Latest news with #Djokovic
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Five men to watch out for at Wimbledon
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are among the favourites for the Wimbledon men's singles title [Getty Images] Wimbledon 2025 Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England Club Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full coverage details. Advertisement Carlos Alcaraz will begin his bid for a third Wimbledon title in a row when the Grand Slam begins on Monday. The question is - can anyone stop him? The Spanish world number two defeated seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the previous two men's finals on Centre Court at SW19. The 22-year-old could follow Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic as only the fifth man in the Open era to win three straight Wimbledon titles. Following his epic French Open final triumph over world number one Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz clinched the Queen's title to start his grass-court season on a high. Advertisement While Jack Draper leads Britain's hopes of a home champion, BBC Sport takes a look at who else could challenge Alcaraz over the coming fortnight. Novak Djokovic - the history chaser Novak Djokovic won Wimbledon for the seventh time in 2022 [Getty Images] Age: 38 Country: Serbia Ranking: 6 Strength: Defence Djokovic had won four Wimbledon titles in a row before losing a five-set thriller to Alcaraz in 2023. Alcaraz also swept Djokovic aside a year later to again deny the former world number one a record-equalling eighth men's title. Djokovic continues to pursue an outright-record 25th major singles title since drawing level with Margaret Court at the 2023 US Open. Advertisement A new era in men's tennis has dawned, with Alcaraz and Sinner sharing the past six slams between them - and seven of the past eight since Alcaraz's first Wimbledon title two years ago. But Djokovic, behind only Roger Federer for men's titles won at SW19, remains an ever-present threat on the sport's biggest stages - not least on grass - as he pursues yet another historic feat. Jannik Sinner - the world number one Jannik Sinner retained his Australian Open title in January [Getty Images] Age: 23 Country: Italy Ranking: 1 Strength: Precision Sinner was devastated by his loss to Alcaraz at Roland Garros, missing three championship points after taking a two-set lead in a five-and-a-half hour epic. Advertisement He has reached at least the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in the past three years, with his best result a semi-final defeat by Djokovic in 2023. But a surprise second-round loss to Alexander Bublik at the Halle Open this month cut short the world number one's preparations. Sinner has maintained his stranglehold on the top ranking for 12 months, despite serving a three-month doping suspension earlier this year. It means he can only meet second seed Alcaraz in the final - something that would be eagerly anticipated after their Roland Garros thriller. Alexander Bublik - the unpredictable threat Alexander Bublik had never gone beyond the fourth round at a major before this year's French Open [Getty Images] Age: 28 Country: Kazakhstan Ranking: 30 Strength: Drop shot Advertisement Bublik's resurgence continues to gather momentum. The Kazakh's career had stagnated to the point that he considered quitting tennis after losing in the Wimbledon third round last year. Bublik lost eight of his first 10 matches in 2025 as he fell to 82 the rankings, but his coach's suggestion of a "Hangover"-style reset in Las Vegas appears to have worked wonders. After reaching his first major quarter-final with a superb run at the French Open, the unpredictable Bublik won the Halle Open to rise to 30th in the world. His victory over Sinner was one of four wins over the top-eight seeds on his way to an emotional title triumph - proving that, on his day, he is a match for anyone. Daniil Medvedev - the nearly man Daniil Medvedev has contested six Grand Slam finals [Getty Images] Age: 29 Country: Russia Ranking: 9 Strength: Return Advertisement A Wimbledon semi-finalist in each of the past two editions, can Medvedev take the next step this year? Medvedev is one of just five active men's players to win a major, having triumphed at the 2021 US Open - but he has lost his five other major finals. The former world number one is a hard-court specialist - his six major finals have been split between the Australian Open and US Open - but he has a solid recent record at Wimbledon. He was stopped by eventual champion Alcaraz in the last four in both 2023 and 2024, winning the first set in last year's meeting on Centre Court before being overpowered. Advertisement He prepared for this year's tournament by reaching the Halle final, losing to Bublik in straight sets, and will expect another deep run at Wimbledon. Jiri Lehecka - the dark horse Jiri Lehecka took Carlos Alcaraz to a deciding set in the Queen's final but lost 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 [Getty Images] Age: 23 Country: Czech Republic Ranking: 25 Strength: Forehand Lehecka crashed the party at Queen's by beating Draper on route to the final, where he offered admirable resistance in a three-set loss to Alcaraz. The 23-year-old reached a career-high rank of 22 in February after winning his first eight matches of the year, clinching the Brisbane title before losing to Djokovic in the Australian Open fourth round. A run to the Madrid Open semi-finals last year - where he beat the great Rafael Nadal and Medvedev - was ended by an unfortunate back injury, which ultimately ruled him out of Wimbledon. Advertisement Back to full fitness this year, he demonstrated his grass-court pedigree at Queen's and will look to maintain that momentum to improve on his fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon in 2023.
Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Eala makes history as first Filipina to reach WTA Tour final; Alcaraz seeks Wimbledon hat-trick
Carlos Alcaraz will start his Wimbledon defence against Fabio Fognini while world number one Jannik Sinner faces a potential semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic following Friday's draw. On the women's side, reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova will begin her campaign against rising star Alexandra Eala on Centre Court if she can recover from injury. Spain's Alcaraz, who has beaten Djokovic in the past two finals at the All England Club, returns to Wimbledon, which starts on Monday, on a career-best 18-match winning streak. He is aiming to become just the fifth man to win at least three straight Wimbledon titles in the Open Era after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. The Spaniard, 22, has a 2-0 head-to-head record against Italian Fognini, who is 38. Sinner's pursuit of a maiden Wimbledon crown could hinge on a heavyweight semi-final clash with seven-time champion Djokovic. The Italian, who lost to Alcaraz in the recent French Open final, opens against compatriot Luca Nardi at the grass-court major. Djokovic, competing at his lowest seeding (sixth) since 2018, will begin his campaign for a record-tying eighth Wimbledon men's title against Frenchman Alexandre Muller. The Serb, who has been in every final since 2018, is seeded for a quarter-final meeting with British fourth seed Jack Draper, who meets Argentina's Sebastian Baez in the first round. Djokovic is aiming to win a record 25th Grand Slam, which would take him clear of his tie with the long-retired Margaret Court, and has the added incentive of matching Roger Federer's record tally of Wimbledon men's titles. World number three Alexander Zverev, who starts against France's Arthur Rinderknech, is seeded to meet Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals. Fifth-seeded American Fritz faces big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard from France. Krejcikova missed the first five months of 2025 with a back injury and was forced to withdraw from this week's Eastbourne quarter-finals due to a thigh injury. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka, hoping to progress beyond the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the first time, opens against fast-rising Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine. The Belarusian has won three Grand Slams but lost in the Australian Open final and the French Open final this year. Her potential third-round opponents include 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, Nottingham winner McCartney Kessler and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Home favourite Raducanu takes on British qualifier Mingge Xu in the first round. Second seed Coco Gauff, who beat Sabalenka at Roland Garros, starts against Nottingham finalist Dayana Yastremska. Meanwhile, Alexandra Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final after beating Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the last four at Eastbourne on Friday. Eala survived a tense clash lasting more than two hours to make history in the Wimbledon warm-up event on the grass at Devonshire Park. In a final featuring two of the rising stars of the women's game, the 20-year-old will face Australian teenager Maya Joint on Saturday. Joint, 19, ranked 51 the world, beat Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-3. 'There were tough moments where she was playing well, and I didn't know how to get out of it,' Eala said. Eala's run to the final underlined the world number 74's emergence as one to watch. Swiatek enters Bad Homburg final: Five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek reached her first ever grass-court final on Friday defeating last year's Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini in the semi-finals at Bad Homburg. The former world number one swept past second seed Paolini 6-1, 6-3 in just over an hour to reach her first final in a year since she lifted her fourth French Open trophy at Roland Garros. Swiatek will bid for her 23rd career title on Saturday against US top seed Jessica Pegula, who rallied past Czech Linda Noskova 6-7 (2/7), 7-5, 6-1 in the northern suburbs of Frankfurt. Agencies
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First Post
3 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
If Djokovic has another Slam title left in him, it can well be Wimbledon this year
Novak Djokovic is still chasing history at the age of 38. He already has 24 Grand Slam titles under his belt and is looking to win another one. As Wimbledon 2025 nears, we look at why Djokovic might still have one last Slam left in him. read more Roger Federer won his last Grand Slam title – the 2018 Australian Open - at the age of 36. Rafael Nadal won his last Grand Slam title – the 2022 French Open – at the age of 36. There is only one member of the 'Big 3' club who is still an active tennis player. He is currently 38 years old and he won his last Grand Slam title – the 2023 US Open – at the age of 36. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Djokovic still believing at 38 Over a span of 15 years (2008 to 2023), Novak Djokovic managed to do what neither Federer nor Nadal could – get to the magic number of 24 Grand Slam titles – the all-time record held, for the longest time solely, by Margaret Court (pre and post Open Era combined). The big question though is – can Djokovic pull one last rabbit out of the hat and go past the Swiss Maestro and the Spanish Matador one more time and win a Grand Slam title after the age of 36? I still distinctly remember the Sunday when Novak Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title. It was the 2008 Australian Open final and Djokovic was playing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. A potential Federer vs Nadal final had not materialised, with both stalwarts faltering at the semi-final stage. After that title win at the Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic didn't win a Slam title till 2011 (a year in which he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open). Needless to say, in the interim, many experts felt the 2008 Aussie Open title was just a flash in the pan. That was 17 years ago. Little did I or anyone else watching and tracking the Australian Open final of 2008 realise that in these 17 years the Serb who first made his presence felt as quite the disruptor in men's singles tennis, would go onto become the joint most successful tennis player of all time (Tied with Margaret Court). With as many as 24 Grand Slam singles titles to his name, outstripping Federer and Nadal (something which back in 2008, even after the Aussie Open title win, no one would have thought to be even remotely possible), the name Novak Djokovic is an immortal one. But he is still choosing to play on. And can you really point any fingers, considering he is still making semis and finals cuts at the Slams? What experts are saying At the recently concluded French Open, where Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in a final that could well challenge the 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal, as the best men's singles Slam final ever played, Djokovic made it all the way to the semi-finals, eventually losing to Sinner. The Serb didn't drop a single set in his first four matches at Rolland Garros this time, beating much younger opponents. That statistic changed only in the quarter-final where he beat Alexander Zverev, seeded three places above him and the 2024 runner-up, in four sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4). Not bad for a 38-year-old, eh? I spoke to former India singles tennis player, Somdev Devvarman, who played all four Grand Slams, recently and Som was clear that Djokovic was right up there, in terms of quality, at the year's second Slam, this time. 'You have to remember that the guy (Djokovic) made the Wimbledon finals (in 2024) on one knee and who did he lose to? (in the final) – to Carlos Alcaraz. At the French Open also, I think he was better than every single person in the field, except two guys (Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner),' Somdev said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While Som backed Djoko's game, there are others who feel it will be impossible for the man once nicknamed 'the Djoker' to win another Slam title. Earlier this year, former French player turned analyst Nicolas Escudé was quoted as saying by Eurosport France – '…yes, he (Djokovic) is on a downward slope. At the beginning of the year (2025), we already asked ourselves the question about Novak Djokovic and, in my opinion, I don't see him winning a Grand Slam anymore; it's far too complicated for him…' It's understandable that some people, like Escude, feel that the greatest men's player of all time will not hold Slam silverware ever again in his career. The number one reason for that is of course age. It catches up with everyone, doesn't it? And hand-in-hand with age comes declining physical prowess. We saw Rafa Nadal carrying on, hoping against hope and playing through multiple injuries and physical setbacks, trying to win that elusive 23rd Slam title. But he couldn't. Federer realised after his third knee surgery in August 2021, that the writing was on the wall. He announced his retirement a year later. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Djokovic tore his meniscus cartilage (in the knee) at the French Open last year and had to limp off, before subsequently undergoing surgery. Many have cited that as a potential sign that his body will not allow him to go all the way to a Slam title, in other words play seven best of five-set matches. But then, are we forgetting that Djokovic recovered from that surgery in almost miraculous fashion and made it all the way to the final of Wimbledon? Many felt he had done it on one leg! Combine that with what we saw at the French Open this time and all it might take is a couple of results going his way, right? After all, the man is making Grand Slam semi-finals at the age of 38. That is, simply mind-blowing. '…if he (Djokovic) is still going to play at that level, if he is still going to be that highly ranked, if he is going to be that much of a threat, then I wouldn't put it past him (winning another Grand Slam title), because he has made the finals of Wimbledon on one leg,' Somdev Devvarman further said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The biggest reason perhaps that Djokovic's critics feel he won't be able to get to Grand Slam title number 25, is the meteoric rise of the top two players in the world currently, in men's singles - Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The two of them have won the last six Slam titles between them and have undoubtedly left the rest of the 'new generation' pack well behind them. But let us not forget that while Djokovic might not have the legs and overall stamina that the young guns have, he has tons of experience working for him. That coupled with an extremely analytical tennis brain. Don't forget that after a long time of losing to Federer and Nadal, he figured out ways to beat both those legends, at their own game. Have absolutely no doubt about the fact that he is studying Alcaraz and Sinner very, very closely. He might not have that aura of invincibility anymore, but he's still very much there. Waiting. Hoping. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Djokovic's Wimbledon hope If there's one Slam title that Djokovic feels he might still realistically have in his sights, it could well be Wimbledon. He probably doesn't have the physical gumption left to win one more at his favourite Slam – the Australian Open (he has won it a record 10 times – most in the Open Era). In this year's Aussie Open, he managed to beat Alcaraz in the quarter-finals and reach his 12th semi-final at Melbourne Park, but then had to retire in that clash against Zverev, after losing the first set. The grass at SW19 is not as fast as it used to be, because of the way it's maintained mostly, but of course it's faster than what Djokovic is coming off - clay courts - and that suits his current game which doesn't lend itself to very long rallies. Djokovic is also a very strong baseline player and over the years He is also one of the, if not the best, returners of serve in the men's game. And that will hold him in good stead even against big servers, like Sinner – who has modified his serve to make it way more booming and often goes for broke, directing pin-point serves to the body, even on second serve. The road to No. 25 won't be easy There's no doubt that Djokovic's biggest hurdle at Wimbledon will be Alcaraz – the two-time defending champion, who is aiming to become just the second player to win the French Open, the Queen's Club title and Wimbledon in the same year and who some feel is the most complete player on the tour right now. For many, Alcaraz's incredible ability to know For some experts, including Somdev, Alcaraz is already an all-surface great. Sinner hasn't managed to do carve out a niche for himself on the grass of SW19 yet, with his best performance so far there being a semi-final appearance (2023), but that doesn't mean Djokovic will have it easy against the 6-foot-3-inch-tall Italian. This time, Djokovic and Sinner are in the same half of the Wimbledon draw, which means they could potentially face-off in the semi-finals. As per the draw, in the quarters, Djokovic could face British World Number 3, Jack Draper. Alcaraz is on the other side of the draw and will be the favourite to win complete a hat-trick of titles. Though the Spaniard has almost seamless made the transition from clay courts to grass – winning the French Open and then the Queen's title - what is he slips up? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'What if the other guys (Alcaraz and Sinner) lose? A lot of things can happen. So, I would say he (Djokovic) is still very much in the hunt, but obviously time is ticking,' said Somdev. Remember what the man himself said? 'Wimbledon is next, which is my childhood favourite tournament. I'm going to do everything possible to get myself ready. I guess my best chances maybe are [at] Wimbledon or a faster hard court, maybe Australia or something like that.' Djokovic has achieved everything that there is to achieve. He even ticked off the box of 100 career titles by playing and winning a third-tier event in Geneva in May to join an exclusive club, which has only Jimmy Connors (109 titles) and Federer (103 titles) as the other members. But he will be thinking of a few more milestones. One more Wimbledon title will see him equal Federer's record of eight titles. It will also see him go past Margaret Court as the sole record holder of most singles Slam titles, with 25. He might have mellowed with age, but finishing on top of the pile has perhaps always been the biggest ambition that fuels his fire. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After all, when he was on Slam title number 16, with Federer on 20 and Rafa on 18, this is what he had said ahead of the 2019 US Open, when asked about his desire to be the all-time most successful player: 'It does also put a certain level of responsibility on me as well, because I am, you know, aiming to do that (become the player with the maximum Slam titles)…It's definitely one of my ambitions and goals, if you want.'
Times of Oman
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Wimbledon: Sinner, Djokovic in same half of draw, Alcaraz to start against Fognini
London: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will kickstart his Wimbledon campaign against 38-year-old Fabio Fognini in round one, while the world number one Jannik Sinner will play his first-round game against compatriot Luca Nardi. The tournament will start on Monday, and the draw for the tournament took place on Friday. Sinner's pursuit of his first Wimbledon title could depend on a semifinal clash against Novak Djokovic, a seven-time champion in London. The number one player, Sinner, competes against Nardi, while Djokovic, competing at sixth-seeding, his lowest since 2018, will kickstart his tournament for a record-tying eighth Wimbledon title against Frenchman Alexandre Muller, as per ATP's official website. Djokovic, who prevailed over Sinner in the quarterfinal of the 2022 Wimbledon and the 2023 semifinal, is seeded for a quarterfinal match with British number one Jack Draper. Draper will kickstart against Sebastian Baez and could face an in-form Halle champion, Alexander Bublik, in round three. In the bottom half of the draw, Alcaraz, who is on his career-best 18-match win streak, will start against Fognini and could meet eighth seed Holger Rune in the quarterfinals, and if he wins, his semifinal opponents could be Oliver Tarvet or Leandro Riedi, both of them Grand Slam main draw debutants. The world number three and three-time major finalist Alexander Zverev, whose campaign will start against Arthur Rinderknech, is seeded for a quarterfinal clash against Taylor Fritz, who faces Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his opener and maintains an 8-5 lead over Zverev head-to-head. (
Observer
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Observer
Alcaraz starts Wimbledon defence against Fognini
LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz will start his Wimbledon defence against Fabio Fognini while world number one Jannik Sinner faces a potential semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic following Friday's draw. On the women's side, reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova will begin her campaign against rising star Alexandra Eala on Centre Court if she can recover from injury. Spain's Alcaraz, who has beaten Djokovic in the past two finals at the All England Club, returns to Wimbledon, which starts on Monday, on a career-best 18-match winning streak. He is aiming to become just the fifth man to win at least three straight Wimbledon titles in the Open Era after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. The Spaniard, 22, has a 2-0 head-to-head record against Italian Fognini, who is 38. Sinner's pursuit of a maiden Wimbledon crown could hinge on a heavyweight semi-final clash with seven-time champion Djokovic. The Italian, who lost to Alcaraz in the recent French Open final, opens against compatriot Luca Nardi at the grass-court major. Djokovic, competing at his lowest seeding (sixth) since 2018, will begin his campaign for a record-tying eighth Wimbledon men's title against Frenchman Alexandre Muller. The Serb, who has been in every final since 2018, is seeded for a quarter-final meeting with British fourth seed Jack Draper, who meets Argentina's Sebastian Baez in the first round. Djokovic is aiming to win a record 25th Grand Slam, which would take him clear of his tie with the long-retired Margaret Court, and has the added incentive of matching Roger Federer's record tally of Wimbledon men's titles. World number three Alexander Zverev, who starts against France's Arthur Rinderknech, is seeded to meet Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals. Fifth-seeded American Fritz faces big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard from France. - Krejcikova injury woes - Krejcikova missed the first five months of 2025 with a back injury and was forced to withdraw from this week's Eastbourne quarter-finals due to a thigh injury. Her first-round opponent, Eala, a 20-year-old from the Philippines, is ranked a lowly 74. But Eala captured the tennis world's attention in March by defeating three Grand Slam champions — Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek — to reach the Miami semi-finals. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka, hoping to progress beyond the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the first time, opens against fast-rising Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine. The Belarusian has won three Grand Slams but lost in the Australian Open final and the French Open final this year. Her potential third-round opponents include 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, Nottingham winner McCartney Kessler and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Home favourite Raducanu takes on British qualifier Mingge Xu in the first round. Second seed Coco Gauff, who beat Sabalenka at Roland Garros, starts against Nottingham finalist Dayana Yastremska. Potentially intriguing second-round matchups include third seed Jessica Pegula against Queen's champion and 2022 Wimbledon semi-finalist Tatjana Maria. Former French Open champion Ostapenko could play two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur in round two, while Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen may face former world number one Naomi Osaka at the same stage. Five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek faces a potential fourth-round clash against former champion Elena Rybakina and a quarter-final with Gauff, having dropped to eighth in the rankings. — AFP
