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Before the first ball was struck in anger at this year’s Wimbledon, the prestigious Sunday Times Magazine described Carlos Alcaraz as ‘the saviour of tennis’. The 21-year-old got wind of the compliment after progressing to the third round at Wimbledon.

“They’re really nice compliments and I accept them,” declared the Spaniard on Wednesday after seeing off Aleksandar Vukic in three sets to book a third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Frances Tiafoe. "It feels good to hear that, but I don’t feel like the saviour of tennis. In the end, tennis is evolving.

"Of course we had an amazing era with [Roger] Federer, Rafa [Nadal] and [Novak] Djokovic. We’re still enjoying Djokovic, we can’t enjoy Roger anymore and we don’t know what Rafa still may play. We try to provide good tennis. We try to allow people to enjoy it. There are many players who are also great to watch. I enjoy myself when the people enjoy themselves, but I’m not a saviour of tennis or anything close to it.”

Defending champ in the mood ?@carlosalcaraz knocks out Vukic 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/UAe376xtTz

One thing is clear, though; the way the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz plays sets him apart. The repertoire of shots he freely deploys never fails to delight the public, including his famous drop shots.

How can a player prepare to face Novak Djokovic on Centre Court at Wimbledon?

Briton Jake Fearnley has had to answer that question since advancing to the second round on Tuesday to earn a place in the biggest match of his career. According to coach Juan Martin, who was Fearnley’s teammate for two years at Texas Christian University, it has been a team effort.

Fearnley has a big team around him, including Martin, Tennis Scotland coach Toby Smith, LTA coach Mark Hilton and TCU coaches Devin Bowen and David Roditi. The LTA physical staff and analytics team have also been among those involved in helping ready Fearnley for 24-time major champion Djokovic.

“Toby and Mark are very involved still, but even Jake agrees that it's just better for him to have only one voice. All the coaches speak together and I act almost as a filter,” Martin said. “So far, we've all agreed on everything. I just communicate to Jake whatever the team is thinking.”

Before the Nottingham ATP Challenger Tour event last month, Fearnley had never won a match at that level. Now he will step on Centre Court at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to play a man who has lifted the trophy at The Championships seven times.

A lot of the attention in tennis goes to the all-time greats like Novak Djokovic and ascendant stars including Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. But one of the most interesting stories in the sport belongs to 30-year-old American Marcos Giron.

Once a top junior in the United States and a college standout at UCLA, Giron underwent right hip surgery in December 2015 and left hip surgery in February 2016 to repair labral tears. Doctors shaved down his hip bones, which were wearing down cartilage.

More than eight years later, Giron is playing the best tennis of his career and proving that he can compete at the highest levels of the sport. The No. 46 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will try to show that again Thursday against fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the second round at Wimbledon.

“It's been an amazing journey. There are a lot of people to thank for that, but I'm really proud of the effort, the drive and the consistency that I've put in throughout the years. It's tough,” Giron told ATPTour.com. “Professional tennis is tough. You have to prove it every year. There are no handouts. Anybody can win on every given day and it's tough. It's amazing. In the end, I think I've been able to just keep improving over and over and over and keep believing in my ability.

“Of course, there are undulations to the year, it's not always just straight up, but it's kind of like the stock market I think, in a funny way. There are going to be some ups, there are going to be downs, but hopefully in the long run, you're going to be better off.”

Italian Jannik Sinner earned a statement win at Wimbledon on Wednesday when he defeated countryman and former finalist Matteo Berrettini 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(4) in an absorbing second-round clash.

Meeting for just the second time, both players ripped the ball from the baseline and looked to gain the first strike in the exchanges. There was little to separate the pair but Sinner drew backhand errors from Berrettini at key times, while he rallied from a break down in the second and fourth sets to reach the third round at Wimbledon after three hours and 45 minutes.

With his victory that came just 27 minutes before the 11 p.m. curfew, the top seed improved his perfect tour-level record against Italians to 14-0.

"First of all we are very good friends," Sinner said. "We played Davis Cup together and we practise together, so it is very very tough we had to face in the second round in such an important tournament. Today was a very high-level match. In three tie-breaks I got a little bit lucky and I take it for today."

????? ?? @janniksin@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/6BoYr1XqJ3

Second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden are up and running at Wimbledon, where they are chasing their second major title of 2024.

The Indian-Australian duo defeated Sander Arends and Robin Haase 7-5, 6-4 in Wednesday's opening round action at the All England Club. Already champions at the Australian Open and in Miami this year, Bopanna and Ebden are aiming for their fifth team title. Ebden won the 2022 Wimbledon crown alongside countryman Max Purcell.

Up next for the third team in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Race To Turin is German pair Constantin Frantzen and Hendrik Jebens, who overcame Pavel Kotov and Cristian Rodriguez 7-6(3), 7-6(3). 

In other action, a pair of Top 10 seeds suffered first-round upsets. Nicolas Barrientos and Francisco Cabral ousted 10th seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-6(4), 7-6(8) while Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten upset fifth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 6-4.

Eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz were 6-4, 6-2 winners against Luciano Darderi and Fernando Romboli. 's-Hertogenbosch champions Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, seeded 12th, won the all-American clash against Marcos Giron and Alex Michelsen 6-3, 6-2.

Maks Kasnikowski was frantically finishing last-minute homework on a Friday night in his Poznan hotel room. Just 24 hours later, the 20-year-old would be playing the biggest match of his young career.

Kasnikowski, who is taking ‘five to six’ online classes a semester at Uniwersytet WSB Merito, is used to this routine. He brings his computer with him while travelling on the ATP Challenger Tour, watching pre-recorded classes and completing assignments remotely. Speaking with ATPTour.com on a day he finished three exams, the Pole has passed some of his biggest on-court tests at the tail-end of the last two semesters.

“Usually I leave a lot of [homework] for the last moment, which is not good!” Kasnikowski said with a laugh. “I should do it more regularly.”

Kasnikowski won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in January at the Oeiras Indoor 1, where he dramatically saved six match points in the first round and later beat home favourite Gastao Elias in the final. Kasnikowski’s latest triumph at the Enea Poznan Open marked the third Polish champion in the tournament’s 29-year history, joining Jerzy Janowicz (2012) and Hubert Hurkacz (2018).

The Challenger 75 trophy is Kasnikowski’s biggest career title, made even sweeter by winning in front of a standing-room only home crowd. The common denominator of both title runs? Completing homework assignments with deadlines quickly approaching.

Tomas Machac will not soon forget his start to the 2024 edition of The Championships.

Originally scheduled to face Andy Murray on Centre Court in the first round before the former World No. 1's withdrawal, Machac rallied from 0-5 in the fifth set to defeat lucky loser David Goffin 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(10-5) on Wednesday.

“It was a really tough match today,” Machac told ATPTour.com. “I’m grateful that I can manage to win this match in the fifth, especially when I was losing 0-5. This match will forever stay in mind.”

Machac had his back against the wall for much of the match, which was contested over two days. Goffin took a 6-3, 4-2 lead before play was suspended Tuesday evening. Machac lost the first two sets and trailed by a break on three separate occasions in the third set.

But the No. 39 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who did not face a match point, rallied past the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up in three hours and 17 minutes. Both men earned nine service breaks in the match.

Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud will partner for doubles at this month’s Nordea Open, the tournament announced Wednesday.

The Spaniard is making a grand return to the Bastad ATP 250, where he has not competed since he won the 2005 title. Already on the singles entry list, Nadal and 2021 champion Ruud will join forces for the first time. The Nordea Open runs from 15-21 July.

Nadal downed the Norwegian in the 2022 Roland Garros final to collect a record-extending 14th trophy on the Parisian clay. Later that year, Nadal improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Ruud by defeating him in the round robin stage of the Nitto ATP Finals.

Nadal will play singles and doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he will partner the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.Carlos Alcaraz. A 92-time tour-level titlist, who has also won 11 doubles titles, Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon in an effort to stay on clay ahead of his final Olympics.

Ruud is competing in Wimbledon doubles this fortnight with William Blumberg.

It may have taken some hard graft, but Daniil Medvedev showed signs he is starting to warm to Centre Court on Wednesday at Wimbledon.

The fifth seed rallied from a set and a break down against Alexandre Muller on Wednesday inside the All England Club’s main arena. After saving two set points to avoid falling to a two-set deficit, Medvedev dug deep for a 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-4, 7-5 second-round triumph.

“It was a very tough, physical match,” said Medvedev. “Alex played well and some moments in the match were very tough to stay in touch with him. I was losing by one set and a break. On grass that is never easy, but I managed to stay solid, always stay in the match and try to fight. Definitely happy with the win. I should have played much better, but it’s okay. When you win, there is a next round to try to do better.”

FIGHTING BACK ?@DaniilMedwed | @DaniilMedwed | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/xrYNxq1xiO

During a light-hearted interview after his opening-round win against Aleksandar Kovacevic, Medvedev expressed his affection for No. 1 Court, where he has never lost a match. On Wednesday, he was attempting to banish the demons of his previous appearance on Centre Court, a three-set semi-final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz last year. The World No. 5 accomplished that task, but it was not straightforward.

For three hours and 21 minutes, Sebastian Korda went to battle with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round at Wimbledon. For a large period of the match, the American cut a frustrated figure. Trudging from side to side at the back of Court 16, the 20th seed could not get close to Mpetshi Perricard’s serve, which is already one of the biggest in history.

At 6’8”, the 20-year-old is the tallest man inside the Top 100 in the PIF ATP Rankings and has the physical capabilities to cause damage on serve. In his win against Korda, he saved all 11 break points he faced and fired a staggering 51 aces.

“Fifty-one? Yeah, that’s a lot…” Perricard said while cracking a laugh after being confronted with his ace count following the match. “It has been a big weapon for my game since the beginning and we have tried to add some [variety]. Not just hitting one serve, but being more consistent to find the different zones. I won the match maybe because of my serve. I will see in two days if I can do the same.”

The World No. 58 averages a first-serve speed of 135mph and has a Serve Shot Quality of 9.4 at tour-level matches this year from data collected by TennisViz. Against Korda, his average first-serve speed was 136mph, with his average second-serve speed 126mph.

Mpetshi Perricard became just the seventh man in history to hit more than 50 aces in a match. Former pros John Isner and Ivo Karlovic are also on the list.

Carlos Alcaraz extended his winning streak at Wimbledon to nine matches on Wednesday when he recovered from an early dip to record a comfortable straight-sets victory against Australian Aleksandar Vukic.

From 5-2 up in the first set, the third seed briefly lost his way to trail 5-6. However, with the pressure on, Alcaraz quickly broke back to force a tie-break and from there it was one-way traffic, with the Spaniard advancing 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-2.

"I am really happy about my performance," Alcaraz said. "I think the first set was the key. He served for the set and I broke and after I played a really good tie-break. I played a really high level in the second and third sets, so I am really happy about it."

Defending champ in the mood ?@carlosalcaraz knocks out Vukic 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/UAe376xtTz

In 2020, World No. 69 Vukic defeated a then-17-year-old Alcaraz in qualifying at Roland Garros. Nearly four years on and the task at hand was a whole lot harder for the Australian on the lawns of Wimbledon, where Alcaraz is the defending champion.

Left-handed tennis players have made significant impacts on the sport, often using their unique playing style to their advantage. Here are some of the best left-handed tennis players in history: 1. Rafael NadalAchievements: 22 Grand Slam singles titles (as of 2023), including a record 14 French Open titles.Playing Style: Known for his incredible to...

Holger Rune cut a confident figure Tuesday at Wimbledon, where he cruised through the first round of The Championships. The Danish star was in control throughout his straight-sets victory against Soonwoo Kwon and looked ready to make a push at the grass-court major.

It is not long ago that the 21-year-old suffered one of his most difficult defeats. Rune was one game from defeating Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros fourth round. Zverev found a way to win and nearly claimed the title, while Rune went home.

The 2023 Nitto ATP Finals competitor did not allow the loss to keep him down.

“I think it's important to take the learning from it. If you just avoid it 100 per cent you're kind of hiding the truth a little bit so I think it's important to learn from it, but at the same time move on because you can't stay and [not] reset for like a week,” Rune told ATPTour.com. “Then it'll just get to you and hurt you even more and do not good for you. So I think it's about taking the learning quickly and talking about it. Then just move on and improve.”

Watch ATP Origins: The Rise Of Holger Rune

The 2024 edition of The Championships are underway, with stars including defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, seven-time Wimbledon titlist Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, through to the second round on the London grass.

ATPTour.com looks at five storylines to watch over the rest of the fortnight.

1) Can Sinner Triumph & Extend No. 1 Lead? The Italian has not yet triumphed at Wimbledon, but he will be keen to add the historic trophy to his collection. Sinner, who won his first-round match against Yannick Hanfmann in four sets, reached the semi-finals last year at SW19 and carries momentum after claiming his maiden grass-court title in Halle. He will face a stern test in the second round against 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini. With Alcaraz dropping 2,000 points and Djokovic 1,200 points compared to Sinner’s 720, it is also an opportunity for the Italian to pad his World No. 1 lead.

2) Djokovic Seeks A Statement: There were questions whether Djokovic would compete at The All England Club after suffering a torn meniscus. Not only did he look sharp in his opener against Vit Kopriva, he only lost five games. The 24-time major champion has regularly displayed an ability to find his best tennis at the biggest tournaments and Wimbledon has been no different. The Serbian owns a 93-11 record at the tournament and is pursuing his record-tying eighth trophy.

? @DjokerNole @Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/IqplKyZyR3

Play has begun on Day 3 at Wimbledon after the Wednesday schedule was delayed by morning rain in London.

Once the weather cleared, six men’s singles matches began shortly after 1 p.m. local time (BST) on uncovered courts at the All England Club, including eighth seed Casper Ruud’s clash against Fabio Fognini on No. 2 Court.

Regardless of the weather, the action will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Centre Court and 1:00 p.m. on No. 1 Court due to both stadiums being fitted with a retractable roof.

The No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings Daniil Medvedev will take on Alexandre Muller in the first match on Centre Court, where top seed Jannik Sinner later meets 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini in an all-Italian blockbuster. It will be the pair’s second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting after Sinner win in straight sets in Toronto last year.

On No. 1 Court, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz faces Aleksandar Vukic in the second match of the day.

Andy Murray will play at least two matches at this year’s Wimbledon after the tournament announced on Wednesday that the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings will compete in mixed doubles. His partner will be another British Grand Slam champion, Hologic WTA Tour star Emma Raducanu.

Murray and Raducanu have accepted a wild card into the mixed doubles event, which is set to begin on Friday at the All England Club. Murray is also competing in the men’s doubles, alongside his brother Jamie Murray, after withdrawing from the singles draw due to his ongoing recovery from back surgery. The 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon champion Murray has said this year will mark his final appearance at the grass-court major.

Like Murray, Raducanu is a former US Open champion. She shot to stardom in 2021 when she charged to the title at the hard-court major as an 18-year-old qualifier. Raducanu is already through to the second round in singles at Wimbledon, where she and Murray will hope that blending two generations of British stardom can lead to a successful run in mixed doubles.

“I think the biggest advice is just how he's always taken care of his operations, how he manages his people. I haven't really spoken to him so much,” said Raducanu on Monday, when several British stars were asked about their reflections on Murray’s standout career. “I think for me it's just like watching him operate day to day, watching him be absolutely on it with everything. Even in practice now, he's so on it to the minute.

“I think me, when I was a bit younger maybe, showing up 15 minutes before practice to do a few arm curls, swing my hand around and warm up, he's there for an hour and a half doing treatment. He just sets really good examples.”

No. 2 Court on a mild Tuesday afternoon at Wimbledon was the scene for the first major shock of this year's men’s draw. On his major debut, Argentine Francisco Comesana stunned World No. 6 Andrey Rublev in four sets to earn his first tour-level win.

Immediately after his victory, the 23-year-old raised his arms aloft before he let out a beaming smile. A few hours later Comesana made his way to a small room in the Wimbledon media centre, which overlooks the grounds and the London skyline.

Sat back in his chair with a grin, Comesana switched his phone onto silent. He then placed it on the table in front, with the screen facing down to provide a brief respite from the continuous messages of congratulations that he was receiving.

“I have had lots and lots of texting coming in. My family is in Argentina now and I have spoken with them and my girlfriend, who is very excited,” Comesana told ATPTour.com. “My phone will break with all the messages I am receiving! My friends keep texting too.

"It is amazing. I just enjoyed every moment of the match. I tried to enjoy the occasion, the crowd. It was my first time playing on a court that big. I am enjoying this moment and I am enjoying playing on grass. I am very happy.”

Zhang Zhizhen, China's highest-ranked male player in history, earned his first Wimbledon main-draw victory in his third appearance on Monday. The 27-year-old reached the semi-finals in Halle and now looks to build upon his grass-court success at the All England Club, where he faces Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.

At the season's third major, ATPTour.com sat down with the No. 38 player in the PIF ATP Rankings to discuss his earliest Wimbledon memories and his ambitions for this year's edition of The Championships.

What is your first memory of watching Wimbledon?
That was Roger against Roddick, 16-14 [in the fifth set]. That’s the one. At the end, I was falling asleep because I was in China. [I was watching] in our club.

What is your first memory of playing at Wimbledon?
The first time I passed the qualies in 2021. The first time I played at Wimbledon, right away passed the qualies to the main site. In the end, since that, I’ve lost every single match. So that would be a good memory to stop! I will change that!

When you first played at Wimbledon, what were your early thoughts about the atmosphere?
I was thinking it was a little bit different. Especially qualies from the main-draw site, it’s always different. Still for me, I don’t think it’s winning a match at Wimbledon if it’s from the qualies site [in Roehampton].

The doubles draw at Wimbledon is studded with star players, from the top doubles tandems to singles standouts like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. One of the most interesting duos is three-time major finalist Casper Ruud and his longtime friend, William Blumberg.

Why is the No. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings teaming with an American who went to the University of North Carolina? Ruud and Blumberg’s story dates back to their days as juniors.

“He was the No. 1 junior in the world at a point I was No. 4. And really it started a lot when I went on a trip to Chengdu, China for the ITF Junior Masters,” Blumberg said. “We hung out a lot there. We went to a panda sanctuary and we joked around. And then as we got older, we stayed in touch a bit, but not very much.

“After college, we reconnected and hung out. We bond over the same things, we're pretty similar. We both love golf, obsess over golf and play golf. He's unbelievable at golf, and I try. So we have a lot of the same things, similar values. His girlfriend's friends with my wife now… just a nice friendship.”

Blumberg, now 26, and Ruud, 25, were also close with Miomir Kecmanovic and the memories they created together in their teens keeps them close today. Blumberg, a three-time ATP Tour doubles titlist, has partnered both and claimed a crown with Kecmanovic in 2022 at Los Cabos.

Otto Virtanen had one goal when he arrived at Wimbledon ahead of last week’s qualifying event. The Finnish player wanted to qualify for the main draw and be at his grandfather’s funeral in Helsinki Saturday.

It has been a week of highs and lows full of a wide range of emotions for the 23-year-old since then. Virtanen accomplished both goals, earning his way into the main draw of The Championships for the first time before flying home for a couple of introspective days with family to honour his grandfather.

“I felt that it gave me more power and more strength to show that I had such good memories with him,” Virtanen told ATPTour.com. “He watched all my tennis matches and my online career. And I always got a message after matches, no matter if I won or lost, and always positive. So that was quite a tough moment for me once I heard some weeks ago that he passed away. But I turned it into strength.”

It would have been very easy for Virtanen to succumb to both his opponents and the pain of losing a loved one. In the first round of qualifying against Franco Agamenone, his Italian opponent earned four match points on return at 5-4 in the third set, including three in a row from 0/40.

Virtanen persevered to win the match and then was in deep trouble again in the next round against Swiss Alexander Ritschard, who led their encounter 7-6(1), 4-1 and also had four match points against the Finn. Again, Virtanen found a way through and then won his final-round qualifying match in four sets to book his place in the main draw.