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Kyrgios Blasts Past Krajinovic, Faces Tsitsipas Next

A pumped-up Nick Kyrgios produced a serving masterclass Thursday to dispatch Filip Krajinovic 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the Wimbledon third round for the sixth time.

In one of his best performances of the season, the Australian fired 24 aces and won 93 per cent (37/40) of his first-serve points as he blasted the Serbian off the court in 85 minutes.

The World No. 40, who reached the quarter-finals on debut at The Championships in 2014, will next play fourth-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.

"I want to remind people that I'm pretty good," Kyrgios deadpanned in his on-court interview to the delight of fans. "This is the tournament I circle on my calendar, which I look forward to all year. It's the Grand Slam where I have the best opportunity."

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Wimbledon Celebrates 100 Years Of Centre Court

A tournament steeped in history, Wimbledon has reached a major milestone this year. The Championships 2022 mark 100 years of Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

While the tournament and its show court have modernised over the years, including the addition of the Centre Court roof in 2009, the event remains faithful to its early roots and traditions.

King George V officially opened the new grounds at Church Road in 1922 with three bangs of a percussion instrument. Fourteen years later, Great Britain's Fred Perry won his third straight Wimbledon title in 1936 on Centre Court. Perry was the last British man to claim his home trophy until Andy Murray's famous victory in 2013.

The new roof was not the only construction completed on the famous court in its history. While The Championships were suspended during World War II, Centre Court was hit by a bomb in October 1940, when a corner of the stand was damaged. The event resumed in 1946 before repairs were completed the following year.

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Coach Roig On Nadal’s Wimbledon Return

After beating Francisco Cerundolo in the first round of Wimbledon, his first match on grass for three years, Rafael Nadal retreated to the courts of Aorangi Park for a one-hour session to prepare for his next outing at the tournament; a second-round clash with Ricardas Berankis.

Accompanied by Francis Roig and Marc Lopez, two of his coaches, the 22-time Grand Slam champion continued working on his transition to the surface, with one eye on the challenges that await him at the All England Tennis Club.

At 36 years of age and having captured his 14th Roland Garros crown, Nadal underwent two pulsed radiofrequency sessions in an effort to combat Muller-Weiss syndrome, a dysplasia of the tarsal navicular he has suffered from since 2005 in his left foot.

He did so with a clear goal: to continue playing, to keep having chances, to fight to extend one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport. And, of course, to return to Wimbledon, a place that holds a special place in his career.

“That tells me that he really wanted to play on grass again because his game was in great shape,” Roig told ATPTour.com in London. “He had a monkey on his back. Obviously, as long as he is competing for Grand Slams he’ll keep playing. He enjoys it and he likes competing.

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Molcan On Vajda: 'It Is Amazing To Work With Him'

When the opportunity to work with Marian Vajda arose, Alex Molcan pounced.

At the end of last season, Vajda's longterm partnership with Novak Djokovic came to an end. During their 15 years together, the pair captured 85 tour-level titles, while the Slovakian earned the ATP Coach of the Year award in 2018.

With one of the most impressive resumés on Tour, demand for Vajda was high. However, due to his Slovakian roots, Molcan had an edge and with a bit of luck, their partnership was born.

“It was pretty lucky how it came about,” Molcan told ATPTour.com. “When I heard that he was finished with Djokovic, we started to speak about things. At the start, it was just speaking about a few things. Then we met again and again and now we are working together, alongside my other coach Karol Beck. It was pretty lucky, but I am really happy and excited that this has happened.”

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Day 4 Preview: Nadal, Tsitsipas Return After Early Escapes

Both Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas were pushed close to a fifth set in the Wimbledon opening round before recovering from a break down to advance in four. The two highest-seeded players in the draw's bottom half return to action Thursday as they look to build on those battling victories.

Taylor Fritz, Diego Schwartzman, Denis Shapovalov, Roberto Bautista Agut and Alex de Minaur — all among the top 20 seeds — are also on the Day 4 schedule, alongside unseeded danger men Nick Kyrgios and Maxime Cressy.

First-round doubles play also continues Thursday, with top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury set to open their campaign at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

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De Minaur Dishes On Grass Courts, Why He'd Like To Play McEnroe

When the grass arrives, Alex de Minaur flourishes.

The Australian has soared to success on the English lawns in recent years, capturing the title at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne in 2021, before reaching the semi-finals at the ATP 250 event again last week.

Now, the World No. 27 is hoping for a big run at Wimbledon, where he will play home favourite Jack Draper on Thursday in the second round.

“I think the grass swing is an exciting part of the year. It is a part of the season I am always looking forward to,” De Minaur told ATPTour.com. “It is a short one, so you have to be ready for it. Whenever it comes along, it is really exciting.

“It is a surface that complements my game a fair bit. I like trying to dictate on the grass. You get a lot of help from the court, so you can try and dictate a bit more and then I try and use my movement more. I think it complements my game well with these combinations.”

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Murray Rues Missed Wimbledon Chance: 'Who Knows What Would Have Happened'

Andy Murray fell victim to a near-perfect serving performance by John Isner in the Wimbledon second round, bowing out on Wednesday without a break of serve in a 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 4-6 decision.

In contrast to his third-round exit last year at his home Grand Slam, the Briton felt his game and his body were prepared for a second-week run this fortnight.

"I could have had a good run here," the 35-year-old said in his post-match press conference. "It's one of those matches that, had I got through, who knows what would have happened."

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Despite abdominal issues in the buildup to Wimbledon, Murray had no physical issues on the court and briefly flashed the sort of form that twice led him to titles on the London lawns. But Isner's booming serve kept Murray's brilliance at bay, keeping points short and not allowing the Briton to sink his teeth into the match.

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Koolhof/Skupski Make Quick Start At Wimbledon

Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski arrived at Wimbledon as the No. 1 team in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings. They showed why on Wednesday. 

The Dutch-British pairing earned a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 victory against Argentines Facundo Bagnis and Diego Schwartzman to reach the second round. Koolhof and Skupski have won five titles since forming a partnership at the beginning of the season, including their maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown at the Mutua Madrid Open. They will next face John-Patrick Smith and Pedro Martinez in London, after the Australian-Spanish team overcame Kazakhstani Andrey Golubev and Ukrainian Denys Molchanov 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-4.

Second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic continued their red-hot form on the grass by easing to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 win against Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Mektic and Pavic arrived at the grass-court major having won back-to-back titles at The Queen’s Club and in Eastbourne. The Croatian pair brought that form to their opening match at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. They broke their opponents' serves six times in a 69-minute win and were dominant behind their own delivery, winning 91 per cent (32/35) of points behind first serves. 

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Berankis On Nadal: 'He Never Gives You A Point, Not One'

When Ricardas Berankis walks onto Centre Court at Wimbledon Thursday, he will take everything in.

The Lithuanian is making his ninth appearance at The Championships, but he has yet to grace the lawns on a show court at the grass-court major. However, that will change when he faces two-time champion Rafael Nadal in a "dream" second-round clash.

“It is always special to play at Wimbledon,” Berankis told ATPTour.com. “It is where tennis started. England, grass courts. It is a very special feeling. To be able to play in these tournaments against players [like] Rafa is a dream come true. I am really looking forward to the match.

“Rafa’s season has been unbelievable. The Grand Slams, in Australia and Paris. It is really impressive what he is doing.”

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Isner Breaks Murray Duck To Reach Wimbledon Third Round

John Isner fell just short of breaking the record for career aces on Wednesday against Andy Murray, but instead broke his winless streak against the Briton with a 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-4 victory on Wimbledon's Centre Court.

The American scored his first win in nine meetings against Murray using a familiar recipe, combining a typically stellar serving performance with clutch returning to return to the Wimbledon third round for the first time since his 2018 semi-final run.

"At the age I'm at now I need to relish these moments," Isner said after the match finished near 9:30 p.m. local time. "This was one of the biggest wins of my career just given the atmosphere. It was fantastic.

"To play as well as I did against one of our greatest players, Andy Murray, was a huge accomplishment for me. He's a massive inspiration to each one of us in the locker room and we're so lucky to still have him around."

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Alcaraz Breaks New Ground With Wimbledon Win

Carlos Alcaraz was in trouble Monday when he rallied from two sets to one down to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff in five sets at Wimbledon. The Spaniard was able to breathe a little easier on Wednesday.

The fifth seed defeated Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-6(0), 6-3 to reach the third round at the grass-court major for the first time. At just 19, he has now made the third round at all four majors.

"It was a pretty good match for my side," Alcaraz said. "I played really well. I enjoyed playing the [No. 2] Court. Really happy [I] got the win today."

This is only the teen's second appearance at SW19. Last season he made his debut, losing in the second round against Daniil Medvedev.

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Edmund On Comeback: ‘I Can Wake Up & Be A Tennis Player’

The crowds at Wimbledon this fortnight will have an array of British players to cheer on, but one in particular will be relishing the opportunity to step on court in front of his home fans. Two-time tour-level finalist Kyle Edmund is set to partner fellow Briton Olivia Nicholls in the mixed doubles, his first competitive action since October 2020 following a long-term knee problem.

“It's great, to be honest,” said Edmund at his press conference in London on Wednesday. “I have been out a long time. For me, just being back playing a match to start with feels like a reward for me, just to be back and playing.

“Being around here now, I have spent a couple of weeks hitting with everyone, practising with people. For me, it just wasn't so much about being here to win. It was just more being back amongst it and stuff. Around the players, the tournament, I have missed it a lot. I had to watch a lot of TV with people. It definitely feels good.”

Edmund was No. 47 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings when he last played a competitive match in qualifying at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna in October 2020. It was then that the former World No. 14 decided he needed to take action to address a knee problem he had been playing through up to that point.

“It was just sore to play on, so I played on it for a while, probably a couple years,” said the 27-year-old. “I obviously missed quite a lot of 2020 with the no tournaments.

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Murray/Venus, Coco/Sock In Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Draw

There are star-studded teams competing in the Wimbledon mixed doubles draw, including Jamie Murray/Venus Williams and Coco Gauff/Jack Sock.

Williams, one of the sport’s all-time greats, did not compete in singles at this edition of The Championships, but she is set to partner Murray for the first time. Venus is a five-time Wimbledon singles champion and a six-time titlist at the event in women’s doubles. Murray is a two-time winner at SW19 in mixed doubles.

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Murray and Williams received a wild card. They will play Alicja Rosolska and Michael Venus in the first round.

The pair of Gauff and Sock might have come to fruition through social media. Two weeks ago, Gauff tweeted, “Who wants to play mixed at Wimby?” Sock responded, “We’d be a decent team.” The Americans will open against British wild cards Kyle Edmund and Olivia Nicholls. Edmund has not competed since October 2020 in Vienna due to a knee injury.

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Humbert Upsets Third Seed Ruud At Wimbledon

It has not been the easiest season for Ugo Humbert, but he made it a lot better on Wednesday at Wimbledon.

The Frenchman, who arrived at SW19 with a 5-15 tour-level record in 2022, upset third seed Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the third round at The Championships for the second time. Ruud is the highest seed to fall thus far at the grass-court major.

Humbert needed three hours and 28 minutes across five sets in the first round against Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The lefty was rewarded for surviving that effort, as he broke Ruud's serve six times and hit 53 winners in his two-hour, 36-minute triumph.

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In the battle of Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals alumni, Humbert made a slow start, firing 15 unforced errors while his opponent remained solid. But once the Frenchman reined in his game, he was able to rely on his big serve and aggressive approach to power past Ruud.

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Murray To Make Laver Cup Debut In London

Three-time Grand Slam champion and 46-time tour-level titlist Andy Murray will seek to add a new trophy to his collection later this season when he makes his Laver Cup debut for Team Europe. The Briton will join Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on captain Bjorn Borg's squad, with three more players to be confirmed ahead of the 2022 competition, set for The O2 in London from 23-25 September. 

“I’m looking forward to playing the Laver Cup in London,” Murray said. “I love playing as part of a team and there is a great atmosphere and intensity to the event. I’ve heard lots of good things and I’m excited to be teaming up with both Roger and Rafa for Team Europe.”

Murray will look to help Team Europe maintain its perfect record in the competition, with the continental team winning each of the first four editions. The 35-year-old has climbed back to the brink of the Top 50 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after undergoing hip surgery in 2018 and 2019 and has reached two tour-level finals this season in Sydney and Stuttgart.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Diego Schwartzman have been confirmed for Team World by captain John McEnroe.

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Dialled-In Djokovic Races Past Kokkinakis

Novak Djokovic produced a masterclass in grass-court tennis on Wednesday at Wimbledon, where the top seed breezed to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 second-round victory against Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Djokovic was imperious from the start against the World No. 79, striking the ball cleanly from deep and moving smoothly around Centre Court in one of his most complete performances of the year. The six-time champion broke Kokkinakis five times on his way to a two-hour victory that extended his winning-streak at SW19 to 23 matches.

Djokovic’s next assignment in his bid for his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title is a third-round clash against Miomir Kecmanovic or Alejandro Tabilo.

More to follow…

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Day 3 Play Begins At Wimbledon After Rain Delay

Play has begun at Wimbledon after rain delayed the start of Day 3 at the grass-court Grand Slam until 12:44 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

Third seed Casper Ruud headlines the second-round action on the outside courts in London, where the Norwegian is set to take on Ugo Humbert first up on Court 2.

With both Centre Court and Court 1 at the grass-court Grand Slam fitted with a roof, play will commence on those courts as scheduled regardless of the weather. Defending champion Novak Djokovic’s clash against Thanasi Kokkinakis begins at 1:30 p.m. local time on Centre Court, with two-time champion Andy Murray later facing John Isner.

The Court 1 schedule begins at 1:00 p.m. local time. British No. 1 Cameron Norrie’s meeting with Spaniard Jaume Munar is the second match on.

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Doubles Spotlight: Arevalo Says 'If You Work Hard, Dreams Can Come True'

At Roland Garros in early June, Marcelo Arevalo made history. In lifting the trophy on the Parisian clay alongside Jean-Julien Rojer, the Salvadoran became the first Grand Slam men’s doubles champion from Central America, an unprecedented moment in the story of tennis in the region. Arevalo has a plan in place to ensure it is not the last.

“I started this project with my brother [former ATP pro Rafael Arevalo] in 2009,” Arevalo recently told ATPTour.com. “It’s called the Hermanos Arevalo Tennis Academy, and we give opportunities to kids in need. The problem in El Salvador is, if you want to play tennis, you need to be a member of a country club, or you need to go to the national federation, where back then [in 2009] you still needed to pay… So kids didn’t play tennis because they didn’t have the money to pay.

“What we did was give the opportunity to those kids to come to our academy, and they had the chance to practise for free at certain hours. Our goal was to make them believe that they could play professionally, or if they wanted to take the other way, to send them to college with a free scholarship that will change their life.

“We did that with probably four or five guys. We gave them a scholarship in our academy and also helped them to travel. No big deal, just to Guatemala, a couple of tournaments in Central America, just for them to have some matches when they were juniors and to be more attractive for the colleges. So they went to college, they’ve already graduated, and now they live in the United States. Those kids came from nothing. It changed their lives.”

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Preview: Can Kokkinakis 'Pull A Federer' Against Djokovic?

With the first round in the books at Wimbledon, Wednesday's men's singles play begins with 64 players still standing in their quest for Grand Slam glory. The top half of the draw — which completed play on Tuesday following a rainy Day 1 — is back in action for the second round, with top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic set to open play on Centre Court against Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Andy Murray will face 20th seed John Isner on the show court, while his countryman Cameron Norrie — the ninth seed and British No. 1 — faces Jaume Munar on Court 1. Third seed Casper Ruud is also in action against Ugo Humbert as he looks to build on his breakthrough run to the Roland Garros final, while fifth seed Carlos Alcaraz takes on Tallon Griekspoor.

ATPTour.com analyses some of the matches to watch on Day 3.

View Singles Draw | View Schedule

[1] Novak Djokovic (SER) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)

After battling past Soonwoo Kwon in four tricky sets on Monday, Djokovic can expect another stern test from Kokkinakis — a man whose recent form and powerful game provide a credible threat, particularly on the slick grass courts.

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Tsitsipas Passes Ritschard Test

Stefanos Tsitsipas struggled to find his groove for much of his match against Swiss qualifier Alexander Ritschard at Wimbledon on Tuesday, but the fourth seed’s resilience was enough to complete a 7-6(1), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 first-round victory at the grass-court major.

The World No. 5 appeared to have taken control of an engrossing encounter after opening up a two-sets-to-love lead on Court 1, but an inspired Ritschard showed a high-class level to strike back in the third set. Some sublime shotmaking from the Swiss was not enough to overcome Tsitsipas’ consistency, however, as the Greek held his nerve to secure the win.

“Obviously it is great to be back [at Wimbledon],” said Tsitsipas in his on-court interview. “I have to congratulate Alexander for an incredible performance. I am sure we are going to see a lot of him.”

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Even when he was on top, Tsitsipas had to stay alert in his first tour-level meeting with the World No. 188. Ritschard was particularly proficient at the net throughout the three-hour, 31-minute encounter, but Tsitsipas’ extra firepower on return proved decisive. The nine-time tour-level titlist broke the Swiss six times on his way to a Tour-leading 41st victory of the year.

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