Category: 6. Sports

For nearly two decades, Novak Djokovic has spent his time crushing the hopes and dreams of all of his adversaries while in pursuit of his own lofty goals. He did so again on Centre Court, ensuring there would be no fairytale ending to Dan Evans’ encouraging grass-court season as he marched into the third round of Wimbledon with a devastating performance and dominant 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 win.

“He can be causing a lot of trouble for you if you’re not on the top of your game, which I think I was from the very beginning,” said Djokovic, the sixth seed. “I was preparing well for the match. Technically, tactically, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I executed perfectly – sometimes you have these kinds of days.”

In a tournament that has hosted 23 British singles players, the most in a generation, Evans has surprisingly been one of the most interesting British stories of all. Having spent a large part of the past seven years firmly inside the top 50, rising to a career high of 21 in 2023, last year the 35-year-old tumbled down the rankings. He fell as low as 217 last month.

For most of the past year, Evans has been forced to compete on the ATP Challenger circuit, but he continued to struggle even against much lower-ranked opponents. Before the tournament, he spoke with great emotion about his doubts and struggles during this period, particularly the feeling that he was letting his family and team members down.

On a lovely summer afternoon on Centre Court against the greatest player of all time, there were no miracles to be uncovered here. From the beginning of the match, Evans employed all the trickery and hand skills that, with his diminutive frame, he has used so effectively throughout his career. He dragged Djokovic into endless, protracted rallies with his wicked backhand slice, he flitted forward to the net whenever he could and he kept himself in complicated points with his improvisational brilliance.

But Djokovic was sharp from the beginning. Even when Evans ground through some difficult early service holds, his opponent continued to pile on the pressure with his excellent return. He also served well throughout, breezing through his service games, and his backhand managed Evans’ slice with ease, allowing him to patiently wait for his opportunities to force himself inside the baseline and attack. Once the Briton’s early resistance broke down, Djokovic picked up steam and eased to victory, further building his confidence and conserving his energy for future matches.

“You have these kinds of days where everything goes your way, everything flows,” said Djokovic. “It’s good to be in these shoes and holding the racket on a day like this, no question about it.”

With ample attention on Evans’ attempts to hold off retirement for as long as possible, this is a further reminder that at 38 Djokovic continues to perform at a spectacular level considering his age and the mileage in his legs. A year on from Djokovic’s remarkable run to the Wimbledon final just weeks after undergoing knee surgery on a torn anterior meniscus, it is striking how calm and positive he appears at the beginning of this tournament.

Aside from his stomach issues in the middle of his first round win over Alexandre Müller, the seven-time Wimbledon champion is in great physical shape. After playing well to reach the French Open semi-finals, a result that underlined his status as the top contender to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz even at his advanced age, he is also playing with great confidence, fully aware that the grass courts of Wimbledon present his best chance of winning his elusive 25th grand slam title.

As he departed the court, Evans appeared to savour his final moments as he saluted all corners of the crowd and then signed ample autographs. After enduring such a difficult period on the court, he returned to the grass court season carrying perhaps his final hopes of a resurgence. He actually found what he was looking for, defeating two top-15 opponents in Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul, winning a round at Wimbledon and performing at a good level throughout the grass season.

After playing to a packed audience of 15,000 spectators on Centre Court, Evans will make the difficult transition back to the humble and sometimes empty surroundings of the Challenger circuit. He should leave Wimbledon with the understanding that although the journey ahead will be difficult, he has shown to the world, and particularly to himself, that it is not over.

“I think I’ve still got some tennis in me, which was what I was looking for,” said Evans. “It’s been positive. No real negatives.”

The last time a visiting skipper in England notched up a double century was Graeme Smith in 2003 and it led Nasser Hussain to fall on his sword mid-series. Smith – or “what’s-his-name” as Hussain called him beforehand – was a captain hunter on these shores, his South Africa team going on to account for Michael Vaughan in 2008 and then Andrew Strauss four years later.

Ben Stokes at least knew Shubman Gill’s name before this series and, in fairness, the England captaincy is unlikely to change hands in the next week. Nevertheless, Gill inflicted one of the toughest days of Stokes’ three years in charge as his chanceless and downright merciless 269 from 387 balls drove India to a position of dominance.

At stumps on the second evening, slow-cooked by India’s 587 all out from 151 gruelling overs, England had stumbled to 77 for three and the sleepy surface that served as the canvas for Gill’s artistry had fleetingly woken up. This is hardly uncommon when a fresh attack has a mountain of runs on the board. But the sight of Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj reducing the hosts to 25 for three up top was still quite the jolt.

Hard hands also played their part during a frenzied half hour as the lively Deep, in for the much-discussed Jasprit Bumrah, wiped out Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for a pair of ducks in two deliveries. Duckett pushed to third slip, where Gill held a sparkler, while Pope ambitiously tried to whip one off his legs and edged to a juggling KL Rahul at first.

Once Zak Crawley sent another into the cordon with a wafted drive on 19, it left Harry Brook and Joe Root to see out proceedings and the pair just about survived to reach 30 and 18 not out respectively. Although for Brook this involved escaping a reviewed lbw on one thanks to umpire’s call and somehow using his shoulder to prevent the penultimate ball of the day from Prasidh Krishna ballooning back on to his stumps.

England’s top order needed to be more like Gill here. As Mark Butcher put it so neatly on air, perhaps the effortless charm by which he encouraged the ball to the rope 33 times should see him dubbed the Persuader. In an age of T20 hitters – Gill is no mug in that format, it should be said – the right-hander is all timing and grace; a back-foot game so wonderfully frictionless that MRF could probably be swapped for WD-40 on his bat stickers.

Gill was still on a baby hundred first thing, 114 not out as the tourists resumed on 310 for five. But by the time he walked off, accepting handshakes from his opponents and a standing ovation from a commendably engaged home crowd, he had turned it into a career-best daddy; the highest score by an India Test captain no less, surpassing the 221 that Sunil Gavaskar made in a famous near-miss at the Oval 46 years ago.

In that respect Gill had delivered on what he called his “biggest learning” after the defeat at Headingley. While the tail came under fire for two crepe-paper collapses – India responded by bolstering the lower order here – Gill was most annoyed with himself for holing out during India’s sub-par first innings in Leeds when set on 147. Presented with another benign surface this week, the 25-year-old was not going to repeat the mistake.

It no doubt helped that Stokes largely spared his seamers a flogging after an ominous morning in which India cruised to 419 for six. Chris Woakes was sent off to graze after an early burst alongside his captain, while Brydon Carse was once again in discomfort. England believed Carse’s struggles with a toe that buckles upon landing to have been solved by new insoles but all the signs here pointed to a recurrence.

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The one frontline quick pushed through was Josh Tongue, who after a scattergun opening day picked up two wickets. There was a bit of heat before lunch, too, Ravindra Jadeja bounced out for 89 and thus 11 short of repeating the glorious Rajput sword dance that met his half century. Still, India’s No 7 had added 203 runs with Gill and showed his successor, Washington Sundar, that all Gill needed was support.

After staring down an early barrage from Tongue, Sundar did just that with a watchful 42 from 103 balls and as the afternoon wore on, another 145 runs were trowelled on to India’s pile. There was even the sight of Brook sending down five overs of his wrong-footed dobblers. And while these did produce an edge, England’s slips had long since scattered and all it meant was Gill bringing up his 250.

The bulk of the work was performed by Shoaib Bashir and after 45 overs of graft, the off-spinner at least finished with three wickets to show for it. More ominous for England, given they will be batting last on this surface, was the beauty from Root that gripped and castled Sundar. This pitch may be flat but that delivery, plus Deep’s burst with the new ball, means the hosts have a whole heap of work still to do.

After a well-fought two sets against Australian Rinky Hijikata, Ben Shelton was one game away from advancing to the third round of Wimbledon. But instead, he’ll have to wait until Friday to finish the job.

Shelton and Hijikata’s second round match was suspended at 9:29 p.m. local time in London due to darkness, as the sun had set about 10 minutes earlier. At the time that officials called the match, Shelton was leading Hijikata 6-2, 7-5, 5-4 — and on serve while one game from a straight set victory.

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Shelton was understandably unhappy after the call, speaking heatedly with the officials as Hijikata exited the court. The crowd had a strong reaction as well, booing the ruling and seeming to chant “one more game.”

Part of Shelton’s frustration was that, as the sun went down, both players had broached the idea of suspending the match earlier, but the officials had told them to play on. The match took place at No. 2 Court, which has no roof or stadium lighting.

Due to scheduling, Shelton and Hijikata did not start playing until after 7 p.m. local time. The court had four other matches take place prior to theirs, with one of the men’s matches taking nearly three hours and the second lasting two and a half.

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Shelton did have the chance to lock up victory prior to the officials’ call: The 22-year-old American went up 40-0 in what could have been the match-winning game, before dropping five straight points to Hijikata. As a result, Hijikata won the game to bring the set to 5-4 — and force it into a second day.

Shelton, ranked No. 10, is one of the top two American men remaining in the tournament.

Novak Djokovic has shown signs he is easing into the old routine at Wimbledon, with the seven-time champion sauntering into the third round, while defending women’s champion Barbora Krejčíková has also made it through. 

This year’s Championships have been littered with seeds biting the dust early, but day four offered some big statements from those fancied for deep runs on the lawns.

• Day four Aussie wrap: Aussie caught up in Wimbledon farce, as Kasatkina and de Minaur win

Former women’s champion Elena Rybakina may have arrived very much under the radar but has reached the third round for the loss of a mere seven games, the 11th seed destroying Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-1 in 62 minutes.

Five-time grand slam champion Iga Świątek, surprisingly yet to go past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, is another who will quietly fancy her chances and the Pole looked impressive as she hit back from a set down to beat Caty McNally 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Djokovic struggled past Alexandre Müller on Tuesday when he struggled with stomach issues. Two days later, however, he was at his ruthlessly efficient best in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 thrashing of popular Briton Dan Evans on Centre Court.

The 38-year-old is bidding to equal Roger Federer’s men’s record eight titles and claim an unprecedented 25th grand slam crown and, while the talk is of top seed Jannik Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz disputing the final, the Serb should be dismissed at your peril.

He has reached the last six Wimbledon finals and clearly believes he will still be around on July 13.

“Technically, tactically, I knew exactly what I needed to do and I executed perfectly,” Djokovic said after his 99th match win at Wimbledon since making his debut in 2005.

“Sometimes you have these kind of days, where everything goes your way, everything flows and it’s good to be in the shoes and holding a racket on a day like this.”

Czech Krejčíková, a surprise winner last year, found herself out on court two where the 17th seed produced a typically businesslike display as she battled past American Caroline Dolehide, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

She will face a much more dangerous American next in the form of Emma Navarro after the 10th seed crushed Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-2.

With four of the top five women’s seeds already gone, the draw looks wide open for the likes of seventh seed Mirra Andreeva who beat Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 7-6(4).

Nearly half of the 32 men’s seeds have perished before the third round with 13 failing to clear the first hurdle.

Czech teenager Jakub Menšík, the men’s 15th seed, beat American Marcos Giron 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) to underline his credentials.

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, playing in his 59th successive grand slam, may no longer be considered a genuine title threat but more than a decade since reaching his sole Wimbledon semifinal showed he is still a class act as the 19th seed beat tricky Frenchman Corentin Moutet 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

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In a quarter of the women’s draw which included the eliminated Paolini and Chinese fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, American Amanda Anisimova has perhaps benefited most.

The 13th seed would not face anyone ranked higher than 30th seed Linda Noskova until the semi-finals, where she could meet world number one Sabalenka – although the unseeded Naomi Osaka, a four-time major winner, remains in her quarter.

In the men’s singles, Russian Karen Khachanov can reach the quarter-finals without facing a fellow seed, following defeats for Zverev, ninth seed Daniil Medvedev, 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo and former runner-up Matteo Berrettini.

Norrie could also make it to the quarter-finals without encountering another seed, with Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca or qualifier Nicolas Jarry awaiting in the fourth round if the Briton can first overcome Mattia Bellucci.

Between 2002 and 2019, men’s singles seedings were determined by a surface-based formula reflecting recent grass court achievements, before it aligned with the world rankings used for the women’s draw.

On whether the amount of early shocks this year provides a case for bringing that back, former world number five Durie said: “I do think there should be a consideration because grass is really unlike all the other surfaces. I think it was a good thing at the time. It would be interesting if they brought that back.”

Nakashima has beaten Bu Yunchaokete of the People’s Republic of China and fellow USA player Reilly Opelka, both in four sets, to make it to the round of 32. His previous best result came three years ago with a run to the fourth round in 2022.

It helps that he feels right at home in London, making the most of his preparation week in the capital to walk the streets and explore. “I have a lot of close friends that live around here, so it’s always nice to see them,” he explains.

Now firmly in his stride and with the all-important self-confidence, what else can the San Diego man produce in south-west London?

Wimbledon 2025 – Brandon Nakashima’s growing grass game

Growing up with Japanese and Vietnamese heritage in California, Nakashima has spent the last 20 years of his life on the tennis courts; naturally in the States, that means his favoured hard courts, but Wimbledon is his favourite tournament.

The world number 34 went into the Championships 2025 with a 4-2 record on the surface this year, managing the rapidly forced adaptation from the classy clay swing into the condensed grass season.

“It’s two completely different surfaces,” Nakashima explains, “the footwork, the speed at which you play, the tactics out there on the court too. I feel like we’ve handled the transition pretty well, I’m feeling more and more comfortable on the grass.”

Marstrand, Sweden (3 July 2025) – The third day of racing at GKSS Match Cup Sweden saw the completion of the quarter-final matchups in both the Open and Women’s class, locking in the final four teams in each division for tomorrow’s semi-finals. Danish skipper Jeppe Borch/ Borch Match Race join the Swedish trio of Björn Hansen/ Hansen Sailing Team, Johnie Berntsson/ Berntsson Sailing Team and Oscar Engström/ Team Liros for the Open class final four. Defending Women’s Trophy champion Anna Östling / Team Wings leads the line-up for the Nordea Women’s Trophy final four, joined by France’s Pauline Courtois/ Match in Pink by Normandy Elite, Sweden’s Martina Carlsson/ Beyond Racing Team, and Julia Aarsten/ Team Out of the Box from the Netherlands.

After a forecast of building breeze in the afternoon, the quarter-final matches were set at a first-to-two-points in both classes with the Nordea Women’s teams heading to the course first after the morning skipper briefing.

In the first pairing, it was 23-year-old up-and-comer Martina Carlsson and the Beyond Sailing Team that found their early pace, sweeping 2024 runner-up Renee Groeneveld from the Netherlands in a 2-0 defeat to reach their second ever semi-final place on the Women’s World Match Racing Tour.

In match two, Julia Aartsen and her Dutch Team Out of the Box found themselves up against New Zeeland’s Megan Thomson and the 2.0 Racing Team. Both teams scored one-a-piece with a deciding race for the semi-final slot. After winning the start, Aartsen was able to fend off Thomson in a tense match and stay ahead over the finish line.

“That was a tough match against Megan and her [2.0 Racing] team but we are super happy to be going through to the semis” said Aartsen. “I think lost 2 kilos of sweat in the nerves but we are pumped for the semis tomorrow and we are giving it everything.”

In the last women’s quarter-final match, defending women’s world champion Pauline Courtois and the Match in Pink by Normandy Elite team showed no mercy in a clinical dispatch of opponent Celia Willison and the Edge Women’s Match team, advancing the French team into the last semi-final place.

In the Open class, after the surprise departure of USA’s Chris Poole and Switzerland’s Eric Monnin, after both skippers failed to make the cut this year form the qualifying round, the quarter-final field was wide open with three Swedish teams – Bernttson, Westerlind and Engstrom up against the two French skippers – Ian Garetta and Aurelién Pierroz, and Denmark’s Jeppe Borch, returning to Marstrand after recovering from several months of injury.

The young match racing teams of Marius Westerlind and America’s Cup Youth skipper Oscar Engström were first to do battle with each team beating the other to force a deciding race. Engström prevailed in the final match after forcing a penalty on Westerlind to go 2-1 and clinch the semi-final slot.

“A great day for us after a tough start to the weekend” said Engström. “We always have close matches against Marius [Westerlind] as one of our closest rivals but also our training partner. Now we are looking forward to an exciting semi-final and hopefully building on the momentum.”

In the second match, local favourite Johnie Berntsson leaned on local knowledge to knock out Marstrand newcomer France’s Ian Garetta in two straight wins.

Also showing a strong performance this week, Denmark’s Jeppe Borch delivered a commanding 2-0 defeat over his opponent Aurelién Pierroz from France.

Variable weather is forecast for the next two days in Marstrand which will challenge the semi-finalists as they line-up tomorrow to punch their ticket to Saturday’s final in front of expected large crowds on the iconic Marstrand cliffs.

For full results, follow

GKSS Match Cup Sweden https://wmrt.com/live-results/
Nordea Women’s Trophy https://womenswmrt.com/live-results/

ABOUT WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR

Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body –World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD24million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com

ABOUT WOMEN’S WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. womenswmrt.com