Chris Evert and Tom Rinaldi discuss Serena Williams’ slow start to her first-round win at Wimbledon and how impressive it would be if she won the tournament this year. “And I was exhausted of being down a set”. Sure, Novak Djokovic is still the No. 1 player in the world, but Rafael Nadal has disappeared from the top-5, Roger Federer has made a minor career comeback, and Stan Wawrinka has added the French Open title to his Grand Slam trophies room while making himself into a legitimate elite contender.
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World No. 1s Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams open play Monday in the first round at Wimbledon. This is the cradle of our sport, Centre Court.
“I don’t think about it [retiring], I don’t think about that, I don’t think about when I stop, I’m going to stop at my peak, I mean that’s something I definitely want to do but I don’t sit down and think about when I want to stop”, said the legendary American. “It really is a special feeling”. World number two and seven-time Wimbledon champion Federer, who won the last of his 17 majors at the All England Club in 2012, is seeded to meet Djokovic in the July 12 final.
She still hasn’t played her first round here. After the next point, a lineswoman trotted over to the chair umpire, who announced: “Code violation, audible obscenity, Miss Williams”. “I’d never beaten her before so for me it was a good match”, said the Czech. I cant say I thought shed be that good, to be honest..
Williams finished with as many errors (19) as winners, but she broke four times and lost serve only once.
“When she is at her best she is better than anybody”, Evert said. “He’s so nice to let us use his courts”. But there’s nothing quite like being the one to take down the giant. “I just managed to stay composed”. Sabine Lisicki beat her in the fourth round in 2013, while past year saw Williams bounced by Alize Cornet in round three. I think that every match with her is different.
With the French Open at least pushed to the back of his mind for now, Djokovic is keen to revive his previously-dominant 2015 campaign in London.
The Djokovic match will be followed by Maria Sharapova against Britain’s Johanna Konta and Wawrinka against Portugal’s Joao Sousa.
As she showed during her comeback-filled run at Roland Garros, she can summon the skill and the will to turn any match in her favor, even on her worst days.
Minutes after his quarterfinal exit at the French Open, Roger Federer was asked whether it was too early to look ahead to Wimbledon. His ranking of No. 10 is his worst in a decade, and he lost his opening match at the Queen’s Club warmup event. “I’m experienced, and something that tennis has taught me over the years, to move on, and to be able to do that very quickly”. Like her 6-0, 6-0 victory against 36th-ranked Madison Brengle on Monday, Williams also won that long-ago match.
The highest-ever temperature recorded at Wimbledon was 34C in 1976. Forecasters are predicting a “heat wave” for London this week, with temperatures reaching 90 Wednesday.
Lower down, Murray’s conqueror past year Grigor Dimitrov is number 11 seed while the likes of Ivo Karlovic (23), Bernard Tomic (27), Nick Kyrgios (26) and Jack Sock (31) all represent unsafe opponents on grass.
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Top-seeded Serena Williams beats Margarita Gasparyan 6-4, 6-1 in the first round at Wimbledon.
