Tennis

LONDON: Novak Djokovic saved two match points to clinch a fifth Wimbledon title and 16th major on Sunday, shattering Roger Federer´s bid to become the oldest Grand Slam champion in the longest final ever played at the tournament. Despite being outplayed by the 37-year-old Swiss for large parts of the knife-edge encounter, the world number one triumphed 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, ...

LONDON: Simona Halep is the last woman standing between Serena Williams and achieving her long-held ambition of equalling Margaret Court’s Grand Slam title record after both recorded easy victories in their Wimbledon semi-finals on Thursday. Seven-time champion Williams made short work of plucky unseeded Czech Barbora Strycova, whose experience of her first ever Grand Slams singles semi-final in her 53rd ...

Rafael Nadal may not end up winning a third Wimbledon singles title but he will take joy from having beaten his ‘bete noire’ Nick Kyrgios in an engrossing but bad-tempered grudge match on Thursday. The 33-year-old Spaniard came through in four sets 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3) which saw fiery but talented Australian Kyrgios receive a warning for unsportsmanlike ...

Defending champion Novak Djokovic went level with Boris Becker’s mark of 12 appearances in the Wimbledon fourth round on Friday despite a mid-match blip. The world number one and four-time winner defeated Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-4. He will next face either Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime who, at 18, is the youngest man in the draw, or Ugo ...

Eight-time champion Roger Federer eased into the third round of Wimbledon on Thursday, beating British wild card Jay Clarke 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 to equal American legend Jimmy Connors’s record of 17 appearances in the last 32. The 37-year-old Swiss great’s rival Rafael Nadal was locked in an engrossing tussle with the fiery but talented Australian Nick Kyrgios. On the ...

Former champion Maria Sharapova was knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round on Tuesday, raising more questions about her future in the sport. The 2004 champion retired with a right arm injury in the final set of her tie with Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier who claimed a 4-6, 7-6 (7/), 5-0 win. Sharapova, now ranked at 80 in the world, ...

Cori Gauff, at 15 the youngest ever qualifier for the Wimbledon singles, pulled off a major shock on Monday beating five-time champion Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 in their first round clash. The teenage American — who was not even born when Williams had won her first two Wimbledon singles titles — showed not an ounce of fear on Court One ...

Defending champion Novak Djokovic got his campaign for a fifth Wimbledon title off to a winning start on Monday with newly-hired coaching team recruit, and 2001 winner, Goran Ivanisevic helping steer the ship. Djokovic, chasing a fifth title at the All England Club, saw off 35-year-old Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 7-5, 6-3. But he had to recover from early ...

Roger Federer will head to Wimbledon in high spirits after waltzing past Belgium’s David Goffin in straight sets to win a record-extending 10th title at the ATP event in Halle on Sunday. Roger Federer, 37, beat Goffin 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 to secure his 102nd career singles title and remain unbeaten on grass so far this season. “It’s unbelievable. I never ...

Ashleigh Barty became only the second Australian woman to top the world rankings when she won the Birmingham WTA title on Sunday, beating Julia Goerges 6-3, 7-5. The 23-year-old French Open champion emulates Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who held it for a fortnight in 1976. Ashleigh Barty displaces Japan’s Naomi Osaka as women’s world number one. Barty showed little sign of ...