The last time Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Sam Querrey battled at Wimbledon in 2014, they put on a marathon battle that lasted two days. Play was suspended at 9-9 in the fifth set before Tsonga came back to prevail 14-12. Three years later, history will repeat itself. The 12th seed Tsonga and 24th seed Querrey will return to the court for a second day after their lengthy third-round match on Friday was suspended due to darkness. Tsonga will serve at 2-6, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1, 5-6 when play resumes on Saturday. Almost nothing separated the pair after two hours and 54 minutes of play. Tsonga hit 51 winners to 27 errors, while Querrey hit 52 winners to 27 errors. They’re also nearly...
With a clear weekend to look forward to, Rafael Nadal revealed he intends to relax over the next two days as he switches off from competing at The Championships, Wimbledon. Having already found time to play one round of golf last week at the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club, the Spanish superstar doesn’t expect to play any further rounds. But over the next 48 hours, Nadal admitted he would “just practise, relax at home with my family, maybe watch some golf and maybe some film with my small cousins. I’ll also maybe play some football with them [too].” Nadal doesn’t do things by half, his competitive spirit comes through in everything he does. “The best skill is when I do things,...
Sam Groth and Robert Lindstedt ended doubles play on Friday at Wimbledon with an upset over third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. The Aussie/Swedish duo hit 22 winners in the three-hour, nine-minute victory to reach the third round. Their next opponents will be Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor, who defeated Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos, the No.15 seeds, 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4. Earlier, British brothers Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski ousted eighth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3. Their third-round opponents, Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner, defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-6(0), 6-4 in just over two hours. Seventh seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram needed three hours...
Gilles Muller is continuing to enjoy his best season after 16 years on tour. The Luxembourg native, seeded 16th, is through to the second week at Wimbledon for the first time after a convincing 7-6(4), 7-5, 6-4 win over local favourite Aljaz Bedene. Muller’s serve has been on song throughout the grass-court season and today was no exception. He even hit a game of aces at 5-5 in the opening set to emphatically demonstrate his strength on that shot. The positive tennis didn’t stop there. Muller hammered 48 winners and 19 aces, winning 82 per cent of his first-serve points to advance in two hours and 27 minutes. He leads the tournament in aces, with 72 hit over three rounds....
There is a menace, a swagger and a steely determination to Rafael Nadal this week at The Championships. Right from the moment he straps up his feet, puts on his socks and shoes, tapes up his fingers and ties the knot in his white bandana to walk out onto one of the show courts at the All England Club. The great Spanish champion is determined to do well, six years on from reaching the last of his five Wimbledon title matches (2006-08, 2010-11). For the first two sets on Centre Court, scene of his famous 2008 triumph (d. Federer) and 2010 crown (d. Berdych), Nadal was often at his awesome best Friday, a perennial threat to Karen Khachanov, largely nullifying...
