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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2013
Wimbledon Diary - Novak's Four-Legged Success Story; It's A Twin Thing
Wimbledon, England


Bella has found a new home thanks to Novak Djokovic.

ATPWorldTour.com takes a look at the news and talking points at Wimbledon on the second Thursday.

Novak’s Special Friend Finds Her Forever Home
Just before Wimbledon started, we brought you news that Novak Djokovic, his girlfriend Jelena Ristic and their dog Pierre had committed to helping a homeless pooch find a new forever home through UK charity Dogs Trust. After renaming the goldendoodle to Bella, Novak and Jelena sent out an appeal on Facebook and Twitter to help find her a new home.

Dogs Trust was soon inundated with offers from dog lovers hoping to rehome Bella and within just a few days she found her perfect match with a local tennis mad family, the Causers. Mum Sharon and her three children, Ryan, Adam and Daniel met Bella at the re-homing centre and will soon be taking her home.

“We are lifelong tennis fans so we were really excited to hear of Bella’s famous friend,” said Sharon Causer. “We have been told she is pretty keen on chasing a tennis ball so as a family of tennis players we will certainly be making use of her skills as a ball girl - but she may have to get used to the drop in standards compared to her previous tennis encounters!”

Harriet Cardwell, Dogs Trust Canterbury Rehoming Centre Assistant Manager, added, “We were really touched and very grateful to Novak and Jelena for all their help in finding Bella her forever home, especially during such a busy time for them. Not only did the appeal help find her a home, but it has also encouraged plenty of people to visit their local Dogs Trust rehoming centre in search of their perfect pooch.”

Murray’s QF Drama By The Numbers
The Wimbledon website analysed the numbers behind Andy Murray’s gripping five-set win over Fernando Verdasco in the quarter-finals on Wednesday:

10.4 million - The five-minute peak audience on BBC during the fifth set.

112.7 decibels - the roar of the crowd on the Hill when Murray served for the match at 6-5, equivalent to the noise of a rock concert.

9,000 - the peak of tweets per minute during Murray's win. That's over 150 per second.

196,000 - the total number of mentions for Murray over a 24 hour period, with 87 per cent positive support.

It’s A Twin Thing
Fifteen years playing professionally together. Fourteen major titles. But do twins Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan ever get sick of spending so much time together? Apparently not.

“The sibling relationship might not even hold up under this amount of travel and stress,” said Bob Bryan. “It's maybe only the twin relationship that can stand this kind of test of time. I definitely don't think just a normal partnership can hold up under this many years of ups and downs and finger pointing.

“Unless you have the confidence that your partner's not going to be looking around for someone else after a heartbreak loss. I mean, that's what we have. We have that loyalty that no matter how bad I return during a stretch, I know he's not going to be talking to [Daniel] Nestor.”

Murray Inspires Breakfast Radio Game
London radio show, Heart, has devised a new game for their listeners, inspired by Andy Murray’s tone at press conferences. Thursday’s breakfast show, presented by Jamie Theakston and former Spice Girl Emma Bunton, played listeners clips from a selection of Murray’s press conferences over the past year and asked them to guess if the Scot had won or lost. Murray’s famed dulcet tones had listeners struggling, with the first person to try only guessing correctly on one attempt – when Murray had been beaten in the 2012 Wimbledon final.

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2013
Wimbledon SF Preview: Djokovic Vs. Del Potro; Janowicz Vs. Murray
Wimbledon, England


Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro will meet on Friday for the 12th time in their careers.

There will be two intriguing matches at The Championships on Centre Court on Friday. ATPWorldTour.com previews both semi-finals.


[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [8] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)
FedEx ATP Head2Head: Djokovic leads 8-3

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is competing in his 13th straight Grand Slam championship semi-final and his fourth at Wimbledon. Juan Martin del Potro is only the second Argentinean to reach the semi-finals after David Nalbandian contested the title match in 2002 (l. to Hewitt).

Eleven months ago, del Potro beat Djokovic 7-5, 6-4 for the London 2012 Olympics bronze medal, on the lawns of the All England Club. Since then Djokovic has won four of their past five matches, but del Potro won their last clash in the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals at Indian Wells. Djokovic has won all three of their previous Grand Slam championship meetings at the 2007 US Open, 2011 Roland Garros and 2012 US Open.

Djokovic, 26, is expecting another tough match. “I lost to him for the bronze medal here,” said the World No. 1. “I have great respect for him, delPo is a greater player. He’s very tall, so he uses that serve as a powerful weapon… and he moved around the court quite well for his size. Of course, his forehand is his signature shot. Tactically, of course, I'm going to make few adjustments and analyse my opponent. It’s the semi-finals, so everything is open. We both want to win.”

The 24-year-old del Potro, who has been nursing a knee injury throughout his campaign, admitted, “I will need to be 100 per cent or 110 per cent against him. He's the [World] No. 1 and a former champion here. I remember the match during the Olympics last year, on the same surface. But this time the pressure is different. I will try to be ready and do my best. I'm confident with my serve. I'm positive.”

In their five matches so far at The Championships, Djokovic and del Potro have both struck 54 aces and won 81 per cent of their first service points. Djokovic has won 69 of his 73 service games and del Potro has won 73 of his 75 service games. Djokovic is bidding to reach his 11th major final and continue his bid to add to his 2011 crown. Del Potro won the 2009 US Open title.



[24] Jerzy Janowicz (POL) vs [2] Andy Murray (GBR)
FedEx ATP Head2Head: Tied at 1-1

World No. 2 Andy Murray has equalled Fred Perry’s record of major championship semi-final appearances in reaching his 13th. Jerzy Janowicz, currently No. 22 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, will be contesting his first semi-final at his fifth major.

The pair has met on two previous occasions. On Davis Cup duty in 2009, which Murray won, and last November, when Janowicz saved one match point in a 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-2 victory at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.

“I played him a couple of times and I [have] followed him a bit this year,” said Murray. “It will be a very tough match. He's played extremely well here, I think. He had a tough match in the [fourth] round against [Jurgen] Melzer, but apart from that he's been pretty convincing. He's a tough player. He has a big serve. He's a big guy with a lot of power. He also has pretty good touch. He likes to hit drop shots. He doesn't just whack every single shot as hard as he can.”

The 22-year-old Janowicz said, “I have to be focused on my game. He’s been a top player for many, many years. [It] definitely is not an easy match. I was able to win one match against him last year, so I hope I'm going to be able to do it one more time. I hope Andy will feel some kind of pressure.”

Janowicz leads The Championships with 94 aces, 34 more than Murray in their five matches so far. He has won 74 of his 78 service games, with 49 per cent of his serves being unreturned and saved 83 per cent of his break points. Murray has been broken seven times this year and hit 10 double faults, 16 fewer than Janowicz. Murray, 26, is bidding to reach his seventh major final (1-5).