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Indoors or outdoors, no matter the conditions, returning Hubert Hurkacz’s serve remains one of the biggest challenges in the grass-court game.

Novak Djokovic nonetheless found a way to blunt the Pole’s booming delivery and seal fourth-round victory on Monday at Wimbledon, where Hurkacz sent down 33 aces but was unable to deny the seven-time champion in a match that began on Sunday evening in London.

“[It was] kind of two different matches: last night and today,” said Djokovic, who had led Hurkacz by two sets to love overnight before wrapping a 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 win. “Completely different conditions. Playing under the was roof more humid, more slippery. Obviously, no wind. A bit easier for the rhythm for the serve. At the same time, it was a bit slower from the back of the court.

“Today, completely different. Very, very windy. Difficult to get the rhythm and tempo on the toss. It didn't seem to affect him much.

“I thought maybe that could be my chance to start reading his serve a bit better. That wasn't the case. He was serving incredibly well. I don't recall being so helpless on the return games, to be honest. I knew that he's a big server and he's a fantastic player on the grass particularly, but I didn't expect him to serve this well and this accurately. Credit to him.”

Argentines Facundo Diaz Acosta and Mariano Navone continued standout seasons on the ATP Challenger Tour this week. The lefty Diaz Acosta won his third Challenger trophy of the season by triumphing at the Aspria Tennis Cup in Italy while Navone extended his winning streak to 10 when he was crowned champion at the AAT Challenger Santa Fe on home soil.

Top seed Diaz Acosta defeated Italian Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3 after fending off all seven break points faced in the Challenger 75 final. The 22-year-old dictated with his serve and forehand to tally his 30th Challenger-match win this season. Following his triumph in Milan, Diaz Acosta is in position to crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time next Monday.

“Really important milestone. Anyone who starts playing tennis would like to reach this goal to make a living from this sport,” Diaz Acosta said. “Now my job will be to maintain this level and take care of the things to improve.

“I knew I was playing for Top 100, so I was very tense. I tried to focus on tactics, on how to play and not think about external factors.”

Challenger Match Wins Leaders (2023)

Christopher Eubanks’ red-hot run on the grass shows little sign of abating at Wimbledon.

The American held his nerve to upset fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Monday and reach his maiden major quarter-final at SW19. Eubanks, who lifted his first ATP Tour title in Mallorca prior to Wimbledon, prevailed against the Greek in a serve-dominated encounter defined by short, sharp rallies to seal his ninth consecutive tour-level win.

“I feel like I'm living a dream right now. This is absolutely insane,” said an elated Eubanks in his on-court interview. “When you paint all of the context… I’ve tried so much to just block everything out and focus on the next match, as cliché as it sounds, but [reaching my first major quarter-final] is surreal. I can’t believe it.”

What it’s all about ?@chris_eubanks96 defeats No.5 seed Tsitsipas 3-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to advance into the quarter-finals! @Wimbledon | #Wimbeldon

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The key to Eubanks’ victory on No. 2 Court was his ability to be clinical with his chances on return. He did not carve out a single break point in the first three sets, but after Tsitsipas double faulted to gift him the decisive break in the ninth game of the fourth set, the American twice powered clean backhand down-the-line winners to convert break points in the decider as he wrapped a famous three-hour, four-minute triumph.

Novak Djokovic needed a second day and plenty of hard work to finish the job, but the second seed advanced to the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday.

After winning the first two sets on Sunday evening, the seven-time champion returned to Centre Court 16 hours later and dropped the third set before sealing a 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 victory over Hubert Hurkacz.

Across two days of action, Hurkacz’s serve stymied Djokovic, widely considered one of the best returners in history. The 17th seed did not lose serve in the match — or the tournament — until 3-3 in the fourth set. But Djokovic eventually broke through to move on after three hours and six minutes.

[ATP APP]

The match could have been a lot more stressful than a four-set triumph for the 23-time major winner, who has now won 32 consecutive tour-level matches on grass. Djokovic saved three set points in the first-set tie-break and rallied from a late mini-break down in the second-set tie-break.

Daniil Medvedev reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the first time on Monday when Czech Jiri Lehecka was forced to retire at the end of the second set of the pair's fourth-round clash due to injury.

The third seed, who is making his fifth appearance at The Championships, led the Lehecka 6-4, 6-2 on Court 1 when the 21-year-old retired. With his 80-minute win, Medvedev earned a Tour-leading 45th victory of the season.

“I honestly did not know until he retired," Medvedev said. "I mean, I saw that his movement was a little bit restricted, but the way he struck the ball, I thought it was not going to cause him [too much] trouble. But when he retired, I was like, ‘OK, I see it’s different’. Unfortunately during a match, you don’t have any other choice than to fight for every point, because of how many times it happened, even with me, that you think you are injured and then you win one game, one break, and get back into the match. You think, ‘OK, maybe I should continue playing’, and then you win the match.

"You have to fight until the last point, and of course I feel sorry for Jiri because in the fourth round of Wimbledon, to get hurt, is not easy. Hopefully he can recover fast and of course he has a lot more Grand Slams to come ahead of him.“

[ATP APP]

Novak Djokovic is on the verge of reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals, but will need to return to the court Monday to complete the job against 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz.

Djokovic has been unable the crack the service game of Hurkacz, who has still not lost serve in the tournament. However, the second seed rallied from down a late mini-break in each of the two tie-breaks, saving three set points in the first set for a 7-6(6), 7-6(6) lead.

Tournament referee Gerry Armstrong suspended play after the end of the second set, at 10:35 p.m. local time, given it was very unlikely the match would be played to a conclusion before the 11 p.m. curfew.

[Suspense builds up...]@DjokerNole and @HubertHurkacz will come back tomorrow ?@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/MxAHr3s4kr

Hurkacz delivered a jaw-dropping display with his first serve throughout the first two sets, hitting 23 aces and winning 81 per cent of his first-serve points. Every time he was in any trouble, the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals competitor delivered a booming serve of more than 130mph.

Simplicity is working wonders for Grigor Dimitrov at Wimbledon this year.

The 32-year-old Bulgarian is adhering to a back-to-basics game plan devised by coaches Dani Vallverdu and Jamie Delgado. And he’s following the same daily routine at his team's rented house in Wimbledon Village. That combination has kept Dimitrov focussed and calm amid the match scheduling chaos of week one brought on by frequent rain.

Here’s a typical day at the Dimitrov digs: Wake up at 7:30/8:00. Head to breakfast. Arrive at the club by 9:30/10:00. Practise. Play the match, head home to watch some of the other matches on TV.

“We go down to the cinema room, put the tennis on the big screen and everybody's relaxing,” says Vallverdu. “Luckily this week we have a chef at home, so dinner is on the table at 7:30. Around 9:30 everyone’s in their own room. Every day looks the same. We’re trying to keep things as quiet and consistent as possible.”

[ATP APP]

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus’ grass-court resurgence continued Sunday at Wimbledon, where the 13th-seeded pair rallied to a 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-3 second-round triumph against Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler.

The British-Kiwi duo arrived at Wimbledon with an 0-2 record on grass this year but battled to a second consecutive three-set triumph at SW19 by saving both break points they faced against Erler and Miedler. Murray and Venus, who have lifted three ATP 250 titles together since first teaming at the start of 2023, will take on fourth seeds Hugo Nys/Jan Zielinski or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina/Adrian Mannarino next in London.

[BREAK POINT]

Their fellow seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos also advanced to the last 16. The Spanish-Argentine duo, which reached the Wimbledon championship match in 2021, ended the run of French #NextGenATP stars Arthur Fils and Luca Van Assche.

Fils and Van Assche had earlier completed a 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 first-round win against Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas, in a match that had been suspended due to bad light on Friday evening at the All England Club. They were unable to overcome the experience of Granollers and Zeballos upon returning to court, however, as the 15th seeds prevailed 7-6(1), 6-7(6), 6-4.

“We’re seeing the 2021 Matteo here at Wimbledon — confident and with huge desire.”

Ramón Punzano, a member of Matteo Berrettini’s team, is delighted to see that the Italian is feeling competitive again on a tennis court, after a return to the second week of a major.

Berrettini has his smile back and, as you would expect, so does his team. In London they have found a harmony that they have been lacking for too long for a player of his calibre.

“It happens in many cases and you don’t know when – or often how – things will pan out,” the Spanish physio Punzano explained of his charge’s renewed form. “We’re coming off the back of a few months that were difficult to manage, looking for solutions to Matteo’s injury problems, and his mind is focussed on competing and on tennis.”

The Italian had started the season optimistically, and his results backed up his positivity, with two wins over Top 10 players in No. 3 Casper Ruud and No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz at te United Cup. However, the fitness problems came back to haunt him when he had to withdraw in Acapulco (during QF vs Rune) and at the ATP Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo (before R16 vs Rune).”

Jiri Lehecka had little time for regrets on Saturday as he battled for a fourth-round spot at Wimbledon against Tommy Paul.

The Czech was match point up in the fourth-set tie-break when he stopped play to challenge a forehand from his American opponent. Hawkeye went on to confirm the ball had clipped the line, Paul ultimately claimed the fourth set and the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting headed for a decider on No. 12 Court.

“My mind wasn't in a good state at that moment, because the way I lost that match point was a mistake from my side,” Lehecka later told ATPTour.com. “I took a challenge to Hawkeye at a moment where it wasn't necessary, and it was a big mistake... It was like an emotional crisis at that moment.”

There was a happy ending for Lehecka at SW19, however. The World No. 37 recomposed himself to complete a 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-7(9), 6-2 triumph and reach the fourth round at the grass-court major for the first time.

“I didn't really feel good [after the fourth set], I was already seeing myself winning that match,” explained the Czech. “But I knew that the only way to get through was to push myself to the limit, and to bounce back and to mentally recover in the beginning of the fifth set. That's what I did during the toilet break, and the fifth set was good set from my side.”

Andrey Rublev hit one of the best shots of the year to help close out Alexander Bublik in a five-set, fourth-round thriller on Sunday at Wimbledon.

Serving at 5-4 in the fifth set with a 30/15 lead, Rublev pushed Bublik deep into the backhand corner. The Kazakhstani responded with a laser-like backhand up the line and an accompanying roar, thinking his shot would be a clean winner.

Rublev stunned Bublik and the Centre Court crowd by hitting a diving forehand squash shot into the open court for a winner. It was a critical moment, since he took a 40/15 advantage rather than allowing Bublik within two points of breaking back.

"That is one of the great shots we've seen here in YEARS!"@AndreyRublev97, take a bow! ?#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/uEHcbcf1k8

“Probably it was the most lucky shot ever,” Rublev said in his on-court interview. “It just was luck, nothing else. I don’t think that I can do it one more time.”

Jannik Sinner overcame some testing moments to keep his Wimbledon title bid on track Sunday at the grass-court major, where the eighth seed held firm for a 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-3 fourth-round win against Daniel Elahi Galan.

The 21-year-old Sinner squandered five break points in the first set but kept his cool to claim an opening tie-break on No. 1 Court at the All England Club. He then reeled off seven games in a row from 2-4 in the second set to extinguish a promising Galan comeback, ultimately completing a two-hour, 36-minute triumph in which he won 85 per cent (41/48) of points behind his first serve.

“Obviously I’m very happy,” said Sinner in his on-court interview. “Today was a very tough day. I was not feeling so great on the court, but still I tried to fight for every ball. Knowing him, he is a very good server, and he hits the forehand very, very well. So I tried to somehow win the most important points.”

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Now into the quarter-finals for the second consecutive year, Sinner will take on Roman Safiullin next at SW19 after the World No. 92 defeated Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. The Italian, a seven-time ATP Tour titlist, will be chasing his first quarter-final win at a major in six attempts.

Andrey Rublev recovered from squandering two match points in the fourth set to fight off a valiant Alexander Bublik Sunday and reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time.

The World No. 7 was in firm control of the match after winning the opening two sets. But Bublik claimed the third and fourth sets in tie-breaks and kept the 25-year-old on the backfoot with massive serving before Rublev roared back to win 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-7(5) 6-4 after three hours and 17 minutes.

Rublev will next face the winner of seven-time champion Novak Djokovic and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.

More to follow…

Roman Safiullin became the first man to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on event debut since 2014 on Sunday when the World No. 92 moved past Denis Shapovalov at the All England Club.

Safiullin prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 against the 26th-seeded Canadian on No. 2 Court to reach the last eight of a major for the first time. The 25-year-old broke Shapovalov’s serve five times across the final three sets to wrap a two-hour, 11-minute triumph and advance to face Jannik Sinner or Daniel Elahi Galan.

Before Safiullin, the most recent player to reach the SW19 quarter-finals at the first attempt was Nick Kyrgios, who famously defeated then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the fourth round in 2014. Safiullin may not be the only player to manage the feat this year: his fellow main-draw debutant Christopher Eubanks takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round on Monday.

More to follow…

Roger Federer is making the most of his retirement. The Swiss legend has spent time with several titans of the music industry in the past week.

The 103-time tour-level champion first took to the stage in Zurich during a Coldplay concert, helping the band perform.

Federer also watched one of Elton John’s final performances in his farewell tour. ‘The Rocket Man’ is a longtime tennis fan.

“Iconic to see the man live @eltonofficial,” Federer wrote.

Iconic to see the ?man live ?@eltonofficial pic.twitter.com/L8aVud0VfG

Grigor Dimitrov maintained his solid Grand Slam form for 2023 by closing out his rain-delayed third-round match with 10th seed Frances Tiafoe at Wimbledon Sunday.

The World No. 24, who reached the semi-finals at the grass-court major in 2014, wrapped a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 triumph against the 10th-seeded Tiafoe. He outhit the American by 33 winners to 14, did not face a break point and converted five from nine of his own en route to an impressive 99-minute win.

“He’s such a dangerous player, I knew I had to be very focused,” said Dimitrov, who had led Tiafoe 6-2, 6-3, 1-2 overnight in London. “He’s a player that has a lot of flare around the court. Great serve, great return, so I was just looking after my game, to be honest. The past weeks have been amazing weeks for me, out here in England. I’m just enjoying every single day.”

Cruising around ?@GrigorDimitrov defeats Tiafoe in straight sets to advance in #Wimbledon @Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/c2QnbcgJHA

The 32-year-old arrived at The All England Club high on confidence. In his most recent three outings he reached the quarter-finals at Queen's, the fourth round at Roland Garros and the final in Geneva, where he took out Top 10 American Taylor Fritz in the semis. His next challenge at Wimbledon will be a maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash against sixth seed Holger Rune.

Can Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek continue their standout season by capturing a second major team title?

The Croatian-American pair made a winning start at Wimbledon, where they defeated Indians N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 7-6(5), 6-4 in the first round on Saturday. Second seeds Dodig and Krajicek, who won 84 per cent of their first-serve points to advance, will meet Robert Galloway and Lloyd Harris or Marcos Giron and Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.

Dodig and Krajicek have earned four titles this season, including last month at Roland Garros. They maintained their form to then win their first grass-court team title at The Queen’s Club and were finalists at the ATP 250 event in Eastbourne, where their 13-match winning streak was halted.

In other men’s doubles action, fifth seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez rallied to beat Frenchmen Gregoire Barrere and Quentin Halys 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(10-5). The French-Mexican team will next face British wild cards Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson.

Carlos Alcaraz is brimming with confidence after escaping a stern challenge from Nicolas Jarry on Saturday at Wimbledon. On Centre Court, the Spaniard battled back from a break down in the fourth set to notch a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 victory and return to the fourth round for the second straight year on the London lawns.

"This match gave me a lot of confidence today," the 20-year-old said in his post-match press conference. "I feel really comfortable on that court. I feel [I have] a lot of confidence right now."

Alcaraz assessed the level of his opponent as worthy of a place in the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Spaniard himself entered Wimbledon as World No. 1. Should he go on to meet Novak Djokovic in the final, the top spot in the men's game would be on the line.

Asked how he is handling the prospect of that potential final, Alcaraz admitted he hopes the marquee matchup comes to fruition.

"Not only tennis fans [and] sports fans want the final. Myself as well, honestly," he said, before noting the long path he faces to reach that stage. "I have three rounds ahead. I'm really focussed on the next round. It's [Matteo] Berrettini or [Alexander] Zverev. Both players have great tennis on grass."

It's go time for Matteo Berrettini!

Having played just one match in the past three months coming into Wimbledon due to a stomach injury, the Italian needed only to return to the hallowed lawns of The All England Club to rediscover his best form.

Playing Alexander Zverev on No. 1 Court in a match that began with the roof open and concluded with it closed after a brief second-set downpour, Berrettini used his weight of shot on serve and from the baseline to overwhelm Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in two hours and 27 minutes.

"It must be something special about this place. I love to play here," Berrettini said. "Last year I missed it unfortunately and I still didn't heal from that withdrawal. This tournament changed my career, my life, it's so special to be here."

Zverev had eight service holds to love (including four straight to start the second set) but couldn’t put a dent in the Berrettini serve, earning just one break point chance for the match.

It is not uncommon for Daniil Medvedev to bust out a meme-making dance following a win.  For the World No. 3, one particular dance stands out as his personal favourite, he revealed in the latest ATP Uncovered ‘Fan Questions’ series.

“That was probably my best dance move I have ever done in my life!” Medvedev said when referring to his dance at the 2019 US Open.

[ATP APP]

That was not the end of the 27-year-old taking questions about dancing. Medvedev answered what celebration he will do if he wins a second major title.

“You are going to see, it is going to be interesting!” Medvedev said, while cracking a smile.