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Rafael Nadal spread the love after his second-round Wimbledon victory on Thursday, speaking at length about three of the WTA Tour's biggest stars. In his post-match press conference, the Spaniard was asked about Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff — both of whom were also victorious on Day 4 — as well as reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

Nadal has been the subject of admiration from all corners of the tennis world, with many WTA players commending his legendary fighting spirit and his strong start to the 2022 season. World No. 1 Swiatek was on hand to see the Spaniard win the Australian Open final in January, and Nadal revealed he has been watching the Polish star throughout her 37-match win streak as well.

"I texted her a couple of times because it's unbelievable the way that she's playing," Nadal said. "It's unbelievable the way that she's able to hold the concentration and the winning spirit for such a long time. I think it's something very difficult to make that happen."

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Swiatek has not lost a match since February, winning six titles on her winning streak. Nadal gave his opinion on why she has been so tough to beat.

"I think when she's playing well, it's very difficult to stop her because her shots are little bit different, with a lot of power. She's able to move well. When she's [playing] with confidence, I think she has shots that are very difficult to stop for the rest of the girls.

"I like her. I think she has a very positive attitude, fresh air for the world of tennis. Happy that a good girl like her is having a lot of success."

Rafael Nadal has been challenged in his first two matches at Wimbledon, but he is through to the third round without facing any significant danger.

The two-time champion defeated Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 after three hours and two minutes on Thursday in the second round of The Championships. The second seed will next play 27th seed Lorenzo Sonego, who reached the fourth round at SW19 last year.

"Every day is a challenge, that's the truth. All the opponents are difficult. We are playing against the best players of the world and especially even in these conditions, it will be more [difficult]. I didn't play much on grass for the past three years," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "Every day is an opportunity to improve and today I'm through, so that gives me the chance to keep going. [I am] very happy for that."

It was not a perfect performance from Nadal, who lost his serve twice and dropped a set for the second consecutive match (also against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo). But he is now 32-3 on the season and continues his pursuit of the Grand Slam, having triumphed at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

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#NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima earned his first Top 20 win Thursday when he upset World No. 16 Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(8) to reach the third round at Wimbledon for the first time.

The 20-year-old played consistently as he led the American charge on Day 4 at the grass-court Grand Slam. Nakashima fired 22 winners, while he committed just 14 unforced errors to advance after two hours and 19 minutes in his first ATP Head2Head meeting against the Canadian.

“It felt amazing out there. To play against such a high-level player on one of the biggest stages, it doesn’t get much better than that,” Nakashima said. “The crowd was great out there today. I am happy with the way I played and I am looking forward to the next match.”

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A semi-finalist at the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, the American will look to advance to the fourth round at a major for the first time when he faces Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan. Last month, Nakashima reached the third round at Roland Garros in a run that gave him further confidence.

Top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury enjoyed a smooth start to their Wimbledon campaign on Thursday in London. Champions at the Australian Open in 2020 and the US Open in 2021, the duo opened its quest for a first Wimbledon title with a 6-3, 7-6(5), 7-6(6) victory against Daniel Altmaier and Carlos Taberner.

After lifting the trophy at Ram's home Slam last year in the United States, the team is bidding for similar success in doubles World No. 1 Salisbury's home major in Great Britain. Quarter-finalists or better at each of the past four Grand Slams, the pair is seeking to improve upon a semi-final finish last year at SW19.

Ram/Salisbury saved the only break point they faced in the opening round early in the first set, finishing with an 85 per cent win rate (53/62) on first-serve points. The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champions advance to face Fabrice Martin in Hugo Nys after the French-Monagesque pair advanced in five sets on Wednesday.

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Sixth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, the 2019 Wimbledon and US Open champions, also opened with a straight-sets victory at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. The Colombians scored a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win against Frenchmen Adrian Mannarino and Ugo Humbert, capitalising on four of their six break chances. 

Stefanos Tsitsipas set a blockbuster clash with Nick Kyrgios on Thursday when he cruised past Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to reach the third round at Wimbledon for just the second time.

The Greek looked sharp throughout his two-hour and four-minute clash against Thompson on Court 1, opening his shoulders to dictate from the baseline. The fourth seed, who is making his fifth appearance at Wimbledon, struck 29 winners and broke the Australian six times to improve to 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

"It was a great match today. I got the crowd involved and even though I am not a Brit, I really felt the love from the crowd and that pushed me,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview.

“Last year was a completely different story [compared] to this year,” he added. “I wasn’t really that involved with [my movement] behind the ball. It is great to see that evolution this year. I feel grass suites my game perfectly. I am happy when I see the level of tennis I played today. As long as everything works, I am happy to see where that will lead me.”

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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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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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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.

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.”

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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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.”

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.

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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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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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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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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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.

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.

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.

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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