Iga Swiatek aims to solve Sakkari puzzle in WTA finals

On the second day of the Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara, Group Chichén Itzá's opening matches reprise some of this season's key contests. Will the narratives set earlier in 2021 be underlined - or switched around?

Named after the ancient Mayan city on the Yucatán Peninsula, Group Chichén Itzá features four players who have taken control of their own storylines in 2021. Aryna Sabalenka attained the consistency that had eluded her in the past, and enjoyed long-awaited Grand Slam breakthroughs. Iga Swiatek acquired the authority of a top player after her stunning Roland Garros title run in 2020. Maria Sakkari levelled up to reach two major semifinals. And Paula Badosa broke through on clay - then did it again on hardcourts.

[4] Maria Sakkari (GRE) vs. [5] Iga Swiatek (POL)

Among Sakkari's many notable accomplishments in 2021 is her proficiency in snapping streaks. In the Miami quarterfinals, she ended Naomi Osaka's 13-month, 23-match winning streak in breathtaking fashion, 6-0, 6-4. In the US Open fourth round, she inflicted Bianca Andreescu's first US Open main draw loss in 11 matches, triumphing 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-3 in a three-and-a-half-hour late-night marathon.

And in between, she ended Swiatek's Roland Garros title defence, ending the Pole's 11-match, 22-set Parisian streaks in the quarterfinals 6-4, 6-4. Three months later, Swiatek had still not solved Sakkari, whose 6-4, 7-5 victory in Ostrava snapped her own nine-match losing streak in WTA semifinals.

Those matches encapsulated both Sakkari's existing strengths, and what she has added to transform her game this season. The Greek's fitness has never been in question, but from her first tournament of 2021 in Abu Dhabi, it was clear Sakkari was now in possession of a newly formidable serve and a commitment to a revamped, aggressive game.

With two titles and second-week showings at all the Grand Slams, Swiatek's first season after becoming a major champion contained few disappointments. The 20-year-old has proved to be a quick problem-solver, both within matches and when it comes to the demands of the tour - though she says herself that there's still some way to go.

"I played some tournaments I've never been to," she told press. "Being seeded there was pretty weird. ... I would say the most tricky thing was learning how to play with the higher ranking because usually I was an underdog. I still feel like I didn't figure it out completely."

The challenge of Sakkari has thus far eluded her, and rectifying that will be high on Swiatek's list of priorities. Her ability to bring something different to the matchup will be key.

A third victory over Swiatek for Sakkari would send a message that her presence at the WTA Finals isn't just because she's an upset artist, but because she belongs at the table herself.

An advantage for Swiatek could be her preparation. Following Indian Wells, she remained in the United States to practice - and did so at altitude after doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands invited her to Phoenix.

But it was Sakkari who summed up what could be a crucial attitude to the Guadalajara conditions in her pre-tournament press conference.

In a flashback to her days as a baseline grinder who relied on her fighting spirit, rather than her big serve and forehand, to win, she told press: "It's just whoever accepts the most mistakes, whoever accepts playing ugly tennis this week - 'ugly', you know what I mean - will give herself a better chance on winning the tournament."

Head-to-head: 2-0 to Sakkari, both matches this year.

wtatennis.com

Road to the WTA Finals: Swiatek strings together impressive sophomore season

Poland's Iga Swiatek embarked on her 2021 season facing uncharted territory. Just three months earlier, she stunned the tennis world with one of the most dominant runs to a major title, winning Roland Garros at just 19 years old. Instead of a sophomore slump, Swiatek enjoyed a standout season that included two titles, unmatched consistency at the Slams and a Top 10 debut that led to her qualification at the Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara.

Starting strong in Australia with first hardcourt title in Adelaide

From Day 1, Swiatek's goal for the season was to work her way toward consistency. En route to the title at Roland Garros, she did not lose a set. As a top junior, she won the girls' Wimbledon title in 2018 by winning 12 consecutive sets. Her ITF title runs were just as dominant. When Swiatek was on, she was unstoppable. Now in her first full season on the WTA Tour, she wanted consistency.

"I wanted to focus more - not more - but have the same attitude on WTA tournaments as well as Grand Slams," Swiatek said in Melbourne. "I don't know how that happens but I always play better on Grand Slams. Maybe it's preparation, maybe it's just the perfect time for me to play. My goal is to be consistent, so I want to play good at basically every tournament."

It took her just three tournaments to get her hands on a trophy. After posting her second Round of 16 appearance at the Australian Open, where she lost 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Simona Halep, Swiatek ran the table at the Adelaide International to capture her first hardcourt title and second title overall. As she did at Roland Garros, Swiatek did not lose a set in Adelaide, dropping just 22 games in five matches.

"For sure it's good for me because I can see that I can play good tennis for the whole week. It wasn't, like, one time during the French Open," Swiatek said after defeating Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 6-2 in the Adelaide final. "It gives me more confidence that I'm a more developed player and I can play good more often. I'm really happy about that."

But back on her favored clay, Swiatek looked ready to continue the clay-court tear that she started last fall. Making her main-draw debut in Madrid, Swiatek set up her first meeting with No.1 Ashleigh Barty - a battle of the last two French Open champions - in the Round of 16, losing 7-5, 6-4.

"I was always imagining that when I'm going to win a Grand Slam, I'm going to, I don't know, just enjoy it for the rest of my life, it's going to be rainbows everywhere," Swiatek said. "I'm going to be some kind of at peace in myself that I already won a Grand Slam and I reached my goal.

"The truth is that humans aren't like that. They just want more. I still feel expectations even though I did something great at the French Open. I want more, basically."

There would be no coasting for Swiatek in Rome, where she would capture her first WTA 1000 title in memorable fashion. While her two previous title runs were clear displays of domination, Swiatek came from match point down against Barbora Krejcikova to win 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals.

After finding a way to win ugly and survive the next French Open champion, Swiatek returned to her dominating ways. After defeating Elina Svitolina and Coco Gauff in straight sets to make the final, Swiatek needed just 46 minutes to defeat Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0 for the Rome title, becoming just the fourth teenager to win a WTA 1000 tournament. It was the first 6-0, 6-0 win in a WTA final since 2016.

With two titles under her belt, a Top 10 debut and statement run in Rome, Swiatek returned to Paris to try to defend a title for the first time in her career. Swiatek confidently worked her way through a potentially tricky first-week draw without losing a set, defeating Kaja Juvan, Rebecca Peterson, Anett Kontaveit and Marta Kostyuk to return to the quarterfinals.

Swiatek's defense would run up against Maria Sakkari, who ended the Pole's 10-match winning streak with a 6-4, 6-4 win. But Swiatek counted her Parisian fortnight a success - she went on to make her first major doubles final with Bethanie Mattek-Sands - and left France on a high note.

By the end of the 2021 Slam Season, Swiatek had achieved a feat no one matched this season. After making the Round of 16 at in her main-draw debuts at both Wimbledon and the US Open, the 20-year-old became the only woman this season to make the Round of 16 or better all four majors.

At Wimbledon, Swiatek earned straight-sets wins against Hsieh Su-Wei, Vera Zvonareva and Irina-Camelia Begu before losing in three sets to Ons Jabeur. At the US Open, she tallied back-to-back three-set wins over Fiona Ferro and Anett Kontaveit before losing to Bencic in a tough 7-6(12), 6-3 rematch of the Adelaide final.

"I'm not Barty, so I'm not 100% consistent. I'm like 70% consistent," Swiatek said in New York. "I am proud. But the best kind of consistency is when you can win, like, five titles a year. So right now I'm looking at the results that Ash has. When it's comparing to that, I'm not, like, 100% consistent. But I'm glad that, comparing to other players, I'm consistent."

Swiatek went into the final weeks of the regular season with a number of significant milestones in mind. She was in good position to finish her first full WTA season by finishing inside the Top 10, where she qualified for her first WTA Finals and became the first Polish player since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2017 to rank inside the Top 5.

"After [winning] Roland Garros I really didn't know how it's gonna go," Swiatek said at Indian Wells, reflecting on her season. "I actually thought I'm not gonna be able to cope with everything as well as I did."

Swiatek secured her spot in the Top 5, at a career high No.4, after making the semifinals in Ostrava and then secured her place in Guadalajara after making the Round of 16 at Indian Wells in her main-draw debut. As she eyes her first WTA Finals appearance, Swiatek finished the regular season with a 35-13 record, making the Round of 16 or better at 11 of 14 WTA tournaments.

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek moves into Indian Wells 4th round on 1-year anniversary of Roland Garros win

No.2 seed Iga Swiatek celebrated the one-year anniversary of her Roland Garros triumph in style Sunday, losing just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win over 25th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. Swiatek will next face 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.


The 2020 French Open champion is into the Round of 16 of Indian Wells in her tournament debut and has lost just five games; she beat Petra Martic 6-1, 6-3 in her opening round. Ranked a career-high No.4 coming into the tournament, Swiatek has now made the Round of 16 or better at all but two tournaments this season.

After the win, Swiatek told reporters she would be donating $50,000 of her prize money to a mental health non-profit in honor of World Mental Health Day.

"I would say in sports, for me it was always important to use that kind of help because I always thought that in my mental toughness there is some strength that I can use on court and I can also develop in that manner," Swiatek said.

The 20-year-old has traveled with sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz for the past three seasons.

"But I also know everybody has different paths, and it's great that we can choose our path because I know that there are people who also don't need psychologists. Basically, I'm not saying that, Hey, you should do that if you want to be the best, because everybody has a different personality and everybody has different needs.

"It's just good to stay open-minded. If you need that kind of help, then go for it. If you're up to it and if you're open-minded, I think it helps a lot."

Facing Kudermetova for the second time, the 20-year-old from Poland needed just 54 minutes to pocket the victory and go 2-0 against the Russian. Striking 19 winners to just 7 unforced errors, Swiatek did not face a break point in the match. Taking advantage of the warm conditions and high-bouncing playing surface, Swiatek lost just five points on serve, winning 28 of her 33 service points.

"I was just feeling pretty confident," Swiatek said on court after the match. "Again, as in my second round, my tactics worked pretty well. I just wanted to change the rhythm sometimes so she can get a chance to sometimes miss and in some points be offensive so she can feel the pressure.

"But basically, I wanted to make a gift for my psychologist because usually when I lose there is some drama. So let's just say she has the day off today."

Asked to reflect on her incredible 12 months since dominating Roland Garros to win her maiden major without dropping a set last fall, Swiatek said her sophomore season has surpassed all expectations.

"I felt like the first period of the year from January to June it was pretty tough because we had many Grand Slams, we had Olympics," Swiatek said. "I felt a lot of pressure.

"But here I feel kind of free because even though we have the WTA finals at the end, I feel like I reached my goals and I went even higher than our goals. So I'm pretty happy about that and I feel like I can play without any expectations and just feel myself on court, which is great."

wtatennis.com

Iga Swiatek posts first victory on debut at Indian Wells

The last time the BNP Paribas Open was played, Iga Swiatek lost in qualifying. More than 30 months later, now the No. 2 seed and a Grand Slam champion, she cruised in her tournament main-draw debut. Swiatek needed just 71 minutes Friday to defeat Petra Martic 6-1, 6-3 in the California desert.


Though she was denied a first-set bagel, Swiatek won nine of the first 10 games against the World No.45 in their first meeting.

From there, the second set proved more complex for Swiatek, where Martic broke her twice after falling behind 6-1, 3-0 and later denied her an opportunity to serve out victory. But with a forehand winner — her 19th overall winner of the match — Swiatek broke Martic for the sixth time in eight return games to move safely through to the third round.

"In 2019, I wasn't playing that confident, but I'm really happy that times have changed now," Swiatek in her on-court interview. "There are many places [I haven't played] because I couldn't finish my season in 2019, and last year, we only had six tournaments, so it's pretty exciting.

"I think I gave a lot of power to my shots, and that was the key. She can play great topspin, and as soon as she's going to get good pace, she can do that. This surface is slow, so the topspin is jumping high. I just wanted to be aggressive from the beginning and not let her play her game.

"In the second set, I lost focus for one game and she broke me pretty fast, so I knew I just had to keep going and not stop for a second time."

Swiatek advances to a meeting with No. 25 seed Veronika Kudermetova, who came through an all-Russian affair against Liudmila Samsonova, 6-2, 6-3.

wtatennis.com    

Kim Clijsters kicks off comeback in Chicago

Kim Clijsters is set to play her first match since 2020 at the Chicago Fall Classic on Monday. The former No.1 announced in 2019 that she would be coming out of retirement in 2020, and after the pandemic stalled her momentum, the 38-year-old Belgian will face Hsieh Su-Wei in just her fourth match since retiring at the 2012 US Open.

I've been practicing for a long time so I'm excited to start playing matches again," Clijsters told reporters during her pre-tournament press conference in Chicago. "That's the reason I'm here, to play more matches so I can slowly build my level and get more match rhythm and match routine under my belt.

"I feel like in practice I'm doing a lot of things well and I'm getting fitting and stronger. Now it's just a matter of trying to get enough matches."

The four-time major champion has described her decision to return to the tour as "her marathon". While her friends are training to run marathons before they turn 40, Clijsters is pounding the pavement on tour.

Prior to the pandemic, Clijsters kicked off her most recent comeback at the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she drew Australian Open finalist Garbiñe Muguruza and lost 6-2, 7-6(6). After bowing out in the first round of Monterrey to Johanna Konta before the pandemic shut down the sport for four months, and returned at the US Open that fall. In New York, Clijsters won the first set of her comeback before losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

"Going to some of the events and hitting with some of the players just triggered a challenge within myself," Clijsters said. "That was the main reason, that little trigger of, I wonder if I can get myself in a situation where I can play the tennis I like to play and I know I can play."

Post-retirement success is well-tread territory for the affable Belgian, who retired for the first time in 2007 at the age of 23. When she returned to the tour unranked two years later after the birth of her daughter Jada, Clijsters proceeded to win the US Open in just her third tournament back. She went on to win two more majors at the 2010 US Open and 2011 Australian Open, the 2010 WTA Finals in Doha, and rose to No.1 in 2011 before retiring a year later.

"With me and my stage now, a lot of things are new. Understanding how my body reacts differently after three children. I feel like I've been able to play more practice sessions in a row than I have in a long time. So that feels really good, being able to do that."

"I try to do all my workouts either really early - I'm a 5 a.m. person - doing a workout before the kids wake up, and trying to get everything done when the kids are in school. "Then I can do all the normal things that parents do: driving them to their hobbies, cooking and cleaning. I love the challenge."

Clijsters says she has no concrete goals as she ramps up her comeback. She was a player who relied on gut instinct and feel during her career and that has not changed. So long as she is motivated and seeing improvements, Clijsters says motivation will not be an issue.

"Seeing Andy Murray and the way he speaks about his comeback and everything, it's so motivating and it gives you a lot of energy too," Clijsters said. "To see him go through the things he's gone through and be open about the challenges of it and the belief that he has, I feel like it's something I can relate to."

wtatennis.com

Well she didn't win, but boy she was close. Of course she had to get Hsieh as a first round, the trickiest player on tour. And she almost won. 

If she plays like this the next tournament could be interesting. Though she's also playing some doubles in Chicago definitely will be checking that out.

Iga Swiatek enters top 5 after Ostrava

A week ago Iga Swiatek rose to a new career-high of No. 6, and this week she goes two better, rising to No. 4 after a semifinal showing at the WTA 500 event in Ostrava.

Not only is the 2020 Roland Garros champion the only woman to have reached the round of 16 or better at all four Grand Slams in 2021, but she’s actually reached the round of 16 or better at 11 of the 14 tournaments she’s played this year, period, including titles at the WTA 500 in Adelaide in February and at the WTA 1000 in Rome in May.

Swiatek was asked about her consistency at the majors this year at the US Open, where she reached the fourth round before falling to Belinda Bencic.

“I’m pretty proud of that,” she said. “I was thinking about it, like, two days ago, that it’s the only year basically when I don’t have any injury, and I don’t have to deal with that. I have other problems right now, but it’s easier when my body’s actually listening to me.

“So I’m just proud of my team and I’m really grateful I’m getting all the help I need. I’m pretty happy that I’m consistent. I know without them I wouldn’t be like that.

"Yeah, shout-out to my team.”

Swiatek is the 72nd woman in WTA rankings history (since 1975) to reach the Top 4. There have been 27 women who’ve reached No. 1, 12 who’ve gone as high as No. 2, 12 who’ve gone as high as No. 3 and now 21 who’ve gone as high as No. 4.

She’s also one of only two Polish players ever to reach the Top 5 in either ATP or WTA rankings history—Agnieszka Radwanska got to No. 2. The only other Polish player to reach the Top 10 was Wojtek Fibak, who got to No. 10 on the ATP rankings in 1977.

The woman who beat Swiatek in the semifinals of Ostrava over the weekend, Maria Sakkari, also makes a very notable move today, rising from No. 12 to No. 10 to become the second Greek player—and first Greek woman—to reach the Top 10 in either ATP or WTA rankings history. Stefanos Tsitsipas was the first Greek player to do it—he’s currently holding steady at a career-high of No. 3 on the ATP rankings.

Before Tsitsipas and Sakkari, the only Greek player to even reach the Top 20 was Eleni Daniilidou, who peaked at No. 14 in the world in the early 2000s.

With Tsitsipas at No. 3 and Sakkari at No. 10, Greece is one of only two countries to have Top 10 players on both the ATP and WTA rankings right now—Spain is the other, with Rafael Nadal currently ranked No. 6 and Garbine Muguruza at No. 9.

A little further down on the ATP rankings there was a Top 50 debut for one of 2021’s breakthrough stars, Ilya Ivashka, who rose from No. 52 to No.45 after reaching his third ATP semifinal of the year in Nur-Sultan. The Belarusian had also reached the final four in Munich and won his first ATP title in Winston-Salem, right before the US Open.

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Iga Swiatek sets up French Open rematch with Maria Sakkari in Ostrava semis

No.1 seed Iga Swiatek and No.4 seed Maria Sakkari claimed their allotted spots in the J&T Banka Ostrava Open semifinals on Friday, setting a final four showdown between the two in Ostrava.


Top seed Swiatek of Poland defeated No.7 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, 7-6(5), 6-2, to book her place in the semifinals. In the first meeting between the Top 20 players, Swiatek needed an hour and 41 minutes to hold off the challenge from Rybakina and make her first semifinal since her title run at Rome in early May.

Stat corner: Swiatek was stellar behind her first serve, winning over three-quarters of those points, but less so on her second serve, where Rybakina took charge and claimed 61 percent of points. Ultimately, Swiatek was able to get a strong 72 percent of first serves into play, helping her along to victory.

Key moments: In an aggressive tussle, it was Swiatek who grabbed the early 3-1 lead before Rybakina gritted out a challenging service break with a rally crosscourt backhand to level the opening set at 3-3. Swiatek, though, kept the Kazakh at bay with powerful groundstrokes from both sides, and an easy hold for 6-6 by the Pole set up a first-set tiebreak.

Strong serving by both players kept the breaker competitive, with Swiatek claiming the first set point at 6-5 after consecutive unreturned deliveries. The top seed converted that chance, staying sturdy through a lengthy rally until Rybakina sent a backhand miscue wide. Despite having fewer winners than Rybakina and an equal amount of unforced errors, Swiatek swiped the set.

With the momentum behind her, Swiatek charged ahead 5-1 in the second set, although Rybakina clawed one break back in that game, edging to 5-2 with a backhand winner down the line on break point. But the big Swiatek forehands came out in force in the next game, and she prevailed in a protracted battle to convert her third match point in that game.

 wtatennis.com

Roger Federer: "The rehab is going really well"

Sidelined since his Wimbledon quarter-final defeat to Hubert Hurkacz, Roger Federer provided an update on his fitness in an interview with a sponsor.

Federer fans can rest easy. The Swiss player is as determined as ever to return to the courts. In a video posted on his social media accounts on 15 August, he nevertheless expressed some doubts about his ability to undergo a third operation on his right knee. “I want to give myself some hope of returning to the Tour in an acceptable way,” he said in the interview. “I’m a realist, don’t get me wrong. I know how hard it is at my age to go under the knife again and attempt to make another comeback.”

With the Laver Cup just a few days away, those measured words struck a more negative tone than Federer’s last public statement. Aware that his return to action will take time, the former world No. 1 is determined nevertheless to look on the bright side. “I’m on the mend and rehab is going really well, with no hiccups,” said a smiling Federer. “Every day is better, and I feel strong and excited about the future. […] Obviously, I’d like to be back on a tennis court as soon as I can, but I have to be patient. I need to take it step by step, but things are going well, so I’m really happy.”

Though the 20-time Grand Slam winner is looking ahead to a possible return in 2022, he is not yet in a position to put a realistic date on that. The injury he picked up on the London grass this year forced him to miss the Olympic Games, the US Open and the closing events of the season. Prior to his Wimbledon injury flare-up, the Swiss graced the Doha, Geneva, Roland-Garros, and Halle tournaments. And as long as his desire and determination remain intact, there is no question that he will make every effort to return to the elite once more.

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Iga Swiatek into quarter finals in Ostrava

The top two seeds at the J&T Banka Ostrava Open both passed rigorous second-round tests to kick off their Czech campaigns.

No.1 Iga Swiatek handled the tricky challenge of Yulia Putintseva with poise, advancing to her fourth quarterfinal of the year 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 47 minutes. She was followed on Center Court by No.2 Petra Kvitova, who was stretched all the way by qualifier Anastasia Potapova before winning 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3 in two hours and five minutes.

Playing the second indoor WTA main draw of her career following Budapest 2019, where she reached the second round, Swiatek was given a tough workout by Putintseva, whom she was facing for the first time. The Kazakh was coming off a strong semifinal run in Portoroz last week, and her canny tactics and supreme defence provided a worthy foil to Swiatek's power.

Both players probing each other's games for weaknesses made for a number of absorbing, variety-filled exchanges in which every corner of the court was used. But although Putintseva's ability to mix spin, pace and direction tested Swiatek to the limit, the Pole remained positive and gradually got to grips with what she needed to do. By the second set, it was Swiatek who was increasingly emerging on top of even the longer rallies.

Match management: Putintseva had battled for three hours and 24 minutes to quell Zhang Shuai in the first round just 24 hours earlier, and was uncharacteristically errant as she swiftly fell behind 0-3. But once the 26-year-old found her groove and levelled at 3-3, almost every game was tightly contested.

It came down to Swiatek's ability to rise to the occasion at the tail end of each set, both of which she sealed with a break of her opponent's serve. She peaked with some dazzling all-court aggression to rattle off the last eight points of the first set, scoring winners at net and, on set point, off the return.

In the second, Swiatek showed her grit. Leading 3-2, she missed triple break point to break Putintseva; at 4-4, she had to fend off two against her, coming up with her fourth ace and a brace of brilliant backhand winners to do so. The final game saw Putintseva open the door with a pair of loose errors, and Swiatek needed no further encouragement. Two more backhand bangers in a row saw her edge over the line.

Quotable: "It was very tough," said Swiatek in her on-court interview. "She was running to every ball - it was really hard to finish her, especially with such a slow surface. She could reach everything and she was fighting to the end - even on match point I had to finish her, like, three times.

"I'm really happy I won, because normally it's really hard for me to play with such players. I like to risk and with risking comes unforced errors, so it's tough to get the balance between when to push and when to stay and wait for the opponent to miss."

wtatennis.com

Roger Federer withdraws from U.S. Open announces knee surgery

Roger Federer announced on Instagram Sunday that he will miss the US Open and "many months" after undergoing knee surgery.

“I just wanted to give you a bit of an update [on] what’s been going on since Wimbledon. As you can imagine, it’s not been simple. I’ve been doing a lot of checks with the doctors as well on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further during the grass-court season and Wimbledon,” Federer said in a video. “That’s just not the way to go forward, so unfortunately they told me for the medium to long term to feel better, I will need surgery. I decided to do it.

“I’ll be on crutches for many weeks and also out of the game for many months, so it’s going to be difficult of course in some ways, but at the same time I know it’s the right thing to do because I want to be healthy, I want to be running around later as well again and I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to return to the tour in some shape or form."

The Swiss star, who turned 40 on 8 August, underwent arthroscopic right knee surgeries in February 2020 and May 2020. Federer has played five tournaments since having those surgeries, all of which came this season. The 103-time tour-level titlist most recently competed at Wimbledon.

“I am realistic, don’t get me wrong. I know how difficult it is at this age right now to do another surgery and try it,” Federer said. “But I want to be healthy, I will go through the rehab process I think also with a goal while I’m still active, which I think is going to help me during this long period of time.”

At the end of his video, Federer made sure to thank the fans for all the support and continuing to motivate him through the highs and lows.

“Also a big thank you already now for all of your messages that are going to be coming in because you guys are always incredible. You always think of me. Some of you suffer with me,” Federer said. “I’ll update you as I move along with my rehab. I wish you all the best and I’ll check in with you soon.”

atptour.com

Roger Federer has somehow avoided father time for the entirety of his career. So it shouldn't come as that much of a shock that his body is finally showing the wear and tear. But I think because he's managed to avoid it for so long, it created this aura of invulnerability that seemed like it would go on forever. 

I think the realization that he's human after all took everyone off guard. Even though realistically we all knew this day would come, accepting it doesn't make it hurt any less.

When and if he does come back, the question will be will he be able to still compete for the big prizes. Despite all signs pointing to no, his fans will always hope. I honestly wonder whether he will try to go out at one of the big tournaments or somewhere small like the 500 event in his home town of Basel. 

Whatever his decision, I just hope we get to see him a few more times on court because I'm not quite ready to say goodbye, I don't think I ever will. But I do want him to be able to say farewell to his fans and the tour on his own terms one last time.  The tour will not be the same without you Swiss Maestro, see you in 2022.  ♥♥♥

Happy 40th Swiss Maestro

Australian Open Facebook

Roger Federer Withdraws From Toronto & Cincinnati due to knee setback

Former World No. 1 Roger Federer has withdrawn from the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati due to a knee injury, the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments announced Thursday.

The 39-year-old underwent two right knee surgeries in 2020 after the Australian Open before returning to the Tour in Doha this March. Federer has competed in five tournaments this year, recently missing the Tokyo Olympics due to injury.

When he announced his withdrawal from the Olympics, Federer tweeted: "During the grass-court season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee.”

atptour.com

Iga Swiatek relishes 'special moment' after Tokyo Opener win

Iga Swiatek opened the Olympic Tennis Event at Tokyo 2020 with champion’s poise, defeating Germany’s Mona Barthel 6-2 6-2 to reach the second round on her Games debut.


The 20-year-old's victory saw her become just the third Polish player to win an Olympic singles match after Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska, and came while facing the pressure of top billing as she kicked off the tournament on Centre Court at Ariake Tennis Park.

Swiatek, who was initially expecting to open Court 1, benefitted from a schedule re-shuffle to account for Naomi Osaka’s starring role at the Opening Ceremony – and she was delighted to produce a performance worthy of the stage.

“It was amazing,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting that. I know that they changed the schedule yesterday, but it was a special moment for me. I know that right now I really feel the Olympic vibe.”

Swiatek may be making her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, but she has plenty of history in the Games. She secured a doubles gold medal alongside Kaja Juvan at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018 and her father, Tomasz, was an Olympian, competing in the men’s quadruple sculls event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

“My Dad’s told me a lot about the Olympics,” said Swiatek. “I couldn’t actually imagine it properly, but for sure it’s a special event. It’s different than any other tournament. I’m trying to give myself the opportunity to get used to it and focus on playing.”

Swiatek proved ruthless in the face of the oppressive humidity on Saturday. She raced into a 5-0 lead in 26 minutes, though her German opponent managed to put more pressure on her serve than the scoreline suggests.

A momentarily lapse in concentration - a double fault - when serving for the opening set gave Barthel a break, and a glimmer of hope of finding a foothold in the match, but the Pole held her nerve and got off court, and out of the heat, after just 67 minutes.

“It is humid,” admitted last year's French Open champion. “I’m not used to it. My perfect weather is in Great Britain or maybe [the weather] at 2020 Roland Garros!

“It’s hard to get used to it, but we gave myself time, we came to Takasaki [about 100km north of Tokyo] before going to the Olympic village to get used to the jetlag, humidity, and right now it’s much, much easier [than when I arrived].

“But still, when the stress comes and all the different factors that you have on that match, it’s different. I’m happy I’m in the second round and I can just get the experience.”

Swiatek, who will face either Paula Badosa or Kristina Mladenovic in round two, was quick to acknowledge another 'special moment' at the start of these Games; Osaka representing Japan - and tennis - on Friday night.

"It’s amazing," she said of Osaka lighting the Olympic Cauldron. "I think she deserves it with all the great results that she had. She’s dealing with a lot of stuff, so it’s good that she had the honour and opportunity to do that.

"It’s a pretty special moment so I hope she’s going to remember that."

itftennis.com

Roger Federer to reassess after straight sets Wimbledon quarterfinal loss to Hurkacz, but goal is to play

Roger Federer was delighted with the ovation he received as he walked off Centre Court at the end of his 22nd Wimbledon campaign on Wednesday, but the soon-to-be 40-year-old isn’t going to retire anytime soon.

“[The] crowds were amazing,” said Federer, after a 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-0 quarter-final loss to Polish 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz. “The ovation was fantastic. I loved it. That's why I play. That's why I still play now… I'm super grateful for all the support I've gotten here over the years. Today again was special.

“I'm actually very happy I made it as far as I did here, and I actually was able to play Wimbledon at the level that I did, after everything I went through. Of course, I would like to play it again, but at my age you're just never sure what's around the corner.”

Federer underwent two arthroscopic right knee surgeries in February and May last year, but the Swiss was clearly happy to have returned to the All England Club, the scene of his eight Wimbledon triumphs, over the past fortnight.

“I was able to make it this year, which I'm really happy about,” said Federer, who was contesting just his fifth tournament of 2021. “I’ve got to take a few days. Obviously, we're going to speak a little bit tonight, depending on how I feel, then the next couple of days as well. Then we go from there. Just see, ‘Okay, what do I need to do to get in better shape so I can be more competitive?’

“I'm not sure if it's necessarily matches, to be honest, because the body actually overall feels fine from the matches. I'm happy I went through all the process of taking losses and trying to play in Paris, Geneva, Doha and Halle, getting myself into match toughness and fitness here in Wimbledon. I definitely need to be a better player if I want to be more competitive at the highest of levels. I knew that coming in.”

The Swiss superstar, who has won a record-equalling 20 Grand Slam trophies, will now regroup with Ivan Ljubicic and Severin Luthi and plan his next tournaments.

“You know you need a goal when you're going through rehab with what I did,” said Federer. “You can't think of the entire mountain to climb as once. You got to go in steps. Wimbledon was the initial first super step, if you like.

“Now that that's over, you just got to reassess everything. You got to sit down, talk about it, what went well, what didn't go so well, where is the body, where is the knee, where is the mind? The goal is to play, of course.”

After his first straight sets loss at Wimbledon since 2002, when he fell as a 20-year-old to Mario Ancic 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3 in the first round, Federer went on to admit, “Clearly, there's still a lot of things missing in my game that maybe 10, 15, 20 years ago were very simple and very normal for me to do. Nowadays, they don't happen naturally anymore. I got to always put in the extra effort mentally to remind myself, ‘Remember to do this’ or ‘Do that’. I have a lot of ideas on the court, but sometimes I can't do what I want to do.

“I felt very disappointed in the moment itself. I still am. At the same time there's always a weight that falls off your shoulders when a tournament is over, when a huge goal is made or missed. It doesn't matter actually. You feel the weight is gone and you're exhausted. I feel horribly exhausted. I could go for a nap right now. That's how I feel.

“The past 18 months have been long and hard. Then again, if I take perspective, I'm always very happy about a lot of things that happened [in the past few weeks, the past few months. I know [I] will be upbeat again shortly. I know how I am in these situations. I feel like I go maybe very hard on myself, I get very sad, and then a few days go by…. Then I'll be totally fine again and be my old self.

atptour.com

I waited to post this because I needed time to process.  It's been about a day and I'm honestly still gathering my thoughts on everything. Being Polish my heart was soaring for one guy and hurting for the other all at once. 

It was hard not rooting for my countryman and equally as hard not rooting for Roger Federer knowing what he's been through the past year and a half and simply because it's Roger.

In the end all I could think was please don't let this match be my last memory of Roger Federer at the All England Club.  I don't think it will be, but it's hard not to think it factoring in everything. 

Even though I went into this Wimbledon with very low expectations, as always the more Roger won the more my hope grew. The man has always managed to defy the odds and do the impossible. 

His 2017 Aussie Open comeback and triumph being the epitome of that. He has managed to defy father time with what often seems like superhuman abilities. This match was a bit of a realization that perhaps he is human after all. 

And despite all the impossible feats it was too much to expect him to play the way he always does, the way he did before 2 knee surgeries and the pandemic. The reality is that he hasn't played many matches this year and is returning from a long injury lay off . It is going to take patience and time for him to get back to what he was before all that. It's unfair of us as fans to expect him to perform miracle at this stage. 

I have no doubt that his love for the game will drive him to continue to try and be better (perhaps even for the hard courts). I wish him all the best, and though I'm sad his journey was cut short this year, I'm thankful for all the memories he's given his fans at SW19 over the past 20 years. 

I'm looking forward to more of them at the U.S. Open. As long as he's playing I will always have hope, and will always be happy to see him regardless whether he wins or loses. 

A quarter final here is still a great result, it may not have been the one he or his fans wanted. But we're all grateful just to have him back.

It was not Roger's day, he was not able to bring the level needed to win. Hubert Hurkacz on the other hand was fantastic no question about it. He played his game and handled himself exceptionally. By winning he created some history along the way. 

He is now the 2nd Polish man to reach a Wimbledon semi final. And the first man in about 19 years to beat Roger Federer in straight sets at Wimbledon and also the first time he's ever lost a set to love. That is quite an accomplishment. 

I really hope he can back up his win tomorrow and reach the final vs Matteo Barretini. That would redeem the entire tournament for me. 

Who knows maybe we'll end up with a Canadian (Shapovalov) playing a Pole, thus making it harder for me to decide who to root for again. Yep, that would be something to celebrate. 

Roger Federer flies into his 18th Wimbledon quarter final

Hold the back page: Roger Federer is through to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. By getting there for the 18th time, he has beaten the record set by… oh, wait a minute: he has beaten the record he set the last time he reached the last eight in 2019.

That year he broke the record he set in 2018. And that was the year he broke the record he set in 2017. You can sense a theme building here. Jimmy Connors is the next name on the last eight achievement list – he got that far 14 times.

This is Federer’s 22nd competitive trip to the All England Club and in all that time, he has only failed to get to the quarter-finals (or better) three times. So when Lorenzo Sonego set up his meeting with the Swiss, there was a general feeling that the day would not end well for him. It didn’t: Federer won 7-5, 6-4, 6-2.

“I’m extremely happy,” Federer said. “Again, tricky conditions – inside and outside – against Lorenzo who is always dangerous but I felt that after that first set, I was able to control things. It was a great match and I couldn’t be more excited to be in the quarter-finals. It’s a big moment and I’m very, very happy.”

There was a telling moment in the clubhouse just moments before the match. The two men were waiting to walk out on to Centre Court and were being given their last minute instructions by Dan Bloxham, the master of ceremonies and the head coach at the All England Club. Sonego was to walk out first but he had not been here before; Centre Court was all new to him.

Given their cue to go, Bloxham sent the Italian on his way. But which way? All Sonego could see in front of him was a doorway and then a wall. “Left; turn left… that way…” Bloxham instructed. Poor Sonego was like the lucky traveller who had been given his first upgrade from economy class to business. He had never stepped through the door and turned left before in his life.

A few paces behind him was Federer, a member of the club since 2003 when he won his first title here; he is chasing his ninth Wimbledon trophy and his 21st Grand Slam trophy in all. There is no place outside of Switzerland where he feels more at home than Centre Court. And he is very used to turning left whenever he boards a plane.

Still, once he had stowed his hand luggage, got his drinks sorted and perused the snacks menu (bananas, power bars and the like), Sonego began to relax and settle in. His grass court record may look a little thin compared to Federer’s (whose doesn’t?) but he did reach the Eastbourne final a little over a week ago and he did win the Antalya title in 2019. He is not unused to life on a grass court.

What he is unused to is life on a grass court with Federer. They had met once before but that was on a clay court at Roland Garros two years ago; Federer brushed past him in straight sets. On Monday, Sonego kept pace with the former champion for the first quarter of an hour or so and then things started to get tricky.

Federer started to apply a bit of pressure; he had a break point – and then another and another. As the game wore on, Sonego managed to extricate himself from the situation, but only just. It had taken nearly 10 minutes but his serve was secure. And then Federer held to love and broke to 15. Just like that. Seven of eight points won. Simples.

But this is not the Federer of old; this is not vintage Fed. He is playing and feeling a good deal better than he did a week ago when The Championships began but he is still a work in progress. No player can bounce back from two bouts of knee surgery and 13 months off and just pick up where he left off. Doing it at the age of 39 increases the degree of difficulty massively. So, having broken, Federer promptly dropped serve to love. We were back where we started.

As Sonego fought tooth and nail to hang on to his serve in the 11th game – seven deuces, four break points – the rain stopped them in their tracks. They had been trying to resolve this game for more than 13 minutes and Sonego was serving to stave off that fourth break point, but the elements did not care.

Play was suspended for the usual 17 minutes or thereabouts as the roof was closed and the lights switched on and out they came again (Sonego needing no directions this time). Unsurprisingly, after all the disruption, the Italian was not at his sparkling best as he double faulted to hand his serve to Federer but, then again, neither was Federer. He needed to save three break points before he could finally wrap up the set. It had all been alarmingly messy for the Swiss and his many, many followers.

But when Federer found himself in a similar position in the second set – breaking for a 3-2 lead – there were no blips, no fluffs and no dramas. The eight-time champion powered through the second set and ran away with the third. This was more like the champion of old.

As Federer prepared for his landing in the last eight, Sonego was putting his seat in the upright position and stowing away his tray table. It might be a while before he gets to turn left with Federer on Centre Court again. Doors to manual and cross check…

wimbledon.com

Finally a nice mostly stress free match for Federer. His next opponent was expected to be Medvedev. But we got the surprise of Hubert Hurkacz instead. So once again my Polish heart feels conflicted. This will by no means be an easy ride for Fed. 

Hurkacz has played him once before so he won't be intimidated. If he doesn't get to overwhelmed by the occasion he could make it into quite a match especially given the way he serves. But if Federer plays clean and solid pulling out his bag of tricks it could also be one way. Really looking forward to this one.

Roger Federer battles into week 2 of Wimbledon for the 18th time

The sign held up by a member of the Centre Court crowd stated flatly: “Federer Is Forever.” But the lady proffering it was a tad diffident, as if acknowledging that the great man is not the player of yesteryear. She needn’t have worried.

Her idol fought past his third round opponent Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. It wasn’t easy, but he proved that reports of his own death have been greatly exaggerated.

One month shy of his 40th birthday, Roger Federer is alive, kicking, and into the second week at Wimbledon for the 18th occasion in his astonishing career. Anyone would think the eight-time champion knows what he’s doing.

“I’m very, very pleased and super-relieved – that was a tough battle,” said Federer. “He deserved that third set. He played excellent. I felt I was able to keep a high level of play and can be very happy with how I played.

"It’s nice to hear it will be my 69th Grand Slam fourth round. I’ve loved every minute and I hope there’s a little bit more left in me. It’s an absolute pleasure still playing right now, and this is special as it’s my last Slam before I hit the big 40. It’s all a bonus, and we’ll see how far it can go.”

The longer this third round match went on, the more resourceful Norrie became. Just as well, then, that all the movement and timing which were so grimly absent from Federer’s first round display against Adrian Mannarino were back in abundance here. No need this time to rely on the slings, arrows and slippery grass of outrageous fortune to seal his passage into the next round.

So the Swiss-British axis remains unchanged. No British man has beaten Federer at a Grand Slam since Andy Murray saw him off at the Australian Open eight years ago.

As for a domestic win over the great man on the lawns of SW19 – for that, we must peer back through the mists of time to 2001, when Tim Henman managed the feat two years before Federer lifted the gentlemen’s trophy for the first time.

Still, left-handed gun Norrie has made great strides this year, reaching three finals including Queen’s. This is the third successive Grand Slam where the 25-year-old has reached the third round, thus justifying his first-time seeding of No.29.

But the fates have dictated a duff draw in the last 32 for him each time – he met Nadal in both Australia and at Roland-Garros, and here at Wimbledon… well, you know the rest. Moreover, for all those big strides this year, he has yet to defeat a top ten player in any Grand Slam. If Norrie is to reach the last 16 of a Slam for the first time, he will need to get himself into the big matches earlier than he did here.

Having walked on to the Centre Court with a confident wave, his opening service game featured three double faults, and he held it only when Federer obliged with mistakes of his own. But Norrie’s first serve had gone walkabout, and at 3-3 he put too much mustard on a forehand to offer Federer a whole trio of break points.

The No.6 seed duly gobbled up the first in the middle of a 12-point streak. The Federer who could barely manage to win 50 per cent of his first serves against Mannarino was now banking dangerously near a full house.

It was only at the start of the second set that Norrie was able to exert pressure on that Federer serve for the first time. But the Swiss swatted away two break points with the stonewall style of yesteryear, and shortly afterwards it was Norrie who was behind once more, making mistakes which seemed to bemuse even him.

He stayed in touch, but could do no more. Even in his best moments in the third set, it felt like he was hanging on. So it came like a thunderbolt from nowhere when he broke to love at the death, to take the match into a fourth set.


The rallies were longer now, testing the 15 years Federer was giving his opponent, and exposing his lack of matches since the start of 2020. But there was none of the negative attitude (his own description) which crowded his mindset during his shock last 16 defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime last month on the grass of Halle, where the Swiss had previously amassed ten trophies. Norrie was like sticky tape on Federer’s fingers, coming back from a break down and saving more break points thereafter. But the Swiss broke again, and this time it was fatal

So Federer goes through. A place in the last eight hinges on his fourth round meeting with the No.23 seed Lorenzo Sonego, runner-up at Eastbourne last month, whom Federer beat in their only previous encounter, on clay.

Wimbledon’s favourite son has at least one more chapter in him this Fortnight. Gather round, children, and listen closely as the tale unfolds. There’s life in the old legend yet. 

wimbledon.com

Iga Swiatek breezes into 2nd week at Wimbledon sets up clash with Jabeur in last 16

Iga Swiatek epitomises the humble champion – polite to all-comers, gracious in victory and magnanimous in defeat.

Following her victory over 2010 ladies’ finalist Vera Zvonareva at The Championships two days ago, the Pole’s good manners were on full display when she respectfully explained to a fan why she was unable to hand over her player towel, given these Covid times and all.

Swiatek hit peak politeness, however, on Day 1 when she inadvertently ploughed into a camera mounted on the umpire’s chair, before she promptly turned and instinctively said sorry. Yes, to a camera.

The 20-year-old, though, makes no apologies for how she sees off the over-thirties on court of late. First up at Wimbledon this year it was 35-year-old Hsieh Su-wei, next the 36-year-old Zvonareva, and on Friday world No.79 Irina-Camelia Begu,

Her ruthless 6-1, 6-0 routing of the Romanian in just 57 minutes made it her ninth straight victory over this cohort and sealed her place in the round of 16.

In only her 10th main draw appearance at this level, Swiatek has now reached the fourth round or better at three of the four Grand Slams.

“I feel like I'm playing better and better every match, and I'm actually getting more confidence because I have been on a grass court for some time now… I just feel the surface much, much better than at the beginning of the tournament, and during [the] tournament in Eastbourne,” Swiatek said.

“It's easier to implement all the tactics that I wasn't able to implement when I wasn't feeling comfortable. It's just easier to lead for me and to be aggressive on court and stay focused all the time.” Begu had done a wondrous job to equal her best Wimbledon showing at 30, taking down the No.26 seed Petra Martic in the second round for good measure. But against the No.7 seed she had no answers.

It was all slipping away far too quickly for the Romanian’s liking as Swiatek reeled off 10 points to leap to a 5-0 advantage in just 15 minutes.

Across the grounds on No.2 Court, the No.8 seed Karolina Pliskova and Tereza Martincova had not even made it through their first two games.
Begu needed no neighbouring court’s scoreline comparison to know how rapidly this was unravelling.

She finally stopped the rot to get her name on the board and looked to have brought up her first break points of the set only for the Pole to pull off an exquisite running backhand lob.

It set off an almighty to and fro before the Pole was finally able to wriggle free and serve out the opening set.

It was a blink and you’d miss it outing. A double break for 3-0 was quickly registered while Pliskova and Martincova still stood at 3-2 in their opening set.

The finish line was approaching fast and a shanked forehand summed up the Romanian’s day as for the second time this match, Swiatek stood within a game of delivering a Begu bagel.

It came four points later, the duel done and dusted in just 57 minutes, while over on No.2 Court it was Pliskova who eventually prevailed.

Swiatek had developed into a vastly superior player in the two short years since she bowed to Viktorija Golubic at the first hurdle on debut.

“I didn't actually have [any] idea on how to play on grass. This time it's much, much better, so I just developed overall,” Swiatek said.

“My skills are just better and it's easier to adjust to any surface when you're just a better tennis player. I grew up, so also mentally I can handle all the challenges.”

If ever last year’s Roland-Garros champion needed an omen to buoy her outlook for the second week, a look back at Garbiñe Muguruza’s and Simona Halep’s records were a good start.

Both landed their first Grand Slam trophy in Paris before they stood triumphant at the All England Club a year later.

The No.7 seed could meet the Spaniard next, but won’t have any qualms politely declining a look at the draw beyond – good omens or not.

wimbledon.com

2nd week of another Slam. It's becoming a regular accurrance. Way to go Iga ! Jabeur next won't be easy but not impossible. It'll come down to who handles their nerves better at the end I think. Jazda Iga

Roger Federer looking more comfortable as he moves to round 3 at Wimbledon

The tennis player formerly known as 'Baby Federer' is himself now 35 years old. Richard Gasquet's vintage was yet another illustration of Roger Federer's astonishing longevity on a sun-buttered evening when the Swiss, just a month short of his 40th birthday, became the oldest man to reach the third round of The Championships since the 1970s.

One more indication of Federer's elegant resistance against the ageing process is that he hasn't dropped a set against Gasquet in a decade, a run of dominance against the Frenchman that started when Coco Gauff was seven years old.

With their single-handed backhands and free-flowing creativity, Federer and Gasquet both play lawn tennis that is close to being an art form. And when Gasquet ripped one exquisite, 102mph backhand down the line, in response to Federer's overhead, that might just be the best shot you'll see all Fortnight.

But while Gasquet had his moments, it was Federer, a winner of eight Wimbledon titles and the oldest man in the gentlemen's singles, who took control of the Centre Court grass.

"It's always a pleasure playing against Richard," Federer said after his 7-6(1), 6-1, 6-4 victory as he became the oldest man since Ken Rosewall in 1975 to make the last 32. "I'm really happy with my level. Today was special."

The Fed-Head super-fan with the 'RF' tattoo, and every other Federer enthusiast inside Centre Court, would have been encouraged by the way that the Swiss played for most of this match, taking him through to play Britain's Cameron Norrie on Saturday.

Federer wouldn't be here in London if he didn't feel as though he had it in him to emulate Martina Navratilova by winning a ninth Wimbledon, and also to land what would be his 21st Grand Slam singles title.

This straight-sets win didn't just extend Federer's one-sided history over Gasquet, but also took his streak against French opponents to 18 consecutive wins.

While Federer felt as though he had got a little lucky in his opening round against another Frenchman, Adrian Mannarino - who retired through injury at two sets all - there was no good fortune involved in his victory over Gasquet. As soon as Federer took the opening set on a tie-break, he started to play looser and more aggressive tennis, even winning the next five games in a row.

This was the third time that Federer had faced Gasquet at the All England Club - after a first-round match at the 2006 Championships, and a semi-final in 2007 - and every time he has gone through without dropping a set.

wimbledon.com

Breathing a tiny sigh of relief. 

A much better match. 

Getting better and better with more time on court. 

Also happy Roger is wearing his RF logo hat. Took a while for him to get that back :).

Iga Swiatek looking more confident on grass moves into Wimbledon 3rd round

Just like the sweet spot on a racket, where the ball makes most effective contact with the strings, so the scheduling can throw up a specific head-to-head meeting on a show court that makes for optimum viewing.

That was what the second round encounter between 20-year-old Iga Swiatek and the Russian veteran Vera Zvonareva on No.2 Court promised: a meeting, somewhere in the middle, of two players on opposing but stellar career trajectories on the Grand Slam stage.

Contrary to predictions that this could be a testy three-setter, this first meeting between the pair proved to be mesmerising to watch for the way in the which the young Pole – the No.7 seed, the 2020 Roland-Garros champion but a self-professed ingenue on grass (despite winning the 2018 Wimbledon girls’ singles title) – totally outplayed the former world No.2.

With a 6-1, 6-3 victory, clinically wrapped up in 62 minutes, the meeting point on their two career paths clearly bears a signpost indicating great things for Swiatek. Despite her early reservations, she and grass are getting along just fine.

“Every match gives me the opportunity to have more and more confidence, so I’m pretty happy with my performance today," she said. "Playing such an experienced player is never easy, so I didn’t know what to expect at the beginning because she has many years of playing on grass, and I only have two years basically. I’m just beginning, but I wanted to play really powerfully and I did that, so I am pretty happy.”

Deploying her awesome forehand with aggression, Swiatek sent Zvonereva scurrying all over the court from the off, claiming a break after only 10 points played. She may have been the junior by 16 years, but she showed astonishing maturity in constructing each point and executing a killer finish.

The Russian has not featured in the Top 10 since 2012, but she brings to the lawns here experience garnered from being a 2010 Wimbledon singles finalist (losing to a dominant Serena Williams) and a 2006 mixed doubles champion. On grass, she has also claimed a title in Birmingham, back in 2006 – when Swiatek was five years old.

All this knowhow was neutralised by the Pole, who was on a mission to wrong-foot and keep her opponent off balance. Playing free of expectation, with her serve firing well and a double break under her belt, Swiatek steamrolled through the first set in 26 minutes.

Comebacks have featured often in Zvonareva’s career. She has battled her way back inside the Top 100 after an injury-blighted career and also happy absences in which she married, gave birth to her daughter Evelina and gained a masters degree in international economic relations from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

She came into Wimbledon having secured two impressive wins in Eastbourne qualifying, suffering disappointment in having to retire against Darya Kasatkina in the first main draw match. On the lawns here, she played solidly to beat the Czech Marie Bouzkova in straight sets, her first win at Wimbledon since 2014.

But in this first meeting between these two offspring of elite athletes, it was Swiatek, the daughter of an Olympic rower, who put clear water between herself and Zvonareva, whose mother was an Olympic bronze medallist in field hockey.

So Swiatek cruises into the third round of Wimbledon for the first time. To have played and beaten Zvonareva could be a good omen.

In recent Grand Slam appearances, Zvonareva has always fallen to the eventual champion. At Wimbledon in 2018, she battled through three rounds of Qualifying only to meet eventual champion Angelique Kerber. In her previous main draw appearance at a major, in Melbourne in 2015, she lost to Serena Williams.

wimbledon.com

Roger Federer survives into Wimbledon 2nd round courtesy of retirement

Roger Federer survived a scare on Tuesday at the start of his quest for a ninth title at The Championships, Wimbledon.

The Swiss superstar fought back against Adrian Mannarino, before the Frenchman retired at the start of the fifth set, unable to put any weight on his right leg following a slip behind the baseline.

Federer was level with Mannarino, who was celebrating his 33rd birthday, at 6-4, 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-2 after two hours and 44 minutes of play on Centre Court.

At 2-4 in the fourth set, with Federer serving at 0/15, Mannarino slipped when split-stepping behind the baseline and the Frenchman subsequently required on-court treatment for a right knee complaint. Mannarino attempted to play on, but at the start of the fifth set called time on his seventh ATP Head2Head meeting against Federer.

"It’s awful," said Federer, in an on-court interview. "It shows that one shot can change the outcome of a match, a season, a career. I wish him all the best and I hope he recovers quickly so we see him back on the courts. He could have won the match at the end. Obviously he was the better player, so I definitely got a bit lucky.

"You don’t get many walkovers throughout a career and you try also not to have it happen to yourself. It’s a reminder how quickly it goes. But of course, I’m obviously happy I can get another chance for another match here. I worked very hard and at the end I enjoyed myself out here today. It was great fun until the end, obviously."

Federer, who improved to a 102-13 match record at the All England Club, will next challenge France's Richard Gasquet.

Federer ran through the first set by winning 22 of 26 service points, completing the 39-minute opener with a backhand winner. But the unorthodox nature of Mannarino’s game meant that he never let the Swiss settle into his match rhythm.

Four straight forehand errors from Federer handed Mannarino a 6/1 lead in the second set tie-break, and soon the World No. 41 came within two points of a 3-0 lead in the third set. Federer, with just eight matches under his belt this year coming into The Championships, did well to respond, but in the sixth game the 39-year-old's serve was broken to love.

While Mannarino sealed a two-sets-to-one lead with a forehand volley winner, once Federer saved a break point in the opening game of the fourth set he turned into a different player. By hitting his spots on serve, Federer won 11 of the next 12 points for 3-0 advantage.

"I tried to cut down the length of points a little bit," said Federer. "I thought he found a nice groove from the baseline. He’s famous with that shovel backhand. He creates a lot of problems for so many players and he did the same again today on the grass against me. That’s why I tried to maybe cut down on the length of points a little bit.

"It worked well, and once I got the break, obviously, I was able to maybe loosen up a little bit up and then everything ended. At the end, it was a very up and down match overall I thought. We were both… trying to figure out who could enjoy the baseline a little bit more than the other. But I felt like I had to adjust my game more than he had to, and that was credit to him of course."

atptour.com

Well it wasn't pretty, but he gets to live another day. Hopefully he can wipe the slate clean and play much better in his next match.

He's not going to get very far though if he has to fight as much as he did today. Hopefully the next one will be a straight set affair.

Iga Swiatek gets 2nd grass win moves to 2nd round of Wimbledon

A first-round game of a Grand Slam is often viewed as a “settler”, a match that has to be won in any fashion in order to prime a player for a deep run in a tournament.

For No.7 seed Iga Swiatek, overcoming the challenge posed by the ever tricky Su-Wei Hsieh on the Wimbledon grass will be a ginormous dose of confidence to take her into the second round of The Championships.

Swiatek’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over the queen of the disguised shot from Chinese Taipei – her first win in the main draw at Wimbledon – was not just a delight to watch, but a signal of intent, as she deployed her enthralling power game to counter all that the wily Hsieh threw at her.


“Hsieh has great touch, so my main goal was not to let her use that,” Swiatek said, no doubt aware that her opponent’s best run at Wimbledon three years ago included the defeat of top seed Simona Halep.


Coming into the match, the 20-year-old Pole, who made her top 10 debut last month, was philosophical about her need to gain experience on the grass, describing the prospect of playing the two-time Wimbledon doubles champion as “hard”.


“If my game’s going to be there and if I'm going to be in a good rhythm, if I'm going to approach the ball and not be late to many of the shots, I think I can do it. We’ll see. It’s going to be tricky,” she said.


That was quite a lot of ifs to overcome, which with a businesslike pace she set out to do by sticking to her aggressive, all-court game, crouching to retrieve every low ball, racing to pick up every pesky drop shot.

With a break of serve in the opening game, she managed to counter Hsieh's impressive armoury to capitalise on that early advantage and take the first set 6-4.

Despite her inexperience on grass – this was only the ninth professional level match on the surface in her career, including Qualifying - Swiatek looked perfectly at home. Having lost in her first senior appearance in 2019, she has clearly studied how other clay court specialists such as Halep have learnt to master the grass game.

“I am so inexperienced on grass, I am always asking the coaches, is this grass different?” she said, describing the unsettling change in conditions from sunny Eastbourne to chilly Wimbledon. She makes it sound like she’s taking baby steps, but so far she seems to have impressively preserved the momentum that took her to a maiden Grand Slam victory at Roland-Garros in 2020.


There is no doubting her desire to thrive in this tournament. The audacity of Hsieh earning a break-back point in the fourth game of the first set seemed to inspire her to become more dictatorial with her serve; she only lost a further two points on serve in the opener.

In the second set, the Pole got the early break again, only to concede her own serve. Back on level terms, the intriguing match-up of styles brought stunning responses from both players.

The sun came out over the All England Club as if to highlight exchanges of wonderful tennis. The pivotal moment came when Swiatek broke again in the fifth game of the second set, and consolidated the lead with Hsieh slamming an overhead into the net.


From then on, it was not so much “if” as "when" Swiatek would celebrate her passage through to the next round.

“It’s amazing to win, and very emotional as the last match I played on this court was winning the Juniors in 2018, and I had so many good memories,” she said.

wimbledon.com

What a great win for Iga. She may not have a lot of experience on grass, but she's definitely a fast learner. 

Hsieh is a tricky tricky player who is capable of taking out anyone especially early on, so the fact that Iga handled it the way she did in only her 2nd main draw Wimbledon appearance is a fantastic step forward. 

I don't even remember who she's playing next, but I'm already looking forward to it. Jazda Iga!