Day 4

:00:26. > :00:37.This year's Aegon international at Eastbourne perfectly reflects the

:00:38. > :00:42.current ebb and flow of the women's tour, lots of big names out with the

:00:43. > :00:48.wash, and as we reach the semifinal stage, two established figures and

:00:49. > :00:50.two of the new order, one of whom is taking British tennis to a new high

:00:51. > :01:05.water mark. Very secure from Watson! Wonderful

:01:06. > :01:13.return. Oh, that is fantastic! A wonderful performance by Madison

:01:14. > :01:19.Keys. Watson at best. Well played! A wonderful, wonderful performance

:01:20. > :01:32.from Heather Watson. Wozniacki, how good is that?! Oh,

:01:33. > :01:41.that is brilliant by Kerber! That will do it. That was mighty

:01:42. > :01:45.impressive. We had a brief storm last night as a

:01:46. > :01:49.prayer lead to events in Brazil, but we are back to blue skies and the

:01:50. > :01:55.unseasonably warm water of Sussex by the sea. -- a prayer viewed. Heather

:01:56. > :02:03.Watson is going to play her first WTA Tour semifinal for two years,

:02:04. > :02:09.the first Brit in the semifinals here 432 years, when she plays

:02:10. > :02:12.Madison Keys this afternoon. -- for 32 years. We are going to a

:02:13. > :02:18.fantastic match between Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki, which

:02:19. > :02:21.is one set all at the moment. This time next week we will be at

:02:22. > :02:26.Wimbledon, and the long-range forecast for the fortnight is very

:02:27. > :03:04.encouraging, and the draw was made a couple of hours ago.

:03:05. > :03:08.players have got. Sam Murray, no relation, as Maria Sharapova in the

:03:09. > :03:13.first round of the ladies' singles. Live now to Centre Court, a

:03:14. > :03:18.fantastic match, high-quality hitting, talking about ebb and flow.

:03:19. > :03:22.This is going one way, then the other, this is Kerber against

:03:23. > :03:23.Wozniacki in the third set decider in the company of Annabel Croft and

:03:24. > :03:36.Chris Bradnam. CHRIS: It has been an hour and 50

:03:37. > :03:39.minutes of an enthralling battle, their eighth meeting, their last

:03:40. > :03:42.meeting was in a semifinal in Tokyo their eighth meeting, their last

:03:43. > :03:47.meeting was in a semifinal in last year. Wozniacki won in Indian Wells

:03:48. > :03:54.just before that last year, in the semifinals, 7-5 in the third. They

:03:55. > :04:01.have had tight matches each time. Just a quick summary of what we have

:04:02. > :04:04.seen: Wozniacki held three break points in the opening game of the

:04:05. > :04:10.match and then got a break in the fourth to lead 3-1. It went with

:04:11. > :04:16.serve, and Wozniacki won the first set 6-3 in 40 minutes. Immediately a

:04:17. > :04:22.break in the second to lead to-0. set 6-3 in 40 minutes. Immediately a

:04:23. > :04:31.She was broken back in the fourth game to level it at 2-2. Kerber then

:04:32. > :04:38.saved a break point to lead 3-2 in the second set, that was pretty key

:04:39. > :04:49.again. She had a set point at 5-4, Wozniacki serving to stay back in

:04:50. > :04:51.the game, but she won three points in the tie-break. Here we are in the

:04:52. > :05:03.first game of the final set, 40-30. It has been a terrific match, but we

:05:04. > :05:13.feel that Kerber has the match on her racquet. Yes, she is slightly

:05:14. > :05:15.more aggressive and has the ability to flatten out her groundstrokes and

:05:16. > :05:18.create winners from any position on the court, and as we kept saying,

:05:19. > :05:21.she is more dangerous on the run, tracking down balls slightly out of

:05:22. > :05:25.position. She flicks the wrist and comes up with a winner.

:05:26. > :05:41.Kerber was parading herself after this point here, saying, why did you

:05:42. > :05:45.go back crosscourt into Wozniacki's strong side? She should have gone

:05:46. > :06:17.down the line with that forehand. A lot of close calls, particularly

:06:18. > :06:23.on that baseline at Wozniacki's end. Pretty angry yesterday in the

:06:24. > :06:30.quarterfinal against Georgi about the lack of calls at times. Is that

:06:31. > :06:32.the most angry you have been on court? A little twinkle, she said,

:06:33. > :06:52.no. Well done, well handled in the son.

:06:53. > :06:57.-- sun. Yeah, they are never easy, dependent on how high the lob is,

:06:58. > :07:00.but she slightly let it drop and is slightly hunched up with her

:07:01. > :07:17.shoulders when she died that one into play. -- guided.

:07:18. > :07:24.Well played! That has been the pattern.

:07:25. > :07:30.The brick wall that is Wozniacki, a player who makes you doubt yourself,

:07:31. > :07:34.against the woman trying to break through the wall. She is doing it

:07:35. > :08:02.more and more of late. The first match this year on Centre

:08:03. > :08:11.Court for Kerber, she has been first up on Court One each round, Monday,

:08:12. > :08:40.Wednesday Thursday, Taliban risque -- Riske and Cornet.

:08:41. > :08:54.Well, it is just lethal, this forehand, isn't it? There is

:08:55. > :08:58.something about playing left-handers on a grass court where they can

:08:59. > :09:02.flatten the back ball. It is difficult to read which way she is

:09:03. > :09:03.going, she is a deceptively good player, acceleration through the

:09:04. > :09:46.ball. Wow! Ruling point for both women.

:09:47. > :09:50.We've seen so many like that. -- gruelling. It is developing its own

:09:51. > :09:55.pattern, this match, and so often it is her getting Wozniacki on the end

:09:56. > :10:00.of a piece of string and running her ragged at the back of the court.

:10:01. > :10:03.Obviously, she is pushing her further and further behind the

:10:04. > :10:30.baseline. Difficult to impose your game when you are too far back.

:10:31. > :10:39.Kerber, one from ten on break points in the match. Wozniacki, two from

:10:40. > :10:43.nine. So many opportunities, that has added to the tug-of-war affect.

:10:44. > :11:03.-- effect. So quick, Wozniacki, chases

:11:04. > :11:16.everything down. Well, she has just done so much

:11:17. > :11:20.running out here, two hours and one minute, and she has done most of the

:11:21. > :11:27.running, and now whatever is doing to her as well is not just the side

:11:28. > :12:04.to side across the baseline. -- what Kerber is doing.

:12:05. > :12:17.Yeah, they are both taking time now between points. This is gruelling,

:12:18. > :12:18.just over an hour longer for Wozniacki to the semifinals,

:12:19. > :12:56.compared to Kerber. And got it! She breaks Wozniacki for

:12:57. > :13:36.a second time in the match. And in front for the first time in

:13:37. > :13:40.the match. Yes, it seems to have taken her a long time to really

:13:41. > :13:45.break the back of this match, but now she seems very firmly in control

:13:46. > :13:49.of it, to be honest, and the pattern of play has fallen more towards her

:13:50. > :13:55.momentum, hasn't it? Very closely contested second set there. As you

:13:56. > :13:58.can see, we talk about the first serve percentage of Caroline

:13:59. > :14:02.Wozniacki, extremely high for the last three matches, only one double

:14:03. > :14:08.fault, and the difference in winners, a lot more for Kerber, but

:14:09. > :14:12.many more unforced errors. She snuck that set right at the final hurdle,

:14:13. > :14:26.and here she is in a commanding position now.

:14:27. > :14:34.And we have talked a lot about Kerber's second serve. Initially in

:14:35. > :14:38.the match, she was one in three behind it, but she has got it up to

:14:39. > :14:47.60% newly, and that has made a huge difference. -- nearly.

:14:48. > :14:53.In terms of the returned points won behind the second serve of

:14:54. > :14:58.Wozniacki, but on her own second serve, she is still one in three. It

:14:59. > :15:18.is still an issue. And there is another. And to us in

:15:19. > :15:27.the commentary box, And there is another. And to us in

:15:28. > :15:31.commentating on Kerber for years, she says she is looking to be more

:15:32. > :15:35.aggressive and do more with the second serve, but it is difficult to

:15:36. > :15:39.see any change. It does not look as if it is a vastly improved second

:15:40. > :15:44.serve in terms of where she puts it in the box, because sometimes it

:15:45. > :15:50.seems to be inviting the hit, not much pace on it.

:15:51. > :15:58.That is the first really loose air we have seen from Wozniacki for

:15:59. > :16:02.quite some time. Yes, Wozniacki stretching the legs out. Kerber

:16:03. > :16:28.could run all day and all night. isn't she? She is definitely much

:16:29. > :16:33.more comfortable off the backhand side, and you can see, it comes up

:16:34. > :16:36.the back, it sits there, it doesn't travel through the court, which

:16:37. > :16:40.doesn't take time away from the opponent.

:16:41. > :16:50.It is really a shot that cannot hurt Kerber out here, the forehand, can

:16:51. > :16:55.it? It is more effective down the line, when she flattens it out,

:16:56. > :17:01.Wozniacki. But Kerber played a lot to the backhand in the early part of

:17:02. > :17:06.this match. She has switched it more, that's for sure.

:17:07. > :17:12.Like that! The second serve predominantly was all going to the

:17:13. > :17:22.backhand. A few worries in the Wozniacki camp.

:17:23. > :17:40.Yes, I'm not sure he can look anymore.

:17:41. > :18:18.Well, she needs to boss it more, Wozniacki.

:18:19. > :18:21.The umpire just getting the scores wrong there, she corrected herself.

:18:22. > :18:37.Caroline looking up to make sure it is her advantage.

:18:38. > :18:44.Yeah, it was, predominantly back to the backhand on the break point.

:18:45. > :18:50.That is what perplexed us at the start of the match. Well, it is

:18:51. > :18:59.sometimes strange, isn't it? When you watch tennis matches from the

:19:00. > :19:02.sidelines, armchair tennis is easy to play, but the players who beat

:19:03. > :19:07.Wozniacki always say they broke down the forehand side and that is the

:19:08. > :19:11.weaker side. Then you watch other players and think, why don't you go

:19:12. > :19:12.there the majority of the time? That is the side that will give you more

:19:13. > :19:32.opportunity to attack. She is so good at dealing with

:19:33. > :19:35.stressful situations, Caroline, she takes it all on the chin. On and off

:19:36. > :20:16.the court. That's true. Well, only two double faults coming

:20:17. > :20:20.into the semifinals for Wozniacki, and that is her fourth in this

:20:21. > :20:44.match. The second of the set already. ?

:20:45. > :20:54.You definitely cannot look! It is becoming more and more painful for

:20:55. > :21:09.him. He plays every shot, doesn't he?

:21:10. > :21:18.Not out by much. We have seen a few angles in the match, not many, a

:21:19. > :21:45.couple of drop shots from Kerber. I think she feels the call was

:21:46. > :21:52.influenced by Kerber looking at him, because it was a very late call.

:21:53. > :21:57.Well... I think it was right. Fiona Edwards, the British umpire, thought

:21:58. > :22:02.it was long too. I think it is just because it was delayed, and after

:22:03. > :22:11.Kerber looked at the line judge, he then made the call. The break point.

:22:12. > :23:04.So good when she looks to play in that vein.

:23:05. > :23:10.I think so too, and it never ceases to amaze me, she is very brave as a

:23:11. > :23:14.tennis player, always looking to improve her game. It never stops are

:23:15. > :23:24.continuing to try to do the right thing.

:23:25. > :23:30.Miss Wozniacki has requested to see her coach. A third visit on court

:23:31. > :23:37.for her father, this is the earliest he has been on. It is always

:23:38. > :23:41.surprising that she often gets him on when she is in a winning

:23:42. > :23:45.position. And quite often things change after he has been on there!

:23:46. > :23:52.But she obviously enjoys having him on, because she is always asking for

:23:53. > :23:55.him. They speak so positively about the teamwork, his help and guidance

:23:56. > :24:02.over the years which has led to a phenomenally successful career, 21

:24:03. > :24:12.titles from 34 finals, over $16 million, the final of the US Open in

:24:13. > :24:17.2009, lost to Kim Clijsters. The semis of the Australian, the

:24:18. > :24:23.quarters of the French. And world number one over two years, of

:24:24. > :24:32.course, 10 and 11. Not a bad career, not a bad team. Playing Kerber,

:24:33. > :24:36.whose highest ranking has been number five, currently playing out

:24:37. > :24:43.of a ranking of number nine, but the last time Wozniacki beat a top five

:24:44. > :24:46.player was in the semifinal of Brussels 2011, so that is the issue

:24:47. > :24:52.for Wozniacki. The standards that she set herself at the end of that

:24:53. > :24:57.second year of being number one in the world, 2011, there has been a

:24:58. > :25:01.dip since then. She is clinging on to the top 30 this year, and so is

:25:02. > :25:05.her father. This is huge, because she has not been in a final this

:25:06. > :25:11.year, the last was Luxembourg, back end of last year, at a time when in

:25:12. > :25:17.2010-11, she was making finals for fun. It is a very good point, that

:25:18. > :25:21.she has won a title for the last six years, which is an amazing record.

:25:22. > :25:52.Kerber, 1-2, final set. She has a super touch, with all the

:25:53. > :26:26.power she can generate, Kerber. Well, not surprising, really, 78 mph

:26:27. > :26:30.second serve, she is now nine points won behind 28th second service. That

:26:31. > :26:37.is not a good start, is it? She is going to need to look at that as she

:26:38. > :26:41.goes forward. It is because she is not able to get that ball out of the

:26:42. > :26:57.strike zone on the second serve, she goes right down the centre.

:26:58. > :27:04.Well, the reason the seagulls are dipping and diving because so many

:27:05. > :27:06.bring a packed lunch! It is not an apple, he has got a souvenir to

:27:07. > :27:25.throwback. That has made me hungry, Chris!

:27:26. > :27:29.Seagulls on the prowl! Sometimes they make so much noise, they could

:27:30. > :27:37.be mistaken for one of the line judges, actually!

:27:38. > :27:44.That is such a great shot for Kerber, flattening out from the

:27:45. > :28:12.middle of the court, we have seen so many of those today.

:28:13. > :28:22.Well, well done, Kerber, but Wozniacki did not fancy the dry

:28:23. > :28:26.volley. Maybe the sun in our eyes, it is the trickier end, but she

:28:27. > :28:32.allowed Kerber back into the point. Yeah, she did, because for a lot of

:28:33. > :28:37.that last rally she had got great depth on the ball, Kerber was half

:28:38. > :28:41.volleying it on the baseline. Kerber is very good at turning defence into

:28:42. > :29:02.attack, one of the greatest assets on court, the ability to do that.

:29:03. > :29:09.How many players, that forehand down the line, the penultimate shot as we

:29:10. > :29:15.see Kerber's coach, he warmed up with her this morning, winning the

:29:16. > :29:22.point against some new players down the line?

:29:23. > :29:33.Oh, dear, that bounced before it reached the net! Perhaps one she

:29:34. > :29:40.would like to forget. It gives us all hope, though, doesn't it?! I'm

:29:41. > :29:41.not quite sure what happened there, actually. It did not get enough

:29:42. > :30:44.height. expect this from Caroline. Some on

:30:45. > :31:00.first -- some unforced error is. It is her 23rd in the match. Two aces

:31:01. > :31:02.out wide at the other end. One of them on a break point. Which one

:31:03. > :31:11.does Kerber cover? Not for the first time, Wozniacki

:31:12. > :31:43.gets a real stroke of luck. This time getting the return to the

:31:44. > :32:29.forehand. Second time, final set, Kerber with

:32:30. > :32:33.the break. But you never feel it is decisive because you know Wozniacki

:32:34. > :32:40.is going to come back strong. Also, she does not possess a big serve.

:32:41. > :32:45.You think she would be more devastating with that serve. When it

:32:46. > :32:48.comes to the second serve points and it is straight into the hitting

:32:49. > :32:54.zone, she could get into more trouble. That is why she chose to

:32:55. > :32:59.receive at the start of the match. It tells you at that moment she is

:33:00. > :33:03.not that confident serving. So going ahead, it is never a foregone

:33:04. > :33:13.conclusion she will hang onto the lead. This is really now and neck.

:33:14. > :33:17.It is a long match. Kerber took three minutes longer to beat Cornet

:33:18. > :33:31.in the final set tie-break in the second round. She will be pleased to

:33:32. > :33:39.have beaten Ekaterina Makarova. Two hours 34 minute was Wozniacki's last

:33:40. > :33:45.match. Lopez did not get his much played last night with the storm

:33:46. > :33:47.that came in. He was watching Caroline's much yesterday, wasn't

:33:48. > :34:40.he? Yes. Really used her legs well on that

:34:41. > :34:41.last passing shot. Absorbs what is happening and stays down on the

:34:42. > :35:04.ball. All of the Lucknow is turning to

:35:05. > :35:12.Kerber. They say they even out. She did not even attempt to run after

:35:13. > :35:18.that. You almost sense those legs are tiring a little bit from

:35:19. > :35:27.Caroline. She has done an awful lot of chasing today. Six hours and

:35:28. > :35:49.three minutes into this semifinal for the day.

:35:50. > :36:00.Just sends Caroline is going after the ball a bit more, trying to put a

:36:01. > :36:03.bit more on it to try and impose her game. She cannot keep this level up

:36:04. > :36:12.of just chasing down balls. Kerber extends her lead. This is a must win

:36:13. > :37:43.service game for Wozniacki. They have both got the same problem

:37:44. > :37:44.on the second serve? It is almost a carbon copy. Slightly better,

:37:45. > :38:11.Wozniacki. Point is getting bigger for

:38:12. > :39:17.Wozniacki. That is just outstanding. The

:39:18. > :39:28.defence from Wozniacki and the finish from Kerber all stop I think

:39:29. > :39:32.that is a good word, the finish. She has had a better finish on the

:39:33. > :39:36.points. It comes back to that ability to accelerate onto the ball.

:39:37. > :39:40.Caroline can do it on the backhand but does not have the ability on the

:39:41. > :40:10.forehand side. Well played, so strong. Alarm bells

:40:11. > :40:44.now, another break point the Kerber. His 16th. -- her extinct.

:40:45. > :40:50.final set. Just a third visit to Eastbourne. Make the finals two

:40:51. > :40:55.years ago, Kerber. She played the qualifier from Austria. She is

:40:56. > :41:03.getting very close to another tilt at the title. She has earned herself

:41:04. > :41:09.to be in this position. Talk her a little bit of time to get going and

:41:10. > :41:14.get settled and break the heart of this match. But as the match has

:41:15. > :41:17.unfolded over two and a half hour period, she has had more success

:41:18. > :41:24.with her ground strokes at the back of court. More ability to run

:41:25. > :41:27.Caroline Raggett. And unleashing the winners from corner to corner. The

:41:28. > :41:32.second serve does not seem to have effect it hurt too much. She did go

:41:33. > :41:37.through periods where she broke the forehand down and then she went back

:41:38. > :41:44.to the backhand. It has been a mix, not just a set pattern. Can you

:41:45. > :41:50.imagine if she developed a very good second serve all stop the difference

:41:51. > :41:55.it could make to her overall game? It would make a massive difference

:41:56. > :42:02.because she is one of the best all strikers out there. She can defend

:42:03. > :42:06.the way Caroline can but has the ability to turn it into a tack. The

:42:07. > :42:11.second serve is definitely a little bit suspect. Kerber serving for a

:42:12. > :43:20.place in the final. Does she think, a couple of years

:43:21. > :43:24.ago, 5-3 in the final set, five championship points and did not win,

:43:25. > :43:36.do you think I will come to her mind? I hope not, because it will

:43:37. > :43:46.affect her. One of the break points saved. There has only been two games

:43:47. > :43:59.in this set without a break point in it. How good is that from out wide?

:44:00. > :44:06.Just showing she has no problem changing the direction of the ball

:44:07. > :44:07.on the stretch and does not have to be balanced. Really uses her legs so

:44:08. > :44:42.well. Well played! The problem continues

:44:43. > :44:57.for Kerber behind the second serve will stop one of the breaks back for

:44:58. > :45:04.Wozniacki. You would imagine Kerber would prefer to break to win. I

:45:05. > :45:30.think she would. More chance of her going after the service of Caroline.

:45:31. > :45:39.She was digging deep in that point. Trusted herself. Yet another good

:45:40. > :46:48.finish. What a gruelling rally that was.

:46:49. > :46:52.That was testing out the lungs of both of them. Kerber had both knees

:46:53. > :47:02.on the ground when she played that last forehand. Just clipping the top

:47:03. > :47:07.of the net. Longest match in the tournament now for both women.

:47:08. > :47:29.She is turning the screw a little bit more, going a little bit closer

:47:30. > :47:35.to the lines, taking a few more risks and it is paying off.

:47:36. > :47:52.to the lines, taking a few more risks and it is paying off.

:47:53. > :47:58.We have seen some fantastic tennis and so have they on this Centre

:47:59. > :48:02.Court this week. Some wonderful matches. Fantastic women's

:48:03. > :48:35.tournament at the French Open. Being pushed further and further

:48:36. > :48:41.back, Wozniacki. Kerber has a point for the final. It has taken two

:48:42. > :49:12.hours and 38 minutes to get there. That will do it! She has got a

:49:13. > :49:16.chance to raise the memory of having five championship points and not

:49:17. > :49:22.coming away from Devonshire Park with the title. She has beaten her

:49:23. > :49:29.friend, Caroline Wozniacki, in a fantastic semifinal. She was more

:49:30. > :49:34.aggressive overall and deserves her place in the final tomorrow. I

:49:35. > :49:40.agree, it was a wonderful match, very entertaining and high quality.

:49:41. > :49:47.But she was the more aggressive, she took the wrists, particularly

:49:48. > :49:53.towards the end of the tie-break. -- took the risks. She held her nerve.

:49:54. > :50:01.What a lot of running Wozniacki did. What a huge cheer for her. Champion

:50:02. > :50:08.of 2009 and she has been under pressure of late. I think they

:50:09. > :50:11.understand that and are very warm in their appreciation of Wozniacki's

:50:12. > :50:26.efforts this week. Got a fabulous match. Two hours 39 in the end.

:50:27. > :50:33.Congratulations. Through to your second final at Eastbourne? I am

:50:34. > :50:38.very happy about my game. Caroline is a tough opponent and I think we

:50:39. > :50:43.played a very tough match and it was very high level. I really enjoy to

:50:44. > :50:49.play here and be in the second final, it is great. You have had a

:50:50. > :50:53.couple of finals already this year but it seems your grass game is the

:50:54. > :51:02.best, is that how you feel? I am feeling very good on grass. I enjoy

:51:03. > :51:09.playing here, I am just happy about my game and let's see. You will play

:51:10. > :51:28.the winner of the next semifinal, will you watch that much? I will

:51:29. > :51:34.watch a little bit, but I will go out tomorrow and just play

:51:35. > :51:37.aggressive and play my game and enjoy the final tomorrow. We will

:51:38. > :51:38.look forward to seeing you there. Ladies and gentlemen, Angeli

:51:39. > :52:04.Kerber. Still gives you goose bumps this

:52:05. > :52:09.court. Wimbledon 2014 is anyone's game. Starts on the 23rd of June

:52:10. > :52:13.across the BBC. Loads of tennis as a build-up to

:52:14. > :52:23.Wimbledon on Monday. The final tomorrow here. And tomorrow morning,

:52:24. > :52:33.as a warm up, a rerun of the final last year. And then on Monday at

:52:34. > :52:36.10:35 p.m., when Andy won Wimbledon. The draw for Wimbledon this year has

:52:37. > :52:47.been made this morning. Andy Murray will begin his defence of his title

:52:48. > :52:50.against David got that. This is what his path to the latter stages might

:52:51. > :53:35.look like. -- David Finn. With Rafael Nadal as the respect of

:53:36. > :53:40.opponent in the final, we are getting ahead of ourselves. What is

:53:41. > :53:48.your immediate thought? I think it is good. I think he would definitely

:53:49. > :53:54.have preferred to be on the side with Djokovic. He beat him in

:53:55. > :53:59.straight sets in the final last year. The fact people think he needs

:54:00. > :54:05.to respond of that defeat from the French Open, I think he has a better

:54:06. > :54:09.record against Djokovic than he does against Nadal. He is one of those

:54:10. > :54:14.players Andy finds tough. And after one of the most heavy defeats we

:54:15. > :54:19.have ever seen of Andy Murray at the French Open, I think he would prefer

:54:20. > :54:23.to play Djokovic and there may be Nadal in the final. I asked to

:54:24. > :54:29.people in the press room what they thought and they said the exact

:54:30. > :54:33.opposite. They felt Djokovic was going to be the toughest player for

:54:34. > :54:39.Andy Murray to place -- face. Nadal is the nominal, but not quite as

:54:40. > :54:48.phenomenal on grass as he is on clay. Andy could beat Federer and

:54:49. > :54:55.Stanwell Rinker is on a downward slope at the moment. So they felt

:54:56. > :55:06.getting Djokovic is a bad draw. Nadal has only had two match wins on

:55:07. > :55:10.grass in two years. One guy not mentioned is Kevin Anderson. I would

:55:11. > :55:18.see him as a real threat to Andy Murray on that side of the draw. He

:55:19. > :55:31.has a big serve and has beaten Andy in the past. If we go through the

:55:32. > :55:50.men's draw. Dan Evans plays Kuznetsov of Russia. It could be a

:55:51. > :55:55.potential rick scalp the James Ward. I watched them play in Dubai and

:55:56. > :56:02.James pushed him very close. I think he could have won that match. Then

:56:03. > :56:15.he pulled out and did not complete the tournament. Carl Edmonds, plays

:56:16. > :56:36.the Austrian. Tara Moore plays Vera 's soiree buff. Caroline Wozniacki

:56:37. > :56:39.and Kerber plays are Raghavan scuff. What is

:56:40. > :56:43.and Kerber plays are Raghavan scuff. interesting is Maria Sharapova would

:56:44. > :56:49.play Serena Williams in the quarterfinals because that is how

:56:50. > :57:05.they have been heard. A lot of people would be disappointed but it

:57:06. > :57:15.makes the second Tuesday, a great match if they get that far. Other

:57:16. > :57:17.than the fact I don't think Maria Sharapova has beaten her for over

:57:18. > :57:19.ten years. When she won Wimbledon she had a fantastic result, but it

:57:20. > :57:21.has not been the most intense rivalry everybody builds it up to

:57:22. > :57:24.be. We think Maria Sharapova is the closest rival to Serena Williams but

:57:25. > :57:29.if you look at the head to head, it is not that close. Heather Watson.

:57:30. > :57:37.All the youngsters coming through. is not that close. Heather Watson.

:57:38. > :57:45.The Belgian has been injured. She worked at the Chris Abbott Academy

:57:46. > :57:52.and had a fantastic run. I think that is a tricky draw. In Serena

:57:53. > :57:58.Williams's draw... Let's hear the announcement. From the United States

:57:59. > :58:05.of America, let's hear it for Madison Keys. She played so

:58:06. > :58:15.emphatically yesterday in her fit three over her fellow American,

:58:16. > :58:21.Lauren Davies. Representing Great Britain, please welcome Heather

:58:22. > :58:29.Watson. Here comes the first British semifinalist at Eastbourne the 32

:58:30. > :58:36.years. A big moment for her. Going back to yesterday talking about

:58:37. > :58:43.Lauren Davies being 5'2". I had a lot of e-mails talking about little

:58:44. > :58:48.Maureen Connelly, who was one of the great all-time champions who

:58:49. > :59:12.actually wasn't that small. She was only five. So it is not that small.

:59:13. > :59:21.There is small and small. The name I was going to mention is before she

:59:22. > :59:26.plays Maria Sharapova she would play Eugenie Bouchard. That could be the

:59:27. > :59:34.match of the championship. Everybody will be coming out, the locker room

:59:35. > :59:40.will be keeping a close eye on that. Because Eugene Bouchard wants to be

:59:41. > :59:44.number one, and has made no secret about that. She is only young and

:59:45. > :59:50.had her first semifinal in a Grand Slam at the French Open. Has it all.

:59:51. > :59:56.Looks the part, trains well and is the full package. It is always

:59:57. > :00:03.fastening when the draw comes out, you have mentioned Kevin Anderson as

:00:04. > :00:11.a potential tricky opponent in the men's draw. Is there somebody in the

:00:12. > :00:18.women's draw you would look at and not rule out? Kevin Anderson, he is

:00:19. > :00:26.six foot eight inches, South African. He does hammer the ball

:00:27. > :00:29.down. He is in the section of the draw with all of those players so

:00:30. > :00:41.nobody will want to come up against him in the early stages. She is in

:00:42. > :00:49.the same section, interesting. him in the early stages. She is in

:00:50. > :00:54.the same There is Lisicki, last year's finalist, we haven't been

:00:55. > :00:55.talking about her, one of the biggest serves in the women's game,

:00:56. > :01:01.she hasn't had a great year. biggest serves in the women's game,

:01:02. > :01:07.feel you hope once she gets her feet back on the grass at Wimbledon she

:01:08. > :01:10.might start to find some form. She could go very far, as good Ana

:01:11. > :01:16.Ivanovic. As we are back here on the grass,

:01:17. > :01:21.there has been some high-quality games this week, that first

:01:22. > :01:26.semifinal was outstanding. It was. When you see tennis live and

:01:27. > :01:31.you watch how hard they hit it and how well they cover the court, how

:01:32. > :01:35.much they get to trackballs down, you need to be a great athlete to

:01:36. > :01:39.chase these balls down, the point construction, some of the

:01:40. > :01:43.hard-fought Balis, it has been phenomenal. We have seen some

:01:44. > :01:45.fabulous matches. A real sense there is a sparkle back in the women's

:01:46. > :01:48.game. He was like watching two hours 40

:01:49. > :02:06.minutes bleep test. Try doing that the two and half

:02:07. > :02:14.hours. Two and a half minutes! Let's hear from Heather and what she makes

:02:15. > :02:18.from this huge opportunity. I am pleased to be in the

:02:19. > :02:24.semifinals, that was my goal anyway, at the beginning of today. I

:02:25. > :02:30.am very pleased about that. I look forward to playing tomorrow, whoever

:02:31. > :02:37.it is against, Madison Keys or Lauren Davies. I look forward to

:02:38. > :02:43.playing well. This must be a lovely feeling for

:02:44. > :02:46.you. After all you went through last year, to be in the thick of the

:02:47. > :02:53.tournament at this stage, and doing it on home soil.

:02:54. > :02:58.Absolutely. I am so pleased to be getting to the later rounds here.

:02:59. > :03:06.Not just in such a tough tournament but also here at home. I think every

:03:07. > :03:11.player wants to do the best in their country, and make their country

:03:12. > :03:14.proud. I am pleased to be here. Good time to be making your country

:03:15. > :03:16.proud when the World Cup is going on, there is a real sporting fervour

:03:17. > :03:23.about the whole place. There is so much sport going on, I'm

:03:24. > :03:29.not sure about the golf, there was hockey, rugby, allsorts. Definitely

:03:30. > :03:31.at the end of the day everybody is playing for their country.

:03:32. > :03:36.When you have gone through what you did last year, the defeats, the

:03:37. > :03:39.ill-health, all of that, when you reach a point I guess, doesn't make

:03:40. > :03:44.you appreciate it more? Absolutely. I don't take any victory

:03:45. > :03:50.for granted, I am pleased with myself, after every single one, no

:03:51. > :03:54.matter who it is against. Even when I lose I don't beat myself up too

:03:55. > :04:00.much, I learned from it and move on. I just really enjoyed playing a

:04:01. > :04:06.lot more. I feel with my career I am treating it a lot more

:04:07. > :04:22.professionally. And just taking it seriously, but enjoying it. A little

:04:23. > :04:40.bit of compensation from a sporting perspective grid but this afternoon.

:04:41. > :04:44.I have seen a serve a lot of first serves into play, obviously she hit

:04:45. > :04:48.her ground strokes very well for so everything was working very well,

:04:49. > :04:51.her timing was spot on. She has talked about trying to be a more

:04:52. > :04:57.aggressive tennis player. She is up against a big serve today in the

:04:58. > :05:06.likes of Madison Keys, somebody who has big weapons, the kick zone. She

:05:07. > :05:13.will kick that serve out the high. She is taller than Lauren Davies,

:05:14. > :05:16.but she is still small by most players' standards. She needs to

:05:17. > :05:19.take the ball on the right and do something with it, not just get it

:05:20. > :05:23.back into play, she has to be aggressive, get something on the

:05:24. > :05:26.ball so she is not dictated you afterwards.

:05:27. > :05:28.ball so she is not dictated you While Madison Keys, because she is

:05:29. > :05:33.likely head of Heather in terms of rankings and everything else, she

:05:34. > :05:39.might say the semifinal I was expected to be here. For Heather,

:05:40. > :05:49.this is as far as she might have reasonably expected to get so she

:05:50. > :05:53.might just go out and play. If you had said to her she would be

:05:54. > :05:58.in the semifinals on Friday, she would have bitten her arm off, she

:05:59. > :06:05.has got a great personality, bubbly, excited. The crowd behind her. I

:06:06. > :06:09.think she will really swing at the ball and enjoy herself. Have a

:06:10. > :06:13.chance. Up against somebody younger than her. I think this is a great

:06:14. > :06:17.opportunity for top they met at Wimbledon last year, a fairly tight

:06:18. > :06:20.match, Heather was disappointed she couldn't win it but they have both

:06:21. > :06:26.moved on in different directions since then. It will be fascinating.

:06:27. > :06:31.One or two people have headed off for a quick break after that lengthy

:06:32. > :06:34.first semifinal. I am sure they will be back to cheer Heather on over the

:06:35. > :06:40.next couple of hours. The second semifinal. You can hear the sharing.

:06:41. > :06:43.For the right to face Angelique Kerber in the final tomorrow on the

:06:44. > :06:51.40th anniversary of this great championship.

:06:52. > :06:57.The American number five, just 19 years young, Madison Keys, to get

:06:58. > :07:05.the second semifinal underway. Her debut here at Eastbourne, for

:07:06. > :07:29.the American. She has practised her return of

:07:30. > :07:35.serve in the warm up, she got onto that quickly. Real intent

:07:36. > :07:56.straightaway from Watson. That is a good sign. The aggression she wants

:07:57. > :08:00.to bring to the game. That is what she is up against, wonderful

:08:01. > :08:04.kick-serve, only served one double fault in the tournament. So much

:08:05. > :08:08.margin built into the kicker. Then the sledgehammer blows after dealing

:08:09. > :09:08.with the kicker. Her 23rd ace of the tournament, she

:09:09. > :09:13.has weapons everywhere. A strong start for the American. Fourth tour

:09:14. > :09:20.semifinal in all, looking for a first final. That could get in the

:09:21. > :09:25.way a little. Wildcard for Heather Watson, the second career semifinal,

:09:26. > :09:53.looking for a second final. Winning at Osaka in 2012.

:09:54. > :10:02.She needs to hold serve at the tricky end.

:10:03. > :10:29.There are few people murmuring. Doesn't she hit it hard? !

:10:30. > :10:37.As Annabel was saying, Watson has served really well this week. Five

:10:38. > :11:34.foot seven, one metre 70. Just moved so well, Watson. Balance,

:11:35. > :12:16.poise. Can be hot and cold, Keys. They go

:12:17. > :12:43.all over the place, but when they go in they are unplayable.

:12:44. > :12:50.He then I knows. When your second serve is likely to get thumped it

:12:51. > :13:51.will make you want to go for it more. -- keep an eye on those.

:13:52. > :14:37.It has a great start for Keys, it silences the crowd and put Heather

:14:38. > :14:42.Watson on the back foot with her coach. She talked about wanting to

:14:43. > :14:55.be more aggressive as I welcome Annabel into the commentary box. I

:14:56. > :15:02.think with this sunny weather we are happening, oh, my goodness, that

:15:03. > :15:17.nearly took out the ball girl. Wow. She is feisty, Heather Watson, we

:15:18. > :15:20.know that. She is so softly spoken, delightful, but when she gets on a

:15:21. > :15:25.match court she wants to win tennis matches. She is not happy with the

:15:26. > :15:56.start. Nice. Great channelling of emotion

:15:57. > :16:02.as well. That is what she did so well in a previous match, on that

:16:03. > :16:03.forehand side. Sometimes she really connects with the timing on the

:16:04. > :16:36.forehand. This is effortless power coming out

:16:37. > :16:40.of Madison Keys' racket. This is where she has the ability to throw

:16:41. > :16:47.in a big high kicker to the backhand of Heather. Or the power one as we

:16:48. > :16:56.just saw there. Watson is right up on the baseline.

:16:57. > :17:03.That is good, really good, such a great thinker, Watson.

:17:04. > :17:11.I think she knows she cannot afford to be passive in this match, she has

:17:12. > :17:15.two go after the ball. If she allows Madison Keys to dictate all the play

:17:16. > :17:24.she will get overwhelmed and get hit of the court. You cannot argue with

:17:25. > :17:29.that serve. I thought that was in, actually.

:17:30. > :17:32.As we have seen a lot, it is worth keeping everybody on their toes with

:17:33. > :18:01.a bit of a quiz. That is what she means by I can

:18:02. > :18:11.spray them. That is a heavy blow, isn't it? And not a flicker. She has

:18:12. > :18:15.got a very lovely to me not on the court, Madison Keys, very calm, very

:18:16. > :18:25.composed, she doesn't give away any emotion to her opponent. Two break

:18:26. > :18:29.points saved. She said after she came of that match court last night

:18:30. > :18:35.somebody said well played, hope you lose tomorrow.

:18:36. > :18:43.She managed to see the funny side of it, didn't she? She said I know I

:18:44. > :18:49.will not have too many people cheering for me tomorrow, but that

:18:50. > :18:53.is OK, when you play in circumstances like that. She will

:18:54. > :18:54.just take it on the chin, take it in her stride. She is silencing the

:18:55. > :19:22.crowd here at the moment. That very nearly was an outright

:19:23. > :19:28.winner. It is quite intimidating, raw power. We saw her a year ago at

:19:29. > :19:30.18, a little bit more erratic. She has really tightened up again since

:19:31. > :19:34.then. 47 in the world, has been as high as

:19:35. > :19:52.36. Back in October, 2013. Movement, she is working on that. If

:19:53. > :19:59.Watson can get her on the move. Well played, Heather. She is seeing this

:20:00. > :20:10.ball really clearly, picking the response of the return.

:20:11. > :20:14.She is getting ready for the kicker. It will be interesting if Keys

:20:15. > :20:32.switches it and goes with a slice. That is a deadly combination, huge

:20:33. > :20:37.power and depth. Just incredible. The forehand crosscourt is an even

:20:38. > :20:44.deadlier weapon. That is not easy to generate that kind of pace, of not

:20:45. > :21:07.much of ball, and if she gets such a weight behind that shot.

:21:08. > :21:16.That serve had a lot of swing on it. Above head height, or approaching

:21:17. > :21:17.it, for Watson. Second serve. Almost better off getting a first serve to

:21:18. > :21:46.return, as big as it is. Three break points saved, Keys

:21:47. > :21:59.extends the lead. You can really understand the hype

:22:00. > :22:03.back home for this young woman. At 14 she was the youngest ever to

:22:04. > :22:08.compete in team tennis in the States, she beat Serena Williams

:22:09. > :22:13.5-1. At 40 jihadists senior world ranking of 621. -- she had a senior

:22:14. > :22:26.world ranking. She finished last year at 37. You

:22:27. > :22:34.can understand the hype, it has been a Non-Stop rise up the rankings. I

:22:35. > :22:39.agree. It really exciting prospect for the future. It is this war power

:22:40. > :22:43.she brings out onto the court. It is not often you see players burst out

:22:44. > :22:51.onto the scene at this young with such a big serve. The willingness to

:22:52. > :22:55.create an all court game out here, not afraid to move up the court and

:22:56. > :23:00.folly. As a nice attitude as well. The youngest inside the top 50

:23:01. > :23:04.already. Going about her business the right way, you have to build

:23:05. > :23:08.your levels from the bottom up. Create a solid platform of that

:23:09. > :23:13.pyramid to build on. That is exactly what she has been doing over the

:23:14. > :23:20.last couple of years. If you haven't seen us before, you went with this

:23:21. > :23:28.yesterday, her father introduced her to tennis at four years old and she

:23:29. > :23:35.asked for a tennis dress. Heather Watson has got a real job on her

:23:36. > :23:57.hands here, containing Madison Keys. Looking to get on the scoreboard.

:23:58. > :24:06.How proud Guernsey must be of Heather Watson. Population capped at

:24:07. > :24:38.63,000. They have produced this little pocket dynamo.

:24:39. > :24:44.Those are so behind those let courts. When it travels over that it

:24:45. > :25:15.literally dies. Not much chance. There was an argument they need to

:25:16. > :25:20.regulate the nets. They are all slightly different. Different

:25:21. > :25:26.tensions, depending on the surface. Sometimes it can be very springy.

:25:27. > :25:35.Other times it is really tight and nothing happens.

:25:36. > :25:47.Just wide, is it? Alvarez of Portugal in the chair. Very close,

:25:48. > :26:15.wasn't it? Wrong footing is going to be useful

:26:16. > :26:20.against Keys, keeper of balance. I think everybody in the crowd must

:26:21. > :26:30.have lost count of how money times they said, and England. Now they are

:26:31. > :26:41.saying, and, Watson. -- they said come on, England. Now they are

:26:42. > :26:47.saying come on, Watson. She is actually playing at a high level out

:26:48. > :26:52.here. She has had not much joy on the scoreboard. She has been forced

:26:53. > :26:56.to react to what is happening. Madison is coming at her thick and

:26:57. > :27:01.fast. It is pretty pacey, this match. Not having much time to think

:27:02. > :27:38.out here, to react. The atmosphere for Andy Murray at

:27:39. > :27:44.Wimbledon every year, but particularly last year, was

:27:45. > :27:50.phenomenal. Union Jacks being waved in the crowd here, they are ready to

:27:51. > :27:52.really launch behind Heather Watson. They have taken her into their

:27:53. > :28:26.hearts. The wrong foot, isn't it? Well

:28:27. > :28:30.played. The key in that point was that return of serve, she took it on

:28:31. > :28:33.the rise, both feet off the ground. She really had to take that one out

:28:34. > :28:43.of the air and then was able to stop her opponent dictating the play.

:28:44. > :29:03.She doesn't not nervous at all, Watson. No, she is up for this.

:29:04. > :29:14.Does anybody hit the ball harder than Keys? It is incredible, it look

:29:15. > :29:17.so effortless. Looks like she is just swinging at the ball then this

:29:18. > :30:13.power shot comes out of the centre of the strings.

:30:14. > :30:25.sheep rack dissed returning a serve climbing a stepladder? It is a round

:30:26. > :30:35.head height or above. Got a lot of swing on it. Moving around.

:30:36. > :30:45.Also, you are not given too many opportunities to attack her service

:30:46. > :30:51.games. A couple of points come and go quickly. You have to try and get

:30:52. > :31:06.yourself back involved again in the game. Three points in a row the

:31:07. > :31:10.Madison Keys. Obviously, with Heather Watson, we were talking

:31:11. > :31:16.about the fact she had not beaten a top 20 player in her senior career.

:31:17. > :31:21.That changed on Wednesday when she beat Flavia Pennetta will stop the

:31:22. > :31:31.highest ranked player she had beaten before this week was ranked 30. This

:31:32. > :31:39.really is against a child prodigy, in Madison Keys. It is a big step

:31:40. > :31:47.up. Although she is ranked 47, it is a huge task? Madison Keys is a child

:31:48. > :32:00.prodigy but she has had some big scalps herself. She herself has had

:32:01. > :32:03.some very, very big wins. Reached the third round, beating Heather

:32:04. > :32:08.last year at Wimbledon and went on to reach the third round herself.

:32:09. > :32:16.She is a dangerous opponent but someone who will go much higher in

:32:17. > :32:22.the women's game, you feel. She beat Li Na in Madrid last year when she

:32:23. > :32:29.was ranked number five. She is her own worst critic. As we seek, her

:32:30. > :32:35.reservoir by comparison of tolerance of herself not performing. She says

:32:36. > :32:42.she has to try to grab hold of it, she can be her own worst enemy at

:32:43. > :32:43.times. But after 25 minutes, she is playing formidable tennis. She

:32:44. > :32:59.really is. You can add to that, which Elaine

:33:00. > :33:22.Janke Vit scalp. were planted a little bit too early

:33:23. > :34:36.on that return. Then she Good serving. Cheered on by the East

:34:37. > :34:42.lawn faithful. Extraordinary, when you talk of child prodigy, Tracy

:34:43. > :34:49.Austin winning the US Open in 1979 aged 16. Won it again two years

:34:50. > :35:00.later. One here in 1980 aged 17 and the following year. Amazing. That is

:35:01. > :35:06.such a lethal combination. Not much Heather Watson could do about that.

:35:07. > :35:07.Big serve out wide and then a booming forehand into the open

:35:08. > :35:23.space. Too much ground to cover. It is quite Anne Dunham fluid

:35:24. > :35:34.motion, effective. But it has a slight hitch in there is a delay

:35:35. > :35:39.before she goes up after the serve. Unfortunately the speed gun does not

:35:40. > :35:42.seem to be working. Cannot tell you how quick it is, but it is quick and

:35:43. > :36:17.heavy. It is a very clear game plan. Diego

:36:18. > :36:37.very nearly having a chat with his charge.

:36:38. > :36:54.The only thing I would do difference when you have a chance, make her run

:36:55. > :36:57.fast on the forehand. Start the point the other way. Everything

:36:58. > :37:12.else, stay the same. You are playing good. She is something else, you

:37:13. > :37:25.know that. The three games you lost, you were winning. The ball is going

:37:26. > :37:36.to come flat and fast. You just had to stay sharp. Go more to the back

:37:37. > :37:41.and if you get a chance. You have had chances in other games. Calmly

:37:42. > :37:48.delivered. Powerful messages. He was right, he said you have enclosed in

:37:49. > :37:51.all of The Games, not much in it. Keep doing what you're doing. Bit

:37:52. > :39:02.more to the backhand. New balls. Sometimes does not get her feet in

:39:03. > :39:09.the right position, Madison Keys, on that return. Gets herself set up to

:39:10. > :39:26.early. That is the other thing about grass, the ball sometimes does not

:39:27. > :39:42.do what you wanted to do so you have be versatile. Good length.

:39:43. > :40:03.Eight straight points on serve, for Heather Watson.

:40:04. > :40:16.Two love service games in a row. Everyone getting into the Wimbledon

:40:17. > :40:27.spirit. From all angles and positions. That is a good view! Go

:40:28. > :40:40.and make yourself a cup of tea. Sit on the balcony. She is applying so

:40:41. > :40:44.much pressure with this serve. You don't have much reaction time

:40:45. > :40:47.against it. It's swings and rides, kicks up to the backhand and it goes

:40:48. > :41:35.out to the body. We have had three love service games

:41:36. > :41:43.in a row. Chance for a fourth and three set points. She was walking.

:41:44. > :41:52.She thought she had clinched the set.

:41:53. > :42:01.She has now. Another love game and a very impressive set of tennis from

:42:02. > :42:39.Madison Keys. 34 minutes, the American takes it 6-3.

:42:40. > :42:48.Hungry again, all of the sudden. What a beautiful day. Warmest day of

:42:49. > :42:52.the tournament is predicted for the final tomorrow. It will be difficult

:42:53. > :42:57.for Heather Watson to make it with this performance from Madison Keys.

:42:58. > :43:05.If you have any views, we would love to hear from you. Can she come back

:43:06. > :43:12.into this semifinal? I think she can. I've think the scoreline did

:43:13. > :43:17.not reflect how well Heather Watson played. Just the one break of serve

:43:18. > :43:23.started the set. Madison Keys is difficult to break. That is one

:43:24. > :43:29.major weapon she is bringing onto the court. It is imperative for

:43:30. > :43:33.Heather she gets off to a good start and does not allow the scoreline to

:43:34. > :43:38.go away from her quickly. Madison Keys is pretty confidence, ground

:43:39. > :43:42.strokes are being struck with authority and there is much more

:43:43. > :43:48.weight of shot coming out of her racket than Heather Watson. But

:43:49. > :44:01.Heather has lived with it quite well so far. It can be done. She needs to

:44:02. > :44:05.start his second set well. Serving from the tricky end. Just to get her

:44:06. > :44:55.nose in front. Is that a plan to go down the middle

:44:56. > :45:03.more, stop the angles. It is not a bad plan. As long as you get it

:45:04. > :45:44.deep. A great reaction. She definitely has

:45:45. > :45:48.a sense of humour. A few people were calling out in the middle of that

:45:49. > :46:15.rally. Yes, she did not make any comment about it.

:46:16. > :46:19.Sometimes it seems as though Madison Keys has too much power. Difficult

:46:20. > :46:40.to control it. That is a very common shot on the

:46:41. > :46:45.tour these days. The return of serve up the centre of the court hit hard

:46:46. > :46:58.and flat to defeat of the server. Heather on her knees trying to get

:46:59. > :47:09.that one back will stop --. Great length. Please thought it was long.

:47:10. > :47:15.-- Madison Keys. Heather Watson does get the lead in the second set. We

:47:16. > :47:22.can analyse Madison Keys' attitude. She is only 19. What is your

:47:23. > :47:34.19-year-old doing today? Finishing A-levels, getting ready for

:47:35. > :47:42.university? Getting ready for a final in a tour event, Madison Keys.

:47:43. > :47:49.You forget they are so young and yet they have lived the life of someone

:47:50. > :47:54.so much more mature. Quite a low first-served percentage considering

:47:55. > :48:02.she won it with such an authority. 45% first serves. Imagine if that

:48:03. > :48:06.creeps up. That is another example of how difficult it is for Heather

:48:07. > :48:16.if she gets that first-served into play.

:48:17. > :48:33.It is quite the moralising when you think you are making inroads and

:48:34. > :48:48.then these aces come in there. You keep walking side to side. She has

:48:49. > :48:53.good touch, good hands. The women's game is in such a good place right

:48:54. > :49:17.now. Well played. I thought she had hip

:49:18. > :49:23.the winner. It is what she has to do. She has to take risks on that

:49:24. > :49:24.return. As to take it high on the bounce and inject pace and power

:49:25. > :49:41.into that shot. It is a real dilemma, getting hold

:49:42. > :49:53.of this serve. It is going to be interesting. After the match at the

:49:54. > :49:58.French Open for Heather Watson, Madison Keys, if she marked herself

:49:59. > :49:59.out of ten right now would be a pretty high score. And Heather

:50:00. > :50:17.Watson is in this match. Beat Panetta for her best ever win a

:50:18. > :51:29.couple of days ago. Barely dropping points on serve,

:51:30. > :51:39.Heather Watson. In the last four service games.

:51:40. > :52:00.If she can maintain that, it puts pressure on Keys. If she does not

:52:01. > :52:03.feel she is getting close to getting a break, she could rake down just a

:52:04. > :52:25.little. -- break down. First-served again. I don't think

:52:26. > :52:30.Madison Keys agreed with that. I don't think she would argue in front

:52:31. > :53:00.of this crowd. Head coach is down the other end of

:53:01. > :53:15.the court but he is making his presence felt.

:53:16. > :53:26.Interesting he is on the opposite side sewer where Madison Keys' camp

:53:27. > :53:33.is. It is weird to have your clothes -- your coach so close to the other

:53:34. > :53:39.coach, so they have decided not to do that in this match. We have seen

:53:40. > :53:47.them jumping out of their chairs and arguing with the umpires. We have

:53:48. > :53:56.seen it all this week. This is big this game. I feel like she is

:53:57. > :54:05.backing away from that forehand and not meeting the ball out in front.

:54:06. > :54:26.Easier said than done with a ball coming at you thick and fast.

:54:27. > :54:46.Toogood. I shamed by Heather Watson. -- to good. Heather Watson is not

:54:47. > :54:52.happy with the way things turned out. Head coach came on and said hit

:54:53. > :55:03.more to the backhand side and then when you do that on your opponent

:55:04. > :55:19.hits a clean winner down the line, it doesn't seem fair. What is a kick

:55:20. > :55:26.up serve? When we see Madison Keys Sir Bob, we can examine it. It is

:55:27. > :55:32.when there is acceleration from the back scratch position. Some players

:55:33. > :55:37.have a natural ability to be able to kick the ball with the racket head

:55:38. > :55:43.speed. Sam Stosur, you beating Serena Williams in the final, using

:55:44. > :55:52.that. Stepping in and crunching the next forehand into the open space.

:55:53. > :55:56.John Isner, one of the biggest servers in the men's game, has the

:55:57. > :56:11.ability on a clay score to get the kick up high. It is a right to left

:56:12. > :56:15.ball toss, behind just shoulder. You tend to throw the ball slightly to

:56:16. > :56:20.the left and over and behind you so you have two arch your back to get

:56:21. > :56:24.to it. Stefan Dirk had a fabulous kick-serve. Let's have a look at it

:56:25. > :56:38.here. Look for the ball toss. It is watching what the ball does

:56:39. > :56:42.after it ounces. You can see the movements on the ball. The way it

:56:43. > :56:50.swerves and moves into the body and how you have to adapt to it. You try

:56:51. > :56:54.to meet the ball at the top of the bounce but you are cutting across

:56:55. > :57:15.the line of it sometimes, it is quite tricky.

:57:16. > :57:20.That was a brilliant kick-serve demonstration, and a brilliant way

:57:21. > :57:28.of dealing it by Heather Watson. Having to jump up to get it managed

:57:29. > :57:32.in control on the racket face to get ahead of the racket through. If you

:57:33. > :57:43.catch it late it will dictate to the strings.

:57:44. > :57:56.Interesting slice, no pace. That was into the bottom of the net from

:57:57. > :57:57.Keys. When you see them slicing up the forehand side, it is very

:57:58. > :58:43.unusual. broke Heather Watson in the last

:58:44. > :59:29.game. Pretty demoralising. 123 mph. The

:59:30. > :59:47.fastest recorded was Venus Williams, 130. It is getting close.

:59:48. > :59:59.Five points in a row. How damaging is that?

:00:00. > :00:03.That is going to hurt. You only get so many opportunities in a match. If

:00:04. > :00:07.you aren't able to capitalise. Not much you can do because Madison

:00:08. > :00:10.served so well. Going through how tough it is to hit a ball above head

:00:11. > :00:15.height. Does she take it earlier? Does she

:00:16. > :00:27.back off? It's a real problem. Heather has served really well in

:00:28. > :00:31.this match, hasn't she? It's much more pace on her first serve

:00:32. > :00:45.actually. Just not as heavy as Madison's.

:00:46. > :00:52.That's a good return. Right deep to that baseline. She's pressured all

:00:53. > :00:57.the way in this match. Played with such a calm disposition, hasn't she?

:00:58. > :01:18.Very mature for her 19years of age. This is a must win game, after what

:01:19. > :01:19.we have just seen in the last two played for Watson, to have any

:01:20. > :01:26.chance. Needs to dig like she's never dug

:01:27. > :01:56.before. This is a fantastic display of power

:01:57. > :01:58.hitting. Serena Williams at her best would be proud. Two more break

:01:59. > :02:21.points. 4-1. Further dampens the crowd. Have

:02:22. > :02:25.you to to admire this performance so far? Extraordinary. Quite

:02:26. > :02:30.outstanding in every single department. The whole compose sure,

:02:31. > :02:34.how she dealt with this situation. Looking for her first final in a

:02:35. > :02:39.major event. Knowing that the crowd are going to be very partisan.

:02:40. > :02:44.Despite that, I do think we agree they are a polite crowd. They are

:02:45. > :02:49.not too much on her back, are they? They are able to take the crowd out

:02:50. > :02:52.of it by her play. It's not just Heather Watson who has a problem

:02:53. > :02:59.with this kick serve. One of my favourite jokes from the late, great

:03:00. > :03:07.Tommy Cooper who said to the doctor, "it hurts when I lift my arm up."

:03:08. > :03:14.The doctor said, "don't do it then." It hurts to hit it at head height.

:03:15. > :03:18.So don't do it then. Lauren Davis is much smaller than Heather Watson,

:03:19. > :03:21.how do you do that? It's hard in quick conditions taking it early. If

:03:22. > :03:25.you back off, three meters behind the baseline, you are totally out of

:03:26. > :03:29.the position? That isn't the answer, to back off. If she does back off,

:03:30. > :03:33.let's the ball drop, more difficult to really get something on that ball

:03:34. > :03:37.and then, you know, the next ball you are chasing down so much more

:03:38. > :03:41.ground because she really hits with authority from the back of the

:03:42. > :03:45.court. That is, for me, the biggest improvement in her game. She seemed

:03:46. > :03:50.quite raw last year, when you saw her at Wimbledon. She contained her

:03:51. > :03:56.ground stroke so much more behind that serve. Everything is built from

:03:57. > :04:00.a big platform now. I think she is a real, real star of the Has the

:04:01. > :04:10.future. Set 4-1 lead in this semi-final.

:04:11. > :04:33.-- real star of the future. She has the set 4-1 in this semi-final.

:04:34. > :05:45.No double faults. Only served one in the tournament.

:05:46. > :05:50.There is the feeling of panicking a bit. Have you to do something and

:05:51. > :05:52.make it happen. You over play and suddenly lose control of what the

:05:53. > :06:22.tactics are. That same shot, isn't it? Catch it

:06:23. > :06:48.late, it flies. Madison Keys, a game away from the final.

:06:49. > :06:53.That was an excellent first serve, wasn't it? So nice to get a nice

:06:54. > :07:50.straight-forward point like that. She just got a bit flat? A little

:07:51. > :07:55.bit, slightly reached for that backhand. Didn't quite get the foot

:07:56. > :08:12.work for behind the ball. Getting balanced on it.

:08:13. > :08:41.Well, she won all the mini battles, Madison Keys, the six break points,

:08:42. > :08:45.the two 40-0 games she turned around. A wonderful tournament for

:08:46. > :08:51.Heather Watson. This rising star, Madison Keys, has got her first Tour

:08:52. > :08:59.final to look for. It's the Final of Eastbourne. What a wonderful smile.

:09:00. > :09:04.What an incredible performance. Incredibly mature. The power

:09:05. > :09:08.hitting. An array of serves. Using the big kicker that we know she has.

:09:09. > :09:12.I don't think Heather should be disappointed because that first set

:09:13. > :09:20.was a lot closer than perhaps that scoreline showed. Was beaten by a

:09:21. > :09:25.better player today. She must be thrilled. It's her fourth Tour

:09:26. > :09:30.semi-final. Just 19years. She is ticking all the boxes, isn't she,

:09:31. > :09:34.Madison Keys? Made quarter-final on the grass in Birmingham last year.

:09:35. > :09:39.That gave her some good grass-court confidence. She will take some

:09:40. > :09:43.beating tomorrow, that is for sure, against Angelique Kerber. Just over

:09:44. > :09:47.an hour. 61 minutes it took. Disappointment for the crowd, as it

:09:48. > :09:51.was last night, for England in the World Cup. Heather Watson, it has

:09:52. > :09:59.been another step forwards. First ever top 20 win. She musn't go away

:10:00. > :10:04.too down hearted. Your first WTA Final? I'm really excited. Tell me

:10:05. > :10:08.about how things went for you against Heather this afternoon. It

:10:09. > :10:13.seems to me your game is built for grass? Yeah. I definitely like

:10:14. > :10:17.grass. I think I was serving really well. I returned a couple of good

:10:18. > :10:23.games. That was kind of the Looking ahead match. To tomorrow. Big final,

:10:24. > :10:27.Angelique Kerber of Germany, how do you assess your prospects? She is a

:10:28. > :10:30.great player. We played before. Obviously she is great and is always

:10:31. > :10:37.fighting. It will be a good match. We look forwarded to seeing you on

:10:38. > :10:42.the grass tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen, the Aegon International

:10:43. > :10:49.Final for 2014, Keys Keys. The final tomorrow, to mark the 40th year of

:10:50. > :10:57.this Championship is... Trying to work out what that picture was. Le

:10:58. > :11:03.it is the seafront -- Madison Keys. Who will be the special K here at

:11:04. > :11:10.Eastbourne? 12.45pm tomorrow on BBC Two. From the Women's Singles to the

:11:11. > :11:14.Women's Doubles. Featuring in this surprisingly Martina Hingis. A Grand

:11:15. > :11:19.Slam winner at the age of 16, many moons ago. After several years of

:11:20. > :11:24.deciding what to do with her life, playing again with Flavia Pennetta

:11:25. > :11:37.here in the Ladies Doubles. She has been playing in quite a few other

:11:38. > :11:42.tournaments. She has another final to look forward to tomorrow. The

:11:43. > :11:51.obvious question was - why have you made a comeback? Well, I decided

:11:52. > :11:56.last year, when I was coaching, for two months I was helping her. I knew

:11:57. > :12:00.her from the Academy in France. It was a great time. When I was

:12:01. > :12:06.watching those matches, when they won the doubles in Madrid. It was,

:12:07. > :12:10.um, that made me think of coming back and playing some doubles

:12:11. > :12:25.matches. After team tennis you are always in great shape. It helps you

:12:26. > :12:33.to play singles - doubles mix. Is it the fact it's a drug? The

:12:34. > :12:39.competitive gene inside you never goes away? It's always there. No

:12:40. > :12:43.matter what you do, since I was a little girl, no matter what I did,

:12:44. > :12:47.if I played cards or board game or anything I wanted to win. I don't

:12:48. > :12:52.think there is a single person out there who wants to lose, that is the

:12:53. > :12:58.bottom line. The adrenaline pumping, the butterflies and all that. It's

:12:59. > :13:03.not that the I miss, when I'm 5-2 down, I'm - OK! It's great to be out

:13:04. > :13:10.there It is again. Interesting to say you don't miss losing. I

:13:11. > :13:15.interviewed jack nick lis, the obvious question was - what will you

:13:16. > :13:21.miss the most? He said I know you think I will say winning he said I

:13:22. > :13:26.will miss losing. I hated losing so much it made me determined than ever

:13:27. > :13:31.to win. That is true. Sometimes it, works that way. The moment you lose,

:13:32. > :13:34.you are like, there is somebody better than you out there in this

:13:35. > :13:37.moment. You just want to bounce back stronger sometimes. It really does

:13:38. > :13:43.help, yes. You train harder. You want it more. You are more hungry.

:13:44. > :13:51.As you span two decades effectively of this game now -- Wow! 20 years

:13:52. > :14:03.since I have been coming back to How has Wimbledon. The game changed?

:14:04. > :14:06.That first year, I remember watching you play in the juniors when you

:14:07. > :14:07.were 13? 93-94. How is the way the game is played, is it still pretty

:14:08. > :14:16.much the same or has it changed, do you think? The material has changed,

:14:17. > :14:20.the rackets are faster, the girls are taller, stronger, physically in

:14:21. > :14:32.better shape. I wouldn't say it's got more clever. We had players in

:14:33. > :14:44.the past, you had Martina Navratilova, Chrissie Everitt. You

:14:45. > :14:51.had Capriati who had very good knowledge and Davenport about the

:14:52. > :14:55.game. So many commentate right now I think the knowledge doesn't ever go

:14:56. > :14:58.away. As a player. You feel the game. You feel the momentum going

:14:59. > :15:00.one or the other way. They can bring it really over to the spectators.

:15:01. > :15:03.The that knowledge, you can either use it as a television commentator,

:15:04. > :15:05.or use it as a coach, of course. How much do you enjoy coaching, how

:15:06. > :15:11.frustrating is it sometimes as well? Well, it goes both ways. When your

:15:12. > :15:16.player is winning and it works well, you are there, laid back. It works

:15:17. > :15:20.the strategy you prepared for the player is working. When it gets

:15:21. > :15:27.tight, the moments that you wish, you want to help the player. Go out

:15:28. > :15:30.there and play yourself because now when I decided to play on the

:15:31. > :15:36.doubles I felt, OK, I want to take it on my own hands and not rely on

:15:37. > :15:47.somebody else. Is there even 1% of you that thinks - I might go back on

:15:48. > :15:50.the singles tour? No. 1%. It's the recovery. You play five, six matches

:15:51. > :15:55.in the week. That is really tough. The recovery. I'm not 17 any more.

:15:56. > :16:07.On the subject of coaching. When you hearded that Andy had taken on

:16:08. > :16:12.Mauresmo, with a was your thought? When I first saw the photo I

:16:13. > :16:17.thought, what is that. She is going to coach him. I thought, that is

:16:18. > :16:26.very surprising, the choice is definitely... She helped another

:16:27. > :16:34.player that year. Who did better that year. She has the knowledge.

:16:35. > :16:40.Very surprising. Fancy coaching Rafael Nadal, you? ? No. They are

:16:41. > :16:51.doing very well with the teams they have. Tony has done a tremendous

:16:52. > :16:56.job. A quick word about Queen's on Sunday. A great occasion. You must

:16:57. > :17:01.have enjoyed the entertainment factor, if nothing else? It's really

:17:02. > :17:08.important to bring the future and the kids, all the work she has done,

:17:09. > :17:14.the dedication to the game, what she has done for British tennis. I never

:17:15. > :17:19.played her. The she peaked after my time. I think she is a great

:17:20. > :17:23.personality. What she had to go through and fight through all

:17:24. > :17:28.throughout her career was tremendous will power. It's very admirable. I

:17:29. > :17:32.was very fortunate to be part of that. A final thought about doubles

:17:33. > :17:40.here, doubles at Wimbledon, obviously. If you find yourself

:17:41. > :17:45.nowadays at, I don't know, one set all, 4-4. Yeah. Are you getting

:17:46. > :17:50.pumped? Nervous? Are you able to smile? Whereas 15 years ago you

:17:51. > :17:57.would have been snarling, are you more chilled now or not? No. It gets

:17:58. > :18:07.worse with the age! Actually we were in that situation when we were - I

:18:08. > :18:13.was done almost match point in that first title. We had to finish on

:18:14. > :18:18.Monday 4-1 up in the third. We thought, we want to win the games,

:18:19. > :18:23.bring the title home and that trophy. Keep winning, thank you for

:18:24. > :18:27.joining us. Thank you for having me. Martina Hingis a finalist once again

:18:28. > :18:31.here at Eastbourne in the company of Flavia Pennetta and their opponents

:18:32. > :18:36.in the ladies final will be determined in the next hour or so.

:18:37. > :18:42.Nice shot of Eastbourne, the main street heading up towards Beachy

:18:43. > :18:47.Head at the top. One more match we will bring you, Richard Gasquet,

:18:48. > :18:57.number one seed, playing Denis Istomin. The other semi-final,

:18:58. > :19:02.Feliciano Lopez against Sam Querrey. Talking of Americans with big serves

:19:03. > :19:06.brings us on to Madison Keys. A force to be reckoned with, not just

:19:07. > :19:11.is here, before going forwards? For someone who is 19years of age, the

:19:12. > :19:17.compose sure she brought outon onto the Centre Court. Bearing in mind

:19:18. > :19:22.she is up gets a Brit. Crowd would be very partisan. She completely out

:19:23. > :19:26.powered Heather from the back of the court. When things were tense early

:19:27. > :19:30.on in that first set she found a way to get through it. There wasn't

:19:31. > :19:36.really a lot that Heather could do. You made the point yesterday, and

:19:37. > :19:40.again today, about when she is playing somebody who is do you

:19:41. > :19:47.minutetive that kick serve is almost unplayable? It really is. There is

:19:48. > :19:55.only a few people on the Tour to produce a kick serve like this. The

:19:56. > :19:58.other player won the US Open. You have to have the acceleration behind

:19:59. > :20:04.the head and use that racquet head speed. Some girls can never get hold

:20:05. > :20:10.of it. Some girls have it naturally. I asked Sam - how do you do it? She

:20:11. > :20:15.said, I had it as a young kid and I have always been able to do it.

:20:16. > :20:21.Madison Keys has that. It is such a She is weapon. 5 foot 10. That make

:20:22. > :20:26.as difference. If you are hitting from there the kick you will get is

:20:27. > :20:31.bigger than if you are hitting from there, isn't it? It is coming from a

:20:32. > :20:38.great height. She has a variety of serves. Not just the kick serve. She

:20:39. > :20:45.can flatten it out. Booming down big serves. She was down 0-40. Two games

:20:46. > :20:50.in a row? Comes back with huge serves to close out the game. That

:20:51. > :20:54.is demoralising as an opponent. It shows great strength of character

:20:55. > :20:57.from Keys a great compose sure about how to handle that situation. Almost

:20:58. > :21:08.hitting herself out of trouble? Yeah. She wasn't thinking - I'm 0-40

:21:09. > :21:13.down I will play a few canny shots. She thumps the ball. She has

:21:14. > :21:19.wonderful timing. Timing is a lot of what goes on out there on the court.

:21:20. > :21:22.Laura Robson has incredible natural power off the ground. Which is

:21:23. > :21:27.something you can't teach somebody. They either have the it or they

:21:28. > :21:31.don't. Madison Keys has a loose relaxed way of hitting the ball.

:21:32. > :21:34.What is coming out of the strings has such weight attached to it. We

:21:35. > :21:40.often talk about players, in terms of the weight of shot, that is

:21:41. > :21:45.everything. People who played Pete Sampras orring a gill or Federer the

:21:46. > :21:49.weight of shot coming at you pushes you backwards. Madison Keys has the

:21:50. > :21:54.ability to push the opponent back behind that baseline with the weight

:21:55. > :21:59.of shot she carries. There is the ability of youth to just say - what

:22:00. > :22:02.the hell! Caroline Wozniacki was talking yesterday, when she came up

:22:03. > :22:07.here, about how, as the years go by, she is hardly a veteran at 23, she

:22:08. > :22:11.has so much experience behind her that she say - I'm often in danger

:22:12. > :22:15.of thinking about the game too much. If Madison Keys, 19, almost having

:22:16. > :22:19.her first year of really playing on the Tour week in and week out, can

:22:20. > :22:24.adapt a more cavalier approach almost? Her character is a very

:22:25. > :22:29.relaxed character, isn't it? The Tour life is incredibly stressful.

:22:30. > :22:34.To keep reproducing performances week in and week out - Maybe she is

:22:35. > :22:38.still excited about it? I think so she is. Will take it on the stride

:22:39. > :22:42.and take the losses on the chin. As a junior, when you are breaking

:22:43. > :22:47.through, if you are used to winning a lot as a junior you hit the senior

:22:48. > :22:52.Tour you will have setbacks. It's how you carry yourself forward. She

:22:53. > :23:00.strikes me as someone who will take it in her stride. The fact she said

:23:01. > :23:07.when someone con congratulated you on her quarter-final win, they said,

:23:08. > :23:12.well done on your win, but hope you lose tomorrow. She just laughed it

:23:13. > :23:19.off. Both her parents are lawyers, how relevant is that? Very relevant.

:23:20. > :23:24.Heather will be disappointed she would have felt she was on an upward

:23:25. > :23:29.curve. She was beaten by a better player? She was. Someone who outis

:23:30. > :23:33.powered her. That will be a problem for Heather. She does lack the sort

:23:34. > :23:37.of power that we saw in the difference in that weight of shot

:23:38. > :23:42.with Madison Keys today. There is so much to admire of what Heather has

:23:43. > :23:46.put out here this week will project her into Wimbledon with a lot of

:23:47. > :23:51.confidence. First win over a top 20 player in Pennetta. Her serve has

:23:52. > :23:55.improved. The forehand doesn't break down as much as it used to with

:23:56. > :24:00.Heather. Moving well. Enjoyed herself and had a terrific week. At

:24:01. > :24:06.the start of the year she dropped to 160 in the world. She is making her

:24:07. > :24:11.way back up in the rankings. She is in the 70s. She will go higher than

:24:12. > :24:17.that. It will be a positive week. What about Keys against Kerber, the

:24:18. > :24:22.Kerber Wozniacki match was nip and tuck and Kerber played fantastic

:24:23. > :24:27.tennis? She really did. She won it over the long-haul. She, she ground

:24:28. > :24:33.out almost like a marathon-style. She came through towards the end of

:24:34. > :24:37.the match. Two-and-a-half hour absolute slog fest. She doesn't

:24:38. > :24:41.possess a big serve. The second serve was a little bit suspect.

:24:42. > :24:46.Madison Keys might beat her in the final. I will put myself out on a

:24:47. > :24:51.limb there. Kerber has beaten her on both occasions. One including this

:24:52. > :24:55.year. Something tells me, if she can produce the tennis she produced

:24:56. > :24:58.today against Heather Watson on a grass-court. They haven't met on

:24:59. > :25:03.grass before, that will make a significant difference. She has this

:25:04. > :25:06.ability to out power people. The Kerber, great ball striker and a

:25:07. > :25:12.very, very good defender. It will be interesting. You will have

:25:13. > :25:17.experience up against youth. Her tenacity and core strength, it is

:25:18. > :25:20.one of the buzz phrases about sport, the core strength that Angelique

:25:21. > :25:24.Kerber has, the rallies in that match. One side of the court, to the

:25:25. > :25:31.other, to the other, to the other, 1 o 0 meter sprint for 20 shots. It

:25:32. > :25:36.was, exhausting to watch. 200 meters in 20, 10 meter sprints. It really

:25:37. > :25:42.was like that. Yet, her strength, her core strength to keep getting

:25:43. > :25:46.the ball back on court, it's extraordinary? She has a strong

:25:47. > :25:52.physique and strong legs. You need to have strong legs to play tennis.

:25:53. > :26:06.She took a decision about three years ago, they showed each other

:26:07. > :26:11.how they trained. They went away and put in the work. Kerber who had lost

:26:12. > :26:16.to Laura Robson in the first round at Wimbledon. Since that time she

:26:17. > :26:21.went up into the top of the game. Up to the Top 10. Fitness and movement

:26:22. > :26:27.is a massive part of what Kerber can do on the court. She doesn't have a

:26:28. > :26:32.serve. Her weaponry is the chucking down of the balls. Dangerous

:26:33. > :26:36.on-the-run. Flick the wrist, defence into attack. It Fascinating

:26:37. > :26:49.combination. She doesn't give much away with her body language. She is

:26:50. > :27:07.quite calm out there. To mark your card. Heather Watson next match of

:27:08. > :27:13.consequence is... Andy Murray will play his opponent from Belgium. He

:27:14. > :27:16.is in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic. That potentially

:27:17. > :27:19.means Murray against Djokovic semi-final. The anyway, an awful lot

:27:20. > :27:25.of tennis to be played between Monday and Friday week. Two weeks

:27:26. > :27:32.today will be the Men's Singles semi-finals at women Wimbledon?

:27:33. > :27:36.Exciting. Who will be in the semi-finals? Murray, for sure. For

:27:37. > :27:42.sure? I think so. I think he will get there. I think his tennis needs

:27:43. > :27:46.to be going into Wimbledon. Djokovic, Nadal is the one we are

:27:47. > :27:50.not sure about. I need to study the draw to see who is in his path way.

:27:51. > :27:55.I'm concerned for him, he has won two matches going into Wimbledon,

:27:56. > :28:02.two matches on a grass-court in two years. Not a lot of match wins. Lost

:28:03. > :28:12.first round in Halla. He will not feel that confident. He would almost

:28:13. > :28:17.expect to win them. We will see gas in a second. Nadal, if he can get

:28:18. > :28:21.through the first couple of of rounds he will become much more

:28:22. > :28:27.dangerous. Once he finds his footing and rhythm and gets everything going

:28:28. > :28:37.on the grass courts. If he comes up against someone who is effective,

:28:38. > :29:02.slice balls, put variety in. A huge serve. We will let you go and wander

:29:03. > :29:08.up to the commentary match. Who are you putting in the semi-finals? I am

:29:09. > :29:14.asking the questions. I need to look at the draw. Is Federer a contender

:29:15. > :29:20.Of course. To win it? You can't rule him out. It's less likely than it

:29:21. > :29:26.was a year ago. I will put it like that. He has had a better start to

:29:27. > :29:31.2014 than he did last year. You can never rule out Federer, of course

:29:32. > :29:36.you can't. I will stick Federer in the semis. Nadal I'm not so sure

:29:37. > :29:41.about. Our coverage begins on Monday morning, obviously. The Men's Final

:29:42. > :29:46.from last year, Djokovic against Murray, you can't see it live. I

:29:47. > :29:58.will let you into a secret, Murray wins! 10.45am tomorrow on BBC Two

:29:59. > :30:06.and How Andy Won Wimbledon is on Monday.

:30:07. > :30:15.Now we have Feliciano Lopez and Sam Querrey, they are the second

:30:16. > :30:20.semi-finals later on. Gasquet's backhand, if nothing else, is always

:30:21. > :30:21.a source of joy. Annabel is off to enjoy that and the rest of the

:30:22. > :30:38.match. . the number one from Uzbekistan, with

:30:39. > :30:44.one of the most attractive single-handed backhand is ever seen,

:30:45. > :30:47.Richard Gasquet. Istomin, he has beaten Gasquet before in their last

:30:48. > :30:59.meeting. It was a couple of years ago, the quarterfinals of Sydney, on

:31:00. > :31:02.a hard court. Gasquet won their first two meetings, starting at the

:31:03. > :31:07.Australian Open five years ago, the second round in straight sets. Twice

:31:08. > :31:13.a champion on grass. This event, when it used to be held in

:31:14. > :31:17.Nottingham, in 2005-2006, he reigned supreme. It is moving back to

:31:18. > :31:21.Nottingham next year, with the extra grass court week before Wimbledon.

:31:22. > :31:27.The third semifinal of the year to look forward to for Gasquet.

:31:28. > :31:31.Celebrated his 28th birthday last Wednesday. He has won the spin of

:31:32. > :31:34.the coin and elected to serve, in the first of the men's semifinals

:31:35. > :32:15.here in Eastbourne. Out, but not by much. Top seed here,

:32:16. > :32:58.Gasquet, this week. Ranked 14, seven of his career high from July 2007.

:32:59. > :33:04.Istomin has played some very good tennis this year. Came into this

:33:05. > :33:05.tournament winning four matches in the year. Gasquet has been

:33:06. > :33:32.struggling with a back problem. That is fabulous touch. And not at

:33:33. > :34:10.full pelt, Gasquet. That is lovely touch, too. If you

:34:11. > :34:21.have a great single-handed That is lovely touch, too. If you

:34:22. > :34:22.you normally volley well. He does. He always wants to have the winning

:34:23. > :35:17.ball back, like Murray. A good opening game for the top

:35:18. > :35:27.seed. Denis Istomin will be looking to do the same. His route through,

:35:28. > :35:30.it tight match in the first round. And then he beat the fourth seed,

:35:31. > :36:11.TMO Garcia Lopez. -- DMO. I mentioned his consistent year,

:36:12. > :36:12.Istomin. Approaching his career high, 33 in August a couple of years

:36:13. > :36:34.ago. He has a good all-round game, very

:36:35. > :36:39.solid. He is a good move, good thinker. Men #1 not many play in

:36:40. > :36:48.these shades, but he normally does, Istomin.

:36:49. > :36:56.If you haven't seen him play before, it is incredible, his career,

:36:57. > :37:03.because in 2001 he had a car accident, injuring his leg, that

:37:04. > :37:07.required surgery and 80 stitches. He spent three months in hospital. Let

:37:08. > :37:14.alone the recuperation. He did not touch a racquet for two years. He

:37:15. > :37:20.came back to the sport in April 2003, training. So all that hard

:37:21. > :37:28.work, a long time ago now, but that is a pretty major recovery. And now

:37:29. > :37:32.looking for a final on the grass at Eastbourne, which would be his third

:37:33. > :37:45.tour final. An equally impressive opening service game, too.

:37:46. > :37:49.Tricky. Everybody is looking for the position of the sun. A nice problem

:37:50. > :39:01.to deal with, though. Eight out of ten points on serve for

:39:02. > :39:09.Gasquet. Seven minutes, the first sit down. Just going back to

:39:10. > :39:13.Istomin, Annabel, as you have hotfooted it from the studio, it is

:39:14. > :39:20.an amazing story. It was a long time ago now, but tennis players are

:39:21. > :39:23.pretty hardy, aren't they? They are always carrying something every

:39:24. > :39:29.week, putting up with pain. Their power of recovery surprises many.

:39:30. > :39:33.That is a good point. Most players play with some kind of niggling

:39:34. > :39:37.injury, constantly in and out of treatment rooms, having trainers and

:39:38. > :39:40.tape put on their bodies to hold them together. But they are

:39:41. > :39:46.incredibly resilient. It is something they have to deal with on

:39:47. > :39:50.a day-to-day basis. Gasquet is having to nurture his back for the

:39:51. > :39:54.last few weeks. It is such a shame because he is such a beautiful

:39:55. > :39:59.tennis player. So many of us admire what he does on the court, that

:40:00. > :40:03.beautiful single-handed backhand, such a creative tennis player. He

:40:04. > :40:06.had that great run through the US Open in September last year when he

:40:07. > :40:11.reached the semifinals for the first time. You felt he was really making

:40:12. > :40:15.headway back up the rankings, and suddenly you get halted by injury.

:40:16. > :40:19.It is the much the same thing with Del P, one of the most exciting

:40:20. > :40:23.players on the tour. It took him about three years to recover from

:40:24. > :40:26.wrist surgery. Just as he was getting back into form, he has been

:40:27. > :40:31.knocked back with another wrist injury. So disappointing. We wish

:40:32. > :41:44.him well, that is the shore. The game misses him.

:41:45. > :41:57.Well, he had choices, Gasquet. The one he chose was executed

:41:58. > :42:04.magnificently. He got himself very set, didn't he?

:42:05. > :43:19.Perhaps Istomin was guilty of not doing enough with the volley.

:43:20. > :43:24.Great variety already from Gasquet. The net clearance, the spins. Two

:43:25. > :44:40.break points. 120 form isles per hour. -- 124 four

:44:41. > :45:36.miles per hour. That was a good save from 15-40.

:45:37. > :45:43.There is one of the great clay-court players, Gasquet's coach for quite a

:45:44. > :45:47.while now. Great to see the old stars back inside the coaching

:45:48. > :45:49.boxes, isn't it? Yes, and they have enjoyed meeting up with old rivals

:45:50. > :46:03.on the tour. He is a very busy person at the back

:46:04. > :46:18.of the court. He is at the change of ends, too,

:46:19. > :46:20.Gasquet. If you want to know how to re-grip a racquet, just watch him.

:46:21. > :46:47.Every single sit town. -- sit down. It is almost like a superstition.

:46:48. > :47:30.You are not telling me tennis players are superstitious!

:47:31. > :47:37.His coaches sitting in the stand behind Gasquet's serving. -- his

:47:38. > :48:43.coach is sitting. Now, is he going to do a re-grip?

:48:44. > :48:48.Drink first? He usually starts straightaway, so maybe not this

:48:49. > :48:55.time. Maybe he does not do it on grass. The points are shorter, the

:48:56. > :49:00.rallies are not as long, so the grip is not wearing out as much. Maybe it

:49:01. > :49:06.is different for him on grass. We have talked it up a lot, I can't

:49:07. > :49:10.believe he is not doing it. I will be very disappointed if we don't see

:49:11. > :49:17.one now. It does not look like it is happening. He looks relaxed. He has

:49:18. > :49:21.played so well on the grass. He has performed well at Wimbledon, too,

:49:22. > :49:27.some Epic games against Andy Murray. His game seems to adapt to whatever

:49:28. > :49:31.surface he is playing. I always enjoy watching him play because he

:49:32. > :49:39.is a very beautiful tennis player, very artistic. There is the half

:49:40. > :49:44.grip that you were talking about. He has an accentuated but on the bottom

:49:45. > :49:48.of the racquet handle. He has had it built to his own specification and

:49:49. > :49:53.feel, basically. But no one plays with a racquet looked up like that

:49:54. > :51:07.right at the end of the grip. It is bulging, isn't it?

:51:08. > :51:09.Pristine clean for Istomin, everything getting ready for

:51:10. > :51:25.Wimbledon. That is a clean strike with that

:51:26. > :53:33.serve, isn't it? You can hear it coming out of the strings.

:53:34. > :53:46.We are seeing all the skills so far. This was a beautiful drop shot.

:53:47. > :53:47.Quite an exaggerated take back on the backhand, holding the racquet

:53:48. > :54:18.face out in front of his body. That was an overrule. I don't think

:54:19. > :54:28.Gasquet is terribly impressed with that.

:54:29. > :54:44.Super. That is the trademark, isn't it? Beautiful stroke, even off the

:54:45. > :54:45.back foot. He has so much feel. He definitely wanted that ball back

:54:46. > :55:16.again. Another one of his habits. He does play very deep at times,

:55:17. > :55:19.Gasquet, particularly on clay. I suppose he uses so much top-spin, he

:55:20. > :55:33.feels comfortable back there. On a grass court, it is tough. He is

:55:34. > :55:40.trying to play closer to the baseline this week. Now he is really

:55:41. > :55:51.cross. He is asking Istomin. I don't know what Istomin said.

:55:52. > :55:58.It is difficult. When you ask your opponent, what are they going to

:55:59. > :56:04.say? That happened at the French this year. Murray gave up a point,

:56:05. > :56:17.didn't he? Well, that was a good hold from

:56:18. > :56:28.0-30. They are pretty even on that score. Number one from France,

:56:29. > :56:34.Richard Gasquet. They have had so many, since the last to win a home

:56:35. > :56:37.major in 1983, knocking on the door. They have such flair, flamboyance,

:56:38. > :56:43.the French. It is just going the extra mile. Yes, taking it up a

:56:44. > :56:47.notch to challenge at the highest level. Mentally, everyone has aways

:56:48. > :56:54.felt that he perhaps did not quite believe in himself against the very

:56:55. > :56:58.best players. Like those matches you were talking about, against Murray

:56:59. > :57:06.at Wimbledon. He led two sets to zero in that set. He had the match

:57:07. > :57:11.point. And Murray ended up in the crowd, virtually. Istomin is flying

:57:12. > :57:15.his flag with pride, number one from that part of the world. He is

:57:16. > :57:22.approaching his career high of 33 in August couple of years ago. He is a

:57:23. > :57:27.really good, tough, seasoned pros now at 27. You have to play very

:57:28. > :57:29.well to beat him. I remember his match against Andy Murray at the

:57:30. > :57:35.U.S. Open last year on the hard courts, a night feature match. He

:57:36. > :57:41.pushed Murray all the way. It was four sets, but very tight. Have you

:57:42. > :57:53.been up on the PA yet? A long time ago, but not this year yet. It is a

:57:54. > :58:07.super spot. New balls in play on serve in this opening set.

:58:08. > :58:12.I don't think Richard can believe it because on a couple of balls, he

:58:13. > :58:23.felt his serve was almost identical to that.

:58:24. > :58:29.She is standing at quite an angle, isn't she, moving almost across to

:58:30. > :58:34.the tram line to then call the line inside on the service line. It is to

:58:35. > :58:36.get a better view because Gasquet stands right on the line, as does

:58:37. > :59:03.Istomin. He is totally white, isn't he? Not

:59:04. > :59:10.predominantly white, for Wimbledon. I don't think he has any colour in

:59:11. > :59:21.his shoes. White glasses, bandanna, but his racquet spoils it a bit.

:59:22. > :59:27.There is good disguise on the serve. They have played each other three

:59:28. > :59:28.times but Gasquet did not move then, did not have any clue where that was

:59:29. > :59:48.going. In all its glory, in the sunshine,

:59:49. > :59:55.one of the best single-handed backhand is of all time.

:59:56. > :00:19.On the back foot when he played that one as well, going backwards.

:00:20. > :00:32.Istomin played at Queen's lost in the second round. His sixth visit in

:00:33. > :00:35.this event. Second semi-final beaten by Lopez. Who of course he beat

:00:36. > :01:25.second round here, Istomin. He always looks a little bit

:01:26. > :01:32.troubled on court, doesn't he, Gasquet? More stressed, the opposite

:01:33. > :01:36.of what we were talking about with Madison Keys and Caroline Wozniacki.

:01:37. > :01:48.The with Gasquet I always think he looks uptight and worried, actually.

:01:49. > :02:01.There's that take back and just that incredible acceleration through the

:02:02. > :03:09.ball. Gasquet to five first. Gasquet

:03:10. > :03:17.seeded 13 at Wimbledon. Plays the Aussie in the first round. Bottom

:03:18. > :03:29.half of the draw. Nadal is the danger man. Istomin plays the 32nd

:03:30. > :03:36.seed from Russia. Business to be done here first on the south coast.

:03:37. > :03:46.Yeah, Istomin in that same section of the draw as Wawrinka. He is

:03:47. > :03:52.getting his form back after a little When he dip. Arrived in Paris he

:03:53. > :03:56.thought the pressure was too much. Having strived so hard and upset all

:03:57. > :04:00.the odds to win a Major, he struggled to cope with it. When you

:04:01. > :04:04.dream of it, you want to do it, you want to achieve it. Like they want

:04:05. > :04:09.to make the final here in Eastbourne. So often you are used to

:04:10. > :04:14.losing because only one player ends up winning each week. What John was

:04:15. > :04:17.asking at the start about the semi-final line-up potentially for

:04:18. > :04:21.Wimbledon. Without looking at the draw it's impossible to say. When

:04:22. > :04:35.you look at Federer's draw he has a decent draw, I would say. Istomin

:04:36. > :04:56.4-5, first set. If you keep your eye on Gasquet when

:04:57. > :05:01.Istomin serves his hit. He is having trouble reading it. He is sort of

:05:02. > :05:13.reacting to the serve. Better that time. Backed off a bit

:05:14. > :05:21.too to get a bit more time to get a read. Do you look for ball toss or

:05:22. > :05:27.points where they go? Most of the players look for the ball toss

:05:28. > :05:42.little things they get used to wish opponent as to what they think

:05:43. > :05:47.they're going to do. One opponent's tongue hung out one side or the

:05:48. > :05:51.other and they knew which way they were going to serve. That is how the

:05:52. > :05:52.opponent read which way they were going to serve. It's quite

:05:53. > :06:17.interesting. Little tight on that forehand,

:06:18. > :06:38.Istomin. Now, this is an opportunity on the

:06:39. > :07:04.second serve here. Mixing it up. Gasquet throwing in

:07:05. > :07:13.the slice. Off the forehand and the backhand. Rewarded with a set point.

:07:14. > :07:19.He has a habit of just touching the baseline with his racquet, doesn't

:07:20. > :07:33.he, before he gets into position. It's wide! He's got his eyes on the

:07:34. > :07:36.title here, Gasquet. No doubt about that. 35 minutes, takes the opening

:07:37. > :07:51.set. It with come down to one or two

:07:52. > :07:56.points, like it did just there. You can apply scoreboard pressure, get

:07:57. > :08:00.to yourself 30-30 in a service game. Send the jitters up that happened

:08:01. > :08:04.player. They miss their first serve, get an opportunity on the second

:08:05. > :08:09.serve and suddenly the set is gone. Didn't get a breaker's service

:08:10. > :08:15.Istomin in that set or break point. That is the first port of call for

:08:16. > :08:24.him. The first serve percentage of Gasquet was low, but won all the

:08:25. > :08:34.points behind it. Only lost the one, 13 from 14. Impressive.

:08:35. > :08:39.Now, plenty of other sport this year. Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

:08:40. > :08:56.on the menu. It's Commonwealth Gold medallists.

:08:57. > :09:04.He gets it! Inn Thorpe is getting a standing ovation from this crowd.

:09:05. > :09:07.That was magnificent. Commonwealth Gold. The here comes the challenge.

:09:08. > :09:34.Oh, it was so close. Plenty more besides, of course,ing

:09:35. > :09:37.can the Open golf and Wimbledon starting Monday. It's a feast of

:09:38. > :09:52.sport. He is playing a pretty tasty match

:09:53. > :10:36.here, Gasquet. Set up, about to serve first serve, second set.

:10:37. > :10:39.I was going to say, that is so disappointing, isn't it, when you

:10:40. > :10:44.have just thrown in a good kick serve. This is where men are

:10:45. > :10:46.interesting on the Tour, how they vary their kick serve, in terms of

:10:47. > :10:57.being a first serve. Throw their opponent off balance.

:10:58. > :11:01.Istomin probably expecting a bigger, flatter first serve. He throws in

:11:02. > :11:30.the kicker. It unsettles your rhythm at the back there.

:11:31. > :11:36.No wonder Istomin had a look down the court. The shape of that swing,

:11:37. > :11:42.the flick of the wrist, it goes for a clean winner. It's almost a look

:11:43. > :11:46.of - how on earth do you do that? He's that sort of player, Gasquet.

:11:47. > :12:06.Yeah, he is. That is another late. Late, wasn't

:12:07. > :12:21.it? You have to keep relying on the

:12:22. > :12:46.umpire that is going to overrule. It it gets everybody on edge out here.

:12:47. > :13:05.Took this volley very casually. Must have been confident he was going to

:13:06. > :14:06.make it. Dropped the racquet face almost as he played that. It worked.

:14:07. > :14:11.Can't believe it, Gasquet. He just cannot believe it. He is talking to

:14:12. > :14:21.Istomin again. Who say it is was out. Furthest line away from him.

:14:22. > :14:26.Tough one to overrule on. That was well out, wasn't it? My instinct was

:14:27. > :14:31.that it was out. It was because it was a high bouncing. When they come

:14:32. > :14:34.down almost vertically near that line. It sometimes is a little bit

:14:35. > :14:46.difficult to see. That's a great serve. You can use

:14:47. > :14:48.that frustration, irritation, and draw upon it to put in your best

:14:49. > :15:32.serve. He's another one that's very

:15:33. > :15:37.dangerous on-the-run, isn't he, when he is in a defensive position. Very

:15:38. > :15:42.much we say that about Andy Murray, when he is pushed on-the-run, on the

:15:43. > :15:44.defensive, flick of the wrist, and he can come up with some of his best

:15:45. > :16:03.shots. He's just finding a few things to

:16:04. > :16:19.get a bit irritated about at the moment, Gasquet.

:16:20. > :16:28.Oh, what a return! That will frustrate him further. Istomin's

:16:29. > :17:35.first break point. UMPIRE: Advantage, Gasquet. He goes

:17:36. > :17:39.for a bit of a walk, doesn't he, Gasquet. Like I said before, he is

:17:40. > :17:44.busy before he gets this ball into play.

:17:45. > :17:55.That's good hold. Tightening the rins, Gasquet. UMPIRE: First game,

:17:56. > :17:59.second set. Good proportion of the crowd have stayed too, enjoying the

:18:00. > :18:04.tennis in the sunshine. 40 years the women. Not as long as that the men.

:18:05. > :18:09.They have been in Nottingham before going back here. Going back to

:18:10. > :18:15.Nottingham next year with the extra week on the grass at Wimbledon

:18:16. > :18:21.before the French. UMPIRE: Seats please. Everybody is pleased there

:18:22. > :18:24.is this extra week. When you have the Australia Open in January, there

:18:25. > :18:28.is quite a long delay it between the next Grand Slam at the French Open

:18:29. > :18:33.in May. Suddenly, back-to-back, a couple of weeks in between. It just

:18:34. > :18:37.doesn't seem long enough. You need just that extra bit of time to

:18:38. > :18:52.adjust from clay to grass. More time to prepare for such a big event.

:18:53. > :19:01.Extraordinary that Borg managed to win Wimbledon and the French Open

:19:02. > :19:04.the same year, three times, with no warm-up, grass-court tournament.

:19:05. > :19:14.Really is a remarkable achievement. Really is.

:19:15. > :19:21.Grass played a lot differently back then too. Yeah, the markings on the

:19:22. > :19:29.court were so different, weren't they? You wouldn't get the markings

:19:30. > :19:32.we see today, all the markings around the baseline and the net

:19:33. > :19:38.area. It's almost fresh around there, isn't it? Hard to believe.

:19:39. > :19:44.Before it was like a definite If you T. Laid over the court of the '70s

:19:45. > :19:45.and 80s on a grass-court now, it would be phenomenonal the difference

:19:46. > :20:04.in change. The baseline's must get so much more

:20:05. > :20:07.chewed up now, musn't they? When you think Wimbledon courts have to take

:20:08. > :20:15.a hammering for two weeks. Let alone what we see here for one week.

:20:16. > :20:28.So 1-1. We have seen Dirk courtside a couple of times. Maybe he is

:20:29. > :20:39.looking at Istomin. He has coached many players.

:20:40. > :20:50.He has been predominantly coached by his mother, Istomin. Claudia.

:20:51. > :21:02.Such a fascinating debate that, isn't it? Yeah.

:21:03. > :21:15.Always wants that winning ball back. The boy and girls team get used to

:21:16. > :22:03.it. They get it to him pretty quickly too.

:22:04. > :22:09.Dropped five points on the first serve so far, Gasquet. Another love

:22:10. > :22:21.game. UMPIRE: Gasquet leads, 2-1. You had

:22:22. > :22:24.time now, Annabel, since the news broke of Murray's new appointment,

:22:25. > :22:31.mauls mauls, what do you make of it all? I'm instreegd by it. Andy has

:22:32. > :23:12.thought outside the box, hasn't he. Intrigued. -- mauls mauls. -- d.

:23:13. > :23:27.Added to that this unbelievable combination with Lendl. He hadn't

:23:28. > :23:33.been seen around the tennis world for 20 years. He could identify with

:23:34. > :23:38.what Lendl had been through. The rest is history. This is thinking

:23:39. > :23:42.outside. I'm more intrigued as to what he hopes he will give her. He

:23:43. > :23:46.is one of the greatest tacticians out there. I can't imagine it would

:23:47. > :23:56.be tactics. I think it's something else.

:23:57. > :24:03.Set down, Istomin. Talked about sensitivity and more the emotional

:24:04. > :24:08.side of things, hasn't he. I wonder whether he feels that, I don't know,

:24:09. > :24:22.he said it himself, his mum was a good listenering. She understands

:24:23. > :24:27.him better than anybody. -- listener. Maybe Julie Murray feels

:24:28. > :24:38.it's easier for her to speak to another woman, in relation to

:24:39. > :24:44.talking about her son. Yeah, maybe. She's very well-respected. She will

:24:45. > :24:50.teach him a thing or two about wine. She has a fantastic cellar, that's

:24:51. > :24:52.for sure. He doesn't drink! He will still learn about it, the different

:24:53. > :25:15.labels. She likes her red wine. Regularly around the 120mph, 124mph

:25:16. > :25:47.mark the serve, but so well placed. That is a switch up that's been

:25:48. > :25:51.brilliantly dealt with by Istomin. A real attack to the net, wasn't it.

:25:52. > :25:56.Not easy with a single hander to jump into that ball and generate

:25:57. > :25:59.enough pace off that return of serve. As you say, Istomin dealt

:26:00. > :26:24.with that one. Very good at pulling you out of

:26:25. > :26:28.position, Gasquet. Great use of the angles there. Making you feel

:26:29. > :27:03.awkward and uncomfortable. Again, such quick hands from

:27:04. > :27:52.Gasquet. A little flick of the wrist, for the half-volley.

:27:53. > :28:00.UMPIRE: Game, Gasquet. COMMENTATOR: Remains unbroken, the

:28:01. > :28:03.Frenchman. UMPIRE: Gasquet leads, 3-2.

:28:04. > :28:08.COMMENTATOR: Grass, I imagine, would have a special place in Gasquet's

:28:09. > :28:13.heart. He won ten titles, but his first was on grass 200 a 5 in

:28:14. > :28:20.Nottingham which he backed up the following year. So many players find

:28:21. > :28:27.it hard to back up a defending title. He did it successfully on

:28:28. > :28:32.this surface. Why don't the French have a grass-court tournament in

:28:33. > :28:40.France? They do so well on the surface. Mauresmo Wimbledon Champion

:28:41. > :28:46.and so on. You think of the French players as being attacking players.

:28:47. > :28:50.A lot of them serve volleying. Some of them have great volleys and

:28:51. > :28:54.skills around the net area. As you said, they are very, very creative

:28:55. > :29:00.tennis players. Very flamboyant as well. Yeah, interesting they don't

:29:01. > :29:05.have a grass-court event. Perhaps they will add It would one. Be

:29:06. > :29:09.logical if they had bid for it, you would have one in France straight

:29:10. > :29:14.after the French. Very good point. They seem to be technically very

:29:15. > :29:17.sound the French as well. They always have beautiful slice

:29:18. > :29:21.backhands. They have the variety and ability to change up the pace. That

:29:22. > :29:25.is what Gasquet is able to do on a grass-court as well. He has the mix

:29:26. > :29:31.of the topspin, backhand, flick of the wrist. Le beautiful slice back

:29:32. > :29:36.as well. You need the skills on a grass-court to Jong Un settle the

:29:37. > :30:55.rhythm of an opponent. Istomin a set down, 2-3 down. -- just unsettle.

:30:56. > :31:03.I never tire of watching that backhand. Is it the best for you?

:31:04. > :31:05.There are a view to choose from. I cannot say one is better than the

:31:06. > :31:36.other because they are different. The latest one to look out for is

:31:37. > :32:01.the exciting Austrian. He reminds me a bit of Boris Becker.

:32:02. > :32:17.There it is again. He was just waiting for the right shot unleash

:32:18. > :32:18.it, wasn't he? Istomin keeps asking the question and gets a very firm

:32:19. > :32:54.answer. Super defence. The amount of

:32:55. > :32:59.top-spin on that last shot, amazing. He did so well with that very high

:33:00. > :33:02.lob, didn't he, made a difficult smash from the baseline for Istomin

:33:03. > :33:38.and got himself back involved in the point.

:33:39. > :33:45.He got there, too. It was a painful run at the start. He has been

:33:46. > :33:47.stretching his back a little at times in this match, and this will

:33:48. > :34:15.have really stretched it. He is almost toying with Istomin,

:34:16. > :34:19.isn't he? Slowly, effortlessly chipping the ball back with no pace

:34:20. > :35:01.on it to try to nullify the power coming at him.

:35:02. > :35:16.Well, that was ambitious. Tempted by the success earlier, I guess. But he

:35:17. > :35:21.hands Gasquet the break. Just the one required for the first set. I

:35:22. > :35:24.did feel it was a matter of time before he was going to get it. It

:35:25. > :35:34.felt he was getting a hold on the match, didn't it? Most players find

:35:35. > :35:35.it much more difficult to play drop shots off the forehand compared to

:35:36. > :36:01.the backhand. Oh, a slip! Oh, my word! Oh, my

:36:02. > :36:10.goodness me! That is some recovery! He didn't know much about that shot.

:36:11. > :36:20.I am surprised Gasquet wasn't laughing after that one.

:36:21. > :36:28.Only just. It was actually coming back in. If he had been given a bit

:36:29. > :37:23.more time, it might have made it. Too good. Very short take back on

:37:24. > :37:25.the return of serve. Look at the footwork to get the ball out in

:37:26. > :37:55.front of his body. Oh, no! He will be frustrated with

:37:56. > :38:00.himself. He does not miss that too often. Third break point for

:38:01. > :38:24.Istomin, who has not broken yet. Second ace. He has an interesting

:38:25. > :38:26.way of bouncing the ball before serving, almost like a basketball

:38:27. > :38:35.technique. He is on a hat-trick. So was someone

:38:36. > :39:18.else last night. Another good hold. Another break

:39:19. > :39:25.point saved. And looking for his third grass court final. He is one

:39:26. > :39:30.game away. They keep plenty of rackets in their bags these days,

:39:31. > :39:36.all different tensions. All different styles of tension, too,

:39:37. > :39:56.and strings. It has transformed the sport, the string technique, more

:39:57. > :40:00.than anything. There have been so many changes in strings, haven't

:40:01. > :40:05.there? And in terms of the pattern of strings in racquets as well. I

:40:06. > :40:08.know that Andy Murray has changed it significantly, recently, actually.

:40:09. > :40:13.It is to do with the down strings, cross strings, how many, whether you

:40:14. > :40:22.have natural gut or a mixture with synthetic. And attention, obviously.

:40:23. > :40:25.They need an array of tensions. You constantly see players sending off

:40:26. > :40:26.racquets in the middle of matches because of the changing conditions

:40:27. > :42:31.out there. Well, he has sparkled off his back

:42:32. > :42:32.and, Gasquet. Nothing wrong with the forehand, setting up two match

:42:33. > :42:54.points. That will do it. Absolute delight

:42:55. > :43:00.for Richard Gasquet. It is his third grass court final. 22nd career final

:43:01. > :43:05.to look forward to. He has won his previous two. He looked pretty

:43:06. > :43:08.impressive today. He went from strength to strength and the

:43:09. > :43:14.backhand really starting to fire by the end. Even when he was down break

:43:15. > :43:17.points, his serve seemed to go up a couple of notches. He really enjoyed

:43:18. > :43:26.himself and certainly the crowd enjoyed watching him out there. And

:43:27. > :43:31.a good hand for Denis Istomin as well. Winning in one hour and 11

:43:32. > :43:35.minutes. That will help his back. And in the heat. It is going rather

:43:36. > :43:44.nicely for Richard Gasquet, his preparation for Wimbledon. Always a

:43:45. > :43:53.dangerous opponent. He is such a talent, has so much choice at his

:43:54. > :43:59.disposal. Of course, in the final, he will play either the defending

:44:00. > :44:07.champion, Lopez, or Sam Querrey, the American. Neither of those will be

:44:08. > :44:11.easy. And Matt Chilton will be asking him the questions. That is a

:44:12. > :44:17.dangerous bondage point! It is, isn't it? Maybe he

:44:18. > :44:18.dangerous bondage point! It is, repair work and caught a bit of

:44:19. > :44:32.tennis at the same time. Richard, congratulations, through to

:44:33. > :44:37.the Aegon International final. You must be happy with the way you

:44:38. > :44:41.played. I played well. It was a good match for me. The first set was

:44:42. > :44:47.important and I took confidence. He is a good player, so I am happy to

:44:48. > :44:51.be in the final. How will you prepare for the final? What is your

:44:52. > :44:56.strategy? To relax today, to see the other semifinal. Tomorrow will be a

:44:57. > :45:00.great final for me and I am happy to be there, playing a final before

:45:01. > :45:06.Wimbledon. I hope to win and I will try my best. Do you have a

:45:07. > :45:09.preference for Lopez or Sam Querrey? Both are very good, with a good

:45:10. > :45:14.serve, so it will be tough, but I know that I can win and I will try

:45:15. > :45:16.my best. We look forward to seeing you. Ladies and gentlemen, Richard

:45:17. > :45:27.Gasquet. That was an extraordinary vantage

:45:28. > :45:30.point that guy had on the roof. We are halfway through knowing who will

:45:31. > :45:33.be in the men's final. We know who will be in the women's final when

:45:34. > :45:38.our coverage starts tomorrow afternoon. We saw Madison Keys an

:45:39. > :45:44.hour ago beat Heather Watson in straight sets, following on from an

:45:45. > :45:49.outstanding match between Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber from Germany.

:45:50. > :45:52.We will show you the second set tie-break, which was pivotal in

:45:53. > :45:56.deciding the outcome. The first set to Wozniacki, and here we are at the

:45:57. > :46:39.start of the second set tie-break. Wozniacki is hanging in on every

:46:40. > :46:41.point. It is so rare that she hands across a free point where you did

:46:42. > :48:38.not have to work too hard. That is just too good. Kerber has

:48:39. > :48:43.been hanging in for a lot of this match, and it continues. She is so

:48:44. > :48:48.unpredictable and you can never count her out because she is a great

:48:49. > :49:31.fighter. She will not be ready to go back to the showers just yet.

:49:32. > :49:36.Again, the match has a feel that Kerber is dictating. It is all on

:49:37. > :49:41.her racquet. The ball is going to keep coming back until an error is

:49:42. > :49:46.forced. It has definitely have that feel right from the word go.

:49:47. > :49:50.Wozniacki has not been able to put Kerber off balance too many times.

:49:51. > :49:54.As we said at the start, she is even more dangerous when she is running

:49:55. > :49:58.onto a ball, when she does look out of balance. She is dangerous because

:49:59. > :50:02.she flicks the wrist and has the billeted to flatten out the ball and

:50:03. > :50:03.hit a winner. Wozniacki has to stay patient, keep doing what she is

:50:04. > :50:57.doing. This is on a knife edge. So cool. Three points in a row.

:50:58. > :51:01.Kerber in front in the tie-break. For the first time. She has lovely

:51:02. > :51:07.feel around the net. Every time we have seen her at the net, she rarely

:51:08. > :51:08.loses the point, actually. This billeted to use her hands and soft

:51:09. > :51:29.on them to drop the ball short. Got it! Still dictating, still

:51:30. > :51:52.demanding. She made that, too. Three more set

:51:53. > :52:03.points for Kerber. She has lifted her game at the most

:52:04. > :52:38.crucial moment of the match. Well, fantastic resistance from

:52:39. > :52:42.Kerber, and then the aggression. She wins the second set on her second

:52:43. > :52:51.set point, after one hour and 47 minutes.

:52:52. > :52:54.And that was the turning point in the match because after that, the

:52:55. > :53:03.force was with the German. Eventually, we find ourselves at

:53:04. > :53:10.match point. And another perfectly timed crosscourt winner from a very

:53:11. > :53:14.narrow angle. That puts Kerber into the final, where we now know that

:53:15. > :53:17.she will be playing Madison Keys. When we spoke to her, we did not

:53:18. > :53:20.know that, but the obvious thing to say to her was, firstly, well done

:53:21. > :53:24.on getting say to her was, firstly, well done

:53:25. > :53:29.secondly, well done on being part of a really outstanding match. I think

:53:30. > :53:33.the match was a really good match, and we were both playing at a high

:53:34. > :53:39.level. We had such a long rallies also. It was not easy because all so

:53:40. > :53:44.before the match, she is a great player, she was number one in the

:53:45. > :53:48.world. And it is tough to play against her. But, you know I was

:53:49. > :53:55.just trying to focus on point to point. Of course, it was tough

:53:56. > :53:59.today. Tell me, when you are playing a match, and it was a wonderful game

:54:00. > :54:04.to watch, when you are playing in a match that is that good, are you

:54:05. > :54:08.conscious of what a good game it is, or are you just in the zone and only

:54:09. > :54:15.thinking about the ball and the point? Actually, I was feeling that

:54:16. > :54:18.the match is really good. Also, after the first set when I lost, my

:54:19. > :54:23.coach was coming to me and saying, you lost the first set up it is a

:54:24. > :54:27.great game and you are playing good. You are both great players, so just

:54:28. > :54:31.keep going and just try to fight every single point. And I tried

:54:32. > :54:36.that. So I was really feeling that the match was at a high level. The

:54:37. > :54:40.second set tie-break was the key swing point of the match. And you

:54:41. > :54:45.were so brave on some points. Because most people watching, maybe

:54:46. > :54:50.club tennis players, if they are playing in a tie-break and it is for

:54:51. > :54:53.-4, they are thinking, just get it back in court and let them make a

:54:54. > :54:59.mistake, but you were not doing that. You were saying, I am going to

:55:00. > :55:04.win this, not let her give it to me. How brave do you have to be to

:55:05. > :55:08.do that? That is true. I really was thinking to do it by myself, just

:55:09. > :55:11.hit the ball is true. I really was thinking to do it by myself, just

:55:12. > :55:15.hit the balls and be aggressive. I had a lot of matches like that,

:55:16. > :55:19.where I was just thinking, put the ball on court and just hope that the

:55:20. > :55:25.other one will make mistakes, but I think we are now playing on a really

:55:26. > :55:29.high level. You need to go there and make it yourself, and try to hit the

:55:30. > :55:34.balls. I tried, so I am really happy about the way I played. In some of

:55:35. > :55:37.those rallies, there were 25 shots, and you are going ten yards this

:55:38. > :55:43.way, ten yards that way, ten yards that way, ten yards that way. At

:55:44. > :55:51.some point, are you not thinking, for heaven 's sake, I can't do this

:55:52. > :55:55.any more? Sometimes, after you run left, right, you are not thinking

:55:56. > :56:01.any more, you just run behind the ball and try to hit. Is it a blank?

:56:02. > :56:05.I think so. You see the ball and you are not thinking too much. You just

:56:06. > :56:13.try to feel the ball and try to hit the ball on court. And I think that

:56:14. > :56:16.was today also sometimes the point. Without being too technical, the

:56:17. > :56:21.thing that always fascinates me is the breathing. Because you have to

:56:22. > :56:24.get your breathing right. If you are breathing wrongly when you hit the

:56:25. > :56:27.ball, you will make a mess of it. When you are rushing here, there and

:56:28. > :56:32.everywhere, you still have to have control of how your body is

:56:33. > :56:37.operating. Yes, I think the breathing is very important. After

:56:38. > :56:41.the single points, you need to breathe. And also when you hit the

:56:42. > :56:45.balls. But, you know, we are practising every single day. But

:56:46. > :56:51.practice is never like the match. That is why I am here, to have some

:56:52. > :56:55.matches like that before Wimbledon. I think everything worked, so let's

:56:56. > :57:01.see what happens tomorrow. Madison Keys. What do you think? She is a

:57:02. > :57:07.strong, talented young player. I played once against her earlier this

:57:08. > :57:12.year in Sydney. She has a great big serve, she hits the ball very fast.

:57:13. > :57:22.So I think I need to be ready for every single point and moving very

:57:23. > :57:26.good. She is dangerous, and I need to be ready. Looking further ahead,

:57:27. > :57:30.and you won't, because you have an important match to play, but when

:57:31. > :57:35.the Wimbledon draw came out, have you looked at it yet? I just heard

:57:36. > :57:40.who I am playing against, but I will not watch the draw. I will now focus

:57:41. > :57:48.here on the finals tomorrow, and then go there and just... You don't

:57:49. > :57:54.want me to tell you who is in your section? You have Rafael Nadal...

:57:55. > :58:00.Many congratulations, you played some fantastic tennis. Good luck in

:58:01. > :58:03.the final. Thanks. She will be playing Madison Keys, an emphatic

:58:04. > :58:09.win over Britain's Heather Watson today. That match took just over one

:58:10. > :58:13.hour. Well done to Heather for getting this far this week. She is

:58:14. > :58:21.growing much on an upward curve, but Madison Keys is heading skywards,

:58:22. > :58:27.you would think. She hit the ball so cleanly and so hard. She has all the

:58:28. > :58:35.advantages of being an athlete as well, but it means it will be a

:58:36. > :58:43.fascinating final tomorrow. I am sure that is the same seagull!

:58:44. > :58:51.What is your take on the final tomorrow, Annabelle? I feel Madison

:58:52. > :58:56.Keys might sneak her first title. I feel that the grass suits her game.

:58:57. > :59:00.She is hitting it so cleanly and powerfully. She will take charge.

:59:01. > :59:04.Angelique Kerber is a deceptively good player who will chase down a

:59:05. > :59:08.lot of balls. She is good at turning defence into attack. She has that

:59:09. > :59:13.beautiful serve that swings out wide, but she has short second

:59:14. > :59:18.serves which you can attack. They have never met on grass. They have

:59:19. > :59:22.met twice before and Kerber has beaten her. Experience is with

:59:23. > :59:26.Kerber, but there is something new and exciting about Madison Keys and

:59:27. > :59:30.I feel it might be her day tomorrow. You can almost feel it in the air.

:59:31. > :59:34.We had it at Queen's last week and at Edgbaston, but now we have a

:59:35. > :59:40.final tomorrow and Wimbledon is on the horizon. The draw came out

:59:41. > :59:44.today. Andy Murray has been paired with a Belgian in the first round.

:59:45. > :59:51.If you have not heard how his draw pans out, years in the same half as

:59:52. > :59:55.Novak Djokovic, which is... That is his potential route to the final,

:59:56. > :00:01.and we are being optimistic, but he is the defending champion. The

:00:02. > :00:04.Italian in the last 16 is interesting because Andy Murray lost

:00:05. > :00:12.to him in a Davis cup tie in Naples. Also in that segment, director of.

:00:13. > :00:22.The way he played at Queen's commie might fancy him to make it through

:00:23. > :00:27.to the last eight. Is that a good draw? I think it could be a lot

:00:28. > :00:32.worse. I think it is a good draw for Andy. As we were talking earlier, it

:00:33. > :00:36.is better for him to be on that side with Novak Djokovic, in my mind.

:00:37. > :00:43.There are a few potential dangers lurking. One who actually beat Andy

:00:44. > :00:49.earlier this year. The other one is Kevin Anderson, a big, tall serving

:00:50. > :00:53.South African, very dangerous on the grass court, who has beaten Andy

:00:54. > :00:56.again in his career and will not be frightened of him. There are

:00:57. > :01:06.pitfalls, but I feel it is a good draw.

:01:07. > :01:10.The ovation Andy Murray will get will be extraordinary? Very, very

:01:11. > :01:14.proud. A special moment to be the defending Champion and you will play

:01:15. > :01:18.on that Centre Court, on the first Monday, first match of the

:01:19. > :01:21.Championships, a lot of memories will come flooding back of what he

:01:22. > :01:27.achieved last year. An extraordinary achievement what he did last year. A

:01:28. > :01:31.lot of players and pundits and commentators alike cannot imagine

:01:32. > :01:37.the pressure there could have been anything greater than the pressure

:01:38. > :01:40.of a Brit trying to win at Wimbledon. When we look at the four

:01:41. > :01:47.grand slams, the players who come from those countries that the four

:01:48. > :01:51.grand slams are held in where there is that pressure. The rest of the

:01:52. > :01:56.players from all around the world don't get to feel that intense

:01:57. > :01:59.pressure of a home Grand Slam. For Andy it was extraordinary doing it

:02:00. > :02:04.after 77 years. The pressure couldn't have been any greater on

:02:05. > :02:10.any one single player. He did it. You can relive it tomorrow. The can

:02:11. > :02:16.you see Murray against Djokovic 10.45am. You can relive, on Monday

:02:17. > :02:25.night, by which time Andy will have played his first round match against

:02:26. > :02:29.David Goffin. It has been the most glorious day. This tournament, a

:02:30. > :02:32.lovely tournament anyway, it transformed when the weather is like

:02:33. > :02:41.this, isn't it? It's so beautiful here. There is a rich history of

:02:42. > :02:46.being able to enjoy the tennis. It is an intimate setting. A certain

:02:47. > :02:57.type of crowd, polite, but love their tennis. The wind hasn't been

:02:58. > :03:01.too bad. It can blow inside the Centre Court, be blustery, and

:03:02. > :03:07.difficult to play in. Not too many seagulls dipping into court. I feel

:03:08. > :03:13.like I'm on holiday. In the 40th year, so many great champions.

:03:14. > :03:18.Angelique Kerber may win it. Madison Keys could be added to that list of

:03:19. > :03:25.the greats of the game? I think so. There is an exciting feel about her.

:03:26. > :03:28.She is only years of 19 age. She is incredibly mature. She has massive

:03:29. > :03:33.weapons. That huge serve, big kicker. Exciting. Sure. Is we will

:03:34. > :03:47.see for Angelique Kerber tomorrow against Madison Keys, 12. 45pm. Have

:03:48. > :03:55.a Good Friday night. Goodbye. -- good Friday night. Goodbye.