidence each day.

“So, you know, I’m hoping that’s the case here.”

Fellow British number one Johanna Konta has also been struggling with injury after a heavy fall in Eastbourne on Friday, but was practising apparently without issues at Wimbledon on Sunday.

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Battle Lines Drawn For No. 1 In Emirates ATP Rankings

  • Posted: Jul 02, 2017

Battle Lines Drawn For No. 1 In Emirates ATP Rankings

How four players fare will determine No. 1 post-Wimbledon

The battleground for No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings is beginning to take shape. The picture will become clearer over the next two weeks as to whether Andy Murray is to remain in top spot.

Here are the key scenarios for the four players in contention for No. 1 on 17 July, the Monday after Wimbledon concludes…

  • Andy Murray will remain No. 1 by reaching his fourth Wimbledon final;
  • Rafael Nadal will return to No. 1 by reaching his sixth Wimbledon final;
  • Stan Wawrinka will debut at No. 1 by winning his first Wimbledon title;
  • Novak Djokovic will return to No. 1 by winning his fourth Wimbledon title, but only if both Murray and Nadal lose before the semi-finals.

Emirates ATP Rankings Points Totals On 17 July By Wimbledon Results

 

Winner

Final

SF

QF

R16

R32

R64

R128

Player

2000

1200

720

360

180

90

45

10

Murray, Andy GBR

9390

8590

8110

7750

7570

7480

7435

7400

Nadal, Rafael ESP

9285

8485

8005

7645

7465

7375

7330

7295

Wawrinka, Stan SUI

8130

7330

6850

6490

6310

6220

6175

6140

Djokovic, Novak SRB

7965

7165

6685

6325

6145

6055

6010

5975

World No. 1 Murray, who lost his opening match at last week’s Aegon Championships, where he had been the defending champion, currently has a 2,105 points lead over No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal (7,285) in the 52-week Emirates ATP Rankings. But the Scot has 2,000 points dropping off as defending champion at Wimbledon, which begins on 3 July.

So, with a two-week time horizon, Murray’s effective lead over the Spaniard is a mere 105 points.

Should Nadal perform well at SW19 and continue his strong run of form, which includes winning 24 of his past 25 matches, then there will be a battle royale for No. 1. The left-hander must reach at least the fourth round to have a chance of rising to No. 1. If seedings hold and Murray and Nadal meet in the semi-finals, the winner of that match will be No. 1 after Wimbledon.

Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon champion, does not have any points to defend through to mid-August. Last year, the Spaniard was forced out of tournaments that awarded Emirates ATP Rankings points, due to a left wrist injury, from 26 May to 17 August 2016.

Murray has spent the past 34 weeks at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings since first attaining the top spot on 7 November 2016. Nadal has spent a total of 141 weeks – in three separate stints – at No. 1, but was last at the summit of men’s professional tennis on 6 July 2014.

View Latest Emirates ATP Rankings

World No. 3 Wawrinka must win the title to have a chance of usurping No. 1. The Swiss, who has brought on board Paul Annacone, the former coach of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, for the 2017 grass-court swing, is defending just 45 points after a 2016 Wimbledon second-round exit. He is drawn in Murray’s quarter. Should Wawrinka win the title, it would mean that Murray could not advance beyond the quarters and Nadal could go no farther than the semis. Should Wawrinka meet Djokovic in the final, that match would decide No. 1.

Djokovic, who dropped out of the Top 2 on 12 June for the first time since 4 July 2011, on Saturday won the Aegon International in Eastbourne – his first ATP World Tour grass-court event prior to Wimbledon since 2010 London-Queen’s Club. 

While Djokovic will lose 90 points from his tally of 5,805 points for his 2016 Wimbledon third-round exit, like Wawrinka, the Serbian must win Wimbledon to stand a chance of returning to No. 1. For Djokovic to add to his 223 weeks at No. 1, he would have to win the title and have Murray and Nadal lose in the quarter-finals (or earlier).

While still in contention for year-end No. 1 honours, seven-time tournament champion Roger Federer cannot move into top spot after Wimbledon, despite capturing his ninth trophy at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle last week. 

Wimbledon’s grass is cut to eight millimetres, and by 17 July – when the post-Championships’ Emirates ATP Rankings are published, a similarly fine margin may be all that separates the contenders for No. 1.

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