Alone with his thoughts, alone with the knowledge that he had come so close to becoming the first man since the 1880s to win a sixth consecutive championship at the All England Club.Two points from victory, the No. Find your nearest court and learn the basics with our guide.Get the latest tennis headlines sent straight to your phone, sign-up to our newsletter and learn where to find us on online.To use comments you will need to have JavaScript enabled.such a shame Kyrgios can't just concentrate on the tennis. If he was a bit too tentative I could understand why. You cannot be serious? They have played each other 40 times, with Nadal leading the head to head 24–16. Big John just has to come forward. Plenty of others around the grounds, including John McEnroe — whose five-set loss to Borg in 1980 gets many votes — already were calling it the greatest match they’d ever seen.“I don’t know if it’s the best,” Nadal said.“Probably,” he continued. Her main goal should be to keep Azarenka on the run. Nadal is the sixth male player to be ATP No. "He was a tough opponent," Nadal, 33, told BBC Two. Nadal has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles, the second-most in history for a male player, as well as a record 35 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles, 21 ATP Tour 500 titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. No idea why that whiny, petulant brat Kyrgios has so many fans. -EDITOR’S NOTE — Tennis history is filled with wonderful rivalries, and so many are remembered because of matchups in Wimbledon finals. "Why am I waiting to serve?" he asked, before soon asking the same question in the direction of his box.And he then sealed his third game with an underarm serve, an action which had previously led to Nadal accusing him of lacking respect.As Nadal took a comfort break at the end of the first set, Kyrgios making his feelings known with an almost constant shaking of the head. I think you're thinking of football. I enjoyed my time out there.”.Last week former world number one Victoria Azarenka said there is “big inequality” in the scheduling of men’s and women’s matches at tournaments.Last month, the French Open organizers’ decision to stage the men’s semi-finals on the main Court Philippe Chatrier and move both of the women’s last-four matches to smaller venues after rain played havoc with the schedule was labeled a “disgrace” by former world number one Amelie Mauresmo while WTA boss Steve Simon said it was “unfair and inappropriate”.Twelve months ago, five-times Wimbledon champion Venus Williams contested her first-round match on Court 2.In contrast the so-called Big Four in men’s tennis -- Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray, who is only playing doubles here this year after hip surgery -- have never been scheduled to play singles matches outside of Centre and Court One since they held aloft the Challenge Cup.The last time any of the quartet had to venture on to an outside court was in 2009, when Djokovic played his fourth-round match against Dudi Sela on Court 3 -- two years before he won the first of his four titles at the All England Club.However, over the first seven days of this year’s championships, more women’s singles matches have been contested on the two main show courts (22) than men’s (20) -- albeit not always the right ones according to some disgruntled observers.Reporting by Pritha Sarkar; Editing by Ken Ferris,All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. You could also set up some targets for her to hit. With no Wimbledon this year, we looked back at 10 of the best men's finals - and you voted Rafael Nadal's epic 2008 win over Roger Federer as your favourite. He did it by breaking serve four times — twice as many times as Federer lost serve in his previous six matches combined. You can start to do this just by rolling the ball backwards and forwards to her. Ivanisevic, a three-time beaten finalist and only playing after being given a wildcard, became the first unseeded player since Boris Becker to lift the title.Twelve months after being denied by Nadal, Federer reacquainted himself with the trophy. Good thing it didn't work.Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app.Rafael Nadal allowed the tennis to do the talking against an irate Nick Kyrgios, who twice served underarm, to progress to the Wimbledon third round.Australian Kyrgios spent much of the match audibly questioning Nadal's speed of play as the world number two prevailed 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3).His constant arguing saw him handed an official warning by the chair umpire, who he later called a "disgrace".Spain's Nadal will play Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the next round. Of their 40 matches, 20 have been on hard court (14 of them in outdoor hard court and 6 on indoor hard court), 16 have been on clay, and 4 have been on grass. From 2006-11, Nadal reached the final in five consecutive appearances at Wimbledon (he missed the entire tournament in 2009 because of bad knees), winning titles in 2008 and 2010. Roger Federer changes his shirt in the break between games against Lucas Pouille.A line judge reacts after being hit by a ball,Alexander Zverev celebrates before eventually going out in the first round.Netherlands's Jean-Julien Rojer and Romania's Horia Tecau play against France's Fabrice Martin and Monaco's Hugo Nys.Andy Murray and Serena Williams celebrate their mixed doubles victory.Cori Gauff leaves court after beating Magdalena Rybarikova.An easy afternoon for the 18-time grand-slam winner began by surging into a 4-0 lead in the opening set.Such was his dominance against Sousa, who beat Britain's Dan Evans in five sets on Saturday night, that a double fault at 4-1 up was met with a gasp of horror by the Centre Court crowd.He wrapped up the opener in 29 minutes and after a break in the first game of the second set, the writing was on the wall.There was simply no way back for Sousa, who failed to force any break points during the match, and the second set was sealed when Nadal took his opponent's serve again.It was only a matter of time until he was back in the locker room and two more breaks put him on the brink, eventually seeing out victory with an ace.Nadal, into just his second quarter-final here since 2011, will play Sam Querrey or Tennys Sandgren in the last eight.Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. “That’s what we both do to each other.”.It was their sixth Grand Slam final, already more than between any other pair of men in the 40-year Open era, and there could be several to follow. If that’s not enough to make you nervous I don’t know what is.Once he had got over his early nerves, however, Clarke played well. The competitiveness was off the wall. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File),Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. In 2007, Nadal faced Federer in the Wimbledon final but was left in tears after failing to see off his nemesis on grass. Nadal lost to Federer in the 2006 Wimbledon final in four sets, and the 2007 final in five. The longer Isner stayed at the baseline as the match wore on the more likely he was to lose. Showers again caused a delay of 1 hour, 21 minutes late in the third set, then another of 30 minutes at 2-2, deuce, in the fifth set.When action resumed at 8:23 p.m., it already was tough to see, and the players traded service holds until 7-7. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.Are you sure you want to delete this comment?Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate?Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our,You can find our Community Guidelines in full,Create a commenting name to join the debate,There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts,There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts,Rafael Nadal celebrates victory over Nick Kyrgios,Why Nadal's fiery clash with Kyrgios was just what tennis needs,How Gauff can overcome barriers to become teenage Grand Slam winner,Latest from day five at Wimbledon with Murray and Williams in action,Murray wins first match back at Wimbledon in men's doubles,You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully,Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable,Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties,We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. If she’s positive and attacks, pushing Azarenka around the court, I think she can win. The South African-born, naturalised American never reached those heights again.Neither the tournament, nor the final, was straightforward for Becker. he asked the umpire.He was the first to go a break up in the second set, firing a stunning forehand winner down the line on break point, before then saving two break points, the first with a deft drop shot, to go 3-0 ahead.He pulled out another underarm serve, this time read by Nadal, but unlike the first, it was met by boos from the crowd as he extended his lead at 4-1.Kyrgios - who frequently spat on the hallowed Centre Court turf - was then broken to love by Nadal, after which he engaged in a rant at the chair umpire which ended in him being handed an official warning. Nadal is the only player to defeat Federer in 3 different Grand Slam finals (2009 Australian Open, 2005 French Open and 2008 Wimbledon), they never met in US Open. 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The stuff of legend which was so dramatic it even spawned a Hollywood film - and took 17% of your vote.Last year, we thought it couldn't get even better after an epic semi-final between Federer and Nadal. There are so many incredible matches all the fans and all the people want to watch, and players want to be a part of.“For us, the tennis court is the same size. Forget hitting with the racket, though you could get her to use a racket just to roll the ball back and forth. 2 Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 Sunday night in a 4-hour, 48-minute test of wills that was the longest men’s final in Wimbledon history — and quite possibly the greatest.“I am very happy for me,” Nadal said, “but sorry for him, because he deserved this title, too.”.Through rain, wind and descending darkness, the two greatest players of their generation swapped spectacular shots, until, against a slate sky, Nadal earned the right to fling his racket aside and collapse on his back, champion of the All England Club at last.“Is impossible to explain what I felt in that moment, no?” Nadal said after accepting the golden trophy that has belonged to Federer since 2003.The first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year, Nadal stopped Federer’s streaks of 40 victories in a row at the All England Club, and a record 65 in a row on grass, thereby stamping his supremacy in their rivalry, no matter what the rankings say.“Probably my hardest loss, by far,” Federer said. The Associated Press is republishing stories about a handful of such matches while the canceled grass-court Grand Slam tournament was supposed to be played. Nadal won 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 in 4 hours, 48 minutes. See. The following story, about their third final there, was sent July 6, 2008.WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Rafael Nadal, grass stains on his white shirt and a Spanish flag tucked under his arm, scampered through the Centre Court stands to celebrate his first Wimbledon title with hugs and handshakes.Roger Federer sat in his changeover chair, protected from the night’s chill by his custom-made cream cardigan with the gold “RF” on the chest. In the second set he was giving as good as he got and he could have won the tie-break at the end of the second set if he had been a bit bolder.Kei Nishikori, who beat Cameron Norrie in straight sets, is looking in good shape and I’ll expect him to beat Steve Johnson next and book his place in the second week.John Isner just ran out of steam when he lost in five sets to Mikhail Kukushkin. I’ll play on any court I’m scheduled on,” said the 23-year-old, whose only outing on the main 15,000 seater Centre Court stage was when she played lowly-ranked British wildcard Harriet Dart on Saturday.“Obviously scheduling is very difficult. I Pathetic childish and certainly not a role model.Kyrgios bottled both tie-breaks. At the presentation ceremony she thanked me for “helping me to recognise who has always been at my side”.Victoria Azarenka could make Simona Halep pay.Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. Federer has led the rankings for a record 231 consecutive weeks, and Nadal has been second for a record 154.Nadal defeated Federer at the French Open en route to each of his championships there, in the 2005 semifinals and the past three finals, including a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 rout last month that was Federer’s most lopsided loss in 180 career Grand Slam matches.But the Swiss star kept reminding everyone this week that he has had the upper hand on surfaces other than clay.Nadal lost to Federer in the 2006 Wimbledon final in four sets, and the 2007 final in five. This time it was McEnroe's day, lifting his first Wimbledon title by ending Borg's monopoly at the All England Club.Yet, it nearly never happened. Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked world No. I am the world No 2 and I won 18 Grand Slams,” he told an amused group of reporters at news conference as he justified his billing.“In the world of tennis today, honestly, my feeling is today I am little bit more than Ashleigh Barty, even if Ashleigh Barty is the first (ranked) player in the world and she already won in the French Open and she is playing unbelievably good.”.While the equality police were getting hot and bothered on Barty’s behalf, the Australian, who took a break from tennis to play Big Bash cricket a few years ago, flat-batted the question.“Scheduling is out of my control. The first point of the second tie-break was typical. You need to take one step at a time and I think it’s important that the coach always adopts a positive attitude. Brilliant that Kyrgios got beat again. He is so brilliant that if you let him get into a rhythm he’ll destroy you.Clarke was making his singles debut on Centre Court. The … Martina, meanwhile, told me that she was tired of hearing her mother’s voice; I told her that she needed to appreciate everything that her mother had done for her.At the end of our week together Martina went to New York, where she won the end-of-year WTA Tour Championships, beating Monica Seles in the final. Perhaps Mother Nature wanted one last chance to leave her mark, delaying Sunday’s start by 35 minutes with rain. That’s where Nadal finally broke through, as Federer’s forehand really began to break down. Must say I agree with his gripes about Nadal, the shot clock really needs introducing publicly at all tournaments so we can all see what's going on.Continue to enjoy Kyrgios going nowhere in a Grand Slam.Looks like kyrgios had decided the only way to beat Nadal was to whine and complain the whole time. It was a case of "Don't you know who I am?" He is some cool dude. Although the latter was certainly suspenseful, it featured neither the drama nor the all-around excellence of Sunday’s encounter, which ended at 9:15 p.m., when Federer pushed a forehand into the net on Nadal’s fourth match point.Federer made clear afterward he was not pleased that play continued despite the low visibility at the end.“It’s rough on me now, obviously, you know, to lose the biggest tournament in the world over maybe a bit of light,” he said.Said Nadal: “In the last game, I didn’t see nothing.”.Both players figured that if Federer had broken back to 8-8 in the fifth, play would have been suspended until Monday because of darkness.“It would have been brutal,” Federer said.Afterward, the new champion was asked if it was the greatest match he’d ever played. A forehand into the net gave Nadal his fourth break point, and a forehand long conceded the game — the first break of serve by either man since the second set.Nadal still had to serve out the match, though, and he still had to avoid the sort of nerves Federer noticed when his opponent led 5-2 in the fourth-set tiebreaker.“I played terrible there,” said Nadal, who double-faulted to 5-3.Down 6-5 in that tiebreaker, Federer erased a match point with a 127 mph service winner. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. A framed forehand looped into the stand and Federer jumped for joy.A year on from their 1980 epic, Borg and McEnroe reprised their roles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. “He just played fantastically.”.Indeed he did, earning Spain its first Wimbledon men’s title since Manolo Santana won in 1966.Nadal managed to regroup after blowing a two-set lead, managed to recover after wasting two match points in the fourth-set tiebreaker, managed to hold steady when Federer needed only two points to end the match while ahead 5-4 in the fifth.He earned his fifth Grand Slam title, but first away from the French Open, by showing fortitude on his serve, saving 12 of 13 break points. A raw and intimate look at a battle to overcome paralysis.Analysis and opinion from the BBC's tennis correspondent.How to get into tennis - it's fun, will keep you fit and caters for all levels and abilities. Nadal and Djokovic, by contrast, have never lost a final at their best Slams. "So there's a lot of things I need to improve on to get to that level that Rafa brings, Novak, Roger have been doing for so long. By Uche Amako PUBLISHED: 00:20, Thu, Jul 11, 2019 A pair of double faults from a nervy Sampras helped Rafter take the first-set tie-break before the Australian became rattled and failed to convert a 4-1 lead in the second-set tie-break. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. What might have been...If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app,Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone.Read about our approach to external linking. Roger Federer moved to within one win of a record-equalling ninth Wimbledon singles title as he beat long-time rival Rafael Nadal to set up a final against another old foe Novak Djokovic. And Nadal did it by being better from the baseline, winning 24 of 38 points that lasted 10 or more strokes, according to an unofficial AP tally.“He was rock-solid, the way we know him,” said Federer, who hit 25 aces. "Feels good up there with all that power does it?" I've never seen a single tennis player do it until Kyrgios today.If Kyrgios had focussed on his tennis, he would have been capable of maintaining a standard to beat the likes of RN, RF & ND regularly, when it counts, but he hasn't, so he can't.