Quarter-Finals

:00:37. > :00:42.Welcome to Eastbourne, the fourth day of the Aegon International down

:00:43. > :00:44.by the seaside. Even if you are a seagull, the weather is eternally

:00:45. > :00:48.fascinating. We had the store moss that, boy, did we have the storm. We

:00:49. > :00:54.were amazed the Hotel had a roof on this morning having not been blown

:00:55. > :00:58.out into the channel. Come 10am, it was fantastic, the most glorious

:00:59. > :01:01.summer's morning. Now, the cloud cover is increasing and there is the

:01:02. > :01:06.likelihood of rain, but we're not sure when. For the moment, we have

:01:07. > :01:09.play and will have live action for you in a moment. If you are widows

:01:10. > :01:15.at tea-time last night, we had to leave you with a key moment in the

:01:16. > :01:20.first set between Johanna Konta and Kvitova. Give it a fair one of the

:01:21. > :01:26.first set even though Joanna had served for it twice. In the third

:01:27. > :01:27.set, played some blistering tennis and so here is much point to the

:01:28. > :01:44.British and one. COMMENTATOR: What a way to finish.

:01:45. > :01:49.Contact is back in the quarters at Devonshire Park. -- one content.

:01:50. > :01:57.STUDIO: That is one of John Konta's best ever wins and it means she is

:01:58. > :02:03.through to the quarterfinals. The other match is taking place at the

:02:04. > :02:05.moment and Petkovic has just won the first set. These are the nine

:02:06. > :02:07.players who still remain in the draw. We are at the quarterfinal

:02:08. > :02:31.stage. Johanna Konta is waiting for the

:02:32. > :02:36.winner of that match at the bottom. The order of play, we have here.

:02:37. > :02:41.Yesterday, we had an outstanding day's play. Uninterrupted play and

:02:42. > :02:56.the quality of the matches were fantastic.

:02:57. > :03:07.Without further ado... Let us go live to Centre Court where Christina

:03:08. > :03:14.Mladenovic -- Stena Milunovich is playing. The first set went to the

:03:15. > :03:33.girl from Puerto Rico. This is the French serving to square things.

:03:34. > :03:40.The French number one, Kristina Mladenovic touch is minding the

:03:41. > :03:44.Puerto Rican number one, she is a difficult woman to put away.

:03:45. > :03:49.Mladenovic had the best of the first set, couldn't take it. Has already

:03:50. > :03:59.had a couple of set points just one game ago. Struggling to serve it

:04:00. > :04:09.out. We have two players within four months of each other. Mladenovic is

:04:10. > :04:32.23, Puig will be 23 in September. They know each other so well.

:04:33. > :04:38.These to know each other's games inside out, they will have played a

:04:39. > :04:42.number of times in junior events. They have played three previous

:04:43. > :04:45.times on tour. Mladenovic leads their head-to-head 2-1. First time

:04:46. > :05:03.on a grass court. A very tight Kristina Mladenovic

:05:04. > :05:08.should complaining about the court, which she had plenty of time for.

:05:09. > :05:17.Still one left, plenty of time to serve it out. Once again, Puig

:05:18. > :05:20.slipped the net. She has had a wonderful week, coming through

:05:21. > :05:27.qualifying. Both players making their main draw debut but Puig so

:05:28. > :05:31.impressive coming back from a set down yesterday to beat Caroline

:05:32. > :05:35.Wozniacki, the former champion. Mladenovic has been great, too,

:05:36. > :05:38.still wearing her zebra outfit from the French Open where, along with

:05:39. > :05:45.her best friend Caroline Garcia, they won the doubles in the first

:05:46. > :05:49.time in 40 years or so. Great celebrations there. She is so happy

:05:50. > :05:53.she will keep that outfit, but not for Wimbledon. It will have to go by

:05:54. > :06:01.the wayside. She has had a good week, as well. Took out between ski

:06:02. > :06:09.-- took out the fourth seed and then backed it up against the big hitting

:06:10. > :06:13.German. Mladenovic, I've always thought as a really good game for

:06:14. > :06:16.grass. I remember her playing the finals of junior Wimbledon and she

:06:17. > :06:21.made the finals in Holland a couple of weeks ago. She is coming along

:06:22. > :06:25.well now. After a few years of... I don't know what she was doing, but

:06:26. > :06:28.it wasn't happening. It is always difficult to make that transition as

:06:29. > :06:37.a successful junior, she is junior Grand Slam champion. The French Open

:06:38. > :06:40.she won as a junior. It is difficult with all the expectations and the

:06:41. > :06:47.pressure, but she has the game very well suited to grass. There is her

:06:48. > :06:53.father. He is often courtside. Thank you, we are ready for play. Monica

:06:54. > :07:23.Puig looking to hang on once more in this second set.

:07:24. > :07:31.She's got three challenges, incorrect ones left, in the sector.

:07:32. > :07:33.That was rather hopeful. Doesn't want to do all this work to throw it

:07:34. > :07:52.away. It's a big game, Monica Puig

:07:53. > :07:57.assesses. Totally fearless, not afraid to go for it. So that

:07:58. > :08:54.yesterday in her win over Caroline Wozniacki.

:08:55. > :09:00.Now then, can Mladenovic finish things off here and finally take

:09:01. > :09:08.this to a decider? More set points for the French

:09:09. > :09:49.number one. It drifts long. In the end, it took

:09:50. > :09:55.some doing, but it is Mladenovic who levelled this match up to take it

:09:56. > :09:58.into a decider. STUDIO: That is a quarterfinal

:09:59. > :10:04.match, but this is a last 16 game for the right to play Jo Konta later

:10:05. > :10:08.today in the last eight. This is Andrea Petkovic of Germany. That is

:10:09. > :10:14.the first set. That was 20 minutes or so ago. This

:10:15. > :10:31.is live now. Three apiece. The winner of this match will play

:10:32. > :10:37.Jo Konta and if that match those last a long time and the matches on

:10:38. > :10:42.Centre Court go very rapidly, we may have a slight hiatus between matches

:10:43. > :10:45.to give whoever happens to win this match some time to recover before

:10:46. > :10:49.they play Jo Konta. I think I am correct in saying that you have to

:10:50. > :10:56.have two hours... Just an hour and a half, apparently, minimum, between

:10:57. > :10:59.one match and the next round. In the last 30 seconds, some news we're

:11:00. > :11:05.just hearing for Wimbledon next week. Victoria as a drinker has just

:11:06. > :11:17.pulled out with injury. She was seeded sixth.

:11:18. > :11:27.-- Victoria Azarenka. Some, what is your take on Victoria Azarenka? Is

:11:28. > :11:30.this a long-term problem? She has had an enormous amount of injury

:11:31. > :11:34.issues over the last three years, since she was the world number one.

:11:35. > :11:40.It is such a shame because she got back such fine style, this year

:11:41. > :11:44.winning in Wales and Miami. Winning them back-to-back. That doesn't

:11:45. > :11:48.happen very often. For her to have more injury worries is such a blow

:11:49. > :11:55.as she spent a lot of time on the physio couch. Quite brief and young

:11:56. > :11:58.career and that is bad news for her personally and for women's tennis.

:11:59. > :12:46.She is a big star and we will miss her.

:12:47. > :12:54.Always felt you never know quite what you're going to get from

:12:55. > :13:32.Kristina Mladenovic from day to day from one set to another.

:13:33. > :13:48.Oh, no. She sets the point up perfectly.

:13:49. > :13:55.This could be quite costly error at the end of this set from Mladenovic.

:13:56. > :14:14.A great drop shot, just rushed as she ran up to the forehand.

:14:15. > :14:22.Terrible start to this final set and even though Puig dropped the second,

:14:23. > :14:27.all the momentum with the young Puerto Rican.

:14:28. > :14:36.I am with that sad news that Victoria Azarenka has pulled out of

:14:37. > :14:43.Wimbledon. That would push Joe Konta -- Jo Konta from 17th to 16th seed.

:14:44. > :14:49.That is correct, yes. She is going to go upstairs into the posh locker

:14:50. > :14:53.room. That is a major upgrade. Separate locker rooms for those

:14:54. > :15:11.seeded one to 16 for the rest of the draw.

:15:12. > :15:17.Monica Puig also had a very good junior career, but developed a

:15:18. > :15:44.couple of years later, even though they are the same age.

:15:45. > :15:56.Both pretty close in their own Kingsman. Mladenovic at 33, Monica

:15:57. > :15:58.Puig lower but just inside the world's top 100. She has had a

:15:59. > :16:34.terrific run. She's got great court awareness,

:16:35. > :16:39.Mladenovic. I don't think there's a shot in the book that can't hit.

:16:40. > :16:47.Incredibly talented Frenchwoman. Maybe that has been the problem in

:16:48. > :16:48.her development. Too many options. And a slight dislike of listening to

:16:49. > :17:26.coaches. Puig certainly the more solid of the

:17:27. > :17:36.two. Backs up the break in fine style.

:17:37. > :17:49.She is gritty, determined. Fierce stare, isn't there, under that

:17:50. > :17:53.headband? She contains a lot of her emotions much better now. She used

:17:54. > :18:09.to be quite tough on herself but definitely more mature these days.

:18:10. > :19:47.The shooting through on this quarter. -- court.

:19:48. > :19:52.Despite all the rain, because this Court had so much play yesterday, we

:19:53. > :19:54.could almost see it happen before our eyes. It seems to have hardened

:19:55. > :20:03.and quickened up. Busy Killie anything within a few

:20:04. > :20:53.inches of that baseline. It's not bad, is it for your sixth

:20:54. > :20:54.match of the week? Come through qualifying, have the weekend. She

:20:55. > :21:07.isn't tiring. You shouldn't get tired in your

:21:08. > :21:26.early 20s. Such a lovely athlete. Her father played handball and her

:21:27. > :21:29.mum was a pro volleyball player. A younger brother is helping with

:21:30. > :21:42.coaching duties and is a talented soccer player.

:21:43. > :21:48.This is an important game for Mladenovic. You should see her with

:21:49. > :21:55.a football. AGP yuppies are good. You often see how warming up with a

:21:56. > :22:08.football before practice sessions. A tall woman, six foot plus, very

:22:09. > :22:52.talented. She got away with it, but Mladenovic

:22:53. > :23:04.has to be careful she doesn't overplay the drop shot.

:23:05. > :23:15.She has been doing that too often. Puig not happy.

:23:16. > :23:40.STUDIO: While that matches in the balance, this game is, too. The much

:23:41. > :23:44.that is taking place on Court One, where the prize is a quarterfinal

:23:45. > :24:02.against Joanna quarter -- Johanna Konta.

:24:03. > :24:09.COMMENTATOR: This match has been played at such a frantic pace, it is

:24:10. > :24:14.nice to have a breather. Packed house once again on the Centre

:24:15. > :24:18.Court. Everything is sold out today on the show courts. You need your

:24:19. > :24:22.Wellington boots, don't you? Sloshing around the outside courts.

:24:23. > :24:50.Sludge everywhere. Placements for Mladenovic. Mixing it

:24:51. > :24:57.up well. I am surprised she hasn't gone to the ad court, but she did in

:24:58. > :24:59.the second set. She switched it up and that is where you want to serve

:25:00. > :25:10.two Puig. She has a great slice serve. I'm

:25:11. > :25:34.surprised she hasn't used it effectively.

:25:35. > :25:44.She has to keep finding ways of junking it around.

:25:45. > :26:11.Mladenovic's coach has worked with a number of French players over the

:26:12. > :26:35.years. When the ball sits up in the middle

:26:36. > :27:47.of the court for her to hit, boy, does she do a good job.

:27:48. > :27:51.Third time in this game she has found that line and Puig extends her

:27:52. > :28:13.lead. Yesterday, head coach told her to

:28:14. > :28:18.stay up on that baseline, be aggressive. -- her

:28:19. > :28:40.We are having four Seasons in one day.

:28:41. > :30:27.I look at my wardrobe and think, what do I wear? But confusion.

:30:28. > :30:38.Ninth ace, second in this game, keeps Mladenovic in touch. That is

:30:39. > :30:44.the server I am talking about. She has the height. She doesn't have to

:30:45. > :30:51.go in the corner of the box. Shorter out-of-the-box is the effective one

:30:52. > :30:59.on the deuce side. How much pressure do you think is on her? In French

:31:00. > :31:08.tennis, they have been waiting for her to be the next big superstar for

:31:09. > :31:13.some time. I think so much has been expected of her. So much pressure,

:31:14. > :31:20.she was so good, so soon from a young age. It hasn't been easy but

:31:21. > :31:25.she can say she is a Grand Slam champion now on the doubles court.

:31:26. > :31:28.She has been successful on the Mixed Doubles court in the Grand Slams,

:31:29. > :31:33.picking up her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open

:31:34. > :31:39.with Caroline Garcia. Surely they have to be medal contenders in Rio.

:31:40. > :31:44.I wonder that if in the last New Year 's, concentrating on doubles

:31:45. > :31:49.has taken away something from the singles. There have been all kinds

:31:50. > :31:53.of theories as to why she is not closer to the top ten. I feel like

:31:54. > :31:59.she plays a lot. Seems like every week of the year, there is a Wizard

:32:00. > :32:04.tournament somewhere and Christine Mladenovic's name is in the draw.

:32:05. > :32:09.She has had an incredible run from being French Open doubles champion,

:32:10. > :32:14.she went over to Holland to play there. She had a great week there

:32:15. > :32:22.despite limited practice on a grass court. They have grass courts in

:32:23. > :33:36.Majorca now. Puig up a break in the final set.

:33:37. > :33:42.There have been some very long matches on this Centre Court this

:33:43. > :33:46.week. What a treat the fans had yesterday. Such high-quality tennis.

:33:47. > :33:48.It looks like today that if the rain stays away, we will get very much

:33:49. > :34:08.the same. Having a few woes with that second

:34:09. > :35:37.serve, that is her seventh double. Wild. Sometimes it is hard to see

:35:38. > :36:52.with Mladenovic why she misses. She looks like she is set up perfectly.

:36:53. > :37:12.No, she knows it. There are times where she looks to be too clever on

:37:13. > :37:26.some of her shot selections. She had time to just hit through that with a

:37:27. > :37:36.drive for Lee. -- drive volley. It is a big hold from Puig.

:37:37. > :37:44.A lovely reception from the fancier in Devonshire Park. Both making the

:37:45. > :37:48.main draw debut here. I don't think so many would know who they are but

:37:49. > :37:57.they are really enjoying the level of tennis they are seeing out here.

:37:58. > :38:03.It is a fabulous match. There has been some very high-quality tennis

:38:04. > :38:04.this week. I think the depth in the women's game is so much stronger

:38:05. > :38:35.these days. The ball toss just a little too far

:38:36. > :38:41.in front, it was never making it. You can tell when the ball toss goes

:38:42. > :38:45.up. There are a lot of players that happens too. It gets too far forward

:38:46. > :38:51.and you think it would be easy to throw it up OK but somehow under

:38:52. > :38:56.pressure it is not. She has simplified that serve over the years

:38:57. > :40:18.though. Less going on with the take back than they used to be.

:40:19. > :40:28.Not the right choice of shot here by. -- Puig. She was straight up the

:40:29. > :40:43.line, that would have been a better choice.

:40:44. > :40:48.The French number one hands on. Once again she keeps it to just one

:40:49. > :41:08.break. Monica was named after Monica Seles

:41:09. > :41:11.by her mother. I wonder what is the ceiling on her potential

:41:12. > :41:15.development. She has had a wonderful year so far and there are not many

:41:16. > :41:20.who strike the ball as well as she does. The sound of the racket is

:41:21. > :41:24.extraordinary. She has great timing from the back of the court and moves

:41:25. > :41:29.well from side to side. She can still develop her serve and her game

:41:30. > :41:33.at the front of the court. Not so comfortable going forward than

:41:34. > :41:39.moving side to side. I think she can definitely be a top 20 player. I am

:41:40. > :41:44.sure she has the determination and desire to do what it takes. But does

:41:45. > :41:52.she have the willingness to improve on her game and add to it? That is

:41:53. > :41:58.my question. You get to a certain level as a player some players are

:41:59. > :42:05.no Tory sleaze stubborn. All tennis players think they know it all and

:42:06. > :42:11.it is any wonder why anyone high any coaches because you always think you

:42:12. > :42:17.know best. It can be a strength but a weakness as well. Puig has been

:42:18. > :42:21.very impressive this week. Has enjoyed her grass court season. By

:42:22. > :42:25.the time they come to is born, it is the third tournament. They are not

:42:26. > :42:31.worrying about the bad bounces and how the ball comes through, they are

:42:32. > :42:32.feeling comfortable. As is Puig here, serving with a break in the

:42:33. > :44:19.final set. Just the one area that does let her

:44:20. > :44:26.down. She really goes after that second serve but does not put much

:44:27. > :44:29.spin on it when playing doubles now. -- does not put much spin on it.

:44:30. > :44:39.Nine doubles now. There is a prime example of why she

:44:40. > :45:12.is not comfortable at the net. Oh dear, now. Mladenovic's break

:45:13. > :45:17.point conversion, five from 21 opportunities. That comes back to

:45:18. > :45:45.bite you if she doesn't win this match.

:45:46. > :46:12.It would be a start if she put the return into play.

:46:13. > :46:27.Oh, she was so tight. Bunting the first two balls back. It plays on

:46:28. > :46:30.your mind, when you have had that many opportunities to break your

:46:31. > :46:32.opponent's serve, it becomes harder and harder. The fewer you convert

:46:33. > :46:56.on. There is a lot at stake here. You

:46:57. > :47:03.can pretty much see the tension. The tournament, premier event, a

:47:04. > :47:32.semifinal place up for grabs. It is big for these two.

:47:33. > :48:04.Where would you have Puig serving right now? To Mladenovic's forehand.

:48:05. > :48:15.Yes, it is long, she might have a look at it but it was beyond that

:48:16. > :48:24.line. And Puig potentially within one game. She has got it wrong. She

:48:25. > :48:28.had three challenges and should have challenged it and would have still

:48:29. > :48:34.been in the game. It will be her mum's fault if she doesn't win this.

:48:35. > :48:39.Different sport you see, volleyball to tennis. Mladenovic now finds

:48:40. > :48:53.herself serving to stay in this quarterfinal.

:48:54. > :50:17.She has barely missed a ball from that part of the court, Puig.

:50:18. > :50:23.May be full Christina at this part of his career, there are to moments

:50:24. > :50:30.and not enough solid red and butter tennis because that is what you get

:50:31. > :50:38.from Puig. Great ground strokes, Mladenovic in a big spot here.

:50:39. > :50:47.May be that has been the difference here this afternoon. Two match

:50:48. > :52:01.points. What a performance and Puig the

:52:02. > :52:10.qualifier is through to the last four. A gritty performance from

:52:11. > :52:16.Monica Puig, she fought hard for that match and in the end she was

:52:17. > :52:25.more solid of the two from the back of the court.

:52:26. > :52:46.A standing ovation in a match Mladenovic should have won the first

:52:47. > :52:53.set but lost it on a break. What a week she is having, six matches

:52:54. > :52:58.played, six wins for Monaco. Really enjoying her time on the grass. Made

:52:59. > :53:03.the semis in Nottingham. She flew over to Majorca last meek and got a

:53:04. > :53:10.match there but what preparation for Wimbledon. She won't be seeded but

:53:11. > :53:20.she will be a dangerous floater, as we call them, in the draw. She is

:53:21. > :53:24.with Annabel Croft. Congratulations moniker, a very tough match and a

:53:25. > :53:30.tough opponent, what got you across the line? Staying mentally tough.

:53:31. > :53:35.Another tiring much like yesterday, I had to maintain focus and keep

:53:36. > :53:40.trusting myself and what I could do out there. You had to run for a lot

:53:41. > :53:46.of drop shots today. Yes, I think I ran quite a bit but I don't think I

:53:47. > :53:51.will run any more today. How did you regroup for that final set and find

:53:52. > :53:55.another gear? Trust in myself and how I have played this week. I am

:53:56. > :54:01.playing good tennis so it is about staying mentally strong and trying

:54:02. > :54:08.to get it all together in the end. Into the semifinal, you have

:54:09. > :54:12.Cibulkova or Radwanska, what do they bring to the court? Another really

:54:13. > :54:18.tough matchup. They both play well on grass. I will have to be on my

:54:19. > :54:25.toes or that one but I will try and enjoy this one first. Root well

:54:26. > :54:29.done, our first semifinalist ladies and gentlemen, Monica Puig. As

:54:30. > :54:33.Annabel was saying, this time last week she was contemplating the first

:54:34. > :54:37.week of qualifying and now he is through to the semifinals. Here is

:54:38. > :54:42.the last person through to the quarterfinals, Ekaterina Makarova

:54:43. > :54:49.who has just beaten Andrea Petkovic. Her reward for that is a match later

:54:50. > :54:54.this afternoon against Britain's Jo Konta in the fourth quarterfinal

:54:55. > :54:59.played today. This is how the draw looks as it was completed. It is

:55:00. > :55:08.getting narrowed down even more. Radwanska against Cibulkova coming

:55:09. > :55:15.up in moments. The winner of Vesnina and discover will play the winner of

:55:16. > :55:20.the match of Jo Konta this afternoon. Mentioning Cibulkova,

:55:21. > :55:25.there she is, she has just been on the court bind us bring her warm up

:55:26. > :55:30.exercises. She will doubtless stop doing that in a second, but the

:55:31. > :55:34.rackets in her bag and walk 50 yards or so across to Centre Court. She

:55:35. > :55:39.will play a very interesting opponent and the top seed here,

:55:40. > :55:43.Agnieszka Radwanska. Cibulkova is not your normal tennis player, she

:55:44. > :55:49.is much smaller than almost everyone on tour, five feet three. She is a

:55:50. > :55:53.feisty and combustible character. When she came appear yesterday after

:55:54. > :55:58.victory in the last round, you can see why she is such an engaging

:55:59. > :56:03.character. I don't see myself as little as I am. Maybe that is why I

:56:04. > :56:09.am not afraid. It motivates me. I have to give something extra on the

:56:10. > :56:15.court to beat these girls. I have energy, that is how I go after every

:56:16. > :56:19.ball. It is something I have I can think that way. Was that a

:56:20. > :56:24.motivation when you were younger. Watching some of the top juniors out

:56:25. > :56:28.in the world and they are five feet ten, five feet 11 at 16 or 17. You

:56:29. > :56:33.have had to deal with this with the word go. The macro it was the

:56:34. > :56:41.biggest motivation I had when I was younger. Nobody kind of believed in

:56:42. > :56:47.me. So many people told me why was I trying it because I was too small.

:56:48. > :56:51.But I really wanted to play tennis. I had to practice extra and do extra

:56:52. > :56:55.things and that got me here. Talking about things that are small, you

:56:56. > :57:03.have two dogs who are very small. Ridiculously so. Do you want to hold

:57:04. > :57:16.that up for the camera. What breed are they? Your keys. Can we hold up

:57:17. > :57:25.that one. There we are. His name is Woody and she is mere. He is five

:57:26. > :57:29.years and she is two and a half. I read that they travel the world with

:57:30. > :57:37.you. They travel with us almost everywhere. It is hard to get them

:57:38. > :57:42.to England because of the currency. The travel agent told us last it

:57:43. > :57:45.might be fine so we flew from the Netherlands to England. My boyfriend

:57:46. > :57:51.had to come back home to bring them over because they did not allow us

:57:52. > :57:55.on the plane. We tried once and we didn't try it this year. They have

:57:56. > :58:00.not sampled the joys of Eastbourne beach yet. What is the most

:58:01. > :58:09.ridiculous place in the world you have taken them? Acapulco. In

:58:10. > :58:16.Mexico. They loved it. We had a hotel on the beach. Do you speak

:58:17. > :58:21.Spanish? We would take them on the morning walk and they love the

:58:22. > :58:26.seaside. You are quite outspoken as well but you are very interesting in

:58:27. > :58:29.a world where sometimes people can be homogenous and grey. I must ask

:58:30. > :58:41.you about sniffing the tennis balls. Where did that start? I smell

:58:42. > :58:47.things, I like to smell things. When I get the new balls, if you get with

:58:48. > :58:54.the balls from the US Open and Roland Garros I could tell the

:58:55. > :58:59.difference. Like Pepsi and Coke. It became a habit. I wish we could do

:59:00. > :59:04.that now with football. Did you watch on Monday night? I have to be

:59:05. > :59:12.honest, I don't watch football. Really? I like to watch ice hockey.

:59:13. > :59:19.I like different sports but for me, football, no. It is really boring. I

:59:20. > :59:24.guarantee that if Slovakia get through to the final of the Euros,

:59:25. > :59:30.you will be excited? Yes, you are right. But I am honest, my team went

:59:31. > :59:34.to the pub and were watching. They said they could not be really loud

:59:35. > :59:42.because they thought they were going to beat them. Not in Eastbourne.

:59:43. > :59:46.They were really quiet. I was really happy for the guys, I think it is

:59:47. > :59:52.the first time Slovakia have got out of the group. It is great for them.

:59:53. > :59:55.I will really cheer and I want them to go far

:59:56. > :00:12.How confident are the be here at the weekend? I have already won a couple

:00:13. > :00:13.of tough matches, so if you're really confident. It is great to

:00:14. > :00:32.talk to you. Thank you. Please welcome, representing...

:00:33. > :00:34.Dominika Cibulkova. There is one have other

:00:35. > :00:46.quarterfinal. Here is the other half. The number one seed. From

:00:47. > :00:53.Poland. A big challenge ahead for her. She is yet to lose a set, but

:00:54. > :00:55.every game has been pretty tough up to this point, she readily admitted

:00:56. > :01:07.when she popped up here yesterday. There are no more easy matches. Even

:01:08. > :01:16.if you play and lower ranked player, it is still a really tough match. A

:01:17. > :01:21.few years ago you play maybe your game at 40% and you could still win

:01:22. > :01:29.a match. Today, in this case, no chance. I think the level is going

:01:30. > :01:33.up and up. No more easy matches. Can you believe it is eight years since

:01:34. > :01:41.she won here? Yeah, right? A long time ago. In a sense, the game has

:01:42. > :01:45.changed a lot in those eight years. Serena is still the boss and

:01:46. > :01:50.everyone is trying to knock a robber perch, but in terms of the strength

:01:51. > :01:56.in depth, it has changed beyond all recognition. Yes, the players have

:01:57. > :02:00.changed a lot. Eight years, it has been such a different level,

:02:01. > :02:09.everything was different. Now it is more powerful, and pretty solid from

:02:10. > :02:14.everyone. You can see a lot of good matches with the players who are not

:02:15. > :02:19.in the top 20. They are pretty impressive and it is pretty hard.

:02:20. > :02:25.How do you think the Radwanska of 2008 with Kevin on against the

:02:26. > :02:32.Radwanska of 2016. I don't know, you tell me! How has your game changed?

:02:33. > :02:40.Experience is a lot in tennis. That is helping, especially when you go

:02:41. > :02:48.through all the tournaments. I think Radwanska from 2016 with beat the

:02:49. > :02:51.2008 Radwanska. Well, there is the 2016 incarnation,

:02:52. > :03:02.the number one seed. Sam, if you were to compare who

:03:03. > :03:07.happened to be ranked 80 in the world when you were playing with the

:03:08. > :03:10.person who was ranked 80 underworld at the moment with GC a massive

:03:11. > :03:17.dislocation inability over that period? Personally, no. I think you

:03:18. > :03:24.had very different types of players. I think a lot of the players play

:03:25. > :03:28.similarly now. Things have changed a lot of the equipment and the strings

:03:29. > :03:33.and that has allowed the players to head the ball so much harder. That

:03:34. > :03:37.has been the big change from when I was playing. One day you could play

:03:38. > :03:41.a serve and volley, the next date you could play against somebody who

:03:42. > :03:47.had huge amounts of top-spin, many more sliced backhand is coming at

:03:48. > :03:53.you. I think there was a lot more variety bent and the players had a

:03:54. > :03:58.lot more shots. Now things are different. It is hard to compare the

:03:59. > :04:04.two. I would like to disagree with Sam. My instinct is if I was

:04:05. > :04:10.reporting at Wimbledon 30 years ago, which I was, the likelihood of the

:04:11. > :04:17.woman's number 73 beating the number three seed was minimal, whereas an

:04:18. > :04:21.equivalently now 30 years on, there is the possibility that that might

:04:22. > :04:28.happen. That for me as one of the big changes. Yet, it is. There is

:04:29. > :04:33.more depth than the woman's game, the woman are stronger. In terms of

:04:34. > :04:42.the physical demands, everyone is up for the challenge. Sam is right, the

:04:43. > :04:46.might not be as much variety now, but the power. Somebody ranked 80 in

:04:47. > :04:51.the world now compared to 20 years ago is a much stronger player. In

:04:52. > :04:59.ten years' time, that person ranked 80 will be better than what we have

:05:00. > :05:05.today. There are some wonderful players out here, but that when I

:05:06. > :05:09.was playing he had Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica

:05:10. > :05:16.Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Gabriela Sabatini, great players who

:05:17. > :05:20.would win back to back Grand Slams. They would win the French Open, come

:05:21. > :05:26.and win Wimbledon. I do think the very best 20 years ago was an

:05:27. > :05:30.extraordinary... High-tech Serena Williams out of that, maybe Venus,

:05:31. > :05:36.that they were an extraordinary generation. No one felt they could

:05:37. > :05:41.be them. They were untouchable. I don't think there is that feeling in

:05:42. > :05:45.the locker room now. Lower ranked players definitely feel that they

:05:46. > :05:50.can beat everyone, maybe not Serena, but everyone else is fair game. And

:05:51. > :05:56.that is testament to the depth in the woman's game. It is very

:05:57. > :06:01.different to where's gamers were ye have your top five superstar is. But

:06:02. > :06:07.you can't say there is an depth implement's game. It isn't credible.

:06:08. > :06:11.It is, but it is different. It depends what you like. I enjoyed the

:06:12. > :06:19.uncertainty and the fact that anything is possible on any given

:06:20. > :06:22.week. One thing that is interesting, which is oblique to this, but is

:06:23. > :06:28.very important. If you talk to the paymasters of the game, if you like,

:06:29. > :06:32.where the main operatives in terms of corporate hospitality and

:06:33. > :06:37.television, they desperately want the big names involved in the latter

:06:38. > :06:42.stages of all the big events, from a TV audience point of view, from a

:06:43. > :06:46.hospitality point of view, from an entertainment and sponsorship point

:06:47. > :06:48.of view, they don't like that uncertainty because they want the

:06:49. > :06:53.big names that the public has heard of taking part in the semifinals and

:06:54. > :07:02.final. We might love that followed the big Ian Scott knocked out from

:07:03. > :07:10.the men's semifinals at Wimbledon, but for the sport could be terrible.

:07:11. > :07:13.I get that. People want to see the big names playing against each other

:07:14. > :07:19.in the latter stages of the tournament. You can't keep everyone

:07:20. > :07:23.happy, can you? But you need to pay the bills. Woman's tennis needs a

:07:24. > :07:29.big sponsor, which doesn't have at the moment. This year has made a lot

:07:30. > :07:34.of the sponsors wobble because you don't have your marquee names at the

:07:35. > :07:38.latter stages of the draw. This tournament many years ago you could

:07:39. > :07:41.have guaranteed that Martina Navratilova and Chris Abbott would

:07:42. > :07:48.be in the final. Isn't the WTA at that of its own success? This is a

:07:49. > :07:52.good debate! If it does rain we will come back to you. For the moment,

:07:53. > :07:58.this is an intriguing match and it is for the right to play Monica Puig

:07:59. > :08:04.in the first semifinal tomorrow. If you have just switched on, I hope

:08:05. > :08:11.you have recovered from the floods yesterday.

:08:12. > :08:21.Just to remind you, Jo Konta is coming up later on, playing

:08:22. > :08:27.Ekaterina Makarova of Russia in the fourth quarter final. This is the

:08:28. > :08:30.second. We will join our commentators.

:08:31. > :08:39.Well, we do have marquee names here. Marquee names here. Marquee names

:08:40. > :08:44.here. Grand Slam finalists. Dominika Cibulkova is currently ranked 21

:08:45. > :08:58.underworld, but she was formerly in the top ten. -- in the world. It is

:08:59. > :09:20.on getting us underway. -- it is Cibulkova getting us underway.

:09:21. > :09:25.Both women and 27 years of age. Cibulkova just a few months younger

:09:26. > :09:46.than her opponent this afternoon. Heels from BAFTA slaver in Slovakia.

:09:47. > :09:54.Radwanska is from crack off in southern Poland. Bratislava is a

:09:55. > :09:55.good place to ply your trade, wonderful National tennis Centre

:09:56. > :10:30.there. APPLAUSE. They have played a couple

:10:31. > :10:35.of times this year. Radwanska winning in Indian Wells in the fast

:10:36. > :10:39.conditions and Finnair of California. Cibulkova played a

:10:40. > :10:45.wonderful match in Madrid, also at altitude, in the clay. The last

:10:46. > :10:52.couple of matches had gone the distance.

:10:53. > :11:00.The first time they have played on the grass. You would imagine that

:11:01. > :11:01.would favour Radwanska, but nowadays in the woman's tour we don't take

:11:02. > :11:22.anything for granted. It is all or nothing when you watch

:11:23. > :11:27.Cibulkova. She is a bundle of energy. A pocket rocket, as she is

:11:28. > :12:30.known. I have got to admit, Cibulkova is

:12:31. > :12:34.one of my favourite layers to watch. I love her energy, her intensity.

:12:35. > :13:08.She has such an infectious personality.

:13:09. > :13:23.APPLAUSE. Radwanska is having a long look at that. Hawk-Eye has been very

:13:24. > :13:33.busy this week. Neither are sure, I don't think. Everyone is staring

:13:34. > :13:51.hopefully have the screen, which doesn't seem to be moving. They do

:13:52. > :13:58.have it. Here we go. Well, if the opening few moments are anything to

:13:59. > :14:07.go by, we are in for a fabulous match. She is a wonderful character.

:14:08. > :14:10.A superstar back in Slovakia. I'm sure the two Yorkshire terriers live

:14:11. > :14:16.in the lap of luxury back home. What does she bring to the court that

:14:17. > :14:22.could cause problems for Radwanska? She is relentless. She will come out

:14:23. > :14:26.full of Philippines. She will chase down every single ball. She will

:14:27. > :14:33.give everything a good crack. She might look very small type the, but

:14:34. > :14:35.she is big and so many other ways. She takes the ball early on the

:14:36. > :15:01.rise. It has been another super consistent

:15:02. > :15:06.year for Agnieszka Radwanska. Number three in the world at number two.

:15:07. > :15:12.She had a terrific run in Indian Wells, Joe Hart, a semifinal in

:15:13. > :15:35.Melbourne but she lost to Serena Wiliams.

:15:36. > :15:45.She looked less than happy with the first-round performance against

:15:46. > :15:49.Mariana Duque-Marino, Mariana Duque-Marino stopped in the second

:15:50. > :15:51.set with the Castro issue. She was very happy with how she played

:15:52. > :16:34.against Eugenie Bouchard yesterday. That is a clever lob over the

:16:35. > :16:36.backhand side. Cibulkova attempting one of the most awkward shots in

:16:37. > :18:27.tennis to play here. APPLAUSE. So, both of them safely

:18:28. > :18:35.aboard in this quarterfinal. A finalist here last year, Radwanska.

:18:36. > :18:39.She had a great tune up for Wimbledon. It really kick-started

:18:40. > :18:42.her 2015 season, which had been a little bit creepy before heading to

:18:43. > :21:08.the grass. -- Trying to do what so many women

:21:09. > :21:18.attempt on the tour, hit through and passed Radwanska. It is almost

:21:19. > :21:19.mission impossible. -- past. She is already in trouble here on her

:21:20. > :21:44.service game. Radwanska way too smart. She gets

:21:45. > :21:49.the early break advantage. It is interesting hearing her chat earlier

:21:50. > :21:52.in the studio with John about watching was like eight years ago

:21:53. > :22:00.and she was the champion here. What do you remember our first seeing

:22:01. > :22:05.her, on the tour? She had a brilliant career in the juniors,

:22:06. > :22:09.winning at France and Wimbledon. I played her a couple of times during

:22:10. > :22:16.the course of my career. It was a nightmare for me. In what respect?

:22:17. > :22:23.You go out there and you think I can overpower her, I just need to stay

:22:24. > :22:29.aggressive. The ball that comes back at you does not come back very fast.

:22:30. > :22:33.She is very good at redirecting Pierce and absorbing it. She has the

:22:34. > :22:38.ability to make you feel quite silly because she has every trick in the

:22:39. > :22:45.book. She can mix it up with Pierce. She doesn't have a strong frame,

:22:46. > :22:50.that is why she has been as creative as she has been on the tennis court.

:22:51. > :22:55.She is a great attack patient, reads the game well. That is her biggest

:22:56. > :23:01.strength. She sees it so much earlier than everyone else out

:23:02. > :23:05.there. Just understanding of the game is in a different league to a

:23:06. > :23:10.lot of other players. That is what makes her superb. You think you're

:23:11. > :23:14.hitting into a space and July Cup and she is already there! Annoying!

:23:15. > :24:07.Yes, Berry! -- very! She is the most fidgety person you

:24:08. > :24:56.will ever meet, Cibulkova. You can't afford too many loose ones

:24:57. > :25:00.against Radwanska. Just trying to find that right talents, though,

:25:01. > :25:06.when you are against her. You need to play aggressively, and you have

:25:07. > :25:16.got to accept that there will be a few mistakes.

:25:17. > :25:28.That is just stunning! The control she has... Seemingly she has so much

:25:29. > :25:32.time on the ball. She never looks too rushed. Very cool and calm in

:25:33. > :26:20.her thought process. A bit more top on that server gets

:26:21. > :26:23.the job done. -- serve. Just the start you would have wanted against

:26:24. > :26:28.an opponent that has caused her quite a few problems in the past.

:26:29. > :26:36.She has only managed to win two out of the last five meetings. They have

:26:37. > :26:41.spent an awful lot of time over the years playing each other, haven't

:26:42. > :26:44.they? Yes! And that doesn't even count the number of matches they

:26:45. > :27:08.would have played against each other in the juniors.

:27:09. > :27:50.Come on, she says. That is her trademark. She had a difficult

:27:51. > :27:56.season last year, missed four months with an Achilles problem. She

:27:57. > :28:02.decided to get it fixed because it was a long-standing injury. She did

:28:03. > :28:15.dine to 70 or 80 in the world and she is just making her way back up.

:28:16. > :28:22.Broke the world's top ten in March of 2014, just a couple of months

:28:23. > :28:28.after making her first Grand Slam final dine in Australia. Everyone

:28:29. > :28:35.fell in love with her dine there. Aussies July Cup try and she was

:28:36. > :29:14.brilliant that fortnight. -- do you like a trier.

:29:15. > :29:37.In the opening 20 minutes, if you just watched the points you would

:29:38. > :29:38.think it was very close, but Radwanska on the verge of a double

:29:39. > :29:58.break. Yes! The magician opening her box of

:29:59. > :30:13.tricks. She takes a 4-1 lead in the first set. I guess the grass does

:30:14. > :30:17.favour Radwanska. There is the Federation cup coach for Slovakia

:30:18. > :30:24.for many years, also the coach of Dominika. I always think it looks

:30:25. > :30:28.like Miller slapped me cheer, and you know who that is because we

:30:29. > :30:32.spoke about this before you looked at me very blankly. The big. Yes,

:30:33. > :30:44.Olympic champion, top player back in the day. He beat Jeremy Bates in the

:30:45. > :30:49.first round. They have a very good relationship these two, they have

:30:50. > :30:53.travelled together for a long time. Hazard a guess on what he may be

:30:54. > :30:59.telling her? No need to panic at this stage. She is trying to do the

:31:00. > :31:15.right things, just made a few mistakes which have cost her.

:31:16. > :31:19.She has to hold her own on the baseline here. Not allow herself to

:31:20. > :31:43.get pushed too far back behind it. Ideal start for Radwanska, 4-1,

:31:44. > :32:25.double break in the first set. Oh yeah. Great response. That was a

:32:26. > :32:29.great point from Cibulkova, getting Radwanska on the move, changing the

:32:30. > :32:30.direction of play with each strike. Not allowing Radwanska to get into a

:32:31. > :33:26.rhythm, that is key. Just the response you would expect

:33:27. > :33:32.from Cibulkova, very close to her team there, chattering away. Her

:33:33. > :33:42.boyfriend and her coach, has to be a little bit careful she doesn't get

:33:43. > :33:47.pulled up for coaching. Family that is the big improvement, Radwanska.

:33:48. > :33:53.The shoulder injury she had so many years really held her back. She was

:33:54. > :33:58.always taped up. There is definitely more pop find that first serve, that

:33:59. > :34:00.is for sure. It has always been accurate but a lot more pace but

:34:01. > :34:47.hide it these days. It is useful. Outfoxing Radwanska which is never

:34:48. > :35:04.easy to do. A chance to get one of the breaks back here.

:35:05. > :35:15.Very much owed go to serve on that side, the one out wide. Is that a

:35:16. > :35:21.new pattern? It is the serve she has always favoured on the ad side. She

:35:22. > :35:33.has a better mindset on serve and it is not a shot to start the point. It

:35:34. > :35:39.is a shot where she can set up the next ball for her now. Definitely a

:35:40. > :36:37.more aggressive mindset- her. Her boyfriend sporting a healthy

:36:38. > :36:40.beard. Fiance, they have been engaged for so long I had actually

:36:41. > :37:23.forgotten. Yet to set a date though. Doing a really nice job of wielding

:37:24. > :37:27.pressure here. That is what you have to get Radwanska doing, running to

:37:28. > :37:29.that forehand wing. The defence from the backhand corner is so much

:37:30. > :37:48.stronger really. Change-up. Three aces in this game

:37:49. > :37:53.and five already for the match. These are not numbers we have been

:37:54. > :38:00.used to. Often she looks skyward, a drop in temperature. Still like a

:38:01. > :38:13.sauna in our commentary box, that never seems to change. OK, another

:38:14. > :38:14.chance. This is big for Cibulkova. Never say die attitude, never mind

:38:15. > :39:09.what the score is. Wonderful tennis. At last, Cibulkova

:39:10. > :39:14.gets one of the breaks back. That is what it takes. She had to work hard

:39:15. > :39:52.for that game. Can she keep it up? Cibulkova just concerned that it is

:39:53. > :39:58.slippery. It boys makes me laugh when I see the umpire touching the

:39:59. > :40:04.grass. I have asked my brother. He is a top umpire. He told me they

:40:05. > :40:07.don't have stops on the issues, they should wear grass court shoes. They

:40:08. > :40:13.are told to just touch it with the hand. They may need to review that

:40:14. > :40:45.section of the umpiring module. It is Willie hard to see on your

:40:46. > :42:20.pictures, but apparently it is spitting outside.

:42:21. > :42:35.That balance you were talking about. A fine line. Chances for Radwanska

:42:36. > :43:50.to have a double break once more. That was very close. Misra glanced

:43:51. > :44:08.is challenging the call, it was called out. Oh, only just. She is

:44:09. > :44:10.not a frivolous challenger, is she? Yellow macro no but she only has one

:44:11. > :44:40.left. Picked up a title earlier this year

:44:41. > :44:55.in Poland. Radwanska also a winner right at the start in January in

:44:56. > :45:05.Shenzhen. There is her fiance. I am not sure about that though. Thank

:45:06. > :45:20.you Mr director. I wonder if mum approves of that.

:45:21. > :45:33.It is always a big connection with Dominika and her camp, on court or

:45:34. > :45:38.off court, you see them hanging out. They are a happy camp. They are

:45:39. > :46:06.tight. Even though she doesn't go and watch the football with them.

:46:07. > :46:15.I knew amount of energy expended in those last two macro games. She is

:46:16. > :46:23.making the scoreline look respectable and keeps the deficit to

:46:24. > :46:27.just one break. She is rather special, isn't she? I we think

:46:28. > :46:33.Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, they seem to produce a number of

:46:34. > :46:41.players. Before Dominika there was Daniela Hantuchova, I wonder why

:46:42. > :46:48.that part of the world, there seems to be a production line. They know

:46:49. > :46:51.the tennis. I think in that part of the world, the club system is so

:46:52. > :46:57.much better and the level of coaching is much better than we have

:46:58. > :47:02.in the UK. It is just at a higher level. People love the tennis as

:47:03. > :47:08.well. They support the juniors. But they do like the ice hockey. That is

:47:09. > :47:12.true. A consistency of service as well, you play on clay courts. A few

:47:13. > :47:21.hard courts indoors during the winter. Nothing particularly flash

:47:22. > :47:26.but the players are very happy to go back and train there. I have been to

:47:27. > :47:33.that National tennis Centre in Bratislava. There are a lot of

:47:34. > :47:37.things I forget. As you said, there is nothing special but it is

:47:38. > :47:42.functional. It has everything you need, good courts, good gym. Plenty

:47:43. > :47:46.of courts I should add. Sounds like it had as a good vibe and

:47:47. > :47:52.atmosphere, a good working environment. She does train in the

:47:53. > :47:58.States in the off-season. She likes her sunshine, Dominika. New balls

:47:59. > :49:50.after a really interesting opening few games here.

:49:51. > :49:57.So frustrating for Radwanska's opponents. So quick to read the

:49:58. > :50:19.play, sense the match and make a few adjustments.

:50:20. > :50:29.Takes the first set to 5-3 with quiet authority. What we have seen

:50:30. > :50:36.in this opening 40 minutes, it is tough to see Cibulkova dislodging

:50:37. > :50:40.Radwanska in a meaningful way. Radwanska looks like she has so much

:50:41. > :50:46.more time in comparison to Cibulkova. She is not happy either.

:50:47. > :50:58.Nobody wants to injure themselves right before Wimbledon.

:50:59. > :51:15.It doesn't take much to make a grass court feel slippery underfoot.

:51:16. > :51:22.The thing is the court is good but the drops are a bit bigger, do you

:51:23. > :51:28.just want to wait a little bit? I like that, that is good umpiring.

:51:29. > :51:37.You have two macro unhappy players out there. Let us not take the

:51:38. > :51:43.chance. A good decision for you? Yes. If both players are against

:51:44. > :51:48.continuing then you don't really have a leg to stand on as an umpire.

:51:49. > :51:58.Yukon force them to keep going out there.

:51:59. > :52:10.It is frustrating. Such a good first set. And rain was forecast. Yes, we

:52:11. > :52:19.have been lucky to have as much tennis as we have had. It has been

:52:20. > :52:26.so few made. You feel like there is going to be a downpour, all of the

:52:27. > :52:33.staff are out there preparing. It looks OK but it is heavy. I don't

:52:34. > :52:42.think we would make it in the weather forecasting world. Just the

:52:43. > :52:46.fact they are going to hold off for a while. And I am just hearing that

:52:47. > :52:57.the covers are going on on Court Number One. But there is no further

:52:58. > :53:01.play scheduled for today there. But these two macro so reliant on the

:53:02. > :53:07.movement. Cibulkova with that Achilles operation last year, her

:53:08. > :53:13.left Achilles. Whenever you have had an operation, you are even more wary

:53:14. > :53:23.of your footing. Radwanska having to growth through Edgbaston, had to

:53:24. > :53:27.play, dicey decisions. They were off and on the court always in

:53:28. > :53:31.Birmingham. By comparison in is born, the wind has topped the last

:53:32. > :53:36.couple of days which is fantastic. A lot of rain on Monday but they have

:53:37. > :53:47.done well to get through the schedule on track just about. A few

:53:48. > :53:59.players, Discover will have to play twice, as will Ekaterina Makarova.

:54:00. > :54:07.STUDIO: The interesting thing here in terms of the priorities, number

:54:08. > :54:12.one has to be player safety? COMMENTATOR: Yes. Particular after

:54:13. > :54:16.what we saw at Roland Garros where it was questionable whether players

:54:17. > :54:23.should have been an court. I thought that was good umpiring. You had two

:54:24. > :54:34.macro unhappy players, it only takes a skid and then you are out for

:54:35. > :54:36.Wimbledon. You have some very experienced people on the tour. I

:54:37. > :54:45.don't want to say how many years but it feels like forever. Even before

:54:46. > :54:50.you were on tour. Yes, that long. You have to be careful. It only

:54:51. > :54:56.takes a few drops and it skids around the outside of the court,

:54:57. > :55:06.that is the problem. Here is a question. This tournament. Just

:55:07. > :55:11.looking here, $776,000 is the prize pool here. Three quarters of a

:55:12. > :55:18.million. US dollars, that is a lot of money. And heaven knows how much

:55:19. > :55:22.is taken as far as gate receipts are concerned. But tournaments of a

:55:23. > :55:27.certain stature, why is there not a great tarpaulin that can be whinged

:55:28. > :55:33.across from one side to the other to make sure this doesn't happen, that

:55:34. > :55:41.we don't get breaks in play like this. You are talking about a roof

:55:42. > :55:45.being put on? There is the roof, and then there are covers. Think of

:55:46. > :55:49.Queen's Club last week, the ticket prices are substantially more than

:55:50. > :55:54.here. The value in terms of big names playing the sport and the

:55:55. > :56:04.damage is done as happened at Queen's done last year that macro

:56:05. > :56:09.last week. Surely there must be some means -- there must be some means

:56:10. > :56:14.but if it is like this where it is just a little bit water in the air.

:56:15. > :56:20.There must be some contraption that would not cost much that you could

:56:21. > :56:28.automatically stick across on occasions like this. I'd then think

:56:29. > :56:36.there is a halfway house. The court is going to drive very fast.

:56:37. > :56:41.Drainage. A halfway house between a roof and a tarpaulin cover, the

:56:42. > :56:48.problem is the sweating. Courts sweat. Yes. That is one of the

:56:49. > :56:53.reasons they are not putting the cover on immediately. It needs the

:56:54. > :56:56.air to dry, the grass needs the sunlight. What they did at edge is

:56:57. > :57:01.done last week which they are not doing here. Some of the staff were

:57:02. > :57:08.running across with these things, like a piece of rubber. You have

:57:09. > :57:13.brought your hairdryer specifically for that purpose. It is an

:57:14. > :57:20.improvement to what they used to do. They put sawdust on. Did you not

:57:21. > :57:28.play that? They did that at Birmingham. Talking about

:57:29. > :57:34.Birmingham, they have big balloon to put over the cricket ground. But not

:57:35. > :57:39.quite the same thing obviously because it is a confined area. It is

:57:40. > :57:46.about the margins of the court as well. The tramlines and the edges

:57:47. > :57:51.tend to be the more lush areas. Really where there has not been a

:57:52. > :58:00.lot of play is in the forecourt, it is more tricky. I think we missed

:58:01. > :58:03.the engineering module at school. We are floundering here rather. That is

:58:04. > :58:08.why it took so long to put the Centre Court roof on at Wimbledon.

:58:09. > :58:12.It is not just the structure but the air conditioning and what they have

:58:13. > :58:18.to do. The big issue was not allowing the court to sweat. They

:58:19. > :58:22.could get the structure over but it was the technology and the airflow

:58:23. > :58:28.they had to sort out and it took so many years. When they got that, they

:58:29. > :58:32.were able to put the roof on. I was talking to a journalist yesterday

:58:33. > :58:36.who has been on the circuit for decades. He was talking about the

:58:37. > :58:45.roof at Haller. When it first opened or didn't open in 1994 and it didn't

:58:46. > :58:50.meet in the middle. And then it rained so there was this one strip

:58:51. > :58:57.of the court that was wet. Genuinely, they had half a dozen

:58:58. > :59:06.guys out there with hairdryers drying the one area that was about

:59:07. > :59:11.two feet wide. Fantastic. I know in Haller, when they first got a roof,

:59:12. > :59:18.I know they had problems with the court sweating. That was an issue.

:59:19. > :59:23.Without any expensive contraption, they are back on the court due to

:59:24. > :59:32.drainage. That was only five or six minutes I would think so we just get

:59:33. > :59:38.on with it. Radwanska not entirely happy. This goes back to one of the

:59:39. > :59:42.issues we have been talking about. The footwear that the umpires and

:59:43. > :59:59.referee are wearing is not the same as the players. They have pimples

:00:00. > :00:05.on. The umpires are told to feel the grass with their hands to gauge how

:00:06. > :00:14.slippery it is. Using that method as opposed to trying to slide on it.

:00:15. > :00:17.What you need is what they had that it was the last week, the long

:00:18. > :00:20.strips of rubber to take off the top surface of moisture. That is the

:00:21. > :00:57.key. It's interesting, when the players

:00:58. > :01:00.act as one, and these two, Cibulkova and Radwanska, they know each other

:01:01. > :01:06.well from juniors, they were quite happy to have a conversation. It is

:01:07. > :01:09.different if players don't know each other, but they both know that if

:01:10. > :01:16.they both hold their ground here, they can wait until they are happy

:01:17. > :01:20.with the court. Yes. Wimbledon has got to be in the back of their minds

:01:21. > :01:29.as well. In the front of their minds! And Radwanska, I am sure she

:01:30. > :01:37.feels it is her year. Wimbledon is the best chance of winning a Grand

:01:38. > :01:46.Slam, I think. And she won't take any unnecessary risks before. Tonkin

:01:47. > :02:01.Lock might be fighting a losing rattle -- Tom Kinlock. One thing I

:02:02. > :02:06.don't understand, we are outdoors here in our presentation position

:02:07. > :02:10.and we have people having picnics just beneath our balcony. They

:02:11. > :02:15.haven't moved in the last 15 minutes. I am not sure a raindrop

:02:16. > :02:18.has fallen so I don't understand why the conditions on court are more

:02:19. > :02:22.difficult now than they were when they were happily playing a quarter

:02:23. > :02:28.of an hour ago. I had a note passed to me to say that it was spitting. I

:02:29. > :02:33.know it is incredibly humid and may the court is picking up that

:02:34. > :02:35.moisture. I don't think Radwanska and Cibulkova are causing a fuss for

:02:36. > :02:47.superfluous reasons. Well, this is a kind of ridiculous

:02:48. > :02:50.stand-off. As you say, this is a player power at its most obvious

:02:51. > :03:01.because if they won't play, there is no game. There is a slow handclap

:03:02. > :03:05.behind Radwanska who has put a towel on her shoulders which is kind of an

:03:06. > :03:14.indication, I may be heading for the locker room at some point. Radwanska

:03:15. > :03:22.on court has a real poker face and I'm sure she would be a very good

:03:23. > :03:27.poker player. If she sets her mind to something she will be very tough

:03:28. > :03:35.to budge. A news update, they have announced they are going to swoosh

:03:36. > :03:44.the court. That is what they do on the golf greens and they have a

:03:45. > :03:50.swoosher at Wimbledon. It looks like we are have an announcement. Ladies

:03:51. > :04:00.and gentlemen, we are going to swish the court. We are trying to get the

:04:01. > :04:03.tops of moisture off the court and then play will resume. A couple of

:04:04. > :04:11.minutes and we should be ready to go. I think we need to know what the

:04:12. > :04:16.official swisher looks like. I wonder who it is sponsored by! I

:04:17. > :04:32.wonder how swish it looks! Here we go. There is ironic applause for the

:04:33. > :04:41.swisher. That is really modern. Are they hoping to catch some salmon?

:04:42. > :04:44.People are now laughing! That is taking off the top surface of

:04:45. > :04:54.moisture which is what we were talking about. It is like a long

:04:55. > :05:01.fishing rod with a thing on the end that swishes so now you know. How

:05:02. > :05:13.long have these been around for? Centuries! And the other great word

:05:14. > :05:20.in the language is the Zamboni which is the thing that sweeps the ice on

:05:21. > :05:26.ice hockey rinks. What a fantastic word that is! They have the Zamboni

:05:27. > :05:34.machine at the US Open to actually dry the courts. There is this

:05:35. > :05:39.strange juxtaposition because you have the Zamboni machine which has

:05:40. > :05:45.quite a lot of technology and then you have an army of kids with towels

:05:46. > :05:50.draining the lines. One of the most famous images in sport was the Rugby

:05:51. > :05:53.World Cup semifinal in 1995 in Durban with South Africa playing

:05:54. > :06:00.France and a monsoon before kick-off. Suddenly, endless people

:06:01. > :06:06.with mops came on the pitch to try to drain it. In the high-tech world

:06:07. > :06:12.we live in, it was a throwback to Dickensian times. Quickly while we

:06:13. > :06:17.are doing this, or are they going to start playing? I was going to change

:06:18. > :06:20.tell you about a change in the seedings at Wimbledon but if they

:06:21. > :06:24.are going to hit a ball, we will save it for later. We have injury

:06:25. > :06:33.time breaks, bathroom breaks and now an official swoosh break but we will

:06:34. > :06:46.resume with Cibulkova serving to remain in this set at 3-5.

:06:47. > :07:02.Play resuming about a quarter of an hour as they held at the side of the

:07:03. > :07:04.court under the brollies and they both seem happy to get out and play

:07:05. > :08:00.now. This set has really been a labour of

:08:01. > :08:03.love for Cibulkova. Very quickly went down a couple of breaks, 4-1 in

:08:04. > :08:20.fact, and then got one of them back. You just feel she has always been

:08:21. > :09:10.playing catch up. Radwanska pulling on the reins.

:09:11. > :09:20.At last something has gone her way. And it is Cibulkova who comes off

:09:21. > :09:29.that 15 minute break in much better form but it will be Radwanska who

:09:30. > :09:33.will serve for this first set. And that break was really strange, I'm

:09:34. > :09:37.not sure I'd seen that before where the players completely held their

:09:38. > :09:44.ground and the tournament had to do something. And they did, they got

:09:45. > :09:52.the swishers out and it seemed to work. Player power at its best. But

:09:53. > :09:56.it's just not worth the risk, right before Wimbledon. I do think that

:09:57. > :10:00.Radwanska had quite a difficult experience at Roland Garros where

:10:01. > :10:05.she was one of the players who had to play on that day when they played

:10:06. > :10:11.for just two hours and they played in like a rainstorm. She had a fair

:10:12. > :10:16.point. And she was bleeding before the rain and ended up losing that

:10:17. > :10:21.match and was furious about the conditions, as was Simona Halep --

:10:22. > :10:24.she was leading. I am sure there have been a lot of discussion in the

:10:25. > :10:36.locker room between the players after what happened in Paris.

:10:37. > :10:42.She would have imagined at 4-1 with a double break that the set would

:10:43. > :10:48.have been done and dusted now but they have been on court just over an

:10:49. > :10:50.hour with that delay as well. But now she gets to serve for this

:10:51. > :12:15.opening set. She really has worked her way

:12:16. > :12:26.through and thought out this opening set and it -- and is rewarded here

:12:27. > :12:31.with three chances to close it out. And, in the end, it is Radwanska who

:12:32. > :12:38.wraps up a rather indefensible opening set, 6-4. She will obviously

:12:39. > :12:42.be seeded at Wimbledon but, as we look at the top 16 seeds come you

:12:43. > :12:47.will notice a significant change at the bottom because the number six

:12:48. > :12:51.seed was Victoria Azarenka but she pulled out with injury earlier this

:12:52. > :12:54.morning which means that Johanna Konta now becomes the 16th seed

:12:55. > :12:59.which might have a material impact on whether she gets into the second

:13:00. > :13:02.week of the championship and perhaps upgrades her. It is like she has

:13:03. > :13:08.gone from Premier economy to business class. She goes to the posh

:13:09. > :13:11.dressing room as a consequence of being in the top 16 seed starting on

:13:12. > :13:55.Monday, but you know it is starting on Monday.

:13:56. > :14:02.And we were talking about the swoosh machine and if you have an idle

:14:03. > :14:07.moment today and want to pass away a minute or two, I warmly recommend

:14:08. > :14:11.you Google the Zamboni machine because the history of it, not

:14:12. > :14:14.surprisingly it is the invention of eight Mr Zamboni, but it is

:14:15. > :14:20.absolutely fascinating, how he came up with the idea of an ice resurface

:14:21. > :14:30.just after the Second World War. Anyway, back to the tennis. Sam.

:14:31. > :14:34.Right, Cibulkova has plenty of work to do here. She played well in the

:14:35. > :14:36.first set but she needs to up her game to have any chance in the

:14:37. > :15:49.second. We talked a lot about balance and

:15:50. > :15:54.holding that ground between being aggressive and not making too many

:15:55. > :15:58.errors. It is not working for, is it? Not at the moment but there is

:15:59. > :16:40.still a long way to go in this match.

:16:41. > :17:00.Cibulkova doing her absolute best to force something out here. Just got a

:17:01. > :17:07.little unlucky. And real appreciation from these Centre Court

:17:08. > :17:15.fans, realising what a performance Radwanska is putting in and once

:17:16. > :17:19.again the Pole gets the last word. Time violation warning, Miss

:17:20. > :17:35.Cibulkova. You are only allowed 20 seconds between points.

:17:36. > :17:46.Simply too good from the former champion. And she is leading now buy

:17:47. > :17:51.a set and a break. -- by one said. That first set was tight but

:17:52. > :17:55.Radwanska was always going to win it. Watching her mood around the

:17:56. > :18:04.court, she looks so comfortable -- move around. The serving has been

:18:05. > :18:09.impressive from Radwanska with five aces, three in one game. And she has

:18:10. > :19:22.given very little away. It has been so accurate from

:19:23. > :19:25.Radwanska on serve. She has really hit her spots well, mixed it up

:19:26. > :21:12.perfectly. OK, can she really make something

:21:13. > :21:18.happen here? She's not just going to give it to Radwanska, she is going

:21:19. > :21:27.to make her work for this. And Radwanska is so tough on herself.

:21:28. > :21:38.Oh yes! Incredible! Where did that come from? APPLAUSE

:21:39. > :21:51.That was just instinctive. Cibulkova read the play perfectly and just a

:21:52. > :21:55.flick of the wrist. And maybe that moment of inspiration is just what

:21:56. > :22:05.is required, a chance to get the break back. There is that go to

:22:06. > :22:46.serve. That is seven aces now for Aga.

:22:47. > :22:57.APPLAUSE Fantastic tennis!

:22:58. > :23:03.How can you not be entertained by the tennis these two are producing?

:23:04. > :23:37.We have seen a bit of everything. Oh! She has made it! Radwanska's

:23:38. > :23:45.turned to come up with a stunning passing shot. -- turn.

:23:46. > :23:52.About 15 minutes ago we had that quite lengthy break to let the court

:23:53. > :23:54.dry off and since the resumption of the match went a bit flat but right

:23:55. > :24:15.now it is sparking up. So, a third chance to break in this

:24:16. > :24:55.game. Second serve return, you can't

:24:56. > :25:43.afford to miss those. There is another ace. She is getting

:25:44. > :25:45.up to that serve so well. Three aces already in this game, just as she

:25:46. > :26:01.did back in the first set. That is some hold, fending off those

:26:02. > :26:04.three break points. And Radwanska tightened her grip on this

:26:05. > :26:10.quarterfinal and I'm not surprised she is unhappy. I can certainly see

:26:11. > :26:16.a few spots of rain outside the window of the commentary box. It is

:26:17. > :26:20.significantly darker out here. We feel every temperature change in

:26:21. > :26:31.here and it's just feels like there is going to be a deluge at any

:26:32. > :26:34.moment. Having looked at the forecasts this morning, I think they

:26:35. > :26:43.have done a good job to get as much tennis as they have here today in

:26:44. > :26:56.Eastbourne. Yes, a few brollies are starting to go up. Such a shame,

:26:57. > :27:03.this match had just got going again. It is swoosh time but I'm not sure

:27:04. > :27:08.this is going to do the trick. Have you not seen these on the greens at

:27:09. > :27:14.the golf courses? And at Wimbledon they have them. I am not a golfer! I

:27:15. > :27:18.gave it a go and it wasn't for me. You don't have the right

:27:19. > :27:25.temperament? It takes too long to get round the golf course! These are

:27:26. > :27:29.OK at the moment but if we have any significant rain I am afraid the

:27:30. > :27:35.covers will have to go on just to keep the court dry. It is a shame.

:27:36. > :27:39.What have you made of the match so far? It has been thoroughly

:27:40. > :27:42.enjoyable to watch. I said at the start, Sybil Kerber is one of my

:27:43. > :27:48.favourite players to watch because she brings so much energy on to the

:27:49. > :27:50.court and I love her enthusiasm and determination -- Cibulkova. The

:27:51. > :28:04.contrast in styles between them makes it a fun match. JOHN

:28:05. > :28:12.INVERDALE: I have seen these on golf greens but I didn't know what they

:28:13. > :28:18.were called but now we know. I have googled them and they are not

:28:19. > :28:23.officially called swishers but anyway. This is frustrating for all

:28:24. > :28:29.concerned, not least the players who are meant to come on next. Johanna

:28:30. > :28:33.Konta is waiting somewhere, she could be watching at home actually,

:28:34. > :28:41.sitting there with her feet up on the sofa saying, I'm not due on for

:28:42. > :28:46.a bit. But she is expected to be here at some point in the not too

:28:47. > :28:50.distant future to play Ekaterina Makarova of Russia who won her match

:28:51. > :28:53.against Andrea Petkovic of Germany earlier on. This might be an

:28:54. > :29:00.opportune moment to show you something, earlier today between

:29:01. > :29:06.Kristina Mladenovic and Monica Puig. This was a really high quality maps,

:29:07. > :29:15.we have had so many at Eastbourne this week. More than I think we can

:29:16. > :29:19.remember for a few years. This was Puig on match point, the player from

:29:20. > :29:24.Puerto Rico. It and performance from her daughter she was a qualifier

:29:25. > :29:29.coming into this tournament. She has won six games in a row and shows a

:29:30. > :29:36.good little and then beat a good big one. This is what the draw currently

:29:37. > :29:42.looks like. Obviously several matches on court and still some more

:29:43. > :29:47.to get underway. As things stand, she is the only person through to

:29:48. > :29:52.the semifinals of the Championships so far. She will play the winner of

:29:53. > :29:58.this match between Radwanska and Cibulkova. As and when that match

:29:59. > :30:14.continues and finishes. And at the bottom of the draw we have Pliskova,

:30:15. > :30:18.who beat of Japan. Vesnina beat Heather Watson in the first round, I

:30:19. > :30:22.am not sure if that will make her feel better but if Vesnina goes to

:30:23. > :30:26.the final, that might be some sort of consolation that she lost to

:30:27. > :30:30.someone who went a long way in the draw but Pliskova against Vesnina is

:30:31. > :30:34.there is the third quarter final to be played today and then Johanna

:30:35. > :30:38.Konta against Makarova at the bottom end.

:30:39. > :30:47.As we just wait, I think that are taking the neck down. So the great

:30:48. > :30:56.thing, is that when you are preparing to go on court, I think we

:30:57. > :30:59.will roughly be on at one o'clock. You do your nutrition and you're

:31:00. > :31:03.drinking and warmer in accordance with that, and when you have breaks

:31:04. > :31:07.like this which are not apparent breaks, it is not like we are off

:31:08. > :31:11.for hours, this could be five minutes or an hour and half, it is

:31:12. > :31:18.difficult to know when to take food on board, when not to or where to

:31:19. > :31:22.go, where to sit. Do I start a new book? All of these little things

:31:23. > :31:26.that make up the jigsaw of being an international sports car. I think

:31:27. > :31:30.tennis players become good grazers when it comes to their food. You

:31:31. > :31:33.want anything too heavy, before going on court. But there is always

:31:34. > :31:38.a bit of hanging around at tournaments, whether there is bad

:31:39. > :31:43.whether or not. What kind of book you need to read, whether it is

:31:44. > :31:48.playing on your iPad, I think tennis players are very good at just

:31:49. > :31:52.keeping themselves to themselves, and staying in their own little

:31:53. > :31:57.bubble, because you have to do it so often. What you don't want is

:31:58. > :32:04.players Napoli, players sometimes are quite rigid with their routine.

:32:05. > :32:08.Someone like Novak, who is so obsessed with everything being in

:32:09. > :32:11.its place in the hour or so preceding his match. That is all

:32:12. > :32:15.very well, but you have to know where the hour is going to be. You

:32:16. > :32:19.have to build in some Flex ability, and particularly the juniors, they

:32:20. > :32:24.are so we'll drilled about what they should do before and after, and so,

:32:25. > :32:27.that is good, you need some structure and you need all of those

:32:28. > :32:32.professional things, but sometimes, you need to put your feet up and

:32:33. > :32:37.say, whatever happens happens, and you only really get that from

:32:38. > :32:40.experience. I would say that boast an scare and Cibulkova will be

:32:41. > :32:49.pretty good at just chilling out right now.

:32:50. > :32:58.More is aimed at some more out. I think it's going to be 20 minutes or

:32:59. > :33:01.so. It does give us a chance to go back, and we are going to see

:33:02. > :33:04.Johanna Konta a little bit later, but the match she played yester

:33:05. > :33:14.against Petra Kvitova was absolutely terrific. She was just about to

:33:15. > :33:17.serve the first set. She had served for the first set, but Kvitova had

:33:18. > :33:59.broken back. How would the British and one cope?

:34:00. > :34:10.Great return on their front. So good to get to the front of the court.

:34:11. > :34:36.Any time to get away from contact. -- Konta.

:34:37. > :34:45.That is a supercharged petrol at the moment. Once again, more break

:34:46. > :35:47.points for the former finalist here. How quickly things can change in

:35:48. > :35:56.just ten minutes. Committed the levels up in this first set. What

:35:57. > :36:03.have we just seen happening? She has always been a threat of her return,

:36:04. > :36:07.Kvitova. In all of Konta's service games. There was never really any

:36:08. > :36:32.room to relax and take a foot off the gas.

:36:33. > :36:35.A few big strikes, and that is enough at this level to really

:36:36. > :37:32.change things around. She is sitting her spots a lot

:37:33. > :37:58.better now in the service games. And that is four games in a row for

:37:59. > :38:01.Kvitova. I don't kid is going to be third time lucky this challenge. --

:38:02. > :38:15.I don't think it is going to be. The court is confirmed. It is four

:38:16. > :38:22.games in a row, and I am not surprised that Jo has called in the

:38:23. > :38:35.coach. You have to accept the challenge.

:38:36. > :38:43.Accept it. Just play it. Just face the challenge, OK? For this game.

:38:44. > :38:53.Between Serbs, OK? That is good. You need to win points. When you are

:38:54. > :39:00.serving to her forehand, now she is more ready for that. If you serve to

:39:01. > :39:10.her backhand, you know where it is coming. I am. She hit it the

:39:11. > :39:13.opposite side. I am talking about percentage, one game in particular.

:39:14. > :39:19.The main thing is not to resist, don't create assistance. Accept that

:39:20. > :39:25.challenge. She is playing well again. Accept the challenge. The

:39:26. > :39:31.winner is so small, it is frustrating. You are going to have

:39:32. > :39:39.Windows, keep creating Windows. It feels like... That is not what we

:39:40. > :39:50.see from outside. You are playing well. Accept the challenge. Come on,

:39:51. > :40:02.you can do it. Good words from Mr Ban, her coach. -- Esteban.

:40:03. > :41:14.He was able to accept Konta's call. Serving to stay in this set.

:41:15. > :41:44.She is feeling the she has to press a little harder.

:41:45. > :41:58.No, not the right choice of shot there. How quickly things can change

:41:59. > :42:06.in 20 minutes. She had a set point. That was at 5-2. Great fightback

:42:07. > :42:09.from Kvitova. Two chances for the cheque to close out the first set.

:42:10. > :43:03.-- the cheque woman. She has hung on so well in this set,

:43:04. > :43:06.in all the first service games. She has been under so much pressure. Can

:43:07. > :43:27.she fend off another set point here? If she has got it wrong, we will be

:43:28. > :43:36.back at Jews. If she is right, it will be a second serve for Konta. A

:43:37. > :43:40.lot riding on this Hawk-Eye. And right, for once! So it is a second

:43:41. > :43:51.serve. Huge pressure on the British number one.

:43:52. > :43:54.And that looked long. So many challenges flying around all over

:43:55. > :44:09.the place here. All eyes on the screen. That is

:44:10. > :44:13.absolutely fine. And it is Kvitova with the run of the last five games,

:44:14. > :46:24.who takes the opening set. Seven games to five.

:46:25. > :46:28.Much tougher opposition, with Kvitova really in the mood. The

:46:29. > :47:09.court has gone rather quiet. She was on the previous backhand,

:47:10. > :47:16.Kvitova. Radwanska- like. A little bit further to go down! This is a

:47:17. > :47:33.real arm wrestle, trying to push each other of their baselines.

:47:34. > :47:42.We spoke about Konta's serve being tough to read. Kvitova's is equally

:47:43. > :47:54.difficult. That is six games in a row. Twitter

:47:55. > :48:02.in charge of this match. The winner will play the victor of the next

:48:03. > :48:10.match between Petrovic and Makarova. We have had another date where so

:48:11. > :48:23.many seeds have fallen. The good news is that Radwanska is still

:48:24. > :48:28.intact. To unseeded players, Mladenovic and Monica Puig, that

:48:29. > :48:48.will be sorted out late on this evening.

:48:49. > :49:00.This is such a huge game for Konta. You just feel for her own stake,

:49:01. > :49:09.that she's getting back into this matter.

:49:10. > :50:14.And there is nothing that she can do about that. Too good for Kvitova.

:50:15. > :50:23.It is important for Konta to draw on the crowd's energy, to help lift her

:50:24. > :50:25.emotions out here. Huge point for the British number one, she has to

:50:26. > :51:38.find a way to hang on. APPLAUSE An emphatic way to end the

:51:39. > :51:45.run of games. She can switch the momentum back away. She was leading

:51:46. > :52:07.5-2, double break in the first step. -- first set.

:52:08. > :52:21.I am not sure about this one. This is a bad one.

:52:22. > :53:10.These two are playing so close to the lines, every call almost needs

:53:11. > :53:53.to be challenged! A smart return for Konnor to use

:53:54. > :53:58.there, that hard-won through the middle. -- Konta.

:53:59. > :55:01.Don't give her the angles to play with.

:55:02. > :55:09.The last 30 minutes, Kvitova has played such a high level. She is

:55:10. > :55:26.just having a little dip now. Can Konta take advantage?

:55:27. > :55:39.I don't think this is going to be a successful challenge.

:55:40. > :56:18.This is a rained down in this match. Anyone who was writing her off for

:56:19. > :57:22.Wimbledon might want to rethink that prognosis.

:57:23. > :57:26.Anything short in the middle of the court, you know that Kvitova is

:57:27. > :57:56.going to be all over it. Kvitova regroups. She might be

:57:57. > :58:04.having a wobble there, but she takes back control of this match. Although

:58:05. > :58:08.most of the stands here, apart from the West End, based in sunshine, it

:58:09. > :58:14.is a lovely, warm afternoon. It is pretty humid, and that is the

:58:15. > :58:21.environment that doesn't really suit Petra Kvitova. She is an asthma

:58:22. > :58:25.sufferer. She travels with spray. It is humid, but in comparison to the

:58:26. > :58:29.humidity you get in the Far East or out in the States where a lot of the

:58:30. > :58:34.tournament are across the summer, it is still manageable. She has not

:58:35. > :58:38.gone for the little spray thing yet. She doesn't like those tournament in

:58:39. > :58:43.Cincinnati, she can hardly breathe air. For everyone else, we have had

:58:44. > :58:51.so much rain over the last few weeks, it is lovely to have a

:58:52. > :58:53.T-shirt on and get Osama get out. Not having to keep reaching to the

:58:54. > :59:19.summer. It is a packed house on this Centre

:59:20. > :59:27.Court. I think this is the moment where they are very polite and very

:59:28. > :59:38.respectful, but I would like them to be a little bit less respectful.

:59:39. > :59:40.Just give Jo a little bit of a booth -- boost. We are on serve in the

:59:41. > :01:53.second set. It is predictable, but it has worked

:01:54. > :02:33.well, and she has got it right. This match having a slightly

:02:34. > :02:38.different feel now. Come-to-macro recovering from losing those six

:02:39. > :02:45.games in a row, from 5-2 up, double break in that first set. Taking her

:02:46. > :02:51.little time to regroup, which is understandable. This match still

:02:52. > :02:54.being played at a high level. Been out there and our and a quarter,

:02:55. > :04:02.feels like plenty more tennis left in this.

:04:03. > :04:10.Kvitova is such a streaky player, you never know when you have your

:04:11. > :04:11.window opportunity. Important for Konta to stay out here, not give

:04:12. > :04:37.anything away. Pay a few years ago Kvitova was the

:04:38. > :04:41.queen of playing 3-set matches, playing more of them than anyone on

:04:42. > :04:47.tour. It became bit of a joke, something on social media. It was an

:04:48. > :04:56.extraordinary record, they used to call her Petra three.

:04:57. > :05:07.In full flight, she was awesome. They replaced the second letter of

:05:08. > :05:12.her name with a three. She can be up and down the knows that. Her style

:05:13. > :06:10.of tennis, all-out aggression, no holding back.

:06:11. > :06:30.Superb tennis from Konta, doing a great job holding their ground on

:06:31. > :06:34.that baseline. Not backing up. That takes such strong core strength, to

:06:35. > :06:59.stay through a shot like that. First break point of the second set

:07:00. > :07:03.going to the British number one. A little drift we can see from

:07:04. > :07:10.Connecticut. In terms of her intensity. -- from give

:07:11. > :08:36.Setup play from Konta, hitting the front with the early break in the

:08:37. > :08:53.second set. Isn't it funny somehow how patterns

:08:54. > :08:59.insets follow each other. Exactly the same time, the fifth game when

:09:00. > :09:15.she broke in the opening set, backing it up with another break.

:09:16. > :09:21.Her third sat behind Jo. Mum, Gabriella, she gets too nervous to

:09:22. > :09:28.watch. She was here watching Jo practice earlier today. For her

:09:29. > :09:32.match yesterday she went back home, in and out of the living room

:09:33. > :09:40.watching on TV, watching the score. She does not like to watch Jo's

:09:41. > :09:46.matches live. She gets too nervous. Understandable.

:09:47. > :09:58.Parents have given up a lot, to give Jo the best opportunities possible.

:09:59. > :10:04.We spoke so much about how she moved to this country is a 14-year-old.

:10:05. > :10:14.Settling in east London. In the Docklands, initially. Before moving

:10:15. > :10:19.to Eastbourne. They like the coast. When you have had a house on

:10:20. > :11:58.Sydney's northern beaches, tough to trade that for a beach city.

:11:59. > :12:10.I wonder how long Petra Kvitova will go walkabout? Talking about

:12:11. > :12:19.intensity of the top players. Jo has that in spades.

:12:20. > :13:08.It did look wide. Putting the disappointment behind her. Realising

:13:09. > :13:16.we may be heading into a decider here. Terrific work from Konta.

:13:17. > :13:21.Putting herself in a great position in the second set. Kvitova must be

:13:22. > :15:31.wondering where this went awry. This convincing hold. Just what was

:15:32. > :15:37.required. Kvitova keeping it to one break.

:15:38. > :15:44.What has Konta done well in the second set, keeping her in it,

:15:45. > :15:48.because I thought it may slip away? She has kept ahead, not got too

:15:49. > :15:54.despondent spite having that double break in the first set. Able to

:15:55. > :16:01.weather the storm, staying where Petra Kliba to go there. It pays

:16:02. > :16:05.off. You know you will be able to get windows of opportunity against

:16:06. > :16:11.Kvitova, because she can blow hot and cold. Important to take your

:16:12. > :16:17.opportunities when they are there. I wonder if she and Esteban talked

:16:18. > :16:20.about that, talking about times where there will be times where she

:16:21. > :16:27.will write you off the court, but there is other times, where Esteban,

:16:28. > :16:40.the man in the black top, the only man not hot here. He coaches out of

:16:41. > :16:48.Northwest Spain Gijon. Not keen to travel. That is why she has a number

:16:49. > :16:55.of coaches can be sharing duties. Jose Manuel Garcia does some

:16:56. > :17:07.coaching when he's not around. It is working a treat.

:17:08. > :17:53.Up just the one break in the second set.

:17:54. > :18:03.It has been so impressive how she has stood up to Kvitova, holding the

:18:04. > :18:53.baseline, absorbing this enormous pace, this cannonball coming at her.

:18:54. > :19:03.The thing about Konta, she has been able to hold her ground, she has the

:19:04. > :19:08.strength to do so against Kvitova. Quite often Kvitova able to

:19:09. > :19:12.overpower opponents. Not to date, against consummate. Not able to hit

:19:13. > :19:24.her off. Amazing how many returns have been

:19:25. > :19:42.directed from both players deep through the middle of the court.

:19:43. > :19:50.Tremendous hold. The Centre Court crowd woken up to the fact Konta is

:19:51. > :19:56.doing brilliantly in this second set. Looks like she might force the

:19:57. > :20:03.decider. Kvitova after taking the first,

:20:04. > :23:21.serving to stay in the second. . She will not doubt itself, from

:23:22. > :23:32.all her understated charm, she backs itself a tennis player. Some way to

:23:33. > :23:37.keep yourself in this second set. It will be Konta serving for it, just

:23:38. > :23:48.as she did a couple of times in the first.

:23:49. > :23:57.There is Kvitova's new coach, good doubles player in his time. They

:23:58. > :24:18.seem to get on very well. She would have a great relationship

:24:19. > :24:30.with her previous coach. She was with him for eight or nine years

:24:31. > :24:36.like a little chat over a cup of coffee. She would seems very relaxed

:24:37. > :24:42.in his on court pep talks. I don't know how much coaching he has done

:24:43. > :24:52.away from the women's tour. This is his first on this tool. -- tour.

:24:53. > :25:05.It must seem strange, a coach she worked with for seven years, I never

:25:06. > :25:13.thought that partnership within. Can she do what she could not do in the

:25:14. > :25:41.first set? Serving it out. Let's see what she does here.

:25:42. > :25:51.Great offence from Konta. All of those strikes from Kvitova seemed

:25:52. > :25:57.inches from the baseline. Locking down a few bundles. First point

:25:58. > :26:10.safely negotiated. A little pressure off Konta.

:26:11. > :26:30.I don't think this was a bad drop shot from Konta. Very quick from

:26:31. > :26:38.Kvitova. A quick first step, getting into her stride quickly. I wonder if

:26:39. > :26:46.Konta showed Davis level too much. -- showed a little too much.

:26:47. > :28:02.Forehand played with plenty of conviction from Konta.

:28:03. > :28:08.She has been said dogged and stubborn in this second set. She had

:28:09. > :28:16.a chance to close out the first set, can she do it in the second?

:28:17. > :28:31.Not yet. Living every second of this.

:28:32. > :28:39.She has hit a number of double faults, maybe too many. All very

:28:40. > :29:05.aggressive second serves. Still has a set point in her pocket here.

:29:06. > :29:14.This chest left it up on the backhand. Are we going to see what

:29:15. > :29:20.we saw in the first set? Set point for Konta. Not able to convert in

:29:21. > :29:34.the first set. Two coming and going in this second.

:29:35. > :29:59.OK, Jo. Day three process, take your time can pick your spot is. -- go

:30:00. > :30:11.through your process. What a competitor she is. Konta

:30:12. > :30:17.levels up to take this match into a deciding set.

:30:18. > :30:26.STUDIO: On a glorious summer's evening, sadly, today it is a grey

:30:27. > :30:33.afternoon. It is raining and then not raining. You feel logically we

:30:34. > :30:41.should be playing, but we are not. We are just sitting here rather plus

:30:42. > :30:47.-- prostrated. As and when the the current match continues, when that

:30:48. > :31:00.finishes, Jo Konta will be on against Makarova. When they played

:31:01. > :31:11.last year, Konta was 138 places below Makarova. Now, Makarova is 21

:31:12. > :31:18.places below Konta. You will be able to see that at some point either on

:31:19. > :32:12.BBC Two on the red button. Let's go back to the game yesterday.

:32:13. > :32:16.COMMENTATOR: Strong start from Konta. Once again, doing a great job

:32:17. > :32:42.holding her ground. How does Kvitova regroup? It was one

:32:43. > :32:44.loose game, she played. There was not an awful lot she did wrong. One

:32:45. > :33:12.break of serve. Good tennis from Konta. Just one

:33:13. > :33:37.break of serve. It might be enough, you never know.

:33:38. > :33:49.She's made it! And what a start to this deciding set from Britain's

:33:50. > :33:54.number one. As cool as you like. She breaks Kvitova the fourth time this

:33:55. > :33:59.match. And what a brilliant job she has done. Just wiping away the first

:34:00. > :34:05.set where she led 5-2, the set point. This is quite something from

:34:06. > :34:11.Konta, and she is so tough mentally. And also, that was a long Bath brew

:34:12. > :34:19.-- bathroom break from Kvitova, but she did not allow it to bother her.

:34:20. > :34:58.Just made it! So often, we see Konta play into the spaces. This time

:34:59. > :35:05.round, looking to go back behind Kvitova. Boy, oh boy, looking at

:35:06. > :35:07.play closest to the lines. It hit the back edge of the line every

:35:08. > :35:40.time. They have both been challenged happy

:35:41. > :35:45.in this match. On a number of occasions they have been right.

:35:46. > :35:53.She seemed pretty short about this one. From the ankle she was looking

:35:54. > :36:21.at, it would have seemed that it was long. She can't believe it.

:36:22. > :36:28.Absorbing the power from Kvitova. Getting download here. Straight

:36:29. > :37:03.through the ball. Well, there have been times when he

:37:04. > :37:09.has been ever pressing in this match. Under so much pressure from

:37:10. > :37:19.the power of Kvitova. Now the shoe is on the other foot.

:37:20. > :37:42.I don't know what you think, but Kvitova looks a little tired. I

:37:43. > :37:44.don't know whether it is physical or mental, but she has lost a number of

:37:45. > :38:12.3-set matches today. She has not won an awful lot of

:38:13. > :38:28.matches. She does not play a eight lot of matches.

:38:29. > :38:38.I think this is showing. You get match tough, you get an match

:38:39. > :38:44.stamina. We spent all the time in the gym, going round the running

:38:45. > :38:56.track. But you need plenty of flying hours in these kinds of situations.

:38:57. > :39:51.Another brilliant return from Konta. That was like one from the first

:39:52. > :40:41.set. What a start this could be to this decider.

:40:42. > :41:16.Still a chance here for a double break.

:41:17. > :41:34.Yes! Inspirational from Konta! She read it perfectly, right there.

:41:35. > :41:44.Pressure piling up on Petra. A chance for Konta to break here.

:41:45. > :41:54.And it just drifts wide. Can you believe it?! What a comeback. She is

:41:55. > :41:59.forging ahead in this final set. 3-0, double break.

:42:00. > :42:08.I can't remember seeing a match for a while but has has had such big

:42:09. > :42:13.momentum swings. Credit to Konta for staying cool and calm when things

:42:14. > :42:25.did not go her way in that opening set. She did not back off.

:42:26. > :42:41.She put a lot of trust in her ability out there.

:42:42. > :42:55.I thought the coach was so measured and positive and precise. He used

:42:56. > :43:00.the word warrior, in terms of seeing it out. It has been a Warriors

:43:01. > :43:16.performance. This match itself worth the price of

:43:17. > :43:22.admission. What a wonderful day they have had on Centre Court here at

:43:23. > :43:25.Devonshire Park. Lots of action going on on the other courts, but

:43:26. > :44:56.they will be quite happy... I would be happy sitting on beside myself!

:44:57. > :45:05.Challenges from both of them combined. I don't think she looks

:45:06. > :45:10.totally convinced. It is the one under commentary box. It is just the

:45:11. > :45:16.angle that they are looking at the ball. Looking from behind, you will

:45:17. > :46:23.see it is out. I'm just wondering if she sought

:46:24. > :46:29.Kvitova move out of the corner of her eye there.

:46:30. > :46:34.30-30 in this game. Even though she is up a double break, this still

:46:35. > :46:57.feels like a huge point for the British number one.

:46:58. > :47:00.The former finalist just frustrated that she has not been able to hit

:47:01. > :47:20.through Konta. What a way to close out the game!

:47:21. > :47:34.And how quickly she has gone into a 4-0 lead in this final set.

:47:35. > :47:52.Agent and outlook on. -- dad look on.

:47:53. > :48:02.Physically, it looks like Konta has more energy, she looks the stronger

:48:03. > :48:08.of the tee. Suddenly, could victory over -- Kvitova not looking as good.

:48:09. > :48:56.This is a match that has gone into its third hour.

:48:57. > :49:07.That Chris Long as well. -- that drifts long. I don't think of it can

:49:08. > :49:12.quite believe what is going on. Smart returning from Konta. She

:49:13. > :50:19.mixed it up perfectly. This final set has been so impressive.

:50:20. > :50:26.That might have just clipped. Konta rather keen to get the change of

:50:27. > :50:38.ends. So many challenges in this match, I

:50:39. > :50:43.have lost count. As it clipped? No, it hasn't! Konta is hurtling towards

:50:44. > :50:52.the quarterfinals. It is an extraordinary run of games. And it

:50:53. > :50:58.looks like there is no way back to the two times Wimbledon champion.

:50:59. > :51:03.You have hit with her, you know her so well. What have you seen over the

:51:04. > :51:11.last half-hour? I don't think the level from Konta not yet from the

:51:12. > :51:15.first set in set. It has not been as drastic as we have seen from

:51:16. > :51:21.Kvitova. Kvitova, her energy levels have not been the same in this final

:51:22. > :51:25.set. As soon as Konta was able to break in the first game, it has all

:51:26. > :51:33.been one way traffic. She has just been able to sustain her levels so

:51:34. > :51:37.much better than Kvitova out here. She looks comfortable, she is

:51:38. > :51:53.reading the play much better. Kvitova just looking more flat.

:51:54. > :51:58.Flat-footed. And we have seen this a lot. It has been her worst start to

:51:59. > :52:05.a season in a very long time. She is now ranked outside the world's top

:52:06. > :52:10.ten. The energy levels, when it has gone the distance, have been

:52:11. > :52:14.questionable. Kvitova sits there wondering how on earth she is in

:52:15. > :52:21.this predicament. Konta will not be worrying about that. How well she

:52:22. > :52:28.has put the disappointment of losing the first set behind her. Here she

:52:29. > :53:41.is, serving for the place in the last eight.

:53:42. > :55:01.He has delighted the Centre Court crowd. That point.

:55:02. > :55:23.What a way to finish! Konta is back in the quarters at Devonshire Park.

:55:24. > :55:31.STUDIO: She was an irrepressible form.

:55:32. > :55:39.It took barely 20 minutes, but afterwards, she wasn't getting too

:55:40. > :55:48.carried away. I worked very hard to be able to maintain the level, it is

:55:49. > :55:52.always a constant challenge, and ability to adapt and keep rolling

:55:53. > :56:00.with the punches. I think most of us -- both of us played our part, and

:56:01. > :56:09.not so much in others. She was able -- I was able to string together the

:56:10. > :56:14.point. I felt like I played good tennis out there. She came strong in

:56:15. > :56:24.the second and third one, where she was returning very well. It was

:56:25. > :56:28.really difficult, but I am happy how I played. I am happy with the level

:56:29. > :56:32.that I brought today, although she has dropped out of the top ten, she

:56:33. > :56:36.has been a top five players for -- player for years on end. That is the

:56:37. > :56:41.level that she plays out, and that is the sort of player that she is.

:56:42. > :56:47.She's an incredible champion, and I was honoured to be competing in such

:56:48. > :56:52.a good match with her. It is not easy any time. It is difficult for

:56:53. > :56:59.us, but I am doing it how I can. It is about the tennis and about the

:57:00. > :57:03.hard work, and I am happy that I am healthy, that is important, and

:57:04. > :57:10.practice and play. Of course, the results are not great as I wish, but

:57:11. > :57:15.I hope everything will turn out well. It may look quite nice in

:57:16. > :57:19.Eastbourne at the moment, it is not. That's quite there is slightly

:57:20. > :57:29.unrepresentative of what the weather is like. That are the seedings. Jo

:57:30. > :57:37.Konta is up to 16. And Sam been given the time off for good

:57:38. > :57:42.behaviour. So they are sitting here in our little presentation box to

:57:43. > :57:46.reflect on Jo Konta, who is not allowing her self to get caught up

:57:47. > :57:52.in any hullabaloo. There was no sense of over celebrating that win

:57:53. > :57:56.last night. She has got some expectations of her own. She can

:57:57. > :58:00.live with these top players. There is a hard underbelly of belief that

:58:01. > :58:04.she has, and you almost felt that as soon as that match was over, a

:58:05. > :58:08.little jig, and then straight back to the next one with a view on

:58:09. > :58:12.winning this title. To lose six games in a row, and then suddenly

:58:13. > :58:18.just regrouped and played like she did, that is the sign of someone who

:58:19. > :58:27.is really confident. Confident, but mentally tougher. She did not do too

:58:28. > :58:33.much wrong. The most important thing is staying on an even keel. She does

:58:34. > :58:39.not get too high or too low, and it paid off for her. I so wanted her to

:58:40. > :58:43.win Wimbledon, and she says it is all about the process. You feel that

:58:44. > :58:51.it would be. If she wins or loses the process very matter in the first

:58:52. > :58:55.round, she is still grounded. You focus on every point and do these

:58:56. > :58:59.things, to say it, but to do it, there is a lot of background work

:59:00. > :59:02.that goes on with the sports psychologist, and then pay the work

:59:03. > :59:08.that she is doing to maintain this process. To do what she is trying to

:59:09. > :59:13.achieve their mentally, that is something really special. One thing

:59:14. > :59:15.that she has understood, maybe -- dickie through the work of the

:59:16. > :59:20.psychologist is that top-level tennis is so mental, and that is why

:59:21. > :59:28.she is beating top players now. I mentioned it on it yesterday, and

:59:29. > :59:33.interesting article about Jo's background. When she has had the rug

:59:34. > :59:38.pulled out of her, when you get a setback, you can just throw the

:59:39. > :59:42.towel in. But she clearly has got a huge inner steel, and she was

:59:43. > :59:49.determined that whatever setbacks, she was going to fight back against

:59:50. > :59:55.them. That was not an easy life for Jo away from her parents. They were

:59:56. > :59:58.down here, and just ain't here. It is not glamorous at the National

:59:59. > :00:02.tennis Centre. When you live there and stay there, it is pretty

:00:03. > :00:08.austere, and there must've been some really low times there. I would've

:00:09. > :00:11.been desperate they would been, but she realises that, and credit to her

:00:12. > :00:18.for everything that she sacrificed. There were stints out at the Academy

:00:19. > :00:22.in Spain. Also in the States, in Texas, she spent some time training

:00:23. > :00:25.out there, going back and forth between there and the UK where her

:00:26. > :00:30.parents were. She has put a lot of time in. This has been a long time

:00:31. > :00:34.coming, and say she is trying to soak it all in, appreciating what

:00:35. > :00:39.she has, because when she has worked so hard and given so little, --

:00:40. > :00:44.taken so little. Some people could go completely overboard on it. Tell

:00:45. > :00:46.us why she is such a hard prospect now for people to beat. We have some

:00:47. > :00:55.examples from the match yesterday. Tactically very astute. I thought

:00:56. > :01:03.she did everything right against Kvitova. Her movement around the

:01:04. > :01:07.court so much stronger. The forehand holds up so much more under

:01:08. > :01:14.pressure. She does not look overwhelmed. Looks like she can hold

:01:15. > :01:17.her ground at the back of the court. There have been some huge

:01:18. > :01:24.improvements in such a short space of time. Really good athlete. That

:01:25. > :01:30.ball is one of the heaviest Bulstrode that can be coming at you.

:01:31. > :01:34.She held her ground and offended so well, a skill she had from the

:01:35. > :01:42.juniors. She was not a big strong girl at 15 or 16. Getting excited

:01:43. > :01:46.about her being 16th seed at Wimbledon. Potential top-10 player?

:01:47. > :01:52.Absolutely. I would be the first to admit, over the past 12 months, I

:01:53. > :01:59.would've thought about talking about Johanna Konta as a top-10 player.

:02:00. > :02:04.She has the physique to step up against the top players. She has the

:02:05. > :02:12.serve and the forehand is so much stronger. She's tactically smarter,

:02:13. > :02:15.does not fret. She could win this? 12 months ago we would never

:02:16. > :02:20.entertain the possibility. We don't get ahead of ourselves. Also the

:02:21. > :02:28.right time to be making these kind of breakthroughs. There are so few

:02:29. > :02:31.seeds surviving day one or day two. Through the entire year, so many of

:02:32. > :02:36.the big names have been so inconsistent. All the players at her

:02:37. > :02:39.level or little above or below, thinking every time they play a

:02:40. > :02:47.tournament, whether a grand slam or not, we can win it. One of the

:02:48. > :02:54.fallouts of Victoria Azarenka not being at Wimbledon, means Germanic

:02:55. > :03:14.Two years after testing positive for a banned drug. I failed the tests, I

:03:15. > :03:18.take full responsibility for it. Wimbledon champion at 17, is this

:03:19. > :03:22.the end for one of the most glamorous and successful players of

:03:23. > :03:26.their generation? Her offence taking a drug which had been legal, at the

:03:27. > :03:32.start of the yep put on the banned list. She is appealing the decision.

:03:33. > :03:36.In the professional locker room is a tennis, a major topic of debate. Not

:03:37. > :03:49.too much sympathy for Maria Sharapova. If you cheat you should

:03:50. > :03:56.pay, if you did something wrong. I am not cheating, trying something

:03:57. > :04:03.else. For me, extra hard. With my body, everything, you have to give

:04:04. > :04:09.something extra. This was not nice. I am not the judge, obviously. It is

:04:10. > :04:16.what it is. You break the rules. Not that surprised. We're talking about

:04:17. > :04:20.it a lot, especially when you are sick. You cannot take anything,

:04:21. > :04:26.always something in it you cannot take. Myself I am checking 100

:04:27. > :04:32.times, and might even my doctors, the physio, checking, just to take

:04:33. > :04:41.things that I can only take. So careful. Everybody should do the

:04:42. > :04:45.same thing. I wish we had a microphone at breakfast, we had in

:04:46. > :04:52.interesting conversation, six of us, the whole issue of drugs in sport.

:04:53. > :04:56.One of the key points, the public watching sport, believing what they

:04:57. > :05:03.are seeing. Not feeling anyone has the advantage over anyone else?

:05:04. > :05:06.There are some sports many of us look at, we don't believe we seeing.

:05:07. > :05:13.I don't want that to happen to tennis. We're not there yet. This is

:05:14. > :05:20.a big shock, there is collateral damage, bringing cheating and tennis

:05:21. > :05:23.into the conversation. One of the star names having the situation

:05:24. > :05:28.which been avoided. Not that cut and dry what happened. We have

:05:29. > :05:31.conversations about it, not good about the sport, not talking about

:05:32. > :05:38.the tennis and the wonderful players out there. Just overhearing the

:05:39. > :05:43.announcement, we are expecting heavy showers at Eastbourne, in the next

:05:44. > :05:53.few minutes. Definitely no play before 6:15pm and maybe no play

:05:54. > :05:57.today. If there is not, we will have the matches of the red button.

:05:58. > :06:02.Definitely no more play for the next hour and a quarter. When you heard

:06:03. > :06:08.the announcement, where you amazed, gobsmacked? I was shocked. In the

:06:09. > :06:12.build-up to the press conference I thought she would announce their

:06:13. > :06:19.retirement. Never did across my mind she had failed a drugs test, and she

:06:20. > :06:25.was going to admit making a mistake. She has made a huge mistake. It is

:06:26. > :06:31.sad, whichever way you look at it. Terrible mistake for the sport, sad

:06:32. > :06:37.for the game. Really important for the game's authorities to take a

:06:38. > :06:43.stand. She has made a mistake. You look at the background to it, a time

:06:44. > :06:47.when she was on 30 pills a day. Why she did not declare things on the

:06:48. > :06:51.forms. The more you look into it, scratching your head, thinking why?

:06:52. > :06:56.Perhaps you think it was not a mistake? That is for each other rain

:06:57. > :07:00.to come to a decision. I know what it was like when I was drug tested,

:07:01. > :07:04.writing every single thing I had taken down. As an athlete USAID

:07:05. > :07:09.careful about what you put in your mouth. People in your chair, telling

:07:10. > :07:13.you what you should be taking, should not be taking. What is legal,

:07:14. > :07:19.what is not. Cannot take anything over-the-counter. Cannot understand

:07:20. > :07:22.how blase she has been. Mind-boggling. How much impact will

:07:23. > :07:26.this have on the players in the locker room? The younger players,

:07:27. > :07:42.sending a real warning shot over the bowels. I would say so. -- over the

:07:43. > :07:52.bows. They will not take a new sports bar, energy drink, they will

:07:53. > :07:58.not take anything. It is not a fun existence, protecting yourself from

:07:59. > :08:03.inadvertent contamination. The juniors will have taken note,

:08:04. > :08:07.hopefully a warning, that is why the ban was for two years, quite a

:08:08. > :08:13.long-time. I'm sure we will discuss that again over the next two years.

:08:14. > :08:19.No play until 6:15pm at the earliest. The storm last night

:08:20. > :08:24.binning the courts were drenched. In a way like to get any play at all.

:08:25. > :08:40.One match two-day game to a conclusion, the quarterfinals. The

:08:41. > :08:52.game between Monica Pug from Porto Rico. Someone enormously proud of

:08:53. > :08:56.her country. As she told us was that when I started playing tennis, a lot

:08:57. > :09:04.of people asking me where Federico was on the map. Confusing it with

:09:05. > :09:09.Portugal or Paraguay. -- Puerto Rico. People know where it is, proud

:09:10. > :09:17.I've given a name for my island on this level of sport. When you go

:09:18. > :09:21.back, do they claim you? They take a lot of pride in their athletes. Also

:09:22. > :09:27.very proud of all our accomplishments. Smaller or large. I

:09:28. > :09:37.always feel quite at home when I get back. A huge amount of respect for

:09:38. > :09:43.the people of Porto Rico. Do you always have dual nationality,

:09:44. > :09:50.growing up in the US? It is a US currency Bell territory. I consider

:09:51. > :09:58.myself 100% per Taricco. -- Puerto Rican. You need to be fluent in

:09:59. > :10:15.Spanish. My couch and fitness trainer are

:10:16. > :10:20.from Argentina. Then at a Spanish going on. Hence the chemo rates

:10:21. > :10:27.would be Spanish up. I really like it. Sometimes I get tired of

:10:28. > :10:30.speaking English. Don't get too tired for another minute. Great

:10:31. > :10:39.debate about whether coaches should be allowed on court. Are you in

:10:40. > :10:43.favour? It helps in a way. Tennis is a very individual sport, it makes

:10:44. > :10:47.the matches more interesting. It helps having your coach there to

:10:48. > :10:54.help guide you a little bit. When you need it the most. I usually try

:10:55. > :10:58.to call my couch out with any positive reinforcement, if I don't

:10:59. > :11:03.know what is going on. I really like picking occasion I have with my

:11:04. > :11:08.coach. You are playing really well at the moment, you must be feeling

:11:09. > :11:15.really good. Winning qualifying, again for the keeping on winning. Do

:11:16. > :11:20.you think you are the real role? This year has gone pretty uphill in

:11:21. > :11:24.general. Proud of myself coming out of a sloppy year last year. Coming

:11:25. > :11:30.into my own, finding myself in tennis, mentally. I am enjoying

:11:31. > :11:33.myself at the moment, happy with everything I have accomplished.

:11:34. > :11:42.Definitely helping me win more matches. Having fun. They will be

:11:43. > :11:52.cheerily run on -- cheering you on in Puerto Rico. It has suddenly got

:11:53. > :11:53.ridiculously dark. Monica Pug the any person through to the

:11:54. > :12:10.semifinals. We are on air tomorrow on BBC Two

:12:11. > :12:15.with the semifinals, we hope, from one o'clock. If we don't get any

:12:16. > :12:21.more play tonight, we will have to have the quarterfinals tomorrow.

:12:22. > :12:27.Semifinals later in the afternoon. How much does that weight the

:12:28. > :12:33.tournament in favour of the players at the top of the draw? It helps

:12:34. > :12:38.Pug. There is a lot of tennis left, they are pros, they are used to it.

:12:39. > :12:46.They will get on with it. It depends physically, what type of match.

:12:47. > :12:51.Konta at her opponent have had some tough battles. The winner to the

:12:52. > :12:58.semifinal. You are all in the same boat, expecting sunshine, let's not

:12:59. > :13:02.to get Monica Pug has gone through the qualifiers, playing a lot of

:13:03. > :13:09.tennis. When you keep winning you keep getting energy. She is only 22.

:13:10. > :13:13.These are young, fit professionals, couple of matches on grass, not like

:13:14. > :13:19.playing on clay. Different ball game. They should be absolutely

:13:20. > :13:26.fine. Pretty grim, raining very happily. The colour of the sky is

:13:27. > :13:30.grim. They play before 6:15pm, if there is, go to the red button

:13:31. > :13:33.randomly, you may find tennis, you may not. We will see you tomorrow,

:13:34. > :13:36.goodbye.