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Despite a 20-month absence from competition, Kei Nishikori has not missed a beat in his first six matches on the ATP Challenger Tour. Part of the reason why is that the Japanese star stayed connected to the sport.

“I was watching a lot of tennis actually. I thought that was a good idea to be mentally ready to play again,” Nishikori told ATPTour.com. “Also just to remind me how the top players are playing. And I can imagine playing tennis in the head.

“Twenty months was not a short time. I was just trying to be mentally fresh, not stressing too much every day.”

The 33-year-old, who this week is competing in the Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, first returned to action last month at the Palmas del Mar Challenger in Puerto Rico, where he dropped just one set en route to the title.

Nishikori quickly found a high level to be crowned champion in Palmas del Mar, where he was playing his first tournament since the 2021 BNP Paribas Open. Throughout the Challenger 75 event, the former World No. 4 produced vintage down-the-line winners and showed deft feel from all corners of the court. By the end of the week, Nishikori had his hands around the trophy.

When Thursday's Wimbledon order of play was released, one notable name was missing: World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. That is because of the rain that has wreaked havoc at SW19 early in the fortnight.

Alcaraz won his first-round match Tuesday against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy and will play another Frenchman, Alexandre Muller in the second round. If there had not been rain, the 20-year-old would have been scheduled for Thursday after one day off.

However, the rain has delayed other players in his section. None of Alcaraz's potential third-round opponents have completed their first-round match yet. 

Nicolas Jarry, the 25th seed, trails Marco Cecchinato 4-6, 4-1. Jason Kubler leads Ugo Humbert 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Both matches are scheduled second on Thursday.

It is not the only section rain has delayed. There are three first-round matches that have not begun yet: Alexander Zverev against Gijs Brouwer, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina against Arthur Fils and Botic van de Zandschulp against Zhang Zhizhen.

After losing a decisive tie-break to Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday in the Wimbledon opening round, Dominic Thiem maintained a positive outlook. Following the match, a 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6(10-8) win for the Greek, Thiem's tournament is over — but he feels his comeback to the top of the ATP Tour is just beginning.

"Obviously it was a great encounter, and to me, I'm leaving with [my] head up," the 29-year-old said in his post-match press conference. "It kind of showed me that I'm still there. The quality was very, very good. The fighting spirit was really, really good.

"This match showed me a lot of good things that I'm still here, still able to compete with the big boys of the game. Obviously it's tough, but, well, a tie-break in the fifth is like a penalty shootout. All credit to him as well, how he played in the breaker, and how he saved that break point in the fifth was just unbelievable."

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While Thiem and Tsitsipas also played a final-set tie-break in Madrid earlier this year — again won by Tsitsipas — the Austrian felt more positive about their most recent Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

"I needed that, because today also somehow felt different than in Madrid, for example, because the quality was really there today," said the Austrian, who is now knotted with Tsitipas 5-5 in their series. "How I was feeling on the court in general was just how it should be, and that what makes me happy also looking to the next weeks."

At age 36, Novak Djokovic continues to prove that age is just a number.

The Serbian extended his winning streak at Grand Slam events to 23 on Wednesday, when he produced a clean performance to defeat Australian Jordan Thompson in the second round of Wimbledon.

The victory earned Djokovic his 350th match win at the majors, becoming just the third player to reach that milestone, joining Roger Federer (369) and Serena Williams (365). The Belgrade-native is showing no signs of slowing down.

“You're only as young or as old as you feel. I feel young in my own body, in my own head, in my heart,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “My children remind me of that, the time that I spend with them. The innocence, incredible curiosity, pure love and energy that I get to experience with them is something that really strengthens that inner child in you.

“Also the fact that I'm still playing the sport that I fell in love with when I was very young. I think that is something that is very refreshing. I have to say that I'm really fortunate and blessed to have a healthy body. Still at this stage, after 20 years of professional tennis, I'm able to compete at the highest level.”

Returning Wimbledon quarter-finalist Jannik Sinner stepped up his 2023 campaign with a dominant victory against Diego Schwartzman Wednesday evening at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. After navigating a tight opening set, the Italian cruised to a 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 win, backing up an opening victory in which he lost just six games against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

"In the beginning I thought we both were a little bit tight. After, I played a little bit better and I hit quite hard, especially in the third set. It really was a good match," Sinner said after improving to 4-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against the Argentine.

Sinner has reached the quarter-finals once at each Grand Slam tournament and is seeking his first return trip to that stage this fortnight. Last year in the Wimbledon quarters, he led eventual champion Novak Djokovic two sets to love before a five-set defeat.

Wednesday's victory improved the eighth seed to 34-10 this season, his 34 tour-level victories trailing only Daniil Medvedev (42) and Carlos Alcaraz (41) in 2023.

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Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday set a blockbuster second-round Wimbledon showdown with two-time champion Andy Murray when he battled past former World No. 3 Dominic Them in a roller-coaster five-setter played over two days.

Despite trailing by a set overnight — the match was suspended due to rain Tuesday seven games into the second set — Tsitsipas played well upon the resumption Wednesday, while his opponent faltered. The Greek appeared in full control up two sets to one and a break point in the first game of the fourth set, but he was made to overcome a spirited comeback from Thiem to escape 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6 (10-8) after three hours and 55 minutes.

"It was pretty stressful, I won't lie. We were out there, I don't know how many hours... for a second I thought we were doing the repeat of Isner-Mahut," Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. "It felt forever. Obviously super glad that it went my way.

"Dominic is someone who has brought the best out of me every single time that we've had the opportunity to play each other. And it was quite frustrating at the same time. But this is tennis. I mean, we both fought hard today. We put out a show. Hope everyone enjoyed it."

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For the second straight match at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic navigated a tricky tie-break on his way to a straight-sets win at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. On Wednesday evening, the Serbian continued his bid for a fifth straight London title — and an eighth overall — with a 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-5 win against aggressive Aussie Jordan Thompson.

The victory was Djokovic's 350th match win at a Grand Slam, making him the third player to reach that milestone after Roger Federer (369) and Serena Williams (365). An eighth Wimbledon title would also match Federer for the most men's singles titles won at the event and make Djokovic the tournament's oldest men's champion in the Open Era.

The 36-year-old will require at least one more win to have a chance to leave Wimbledon as the top man in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. If he reaches the fourth round and outperforms current No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the Serbian would return to the pinnacle of the men's game. The pair is seeded to meet in the final, a mouth-watering matchup that would double as a straight shootout for World No. 1.

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Djokovic won his 30th consecutive grass-court match with a steely performance against Thompson on Centre Court. The Serbian broke serve twice in the match — once in the opening set and again in the final game — and did not face a break point despite the relentless attack of the Aussie, who won 46 of 73 net points (63 per cent).

The London rain may have forced Holger Rune to be patient in pursuit of his first main-draw win at Wimbledon, but the Dane wasted no time completing the job against George Loffhagen on Wednesday afternoon.

Having claimed the opening set in a tie-break on Tuesday before play was suspended due to rain, Rune stayed rock-solid upon resumption on No. 3 Court for a 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2 victory against the British wild card Loffhagen. The Dane fended off three break points in the opening game of the second set before raising his level for a two-hour, eight-minute first-round triumph.

“It means a lot, it’s a great feeling,” said Rune in his on-court interview. “When you enter a tournament it’s cool to come back with good memories. For sure I hope to bring better memories than last year. I’m super happy with the first round. It was not easy, I had to find my level, and I’m happy to be through.”

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With his win against the World No. 371, Rune became the first Danish man to record a Wimbledon singles match win since Kenneth Carlsen reached the third round in 2004. The 20-year-old sixth seed is competing in just his fifth professional event on grass but showed his promise on the surface two weeks ago by reaching the semi-finals at the ATP 500 at The Queen’s Club.

Life partners are turning into tennis partners at Wimbledon. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa and well as Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter are competing in the mixed doubles draw at The Championships.

Tsitsipas and Badosa recently made public their relationship and they have wasted no time getting on court together. They will play top seeds Austin Krajicek and Jessica Pegula in the first round.

De Minaur and Boulter, longtime partners, will compete alongside one another for the first time. The Australian-British team will face Australians John Peers and Storm Hunter in the first round.

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Michael Venus will again compete with Bianca Andreescu after their successful run at Roland Garros, where they advanced to the final.

Ninth seed Taylor Fritz finally booked his spot in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday when he overcame Yannick Hanfmann in a five-set thriller that began on Monday.

After coming off for bad light with Fritz leading 3-2 in the fifth set on Monday night, the American and his German opponent had to wait until Wednesday to complete their clash due to rain. Competing on Court 2, Fritz came out firing upon the restart, gaining a quick break to advance 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 after three hours and one minute.

"It is great. I am going to have to come back and play tomorrow. It rained all day yesterday and off and on today, so I really just wanted to get on court and play," Fritz said. "I am glad I can just focus on the next match."

With his 30th tour-level win of the season, Fritz avenged his defeat against Hanfmann in Rome in May. The 25-year-old, who struck 42 winners and broke the German four times, will next meet Mikael Ymer after the Swede beat Alex Molcan 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

Fritz has fond memories at Wimbledon, having advanced to the quarter-finals in 2022 when he pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets. His best result this season was a run to his fifth tour-level title in Delray Beach.

Diego Schwartzman has struggled to find his best level in 2023, arriving at Wimbledon holding an 8-16 record on the season. The Argentine found top gear in his opening match at The Championships against Miomir Kecmanovic, brushing aside the Serbian to set a second-round meeting against eighth seed Jannik Sinner.

Ahead of his clash against the Italian, ATPTour.com got to know more about the Argentine’s life off court, his craziest travel story and much more in this edition of ‘The Nomadic Life’.

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What are two essential non-tennis items you always pack for trips?
My iPad and a speaker. The past few years I had a really big speaker, but now I use a smaller one. If I can have a third item it would be mate. It is a drink from South America, I always like drinking it. It is like how the British people drink tea at 5 p.m. We drink it everyday and it is a social moment as well. We share it with people and drink it when watching a movie or in the park. It tastes somewhere between coffee and tea. It is stronger than tea and you can have different tastes.

What item did you forget to bring one time that caused you distress?
Mate, I never like forgetting it.

Daniil Medvedev countered a home-grown serve-and-volley barrage to reach the second-round Wednesday at Wimbledon, where the third seed downed #NextGenATP Briton Arthur Fery 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 at the grass-court major.

Medvedev delivered a highly professional display against Grand Slam debutant Fery, who grew up five minutes from the All England Club, on No. 1 Court. The World No. 3 showcased pinpoint returning from deep and was ultimately too consistent for the 20-year-old Fery, converting six of his 12 break points in a match that was interrupted for 30 minutes by rain at 5-5 in the first set.

“[I was] pretty nervous,” said Medvedev in his on-court interview. “I didn’t play here for two years and yesterday we didn’t get to play, so it was a little bit hectic for everyone, for the supporters and the players. Back at Court 1, where I have the most wins in my Wimbledon career, so probably my favourite court so far.

“[I was] really happy for the very nice welcome and especially against Arthur, who is from Great Britain.”

With his two-hour, 11-minute victory, Medvedev advanced to a second-round clash against Adrian Mannarino or Alexander Shevchenko. The 27-year-old is chasing his sixth tour-level title of the season this fortnight at the All England Club, where his best previous showing was a fourth-round run in 2021.

Some of the world’s best junior players enjoyed enjoyed a Tuesday treat at Wimbledon as former ATP star Nicolas Pereira and current player Kimmer Coppejans joined WTA great Billie Jean King for a special education session at the grass-court major.

The session, which was delivered by the ATP, WTA, AELTC and the ITF, was the latest in a series of in-person education opportunities for elite junior competitors on the player pathway.

Pereira was a particularly apt choice to offer advice to the group of talented youngsters from across the globe. The Venezuelan won the junior titles at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in 1988, and went on to reach his career-high of No. 74 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 1996.

The current World No. 188 Coppejans, who is competing in the Wimbledon main draw for the first time this year after coming through qualifying, discussed his experience of transitioning to the professional game from junior tennis.

Kimmer Coppejans and Billie Jean King offered advice to top junior players on Tuesday at Wimbledon. Photo: Susan Mullane/ITF.

Wimbledon tournament organisers announced the cancellation of 10 second-round matches Wednesday due to rain earlier in the day. Six men’s matches and four women’s matches will be rescheduled.

Seventh seed Andrey Rublev and 14th seed Lorenzo Musetti are among the players who will have to wait to continue their runs at The Championships.

Rublev is set to play Aslan Karatsev, against whom he lost his only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting two years ago in Dubai. Musetti will face Jaume Munar.

Hubert Hurkacz, the 17th seed, and 23rd seed Alexander Bublik, are the other seeded players who will no longer be in action Wednesday. The 10 matches cancelled are:

Andrey Rublev [7] vs Aslan Karatsev

Before stepping up his Wimbledon preparations, British No. 1 Cameron Norrie stepped in front Tatler's cameras for chic photoshoot with the fashion and lifestyle magazine. A semi-finalist last year on the London lawns, Norrie posed alongside fellow Britons Jack Draper and Katie Boulter for the publication's upcoming issue.

Billed as "the new British tennis superstars", the trio was photographed in retro styles fitting the storied tradition of their home major.

The cover story, now live on Tatler's website, begins with Alex de Minaur's shoutout to girlfriend Boulter during an on-court interview at last year's Wimbledon.

Norrie and Draper are far from the only ATP stars to grace the pages of fashion magazines in recent months. In addition to Carlos Alcaraz's February Vogue feature, both the Spaniard and Norway's Casper Ruud have appeared on the cover of L'Equipe this year.

A bumper Day 3 has been repeatedly interrupted by rain at Wimbledon, where 87 matches across the men’s and women’s singles draws are scheduled to be completed Wednesday at the grass-court major.

After light rain forced an initial delay to the day's action, play began at approximately 12:45 p.m. local time (BST) in south-west London. The showers returned just after 1 p.m., however, forcing the players to return to the locker room. Play resumed at approximately 2 p.m. on the outside courts, before play was suspended on all courts again just 15 minutes later.

A host of top ATP stars will be in action in the men's singles draw. On Court 2, ninth seed Taylor Fritz and Yannick Hanfmann will resume their first-round clash that was interrupted by rain on Monday with Fritz leading 3-2 on serve in the fifth set. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem will then complete their opening-round meeting, which began on Tuesday. Thiem leads the fifth-seeded Tsitsipas 6-3, 3-4.

Daniil Medvedev began his campaign against home wild card Arthur Fery, with the pair level at 5-5 in the opening set when the rain came. The retractable roof can be used to cover Court 1 if required for the Medvedev-Fery match to be completed, as well as for Jannik Sinner's clash against Diego Schwartzman.

On Centre Court, which is also fitted with a roof, defending champion Novak Djokovic’s second-round clash against Jordan Thompson is the final match on Wednesday’s schedule.

Kei Nishikori continued his impressive return on the ATP Challenger Tour Tuesday with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win in the first round of the Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

The former No. 4 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last month returned for his first action in 20 months. The 33-year-old has not missed a beat. Nishikori won his return event in Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico with the loss of just one set.

On Tuesday, Nishikori lost just three games, the most lopsided scoreline of his comeback. The 12-time ATP Tour titlist saved all four break points he faced and converted four of his five break chances to advance after 66 minutes. The wild card will next play former World No. 53 Denis Kudla or Tunisian Skander Mansouri.

Nishikori began his comeback without a Pepperstone ATP Ranking. With his six victories, he has returned to the Top 500 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Watch Match Replay: Kei Nishikori vs. Adam Walton

After a day in which rain wiped out most of play at Wimbledon, fans are scheduled to see plenty of action on what promises to be a manic Wednesday at The All England Club with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem all in the order of play.

Djokovic will play his second-round match Wednesday while players who did not compete Tuesday due to rain — or those whose matches were suspended Monday evening due to darkness — will be in first-round action.

Thiem took a 6-3, 3-4 lead over Tsitsipas on No. 2 Court before play was suspended due to rain. Thiem leads the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series 5-4.

See below for the Wednesday schedule at SW19.

CENTRE COURT - 1:30 p.m.
Ladies' Singles - Second Round Daria Kasatkina [11] v Jodie Burrage (GBR)

When Yannick Hanfmann steps on a tennis court, he has more than one motivation in his mind.

The 31-year-old German, who was locked in a fifth-set battle with ninth seed Taylor Fritz on Monday before rain suspended play at Wimbledon, has a plan in place for some of the money he earns as a professional tennis player. Inspired by a 2017 visit to a cheetah conservation centre in Stellenbosch, South Africa, Hanfmann aims to use his success to contribute to a cause close to his heart.

“Cheetahs were my favourite animal when I grew up and they still are,” Hanfmann told ATPTour.com last month. “I’m trying to put some money to charity every year, depending on how I play. The first few years it was the cheetahs in Stellenbosch and now it shifted to orangutans in Borneo.

“I love animals in general, but orangutans, gorillas, certain monkeys and cheetahs [are my favourites]. I see documentaries and stuff and I just can’t help but feel emotional about them. It’s something I’m passionate about.”

Facing Novak Djokovic on Centre Court at Wimbledon has become one of the biggest tests in sport in the past decade. The Serbian has not lost a match on one of tennis’ grandest stages since 2013, when Andy Murray defeated the World No. 2 in the final.

Seeking a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title and record-equalling eighth overall, it will take quite a performance to stop the 36-year-old.

Australia’s Jordan Thompson is hoping he can be the player to do so. The 29-year-old rallied from two-sets-to-love down against Brandon Nakashima in his opening match to set a first meeting against Djokovic on Wednesday.

“Playing Novak is the toughest task in tennis at the moment,” Thompson told ATPTour.com ahead of the clash. “I know you have Rafa at Roland Garros. I've played him in Paris and that was incredibly tough, but this up there. You can look at his records and his stats. It's unbelievable. He has 23 Slams. The odds are firmly in his favour.”

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