That, then, is us. Thanks so much for your company and comments during an exhausting, affirming afternoon. Join me again tomorrow for more of the same!
WEDNESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY (CENTRE COURT, FROM 13.30 BST)
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2022
Halep vs Anisimova
Fritz vs Nadal#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100
WEDNESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY (NO.1 COURT, FROM 13.00 BST)
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2022
Tomljanovic vs Rybakina
Garin vs Kyrgios #Wimbledon
And here’s Barney Ronay on the social duty of elite sport.
Here’s Tumaini Carayol’s Norrie-Goffin report...
Updated
Of course Ons stays behind to sign every autograph and pose for every photo. I can’t see Maria getting close to her, and were she to win, she’d meet one of Anisimova, Halep, Rybakina and Tomljanovic in the final. I’m sure she’d prefer to avoid Halep and Rybakina, but ultimately she’d take that.
Updated
What a day, every match going the distance, every winner coming from behind, and so many good vibes I don’t now what to do with myself. That, I guess, is the thing about live sport: while it’s going on, nothing else matters. Did we miss anything?
Ah man, I know I’m meant to be impartial, but if you don’t love Jabeur’s enthusiasm and creativity, you don’t love tennis. She’s really happy with how she played, especially in set three, and she says it’ll be tough to play Maria, her “barbecue buddy”. She thinks other players should look at how her mate has struggled for what she’s got, smiles the world’s biggest smile, and sets off on her merry way.
Updated
Ons Jabeur [3] beats Marie Bouzkova 3-6 6-1 6-1!
What a performance from Ons, the first Arab women to reach a grand slam semi! She played beautifully after going a set down, and looks so at one, not just with her game but with herself. It’ll take something serious to stop her, and she meets Maria next.
Updated
Norrie’s never been past the third round in a major, but I don’t think this’ll be the last time we see him go deep. The way he grew in the final set was impressive, and the more big matches he plays and wins, the better he’ll get.
Norrie is struggling to speak, shaking his head. He thanks his team, family and friends, and his eyeballs are sweating, lips a-quiver; it must be contagious because I’m finding my own situation disintegrating. Asked about the help he got from the crowd, he again can’t find words, saying that he couldn’t feel the ball or find his game at the start, but the encouragement he got helped him stay patient, then at the end he just tried to put the ball in the court. He’s having flashbacks of all the hard work and pre-seasons he’s undertaken – it feels pretty good, he reckons – and is sure the crowd will get behind him against Djokovic.
Back on Centre, Jabeur now leads Bouzkova 4-0 in the decider.
Cameron Norrie [9] beats David Goffin 3-6 7-5 2-6 6-3 7-5!
Oh man, Goffin looks very very poorly as well he might, but what a show of vertebrae from Cameron Norrie! Let’s be real, he choked today, but in the deepest recesses of his soul he found the moxie to rebound, and now he faced Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon semi-final! He is so, so happy! Imagine feeling his feelings!
Updated
Goffin goes long! Advantage Norrie!
Two massive forehands from Norrie look to have set up the point, but his approach is a little soft and Goffin unleashes a forehand pass down the line! Deuce, and this is so so nervy.
Nozza serves an ace! 40-30 and, improbably, match point!
Huge serve, but Norrie nets his forehand clean-up down the line! 30-all!
Norrie gets under a forehand that Goffin drops onto the baseline and wafts long. 30-15.
Updated
Goffin nets again, and he can feel this slipping away. He’ll not sleep for a month if he loses this. 30-0!
Jabeur rushes through a hold to love, to lead 3-0 in the decider.
Goffin nets a backhand: 15-0!
Bouzkova tries a drop, Jabeur flicks a better one, and converts advantage for a break from 0-40 down ... while a barrage of cleverly-directed groundstrokes do likewise for Norrie! Jabeur leads 2-0 and Norrie will now serve for the match at 6-5! What a comeback this is, a triumph, even if he loses, of will more than of skill. He’s not played well, but he did enough to stay in it, and now look!
And he does so superbly, an ace giving him 40-0, before he holds to 15 while, on Centre, Bouzkova – 0-1 down in the third – slips during a rat-a-tat-tat net exchange, gets up, winds up at the back, and wins the point for 40-0. But Jabeur takes the next two then Bouzkova goes long, and here we go – on No1, Norrie runs down a drop, volleys, and Goffin goes wide, giving him 0-30!
Goffin’s level has been pretty consistent throughout this match and he’s playing nicely now, holding to love for 5-4. The variant has been Norrie’s performance – he’s found his best stuff of the match in the later stages, but still isn’t that close to his maximum, and will now serve to stay in the match.
Bouzkova returns and Norrie holds to 30, sealing the deal with an overhead that sends No1 Court into a frenzy. 4-4 it is, and I’ve not a clue who’s going to win this.
Goffin played a four-and-a-half hour match just two days ago, but you’d never know it the way he’s tearing about the court like Speedy Gonzalez. The final point of his most recent hold is an absolute brute, but he dictates the play while zooming from baseline to net and back again, earning his 4-3 lead. On Centre, meanwhile, Bouzkova has been away for the last five minutes, leaving Jabeur hanging about prior to the start of the final set.
This has been such an afternoon, every match going the distance. I can’t lie, the standard of player left in both men’s and women’s isn’t the highest it’s ever been, but the drama and endeavour have been right up there.
Norrie, meanwhile, levels the decider at 3-3, the holds coming easily for him now.
Jabeur races to 0-40 and three set points, and when Bouzkova wafts a forehand long, the match is level! Bouzkova has work to do to reverse this momentum. Bouzkova 6-3 1-6 Jabeur
At 15-all, Goffin lets go a weak backhand that catches the net-cord and drops wide. In the context, this is a chance, but a tame forehand gives 30-all, a framed return game point, and a forehand followed by an overhead sees Goffin to 3-2. Meantime, on Centre, Jabeur is playing beautifully now, 5-1 in front having lost the first set.
Lovely from Nozza to haul himself level in the set, directing Goffin around the court before disbursing a drop that seals his 2-2. That left hand is working nicely now, the various spins keeping Goffin guessing.
Well nothing because I was watching in the garden, so can agree that for the first time today, Norrie is playing like himself. He still trails 2-1 in the decider, but we’re on serve, while Jabeur leads Bouzkova 4-1 in the second set, having lost the first.
Hello again. What did I miss?
And with that I’m out of here. Welcome back Daniel.
Goffin v Norrie really could go either way. This time it’s the Briton under pressure, Goffin forcing a break point with a venomous return. Norrie hustles from the back of the court to stay alive and Goffin hits the net. Two points later Norrie is on the floor after sliding across the baseline in desperate defence. A crosscourt backhand howitzer from Norrie followed by a Goffin error levels the match at 1-1 in the fifth.
The rallies are long and so are many of the games on No 1 Court. Goffin holds to 30 this time after Norrie fails with a drop shot and it’s first blood to the Belgian.
Updated
Ons Jabeur is fighting back. The No 3 seed has stiffened her resolve after losing the first set and taken a 2-0 lead in the second.
Updated
Cameron Norrie levels the match at two sets all. He stands tall on serve after the break and sees out the set 6-3 with a piledriver down the middle. The Briton has all the momentum now, but we thought that at the beginning of the third and he fell apart for a bit. Game on!
Updated
Norrie has another break point but again Goffin shows his steel. It looks like he’s won the game but Norrie challenges successfully following an ace. Three more game points go by for Goffin. Norrie simply refuses to lie down and forces a break point. Goffin hits a forehand into the net and Norrie has a 5-3 lead in the fourth set.
Bouzkova serves out to take the first set 6-3 against Jabeur. Another potential shock is on the cards in the wide open women’s draw.
Bouzkova is ranked 66 in the world and had never gone beyond the second round at a slam before this tournament but she is making Jabeur fight hard today. The Tunisian has to rally from 0-30 to hold serve and stay in touch at 4-3 down. She has a break point in the next game but Bouzkova will not be bullied and holds for 5-3. The Czech is one game away from taking the first set against the favourite in the women’s draw.
Norrie has a break point at 30-40 but Goffin holds firm with some punishing groundstrokes under pressure to win three straight points and the game. It’s 3-3 in the fourth but Norrie is being pushed round the court.
Thanks Daniel, Goffin has just held serve for 2-2 in the fourth set but it was a bit of a struggle. And over on Centre Court Bouzkova has broken Jabeur’s serve to go 3-2 up in the opener. Things are getting interesting.
Updated
Righto, I’m going to give myself a pep talk in the toilet mirror; here’s Rob Bleaney to croon you through the next little bit.
Goffin still has the edge in the rallies, and when Norrie dumps an overhead, makes 15-30. A backhand down the line changes the flow of the next rally too, but instead of hitting long, he tries a drop that hits the net, which leaves us at 30-all. That’s all the rope Norrie needs to unfurl a pair of monumental inside-out forehands, giving him the next two points and a 2-1 lead in set four. He’s playing a bit now.
Commentating on the Jabeur match, Jo Konta - who recalls being tied in her web at Eastbourne once – says that with players who’ve so many weapons, sometimes they don’t know which to use and also think they can win matches on talent alone. That, she posits, might be why it’s taken Ons so long to reach the upper echelons, and she now leads Bouzkova 2-1.
Another unforced error from Norrie – he’s made 34 today, versus 19 for Goffin – gives his opponent a sniff at 30-all. But he hangs on for 1-0, and again the crowd try to rouse him.
Bouzkova has to battle through deuce for her first hold, but she gets there in the end ; 1-1.
Norrie does a Djokovic, taking a bog-break to try and change the narrative.
Goffin serves out easily to take the third set 6-2, and he’s one away! But more than that, he’s playing well, whereas Norrie is playing like a drain. If he can find something close to his best tennis, he can win this, but that looks unlikely and he’s running out of time.
Jabeur and Bouzkova are away, the latter choosing to receive and the former holding for 1-0.
Is it a bird? 🐦 Is it a plane? ✈️ No, it's Novak Djokovic! 😂
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 5, 2022
The defending champion was literally flying on Centre Court! #BBCTennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/nb1v4FIufD
Gosh, look at Goffin! He breaks for a third time in the set and now leads 5-2!
A big forehand from Norrie – the kind of forehand that’s forsaken him – makes 30-all, but two from Goffin, whose equivalent has been the dominant shot in the match, give him game point. So Norrie, playing with greater abandon now, finds a luscious backhand slice drop – that’s his best shot of the match – then after raising a break point, coaxes a backhand winner down the line! He now trails 2-4 in the third, and slowly, is inching his way towards something approaching form.
Here come Jabeur and Bouzkova...
Goffin consolidates his double break, again with ease, and the look on Norrie’s coupon is of a haunted man who sees the biggest match of his life slipping away. Perhaps, though, he’ll loosen up a bit, and really attacks his next service game, holding to love. He’s on the board in set three, but really he’s warming up for set four. Goffin 6-3 5-7 4-1 Norrie
Oh dear. Goffin consolidates, then races to 0-40, depositing a poor approach down the line for 3-0. He now has the double break, and already it seems that Norrie will need five sets to get out of this - but the way he’s playing, that looks extremely unlikely. His forehand isn’t firing and he’s giving away so many cheap points.
Oh, Cameron! The match levelled, he immediately drops serve, and still hasn’t found anything like his best form.
Next on Centre: Ons Jabeur [3] v Marie Bouzkova
“The inner fight is always the biggest fight,” says Djokovic, who notes that he has the same struggles in that regard as everyone else. If you sort it, though, everything else falls into place, and he’s not sure what engendered it – maybe the toilet visit – and feels “happiness, love, fulfilment”, adding a crowd-pleasing nod to Wimbledon as the best tournament in the world, which inspired him to pick up a racket aged five. He is human and he’s desperate to be loved, as Morrissey almost sang.
Djokovic congratulates Sinner, who he says played really well for two sets. But he went to the toilet, gave himself a pep talk in the mirror, regathered his thoughts, reassembled everything that he has, but let me interrupt him because back on No1, Norrie has broken Goffin to take the second set 7-5, levelling the match in the process!
Sinner, though, will be back – you can see so many areas in which he can improve, and he’s already pretty handy.
Novak Djokovic [1] beats Jannik Sinner [10] 5-7 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-2!
That is a sensational win for Djokovic, very much like many other sensational wins he’s delivered before. Sinner was superb for two sets and it looked like we were witnessing an epochal shift, but of course we weren’t because Djokovic is, well, Djokovic. Without finding his best form he somehow found himself, doing enough to win his 26th Wimbledon match in a row and meets Norrie or Goffin in the last four. Good luck with that, old mates.
Updated
Norrie and Goffin are now at 5-5 in set two, and you sense that whoever takes this set takes the match.
A poor drop from Sinner invites Djokovic to the net, but the lob he flips is exceptional, earning him 0-15. He’ll be ganting on the double break here, and a forehand to the backhand corner is too good; 0-30. Not, then a bad time for Sinner to rediscover his forehand cross-court, clobbering one for a winner that makes 30-all ... but OH MY COMPLETE AND UTTER ABSOLUTE DAYS! Djokovic chases along the baseline, takes a colossal gallop to reach the ball, on the splits and on the slide, sending a backhand winner cross-court to raise break point and lying as he finishes, face down, as the crowd can barely believe what they’ve seen. It’s straight up one of the best shots I’ve seen, and you can understand when Sinner tamely surrenders the next point for the insurance break. Djokovic leads 5-2, and will now serve for the match.
Sinner’s struggling to put Djokovic under on serve, another love hold taking him two games away at 4-2. I guess that’s the thing with the best versus the rest: the ability not just to sustain excellence, but to locate adequacy.
Goffin slings down a double, and at 4-4 we’re back on serve in set two! Could that be a turning point?
Updated
Goffin slaps a forehand wide and now Norrie has two break points, while on Centre, successive love holds mean Djokovic leads 3-2 in the decider, with a break.
Again, poor play gives Goffin 0-40, and this time he needs just one go at forging in front; he leads 6-3 4-3, and this is slipping away from Norrie. He badly needs to get his forehand going, because this match - and this opportunity - is racing away from him at speed.
Back on Centre, Sinner charges in only to net, giving Djokovic 15-40. A hooked pass from the corner looks like it’s doing to drop in – I think Sinner leaves it – but it falls out, only for Sinner to then fade a sliced backhand drop into the net! That could well be the crucial blow, and Djokovic now leads 2-1 in the fifth. The way he’s rejuvenated in this match would be unbelievable had we not seen it an unbelievable number of times before, and he’s ahead in the match for the first time since he led 4-3 in set one, almost three hours ago..
Updated
I actually wonder if a quarter v Goffin was so appealing that Norrie wasn’t switched on at the start of this match. You can excuse him, I guess – his first major quarter, against an opponent he’d expect to beat – but Goffin is so canny, and so experienced in making better players look silly.
“This may have been mentioned,” emails Mike Adams, “but is it too early to christen Norrie Knoll?”
I think it has been, but he’s got work to do if it’s to be populated beyond today. It’s just not happening for him so far, but three break points down, he rallies well ... only for Goffin to outmanoeuvre him in a 20-shot rally on advantage. Norrie, though, perseveres and eventually sits down 3-2 in front, but trailing by one set to love. Can winning that ruckus get him going?
Trailing 0-15, Sinner opens body and shoulders to demolish an inside-out forehand into the corner for 15-all. But at 40-30, he ramps up the pressure on himself by dumping a backhand down the line, and he really cannot afford to lose this game. Which he doesn’t! Sinner leads 1-0 in the final set, which Goffin and Norrie are 2-2. Norrie’s doing his best to get the crowd involved - listening to his interviews, it sounds like he doesn’t feel properly accepted by them yet having not grown up in the UK, but they’re behind him – he just needs to find some form.
It really, really is.
Norrie’s trying his best to get something going, fighting through deuce for a hold in the first game of set two, then putting Goffin under pressure for his before holding again, this time to love, for 2-1.
Not quite yet! A pair of service winners secure set four for Djokovic, and we’ve got ourselves a decider! Djokovic 5-7 2-6 6-3 6-2 Sinner
Updated
Ach! Sent by Djokovic to hither and yon, Sinner can’t reach another drop-volley, slipping as he tries to get under its second bounce and flying arse over baseball hat. Djokovic comes around the net to help him, and he looks like he’ll be OK; we’re soon away again, Djokovic netting a backhand on set point before netting a forehand on deuce. Is the pendulum swinging towards youth once more?
Updated
Better from Norrie, a huge forehand giving him 30-all on serve and getting both him and the crowd going. But back to Centre, consecutive errors from Djokovic mean 5-2 30-0 is now 5-2 30-all, and though Sinner may not save the set as a consequence, he’s building confidence for an assault on the decider. But have a look! Djokovic sends yet another dodgy drop into the net for 30-40...
Updated
Back on Centre, Sinner is on the board in set four, trailing 1-5, and as I type that an ace means Djokovic will have to serve for the set at 5-2.
Norrie holds, forcing Goffin to serve out, and bellows with exertion when his backhand forces an error for 0-15. But he then loops a forehand wide and is soon facing two set points, swiping a forehand wide to hand Goffin a 6-3 first set. Norrie has a lot of work to do because Goffin isn’t even playing that well, 54% of first serves in and 83% of second-serve points won.
Updated
Goffin has settled much quicker than Norrie and consolidates to love for 5-2. Norrie’s returning, especially of second serves, isn’t up to its usual standard, while his forehand, which I thought might dominate proceedings, needs rousing.
Break point down, Norrie finds himself in the corner, but hooks a brilliant forehand cross-court for a clean winner ... no he doesn’t! The umpire calls out, Hawkeye agrees, and Goffin leads 4-2 in the first. Meantime, Djokovic extends his lead in the fourth to 4-0, and Sinner needs to find something: even if it’s too late to save this set, there’s another coming right after it, and if he can’t recapture his form of earlier, he’s going home.
“Very loyal to his team, when we see them getting rid of their coaches left, right and centre ...” tweets Mysteron_Voice. “Is that a not so subtle dig at a certain US Open Champion from Sue Barker there...”
You might think that; I couldn’t possibly comment.
Djokovic’s ability to do the necessary even when off his game is up there, not just with the greatest tennisers ever but the greatest in any sport ever. It’s not even that he’s a high bottom level, though of course he does, more than his ability to find a way to win is unparalleled. His calmness on the big points is born of certainty, and we’re seeing that here– 2-0 up, he raises an insurance break point that Sinner saves, then another, and this time Sinner’s forehand cross-court can’t save him, the ball flying wide – by a bit – and by the looks of things, we’re going to get a decider. Djokovic 5-7 2-6 6-3 3-0 Sinner
Goffin is a phenomenal athlete with ludicrous work ethic, but he’s also 31, and the extent of his match against Tiafoe, not just a five-setter but along five-setter, cannot be ignored. Norrie, meanwhile, has got a lot better than anyone really expected because, explains Calvin Betton, “He moves well, absolutely loves competing, serves pretty good. He’s also lefty and has two really unique ground strokes. His FH is this slow loopy thing that he usually goes cross court on that means you’re always hitting a high BH with no pace off it, and his BH is like a weird drive underspin thing. No one else plays like that really. So it’s hard to get a handle on it.” Anyhow, we’re 2-2 in set one, the pattern of the match not yet set.
The early stages of this fourth set will be crucial - if Djokovic breaks early, you can see the match running away from Sinner ... and two double faults followed by a long forehand give him the chance. But Sinner finds yet another nails forehand cross-court only to err again, then a backhand drops long and suddenly, the devastatingly new has changed into the hilariously familiar.
Norrie and Goffin are away; Norrie is in his first major quarter, while Goffin has never made a semi.
Updated
Three set points down, Sinner performs an unbelievable get, charging to the net to flick a drop cross-court for a clean and incredible winner. But Djokovic serves out and that’s the third set! Sinner leads 7-5 6-2 3-6, but Djokovic lost just four points on serve there, and made just three unforced errors.
Excellent from Sinner, hammering down a serve to make Djokovic serve out for the set at 5-3.
Updated
...but Sinner saves both, the second by hanging on a long rally – not something you often see against Djokovic.
Goffin and Norrie are knocking up on No1 while, on Centre, Djokovic has two set points at 5-2 15-40...
Updated
But let’s go back to Tatjana Maria for a moment, because the enormity of her achievement requires quite some digesting. She’s been playing tennis for 17 years, had reached round three of a slam once, in 2015, while taking two breaks to have kids, the second not much more than a year ago ... and now she’s in the last four at Wimbledon. In its way, it’s every bit as wondrously inspirational as Emma Raducanu winning a major at 18.
Updated
Djokovic has found himself and Sinner’s level has dropped slightly; it’s now 4-2 in set three, and the holds are coming more easily.
Back on Centre, Djokovic has broken Sinner for 3-1 in set four, noising up the crowd as he holds again for 4-1. This is intensifying.
A first Grand Slam semi at 34! Imagine that!
Next on No1: David Goffin v Cameron Norrie [9]
“I have goosebumps everywhere,” says Maria, her face illuminated by smiles. She doesn’t know what to say but tries to enjoy every moment, then Rishi Persad asks her about her two young daughters – she gave birth just a year ago – but somehow she avoids convulsing into tears, laughing instead, putting hands over face. My eyeballs are sweating for her, all the more so when she talks about her friendship with Ons, her potential semi opponent, talking about how much she loves her kids, waves to the crowd, and takes her leave. That was so uplifting I might need to weight my ankles.
Tatjana Maria beats Jule Niemeier 4-6 6-2 7-5!
What a match that was, and what a moment for Tatjana Maria! Decades of slog, of struggle, all for this, and doesn’t she enjoy it! She looked likely to lose after set one, she looked certain to lose when 4-2 down in set three, but here she is in the last four - where she’ll meet Jabeur or Bouzkova. I cannot wait to see that, but I also can’t wait to hear her interview, and here it is!
Updated
Sinner holds for 1-1 in set three, while on No1, Niemeier finds herself under a nasty overhead ... that she hammers into the corner for 15-all. Maria, though, wins the next point which takes her two from victory, and when Niemeier guides a slice approach long, she has two match points!
Back on No1, it’s 5-5, and charging to the net at 15-30, Niemeier looks ready to raise a break point only to flip her pick-up long. We wind up at deuce, then Maria nets a backhand slice and is this the match right here? She drops her racket in frustrastion, then prepares to play the biggest point of her life ... and a nervous backhand from Niemeier, also playing the biggest point of her life, is enough. Then, the point of the match, the pair exchanging lobs before, with Maria at the net and Niemeier at the back, the latter can’t find the pass, playing safe if we’re being real, then a deft volley has her hurtling in, diving, chucking her racket ... and unable to get the ball back. Maria quickly closes out, and now leads 6-5 in the third. What a contest this is!
Djokovic has rebounded from 0-2 down six times in his Wimbledon career and we’ve seen him turn matches around so many times – whereas we’ve never seen sinner win one of this magnitude – but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look as befuddled as this against any player not in the big four. He holds in the first game of set three; every journey starts with a small step.
Djokovic, of course, takes a break. He’s got a lot to think about in the little room, and not a lot of time in which to do it.
Djokovic makes 0-30, but Sinner’s first serve is a boss and it helps him make 40-30; another, out wide to the backhand, can’t be returned, and JANNIK SINNER LEADS NOVAK DJOKOVIC 7-5 6-2! The crowd are right behind him, partly because Djokovic is not their favourite, but also, you hope, because they know they’re seeing a seizing of power, like when Federer beat Sampras in 2001, that we could be talking about decades from now!
Updated
Maria rushes through a hold to 15 and now leads 5-4; Niemeier will have a sit-down then serve to stay in the championships. Good luck, old mate.
Back on No1, meanwhile, Maria has broken Niemeier back! This is an absolute jazzer of a contest, not as high a standard as we might expect at this stage but with both players leaving their soul out there. It’s 4-4 in the decider and I’ve still not a clue who’s going to win.
A wild forehand from Djokovic gives Sinner 15-40; what on earth are we seeing here?! The inspiring beauty of disgusting youthfulness, yes, but also the numbing onset of middle age? I can’t remember the last time I saw Djokovic play as carelessly as this, but might this be a turning point? At 30-40, Sinner looks in control of the next rally, only for a net-cord to send the ball dribbling over for a winner, greeted with the usual heartfelt apology. But you know what? IT DOESN’T MATTER! Because another Djokovic error means that when Sinner plants a forehand onto the baseline that’s unreturned but called out, a challenge confirms the double-break that means Jannik Sinner, aged 20 and three-quarters, leads Novak Djokovic 7-5 5-2! This is very, very special.
A tame Sinner drop, patted into the net, gives Djokovic 0-15 at 2-3, while a fine pick-up from Maria sees Niemeier net a volley for deuce. At 30-all, though, Djokovic botches yet another drop – he’s trying to end rallies earlier than he might, perhaps because Sinner’s forehand is so hot – and seconds later it’s 7-5 4-2, while Niemeier also holds for 4-2 and is now two games away from the semis!
Meantime, has Niemeier struck a crucial blow? She gets to 30-40, Maria goes long, and there’s the break, the sixth of the match. Maria 4-6 6-2 2-3 Niemeier
Sinner consolidates, and from 1-4 has lost just two games, now leading 7-5 3-1! He’s playing even better than he did against Alcaraz, the depth and whip of his forehand dictating the points and in the process denying the changes of pace and direction that Djokovic usually deploys to such great effect. This is so affirming to watch.
At 1-2 in the decider, Niemeier finds a second ace of the match for 40-0, and might’ve rediscovered her mojo, now coming into the net and with confidence. She holds to 15 to make 2-2, and I’ve not a scooby how this is going to end.
OH I SAY! Sinner only needs one of two break points, unleashing yet another scorching forehand for 2-1 in set two! He’s dominating now, and Djokovic is in trouble!
We start with a hold apiece in each of our new sets, Niemeier finding her first ace to seal her deal. On Sinner, incidentally, he’s from the bit of Italy that’s almost Austria, and I’m told he fits the stereotype Italians have of people from that area: calm, composed and dispassionate. Those are qualities that can help a lot with elite sport in terms of handling pressure, but a bit of fire is also helpful and we’re seeing a more attitudinous body language from him today – and as I write that, he makes 15-40 on the Djokovic serve!
“Niemeier up to eleven doubles now,” tweets @Mysteron_Voice. “What’s happened to the serve-bot that demolished Heather Watson?”
Pressure has happened. It’s a lot.
Or rather, we got ourselves two ball-games! Maria breaks Niemeier for the third time in set two to force a decider! She started as though it was she feeling the pressure of her first quarter, but as she settled, her opponent became more tentative! Maria 4-6 6-2 Niemeier
Updated
...and this time, that forehand lets him down, Djokovic sticking him in the corner and inciting the kind of slip we saw from him in his first-round match against Wawrinka. But a fine drop-shot, which holds up in the wind, arranges a second set point, and this time a big serve seals the seal! Who on earth saw that at 0-2? Mates, we got ourselves a ball-game! Djokovic 5-7 Sinner
Updated
Eeesh, sport is hard. At 15-all, Sinner double faults, but that forehand cross-court is there for him again – it is such a shot, especially from the backhand corner, so flat and hard. Next, a big second serve raises set point, and here comes Sinner as the crowd go wild....
Hello! Careless behaviour from Djokovic gives Sinner 0-30, then another error makes it 15-40! AND JUST LOOK AT THAT! A pair of forehands screech and shriek towards Djokovic; he returns the first one, but the second one sets the air on fire and Sinner will now serve for set one! He is loving it out there, growing into grownarse adult before our eyes; it’s beautiful to see.
Updated
Maria is playing with so much more confidence now, really enjoying the occasion. And when Niemeier slips, she’s in perfect position to guide a forehand winner down the line that gives her 4-6 5-2, and the decider we – and this match – deserves looks a banker.
Niemeier holds to love, while Djokovic amps up the pressure as Sinner tries to stay in the set at 4-5. At 30-all, he could easily wobble, but it’s nothing that can’t be solved by a pair of gargantuan first serves, and at 5-5, we’ve got ourselves a proper contest.
“The floodlights are integrated into the roof,” advises Gary Naylor, “so you can’t have one without the other. “It’s all very hi-tech and designed to avoid shadows on the court giving a strange (and uncomfortable) combination of ambient, snowy light and humid, greenhousey heat.”
Consecutive forehands, cross-court from the backhand corner, give Sinner 0-15, and though he can’t finish a point at 30-15, eventually the weight of his strokes tells and Djokovic blazes long, wasting a pair of splendid gets. Sinner wins the next rally too – he’s absolutely assaulting the ball out there –but Djokovic muscles a forehand down the line to earn deuce and quickly closes out for 5-4. Meantime, Maria breaks Niemeier again, and though she doubles on 40-30, she eventually gets it done and leads 4-1 in the second.
Sinner and Maria both follow gifted breaks with emphatic holds, and in just 10 minutes the tenor of both matches has changed.
“Regarding the player disquiet over late finishes,” emails Gregory Phillips, “most of the objections I’ve read seem to be how closing the roof changes the playing conditions, which is fair. Why couldn’t the AELTC turn on the floodlights and leave the roof open? (I am guessing the answer has something to do with the local council.)”
I think that’s it – it’s certainly why matches have to stop at a certain time. There is something special about sport at night, though – I’ve enjoyed the altered schedule.
And have a look! Niemeier also doubles a second time, Maria goes on the attack by upping the forehand venom, and a diving get at the net secures the break-back! Maria salutes the crowd and well she might! Maria 4-6 1-1 Niemeier
A seventh double gives Maria 0-30, right as one from Djokovic hands Sinner 0-15. In the context of both matches, these are chances, and a horrible drop from our Serbian friend makes 0-30. Naturally, he responds with an ace and Niemeier unfurls a forehand/smash combo, but another poor drop from Djokovic and a lovely backhand version from Maria gives us break points in both matches. Niemeier saves the one against her with an ace, but Djokovic blunders through a further double, and we’re back on serve on Centre! Djokovic 4-3 Sinner
Trailing 1-4 but advantage up, Sinner bangs down an ace and is in the match now. He’s not making an impression on the Djokovic serve, but it’s a long day so there’s time.
Maria is in trouble. On 15-30, she finds a high-kicking ace down the middle, but soon has to save a break point. On deuce, though, Niemeier’s forehand gives her control of the rally, and though she’s then foxed by a low bounce, Maria nets her attempted backhand pass down the line. Again, she rallies for deuce, then Niemeier nets on a third advantage ... but finds a deft, close-range lob to give herself a fourth go. That was a lovely shot because there was so little room to get the ball up and down, and when she smites an inside-out backhand pass, Maria is again broken in the first game of a set. This could soon be over. Maria 4-6 0-1 Niemeier
Sinner is no the board now, holding for 1-3. But Djokovic looks in as much control as you’d expect.
Updated
Maria is managing occasional big shots, but not often enough to tax Niemeier in a serious way. On 15-all, a body-serve fashions the opportunity for a superb backhand volley put-away, taken from below the height of the net, and shortly afterwards a serve out wide is blazed wide, which means the set. Maria has a lot of work to do, because her gameplan – taking pace off – isn’t working. Going on the offensive might not either, but it’s got to be worth a try. Maria 4-6 Niemeier
Updated
Maria holds, forcing Niemeier to serve for the set at 5-4, as does Djokovic, who leads Sinner 3-0.
Immediately, Sinner finds himself three break points down – he’s yet to trouble the scorer – and he saves the first two but can’t manage a third. On which point, Calvin Betton, our resident coach, notes that “Djokovic will put Sinner in positions where he doesn’t like being. He never gives an opponent rhythm - never gives them three of the same shot in a row. Sinner likes rhythm and there’s no way he can win the match other than hitting clean winners for three sets.”
Niemeier, meanwhile, holds for 5-3 but sends down her fifth double. So far, she’s got away with it, and she might through this match, but eventually her profligacy - she also goes long on an easy forehand put-away – will cost her if she doesn’t sort it. She leads Maria 5-3.
Looking at Sinner, it really is remarkable he can generate so much power given his chicken-style legs. But he gives it a serious whack – so far, his problems have come against players good enough to withstand that; before Alcaraz, he’d not beaten anyone in the top 10 in quite some time and he doesn’t (yet?) have the tools to vary his approach when Plan A isn’t working. Djokovic holds to love, while Maria narrowly avoids going down a double break, defending well to trail 3-4.
Djokovic and Sinner are out on Centre, and watching two matches simultaneously, rather than four, feels simultaneously tame and intense. Niemeier, meanwhile, holds again, through deuce again and leads Maria 4-2.
Updated
Maria finds her own forehand, boshing a winner for 15-0 and holding to love. She’ll feel more settled now, and after wining the final point of the game she looks up at her box as if to tell them she’s good. It might be too late for this set, but the match is developing into a contest.
She’s a proper powerhouse, is Niemeier, and she’s using her booming forehand to target Maria’s suss backhand; Maria is slicing almost everything, trying to deny Niemeier the opportunity to deploy her power, and it’s not really working. A double at 40-30 does hand her deuce, but she doesn’t get a sniff in the next two points. Maria 1-3 Niemeier
Updated
On 30-all, Maria – who’s not settled at all – slices a forehand long, but responds with a heavier serve down the T, and it’s too good for Niemeier. She can’t press home her first advantage, botching a lob under pressure when Niemeier charges to the net, then an ace is followed by a double. But she eventually closes out, securing her first game for 1-2.
A nervy service game from Niemeier that includes a double, but on 40-30 her footwork gets her forehand-side of the ball and means she can go line or cross; she picks the latter, dematerialising a winner that’ll have her feeling pretty good about life. She leads 2-0.
Updated
Immediately, Niemeier raises two break points, netting on the return to lose the first before Maria tamely dumps a squash-shot. Maria 0-1 Niemeier
And play!
The players are on court knocking up. We’ll be away shortly.
Niemeier, on the other hand, is at the start of her career and has power to burn. This is only her second Wimbledon, but she eliminated Anett Kontaveit, the number two seed, and being relatively unknown makes her tricky to gameplan for.
Getting us away we’ve Maria v Niemeier. Maria has ejected three seeds – Cirstea, Sakkari and Ostapenko – and is on the run of her life. Before Wimbledon, she’d never done better than round two of a major, but seeing her now, with her family – she’s a two-time mum – you can see she’s reached equilibrium, so even though she’s 34, it’s no surprise that she’s playing so well.
Kyrgios faces charge of assaulting ex-girlfriend
The 27-year-old Australian, who reached the quarter-finals on Monday, will appear in court in Canberra next month.
Updated
Preamble
Good afternoon and welcome Wimbledon 2022. Yes, the competition started last week and we’ve been enjoying our lives more ever since, but it’s today that we hit 88mph and see what Doc Emmet Brown called “some serious expletive”.
Previously, the second Tuesday meant women’s quarter-finals, but as of this year we’re getting two along with two men’s, then the same again tomorrow – a sensible adjustment that guarantees us two large helpings of lovely tennis.
And we waste no time at all in stuffing our faces with an absolutely jaw-convulsing dish of Novak Djokovic [1] v Jannik Sinner [10], who open proceedings on Centre. The former may be the top seed, but with Rafael Nadal halfway to a grand slam, he can’t sensibly claim to be the best player in the world ... unless he can win here. And he’ll fancy himself to do just that, except Sinner is, as of Sunday, in the form of his life, taking Carlos Alcaraz apart with the might of his serving and returning. If he plays as well again, we’re looking at a potential classic.
And that’s not all! There’s no sport in the world less predictable and with more potential champions than women’s tennis, so picking which of Marie Bouzkova and Ons Jabeur [3], Tatjana Maria and Jule Niemeier will make the last four is an errand too foolish even for this blog – but all of them will know that this might just be the opportunity of their lives. On top of which, David Goffin v Cameron Norrie [9] will be a fascinating battle of spins, angles and intensity with all the potential to drag us the distance. Ooh yeah!
Play: 1pm BST on No1 Court, 1.30pm BST on Centre Court
