Djokovic ‘pain free’ ahead of Wimbledon after Medvedev exhibition win

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic smiles at Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz during a warm up session on center court at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in west London on Jun. 27, 2024, the week before the Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament is due to start on July 1. (AFP)

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Updated 28 June 2024

AFP

June 28, 2024 22:53

Djokovic ‘pain free’ ahead of Wimbledon after Medvedev exhibition win

The 37-year-old took his place in the draw for Wimbledon, which starts on Monday, with Djokovic, seeded two, taking on 123rd-ranked Vit Kopriv of the Czech Republic
“I can tell you that I enjoyed myself really, really much today,” said Djokovic

Updated 28 June 2024

AFP

June 28, 2024 22:53

LONDON: Novak Djokovic proclaimed himself “pain free” after defeating Daniil Medvedev in an exhibition match on Friday ahead of Wimbledon.
Former world number one Djokovic, the seven-time Wimbledon champion, needed surgery earlier this month following a serious knee injury at the French Open.
But on Friday the 37-year-old took his place in the draw for Wimbledon, which starts on Monday, with Djokovic, seeded two, taking on 123rd-ranked Vit Kopriv of the Czech Republic at the grass-court Grand Slam.
Djokovic’s movement was not completely smooth in a 6-3, 6-4 win over Medvedev during an exhibition event at London’s Hurlingham Club, with the Serbian’s right knee strapped up. But he struck the ball crisply and served well.
“I can tell you that I enjoyed myself really, really much today,” said Djokovic afterwards. “I can tell you that pain-free tennis is the best tennis. I was pain-free and I’m really glad. It was a great test obviously against one of the best players in the world.
“I’ve played a couple of practice sets but I really wanted to test myself. The test was very successful so I’m obviously really glad. It’s been an intense three week after surgery, spending a lot of hours rehabbing.”
Djokovic, whose tally of 24 singles titles at Grand Slam tournaments is the most won by any man in tennis history, added: “I kind of always wanted to give myself a chance to be in London. I think my surgeon is here. He’s the MVP (most valuable player) for sure the last three weeks.
“I’m trying to take it day by day and see how far it goes.”
Djokovic was forced to pull out ahead of his quarter-final at the French Open against Casper Ruud after tearing the medial meniscus in his right knee.
He has since been looking to learn from fellow tennis players and athletes who have suffered similar injuries, including American Taylor Fritz, who faced a similar situation three years ago and recovered in time for Wimbledon.
“I asked him, I asked many athletes — (Stan) Wawrinka, (skier) Lindsey Vonn, (footballer) Zlatan Ibrahimovic — and they were all very kind to share some of their experiences and give me some contacts of people who could help me out,” said Djokovic.

‘I wish I could play forever’ says tearful Murray at Wimbledon farewell

Updated 05 July 2024

AFP

July 05, 2024 00:32

‘I wish I could play forever’ says tearful Murray at Wimbledon farewell

Updated 05 July 2024

AFP

July 05, 2024 00:32

LONDON: Andy Murray suffered a losing start in his farewell to Wimbledon on Thursday, weeping openly in front of his adoring fans before admitting: “I wish I could play forever.”

Murray, a two-time singles champion at Wimbledon, and brother Jamie were defeated 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 by Rinky Hijikata and John Peers of Australia in the first round of men’s doubles.

It was the first episode of a retirement three-parter — the 37-year-old is scheduled to play mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon before he retires at the Paris Olympics.

After having a metal hip inserted in 2019, suffering ankle damage this year and undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from his spine which ruled him out of singles at Wimbledon, Murray has reluctantly accepted the writing is on the wall.

His career has yielded three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic golds, a Davis Cup and the world number one ranking.

“Look it’s hard because I would love to keep playing but I can’t. Physically it is too tough now, all of the injuries, they have added up and they haven’t been insignificant,” he said.

“I want to play forever, I love the sport and it’s given me so much. It’s taught me loads of lessons over the years I can use for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop so it is hard.”

Tears flowed when video tributes were paid to Murray by a number of stars including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Career-long rival Novak Djokovic was courtside to witness Murray’s emotional evening in the spotlight.

“It was obviously really special to play with Jamie,” added Murray.

“We never got chance to do it before (at Wimbledon) and the way things worked out, there was a chance.

“It was a bit of a race to get out here. Physically it wasn’t easy but I am glad we did it.”

Murray received a standing ovation when he walked onto Center Court alongside his brother, older by 15 months and a winner of two Grand Slam men’s doubles titles.

Up in the players’ box, his family, including mother Judy, father William, wife Kim and two of his children joined in the applause.

The famous arena witnessed some of Murray’s most dramatic moments.

His tearful 2012 final loss to Roger Federer was followed by Olympic gold just weeks later.

“I’m not saying I’m the most outgoing or bubbly personality, but I think people probably saw how much I cared about the sport for the first time maybe,” said Murray of that loss to the Swiss great.

In 2013 Murray claimed his first Wimbledon title, ending a 77-year wait for a British male champion, and added another three years later.

On Thursday, the former world number one was treated to ecstatic cheers even when it was announced it was his turn to serve.

Hardly surprisingly, Murray appeared stiff in his movement, not helped by the chilly temperatures, which dipped to 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit).

The brothers had a set point in the opener, which they were unable to convert.

Hijikata made them pay with a drive forehand down the middle of the court when it came to his turn to capitalize on his team’s set point.

“Let’s go” shouted Andy Murray when he and Jamie staved off break points on his serve in the opening game of the second set.

Murray had grimaced as he struggled on serve — he defiantly punched the air when he prevailed.

Moments later, Murray treated his fans to his trademark, nerve-tingling roar that has regularly bounced around Center Court for the best part of two decades as he unleashed a winning forehand for a 2-0 lead in the second set.

The euphoria was brief as left-handed Jamie was broken.

Peers unintentionally speared a fierce forehand at the body of Andy Murray and immediately apologized.

Jamie dropped serve again as the Australian pair moved into a 4-3 lead, with Hijikata eventually sealing victory with a smart backhand down the center.

Topics: Andy Murray Wimbledon

Djokovic into Wimbledon third round after rookie scare

Updated 04 July 2024

AFP

July 04, 2024 19:13

Djokovic into Wimbledon third round after rookie scare

Djokovic triumphed 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 but had to save two break points midway through the fourth set before seeing off the challenge of the world number 277
“I had never seen him play so there is always the element of surprise,” admitted Djokovic

Updated 04 July 2024

AFP

July 04, 2024 19:13

LONDON: Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic was made to fight by British outsider Jacob Fearnley before reaching the third round for the 18th time on Thursday.
Djokovic triumphed 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 but had to save two break points midway through the fourth set before seeing off the challenge of the world number 277.
“I had never seen him play so there is always the element of surprise,” admitted Djokovic.
“He had nothing to lose and served well. I was a little lucky in the fourth set. I could have won the match in three and it could have gone to a fifth.
“The way he was playing, I’m glad it didn’t.”
The 37-year-old Djokovic had cruised through the first two sets on Center Court against a player who was making his Grand Slam debut this week.
He was a break up in the third to lead 3-2 but Fearnley, who was still playing university tennis in the United States last month, retrieved the break immediately.
He then rode the momentum to claim the third set.
Fearnley forced the 24-time Grand Slam champion to save two break points in the sixth game of the fourth set.
Djokovic made the Briton pay for his failure to convert the advantage and gained a final crucial break in the 11th game before serving out the match.
“I didn’t really feel comfortable in my own skin in the third and fourth sets,” said Djokovic.
“But sometimes you have rough days when you don’t feel your best. It’s a win and I’ll take it.”
Djokovic fired 34 winners past Fearnley, whose 42 winners were canceled out by an unforced error count of 49.
World number two Djokovic will take on Australia’s Alexei Popyrin for a place in the last 16.

Topics: Wimbledon Novak Djokovic Jacob Fearnley

Murray teams up with Raducanu in Wimbledon British dream team

Updated 03 July 2024

AFP

July 03, 2024 21:22

Murray teams up with Raducanu in Wimbledon British dream team

The pair were Wednesday granted a wild card just a day after Murray, 37, pulled out of the singles
The two-time Wimbledon singles champion will also play men’s doubles with his brother Jamie at the All England Club

Updated 03 July 2024

AFP

July 03, 2024 21:22

LONDON: Andy Murray is teaming up with Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon in an eye-catching all-British mixed doubles pairing as part of his emotional farewell to the tournament.
The pair were Wednesday granted a wild card just a day after Murray, 37, pulled out of the singles due to his failure to regain full fitness following a back operation.
The two-time Wimbledon singles champion will also play men’s doubles with his brother Jamie at the All England Club, launching their campaign on Center Court on Thursday.
The mixed doubles event starts the following day.
Murray played mixed doubles with Serena Williams in 2019, making it to the third round, but it will be a Grand Slam debut in doubles for Raducanu.
The Scot, who has been ravaged by injuries in recent years, was asked after practice on Wednesday how the new doubles pairing had come about.
“Yesterday I was chatting to my team, they were discussing mixed and then last night I messaged her coach and just said, ‘Look, do you think this is something that maybe she’d be up for doing?’” he said.
Raducanu was quick to accept the proposal from the former world number one.
“Thankfully I got quite a quick reply,” said Murray. “It was quite late yesterday evening when I sent the message, it would have been after nine, so I was a bit worried she might be in bed, but I got a quick reply. She said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it’.”
Speaking earlier this week, Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, said teaming up with Murray at Wimbledon was “a childhood dream.”
Murray, now ranked 113th in the world, said despite his new partner’s inexperience, she would be well-suited to the format.
“She’s obviously unbelievably competitive and likes playing in the big stadiums and stuff with crowds so I expect she’ll deal with that really well,” he said.
He added: “She’s a brilliant returner and great ball striker so I’d imagine she’ll deal with returning guys’ serves well. And, when she’s getting into exchanges at the back of the court, she’ll be really good.”
The British pair face a tough opening contest against Marcelo Arevalo and Zhang Shuai.
El Salvador’s Arevalo last month won the men’s doubles title for the second time at the French Open while China’s Zhang is also a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion.
Raducanu eased into the third round of the Wimbledon singles with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Elize Mertens on Wednesday.

Topics: Wimbledon Emma Raducanu Andy Murray

Wimbledon rookie takes aim at Djokovic after beating Alcaraz and Sinner

Updated 03 July 2024

AFP

July 03, 2024 05:11

Wimbledon rookie takes aim at Djokovic after beating Alcaraz and Sinner

Fearnley won his first Grand Slam match on debut on Tuesday; it was also his first win of any kind on the main tour
Djokovic admitted he knows absolutely nothing about Fearnley

Updated 03 July 2024

AFP

July 03, 2024 05:11

LONDON: Not many players can boast victories over Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner but British rookie Jacob Fearnley has notched up that impressive double and now looks for a third in the shape of Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

Fearnley’s wins over reigning Wimbledon champion Alcaraz and world No. 1 Sinner came in his junior days.

Since then, their career paths have taken radically different directions — Alcaraz and Sinner are winning Grand Slams and banking millions of dollars while Fearnley headed to university in the US.

“I played Alcaraz when he was maybe 14, I was 17. Sinner, I played him maybe when we were 15,” said 22-year-old Fearnley on Tuesday.

“Obviously the strides they’ve taken in their games have been a lot more than myself. The way they’re playing, it’s unbelievable.

“I don’t think I can really take anything from those victories.”

Fearnley won his first Grand Slam match on debut on Tuesday; it was also his first win of any kind on the main tour.

Before seeing off Spain’s Alejandro Moro Canas 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (14/12), his only professional match on the ATP tour came in Eastbourne last week where he was a first-round loser.

The week before, however, he illustrated his prowess on grass courts by coming out of qualifying to win a second-tier Challenger event in Nottingham.

“It’s a bit crazy,” said Fearnley, the world No. 277.

He was referring to a month which also saw him help Texas Christian University win the national championships in the US at the end of his five-year college career.

Fearnley has already faced one Wimbledon giant in his time — at the 2018 tournament, he was drafted in as a hitting partner for Roger Federer.

“That was really cool. He’s a super nice guy. Obviously a really, really special player. I learned a lot of things from those brief practice sessions,” he said.

Now he faces comfortably one of the most daunting tasks in the sport — trying to defeat seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic in the second round on Thursday.

“I have no idea,” said Fearnley when asked how he planned to author a seismic victory over a man who has won 24 Grand Slam titles.

“I’ve watched so many videos of him. It doesn’t look like there’s many flaws in his game. I’m going to just try and enjoy it, put my game out on the court and see what happens.”

Djokovic admitted he knows absolutely nothing about Fearnley.

“I haven’t seen him hit. So I’ll have to do my homework,” said the Serb.

Earlier Tuesday, Djokovic started his bid to capture a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon men’s title with a straight-sets win over Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva in his first match since undergoing knee surgery.

Djokovic eased to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory in a shade under two hours on Center Court against his 123rd-ranked rival.

The 37-year-old did not face a break point in the entire match, which he sealed with three aces.

Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, wore a grey support on his right knee after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus, which had forced him to withdraw from the French Open after the fourth round last month.

“It was very good. I was very pleased with the way I moved on the court today,” said Djokovic after taking his Wimbledon first-round record to 19-0.

“Obviously coming into Wimbledon this year, it was a little bit of a different circumstance for me because of the knee.

“I didn’t know how everything was going to unfold on the court really.

“Practice sessions are quite different to official match play, so I’m just extremely glad about the way I played and the way I felt today.”

Djokovic added that his grey knee support had passed the All England Club’s stringent rules over all-white playing gear.

“Of course, we did check in the days prior if we have a permission. We’re trying to find a white one, trust me,” he explained.

Topics: Jacob Fearnley Wimbledon 2024

Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round

Updated 02 July 2024

AFP

July 02, 2024 20:02

Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round

The Russian sixth seed battled back after losing the first set

Updated 02 July 2024

AP AFP

July 02, 2024 20:02

LONDON: Andrey Rublev crashed out of Wimbledon at the first hurdle on Tuesday, going down in four sets to Argentina’s Francisco Comesana.
The Russian sixth seed battled back after losing the first set but lost momentum early in the third and went down to a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) defeat.
Rublev, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, struggled for consistency on his serve and was broken four times in the match by his opponent, ranked 122nd in the world.
The 26-year-old, who smashed his racquet repeatedly against his knee in frustration in the third set, is the highest-seeded men’s player to exit the Championships so far.
Comesana will face Australia’s Adam Walton for a place in the last 32.

Topics: Wimbledon Andrey Rublev Francisco Comesana

Djokovic ‘pain free’ ahead of Wimbledon after Medvedev exhibition win

Djokovic ‘pain free’ ahead of Wimbledon after Medvedev exhibition win

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‘I wish I could play forever’ says tearful Murray at Wimbledon farewell

‘I wish I could play forever’ says tearful Murray at Wimbledon farewell

Murray teams up with Raducanu in Wimbledon British dream team

Andy Murray playing only doubles at his last Wimbledon after surgery

Djokovic into Wimbledon third round after rookie scare

Djokovic into Wimbledon third round after rookie scare

Murray teams up with Raducanu in Wimbledon British dream team

Wimbledon rookie takes aim at Djokovic after beating Alcaraz and Sinner

Murray teams up with Raducanu in Wimbledon British dream team

Murray teams up with Raducanu in Wimbledon British dream team

Wimbledon rookie takes aim at Djokovic after beating Alcaraz and Sinner

Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round

Wimbledon rookie takes aim at Djokovic after beating Alcaraz and Sinner

Wimbledon rookie takes aim at Djokovic after beating Alcaraz and Sinner

Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round

Andy Murray playing only doubles at his last Wimbledon after surgery

Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round

Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round

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Djokovic ‘pain free’ ahead of Wimbledon after Medvedev exhibition win

Djokovic ‘pain free’ ahead of Wimbledon after Medvedev exhibition win

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