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Korda on the charge and Murray returns to Wimbledon
The return of Wimbledon for the first time since 2019 brought about many special moments in the opening week. From Andy Murray’s heroic victories to Frances Tiafoe’s seismic win, ATPTour.com looks back at five magical highlights from week one at The Championships.

Murray Magic
People were not sure what to expect from Murray when he returned to play singles at Wimbledon for the first time since 2017 on Monday. One thing the two-time Wimbledon champion has taught us over the years is to never write him off.

This was the case again as he overcame 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili and then German Oscar Otte under the roof on Centre Court. Murray rallied back from two-sets-to-one-down to defeat Otte in an emotionally-charged contest for the players and fans .

Despite his defeat to Denis Shapovalov in the third round, the former World No. 1 has shown plenty to be positive about on the lawns of Wimbledon.

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Kyrgios Return
Despite it being Nick Kyrgios’ first event since he reached the third round at the Australian Open in February, the 26-year-old showed little signs of rustiness at SW19.

The Australian recorded an impressive win over NOVENTI OPEN champion Ugo Humbert, winning 9-7 in the fifth set in the first round. Kyrgios, who also played mixed doubles with WTA star Venus Williams at the All England Club, was sadly forced to withdraw during his third round clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime due to an abdominal injury.

However, he once again produced moments of magic in the first week, exciting the crowd as he reminded everyone of his abilities on grass.

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More Korda Success
#NextGenATP star Sebastian Korda has moved into the fourth round at Wimbledon on his debut at SW19. The 20-year-old American upset 15th seed Alex de Minaur in the first round and produced a brilliant display to defeat home favourite Daniel Evans on Centre Court on Friday to set up a meeting with Karen Khachanov.

Korda was No. 383 in the FedEx ATP Rankings the last time the grass-court Grand Slam was held, but currently sits at No. 50. The American has enjoyed an incredible rise and is following in the footsteps of his sister Nelly Korda, who lifted her first major crown at the Women’s PGA Championship in Atlanta last Sunday and is the No. 1 golfer in the world.

Married Couple Has Successful Wimbledon Run
A husband and wife form a team. But that took on a whole new meaning in the first week of Wimbledon. Divij Sharan and Samantha Murray Sharan competed together in mixed doubles at a Grand Slam for the first time. They became the first married pair to play mixed doubles at The Championships since Robert Seguso and Carling Bassett-Seguso in 1991.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/divi ... iew'>Divij Sharan</a>, Samantha Murray Sharan

Sharan and Murray Sharan did not just compete, though, they also won a match. The husband-and-wife duo defeated Ariel Behar and Galina Voskoboeva in the first round. In the second round, they pushed Raven Klaasen and Darija Jurak to a third set, but the 10th seeds rallied for a 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 victory.

Fritz Comeback
Just three weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee, following his injury at Roland Garros — where the American was taken off court in a wheelchair — Taylor Fritz returned at Wimbledon. Not only was he back on court, but he enjoyed a successful run.

The 23-year-old defeated Brandon Nakashima in the first round before showing a huge amount of grit to edge out fellow American Steve Johnson in five sets in a contest lasting three hours and 47 minutes.

Fritz, who has now reached the third round at each Grand Slam, could not quite reach the second week, taking fourth seed Alexander Zverev to a fourth-set tie-break in a valiant battle on Saturday.

Djokovic, Federer also in action on Manic Monday
With three men into the Round of 16 at Wimbledon for the first time in the Open Era, the Russian tennis boom shows no signs of slowing down at the All England Club. Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov will be in action on Manic Monday making a bid for a historic first: should two or more win, multiple Russian men will reach the quarter-finals at The Championships for the first time.

All three players would have to reach uncharted territory to achieve the feat for Russia. Khachanov is the only player from the history-making troika to have been in the fourth round before (2018). The last time three Russian players made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon was in 2006, when Elena Dementieva, Anastasia Myskina and Maria Sharapova made their run.

Tennis-Point

It has already been a banner year for Russian men's tennis. Medvedev and Rublev led their country to the ATP Cup title at the start of the year, and then teammate Aslan Karatsev joined them with a dream run at the Australian Open. This is the third time in the Open Era that three Russian men have made the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam, with two of those instances coming this year (also the Australian Open).

Second seed Medvedev will enjoy a day of rest after pulling off his first comeback from two-sets-to-love down against Marin Cilic. He will take on 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz on No. 2 Court for a place in the quarter-finals. Should Medvedev advance, he could meet Roger Federer if the Swiss moves past Lorenzo Sonego in their Centre Court clash.



“Starting from [the 2019] US Open, I started to be, let's call it, maybe a ‘top player’," Medvedev reflected on Saturday. “I was in my first Grand Slam final. I [had] just won [an ATP] Masters 1000 for the first time. I came into the Top 10.

“That's when I started to really believe that I can win any tournament. I believe in it, but it's tough. I was two times in the final, playing against Novak [Djokovic at the Australian Open] and Rafa [Nadal at the US Open]. It's tough to win a Grand Slam.

“Coming here, I'm going to feel like I can make it. It can be my year, can be the next one. Maybe it's never. But I'm going to try my best.”


Fifth seed Rublev will face a familiar foe in Marton Fucsovics for their fifth clash this season. It’s the budding rivalry that the ATP Tour never knew it needed – and one that Fucscovics would rather do without, after famously telling the Russian, “I hope I don’t play you anymore this year!” after his defeat in Dubai. Sure enough, they met again a week later in Miami.

Rublev owns a 4-1 ATP Head2Head lead against Fucsovics, and has won all three of their completed matches in 2021 (Rublev received a walkover from the Hungarian in Doha). He could face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, should the Serbian advance past 17th seed Cristian Garin on Centre Court.

Khachanov will try to reach his second Grand Slam quarter-final when he plays #NextGenATP star Sebastian Korda for the first time. The American has now made the fourth round on both his Roland Garros (2020) and Wimbledon debuts.

As the Russians vie for national glory at the All England Club, all eyes will be on Federer and Djokovic’s bid to rewrite the tennis record books as they headline Centre Court on Manic Monday. Federer will play 23rd seed Lorenzo Sonego and Djokovic will battle Chilean No. 1 Garin.

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Two Canadians will also be in action on Manic Monday as 10th seed Denis Shapovalov faces eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut while 16th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime seeks an upset over fourth seed Alexander Zverev on No. 1 Court. Seventh seed Matteo Berrettini will also feature as he faces Ilya Ivashka on Court 12.

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One of the quirks of Wimbledon is that the curtain is raised away from the main stage, on the outside courts, with the Show Courts only revealing their glamourous wares more than two hours after play begins.

With up to 17 matches starting at once there is no 'first serve' as such, but a rush of them with the sound of multiple tennis balls being thwacked across the Grounds.

This year, more than 700 days after the last point was played, anticipation was greater than ever. Alas, rain meant the outside courts remained covered. The honour of playing the first point thus fell to Aryna Sabalenka, the No.2 seed, on No.1 Court.

Perhaps unnerved by the responsibility she lost the point, her reply to Monica Niculescu's return going wide. However, the Belarusian quickly recovered winning The Championships' opening game, opening set, and opening match 6-1, 6-4. She remains in contention and faces Elena Rybakina in the fourth round.


NICULESCU AND SABALENKA ENTER NO.1 COURT
The standing ovation
Scientists tend to work out of the public eye, putting in long hours in anonymous laboratories. Recognition, when it comes, is usually limited to among their peers. To be the subject of public admiration must be overwhelming. So it seemed for Dame Sarah Gilbert, one of the key scientists in the development of the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine so many of us have in our arms.

On the opening day, as part of Wimbledon’s ‘thank you’ to those who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic, Gilbert was invited to the Royal Box. Prior to Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper entering Centre Court the Master of Ceremonies began introducing the guests to the crowd. He had got no further than “today they include leaders who have developed the anti-Covid vaccines” when loud applause broke out.

By the time he added the words ‘NHS’, 30 seconds in, it was becoming a standing ovation. It was 68 seconds before the crowd could be hushed by which time Dame Sarah was looking shyly touched and slightly bemused.


A ROYAL WIMBLEDON THANK YOU
Tiafoe shocks Tsitsipas
When Frances Tiafoe was a year old, his father Constant, who had emigrated from Sierra Leone to the US, took a job as a day labourer helping to build a tennis centre in Maryland. When it was built Constant became janitor and lived in an office on site. With their mother working night shifts as a nurse Frances and his twin brother Franklin spent much of the week living there with him.

Inevitably, in the quiet times they played tennis, and in the busier times they watched. Frances, in particular, watched the coaches, then acted out their instructions. In time, some began coaching him, pro bono. By 14 he was the top-ranked player of his age in the country.

It is an unusual journey to the pro ranks and Tiafoe’s subsequent progress has not always been smooth. Now 23 he is perhaps yet to live up to that teenage ranking, but his talent and potential was on show for all to see on Day One as he downed the No.3 seed and Roland-Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.

After gathering up every towel in sight as souvenirs he explained that being on No.1 Court brought the best out of him, that perhaps he wouldn’t have played so well on the outside courts. That was maybe underlined when he lost in straight sets in the third round, to Karen Khachanov on Court 18.

Big stage players do have to earn the right to be there by winning regularly on smaller stages first. After the way he performed on Monday it is to be hoped Tiafoe can do just that.


FRANCES TIAFOE VS STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: FIRST ROUND HIGHLIGHTS
The return of Suarez Navarro
A year after being diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphona, and three months after announcing she was free of the cancer, Carla Suarez Navarro made an emotional farewell to Wimbledon on Tuesday, appropriately on Centre Court.

The 32-year-old Spaniard lost 1-6, 7-6(1), 1-6 to world No.1 Ashleigh Barty, but was already a winner just in being there.

“Wimbledon made me a really good gift,” said Suarez Navarro, who will play the Tokyo Olympics and US Open before retiring. She added: “I cannot ask for anything better than this day. [It] was amazing. I'm in love with this tournament, this court and this crowd. I think I am the most happy player in the tournament.”



ASHLEIGH BARTY VS CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO: MATCH POINT
The inspirational Fran Jones
Born with a thumb and three fingers on each hand, and a total of seven toes, the idea that Fran Jones could have a professional tennis career seemed unlikely.

But there she was on Day Two, facing Coco Gauff, at 17 three years her junior but the No.20 seed and far more experienced at this level.

The inspirational Jones, who was born with the rare genetic condition ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia, has to be light on her feet as they do not always move in conventional ways, and has a small grip and light racket. She nevertheless pushed Gauff harder than anyone else has so far, losing 5-7, 4-6.

Post-match Gauff, displaying again her own precocious maturity said: “Her story is incredible. From people telling her she couldn’t play tennis, let alone go pro, to the fact she has made it this far giving it her all is something I really respect as an athlete.

“After the match it took her a while to get to the net because I think she was really trying to savour the moment, but I told her ‘you will have plenty more moments like this, but you will be the one winning. Don’t let [losing] this match affect you.”

Gauff meets former winner Angelique Kerber in the fourth round.


FRANCESCA JONES VS COCO GAUFF: FIRST ROUND HIGHLIGHTS
Murray rolls back the years
It was almost like old times on Wednesday night as Andy Murray blew the cobwebs off the memory bank. Under the Centre Court roof, with the floodlights on, an enthralled crowd roared their hero to victory in his first Wimbledon singles season since 2017.

There were some differences though. Murray was going toe-to-toe with German qualifier Oscar Otte, not one of the Big Three. Even in his prime Murray would occasionally make life difficult for himself in matches that ought to be straightforward, but this was different. The Scot now has a metal hip and a series of injuries have limited his time on court, both playing and practising. That he is playing elite tennis at all is remarkable.

Murray, however, loves playing tennis and loves competing and those twin passions drove him to victory. The third round, however, was a match too far, the younger, fitter No.10 seed Denis Shapovalov winning in straight sets.

Murray’s Wimbledon future is unclear, but whatever he decides, Wednesday’s crowd, like so many others to have watched him at The Championships, will cherish the memory.


ANDY MURRAY SEALS SECOND ROUND VICTORY VS OSCAR OTTE
The Nick & Venus Show
The box office doubles pairing of 2019 was Andy Murray and Serena Williams. This year the hottest ticket in mixed doubles featured the elder Williams, Venus, pairing with Nick Kyrgios and they combined well to beat Austin Krajicek and Sabrina Santamaria in the opening round, ending with a warm embrace.


Jabeur the trailblazer
It is not always easy when you enter court a standard-bearer as well as a racket-carrier but Tunisia's Ons Jabeur is revelling in her role model status. This year she has become the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final (in Australia), the first to win a WTA title (in Birmingham), and now the first into the second week at Wimbledon.

That was achieved in an impressive defeat of 2017 champion Garbiñe Muguruza on Centre Court on Friday, coming from a set down to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 despite stomach inflammation.

“I hope many from the young generation are watching and I can inspire them,” she said. “Sometimes I didn’t believe in myself because I did not see many Tunisians before me. Sometimes you need someone to inspire you and show you the path."

A proud trailblazer for African as well as Arab women, the No.21 seed meets Roland-Garros champion Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.


ONS JABEUR INTERVIEW WITH THE WIMBLEDON CHANNEL

Overnight sensation Raducanu
This is a strange period for those teenagers nervously awaiting next month’s A level results. School is out but many are unsure what is next and the old standby of backpacking around Europe is off limits this year. Some have found summer jobs, some head for beach or park, some spend much of the day in bed. Emma Raducanu, however, has been practising her driving, having passed her test last year, and becoming an overnight sensation.

The 18-year-old is the youngest Briton into the last 16 since Christine Truman in 1959 having won three matches so far this Fortnight.

Born in Toronto to Romanian-Chinese parents she moved to the UK at the age of two and has grown up in Kent.

On Monday Raducanu, the world No.338, meets Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.


EMMA RADUCANU DEFEATS SORANA CIRSTEA AT WIMBLEDON


Medvedev fights back to extend stay
When Marin Cilic went two sets up against Daniil Medvedev there were plenty of sages who nodded knowingly.

The Russian may be world No.2 but he's never lived up to that billing at Wimbledon. Winning a title on the grass of Mallorca, as he did last month, is one thing, the turf of SW19 represents a challenge of a different order, especially against 6ft 6in Cilic, the 2017 finallist, also fresh from a grass court tournament success.

Medvedev, however, was determined to change the script. It took him three hours and 36 minutes, the pair trading booming shots in often lengthy rallies, but he made it. The five-set drama of the Grand Slams highlighted once again.

“It was an unbelievable match,” Medvedev said. “It was the first time I came back from two sets down to win.” Twice before at Wimbledon, he added, he had levelled from two-down but lost. This time he did not let victory slip away. Into the second week for the first time, Medvedev now meets No.14 seed Hubert Hurkacz.


MARIN CILIC VS DANIIL MEDVEDEV: THIRD ROUND HIGHLIGHTS
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A host of new faces are making their mark on the lawns of SW19 this year READ MORE
BY REEM ABULLEIL
SOCIAL
Grass is a unique surface that typically favours more experienced players, or at least ones who have grown up playing a great deal of lawn tennis.

It requires specific movements and adjustments that take time to develop, and since the grass court season is very short, many younger players have said they need a few seasons before they figure out how to perform their best on it. Some never take to it, while others quickly fall in love with it.

The best performance by a Wimbledon debutant in the Open era belongs to David Nalbandian, who was runner-up on his maiden appearance in 2002. On the ladies’ side, a trio of women made the semi-finals on their first main draw participation: Chris Evert (1972), Anna Kournikova (1997) and Alexandra Stevenson (1999).

Here’s a look at some players who have enjoyed standout debuts this year.

Sebastian Korda

KORDA: 21ST BIRTHDAY
The American celebrates his 21st birthday on Manic Monday, when he faces the Russian No.25 seed, Karen Khachanov.

A year ago, Sebastian Korda, or ‘Sebi’ - son of the 1998 Australian Open champion Petra Korda - was ranked No.224.

Up to a career high of No.50, the young talent is through to the last 16 on his Wimbledon debut and just the fourth Grand Slam main draw of his career. He also reached the fourth round on his Roland-Garros bow last autumn, and lifted his maiden ATP title on clay in Parma in May.

Korda made it to the second week with victories over No.15 seed and recent Eastbourne champion Alex de Minaur, fellow debutant Antoine Hoang, and No.22 seed Dan Evans.

I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH ANDRE AGASSI FOR PROBABLY ABOUT A YEAR NOW. HE'S JUST A SPECIAL PERSON. WE TALK BASICALLY EVERY SINGLE DAY, EVERY SINGLE MATCH ABOUT HOW I'M FEELING, WHAT I SHOULD DO
His run at SW19 comes as no surprise considering his strong form on grass – he beat Roberto Bautista Agut and Kei Nishikori en route to the Halle quarter-finals – and the fact he’s been receiving advice from both his father – a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in 1998 – and eight-time major winner Andre Agassi.

“I've been talking with Andre for probably about a year now,” said Korda. “He's just a special person. We talk basically every single day, every single match about how I'm feeling, what I should do. But the most important thing he told me (before my third round with Evans) was just to enjoy it. It's your first time on Centre Court at Wimbledon, just enjoy it, embrace it, have a lot of fun.”

Emma Raducanu

RADUCANU: WINNING SMILE
Ranked No.338, Emma Raducanu isn’t just making her Wimbledon debut, she is playing in the main draw at a Grand Slam for the first time. The 18-year-old British wild card has knocked out Vitalia Diatchenko, 2019 Roland-Garros finalist Marketa Vondrousova and Sorana Cirstea without dropping a set.

IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE WHEN I WAS PACKING TO COME INTO THE BUBBLE, MY PARENTS WERE LIKE, 'AREN'T YOU PACKING TOO MANY SETS OF MATCH KIT?'
Her run is so unexpected, that even her own parents didn’t predict she would staying this long. “It's funny because when I was packing to come into the bubble, my parents were like, 'Aren't you packing too many sets of match kit?' I think I'm gonna have to do some laundry tonight but I think they have a laundry service at the hotel, so I'm all good guys,” she told the No.1 Court crowd on Saturday.

Raducanu is the youngest British woman in the Open era to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon, where she will face Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.

Liudmila Samsonova

SAMSONOVA: 10 WINS IN A ROW
Two weeks ago, Liudmila Samsonova was ranked outside the top 100 and was a qualifier at the grass court tournament in Berlin. The 22-year-old Russian, who spent most of her life in Italy, swept to seven victories in a row there to lift her maiden WTA trophy and earn a wild card into the Wimbledon main draw.

Appearing at The Championships for the first time, Samsonova extended her winning streak to 10 with successes over Kaia Kanepi, No.22 seed Jessica Pegula and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens. She faces former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Ilya Ivashka
Anyone following the Belarusian Ilya Ivashka closely would not be surprised that he is through to the fourth round on his Wimbledon debut. Now ranked a career-high No.69, Ivashka reached the quarter-finals as a qualifier on the grass at Eastbourne and had a tight defeat against Roger Federer in Halle the week before.

On clay, he qualified and made the semi-finals in Munich after knocking out Alexander Zverev, and took a set off Rafael Nadal in Barcelona. With wins over Jaume Munar, Jeremy Chardy and Jordan Thompson, Ivashka is through to the second week at Wimbledon and faces Italian No.7 seed Matteo Berrettini.

Barbora Krejcikova

KREJCIKOVA: DOUBLES CHAMPION
The reigning Roland-Garros singles and doubles champion had never featured in the singles main draw at Wimbledon before. Barbora Krejcikova was doubles champion at the All England Club in 2018 but her singles form only seriously picked up in the past nine months.

Krejcikova was so nervous doing pre-tournament press in the main interview room at Wimbledon, her voice was practically shaking. She played down her chances, given her inexperience on grass in singles, but has surprised herself with how well she has done.

“I think the fighting spirit is something that changed in Paris. I really want to build up on it. I really want to improve this,” the Czech No.14 seed said after overcoming Anastasija Sevastova in three sets. Next up is No.1 seed Ashleigh Barty.

Elena Rybakina
The Kazakhstani big-server is making her debut as the No.18 seed. Fresh from a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final run in Paris, where she ousted Serena Williams, Elena Rybakina has yet to drop a set in victories over Kristina Mladenovic, Claire Liu and Shelby Rogers. Her reward is a fourth round meeting with Belarusian No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka.

Click here to join myWimbledon for a range of exclusive benefits, including access to tickets and the ability to personalise your digital experience with us.

Following along from home this year?

You can still experience the classic Wimbledon atmosphere on the Virtual Hill, presented by our Official Partner American Express.

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