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Tag: All England Club

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Fire still burns as Novak Djokovic prepares for US return | Tennis News – Times of India

Novak Djokovic said he still had fire in his belly as the 23-times Grand Slam champion prepares to return to action at this week's Cincinnati Open after losing the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz last month.Djokovic's bid for a calendar year Grand Slam after winning the Australian Open and French Open titles ended in a five-set defeat at the All England Club, but the 36-year-old said he was over that disappointment in a day.The Serbian will now aim to finish the season strongly, starting with the US hardcourt swing. He is returning to the country for the first time in two years after being denied entry due to being unvaccinated for COVID-19."I like the feeling that I have after 20 plus years of professional tennis. There's still a fire going," Djokovic said on the ATP website ahead of...
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‘Dream’ Wimbledon triumph could be the start of a new era: Carlos Alcaraz | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Carlos Alcaraz believes that his "dream" Wimbledon victory over Novak Djokovic may herald a shift in power in men's tennis.On Sunday, Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in a match for the ages, ending his streak of four straight Wimbledon victories with a thrilling triumph of 1-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.AS IT HAPPENED: WIMBLEDON FINALThe 20-year-old won his maiden Wimbledon championship and second major championship of his career after exhausting Djokovic over four hours and 42 minutes of nonstop drama on Centre Court.Alcaraz believes his victory may mark the beginning of a new era in tennis after Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal dominated the sport for two decades."It's a dream. I'm 20. I didn't experience many moments like this. Making history like I did today, it's the happiest momen...
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Husband’s tears of joy cap Marketa Vondrousova’s ‘impossible’ Wimbledon fairytale | Tennis News – Times of India

LONDON: Marketa Vondrousova said her husband's unexpected show of emotion after Saturday's shock Wimbledon final victory against Ons Jabeur was the perfect end to her "impossible" triumph.Vondrousova became the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon as she stunned the Tunisian world number six on Centre Court.The 24-year-old held her nerve in a tense 6-4, 6-4 win, securing her first major title four years after losing her only previous Grand Slam final at the French Open.So unexpected was her Wimbledon run that the world number 42 told her husband Stepan Simek to stay at home in Prague to look after their cat Frankie, until a pet sitter was found to allow him to travel to London for the final.Twelve months after their wedding, Simek cried tears of joy when he saw Vondrousova after the ma...
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Elina Svitolina: Wimbledon: Elina Svitolina stuns Iga Swiatek to reach semis | Tennis News – Times of India

Elina Svitolina, ranked 76th in the world, shocked top-seeded Iga Swiatek to secure a spot in the semi-finals in a thrilling Wimbledon quarter-final match on Tuesday, just three months after returning from maternity leave. Svitolina displayed tremendous determination as she battled through a gruelling encounter, ultimately prevailing with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 against the reigning US Open and French Open champion.The Ukrainian star, a former semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2019, will now face Marketa Vondrousova from the Czech Republic, vying for a place in the championship match scheduled for Saturday.Overcoming a series of formidable opponents, including Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka, and now Swiatek, Svitolina's journey to the semi-finals has been nothing ...
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Wimbledon: Unseeded Marketa Vondrousova stuns Jessica Pegula to reach Wimbledon semis | Tennis News – Times of India

Marketa Vondrousova defeated American Jessica Pegula in the last eight stage on Tuesday, winning 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to advance to the Wimbledon semi-finals.The unseeded Czech won a wild match against the fourth seed on Court One to secure a spot in the semifinals where she will face either Polish world number one Iga Swiatek or Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina.Five serves were broken in the first set's nine games, and while many spectators were still finding seats, the momentum was swinging rapidly.The vital break, though, was won by 24-year-old Vondrousova at 4-4 when Pegula's backhand error in a baseline rally came to an end.The Czech brought up set point with an ace and duly held to love as she eyed a first Grand Slam semi-final since her runner-up finish at the French Open in 2019.The twis...
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Novak Djokovic calls for earlier Centre Court starts | Tennis News – Times of India

LONDON: Wimbledon should start matches earlier on Centre Court to avoid players falling foul of the strict 11pm curfew, defending champion Novak Djokovic said on Monday after needing two days two beat Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round.For the second match in succession the 36-yrear-old Djokovic faced a race against the clock to finish when he stepped on court at around 8.30pm on Sunday to face Hurkacz.He narrowly managed it against Swiss Stan Wawrinka on Friday in a similar time window but Poland's big-serving Hurkacz's stern resistance meant only two sets were possible, Djokovic winning both of them on tiebreaks.Djokovic duly completed a 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 victory on Monday to set up a clash with Russia's Andrey Rublev on Tuesday but was asked for his opinion on the scheduling w...
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Carlos Alcaraz toughs it out to reach Wimbledon last 16 | Tennis News – Times of India

LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz was forced to dig deep on Saturday to see off the challenge of Nicolas Jarry and reach the last 16 at Wimbledon.The Spanish top seed, seen as the man most likely to end Novak Djokovic's long reign at the All England Club, was off-colour but still won 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 7-5.A single break in the first set was enough for Alcaraz to edge ahead but he faltered in the second, slipping 4-1 behind.The US Open champion clawed his way back, forcing a tie-break, but that went the way of his Chilean opponent, seeded 25th.Alcaraz regrouped and took the third set 6-3 but the errors crept in again and he found himself in trouble at 3-0 down in the fourth.The 20-year-old survived two break points in the following game and broke back when Jarry went long with a forehand.He conj...
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Wimbledon: Former champion Petra Kvitova storms into Round of 16 | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova demonstrated her determination for a third title by defeating Serbian qualifier Natalija Stevanovic with a 6-3, 7-5 victory on Saturday. The Czech tennis star, a former world number two, showcased her grass court prowess as she navigated her way through a challenging match.Although Kvitova has a strong record on grass, including two Wimbledon titles, her recent performances at the All England Club have been less consistent. Since securing her second Wimbledon triumph in 2014, she has only advanced beyond the third round once. However, her recent success at the WTA tournament in Berlin, where she claimed the title on grass, hinted at her readiness for Wimbledon.In her match against Stevanovic, the ninth seed traded early breaks with th...
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Wimbledon 2023: Rohan Bopanna looks to end first-round blues | Tennis News – Times of India

LONDON: Rohan Bopanna was like a teenager on his first trek at Wimbledon, exploring the neoteric Media Terrace. He climbed an extra flight of stairs from the fifth floor to arrive at an expansive verandah, oohing and aahing. He snapped several panoramic images of the All-England Club, Centre Court to his right, stopping only to pose. The 43-year-old’s energy is infectious. It will be his 13th Wimbledon. And not for the first time in a major, he’s the oldest player in the draw.Bopanna and Aussie Matthew Ebden, who are number four in the doubles race, very much in the hunt for a place in the season-ending championships, open against Argentines Guillermo Duran and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.Bopanna, who in March became the oldest winner of a Masters event, when the Indo-Aussie pairing clinche...
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Wimbledon 2023: Grass is for the G.O.A.T, and Novak Djokovic is ready for it | Tennis News – Times of India

LONDON: The morning sky at SW19 was of a weepy hue, in the distance the St Mary’s Church bells chimed. A signal. The Championships, starting Monday, is the first Wimbledon after Roger Federer retired from the sport; the Swiss, who these grounds embraced as their very own, was Lord of the lawns, having won here eight times. Adored and adorned.By the end of the fortnight, this grass-court Slam could have another awe-inspiring hero at the helm. Novak Djokovic is going for a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon title and ground-altering 24th Grand Slam crown.The No.2 seed is on a 28-match winning streak here, having not lost a match on these premises since 2016. He’s unbeaten on Centre Court since 2013.At Aorangi Park, Wimbledon’s popular practice set up, the seven-time champion hit with Andy M...