Wimbledon champion Djokovic gets rapturous Serb welcome

Novak Djokovic was greeted by screaming
fans as he arrived in Belgrade.

Wimbledon tennis champion Novak
Djokovic has received a rapturous
welcome in his native Serbia the day after
winning the title.
A smiling Djokovic and his team were given
an open-top bus tour from Belgrade airport
escorted by a dozen police vehicles.
Outside parliament, tens of thousands of
fans cheered as their hero raised a replica of
the famous trophy.
Djokovic, 24, beat Spain's Rafael Nadal in
Sunday's final.
"You made this day the best day of my life,"
Djokovic told the screaming crowd.
"He is the pride of Serbia and [the] Serbian
people," said one teenage girl who had
travelled some 80km (50 miles) to Belgrade
from the town of Novi Sad.
"Lucky is the mother that gave birth to such
a hard-working and gifted boy," said
onlooker Milorad Veselinovic.
Many of those gathered in Nikola Pasic
Square carried Serbian flags and banners
reading "Nole we love you" and "Nole the
king" referring to Djokovic's nickname.
Djokovic guaranteed his place as world
number one when he beat Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga in the last four at Wimbledon.
He followed up by outplaying defending
champion Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 on centre
court on Sunday.

Wimbledon 2011 Finals in Pictures

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2011 men's singles Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic kisses the trophy.

Wimbledon 2011 Mens Finalist Nvak Djokovic and Rafael Nadar with their trophy

2011 men's singles champion Novak Djokovic savours the moment as Rafael Nadal looks on.

2011 men's singles champion Novak Djokovic is all smiles as he shows off his trophy.

Nadal reacts after losing a set

Novak Djokovic exults after winning the Wimbledon 2011 Mens Crown

The 2011 Ladies' Champion and runner-up Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova

2011 men's singles champion Novak Djokovic brandishes his trophy outside the members' enclosure.

Petra Kvitova during her post match press conference

Novak Djokovic clinches victory in the 2011 men's singles final.

Novak Djokovic is fired up on Centre Court as he battles Rafael Nadal for the 2011 Wimbledon title

The defending champion Rafael Nadal stretches for the ball during the Men's Final against Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic fires a forehand at Rafael Nadal during the Men's Final

Novak Djokovic fires a forehand at Rafael Nadal during the Men's Final

Novak Djokovic entertains during his post-match press conference.

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Djokovic outplayed me: Nadal

The sign of a true champion is how well he takes defeat. And judging by the way he explained his four-set pummelling by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal is a true champion. He may have been outplayed and out-manoeuvred for the best part of two-and-a-half hours but the beaten finalist took the defeat on the chin and owned up to his failings. There are not many men who would be as honest or as open in such a situation.

The reason for his defeat could be explained simply and swiftly: he was just not good enough to beat Djokovic. He did not take his chances, he was nervous and he was outplayed. After losing four Masters finals to the Serb this year - in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome - he was twitchy in the pressure moments on Centre Court. Nadal made it all sound so logical and so normal.

"I lost because I am playing against the best player of the moment, the best player of the world tomorrow, and I am the second," he said. "And when you play against these players and they are playing unbelievable, the normal thing is [to] lose. That's what happened the last few times.

"He's doing great. He's doing fantastic. I had to play better to win, and I didn't today. I played a little bit less aggressive. And to win matches here, to win tough matches like today, like two days ago, the most important thing is to play well in the important moments. A few points can change the match, and I didn't (win them) today. When one player beats you five times, it is because my game doesn't bother him a lot. Today probably against me he's playing better than my level. And I have to try to find solutions..."

You don't often get that from a player who has just lost the one title that means more to him than anything else in the world. From the time he first played tennis, Wimbledon was always a dream for Nadal. Growing up playing on the slow, red clay of Majorca, he knew that Spaniards were expected to do well at Roland Garros - sure enough, he did not disappoint and to date has won six times there. But on grass? At Wimbledon? Now, that really would be something. So when he won his first title in 2008, it meant everything to him, and after that win he extended his unbeaten run in SW19 to 20 matches until that man Djokovic did for him in the final. That must have hurt. Apparently not.

"I lost against him five times," he said. "The rest of the year I won almost every match. So I'm doing things very well (but) probably not against him. That's what I have to change. Probably the mental part is a little bit dangerous for me, because when I arrived at 5‑4, I played a bad game from 30‑0. When I arrived at 4‑3 in the fourth set, I played another bad game with my serve. To change that (I) probably (needed to) be a little bit less nervous, play more aggressive, and all the time be confident with myself. That's what I going to try next time. If not, I am going to be here explaining the sixth [loss]."

Nadal was defeated, then, but not beaten. No one has been able to come close to catching the Serb this year as he sailed around the world collecting titles like they were going out of fashion. He has only lost one match in the past seven months and now, with the Wimbledon trophy sitting proudly alongside his No.1 ranking, he has reached every target and made every dream come true. That is a nice feeling, as Nadal can attest, but it will not last forever.

Last year the Spaniard won three of the four Grand Slams - only Australia eluded him - and he was on top of the world. That is when Djokovic came roaring up behind him and knocked him off his perch. Life can change very quickly in professional sport and Nadal is already plotting a way to change Djokovic's view of the world.

"We can analyse that my game is not bothering him," Nadal said. "We have to find how I can bother him another time. I did it in the past. He's in the best moment of his career. I am in one of the best moments of my career, (but it's) still not enough for (me to beat) him. My experience says this level is not forever. Even for me when I was winning three Grand Slams last year, my level is not forever. Probably the level of Novak of today is not forever. I'm going to be here fighting all the time, waiting for my moment. I don't have to wait a lot, because I already won three tournaments this year and one Grand Slam. But (I am) waiting for my moment to beat him another time."

Nadal, then, has flung down the gauntlet. He may be a true champion in defeat but, clearly, he is not planning on making a habit of it.

Djokovic dominates Nadal to be Wimbledon champion

Novak Djokovic underlined his new status as the world's top tennis player by shattering Rafael Nadal's winning streak at Wimbledon to add his own name to the roll of honour at The Championships for the first time.

The 24-year-old Serb, with his country's president watching from the Royal Box, won 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in two hours 28 minutes to continue his domination of tennis - and Nadal in particular - throughout this most amazing season in his career. Five times in succession he has now defeated the Spaniard in finals, but none were as important or will taste as sweet as this.

Djokovic is the first from his country to capture a Wimbledon singles title and his joy as a Nadal backhand sailed over the baseline was unconfined. He fell flat on his back, arose with both arms uplifted before squatting down with his head in his hands to briefly contemplate what he had achieved. On such an occasion the first prize of £1.1 million was virtually meaningless, especially to a Monte Carlo-based millionaire.

He had turned a childhood dream into reality and to any true sportsman that is priceless. Officially installed from Monday as world No.1 by virtue of reaching the final, Djokovic showed he is worthy of usurping Nadal in that position as he took his win-loss record for the year to 48-1. A pair of cracking forehand winners followed by an ace in the opening game were clear indication of Djokovic's intent to carry the fight to the defending champion and what ensued merely underlined that intention. Djokovic was playing a smart game, serving to the widest corners and drawing Nadal forward with drop shots, which enjoyed mixed fortune.

One was exquisite and unreturnable, another struck the netting and a third was run down by the Spaniard. So there was the unusual sight of the man who specialises in destroying the opposition forced onto the defensive, especially in the longer rallies. "You're a genius, Rafa, genius" bellowed one Nadal fan, but it was a worried genius who was attempting to stem the flow of Serbian winners.

Djokovic was untouchable on service and moved 5-4 ahead with his third ace, clipping the sideline - at which Nadal stared long and hard without issuing an official challenge for a Hawk-Eye decision. Stepping up to attempt to break the Nadal serve to win the set seemed to inspire Djokovic to new heights. At 30-0 down, he struck two brilliant winners, one on each wing. Then Nadal's netted forehand handed the Serb his first set point. One chance was all that a Djokovic in such form needed. He returned a 93mph second serve with such venom that Nadal's forehand response was wide. So the underdog was a set up in 41 minutes with some superb tennis. He had dropped a mere six points on serve and Nadal - denied even a sniff of a break point - had committed seven unforced errors. To put that into context, that was equal to the defending champion's total in his semi-final win over Andy Murray.

Having won the last two games of the opening set, Djokovic promptly won the first three of the second set, too. On a perfect day for tennis, warm and still, it was the Serb who was playing perfectly at this stage, quicker around the court and more resilient in the rallies. Nadal finally applied the brake to that streak, albeit temporarily, by holding to love. Once more however Djokovic revved up, lifting his ace count to seven and wrapping up the second set in a little over half-an-hour. This time he had conceded just five points on his serve and lifted his total count of winners to 22. With justification, Nadal looked a worried man.

A counter-attack was the urgent requirement, and Nadal duly launched it, finally reaching his first break point and cashing in on it when Djokovic netted a backhand approach. It was precisely the lift Nadal needed and he roared through the third set in inspired fashion, winning three service games to love and breaking Djokovic for a second time when the Serb perpetrated his first double fault. That set lasted a mere 30 minutes.

Having been rocked back on his heels by that typical Nadal fightback, Djokovic reacted like a champion by going 2-0 up in the fourth. First, he survived a break point to hold serve and then a perfect drop volley set up another break of Nadal. The Majorcan's response was to break Djokovic immediately and go on to level at 2-2, but nevertheless he was the one who looked more likely to crack again in a tense fourth set - and that is exactly what transpired in the eighth game. First Nadal double-faulted, for the first time in the match, then he sent a crosscourt forehand unforgivably wide before netting a forehand and handing his opponent three break points.

Another error, this time on the backhand, and Nadal was duly broken, leaving Djokovic to serve for the title. Despite the enormity of that prospect, Nole did not falter. A glorious backhand volley took him within one point of glory, at which Nadal - the champion for the last two years he has competed at Wimbledon - obliged with another error, a backhand out of play. On the occasion of the 125th Championships, the Centre Court crowd had a new champion to acclaim.

Wimbledon Womens Singles Final in Pictures

Petra Kvitova after defeating Sharapova, 6-3, 6-4 in Womens Singles.

Kvitova Wins Wimbledon, upsets Sharapova

A statuesque blonde with sizzling ground strokes advances to her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and stares down a more seasoned foe known for her grit and grunts to usher in a changing of the guard in women’s tennis.

Seven years ago, Sharapova was the ingénue with all the right strokes, upsetting Serena Williams to begin her charge to No. 1. On Saturday, Petra Kvitova starred in the sequel, upsetting Sharapova, 6-3, 6-4, with an array of shots and nerves of steel.

Kvitova, who is from a small town in the Czech Republic, became the third left-hander to win on the women’s side and the first since another Czech, Martina Navratilova, in 1990. She produced 19 winners against 13 unforced errors. Sharapova, the No. 5 seed, had 10 winners and 12 unforced errors and seemed to be playing from her heels from the start.

The Centre Court crowd was strangely subdued in the first set, as if unsure of which 6-foot, power-hitting, pony-tailed blonde to throw its support behind. Sharapova was serving in the sixth game when Kvitova, the No. 8 seed, hit a forehand volley winner for 30-30. After the clapping subsided, a voice cried out, “C’mon, Maria!” It was followed by another fan shrieking, “C’mon, Petra!”

The chair umpire asked for quiet and then all chaos broke out with Sharapova’s serve when she produced two consecutive double faults to hand Kvitova a 4-2 lead. In the next game, Kvitova was positioning herself for an overheard smash when another female voice rang out crying, “Petra, you got it!”

That drew another rebuke from the chair umpire, but what the fan said was true.


Sharapova, who had 13 double faults in nine service games in her semifinal victory against Sabine Lisicki, finished with six double faults, her shaky serve making it hard for her to play the attacking style that defines her game at its best.

“Maria plays first-strike tennis,” Tracy Austin, a two-time United States Open winner, said before the match. “That translates well to this surface. At the same time, she needs to rely on that serve. If she starts to struggle with that, the lack of confidence, the lack of aggressiveness, can seep into the rest of her game.”

The 21-year-old Kvitova went for broke again and again, as if she was playing with house money. She placed second serves down the T and hit blistering strokes from both sides as if she had no fear of them landing out.
“I think we’re seeing the new players taking charge,” Navratilova said before the final. “Most of all, they’re playing to win. That’s what I like to see. They’re not scared out there. They’re playing forceful tennis.”

The era of big, brave tennis was introduced by Williams and her sister Venus, and it was accentuated by the 2004 Wimbledon final when Sharapova, then a lithe 17-year-old upstart, matched Williams ground stroke for ground stroke and glare for glare in a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Sharapova’s verve was exceeded only by the vigor of her ground strokes, but such power came at a cost. In 2008, her sixth full year on the women’s tour, Sharapova’s right shoulder sustained a tear from the stress and strain.

A season that started with so much promise — with victories in three of her first four events, including the Australian Open — ended with Sharapova’s undergoing rotator-cuff surgery on her shoulder in October 2008.

Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal beats Andy Murray in four sets to reach final

For more than an hour in this tense,
fractured semi-final, Andy Murray was better
than Rafa Nadal – sufficiently so to
encourage growing hopes that he deserved
at least a chance to reach for the ultimate
prize. That he fell short for the third year in a
row at this stage of the tournament the
nation is willing him to win had as much to
do with his continued struggle for
consistency when in such a position as the
irresistible Spanish force in front of him.
After taking the first set with a serve that
hummed and a mind fixed to the task,
Murray was 2-1 up when he lined up a
gimme forehand winner that would have
given him two break points. He over-hit and
Nadal held.
Tennis is full of hundreds of opportunities
to live and die but, for long stretches
thereafter, Murray was not so much an
opponent as a victim of circumstance. Nadal,
who said beforehand he would like his "nice
friend" to win a major – "but not this one" –
beat him up with power and cunning and
set aside British dreams at Wimbledon for
another year, or maybe longer.
The defending champion, who has not lost
here in four years and 20 matches, won 5-7,
6-2, 6-2, 6-4 for a place in the final against
Novak Djokovic, whose win over Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga was a contest of higher all-round
skills and thrills. The second semi-final on
Centre Court was too uneven to touch the
heights. And, for Murray, the depths were
hard to deal with.
After the quickest cool-down of his career,
probably, Murray faced the media and said
of his second-set gaffe: "It was a big point I
was playing very high-risk tennis for most of
the match. I started making a few mistakes,
but a match that lasted nearly three hours
[to turn] on one point … I slightly over-hit
that one. A year ago they were saying I was
playing too defensively, today I was going
for all my shots."
A gracious winner said later: "I said, 'Sorry
for that,' to him. I had to play my best tennis
to have any chance. He's a great champion.
He was playing fantastic at the beginning,
he made an important mistake at 15-30 and
2-1 up at the start of the second. That was a
turning point in the match."
Nadal thinks Murray's tennis is sound. "I
don't think he needs more," he said. "He is
playing well enough, a little bit more lucky,
maybe. Five-set matches are tough, over two
weeks."
He was being kind. That mistake did more
than cost Murray a break, it broke his
concentration and, to an extent, the rhythm
that is essential to his performance. He
either flies or falls. Yesterday, he fell.
It did not happen. As Murray gradually
folded, Nadal raised his game to a level
beyond anything he had played in this
125th Wimbledon, and some way out of
reach of the world No4.
Before a ball was struck, they slipped into
type – as the little-bull Spaniard sprinted to
the back of the court, legs pumping in
anticipation of a fight, the diffident Scot,
sporting perhaps the worst facial growth
outside a circus, was still doing up his
shoelaces at the net, distracted in a
schoolboy's way.
Not so when he got down to business: in
the 55 minutes of the first set, Murray
battered Nadal's backhand until his shoulder
ached. A 109-mile-an-hour service wide to
Nadal's backhand opened proceedings,
followed by a backhand smash, a 130mph
ace down the middle and another of
129mph for the near-perfect start, all inside
a minute.
"I love you Andy," cried a plaintive male
(English, possibly Surrey) voice from the
stands, sounding suspiciously like the one
that had plucked at Djokovic's heart strings
a couple of hours earlier – but the love game
was Nadal's, behind a precise, clean serve.
Murray's was clicking lethally, and a couple
of aces got him to 4-3 after half an hour.
Only a screaming forehand cross-court
return by Murray stopped three consecutive
service games to love, to remind us we were
witnessing two of the cleanest hitters in the
game.
Serving to stay in the set, Nadal struggled
against Murray's patient, pressure tennis,
stuck on the baseline. Murray earned three
set points by working Nadal's backhand
relentlessly. When Nadal's sliced backhand
struck the net, a piercing roar filled the court
and Murray was 7-5 up.
The sun was shining on Murray alone until
the fifth game, when his concentration
collapsed. He double faulted then murdered
a smash and Nadal was in front, 3-2, after
an hour and a quarter. A string popped at
0-40 and 2-3 but the problems were more
than mechanical for Murray, who'd dipped
into one of his low-gear phases. Simple
forehands found the net or the worn grass
beyond the baseline and Nadal sensed his
discomfort. When he limply pushed a drop
shot into the net to give Nadal a break point,
he followed it with an equally anaemic sliced
backhand into the net and was 2-5 down
and staring at a dilemma.
To allow the Spaniard back into the match in
just half an hour, after having him in such
trouble in the first set was bone-headed.
And when he pushed a backhand return, his
trademark shot, well over the line to gift
Nadal the second set 6-2, he was clearly
floundering.
The start of the third underlined what a
maddening player Murray can be. He
followed a 129mph ace with a double-fault
and two sloppy forehands to give Nadal a
break,and the champion sensed a widening
chasm as he went 2-0 up – only for Murray
to hold to love. Then the unforced errors
dribbled from his trembling racket until
Nadal served out without hindrance at 6-2
for a second time.
The good chances stayed achingly out of
reach for Murray now and those that
presented themselves he wasted, in
between Nadal scorching the grass with an
array of quite stunning ground strokes,
along the line, in the corners, most of them
glossed in top-spin that made them
unreturnable.
Murray needed a bit of time to settle, a
break, of any sort, a kind bounce or an
implosion by Nadal. None came and the
champion served out coolly for a place in the
final and finished with the most withering
forehand to end it after just under three
hours.

Wimbledon: Andy Murray breezes into the semi-finals

Andy Murray breezes into the semi-finals with a straight-sets victory over Feliciano lopez.

MURRAY WINS 6-3 6-4 6-4
Murray canters to three match points thanks to his 11th and 12th aces of the match. It's a procession now. So why not end it with another one for good measure? He obliges. Centre Court rises and Lopez leaves a pale imitation of his Deliciano tag. That was such an easy victory for the No 4 seed that the only real story will be his injury and how serious it is. Anyway, he's through to his third Wimbledon semi.

I thought I served well in the match despite being a little tentative towards the end of the third set. I'll need to raise my game in the next round.
.. and on the injury ... said Andy Murray post match.

It happens on grass sometimes when you change direction. All these kind of things happen when you play a Grand Slam…..said Feliciano lopez post match.

Wimbledon: Sania-Vesnina reach last four

Sania Mirza reached the Wimbledon doubles semifinal for the first time in her career after she and Elena Vesnina came from behind to beat Nuria Llagostera Vives and Arantxa Parra Santonja here on Wednesday.

The fourth seed Indo-Russian pair recorded a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over the unseeded Spanish pair in the quarter-final.

Reaching the quarterfinals with American partner Bathanie Mattek in 2008 was her best performance until Wednesday's match.

The Roland Garros finalists faced stiff resistance from the giant-killing Spanish combo but they quickly got back into the rhythm to prevail in a hard-fought battle.

Sania and Vesnina will next face the winner of the other quarter-final match between the Chinese pair of Shuai Peng and Jie Zheng and Czech Republic's Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.

Wimbledon: Tsonga sends Federer out

Roger Federer was eliminated in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the second straight year on Wednesday, squandering a two-set lead for the first time at a Grand Slam tournament and losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

The six-time Wimbledon champion barely looked challenged while winning the first two sets against the 12th-seeded Frenchman. But Federer, who had been 178-0 in matches in which he had won the opening two sets at a major tournament, was broken one time in each of the last three sets.

In the semifinals, Tsonga will face second-seeded Novak Djokovic, who defeated 18-year-old Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Federer was seeking a record-equaling seventh Wimbledon title this year. He breezed through his opening four matches, losing only one set, and played his usual elegant game against Tsonga.
In the first set, Federer earned his one and only break point of the match in Tsonga's first service game, and converted it. He held the rest of the way, and then won the second set in the tiebreaker.

But Tsonga finally got his first break in the third set, and another in the fourth and another in the fifth.

Those were the Frenchman's only three breaks, and they were just the amount he needed to send Federer home early again.

Later on Wednesday, defending champion Rafael Nadal was playing Mardy Fish, while No. 4 Andy Murray was scheduled to take on Feliciano Lopez on Centre Court.

Wimbledon: Sharapova advances to Semifinals

Maria Sharapova of Russia (R) shakes hands wtih Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia after defeating her in their quarter-final match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London on Tuesday

Maria Sharapova advanced to the semifinals at the All England Club for the first time since 2006 with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Dominika Cibulkova on Tuesday.

Sharapova, the only Wimbledon champion remaining in the women’s draw after the Williams sisters were eliminated a day earlier, won eight straight games to win the first set and take control of the second.

The fifth-seeded Russian has not lost a set at this year’s tournament, and she was nowhere near losing one Tuesday.

“It’s been a few years since I got past the fourth round, and now I’m in the semifinals,” said Sharapova, who won the tournament in 2004 and also reached the semifinals in ‘05. “So this a great chance for me to take it a step further.” Sharapova will next face German wild-card entry Sabine Lisicki. She reached her first Grand Slam semifinal by beating 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1 on another wet day at Wimbledon.

“This is a player that’s playing with a tremendous amount of confidence right now and playing really great grass-court tennis, so it’ll be a really tough match but I certainly look forward to it,” Sharapova said.

Cibulkova held serve in the first game against Sharapova, but couldn’t hold another. The only hiccup in the match for Sharapova came in the third game of the second set when Cibulkova broke.

Sharapova won her first Grand Slam title at the All England Club when she was only 17. She added the US Open title in 2006 and the Australian Open title in 2008, but has not won another since — mainly due to shoulder problems.

“Well, to be in the semis of Wimbledon is a bonus,” said Sharapova, who finished with 23 winners and five aces. “To be able to come back and play tennis after a big injury — I was just quite happy to be back on the court. So to achieve this is wonderful. But the tournament isn’t over.” But with the Williams sisters, who have combined to win nine of the last 11 Wimbledon titles, both losing in the fourth round, Sharapova may be the one with the experience needed to win.

With heavy rain causing a racket as it pelted down on the retractable white cover over the court, Lisicki used drop shots to perfection in the first two sets, becoming only the second wild-card entry to reach the women’s semifinals at the All England Club.

“I cannot explain how I feel at the moment,” said Lisicki, the first German Grand Slam semifinalist since Steffi Graf in 1999. “It was just such a tough road back and it’s so wonderful to be standing on Center Court in Wimbledon which I love so much. I’m just so happy.” Lisicki served for the match at 5-4 in the second and held three match points, but Bartoli saved them all. On the second, Lisicki went to her go-to drop shot but put it into the net.

Bartoli eventually broke back — when Lisicki double-faulted for the first time — and then won the tiebreaker.

“I was very disappointed with myself how I played at 5-4, that game, because I missed easily,” said Lisicki, who has won 15 of her last 16 matches on grass and eliminated French Open champion Li Na in the second round. “I felt that I was the better player today and I knew I just had to focus and fight again in the third set to win it.” In the third set, Lisicki broke to take a 3-0 lead, and then again to make it 5-1. She won when the tiring Bartoli put a forehand into the net.

“My mind was trying extremely hard, but just my body couldn’t do anything anymore,” said Bartoli, who beat four-time champion Serena Williams in the fourth round. “I still fought very hard, especially in that second set. ...

I have no regrets.” Lisicki, who finished the match with 52 winners to Bartoli’s 12, reached the quarterfinals at the All England Club two years ago but lost to Dinara Safina.

Lisicki survived a scare early in the match, but it had nothing to do with tennis or even her opponent. After serving at 30-15 in the second game of the match, Lisicki shuddered when a loud blast of thunder rang out overhead.

She then lost the next two po© ps and eventually the game, but recovered and broke for the second time in three games to take a 2-1 lead.

Lisicki is now 3-1 against Bartoli. Her only loss came in the first round at Wimbledon in 2008, a year after Bartoli reached the final at the All England Club but lost to Venus Williams.

The rain briefly delayed the start of play as the roof was closed. The match on Court 1 between No. 8 Petra Kvitova and Tsvetana Pironkova started about 2½ hours late. The second match was to pit Tamira Paszek against fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka.

Earlier Tuesday, Rafael Nadal said his left foot, which he injured during Monday’s fourth-round win over Juan Martin del Potro, is not seriously injured and he will play in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

“Yesterday after the match I went to take an MRI at a London hospital,” Nadal said in a statement. “During the match I thought I had something serious but as the match went through the pain got better and thankfully the tests don’t show an injury.” Nadal is scheduled to play Mardy Fish in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

“Today I will practice at 4:30 p.m. and I’ll play tomorrow,” Nadal said.

Nadal, a two-time champion at the All England Club, hurt his foot in the first set of Monday’s win over del Potro.

He twice called for a trainer during the set, but still managed to win 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Nadal is 30-2 at Wimbledon since the start of the 2006 tournament. He lost to Roger Federer that year and the next in the final, but then beat the Swiss in the 2008 championship match. Nadal was unable to defend his title in 2009 because of injury, but he won again in 2010.

Also Tuesday, US Open golf champion Rory McIlroy paid a visit to Wimbledon, meeting Andy Murray and John McEnroe.

Wimbledon: Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Murray reach quarters

Reigning champion Rafael Nadal, Australian Open titlist Novak Djokovic, six-time Wimbledon champ Roger Federer and heavy British crowd favorite Andy Murray highlighted Monday's fourth-round winners at The Championships.

The world No. 1 Nadal won his 11th straight Grand Slam match, and his 18th straight Wimbledon outing, with a hard-fought victory over 24th-seeded Argentine slugger Juan Martin del Potro, 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 on the grass on the famed Centre Court.

The highly-anticipated match did not disappoint on Monday.

Nadal ultimately snuck past del Potro in 3 hours, 52 minutes, as both players battled injuries in the heavyweight bout.

The great Nadal took a nine-minute medical timeout to have his left foot wrapped just before the start of the opening-set tiebreak, which the Spaniard went on to win.

"For a moment at the end of the first set, I thought that I had to retire (from the match)," Nadal said. "I didn't know what's going on. After that, the pain goes a little bit down and finally I was ready to play."

And del Potro, who played great tennis en route to a routine second-set victory, left the court to have his left hip treated after he took a spill in the third set, which Nadal snuck out via another tiebreak.

In the fourth set, Nadal finally got his first service break of the day with a massive forehand winner, as he grabbed a 3-2 lead in the stanza. The Spaniard consolidated the break with a big hold and held on from there.

Nadal is now 6-3 lifetime against the former world No. 4 and former U.S. Open champion del Potro, who missed Wimbledon last year while recovering from wrist surgery.

The fierce Nadal captured the French Open title earlier this month and is also the reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open champ. He hasn't lost at the All England Club since losing to Federer in the 2007 final. Nadal beat Federer in their classic final here in 2008, skipped the 2009 edition of the tournament due to injury, and titled here again last year.

The 25-year-old Nadal is now 33-4 for his career at the All England Club.

The 10-time major champion Nadal will face American Mardy Fish in the round of eight. The Spaniard is 5-0 lifetime against the American, including an opening-round Wimbledon victory four years ago.

The second-seeded Djokovic improved to an amazing 45-1 this year with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 pasting of 19th-seeded French lefthander Michael Llodra on Court 1. The super Serb advanced in 1 hour, 41 minutes by playing ultra-clean tennis, which featured a mere six unforced errors and only one double fault. Djokovic broke Llodra four times, while the helpless Frenchman was unable to break the two-time Grand Slam champion on Day 7.

Djokovic already owns a whopping seven titles this year. His lone loss came against Federer in the French Open semifinals earlier this month. That setback halted a 43-match winning streak.

The two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Djokovic, who was also last year's U.S. Open runner-up, has never reached a Wimbledon final. He's now a four-time quarterfinalist at the AEC.

Up next for the Serbian slugger will be upstart Aussie Bernard Tomic in Wednesday's quarterfinals.

The third-seeded former world No. 1 Federer came back to best 18th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on Court 1. The Swiss great needed just over three hours to advance, which he did with the help of 14 aces among 54 winners and six service breaks. Youzhny settled for only one break on Day 7.

Federer is now 11-0 lifetime against Youzhny, including 3-0 at the majors, and will appear in a remarkable 29th straight Grand Slam quarterfinal.

"I forgot completely (the 29th quarterfinal) was on the line to be quite honest, especially once you're in the heat of the moment, of the battle," Federer said. "I thought I played a good match overall."

The 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer has won six of the last eight Wimbledon titles and is now 59-6 lifetime at the world's most prestigious tennis event. His victory on Monday marked his 100th on grass.

Federer hasn't captured a major title since last year's Aussie Open. He lost to Nadal in the finale at Roland Garros earlier this month.

The 29-year-old Federer will face flashy Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wednesday.

A fourth-seeded Murray, meanwhile, handled 17th-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-2 on Centre Court. The Brit smacked 14 aces and was not broken by the nifty Gasquet.

Murray and Gasquet played in front of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge -- Prince William and his new wife Kate -- on Monday.

"If I'd known they were coming, I would have shaved," Murray said. "I was thinking to myself as I came off I was sweaty and very hairy. I said to them, 'I'm sorry, I'm a bit sweaty.' But it was really nice."

Murray, who has now reached the Wimbledon quarters four years running, is a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, including this year's Aussie Open. The Dunblane, Scotland native reached the Wimbledon semifinals the last two years and is trying to give Britain its first male Wimbledon champ since Fred Perry in 1936.

Up next for Murray will be Spanish lefthander Feliciano Lopez.

A 10th-seeded Fish straight-setted last year's Wimbledon runner-up, Tomas Berdych, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4. Fish is the last American standing here, male or female, after closing Berdych out with an overhead smash into a wide-open court after 2 hours, 22 minutes on Court 2.

The Minnesota native Fish swatted 23 aces and was not broken on Day 7.

Berdych, seeded sixth this year, succumbed to Nadal in last year's Wimbledon finale.

The 29-year-old Fish will now appear in his first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal and his third career Grand Slam quarterfinal. His last round-of-eight appearance at a major came three years ago in New York.

A 12fth-seeded Tsonga reached his second straight Wimbledon quarterfinal by taking out seventh-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1). Tsonga popped 12 aces and was not broken in the straight-set triumph.

The 26-year-old Tsonga is a former Aussie Open runner-up.

The promising Tomic punched his ticket to his first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal by beating Belgian veteran Xavier Malisse 6-1, 7-5, 6-4. Tomic held his quality serve throughout on Court 18.

Malisse was a semifinalist here back in 2002.

The 18-year-old qualifier Tomic is the youngest men's quarterfinalist at Wimbledon since former German great Boris Becker back in 1986.

"What a feeling and what a tournament it's been for me," Tomic said. "I'm at a position now where I've never been happier. I'm looking forward to playing on Wednesday."

Tomic is looking forward to playing Djokovic.

"He's a cool guy. One of the nicest guys out there on the tour," Tomic said. "To play against a guy like him that's (No.) 2 in the world, it doesn't get really better than that."

Lopez continued his fine play at the All England Club with a grueling come- from-behind victory over fellow non-seed Lukasz Kubot, 3-6, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (9-7), 7-5, 7-5. Lopez needed 4 hours, 18 minutes to complete his Day-7 comeback. The slugfest featured 55 aces, including 28 from the winner, and only seven breaks of serve, including four for the Spaniard. Both players fired 80 winners in the marathon.

All four men's quarterfinals will be held on Wednesday, as Tuesday will be an off day for the men in singles.

Serena Williams out of Wimbledon

Defending champion Serena Williams was dumped out of Wimbledon on Monday, losing to French ninth seed Marion Bartoli in straight sets 6-3 7-6 (8-6).
Four-time winner Williams, who has only recently returned to tennis after a year-long lay-off because of health and injury problems, was always struggling to impose herself against her determined French opponent on Court One.

Bartoli was ecstatic after a fourth round win which puts her into a quarter-final against German wildcard Sabine Lisicki in Tuesday’s last eight."Beating Serena here is like a dream come true," Bartoli said.

"She’s been out for a year but she is still one of the greatest champions in the history of women’s tennis.’’Bartoli was made to battle every inch of the way however as the typically dogged Williams saved three match points in the 12th game of the second set to force a tie-break.Williams saved a fourth match point in the tiebreak but Bartoli conjured up a booming serve to convert her fifth and advance.

"It was not easy mentally to hang on after she managed to save the match points but I did so I’m very happy,’’ Bartoli said.

The first set went with serve until the sixth game, when Bartoli grabbed the all-important break to edge ahead 4-2, which swiftly became 5-2 after the Frenchwoman held to love.

Williams fought off three set points in her next service game before holding to narrow the gap to 5-3.

The American was then gifted a break point in the ninth game when Bartoli double-faulted.Bartoli showed great composure to fight back however, holding off two more break points from Williams before converting her sixth set point with an ace.

The second set went with serve until the 11th game when Williams was broken to give Bartoli a 6-5 lead.Bartoli’s supporters were then put through the wringer as she squandered three match points as Williams broke back to force a tiebreak.
But Bartoli, who had banished her father from the viewing box during her third round match on Saturday, held her nerve in the tie-break, wrapping up victory when Williams could only return a booming serve into the net.

Pics: Celebs at Wimbledon 2011

Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is introduced to the Centre Court crowd on the sixth day of the 2011 Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club.

Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali are introduced to the Centre Court crowd on the sixth day of the 2011 Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club.

Former Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova, center, talks to Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali prior to the match on centre court at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon

Britain's cricket captain Andrew Strauss, front center, and his wife Ruth, front left, sit with All England Lawn Tennis Club Chairman Philip Brook, front right, and cricketers Kevin Pietersen, center second row, Ian Bell and their wives as they watch play on Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon.

Britain's cricketer Kevin Pietersen watches play on Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon.

French player Adrian Mannarino serves to Swiss player Roger during the men's single at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club, in southwest London on June 22.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US arrives on court prior to her match against Japan's Misaki Doi at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon

French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga celebrates after beating Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov in a Men's Singles match at the 2011 Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club, in south-west London, on June 23, 2011.

Mirka Vavrinec, wife of Swiss player Roger Federer arrives for his game with French player Adrian Mannarino during the men's single at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club, in southwest London on June 22, 2011.

Swiss player Roger Federer's shoes are seen as he plays with French player Adrian Mannarino during the men's single at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club, in southwest London.

German player Sabine Lisicki cries after beating Chinese player Li Na during the women's single at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club, in southwest London.

See the Slideshow here

Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic Beats Marcos Baghdatis to reach fourth round

Novac Djokovic Wins, Frustration Mounts at Wimbledon Novac Djokovic defeated Marcos Baghdatis 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in a racket-smashingly frustrating match. Djokovic's four set victory buys him a ticket to the fourth round, where he will be taking on 19 seed Michael Llorda.

Djokovic has yet to advance past the Semifinals at Wimbledon. While he has excelled on the hard court, he  has yet to get over the hump at Wimbledon.

Winning on grass would help Djokovic to make a case as the world's top player. Roger Federer has mastered this surface and Rafael Nadal has won two of the last three times here at Wimbledon.

MUST READ: Wimbledon 2011: The Best Players That Have Never Won at the All- England Club.
He faces an uphill battle, if want to win it all this year. The frustrating match that just transpired is not a good indication of things to come.

Djokovic has reigned supreme at the Australian Open twice. A Wimbledon victory is exactly what his career needs to make the 24-year-old the world's No. 1. It's unclear as to whether or not one Wimbledon victory
would do so, but it would help immensely.

For now, he needs to concentrate on his next match. Getting ahead of himself could make for a huge upset, as Robin Soderling is evidence of.

Wimbledon: Serena, Nadal, Federer and Sharapova roll

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams— players with a combined 12 Wimbledon titles — all won in straight sets Saturday to move into the fourth round and keep up their pursuit of even more championship trophies at the All England Club.

Six-time champion Federer beat David Nalbandian 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to move closer to equaling Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles.

Two-time winner and defending champion Rafael Nadal committed only three unforced errors in a 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 victory over Gilles Muller, a 92nd-ranked wild card from Luxembourg.

Williams, chasing a third straight title and fifth overall in her comeback from nearly a year out with serious health problems, served 10 aces in beating 26th-seeded Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-2.

Muller is the last player other than Roger Federer to beat Nadal at Wimbledon, in the second round in 2005.

Nadal will next face another Grand Slam champion, 2009 U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Gilles Simon 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.

"He's a fantastic player. He's one of the best players of the world," Nadal said of the Argentine, who missed most of 2010 after surgery on his right wrist. "He had an important injury last year, but he's here now all the time and he's at his top level.

Rafael Nadal returns a shot during his third- round match against Gilles Muller of Luxembourg. Nadal will play Juan Martin del Potro in the fourth round.

"It will be a very difficult match. It will be a fantastic test and I have to be playing my best if I want to have chances, and that's what I'm going to try."

In other women's play, 2004 champion Maria Sharapova and top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki won in straights set to reach the round of 16.

Nadal, who saved two break points in the first set Friday against Muller, was credited with zero unforced errors Saturday in the second set. But Muller managed to stay even until he sliced a backhand into the net after a long rally to give Nadal a 6-5 edge in the tiebreaker. The Spaniard closed out the set in the next game with a forehand winner, then won six straight games, finishing with an ace.

"It was a very difficult match to play, especially the first two sets, when I had not one chance to break him," Nadal said. "It's like a lottery. I'm happy about how I played the tiebreaks, very solid with my serve. … I feel like in the third set I started to play really, really good."

Nadal said he felt discomfort in his right leg, but that it was not related to the two heavy falls he took at the baseline during the match.

"I started to feel the leg a little bit more tired than usual," he said. "But I played today without problems, and now I (have) one day and a half to rest and recover. I hope it will be perfect for Monday."

Sharapova, the 2004 champion, struggled with her game but reached the fourth round by beating Klara Zakopalova 6-2, 6-3.

The fifth-seeded Russian, the only champion in the women's draw other than the Williams sisters, had 21 unforced errors and four double-faults in an inconsistent baseline performance in windy conditions on Court 2.

But, after falling behind 3-1 in the second set, Sharapova lifted her game to win five games in a row to finish off the 35th-ranked Czech player.

Zakopalova struggled with her footing, slipping at least four times along the baseline.

Sharapova pumped her fist and shouted "Come on!" after hitting a forehand service return winner to break for 5-3 in the second set, then finished the match in the next game with another forehand winner down the line.

Sharapova hasn't reached the semifinals since 2006. She will next face 20th-seeded Peng Shuai of China, who beat Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).

Wozniacki, still looking for her first Grand Slam title, swept Jarmila Gajdosova 6-3, 6-2 to reach the fourth round for the third straight year. Wimbledon is the only major championship where the Dane has not reached at least the quarterfinals.

Also reaching the final 16 among the men was last year's runner-up Tomas Berdych. The sixth-seeded Czech needed only seven points to complete a 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 win over Alex Bogomolov Jr. of the United States. The match had been suspended by rain with Berdych leading 4-3, 15-0 in the third set Friday.

Berdych will next play 10th-seeded Mardy Fish, the last American man left in the tournament. He advanced when Robin Haase retired at 1-1 in the fourth set because of injuries. Fish was up two sets to one, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2.

Ninth-seeded Gael Monfils was defeated by 93rd-ranked Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. The 29-year-old Kubot, who won three qualifying matches to get into the main draw, also reached the round of 16 at the 2010 Australian Open.

No. 18 Ana Ivanovic, a former top-ranked player and 2008 French Open champion, was knocked out by Petra Cetkovska, 6-2, 7-6 (7-0). No. 9 Marion Bartoli beat Flavia Pennetta 5-7, 6-4, 9-7.

Wimbledon: Lee-Hesh ousted from men's doubles

Indian veterans
Leander Paes and Mahesh
Bhupathi blew away a strong
start to make a shock exit
from the men's doubles event
of the Wimbledon
championships as they lost
the second round 6-2, 3-6,
7-6 (1) 4-6 to Arnaud Clement
and Lukas Dlouhy on
Saturday.
The third seed 'Indian
Express' pair dominated the
opening set but allowed their
unseeded rivals to make a
strong comeback.
The defeat means that Paes and Bhupathi
will now try to win their first Grand Slam
together after rejoining forces at US Open,
the last tennis major of the season.
The French-Czech pair broke the Indians
twice - third and ninth games - in the
second set to draw parity and then nosed
ahead by winning the third set via tie-
breaker.
The fourth set could not have started on a
worse note for the Indians as they dropped
serve in the very first game.
That mini lead was enough for Clement and
Dlouhy, a former partner of Paes, and it
provided further impetus to the momentum
gained by them and they closed it out easily.
The defeat of Paes and Bhupathi leaves
Somdev Devvarman the only Indian in the
men's doubles draw. Somdev, along with
Japanese Kei Nishikori, has already moved to
the second round.
Rohan Bopanna has also crashed out with
Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-haq Quershi.

Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal beats Gilles Muller in third round

Defending champion Rafael Nadal closed out a 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 6-0 win over Luxembourg's Gilles Muller after their rain-hit match resumed at Wimbledon.

The Spaniard, who edged a first-set tie-break on Friday evening, was initially matched service game for service game by Muller once again.

But Muller dumped a backhand into the net to allow the second to slip away and then disintegrated in the third.

Nadal will face Juan Martin del Potro or Gilles Simon in the fourth round.
"I started the match without some rhythm and it is difficult because it is like a lottery," Nadal told reporters.
"But I was pleased with how I played in the tie-breaks especially today. I got all of my first seves in and was returning well. But I
am pleased to get through."

Wimbledon: Murray wins another thriller under roof

Any minute now somebody may need to remind Andy Murray that Wimbledon is an outdoor tournament. Before today he was the only player to have completed two career matches under the Centre Court roof. This evening the latest deluge over SW19 added another indoor victory to his tally - his second in three rounds this week.

This time the vanquished was the veteran Ivan Ljubicic, who stole the second set from an occasionally inattentive Murray, only for the Scot to triumph 6-4 4-6 6-1 7-6(4) in just under three hours. Murray, champion at Queen's earlier this month, will play the number 17 seed Richard Gasquet in Monday's fourth round.

Ljubicic, ranked 33 these days, began the match bare-headed, but soon resorted to a towelling headband to keep the sweat out of his eyes - and he needed to, saving five break points at 2-3 in the opening set. After that a hold to love for Murray seemed the most likely prospect in the next game. Instead, the very opposite happened and Murray was broken without reply.

The Scot was distinctly unimpressed, bellowing at himself as he walked back to the baseline, remonstrating in the direction of his supporters in the players' box. He need not have worried. Ljubicic helped him out with two double faults and a wayward forehand to put the score back at 4-4. Murray moved up a gear, with a lob and a forehand in successive points bringing up two set points on the Croat's serve.

Murray was hugely frustrated when his return was not good enough to convert the first. But there was nothing wrong with his efforts after that, and he cantered back to his chair pumping his fist.

But far from carrying the momentum with him into the second set, Murray then had a poor service game. He fluffed a volley and then delivered a double fault to be broken. No great expertise in body language was required to detect what he thought of himself, and he was still chuntering a game later. Around the middle of the set it felt as if he was finding his touch again, but nonetheless Ljubicic sealed the set with an ace.

Come the start of the third, Murray looked anything but authoritative on his own service game, yet promptly broke Ljubicic for 2-0. From there he took a stranglehold on the set. His quickest serve of the match - 133mph - brought him set point. He closed out the set inside 29 minutes to take the lead in the match once more.

Ljubicic, a player who has never made it into Wimbledon's second week at Wimbledon, was giving away eight years to his 24-year-old opponent and may not have been feeling too optimistic at this point. At 2-2 came what seemed the hammer blow, when a backhand pass and then a forehand pass delivered the break for Murray.

At 4-2 ahead, there was even the chance for a moment of showboating as Murray gave another rendition of the through-the-legs shot he played twice at Queen's Club nearly a fortnight ago. On this occasion, the dash of impudence won the point and attracted rapturous appreciation from all those gathered under the Centre Court roof, but Murray was unable to build on it and grab another break of serve.

Instead, the score moved on to 5-4 and, with Murray serving for the match, he suddenly became inexplicably tentative. Ljubicic's attacking play and a misjudgement from Murray made it 5-5. The set went to the tiebreak, the Friday night noise inside Centre Court was ratcheted up another level and finally the man carrying British hopes of a first men's singles title closed out the match and gave himself a full weekend to prepare for challenges still to come.

Wimbledon: Day 6 preview

Here we are at the sharp end of the first week of the 125th Championships, more or less on schedule despite the nastiness hurled in the direction of this part of London by the weather over the past few days and with remarkably few casualties among the big names.

Andy Roddick has gone, sadly and surprisingly, beaten by a Spaniard he had never lost to in seven previous meetings. So has Li Na, the winner of the French Open women's title, skewered by one of the German girls who are suddenly resurgent. Germany spends years looking for another Steffi Graf and suddenly three come along together.

In addition to Sabine Lisicki, whose recovery from severe ankle problems to ousting Wimbledon's third seed is the stuff of fairy tales, there are Julia Goerges and Andrea Petkovic, all three rising in the rankings.

On the men's side Europe is dominant, with France's and Spain's squads to the fore of players looking forward to a second week at the world's greatest tournament. And then, of course, there is Roger Federer, intent on another Wimbledon title. The fact that it would pull him level at seven with Pete Sampras is, he claims, an irrelevance. Nice to have if it happens, but not what he is working his socks off for this fortnight.

Another title, another chance to hold aloft the greatest trophy in the game, that's what Roger wants and he is in line to take another step towards that ambition with a third round match against David Nalbandian.

To say this pair are old adversaries is quite an understatement. It all kicked off nine years ago on the clay of Monte Carlo, with the Argentine winning for the loss of three games, and this will be their 19th confrontation in a series that Federer leads by 10-8. Nalbandian won the first five, Federer took eight of the next nine and they have split the last four. They have met at the US Open (twice), the Australian Open and the French Open but not, until now, at Wimbledon.

Novak Djokovic, Federer's "Big Four" partner in the lower half of the draw, will also be playing his third round and, like the Swiss, is not so much motoring along as flying. So it will be the turn of Marcos Baghdatis, the sort of bloke you would like to meet at a Happy Hour, to attempt to apply the brakes.

The omens are not good since the Serb has won all four of their clashes. Interestingly, though, they had a five-setter at Wimbledon four years ago and Novak squeaked through 7-5 in the fifth after three tie-break sets.

Rafael Nadal, the third of the Four Musketeers, must try to finish his assignment on No.1 Court against Gilles Muller, postponed after one set because of rain. The break will not have come as a disappointment to Rafa, the defending champion, since he took a nasty tumble just before winning that set on a tie-break and had gone off court for treatment when the rain set in.

By that time, Muller, the man from Luxembourg ranked 92, had inflicted a good deal of grief on the world No.1. Perhaps it was the fact that, for a change, Rafa was facing a fellow left-hander but Muller rattled down 89% of his first serves on target, an incredible statistic. Our hero from Majorca will be the better for a nice night's rest before resuming hostilities.

Fifth seed Robin Soderling lurched through his first round match against Germany's Philipp Petzschner on a string of errors and then fell two sets behind against Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon Champion, before scrambling home in five and falling to his knees, either in relief or disbelief.

Saturday will be a day for revenge, since he now takes on another Australian, Bernard Tomic, who has survived the shot and shell and horrendous weather of the Roehampton qualifying week. So Bernard should be honed and toned against someone he has never even practised with, though he feels his best bet is to be more relaxed than he was in his five-set second round struggle against the Russian, Igor Andreev.

He has also spoken to Lleyton Hewitt's coach and general wise man of the courts, Tony Roche, and in that laconic Aussie way, Bernard says: "Tony gave me a few good advices on how to play him." Good on yer, Tony.

The Great Adventure of the sisters Williams, Venus and Serena, takes another step, with Serena, going for her fifth Wimbledon title, facing Maria Kirilenko of Russia. Three times previously they have met, and three times Serena has beaten her, so the recovery process for the younger Williams sister should inch forward.

In her last match Serena was required to take herself on to No.2 Court and had a bit of a chunter about it. Asked to comment on this, Maria Sharapova said she would be happy to play wherever she was sent. Just as well, since that is where she will be playing on Saturday.