Novak Djokovic: I needed miracle pills to beat on-court illness
Times19 hours ago
Class in adversity. It could be the motto of Novak Djokovic who fought off illness to win under the floodlights on Centre Court in four sets to earn a second-round match against Britain's Dan Evans (Alyson Rudd writes).
And perhaps it is this quality which will ensure he starts to receive the global love he fears can never be his.
'I went to feeling my absolute best to my absolute worst for 45 minutes,' he told those who stayed until past 10.30pm. Miracle pills, he said, helped him through a stomach upset.
You don't have to be an insider to take a good guess at what Djokovic wants. His Christmas list would have been for a 25th grand-slam singles title and, given he said Wimbledon is his best chance of doing that, he will want to equal Roger Federer's eight wins in SW19. And he wants affection.
Djokovic is broadly fitter than he was last year when he lost in the final to Carlos Alcaraz and cannot lack for motivation. His seeding of No6 feels faintly ludicrous. But he is, crucially 38, which places him in a certain category. He is officially a character. And the Wimbledon crowd love a character.
Djokovic was contained with flashes of athleticism and power but his opponent kept it competitive, holding serve under extreme pressure to take the second set to an extremely tense tie-break which the Olympic champion lost 9-7 having been in the driving seat.
The roof was then closed to allow for floodlights and Djokovic suddenly looked older than his years rather than younger but still managed to cover the court on occasion with absolute panache. He asked, all the same, to see a doctor.
A medical timeout was then declared as Djokovic shrugged a good deal but opted to play on and a Müller double fault handed him a break of serve. The Frenchman then received attention from a physio on his calf as both players looked, frankly, the worse for wear but somehow Djokovic found the reserves to race to seal the third set 6-2, as if he had made a mental note that if he could just speed things up he should feel better in the morning.
In the third game of the fourth set Muller saved three break points but still managed to lose it and from that juncture his fate was sealed.
'It's great to finish before the curfew,' Djokovic smiled. 'I have to acknowledge the sacredness of this court.'
A four-set victory it is for Novak Djokovic, 6-1, 6-7 6-2, 6-2 in a match that was more dramatic that the score perhaps suggests, with Djokovic saying he 'felt my absolute worst' during the match, adding that he believes he has had a stomach bug.
Novak Djokovic leads 4-2 in the third set and the crowd noise, with the closed roof, is deafening after the long rallies. An athletic slide from the Serb on the backhand pass — which Muller sinks into the net on the volley — suggests Djokovic's ailing has subsided. Two set points come up for him and Muller misses a fairly routine backhand to go 5-2 down. Djokovic serving for the match now.
If tennis is a battle between power and precision, then the 2025 edition of Wimbledon has given us a winner (Owen Slot writes). Which triumphs — power or touch? — was a question crystallised in the form of a record-breaking serve: the fastest ever delivered here at these championships, hot off the racket of the giant powerhouse Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, fired in at the body of Taylor Fritz at 153mph. One of the curiosities, here, was that his historic serve did not win Mpetshi Perricard the point.
Another of the curiosities is that 'servebot' — as in robotic serving machine — was a put-down that used to be aimed at Fritz. Fritz still has one of the fastest and most effective serves in the game. Here, though, in the story that played out on No1 Court, overnight Monday and finishing on Tuesday, he was the man with the hard hat on having to use all his guile and hand skill to tame the Frenchman's thunderbolts.
For the record, before this week the fastest serve ever struck at Wimbledon had been the handiwork of Taylor Dent, the American, in 2010; its speed: 148mph. Mpetshi Perricard broke that record with his first serve in the first point of the match against Fritz with a tidy little missile that was recorded at 149mph. His next serve was a more modest 146mph. It was in the third point of the match that he went the full 153mph.
● Read more: After 153mph serve breaks Wimbledon record, just how fast can they get?
To borrow from another big hitter with a tendency to sink rivals, British tennis watchers do not merely expect every man to do his duty (Rick Broadbent writes).
They also like him to show nerves of steel while suffering an existential crisis, and if he can win after going through the emotional wringer because of a cavalier penchant for drop shots, so much the better. A post-match presser then delivered with the wit of Stephen Fry is favoured. The latest to enter this maelstrom of great expectations is Jack Draper.
At 23 he is already a big deal in broad tennis terms — a US Open semi-finalist, the Indian Wells champion and up to No4 in the world — but he has never made the third round at Wimbledon and the nation only truly takes you to its heart when you have had it hiding behind the sofa.
● Read more: Nation ready to take Draper to its heart after win
Djokovic holds to 15 to secure the third set and lead by two sets to one (Alyson Rudd writes). He somehow found the reserves to speed through to win 6-2 in spite of needing that medical timeout. But then again, Müller needed one too for a sore calf. May be stupid to call this one given what happened in the second set but surely Djokovic has decided to plough on as fast as possible in order to sleep off his ailment.
Here's a full list of the 23 fallen seeds: Gauff, Pegula, Zheng, Badosa, Ostapenko, Kessler, Frech, Muchova, Linette, Kostyuk, Zverev, Musetti, Rune, Tsitsipas, Shapovalov, Humbert, Bublik, Michelsen, Popyrin, Medvedev, Cerundolo, Berrettini and Griekspoor. Phew.
After the roof was closed to allow for floodlights, Djokovic was handed a bespoke bottle by his coaching team which might have had something to do with him earlier rubbing his stomach (Alyson Rudd writes). Suddenly he looked older rather than younger than his years but still managed to cover the court on occasion with absolute panache. He asked, all the same, to see a doctor as his team looked on forlornly. A medical timeout was then declared by the umpire as Djokovic shrugged a good deal but he has opted to play on and now leads 6-1, 6-7, 5-2.
With Gaël Monfils beating the 18th seed and fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-2 in the fifth set, there are now 13 men's seeds out in the first round, which equals an all-time grand-slam record. Four of the top-ten seeds are out on both the men's and women's side — the most in the opening round at any major in the open era. And that's 23 seeds in all who've departed. This is up there with 2013's infamous Black Wednesday as one of the most destructive days in Wimbledon history — and Djokovic is by no means assured of victory himself as he calls for the doctor (it's not clear what the problem is, he seems low in energy), but he does have a break in the third set, leading 6-1, 6-7, 3-2.
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It's been a tumultuous Tuesday for the seeds at Wimbledon, and Coco Gauff almost looks resigned to her fate as she steps up to serve to stay in the championships, trailing Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, a former junior Wimbledon finalist, 7-6 (7-3), 5-1. It's been a horrendous serving performance from Gauff, who's already hit eight double faults, and she opens the game with her ninth. But this has been the display of Yastremska's life, and the 25-year-old takes out the French Open champion and world No2 when Gauff dumps into the net! Gauff was many people's tip for the title here, but instead she departs in the first round for only the second time in her career. The shocks just keep on coming — and this is the biggest of the lot.
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Sometimes you just don't see it coming (Alyson Rudd writes). What looked to be processional has turned into something much more tricky for Djokovic to navigate as Müller takes the second set. The Serb had changed shirts to a few wolf whistles before the second set, then came a smattering of chanting his name and clapping in unison from about 30 people. Which is a start. If he gets to the final again maybe that figure will swell significantly and he will be able to feel truly wanted. In the meantime there was warm appreciation for a quite deadly lob that left Müller looking bereft.
Müller kept it competitive, holding serve and his nerve under extreme pressure to take the second set to an extremely tense tie-break which the seven-times champion lost having been in the driving seat for its early exchanges. The crowd could barely believe it.
It's set point Novak Djokovic at 6-5 in the second-set tie-break against Alexandre Müller … but he miscues his backhand overhead, which to be fair is not the easiest shot in the book. Djokovic has another set point at 7-6, but an errant sliced backhand brings it back to 7-7. And then Müller steals the set by nudging ahead to 8-7 before pinging a pass beyond Djokovic, who is left stranded at the net! They're level and one set apiece and the roof is now being shut so that they can continue under the lights.
Elena Rybakina is safely through, however, gliding past Elina Avanesyan 6-2, 6-1. The 2022 champion is the best grass-court player in the women's draw, but can she find consistency this fortnight? It's been hard to come by this year. The two-times Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka has departed; the 35-year-old Belarusian losing in three sets to the young Russian Anastasia Zakharova.
There's a hush around No1 Court as Coco Gauff, the French Open champion and world No2, falls 4-2 down in the first-set tie-break against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, a former junior Wimbledon finalist. Make that 5-2, as Yastremska nails a forehand return winner down the line. The world No42 then brings up three set points at 6-3 … and she needs only one as she puts away the volley! There have been upsets aplenty at the All England Club today, but the biggest could be yet to come.
Jack Pinnington Jones has done it! (Elgan Alderman writes) Great Britain 2 Argentina 0. After a historic opening day for home hopes, today has offered an array of pricked dreams, but following on from his friend Jack Draper, the world No281 has manufactured some glory late in the day. On his grand-slam singles debut, Pinnington Jones has beaten Tomás Martín Etcheverry, the world No53, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-5. Flavio Cobolli is his second-round opponent.
After Alexander Zverev fell to Arthur Rinderknech, 12 (!) men's seeds have been bumped out in the first round already. That's a record at Wimbledon, though the men's record at any slam is 13, at the 2004 Australian Open, which could still be reached given not all the seeds have completed their first-round matches yet.
Closing the roof of Wimbledon's Centre Court to protect spectators from the sun has been rejected, despite dozens of fans requiring first aid for a second day after being overcome by the heat (David Brown and Lara Wildenberg write).
Temperatures soared to 33.4C today. The opening day's record heat of 32.3C yesterday smashed the previous record of 29.3C set in June 2001.
Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, rushed to assist a woman who fainted during his first round match yesterday. Some spectators sitting close to Delyth Lewis, 79, when she collapsed said she had been left in direct sunlight when the roof was moved to offer shade in the Royal Box.
Guests in the air-conditioned box on the first day included the actors Cate Blanchett, Rebel Wilson, Russell Crowe and Sarah Lancashire, along with the writer Julia Donaldson and the golfer Justin Rose.
● Read more: Roof stays open despite searing heat
Draper and Baez weren't the only British-Argentinian pairing today with Jack Pinnington Jones two sets to the good against Tomás Martín Etcheverry, the latter leading 4-1 in the third. Pinnington Jones is ranked No281 in the world while Etcheverry has been as high as No27 just last year, so a win for the Briton would be quite an achievement.
Meanwhile, the second seed Coco Gauff, who has been rescheduled to No 1 Court, has just begun her match against Dayana Yastremska.
There were whoops as Novak Djokovic walked out on Centre but many spectators were still recovering from having just seen Alexander Zverev being knocked out over five gruelling sets and the Royal Box was more or less empty (Alyson Rudd writes). Maybe the crowd, having just seen an upset, were intrigued by the prospect of the underdog given Alexandre Müller, the 28-year-old facing Djokovic, is ranked 41. But it feels as if Djokovic is in no mood to permit any romance as he speeds to secure the opening set 6-1.
After breaking for a 2-1 lead and then consolidating that with some rock-solid serving of his own, Novak Djokovic takes a double break, pushing Alexandre Müller all around the court until a forehand goes long from the Frenchman. The Serb leads 4-1.
Over on Centre Court, the No6 seed and seven-times champion at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic (heard of him?) is out against Alexandre Müller of France. They've only played once before, with Djokovic winning 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 at the US Open in 2023. The Serb is 2-1 up.
That injury earlier has proved to be too much for Sebastian Baez, who retires with Jack Draper leading 6-2, 6-2, 2-1. A second-round meeting with Marin Cilic, the 2017 finalist here and champion of the 2014 US Open, awaits.
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Alexander Zverev is out! The third seed makes his way disconsolately off Centre Court having lost a four-hour epic against the world No70 Arthur Rinderknech (James Gheerbrant writes). Zverev looked for all the world as if he had the momentum after wresting the fourth-set tie-break, but Rinderknech broke early in the fifth from 40-0 down and he was not to be denied. Trying to serve out the win of his life, Rinderknech got to 40-0, played two very tight points and then finally nailed a backhand winner on to the line and flopped on to his stomach. 'My legs are still shaking,' he tells the Centre Court crowd.
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Second blood to the home favourite in the undercard of the British-Argentine dual duel (Elgan Alderman writes): where Jack Draper leads, Jack Pinnington Jones has followed by taking the first set on a tie-break (7-4) against Tomás Martín Etcheverry on Court 17. It has taken 64 minutes as neither player has been able to capitalise on any of the nine break points.
Jack Draper is still in control against Sebastian Baez, who has received treatment to his right knee and was deep in conversation with the trainer during the injury timeout, but has decided to continue. This match isn't likely to last long, though, as Draper claims his second break of the second set with a fizzing forehand winner. Draper leads 6-2, 4-1. Waiting in the second round for the winner is the 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic, now 36, who came through his first-round match against Raphael Collignon in straight sets.
That has the feel of a potentially huge moment on Centre (James Gheerbrant writes). Alexander Zverev is 40-0 up on serve and cruising to a no-nonsense hold, at 1-1 in the final set, but Arthur Rinderknech gets back to deuce, courtesy of a smoking return and a Zverev miss. Another scorching shot from the Frenchman brings up a break point, and then Zverev dumps the softest of forehands into the net to drop serve. Can Rinderknech just hold his serve – and his nerve?
Easy as you like for Jack Draper first up (Elgan Alderman writes). It has been a typical display of power against the Argentinian, who has little pedigree on this surface. Draper has been excellent on serve, getting a high percentage of first serves in and winning almost all the points when he does.
Draper, with the shadows starting to stretch over No1 Court, providing some respite from the sun, is already serving for the first set against Sebastian Baez. Ace No4 of the match moves Draper to 30-15 … and another two stinging serves help him seal the set after only 27 minutes. The British No1's Wimbledon campaign is up and running.
It was looking pretty dicey for Alexander Zverev at one stage in that tie-break (James Gheerbrant writes). He trailed 4-1 and didn't manage to make a play on any of the first four serves that Arthur Rinderknech delivered. But when he finally got a look at a second serve, he made it count, forcing an error from Rinderknech. The Frenchman was within touching distance of the win of his life and he blinked. Zverev duly took his first set point at 6-5 and we're now going to a fifth set on Centre, with Zverev surely a strong favourite.
If Jack Draper progresses through the Wimbledon draw over the next fortnight, prepare for plenty of camera shots of those sitting in the Centre Court player box above one of the corner scoreboards (Stuart Fraser writes).
Among the many traditions of this historic tournament are replays showing both the joy and angst of the watching team members and family of British players in action — a familiar sight for the many viewers who followed the rollercoaster ride of Andy Murray through the years at the All England Club.
Sitting in the Draper box, willing him on, will be his fitness trainer Matt Little and physio Shane Annun, two trusted lieutenants of Murray who have stepped forward into a new era by joining the Draper coaching staff this season.
It is a shrewd move by Draper that has already worked wonders. Those of us who see the 23-year-old regularly around the world on tour can testify to the claim last month by Alexander Bublik, the world No31 from Kazakhstan, that his upper body has grown in strength and size.
● Read more: Breathing coach and Team Murray driving Draper's bid for glory
Jack Draper is out on No1 Court … wearing a jacket in the 33C heat. Playing as the highest-ranked home player since Andy Murray was the No1 seed in 2017, the fourth seed opens his campaign against Argentina's Sebastian Baez.
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Tie-break in the fourth set of the match on Centre Court (James Gheerbrant writes). It's between the third seed Alexander Zverev and the world No70 Arthur Rinderknech. Zverev trails by two sets to one, so his Wimbledon hopes are on a knife-edge here …
Petra Kvitova's Wimbledon career is over. The 2011 and 2014 champion has lost 6-3, 6-1 to Emma Navarro, the 10th seed, and unfortunately ends with a double fault. There's a huge standing ovation for the Czech … who's then given the microphone to speak on court despite her defeat.
'Thank you for the atmosphere, it was wonderful to play on this beautiful court,' she says. 'Congrats Emma. I wish we could have played for a bit longer. I never dreamt of winning Wimbledon and I did it twice so this is something very special.
'I will miss Wimbledon, I will miss tennis, I will miss you fans but I am ready for the next chapter of life as well. I can't wait to be back as a member. Thanks to the people who helped me to improve as a player and a person.
'I didn't have many tennis coaches in my career but my first one was my dad and he is here today. My last one is my husband so I want to thank them all and the people in my box. Thank you to all my family back home. Thank you very much Wimbledon.'
She says Wimbledon will always hold 'the best memories' for her — as well as winning the title twice, her husband proposed at the All England Club and her son was born during the championships last year.
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And another one by the wayside (sighs Elgan Alderman). Francesca Jones is out, losing the deciding set 6-1 against Yuliia Starodubtseva. Brit watch now moves on to Jack Pinnington Jones, who faces Tomás Martín Etcheverry on Court 17.
The American fifth seed Taylor Fritz returned this afternoon to complete a five-set comeback victory over the French serving machine Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who clocked the fastest serve in Wimbledon history during part one of their tussle yesterday. Fritz — twice a Wimbledon quarter-finalist and the winner of the recent grass-court tournaments in Eastbourne and Stuttgart — had been two sets down, but he eventually prevailed 6-7 (6-8), 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Quite possibly the match of the championships so far.
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Petra Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion, is playing here for the last time on a wild card, and we may be witnessing her final match at the All England Club. She is trailing 6-3 5-1 against the 10th seed, Emma Navarro, on No1 Court.
On Centre Court, Alexander Zverev is in a bit of trouble (James Gheerbrant writes). We've already lost the women's third seed, Jessica Pegula, today, and now the men's third seed will have to go five sets if he is to beat France's Arthur Rinderknech. Having failed to take three set points at the end of the second set last night, you might have thought Rinderknech's resistance would have been broken but not a bit of it: after the match resumed this afternoon at one set all, he dominated the third 6-3 and is within a set of the biggest win of his career.
Turns out that the victory over Polina Kudermetova wasn't the only thing that Iga Swiatek took from No2 Court this afternoon …
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Good to see Dan Evans make it through (Rick Broadbent writes). I have fond memories of watching the Brummie on an outside court here one year. Full of self-loathing he would swear every time he messed up a shot and then immediately apologise to the nearest ball girl for his language. On another occasion Laura Robson questioned his Jesus tattoo given she said he was not particularly religious. 'I'm not sure on her hairstyle,' was his response. Not boring.
Dan Evans was fired up and locked in for that first-rounder against his fellow Brit Jay Clarke, and he has wrapped up an impressively commanding win, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 (James Gheerbrant writes). He looks pleased as punch with that, whacks a spare ball out of the court and then playfully mimes watching after it, and then sends his sweaty towel into the crowd. No sign of animosity at the net with Clarke, who was driven to distraction at times by Evans's leisurely breaks between serves. Evans is in fact the first British winner of day two, after seven yesterday. Next up for him: a likely second-rounder against Novak Djokovic.
Caty McNally has completed a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jodie Burrage, who will be bitterly disappointed after making 29 unforced errors (Tom Kershaw writes). Meanwhile, Yuliia Starodubtseva, the world No68, is providing Francesca Jones with a sterner test in the second set. After benefitting from an extremely fortunate net cord that took the game to deuce, Starodubtseva capitalised with a fine return to break Jones's serve and make it 4-2. The Ukrainian has the momentum now and it seems likely this match on Court 17 will be heading to a deciding set.
A couple of results you bring you up to date on in the women's singles (James Gheerbrant writes). Iga Swiatek has avoided the general carnage, comfortably taking care of her first-round opponent, Polina Kudermetova, 7-5 6-1. Swiatek has sometimes struggled at this tournament and her seeding of eighth is her lowest since 2019, but she has improved on grass recently, reaching the final in Bad Homburg. In the same section of the draw is Greece's Maria Sakkari, a former world No3 who reached the semi-finals of the French and US Opens in 2021 but has been on an absolutely dreadful run at the grand-slams ever since. She has just beaten Anna Blinkova to reach the second round for only the third time in her past ten grand-slam appearances.
Alexander Bublik, the mercurial Kazakh, has been one of the form players in men's tennis, beating Jack Draper at the French Open and then winning the title on grass in Halle, where he defeated Jannik Sinner — so much so that he was actually the fifth favourite in the bookmakers' odds (James Gheerbrant writes). But the 28th seed has gone the way of so many others, beaten in five sets by the Spanish world No55 Jaume Munar. That's significant, because Bublik was a potential opponent lying in wait for Draper in the third round here.
As for Barbora Krejcikova, the defending champion has survived a first-round scare after coming from a set down to see off Alexandra Eala, the rising star from the Philippines who reached the Eastbourne final last weekend. The Czech, who has played only six matches this year because of a back problem and also picked up a thigh injury in Eastbourne, won 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 on Centre Court. So Krejcikova has avoided the same fate as her Czech mate Marketa Vondrousova, who last year became the first defending women's champion to be knocked out at the first hurdle since 1994.
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Things are going from bad to worse for Jodie Burrage, who is two breaks down in the second set (Tom Kershaw writes). However, Francesca Jones is faring much better on Court 18. The 24-year-old from Bradford, who was born with a thumb and three fingers on each hand and with only seven toes, as a result of a rare genetic condition, Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia, has taken the first set 6-1 against Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva. Jones, the world No122, is attempting to reach the second round at Wimbledon for the first time in her career. George Loffhagen's defeat, however, has been confirmed against Pedro Martinez in four sets. That's three losses in three matches for Britain so far today.
There's just a bit of niggle in the all-British clash on Court 12 (James Gheerbrant writes). Jay Clarke has been wound up by the amount of time Dan Evans has been taking in between his serves, but his complaints to the umpire go unheeded. Evans was a break down in this second set, but he has since turned the tables, and serving for the set at 6-5, he nails an absolutely sensational reaching top-spin lob which arcs over Clarke and lands right on the baseline. Evans now leads by two sets to love, and it's a long way back for Clarke now.
Jodie Burrage has lost the first set 6-3 against Caty McNally on Court 18 (Tom Kershaw writes). The world No142 received a wildcard into the main draw and might have fancied her chances against McNally, who is a doubles specialist and twice reached the final of the US Open women's doubles, but has struggled to find her rhythm thus far. Burrage, 26, whose boyfriend, Ben White, was called up to the British & Irish Lions squad yesterday, has reached the second round at Wimbledon once before, in 2023.
There are all sorts of tennis fairytales but in general it is really, really hard to produce something magical if you have not been able to prepare before a tournament (Alyson Rudd writes). Lorenzo Musetti, the seventh seed, was knocked out today by Nikoloz Basilashvili, the Georgian qualifier, which sounds like quite the shock but the Italian had to retire from his French Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz with a leg injury and, just as he thought he might be able to get in some training in the week prior to the championships, he was struck down by illness.
'I came here, well, at the last minute,' he explained. 'I was struggling to feel like comfortable on the court from the beginning. I was really losing focus.'
Gone are the days when you can just be innately good at tennis and hope to spark into life on the big stage without practising beforehand.
The seeds continue to tumble at the All England Club (James Gheerbrant writes). The fifth seed, Zheng Qinwen, has a big serve that should be made for grass, but she's out in the first round for the third year in a row, defeated 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 by Katerina Siniakova, the world No74. And joining her in making an early exit is the 15th seed, Karolina Muchova, Siniakova's fellow Czech, whom China's Wang Xinyu breezed past 7-5, 6-2. We have now lost 17 seeds, ten men and seven women, and it's not even 4pm on the second day yet! Meanwhile, Dan Evans is back on serve in the second set against Jay Clarke.
The prospect of a huge British upset is fading on Court 16, where George Loffhagen is two sets to one down against Pedro Martinez (Elgan Alderman writes).
Seven years ago The Times reported that Loffhagen, Jack Draper and Aidan McHugh were the youngsters to follow Andy Murray. Tim Henman put forward Loffhagen, 17 at the time and eight months older than Draper, as a practice partner for Rafael Nadal before Wimbledon. Yet the transition from junior to senior was difficult and Loffhagen didn't play any matches between August 2021 and August 2022, working instead at the Marlborough Head pub in Mayfair.
Loffhagen's present ranking of No293 is the best of his career. At last year's championships, where he didn't get out of qualifying, he was outside the top 750. Since then he has won regularly at M25 level on the ITF Tour, and victories over Mackenzie McDonald and Billy Harris at Eastbourne were notable.
This is his second Wimbledon appearance, having lost to Holger Rune two years ago. Martinez is the second highest-ranked opponent Loffhagen has ever faced.
'I am very, very happy to come back here, it's a special place for me and playing against an Italian is very unfortunate for us but one has to go through, so I'm happy that it's me,' Jannik Sinner says after his demolition job against Luca Nardi. 'The atmosphere is amazing so thank you for coming out. I know it is very, very hot and humid. I don't remember the last time when there was this weather in London so thank you so much.'
As for moving on from that French Open final against Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner says: 'New tournament, new chances, new challenges, you have one opponent at a time so obviously I try to keep going and enjoy playing here. If you don't enjoy to play on this courts, I don't know where you will enjoy. Very happy to be here and let's see what is coming.'
Zheng Qinwen, the fifth seed, is heading for defeat against Katerina Siniakova, the erstwhile doubles partner of defending singles champion Barbora Krejcikova (James Gheerbrant writes). Siniakova is now 4-0 up in the decider and it looks like she, not the former Australian Open finalist Zheng, will play Naomi Osaka in the second round. And on Court 12, there's been a shift in momentum in the all-British clash between Dan Evans and Jay Clarke. Clarke has broken with a fierce backhand pass to take a 3-1 lead in the second set.
Dan Evans has raced through the first set of his match against fellow Briton Jay Clarke, 6-1 (James Gheerbrant writes). Meanwhile, No2 Court is really living up to its reputation as the graveyard of champions today. Lorenzo Musetti, the seventh seed, who reached the semi-finals last year, has fallen there to the Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, a former world No16. That's a stunning result for Basilashvili, who hadn't won a match at a grand-slam since Wimbledon three years ago. He has won in four sets, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. Zheng Qinwen, the fifth seed, has recovered to take her match against Katerina Siniakova to a deciding set.
Jannik Sinner, the world No1 and top seed, has breezed into the second round with a straight-sets victory over his fellow Italian, friend and hitting partner Luca Nardi. The US Open and Australian Open champion dropped only seven games in the 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 rout. So no signs of any scar tissue from his agonising defeat in that French Open final for the ages against Carlos Alcaraz.
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Last year's semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti is in a deep hole (James Gheerbrant writes). He has lost four games in a row against Nikoloz Basilashvili, and now trails by two sets to one and 2-0 in the fourth. And Dan Evans is in charge early against Jay Clarke, leading 3-0 in the first set.
A potential upset is brewing on Centre Court, where the defending champion Barbora Krejcikova has lost the first set 6-3 against world No56 Alexandra Eala (Tom Kershaw writes).
Krejcikova has been on a wretched run of form this year amid various injury struggles and entered the main draw as the 17th seed, the lowest-seeded defending women's singles champion of the Open era.
Eala, who was born in the Philippines, is a graduate of Rafael Nadal's academy in Spain and is considered one of the game's rising stars. The 20-year-old reached her first WTA final last week at Eastbourne and, despite making her main draw debut at Wimbledon, has seemed unfazed thus far.
On No12 Court, the all-British clash between Dan Evans and Jay Clarke is about to begin. Evans cut an emotional figure in his press conference at the weekend, when he spoke about feeling he had let people down, but he had some good results on grass in the build-up, beating top-20 players Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe. Clarke is a wild card who reached the second round in 2019, when he played Roger Federer.
Day Two at Wimbledon 2025 was a rom-com—with rain as the uninvited lead actor. Torrential showers put a pause on most outside courts, but inside Centre Court and No1 Court, tennis fireworks continued.
Carlos Alcaraz breezed into the next round with his trademark flair, breezing past Jérémy Chardy 6‑0, 6‑2, 7‑5—even jokingly admitting he was 'a bit jealous' of Roger Federer in the Royal Box. Jannik Sinner, the world No1, wasted zero time dispatching Miomir Kecmanovic in 96 minutes, cruising through in straight sets. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff served warning shots of dominance—crushing qualifier Anca Todoni 6‑2, 6‑1—and Emma Navarro handed Naomi Osaka a shocker, ousting the former No1 with a 6‑4, 6‑1 upset.
Elsewhere, Andy Murray smashed fellow Brit Ryan Peniston in straight sets, earning buzz for a late-career resurgence. So, yes—rain delayed the show, but day two's highlight reel delivered style, shocks, and a taste of the great drama to come.
Could we have another shock brewing on No3 Court? The fifth seed Qinwen Zheng has just lost the first set of her match against the Czech player Katerina Siniakova, 7-5. And the British wild card George Loffhagen has won the first set against Spain's Pedro Martínez, 6-2 on Court 16.
Play was suspended on Wimbledon's hottest opening day as the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz went to assist a spectator who collapsed in the heat. Temperatures reached 32.3C at the All England Club as at least six British players progressed to the second round.
● Read more: Wimbledon play paused after fan collapses in 32.3C Centre Court heat
Tennis is a sport which often defies prediction and recent form often sometimes doesn't count for much (James Gheerbrant writes). Even so, it's been a remarkable aspect of these opening two days how many of the players who won a grass-court tournament in the lead-up to Wimbledon have lost.
Tatjana Maria, who you may have seen winning the women's tournament at Queen's after that fairytale run, is the latest, dumped out in three sets by American Katie Volynets. We have already lost the champions from Bad Homburg (Jessica Pegula), Nottingham (McCartney Kessler), and on the men's side, Tallon Griekspoor, who won in Mallorca. And of course, Taylor Fritz, champion in Stuttgart and Eastbourne, was locked at two sets all with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard overnight.
Meanwhile, on No2 Court, the seventh seed Lorenzo Musetti has hit back against Nikoloz Basilashvili, taking the second set 6-4.
You can tell it's hot at Wimbledon (Rick Broadbent writes). The Chelsea pensioners arrive to watch the all-Italian clash between Jannik Sinner and Luca Nardi, and whip off their famous red coats en masse. Meanwhile, no murmur from the crowd about Sinner's doping ban. All square in the early stages.
Clara Tauson, the 23rd seed, was really made to scrap by Heather Watson, but eventually her class has told against the British veteran (James Gheerbrant writes).
It's the Dane who progresses, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, but that was a very creditable performance by Watson, in her 15th Wimbledon, and in the end she won only four points fewer than her opponent across the match.
Such fine margins, but Watson lost a crucial break of serve in her fourth service game of the decider and that was all Tauson needed to seize the initiative. She finished by breaking Watson again, to love. Elsewhere, the fifth seed, Qinwen Zheng, has just started against Katerina Siniakova on No3 Court, and the 26th seed Marta Kostyuk has lost to the qualifier Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia.
On Monday morning, Argentina's Solana Sierra warmed up with Victoria Mboko despite neither of them actually being in Wimbledon at the time (Rick Broadbent writes). Now they are both in the main draw as lucky losers. Sierra won her first round match after getting the call at Monday lunchtime and now Mboko, a highly-rated Canadian teen, has also found her way into Wimbledon today. Anastasia Potapova withdrawal means she gets to take on Magdalena French. Being in the first round brings a guarantee of £66,000 prize money. Worth the wait.
Heather Watson, trying to reach the Wimbledon second round for the sixth time in 15 appearances, is in a right old scrap on No12 Court, but she has just come through a testing deuce game to hold for 3-2 in the final set against the 23rd seed Clara Tauson (James Gheerbrant writes).
On No2 Court, which has already seen one shock today, the seventh seed and 2024 semi-finalist, Lorenzo Musetti — he of the silky one-handed backhand — has just lost the first set 6-2 against the Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, a former world No16.
Organisers missed a trick in putting Johannus Monday on Tuesday, and the debutant has been unable to add to the British throng in the second round. As expected, Tommy Paul takes it 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in under two hours.
We're going to a third set on No12 Court: Clara Tauson broke early in the second and never relinquished that advantage, and she takes her second set point with a huge forehand past Heather Watson (James Gheerbrant writes). Watson's overall record in three-setters at Grand Slams: won nine, lost 15. Can she buck that trend here?
On an opening day marked by British upsets, Katie Boulter produced a gutsy performance to stun ninth seed Paula Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, on Centre Court.
Boulter might have lost her status as the British No 1 to Emma Raducanu a fortnight ago, but she summoned all her resolve to withstand Badosa's fightback and claim just the fourth win over a top-ten player of her career. The first of those also came on Centre Court, against Karolina Pliskova in 2022, and those memories proved a vital source of inspiration in an absorbing contest.
● Read more: Katie Boulter stuns Paula Badosa as Sonay Kartal's rapid rise continues
Not for nothing is Wimbledon's No2 Court known as the graveyard of champions, and it has played host to another seismic shock to shake the hanging baskets (James Gheerbrant writes).
Jessica Pegula, the third seed, is out, having been stunned in two not particularly close sets by Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy, the world No116, 6-2 6-3. There was no hint of that in Pegula's build-up: in fact she won the warm-up tournament in Bad Homburg, beating Iga Swiatek in the final. But it all went wrong for the American today, and she departs with a rather ignominious stat line of five winners to 24 unforced errors. Cocciaretto could play the Queen's champion Tatjana Maria in the second round. On Court 12, Heather Watson still trails by a break in the second set against Clara Tauson, having won the first.
Katie Boulter was victorious yesterday and now it's her turn to spectate. Here she is having a shaded, sneaky peek at her fiance Alex De Minaur, who is a set and a break up against Roberto Carballés Baena.
It is not all about the winners at Wimbledon (Rick Broadbent writes). The star names will duly cement reputations and frame victories in a historic gilt, but down among the near-unknowns the lucky losers play out broad-screen supporting dramas.
For Solana Sierra, an Argentinian fighting her way up sport's slippery rungs, the £99,000 she guaranteed herself via the win of her life was nice, but the thrill, emotion and hug-with-mum were worth more.
The tennis lucky loser is a curious concept that provides a new raft of challenges for any player. Four days earlier Sierra squandered a match point in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton and so did not know if she would be required this week. She could have played elsewhere for guaranteed money but instead rolled the dice and found a new apartment.
● Read more: Lucky losers hit Wimbledon's £99,000 jackpot after late call-ups
After losing the first set against Heather Watson, Clara Tauson breaks the Briton's serve in the first game of the second, and backs it up by holding for 2-0 after a brilliant point, which she concludes by chasing down a Watson drop shot (James Gheerbrant writes). A hold to love gets Watson on the board for 2-1 and hopefully steadies the ship. Elsewhere, Tatjana Maria, the mother of two who won Queen's, and Alex De Minaur, the 11th seed who is engaged to Katie Boulter, have both won the first set in their matches.
Another brilliant return game by Heather Watson and she takes the first set against the 23rd seed, Clara Tauson (James Gheerbrant writes). The British veteran hasn't won a grand-slam main-draw match since Wimbledon 2022, but that was a superb set from her, hitting 12 winners against just six unforced errors. And there's work to do for Jessica Pegula, last year's US Open finalist and the world No3, on No2 Court: she has dropped the first set against Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Heather Watson has made a good start on No12 Court as she looks to join Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter in round two. Kartal and Boulter both put out seeds yesterday and Watson is up by an early break against the 23rd seed Clara Tauson of Denmark, leading 5-2. On No2 Court, the third seed, Jessica Pegula, trails by the same scoreline against Elisabetta Cocciaretto, the world number 82.
Emma Raducanu has played 204 matches in her professional career, but never before has she been as vocal as she was in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday (Stuart Fraser writes). It was a telling indicator of the extra pressure she felt going up against a young compatriot with nothing to lose.
It is a shame that the stats keepers here do not count the 'Come on' tally alongside the first-serve percentages and the unforced-error totals. At one stage during the second set this was being loudly shouted after every point she won, whether it be with a scintillating winner or a tame backhand slice into the net from her opponent.
When the officials conducting the draw on Friday pitted Raducanu against the 17-year-old British wild card Mimi Xu, it felt as if this was a potential banana skin for her. Clearly Raducanu felt the same way as she was focused throughout this 6-3, 6-3 victory on making sure that there were no dips in her intensity.
● Read more: Emma Raducanu proves too good for 17-year-old Mimi Xu
Trying to come up with a Wimbledon playlist for the 1.5-mile walk to the grounds (Rick Broadbent writes) and so far have Venus and Serena by the Super Furry Animals, the lush Ballad of Bjorn Borg (the Pernice Brothers) and the apparently-about-Billie-Jean-King-albeit-not-remotely-obvious-from-the-lyrics, Philadelphia Freedom (Elton John). Contributions welcome although I feel it may be hard to top Outbreak of Vitas Gerulaitis (Half Man Half Biscuit).
Among the other notable players in action at 11am are the women's third seed Jessica Pegula, whose best run here was reaching the quarterfinals in 2023: she plays Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Court Two (James Gheerbrant writes). Tatjana Maria, the former semi-finalist who had that fairytale run at Queen's a couple of weeks ago with her daughters watching on, faces the best name in tennis, Katie Volynets, on Court 15. And after seeing his fiancée Katie Boulter win yesterday, Alex De Minaur, the 11th seed, is out on Court 18 playing Roberto Carballes Baena.
The gulf in ranking was huge, the schedule probably allowed for no more than 2½ hours of play but, instead, the opening match on Centre Court produced a nail-biting classic that lasted four hours and 37 minutes (Alyson Rudd writes).
Carlos Alcaraz emerged victorious over the five sets but he was definitely out of sorts and frequently outwitted by the savvy Fabio Fognini. By the end, both players hardly possessed the energy to reach the net for an embrace in the still stingingly hot conditions.
● Read more: Carlos Alcaraz digs deep to defeat Fabio Fognini in five-set thriller
Well, it was a ruckus. As mentioned before, we have a stunning Centre Court epic, mind-blowing shocks and plenty of love for the Brits. Let's rewind.
British interest from the off after yesterday's historic opening day. Heather Watson is up against Clara Tauson, the No23 seed, first up on No12 Court, and Johannus Monday opposes Tommy Paul, the No13 seed, on No3 Court.
At 33, Watson is the elder stateswoman of British tennis, with fourth-round pedigree at Wimbledon three years ago. She has had a recent uptick in form, coming through qualifying at The Queen's Club for the second round, and beating the world No60 at Eastbourne. Tauson, despite her ranking, has never won a match at Wimbledon.
Monday, the world No224, is another young Briton who has come up via the American college system: in his case, the University of Tennessee. This is his grand-slam singles debut. It would be a huge upset against a man who was a quarter-finalist here last year after winning at Queen's.
With scorching temperatures in prospect again today, getting one of the early matches which gets under way at 11am is probably not the worst thing (temperatures are forecast to peak in the afternoon). Two Brits are starting on the outside courts in around 15 minutes: Heather Watson, playing in her 15th Wimbledon, has a tough assignment against Denmark's Clara Tauson, seeded 23rd, on Court 12. On Court Three, the wild card Johannus Monday faces the 13th seed Tommy Paul, also a stiff test.
The play gets underway around the ground at 11am, with the showcourts up and running this afternoon. Here is what you need to know.
Centre Court (from 1.30pm)(17) Barbora Krejcikova vs. Alexandra Eala(6) Novak Djokovic vs. Alexandre Müller(2) Coco Gauff vs. Dayana YastremskaNo1 Court (from 1pm)(1) Jannik Sinner vs. Luca NardiPetra Kvitova vs. Emma NavarroJack Draper vs. Sebastián BáezNo2 Court (from noon)Jessica Pegula vs. Elisabetta CocciarettoLorenzo Musetti vs. Nikoloz BasilashviliIga Swiatek vs. Polina KudermetovaBen Shelton vs. Alex BoltNo3 Court (from noon)Johannus Monday vs. Tommy PaulMirra Andreeva vs. Mayar SherifGrigor Dimitrov vs. Yoshihito NishiokaElina Avanesyan vs. Elena Rybakina
Well how about that first day, hey. What a cracking curtain raiser. Day one at Wimbledon had everything: epic matches, shock upsets, and loads of British success. In the London sun, it sure did feel like summer. It also felt like you were wearing a jumper inside a volcano and eating strawberries for some reason but I digress. We've got more tennis today so open wide, I hope you're hungry.
And perhaps it is this quality which will ensure he starts to receive the global love he fears can never be his.
'I went to feeling my absolute best to my absolute worst for 45 minutes,' he told those who stayed until past 10.30pm. Miracle pills, he said, helped him through a stomach upset.
You don't have to be an insider to take a good guess at what Djokovic wants. His Christmas list would have been for a 25th grand-slam singles title and, given he said Wimbledon is his best chance of doing that, he will want to equal Roger Federer's eight wins in SW19. And he wants affection.
Djokovic is broadly fitter than he was last year when he lost in the final to Carlos Alcaraz and cannot lack for motivation. His seeding of No6 feels faintly ludicrous. But he is, crucially 38, which places him in a certain category. He is officially a character. And the Wimbledon crowd love a character.
Djokovic was contained with flashes of athleticism and power but his opponent kept it competitive, holding serve under extreme pressure to take the second set to an extremely tense tie-break which the Olympic champion lost 9-7 having been in the driving seat.
The roof was then closed to allow for floodlights and Djokovic suddenly looked older than his years rather than younger but still managed to cover the court on occasion with absolute panache. He asked, all the same, to see a doctor.
A medical timeout was then declared as Djokovic shrugged a good deal but opted to play on and a Müller double fault handed him a break of serve. The Frenchman then received attention from a physio on his calf as both players looked, frankly, the worse for wear but somehow Djokovic found the reserves to race to seal the third set 6-2, as if he had made a mental note that if he could just speed things up he should feel better in the morning.
In the third game of the fourth set Muller saved three break points but still managed to lose it and from that juncture his fate was sealed.
'It's great to finish before the curfew,' Djokovic smiled. 'I have to acknowledge the sacredness of this court.'
A four-set victory it is for Novak Djokovic, 6-1, 6-7 6-2, 6-2 in a match that was more dramatic that the score perhaps suggests, with Djokovic saying he 'felt my absolute worst' during the match, adding that he believes he has had a stomach bug.
Novak Djokovic leads 4-2 in the third set and the crowd noise, with the closed roof, is deafening after the long rallies. An athletic slide from the Serb on the backhand pass — which Muller sinks into the net on the volley — suggests Djokovic's ailing has subsided. Two set points come up for him and Muller misses a fairly routine backhand to go 5-2 down. Djokovic serving for the match now.
If tennis is a battle between power and precision, then the 2025 edition of Wimbledon has given us a winner (Owen Slot writes). Which triumphs — power or touch? — was a question crystallised in the form of a record-breaking serve: the fastest ever delivered here at these championships, hot off the racket of the giant powerhouse Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, fired in at the body of Taylor Fritz at 153mph. One of the curiosities, here, was that his historic serve did not win Mpetshi Perricard the point.
Another of the curiosities is that 'servebot' — as in robotic serving machine — was a put-down that used to be aimed at Fritz. Fritz still has one of the fastest and most effective serves in the game. Here, though, in the story that played out on No1 Court, overnight Monday and finishing on Tuesday, he was the man with the hard hat on having to use all his guile and hand skill to tame the Frenchman's thunderbolts.
For the record, before this week the fastest serve ever struck at Wimbledon had been the handiwork of Taylor Dent, the American, in 2010; its speed: 148mph. Mpetshi Perricard broke that record with his first serve in the first point of the match against Fritz with a tidy little missile that was recorded at 149mph. His next serve was a more modest 146mph. It was in the third point of the match that he went the full 153mph.
● Read more: After 153mph serve breaks Wimbledon record, just how fast can they get?
To borrow from another big hitter with a tendency to sink rivals, British tennis watchers do not merely expect every man to do his duty (Rick Broadbent writes).
They also like him to show nerves of steel while suffering an existential crisis, and if he can win after going through the emotional wringer because of a cavalier penchant for drop shots, so much the better. A post-match presser then delivered with the wit of Stephen Fry is favoured. The latest to enter this maelstrom of great expectations is Jack Draper.
At 23 he is already a big deal in broad tennis terms — a US Open semi-finalist, the Indian Wells champion and up to No4 in the world — but he has never made the third round at Wimbledon and the nation only truly takes you to its heart when you have had it hiding behind the sofa.
● Read more: Nation ready to take Draper to its heart after win
Djokovic holds to 15 to secure the third set and lead by two sets to one (Alyson Rudd writes). He somehow found the reserves to speed through to win 6-2 in spite of needing that medical timeout. But then again, Müller needed one too for a sore calf. May be stupid to call this one given what happened in the second set but surely Djokovic has decided to plough on as fast as possible in order to sleep off his ailment.
Here's a full list of the 23 fallen seeds: Gauff, Pegula, Zheng, Badosa, Ostapenko, Kessler, Frech, Muchova, Linette, Kostyuk, Zverev, Musetti, Rune, Tsitsipas, Shapovalov, Humbert, Bublik, Michelsen, Popyrin, Medvedev, Cerundolo, Berrettini and Griekspoor. Phew.
After the roof was closed to allow for floodlights, Djokovic was handed a bespoke bottle by his coaching team which might have had something to do with him earlier rubbing his stomach (Alyson Rudd writes). Suddenly he looked older rather than younger than his years but still managed to cover the court on occasion with absolute panache. He asked, all the same, to see a doctor as his team looked on forlornly. A medical timeout was then declared by the umpire as Djokovic shrugged a good deal but he has opted to play on and now leads 6-1, 6-7, 5-2.
With Gaël Monfils beating the 18th seed and fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-2 in the fifth set, there are now 13 men's seeds out in the first round, which equals an all-time grand-slam record. Four of the top-ten seeds are out on both the men's and women's side — the most in the opening round at any major in the open era. And that's 23 seeds in all who've departed. This is up there with 2013's infamous Black Wednesday as one of the most destructive days in Wimbledon history — and Djokovic is by no means assured of victory himself as he calls for the doctor (it's not clear what the problem is, he seems low in energy), but he does have a break in the third set, leading 6-1, 6-7, 3-2.
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It's been a tumultuous Tuesday for the seeds at Wimbledon, and Coco Gauff almost looks resigned to her fate as she steps up to serve to stay in the championships, trailing Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, a former junior Wimbledon finalist, 7-6 (7-3), 5-1. It's been a horrendous serving performance from Gauff, who's already hit eight double faults, and she opens the game with her ninth. But this has been the display of Yastremska's life, and the 25-year-old takes out the French Open champion and world No2 when Gauff dumps into the net! Gauff was many people's tip for the title here, but instead she departs in the first round for only the second time in her career. The shocks just keep on coming — and this is the biggest of the lot.
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Sometimes you just don't see it coming (Alyson Rudd writes). What looked to be processional has turned into something much more tricky for Djokovic to navigate as Müller takes the second set. The Serb had changed shirts to a few wolf whistles before the second set, then came a smattering of chanting his name and clapping in unison from about 30 people. Which is a start. If he gets to the final again maybe that figure will swell significantly and he will be able to feel truly wanted. In the meantime there was warm appreciation for a quite deadly lob that left Müller looking bereft.
Müller kept it competitive, holding serve and his nerve under extreme pressure to take the second set to an extremely tense tie-break which the seven-times champion lost having been in the driving seat for its early exchanges. The crowd could barely believe it.
It's set point Novak Djokovic at 6-5 in the second-set tie-break against Alexandre Müller … but he miscues his backhand overhead, which to be fair is not the easiest shot in the book. Djokovic has another set point at 7-6, but an errant sliced backhand brings it back to 7-7. And then Müller steals the set by nudging ahead to 8-7 before pinging a pass beyond Djokovic, who is left stranded at the net! They're level and one set apiece and the roof is now being shut so that they can continue under the lights.
Elena Rybakina is safely through, however, gliding past Elina Avanesyan 6-2, 6-1. The 2022 champion is the best grass-court player in the women's draw, but can she find consistency this fortnight? It's been hard to come by this year. The two-times Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka has departed; the 35-year-old Belarusian losing in three sets to the young Russian Anastasia Zakharova.
There's a hush around No1 Court as Coco Gauff, the French Open champion and world No2, falls 4-2 down in the first-set tie-break against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, a former junior Wimbledon finalist. Make that 5-2, as Yastremska nails a forehand return winner down the line. The world No42 then brings up three set points at 6-3 … and she needs only one as she puts away the volley! There have been upsets aplenty at the All England Club today, but the biggest could be yet to come.
Jack Pinnington Jones has done it! (Elgan Alderman writes) Great Britain 2 Argentina 0. After a historic opening day for home hopes, today has offered an array of pricked dreams, but following on from his friend Jack Draper, the world No281 has manufactured some glory late in the day. On his grand-slam singles debut, Pinnington Jones has beaten Tomás Martín Etcheverry, the world No53, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-5. Flavio Cobolli is his second-round opponent.
After Alexander Zverev fell to Arthur Rinderknech, 12 (!) men's seeds have been bumped out in the first round already. That's a record at Wimbledon, though the men's record at any slam is 13, at the 2004 Australian Open, which could still be reached given not all the seeds have completed their first-round matches yet.
Closing the roof of Wimbledon's Centre Court to protect spectators from the sun has been rejected, despite dozens of fans requiring first aid for a second day after being overcome by the heat (David Brown and Lara Wildenberg write).
Temperatures soared to 33.4C today. The opening day's record heat of 32.3C yesterday smashed the previous record of 29.3C set in June 2001.
Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, rushed to assist a woman who fainted during his first round match yesterday. Some spectators sitting close to Delyth Lewis, 79, when she collapsed said she had been left in direct sunlight when the roof was moved to offer shade in the Royal Box.
Guests in the air-conditioned box on the first day included the actors Cate Blanchett, Rebel Wilson, Russell Crowe and Sarah Lancashire, along with the writer Julia Donaldson and the golfer Justin Rose.
● Read more: Roof stays open despite searing heat
Draper and Baez weren't the only British-Argentinian pairing today with Jack Pinnington Jones two sets to the good against Tomás Martín Etcheverry, the latter leading 4-1 in the third. Pinnington Jones is ranked No281 in the world while Etcheverry has been as high as No27 just last year, so a win for the Briton would be quite an achievement.
Meanwhile, the second seed Coco Gauff, who has been rescheduled to No 1 Court, has just begun her match against Dayana Yastremska.
There were whoops as Novak Djokovic walked out on Centre but many spectators were still recovering from having just seen Alexander Zverev being knocked out over five gruelling sets and the Royal Box was more or less empty (Alyson Rudd writes). Maybe the crowd, having just seen an upset, were intrigued by the prospect of the underdog given Alexandre Müller, the 28-year-old facing Djokovic, is ranked 41. But it feels as if Djokovic is in no mood to permit any romance as he speeds to secure the opening set 6-1.
After breaking for a 2-1 lead and then consolidating that with some rock-solid serving of his own, Novak Djokovic takes a double break, pushing Alexandre Müller all around the court until a forehand goes long from the Frenchman. The Serb leads 4-1.
Over on Centre Court, the No6 seed and seven-times champion at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic (heard of him?) is out against Alexandre Müller of France. They've only played once before, with Djokovic winning 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 at the US Open in 2023. The Serb is 2-1 up.
That injury earlier has proved to be too much for Sebastian Baez, who retires with Jack Draper leading 6-2, 6-2, 2-1. A second-round meeting with Marin Cilic, the 2017 finalist here and champion of the 2014 US Open, awaits.
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Alexander Zverev is out! The third seed makes his way disconsolately off Centre Court having lost a four-hour epic against the world No70 Arthur Rinderknech (James Gheerbrant writes). Zverev looked for all the world as if he had the momentum after wresting the fourth-set tie-break, but Rinderknech broke early in the fifth from 40-0 down and he was not to be denied. Trying to serve out the win of his life, Rinderknech got to 40-0, played two very tight points and then finally nailed a backhand winner on to the line and flopped on to his stomach. 'My legs are still shaking,' he tells the Centre Court crowd.
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Second blood to the home favourite in the undercard of the British-Argentine dual duel (Elgan Alderman writes): where Jack Draper leads, Jack Pinnington Jones has followed by taking the first set on a tie-break (7-4) against Tomás Martín Etcheverry on Court 17. It has taken 64 minutes as neither player has been able to capitalise on any of the nine break points.
Jack Draper is still in control against Sebastian Baez, who has received treatment to his right knee and was deep in conversation with the trainer during the injury timeout, but has decided to continue. This match isn't likely to last long, though, as Draper claims his second break of the second set with a fizzing forehand winner. Draper leads 6-2, 4-1. Waiting in the second round for the winner is the 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic, now 36, who came through his first-round match against Raphael Collignon in straight sets.
That has the feel of a potentially huge moment on Centre (James Gheerbrant writes). Alexander Zverev is 40-0 up on serve and cruising to a no-nonsense hold, at 1-1 in the final set, but Arthur Rinderknech gets back to deuce, courtesy of a smoking return and a Zverev miss. Another scorching shot from the Frenchman brings up a break point, and then Zverev dumps the softest of forehands into the net to drop serve. Can Rinderknech just hold his serve – and his nerve?
Easy as you like for Jack Draper first up (Elgan Alderman writes). It has been a typical display of power against the Argentinian, who has little pedigree on this surface. Draper has been excellent on serve, getting a high percentage of first serves in and winning almost all the points when he does.
Draper, with the shadows starting to stretch over No1 Court, providing some respite from the sun, is already serving for the first set against Sebastian Baez. Ace No4 of the match moves Draper to 30-15 … and another two stinging serves help him seal the set after only 27 minutes. The British No1's Wimbledon campaign is up and running.
It was looking pretty dicey for Alexander Zverev at one stage in that tie-break (James Gheerbrant writes). He trailed 4-1 and didn't manage to make a play on any of the first four serves that Arthur Rinderknech delivered. But when he finally got a look at a second serve, he made it count, forcing an error from Rinderknech. The Frenchman was within touching distance of the win of his life and he blinked. Zverev duly took his first set point at 6-5 and we're now going to a fifth set on Centre, with Zverev surely a strong favourite.
If Jack Draper progresses through the Wimbledon draw over the next fortnight, prepare for plenty of camera shots of those sitting in the Centre Court player box above one of the corner scoreboards (Stuart Fraser writes).
Among the many traditions of this historic tournament are replays showing both the joy and angst of the watching team members and family of British players in action — a familiar sight for the many viewers who followed the rollercoaster ride of Andy Murray through the years at the All England Club.
Sitting in the Draper box, willing him on, will be his fitness trainer Matt Little and physio Shane Annun, two trusted lieutenants of Murray who have stepped forward into a new era by joining the Draper coaching staff this season.
It is a shrewd move by Draper that has already worked wonders. Those of us who see the 23-year-old regularly around the world on tour can testify to the claim last month by Alexander Bublik, the world No31 from Kazakhstan, that his upper body has grown in strength and size.
● Read more: Breathing coach and Team Murray driving Draper's bid for glory
Jack Draper is out on No1 Court … wearing a jacket in the 33C heat. Playing as the highest-ranked home player since Andy Murray was the No1 seed in 2017, the fourth seed opens his campaign against Argentina's Sebastian Baez.
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Tie-break in the fourth set of the match on Centre Court (James Gheerbrant writes). It's between the third seed Alexander Zverev and the world No70 Arthur Rinderknech. Zverev trails by two sets to one, so his Wimbledon hopes are on a knife-edge here …
Petra Kvitova's Wimbledon career is over. The 2011 and 2014 champion has lost 6-3, 6-1 to Emma Navarro, the 10th seed, and unfortunately ends with a double fault. There's a huge standing ovation for the Czech … who's then given the microphone to speak on court despite her defeat.
'Thank you for the atmosphere, it was wonderful to play on this beautiful court,' she says. 'Congrats Emma. I wish we could have played for a bit longer. I never dreamt of winning Wimbledon and I did it twice so this is something very special.
'I will miss Wimbledon, I will miss tennis, I will miss you fans but I am ready for the next chapter of life as well. I can't wait to be back as a member. Thanks to the people who helped me to improve as a player and a person.
'I didn't have many tennis coaches in my career but my first one was my dad and he is here today. My last one is my husband so I want to thank them all and the people in my box. Thank you to all my family back home. Thank you very much Wimbledon.'
She says Wimbledon will always hold 'the best memories' for her — as well as winning the title twice, her husband proposed at the All England Club and her son was born during the championships last year.
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And another one by the wayside (sighs Elgan Alderman). Francesca Jones is out, losing the deciding set 6-1 against Yuliia Starodubtseva. Brit watch now moves on to Jack Pinnington Jones, who faces Tomás Martín Etcheverry on Court 17.
The American fifth seed Taylor Fritz returned this afternoon to complete a five-set comeback victory over the French serving machine Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who clocked the fastest serve in Wimbledon history during part one of their tussle yesterday. Fritz — twice a Wimbledon quarter-finalist and the winner of the recent grass-court tournaments in Eastbourne and Stuttgart — had been two sets down, but he eventually prevailed 6-7 (6-8), 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Quite possibly the match of the championships so far.
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Petra Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion, is playing here for the last time on a wild card, and we may be witnessing her final match at the All England Club. She is trailing 6-3 5-1 against the 10th seed, Emma Navarro, on No1 Court.
On Centre Court, Alexander Zverev is in a bit of trouble (James Gheerbrant writes). We've already lost the women's third seed, Jessica Pegula, today, and now the men's third seed will have to go five sets if he is to beat France's Arthur Rinderknech. Having failed to take three set points at the end of the second set last night, you might have thought Rinderknech's resistance would have been broken but not a bit of it: after the match resumed this afternoon at one set all, he dominated the third 6-3 and is within a set of the biggest win of his career.
Turns out that the victory over Polina Kudermetova wasn't the only thing that Iga Swiatek took from No2 Court this afternoon …
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Good to see Dan Evans make it through (Rick Broadbent writes). I have fond memories of watching the Brummie on an outside court here one year. Full of self-loathing he would swear every time he messed up a shot and then immediately apologise to the nearest ball girl for his language. On another occasion Laura Robson questioned his Jesus tattoo given she said he was not particularly religious. 'I'm not sure on her hairstyle,' was his response. Not boring.
Dan Evans was fired up and locked in for that first-rounder against his fellow Brit Jay Clarke, and he has wrapped up an impressively commanding win, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 (James Gheerbrant writes). He looks pleased as punch with that, whacks a spare ball out of the court and then playfully mimes watching after it, and then sends his sweaty towel into the crowd. No sign of animosity at the net with Clarke, who was driven to distraction at times by Evans's leisurely breaks between serves. Evans is in fact the first British winner of day two, after seven yesterday. Next up for him: a likely second-rounder against Novak Djokovic.
Caty McNally has completed a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jodie Burrage, who will be bitterly disappointed after making 29 unforced errors (Tom Kershaw writes). Meanwhile, Yuliia Starodubtseva, the world No68, is providing Francesca Jones with a sterner test in the second set. After benefitting from an extremely fortunate net cord that took the game to deuce, Starodubtseva capitalised with a fine return to break Jones's serve and make it 4-2. The Ukrainian has the momentum now and it seems likely this match on Court 17 will be heading to a deciding set.
A couple of results you bring you up to date on in the women's singles (James Gheerbrant writes). Iga Swiatek has avoided the general carnage, comfortably taking care of her first-round opponent, Polina Kudermetova, 7-5 6-1. Swiatek has sometimes struggled at this tournament and her seeding of eighth is her lowest since 2019, but she has improved on grass recently, reaching the final in Bad Homburg. In the same section of the draw is Greece's Maria Sakkari, a former world No3 who reached the semi-finals of the French and US Opens in 2021 but has been on an absolutely dreadful run at the grand-slams ever since. She has just beaten Anna Blinkova to reach the second round for only the third time in her past ten grand-slam appearances.
Alexander Bublik, the mercurial Kazakh, has been one of the form players in men's tennis, beating Jack Draper at the French Open and then winning the title on grass in Halle, where he defeated Jannik Sinner — so much so that he was actually the fifth favourite in the bookmakers' odds (James Gheerbrant writes). But the 28th seed has gone the way of so many others, beaten in five sets by the Spanish world No55 Jaume Munar. That's significant, because Bublik was a potential opponent lying in wait for Draper in the third round here.
As for Barbora Krejcikova, the defending champion has survived a first-round scare after coming from a set down to see off Alexandra Eala, the rising star from the Philippines who reached the Eastbourne final last weekend. The Czech, who has played only six matches this year because of a back problem and also picked up a thigh injury in Eastbourne, won 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 on Centre Court. So Krejcikova has avoided the same fate as her Czech mate Marketa Vondrousova, who last year became the first defending women's champion to be knocked out at the first hurdle since 1994.
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Things are going from bad to worse for Jodie Burrage, who is two breaks down in the second set (Tom Kershaw writes). However, Francesca Jones is faring much better on Court 18. The 24-year-old from Bradford, who was born with a thumb and three fingers on each hand and with only seven toes, as a result of a rare genetic condition, Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia, has taken the first set 6-1 against Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva. Jones, the world No122, is attempting to reach the second round at Wimbledon for the first time in her career. George Loffhagen's defeat, however, has been confirmed against Pedro Martinez in four sets. That's three losses in three matches for Britain so far today.
There's just a bit of niggle in the all-British clash on Court 12 (James Gheerbrant writes). Jay Clarke has been wound up by the amount of time Dan Evans has been taking in between his serves, but his complaints to the umpire go unheeded. Evans was a break down in this second set, but he has since turned the tables, and serving for the set at 6-5, he nails an absolutely sensational reaching top-spin lob which arcs over Clarke and lands right on the baseline. Evans now leads by two sets to love, and it's a long way back for Clarke now.
Jodie Burrage has lost the first set 6-3 against Caty McNally on Court 18 (Tom Kershaw writes). The world No142 received a wildcard into the main draw and might have fancied her chances against McNally, who is a doubles specialist and twice reached the final of the US Open women's doubles, but has struggled to find her rhythm thus far. Burrage, 26, whose boyfriend, Ben White, was called up to the British & Irish Lions squad yesterday, has reached the second round at Wimbledon once before, in 2023.
There are all sorts of tennis fairytales but in general it is really, really hard to produce something magical if you have not been able to prepare before a tournament (Alyson Rudd writes). Lorenzo Musetti, the seventh seed, was knocked out today by Nikoloz Basilashvili, the Georgian qualifier, which sounds like quite the shock but the Italian had to retire from his French Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz with a leg injury and, just as he thought he might be able to get in some training in the week prior to the championships, he was struck down by illness.
'I came here, well, at the last minute,' he explained. 'I was struggling to feel like comfortable on the court from the beginning. I was really losing focus.'
Gone are the days when you can just be innately good at tennis and hope to spark into life on the big stage without practising beforehand.
The seeds continue to tumble at the All England Club (James Gheerbrant writes). The fifth seed, Zheng Qinwen, has a big serve that should be made for grass, but she's out in the first round for the third year in a row, defeated 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 by Katerina Siniakova, the world No74. And joining her in making an early exit is the 15th seed, Karolina Muchova, Siniakova's fellow Czech, whom China's Wang Xinyu breezed past 7-5, 6-2. We have now lost 17 seeds, ten men and seven women, and it's not even 4pm on the second day yet! Meanwhile, Dan Evans is back on serve in the second set against Jay Clarke.
The prospect of a huge British upset is fading on Court 16, where George Loffhagen is two sets to one down against Pedro Martinez (Elgan Alderman writes).
Seven years ago The Times reported that Loffhagen, Jack Draper and Aidan McHugh were the youngsters to follow Andy Murray. Tim Henman put forward Loffhagen, 17 at the time and eight months older than Draper, as a practice partner for Rafael Nadal before Wimbledon. Yet the transition from junior to senior was difficult and Loffhagen didn't play any matches between August 2021 and August 2022, working instead at the Marlborough Head pub in Mayfair.
Loffhagen's present ranking of No293 is the best of his career. At last year's championships, where he didn't get out of qualifying, he was outside the top 750. Since then he has won regularly at M25 level on the ITF Tour, and victories over Mackenzie McDonald and Billy Harris at Eastbourne were notable.
This is his second Wimbledon appearance, having lost to Holger Rune two years ago. Martinez is the second highest-ranked opponent Loffhagen has ever faced.
'I am very, very happy to come back here, it's a special place for me and playing against an Italian is very unfortunate for us but one has to go through, so I'm happy that it's me,' Jannik Sinner says after his demolition job against Luca Nardi. 'The atmosphere is amazing so thank you for coming out. I know it is very, very hot and humid. I don't remember the last time when there was this weather in London so thank you so much.'
As for moving on from that French Open final against Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner says: 'New tournament, new chances, new challenges, you have one opponent at a time so obviously I try to keep going and enjoy playing here. If you don't enjoy to play on this courts, I don't know where you will enjoy. Very happy to be here and let's see what is coming.'
Zheng Qinwen, the fifth seed, is heading for defeat against Katerina Siniakova, the erstwhile doubles partner of defending singles champion Barbora Krejcikova (James Gheerbrant writes). Siniakova is now 4-0 up in the decider and it looks like she, not the former Australian Open finalist Zheng, will play Naomi Osaka in the second round. And on Court 12, there's been a shift in momentum in the all-British clash between Dan Evans and Jay Clarke. Clarke has broken with a fierce backhand pass to take a 3-1 lead in the second set.
Dan Evans has raced through the first set of his match against fellow Briton Jay Clarke, 6-1 (James Gheerbrant writes). Meanwhile, No2 Court is really living up to its reputation as the graveyard of champions today. Lorenzo Musetti, the seventh seed, who reached the semi-finals last year, has fallen there to the Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, a former world No16. That's a stunning result for Basilashvili, who hadn't won a match at a grand-slam since Wimbledon three years ago. He has won in four sets, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. Zheng Qinwen, the fifth seed, has recovered to take her match against Katerina Siniakova to a deciding set.
Jannik Sinner, the world No1 and top seed, has breezed into the second round with a straight-sets victory over his fellow Italian, friend and hitting partner Luca Nardi. The US Open and Australian Open champion dropped only seven games in the 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 rout. So no signs of any scar tissue from his agonising defeat in that French Open final for the ages against Carlos Alcaraz.
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Last year's semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti is in a deep hole (James Gheerbrant writes). He has lost four games in a row against Nikoloz Basilashvili, and now trails by two sets to one and 2-0 in the fourth. And Dan Evans is in charge early against Jay Clarke, leading 3-0 in the first set.
A potential upset is brewing on Centre Court, where the defending champion Barbora Krejcikova has lost the first set 6-3 against world No56 Alexandra Eala (Tom Kershaw writes).
Krejcikova has been on a wretched run of form this year amid various injury struggles and entered the main draw as the 17th seed, the lowest-seeded defending women's singles champion of the Open era.
Eala, who was born in the Philippines, is a graduate of Rafael Nadal's academy in Spain and is considered one of the game's rising stars. The 20-year-old reached her first WTA final last week at Eastbourne and, despite making her main draw debut at Wimbledon, has seemed unfazed thus far.
On No12 Court, the all-British clash between Dan Evans and Jay Clarke is about to begin. Evans cut an emotional figure in his press conference at the weekend, when he spoke about feeling he had let people down, but he had some good results on grass in the build-up, beating top-20 players Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe. Clarke is a wild card who reached the second round in 2019, when he played Roger Federer.
Day Two at Wimbledon 2025 was a rom-com—with rain as the uninvited lead actor. Torrential showers put a pause on most outside courts, but inside Centre Court and No1 Court, tennis fireworks continued.
Carlos Alcaraz breezed into the next round with his trademark flair, breezing past Jérémy Chardy 6‑0, 6‑2, 7‑5—even jokingly admitting he was 'a bit jealous' of Roger Federer in the Royal Box. Jannik Sinner, the world No1, wasted zero time dispatching Miomir Kecmanovic in 96 minutes, cruising through in straight sets. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff served warning shots of dominance—crushing qualifier Anca Todoni 6‑2, 6‑1—and Emma Navarro handed Naomi Osaka a shocker, ousting the former No1 with a 6‑4, 6‑1 upset.
Elsewhere, Andy Murray smashed fellow Brit Ryan Peniston in straight sets, earning buzz for a late-career resurgence. So, yes—rain delayed the show, but day two's highlight reel delivered style, shocks, and a taste of the great drama to come.
Could we have another shock brewing on No3 Court? The fifth seed Qinwen Zheng has just lost the first set of her match against the Czech player Katerina Siniakova, 7-5. And the British wild card George Loffhagen has won the first set against Spain's Pedro Martínez, 6-2 on Court 16.
Play was suspended on Wimbledon's hottest opening day as the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz went to assist a spectator who collapsed in the heat. Temperatures reached 32.3C at the All England Club as at least six British players progressed to the second round.
● Read more: Wimbledon play paused after fan collapses in 32.3C Centre Court heat
Tennis is a sport which often defies prediction and recent form often sometimes doesn't count for much (James Gheerbrant writes). Even so, it's been a remarkable aspect of these opening two days how many of the players who won a grass-court tournament in the lead-up to Wimbledon have lost.
Tatjana Maria, who you may have seen winning the women's tournament at Queen's after that fairytale run, is the latest, dumped out in three sets by American Katie Volynets. We have already lost the champions from Bad Homburg (Jessica Pegula), Nottingham (McCartney Kessler), and on the men's side, Tallon Griekspoor, who won in Mallorca. And of course, Taylor Fritz, champion in Stuttgart and Eastbourne, was locked at two sets all with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard overnight.
Meanwhile, on No2 Court, the seventh seed Lorenzo Musetti has hit back against Nikoloz Basilashvili, taking the second set 6-4.
You can tell it's hot at Wimbledon (Rick Broadbent writes). The Chelsea pensioners arrive to watch the all-Italian clash between Jannik Sinner and Luca Nardi, and whip off their famous red coats en masse. Meanwhile, no murmur from the crowd about Sinner's doping ban. All square in the early stages.
Clara Tauson, the 23rd seed, was really made to scrap by Heather Watson, but eventually her class has told against the British veteran (James Gheerbrant writes).
It's the Dane who progresses, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, but that was a very creditable performance by Watson, in her 15th Wimbledon, and in the end she won only four points fewer than her opponent across the match.
Such fine margins, but Watson lost a crucial break of serve in her fourth service game of the decider and that was all Tauson needed to seize the initiative. She finished by breaking Watson again, to love. Elsewhere, the fifth seed, Qinwen Zheng, has just started against Katerina Siniakova on No3 Court, and the 26th seed Marta Kostyuk has lost to the qualifier Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia.
On Monday morning, Argentina's Solana Sierra warmed up with Victoria Mboko despite neither of them actually being in Wimbledon at the time (Rick Broadbent writes). Now they are both in the main draw as lucky losers. Sierra won her first round match after getting the call at Monday lunchtime and now Mboko, a highly-rated Canadian teen, has also found her way into Wimbledon today. Anastasia Potapova withdrawal means she gets to take on Magdalena French. Being in the first round brings a guarantee of £66,000 prize money. Worth the wait.
Heather Watson, trying to reach the Wimbledon second round for the sixth time in 15 appearances, is in a right old scrap on No12 Court, but she has just come through a testing deuce game to hold for 3-2 in the final set against the 23rd seed Clara Tauson (James Gheerbrant writes).
On No2 Court, which has already seen one shock today, the seventh seed and 2024 semi-finalist, Lorenzo Musetti — he of the silky one-handed backhand — has just lost the first set 6-2 against the Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, a former world No16.
Organisers missed a trick in putting Johannus Monday on Tuesday, and the debutant has been unable to add to the British throng in the second round. As expected, Tommy Paul takes it 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in under two hours.
We're going to a third set on No12 Court: Clara Tauson broke early in the second and never relinquished that advantage, and she takes her second set point with a huge forehand past Heather Watson (James Gheerbrant writes). Watson's overall record in three-setters at Grand Slams: won nine, lost 15. Can she buck that trend here?
On an opening day marked by British upsets, Katie Boulter produced a gutsy performance to stun ninth seed Paula Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, on Centre Court.
Boulter might have lost her status as the British No 1 to Emma Raducanu a fortnight ago, but she summoned all her resolve to withstand Badosa's fightback and claim just the fourth win over a top-ten player of her career. The first of those also came on Centre Court, against Karolina Pliskova in 2022, and those memories proved a vital source of inspiration in an absorbing contest.
● Read more: Katie Boulter stuns Paula Badosa as Sonay Kartal's rapid rise continues
Not for nothing is Wimbledon's No2 Court known as the graveyard of champions, and it has played host to another seismic shock to shake the hanging baskets (James Gheerbrant writes).
Jessica Pegula, the third seed, is out, having been stunned in two not particularly close sets by Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy, the world No116, 6-2 6-3. There was no hint of that in Pegula's build-up: in fact she won the warm-up tournament in Bad Homburg, beating Iga Swiatek in the final. But it all went wrong for the American today, and she departs with a rather ignominious stat line of five winners to 24 unforced errors. Cocciaretto could play the Queen's champion Tatjana Maria in the second round. On Court 12, Heather Watson still trails by a break in the second set against Clara Tauson, having won the first.
Katie Boulter was victorious yesterday and now it's her turn to spectate. Here she is having a shaded, sneaky peek at her fiance Alex De Minaur, who is a set and a break up against Roberto Carballés Baena.
It is not all about the winners at Wimbledon (Rick Broadbent writes). The star names will duly cement reputations and frame victories in a historic gilt, but down among the near-unknowns the lucky losers play out broad-screen supporting dramas.
For Solana Sierra, an Argentinian fighting her way up sport's slippery rungs, the £99,000 she guaranteed herself via the win of her life was nice, but the thrill, emotion and hug-with-mum were worth more.
The tennis lucky loser is a curious concept that provides a new raft of challenges for any player. Four days earlier Sierra squandered a match point in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton and so did not know if she would be required this week. She could have played elsewhere for guaranteed money but instead rolled the dice and found a new apartment.
● Read more: Lucky losers hit Wimbledon's £99,000 jackpot after late call-ups
After losing the first set against Heather Watson, Clara Tauson breaks the Briton's serve in the first game of the second, and backs it up by holding for 2-0 after a brilliant point, which she concludes by chasing down a Watson drop shot (James Gheerbrant writes). A hold to love gets Watson on the board for 2-1 and hopefully steadies the ship. Elsewhere, Tatjana Maria, the mother of two who won Queen's, and Alex De Minaur, the 11th seed who is engaged to Katie Boulter, have both won the first set in their matches.
Another brilliant return game by Heather Watson and she takes the first set against the 23rd seed, Clara Tauson (James Gheerbrant writes). The British veteran hasn't won a grand-slam main-draw match since Wimbledon 2022, but that was a superb set from her, hitting 12 winners against just six unforced errors. And there's work to do for Jessica Pegula, last year's US Open finalist and the world No3, on No2 Court: she has dropped the first set against Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Heather Watson has made a good start on No12 Court as she looks to join Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter in round two. Kartal and Boulter both put out seeds yesterday and Watson is up by an early break against the 23rd seed Clara Tauson of Denmark, leading 5-2. On No2 Court, the third seed, Jessica Pegula, trails by the same scoreline against Elisabetta Cocciaretto, the world number 82.
Emma Raducanu has played 204 matches in her professional career, but never before has she been as vocal as she was in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday (Stuart Fraser writes). It was a telling indicator of the extra pressure she felt going up against a young compatriot with nothing to lose.
It is a shame that the stats keepers here do not count the 'Come on' tally alongside the first-serve percentages and the unforced-error totals. At one stage during the second set this was being loudly shouted after every point she won, whether it be with a scintillating winner or a tame backhand slice into the net from her opponent.
When the officials conducting the draw on Friday pitted Raducanu against the 17-year-old British wild card Mimi Xu, it felt as if this was a potential banana skin for her. Clearly Raducanu felt the same way as she was focused throughout this 6-3, 6-3 victory on making sure that there were no dips in her intensity.
● Read more: Emma Raducanu proves too good for 17-year-old Mimi Xu
Trying to come up with a Wimbledon playlist for the 1.5-mile walk to the grounds (Rick Broadbent writes) and so far have Venus and Serena by the Super Furry Animals, the lush Ballad of Bjorn Borg (the Pernice Brothers) and the apparently-about-Billie-Jean-King-albeit-not-remotely-obvious-from-the-lyrics, Philadelphia Freedom (Elton John). Contributions welcome although I feel it may be hard to top Outbreak of Vitas Gerulaitis (Half Man Half Biscuit).
Among the other notable players in action at 11am are the women's third seed Jessica Pegula, whose best run here was reaching the quarterfinals in 2023: she plays Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Court Two (James Gheerbrant writes). Tatjana Maria, the former semi-finalist who had that fairytale run at Queen's a couple of weeks ago with her daughters watching on, faces the best name in tennis, Katie Volynets, on Court 15. And after seeing his fiancée Katie Boulter win yesterday, Alex De Minaur, the 11th seed, is out on Court 18 playing Roberto Carballes Baena.
The gulf in ranking was huge, the schedule probably allowed for no more than 2½ hours of play but, instead, the opening match on Centre Court produced a nail-biting classic that lasted four hours and 37 minutes (Alyson Rudd writes).
Carlos Alcaraz emerged victorious over the five sets but he was definitely out of sorts and frequently outwitted by the savvy Fabio Fognini. By the end, both players hardly possessed the energy to reach the net for an embrace in the still stingingly hot conditions.
● Read more: Carlos Alcaraz digs deep to defeat Fabio Fognini in five-set thriller
Well, it was a ruckus. As mentioned before, we have a stunning Centre Court epic, mind-blowing shocks and plenty of love for the Brits. Let's rewind.
British interest from the off after yesterday's historic opening day. Heather Watson is up against Clara Tauson, the No23 seed, first up on No12 Court, and Johannus Monday opposes Tommy Paul, the No13 seed, on No3 Court.
At 33, Watson is the elder stateswoman of British tennis, with fourth-round pedigree at Wimbledon three years ago. She has had a recent uptick in form, coming through qualifying at The Queen's Club for the second round, and beating the world No60 at Eastbourne. Tauson, despite her ranking, has never won a match at Wimbledon.
Monday, the world No224, is another young Briton who has come up via the American college system: in his case, the University of Tennessee. This is his grand-slam singles debut. It would be a huge upset against a man who was a quarter-finalist here last year after winning at Queen's.
With scorching temperatures in prospect again today, getting one of the early matches which gets under way at 11am is probably not the worst thing (temperatures are forecast to peak in the afternoon). Two Brits are starting on the outside courts in around 15 minutes: Heather Watson, playing in her 15th Wimbledon, has a tough assignment against Denmark's Clara Tauson, seeded 23rd, on Court 12. On Court Three, the wild card Johannus Monday faces the 13th seed Tommy Paul, also a stiff test.
The play gets underway around the ground at 11am, with the showcourts up and running this afternoon. Here is what you need to know.
Centre Court (from 1.30pm)(17) Barbora Krejcikova vs. Alexandra Eala(6) Novak Djokovic vs. Alexandre Müller(2) Coco Gauff vs. Dayana YastremskaNo1 Court (from 1pm)(1) Jannik Sinner vs. Luca NardiPetra Kvitova vs. Emma NavarroJack Draper vs. Sebastián BáezNo2 Court (from noon)Jessica Pegula vs. Elisabetta CocciarettoLorenzo Musetti vs. Nikoloz BasilashviliIga Swiatek vs. Polina KudermetovaBen Shelton vs. Alex BoltNo3 Court (from noon)Johannus Monday vs. Tommy PaulMirra Andreeva vs. Mayar SherifGrigor Dimitrov vs. Yoshihito NishiokaElina Avanesyan vs. Elena Rybakina
Well how about that first day, hey. What a cracking curtain raiser. Day one at Wimbledon had everything: epic matches, shock upsets, and loads of British success. In the London sun, it sure did feel like summer. It also felt like you were wearing a jumper inside a volcano and eating strawberries for some reason but I digress. We've got more tennis today so open wide, I hope you're hungry.
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- Times
Where to watch Wimbledon in London this summer
All eyes are on SW19 as Wimbledon prepares to get under way for another summer. The world's oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament has kicked off in the leafy southwest London postcode, bringing with it more Pimm's, socialites, and strawberries and cream than you can shake a stick at. If you didn't manage to snag a courtside ticket never fear, because London is brimming with big screens in spots where you can soak up the atmosphere. From open-air bars to BYOB screenings, here's where to catch all the grass-court action. Gallons of strawberries and endless flutes of fizz are being prepped at Duke of York Square in Chelsea, which is hosting one of the city's biggest free outdoor screenings of the men's semi-finals, women's final and men's final. Tennis enthusiasts can either throw down a picnic blanket on the manicured green opposite the Saatchi Gallery or rent a VIP deckchair for the day. On Saturday, July 12, a fine-foods market will be selling all kinds of delicious pre-game nibbles, and there will also be mini tennis coaching sessions for children who want to perfect their serve. • Your guide to life in London: what's new in culture, food and property If you're craving the buzz of a crowd, you'd be hard pushed to find an area of London more thronged with weekend visitors than Covent Garden Piazza. During Wimbledon the shopping district will be swapping street performers and buskers for grand-slam action broadcast from its own open-air screen, as well as deck chairs and even a Aperol bar. Grab yourself a glass of the Italian aperitivo and pray the rain holds off. The big screen on Regent's Canal is easily one of London's most idyllic free cinemas. If lounging on these iconic grassy steps is an experience you've yet to tick off your summer bucket list, Wimbledon is the perfect excuse to slather on the factor 50 and settle down with a pint or two. The Everyman-sponsored screen will show games every day until the two-week tournament wraps up on July 13. Bluebird Chelsea will serve grand slam parfaits and courtside spritzes Don't fancy fighting tooth and nail to secure a spot at a free screening? The King's Road institution Bluebird will be hosting a more intimate airing of the men's final on July 13. Tickets cost £90 to manage numbers, but that can be put against your bar tab on the day. Alongside the match, the glitzy brunch spot will be serving a limited-edition menu of grand slam parfaits and courtside spritzes. And it wouldn't be Wimbledon without the obligatory dessert of strawberries and cream. East Londoners don't have to shlep across town on the torturously hot Central Line to catch the action this summer, thankfully, because the outdoor venue Hackney Bridge is showing all the live tennis on its huge glare-free screen. The gigantic canal-side beer garden in Hackney Wick has tons of picnic tables, plus a gourmet food market with street favourites, including Puglian pizzas, Mex Club tacos and tasty Sri Lankan curries. Come for the tennis, stay for the sunset. • Wimbledon 2025 queue tips and secrets: how to get tickets Boxpark became known as one of the best places to watch live sport after scenes of pint-hurling fans celebrating England goals went viral during last summer's Euros. The tennis might be a touch less raucous, but the atmosphere at the Wembley outpost will be buzzing nonetheless, with much of the tournament shown on the big screen. Expect roaring surround sound, beer-hall style tables, and street food favourites served all day — from jerk chicken at Twerk & Jerk to gravy-dipped burgers at Nanny Bill's and bao buns from Inamo Sukoshi.
Reuters
36 minutes ago
- Reuters
Sabalenka sees off Bouzkova to reach Wimbledon third round
LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) - Aryna Sabalenka was given a tougher workout than she would have wanted before the top seed dismantled Czech Marie Bouzkova 7-6(4) 6-4 to advance to the third round of Wimbledon on Wednesday. As the sun played hide-and-seek with the grey clouds that hovered over Centre Court, Sabalenka kept knocking on the door in the opening set, but was shut out by Bouzkova each time and dropped serve with a double fault in the 11th game. A frustrated Sabalenka let out a scream when she failed to convert a breakpoint in the next game, but the 27-year-old quickly composed herself to force a tiebreak with a backhand winner on her next opportunity. "That was a tough moment in the match," Sabalenka said. "I was just trying to put the ball back on that side and then hope that I'd be able to break her back, because until that point, my returns weren't great enough to break her serve and I'm really glad everything clicked. "I felt a bit better in that moment and I think that's why I was able to win the tiebreak and get the win in straight sets." The three-times Grand Slam champion from Belarus, who has a golden opportunity to win her first Wimbledon title with several seeds losing early, led the tiebreak after a couple of errors from Bouzkova and wrapped up the set with a forehand winner. An untimely error at the net by Bouzkova gifted Sabalenka the break in the fifth game of the second set and there was no looking back from there with the twice semi-finalist holding firm to close out the win. Sabalenka said she was focused on avoiding the trapdoor after second seed Coco Gauff, number three Jessica Pegula, fifth seed Zheng Qinwen and number nine Paula Badosa were all sent packing in the first round. "Honestly, it's very sad to see so many top players losing in the first round, but you're better off focusing on yourself and staying away from the results," Sabalenka added. "Of course, you're going to know the overall picture, but it's better just to take it one step at a time and do your best every time you're out here competing. "I hope there are no more upsets in this tournament." Up next for Sabalenka is either local favourite Emma Raducanu or 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova.
Scottish Sun
39 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Brit Wimbledon star Oliver Tarvet's girlfriend stuns in low-cut dress as she watches him take on Carlos Alcaraz
Tarvet and his girlfriend study at a university in the US ONE LOVE Brit Wimbledon star Oliver Tarvet's girlfriend stuns in low-cut dress as she watches him take on Carlos Alcaraz WIMBLEDON star Oliver Tarvet's girlfriend turned heads as she watched the British ace take on Carlos Alcaraz. The world No.733 faces the reigning champion on Centre Court this afternoon. Advertisement 8 Oliver Tarvet's girlfriend Helaena Staebler supported him on Centre Court Credit: PA 8 Helaena was all smiles in the Tarvet player's box Credit: PA 8 She stunned in a low-cut blue dress Credit: PA 8 Helaena hails from California Credit: Threads @ Tarvet was cheered on by his coaches, family and girlfriend Helaena Staebler from his player's box. Helaena, 20, caught the eye from the stands in a stunning low-cut blue dress. Tarvet, who is making his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon, plays college tennis for the University of San Diego. It was there where he met brunette beauty Helaena and they have been together for a year. Advertisement St Albans-born Tarvet is a communications major when he is not on the court and his partner from California studies biology. The couple shared a kiss after he won his first-round match on Monday, beating Leandro Reidi in straight sets. Tarvet won three matches in qualifying to make the main draw. He has already banked £99,000 by making the second round at SW19. Advertisement 8 Wimbledon 2025 LIVE - follow all the latest scores and updates from a thrilling fortnight at SW19 But due to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules, Tarvet is not allowed to take winnings from competitions outside of the college set-up. However, his coach Ryan Keckley says he is able to claim plenty of his prize money in 'actual necessary expenses over the course of a calendar year'. Advertisement The odds are stacked against Tarvet versus two-time Wimbledon winner Alcaraz. But it is a challenge he is relishing, according to girlfriend Helaena, who said: "I've always believed in him - it's just what you've got to do. "I have no words, I haven't even been able to process this. "It's gonna be amazing, I'm very excited, I'm sure he's very excited as well." Advertisement 8 The couple met at San Diego University, who Tarvet competes for Credit: Threads @ 8 They have been together for a year Credit: Threads @
