Day 1

:00:47. > :00:52.Welcome to Eastbourne, Sussex by the sea. The whole world is out there.

:00:53. > :00:59.But one week a year, the tennis world comes right here. The biggest

:01:00. > :01:03.star in women's tennis is taking time out to start a family. In her

:01:04. > :01:06.absence, a host of established names and new talent from across the globe

:01:07. > :01:16.are vying for glory. Heading up those names, the top

:01:17. > :01:24.three players in the game at the moment.

:01:25. > :01:27.From Poland, Slovakia and Denmark, we have three former champions with

:01:28. > :01:38.real crosscourt expertise. A former Grand Slam champion,

:01:39. > :01:46.looking to recapture her best form. What a breath of fresh air. The

:01:47. > :01:50.hottest and possibly most unexpected new property in the sport, the

:01:51. > :01:59.French Open champion. What an achievement! And the local girl,

:02:00. > :02:01.turned into a top ten contender. They are all here and ready to play

:02:02. > :02:09.at Devonshire Park. And there is something about

:02:10. > :02:12.Eastbourne that is for all times. A Stone Age settlement, a Napoleonic

:02:13. > :02:19.fort, magnificent Victorian architecture. Once a year, a tennis

:02:20. > :02:23.tournament that enlivens a town that revels in its Gentiletti, but also

:02:24. > :02:27.its geographical isolation. This is a great event for the family. You

:02:28. > :02:31.can get so close to the players. It is a chance to engage and inspire

:02:32. > :02:35.the thousands of kids that come here. This year, more than ever, the

:02:36. > :02:41.inspiration and attention comes in the form of the temporarily fallen

:02:42. > :02:45.giant that is Novak Djokovic. This time last year, overrun by grand

:02:46. > :02:48.slam titles. This year, searching for his lost Mojo permit the sand

:02:49. > :02:53.and shingle of Eastbourne seafront. He plays for the first time

:02:54. > :02:57.tomorrow. While he is here, sadly in the last few minutes it has been

:02:58. > :03:07.announced that the double Wimbledon champion Patrick -- is not going to

:03:08. > :03:14.be here because of the injury she sustained yesterday. Arguably, this

:03:15. > :03:17.is the best field that has been assembled for many years. If you

:03:18. > :03:25.take the Williams sisters out of it, this is effectively Wimbledon by the

:03:26. > :03:27.sea. They have moved SW19 60 miles south, to whatever the postcode is

:03:28. > :03:41.here. Just the big names wherever you

:03:42. > :03:52.look. Three British players made it into

:03:53. > :04:03.the main draw, a few fell by the wayside in the qualifying condition.

:04:04. > :04:08.Sadly, that has been reduced to two. Naomi Broady has just been beaten,

:04:09. > :04:11.emphatically 6-1 in the third set. And she is not the only British

:04:12. > :04:18.player to go out so far on this first Monday. Kyle Edmund, the

:04:19. > :04:22.British and a fraternite, has just lost to Donald Young of the USA. I

:04:23. > :04:30.am sure you saw him in action a lot at Queen's. He lost in three sets,

:04:31. > :04:34.as you can see. Sadly, because of contractual reasons, we are not able

:04:35. > :04:46.to show you the action from the men's drawer. We will be overrun by

:04:47. > :04:49.the action from the women's draw. We have Pliskova against Alison Riske,

:04:50. > :04:55.and then Heather Watson against Cibulkova.

:04:56. > :05:02.I mentioned Pliskova against Alison Risk, their first set ended a couple

:05:03. > :05:09.of moments ago. I think we are in the first game of the second set.

:05:10. > :05:28.It was going along quite nicely for both players in the first set. Then

:05:29. > :05:31.the first break point opportunity that Pliskova outcome of the world

:05:32. > :05:36.number three, that was it, done and dusted. That is the way she likes to

:05:37. > :05:39.play. That is why she is one of the best players in the world, arguably

:05:40. > :05:47.one of the favourites for the title this week, and also at Wimbledon. It

:05:48. > :05:54.has all gone very quickly. She is the ace machine. What really

:05:55. > :05:58.impresses me is the amount of first serves, 67%. Normally she is 10%

:05:59. > :06:02.lower than that. She will be thrilled. She lost a handful of

:06:03. > :06:19.points behind that, so that is really bad news for Alison Risk.

:06:20. > :06:23.Pliskova put down more cases than Williams last year. That is

:06:24. > :07:06.astonishing. I was out watching her practice

:07:07. > :07:12.yesterday afternoon. It was considerably windier than it is now.

:07:13. > :07:19.She was playing with her identical twin sister, Kristyna. The sound of

:07:20. > :07:38.her racket, she is timing the ball so sweetly.

:07:39. > :07:49.Could you tell the difference between the Pliskova twins, with one

:07:50. > :07:53.of them two minutes older? Yes, because Kristyna is left-handed.

:07:54. > :08:37.Without them holding a racket? It is quite hard!

:08:38. > :08:48.We saw at the start of the show, the women's draw, Eastbourne. Pliskova

:08:49. > :08:52.is one of three players that could end of the summer as the number one.

:08:53. > :09:03.It is a different world, it really is. Talking to Martina Navratilova,

:09:04. > :09:07.she has been picked out as a future number one by the great champions.

:09:08. > :09:24.And she won this 11 times, I think she knows what she's talking about.

:09:25. > :09:32.Still question marks about Pliskova. Beautiful ball striker, wonderful

:09:33. > :09:37.servant, which is improving. The second serves are getting better as

:09:38. > :09:41.well. It has been transformational in the last 12 months. But she

:09:42. > :09:56.doesn't always win titles when she's supposed to.

:09:57. > :10:04.Her Grand Slam record was pretty dreadful until last year, when she

:10:05. > :10:07.got through to the final at the US Open. Until then, as you mentioned,

:10:08. > :10:12.she came to the big tournaments and was not getting the results.

:10:13. > :10:21.Favoured to win the Australian Open, got offended. Favourite for Indian

:10:22. > :10:25.Wells, and Miami, where she made the semis. Again, playing well,

:10:26. > :10:30.everything in place. We didn't expect so much of her through the

:10:31. > :10:34.clay-court season. Actually, you know, it went beyond expectations of

:10:35. > :10:36.the French. It's difficult for her to move, she has got incredibly long

:10:37. > :11:26.limbs. It is an incredible weapon to have.

:11:27. > :11:31.That was ace number six. The third of the second set. Keeps us on

:11:32. > :11:35.serve, the second set. As a player, how did you feel when you first felt

:11:36. > :11:44.the grass beneath your feet? Relieved! It is very tricky. Stiff,

:11:45. > :11:53.as well. You use completely different muscles to the clay-court

:11:54. > :11:58.season. You are using much more of your thighs and your calf muscles.

:11:59. > :12:05.On the grass, you are pushing so much. It is your backside that gets

:12:06. > :12:11.very sore. The first thing you have to get is low, that is what your

:12:12. > :12:19.coaches will tell you. I was busy yesterday, watching the French Open

:12:20. > :12:28.champion. It was all about getting low. That would be what the coaches

:12:29. > :12:31.would tell you. It comes through lower, quicker and lower than it

:12:32. > :12:34.does at Wimbledon. I think that is really good practice. The biggest

:12:35. > :12:37.thing you have to change, from the clay to the grass, it is all about

:12:38. > :12:47.movement. You know you will not be on the surface very long and then

:12:48. > :12:52.you have to change courts. I think they say tennis is an easy game! It

:12:53. > :12:55.is your movement, your foot plant, your centre of gravity and your

:12:56. > :13:04.contact point, which goes from shoulder height and can be around

:13:05. > :13:06.your ankles. Pliskova is very happy and comfortable with that, how the

:13:07. > :13:10.Balkans through to her. -- how the ball comes through to

:13:11. > :14:28.her. One small slip-up, that is all it

:14:29. > :14:31.was in that opening set. It is pretty tough for the American number

:14:32. > :14:41.seven, having to serve second against Pliskova.

:14:42. > :14:48.Very aggressive game style for the American, Alison Riske, sitting at

:14:49. > :14:56.45 in the rankings. Had a career-high 36. It is her third main

:14:57. > :15:00.draw appearance here. She has only ever won wants here. I don't

:15:01. > :15:06.understand that record. She is known as a very good grasp player. They

:15:07. > :15:32.will be fighting over surfaces, because they like the same ones.

:15:33. > :15:43.Home That expression tells you the nightmare of trying to return the

:15:44. > :15:48.Pliskova served. It explodes off the court, the same way as Venus

:15:49. > :15:56.Williams' does. She has hit one, she has blocked one. She has moved back,

:15:57. > :15:57.she has moved forward. Very difficult serve to return.

:15:58. > :16:47.Beautifully disguised as well. That his practice for next week. You

:16:48. > :17:12.can do that at 40-0, when you are serving as well as she is.

:17:13. > :17:21.Just too much power from Karolina Pliskova. This is her first match on

:17:22. > :17:25.grass. She withdrew from Birmingham with an elbow problem. This is her

:17:26. > :17:30.grass debut for 2017. I think she will be pretty happy with how things

:17:31. > :17:35.are going. She will. She looked very relaxed, sitting with his sister

:17:36. > :17:39.yesterday, she went down pretty early to Eastbourne. She really

:17:40. > :17:44.enjoys it down there. It is a huge factor. It's not easy having to play

:17:45. > :17:48.somebody, she had a bye in the first round, it is not easy to play

:17:49. > :17:57.somebody who really loves the grass and who has already had a match. She

:17:58. > :17:59.has been practising on the practice courts, which are quite a lot harder

:18:00. > :18:03.than the match courts, simply because they had been played on so

:18:04. > :18:07.much. So, there is a transition not only from surface, but also from the

:18:08. > :18:10.practice courts playing differently to the match courts, certainly for

:18:11. > :18:14.the first few days. These courts were quite soft. The ball is not

:18:15. > :18:25.coming through as much. You have to get up to it. That is quite tough

:18:26. > :18:29.for Karolina. I am sure her coach would be very much on that her about

:18:30. > :18:35.her footwork, getting up to the ball. We had so much sunshine last

:18:36. > :18:40.week, it really baked it hard, and they have been played on. There was

:18:41. > :18:43.a lot of adjustment to make. Actually, very tricky situations.

:18:44. > :18:49.But they are handling it very well so far. You mentioned sunshine, I

:18:50. > :18:57.didn't want to be so negative early on, but I don't think we are going

:18:58. > :19:44.to have much of it this week. I had better have my ice cream today!

:19:45. > :19:49.If you would like to get in touch, and there is so much to say about

:19:50. > :20:01.tennis at the moment, there are so many stories in this week, use the

:20:02. > :20:10.hashtag and we are looking forward to hearing from you.

:20:11. > :20:23.A very good place to serve two, out wide, on the right court. If you

:20:24. > :20:27.haven't watched too much tennis over the last few months, out wide, the

:20:28. > :20:42.forehand, you can get a few freebies out there.

:20:43. > :20:51.Second double fault from Alison Riske. Conceded the set, the first

:20:52. > :20:52.break point on the Riske server. Double faulted. Pliskova took the

:20:53. > :21:27.serve. Good hold for Alison Riske. When you

:21:28. > :21:30.are facing a server of this stature, of Pliskova, you have watched her,

:21:31. > :21:37.they have faced each other before. It is a lot of it guesswork because

:21:38. > :21:41.of the disguise she puts on her serve? You've got to look at where

:21:42. > :21:45.she is throwing the ball up, try to get some clues, some early clues.

:21:46. > :21:51.These days, there is so much data out there. You certainly want to be

:21:52. > :21:55.going with that, putting it all in with an innate sense of where it is

:21:56. > :21:57.going. The most important thing is that she keeps trying to make

:21:58. > :22:16.returns, get something on it. When you are returning the Pliskova

:22:17. > :22:22.serve, the potential was very high for that set. For me, she is a great

:22:23. > :22:27.server. But she doesn't make enough of her serves, unlike Serena

:22:28. > :22:29.Williams. You have got a chance. The second service pretty predictable,

:22:30. > :22:34.normally to the back end of the right-hander.

:22:35. > :22:44.That was a really good example of what she's got to do. You've got to

:22:45. > :22:47.get your racket on these serves. It just gets into her head that

:22:48. > :22:48.somebody is making returns, trying hard, rather than just getting

:22:49. > :23:17.demoralised. This is going to give her a tonne of

:23:18. > :23:21.points. She's looking for the first ball forehand, after the serve. If

:23:22. > :24:34.you give her that, point over. There it is. Another ace for

:24:35. > :24:41.Karolina Pliskova, her seventh of the match. That is her ahead on

:24:42. > :24:44.serve in the second set. In terms of rankings, Angelique Kerber, world

:24:45. > :24:57.number one, in spite of not having the best of years. Pliskova is

:24:58. > :25:06.currently sitting third. It could have changed hands at the French

:25:07. > :25:11.Open, but it didn't. Ostapenko went on to take the title. It's

:25:12. > :25:15.incredible, the permutations of the top of the women's game. To put it

:25:16. > :25:20.into context, it is 600 points. There are 470 points for the winner

:25:21. > :25:25.here. 2000 points if you win Wimbledon. It is not an

:25:26. > :25:29.insignificant amount of points. I think women's tennis is in

:25:30. > :25:34.transition at the moment. There are some very good players in the

:25:35. > :25:40.mid-20s, who can take the top spot. Simona Halep at is only a couple of

:25:41. > :25:46.games away from being world number one. What I find interesting, we are

:25:47. > :25:48.used to Maria Sharapova being number one, or Serena Williams, they love

:25:49. > :25:57.being world number one and everything that goes with it.

:25:58. > :25:59.Pliskova becomes number one, head of court life changes, the pressure

:26:00. > :26:07.changes completely. I'm fascinated to see who embraces it. It might be

:26:08. > :26:10.Ostapenko. She is more of an extrovert than the other players

:26:11. > :26:12.that are bidding to be number one. I think it is a great time in women's

:26:13. > :27:51.tennis. She has landed a couple of

:27:52. > :27:55.backhands. The reason why is that the centre of gravity is very low.

:27:56. > :28:48.That is the work on the practice court, get down.

:28:49. > :28:55.Sad pressure on Alison Riske. If she loses this point, she knows this

:28:56. > :29:19.match is over. That was an effective match point

:29:20. > :29:23.four Pliskova. -- for. Two titles per Karolina Pliskova this year.

:29:24. > :29:32.Started the year really well in Brisbane. And she won in Doha.

:29:33. > :29:35.Semifinals in Roland Garros, a tournament she laughed at the

:29:36. > :29:38.thought she could ever win. She got very close to the final. Now one

:29:39. > :30:21.game away from the third round here. She has really found her stride now,

:30:22. > :30:28.Carolyn Priskin la. -- Karolina Pliskova. Remember how impressive

:30:29. > :30:31.this is. She wouldn't have played on grass competitively since Wimbledon

:30:32. > :30:43.last year. To pick up like this, great timing, top of the Pops. There

:30:44. > :32:19.it is. Three match points four Pliskova. Three points for the win.

:32:20. > :32:35.Double fault keep this alive. Taking the foot off Bigas a little bit with

:32:36. > :32:48.the serve macro. -- Vicky Ford off the gas a little bit with serve.

:32:49. > :33:04.UMPIRE: the ball was called in. Miss Riske has challenged the call.

:33:05. > :33:42.UMPIRE: the call stands. Match point number four.

:33:43. > :33:52.UMPIRE: game, set and match Miss Pliskova. Just over an hour on

:33:53. > :34:00.court. One hour and eight minutes. 6-4, 6-3. The fifth meeting between

:34:01. > :34:10.the two. It is a Pliskova double. Her older sister beat Naomi Broady

:34:11. > :34:17.earlier on Court One. Karolina Pliskova, finalist from last year,

:34:18. > :34:22.lost out in the end to Dominika Cibulkova, who is next against

:34:23. > :34:27.Heather Watson. A good day from Pliskova. I saw her before she went

:34:28. > :34:31.out on court and she looked relaxed. She always looks very relaxed. She

:34:32. > :34:34.hasn't played on grass since Wimbledon last year. She withdrew

:34:35. > :34:43.from Birmingham because of an elbow injury. She's looking good. The

:34:44. > :34:49.serving arm is working. Seven aces. She did enough to get herself

:34:50. > :34:51.through against Alison Riske. Still to work out who she will face in the

:34:52. > :35:22.next round. Well played. First match on grass

:35:23. > :35:28.against a tough grass court opponent. Your thoughts? I think I

:35:29. > :35:34.played OK. I was expecting a little bit worse match. It was my first

:35:35. > :35:37.one. I am just happy with how I played today and hopefully I can

:35:38. > :35:43.improve in the next one as well. Very nice weather so I was enjoying

:35:44. > :35:49.it. The last time we saw you was in the final last year. How did it feel

:35:50. > :35:54.coming back here? I am coming back almost every year. It is my fourth

:35:55. > :35:58.or 50 year. I was enjoyed to play in Eastbourne. Especially when the

:35:59. > :36:03.weather is so nice. We know it can be really windy, as it was last year

:36:04. > :36:08.in the final. I like coming back here. You have had a lot of success

:36:09. > :36:12.on grass courts over the years. They win in Nottingham last year. Is this

:36:13. > :36:18.a great surface? What do you enjoy about it? It is a good service for

:36:19. > :36:25.my serve. I hope I can play well this year. I think this is the best

:36:26. > :36:30.preparation for Wimbledon. We look forward macro to you in your next

:36:31. > :36:36.match. Through to the next round. Karolina Pliskova. From the sunshine

:36:37. > :36:39.in Eastbourne, let's hope the same is replicated next week. This time

:36:40. > :36:49.next week, you know what will be well and truly under way.

:36:50. > :37:06.That is eight! He has done it! She has done it!

:37:07. > :37:23.That's it! That's it! He has done it!

:37:24. > :37:32.That's it! That's it! That it! The dream has come true.

:37:33. > :37:42.And at last he does it. There is a new man at the helm in

:37:43. > :38:39.men's tennis, Rafael Nadal. Ten great moments but there are

:38:40. > :38:43.hundreds. There is a tremendous programme on radio five Live on

:38:44. > :38:47.Wednesday evening at eight, expanding on those, and getting you

:38:48. > :38:52.involved in your great Wimbledon moments. Sam Smith is here. If you

:38:53. > :38:56.had to pick one, what would it be? It is hard. There are so many. I

:38:57. > :39:06.would say 1977, Virginia Wade winning Wimbledon. Even though I

:39:07. > :39:14.only saw it retrospectively. That is my great moment, too. Is it? We

:39:15. > :39:17.actually agree on something! I couldn't believe the gladiatorial

:39:18. > :39:24.nature of it. I wasn't a Bjorn Borg fan. I liked John McEnroe. And the

:39:25. > :39:31.disk error lighters have this extraordinary image about him. He

:39:32. > :39:35.was two sets up. I was mortified. There are certain things you do

:39:36. > :39:39.remember. I remember that moment because I was not allowed to go and

:39:40. > :39:43.watch it. I got sent to a summer picnic. I was really upset because I

:39:44. > :39:49.wanted to see the final or listen on the radio. I had to watch it

:39:50. > :39:54.retrospectively. That is one of my various memories of not being

:39:55. > :39:58.allowed to watch the final. Max Robertson's great radio commentary,

:39:59. > :40:02.where on the final point he says, and Virginia will take tea with the

:40:03. > :40:08.Queen. Those were the days. Moving on to the women's game, we have an

:40:09. > :40:13.amazing draw. Three British players. Naomi Broady has gone out. We only

:40:14. > :40:16.have Heather Watson and Johanna Konta. A lot of the British women

:40:17. > :40:23.lost in the qualifiers as well. Are you a bit down? We will talk about

:40:24. > :40:29.Johanna Konta a lot this week. You a bit downbeat at the moment? Yes,

:40:30. > :40:34.because I think we felt this time. Johanna Konta is more of a surprise.

:40:35. > :40:39.She was in the quarterfinals struggling are few years ago. The

:40:40. > :40:43.stars were going to be Heather and Laura Robson. Laura has had many

:40:44. > :40:48.injuries. She is not where we would like to be. Heather has not

:40:49. > :40:51.progressed, when you think she was playing on the Centre Court nearly

:40:52. > :40:56.beating Serena Williams a couple of years ago. I thought she was heading

:40:57. > :41:01.for the world top 20. Never listen to me, I was get it wrong! I was

:41:02. > :41:05.very pleased to see she won yesterday. I know what it is like to

:41:06. > :41:08.be on a really awful run. She drowned out a very big win yesterday

:41:09. > :41:13.on court. That can do wonders for her. I thought Naomi Broady would be

:41:14. > :41:18.firmly fixed in the world top hundred. There is so much strength

:41:19. > :41:23.in depth. You cannot rest on your laurels in tennis. You are on the

:41:24. > :41:27.diving board otherwise with your ranking. Weaver having the same

:41:28. > :41:31.conversation in France, saying that going into a Grand Slam tournament,

:41:32. > :41:36.you could almost have picked one of 30 names. That may be slightly

:41:37. > :41:45.exaggerated. We ended up with a shock winner. Really looking forward

:41:46. > :41:51.to seeing her play. A week away from Wimbledon. You are none the wiser,

:41:52. > :41:56.are you? Many more women grow up on clay and feel more comfortable on

:41:57. > :42:07.clay. There is a large part of the jaw that does not feel comfortable

:42:08. > :42:10.on grass. -- draw. It is plain not quite like the old days where the

:42:11. > :42:18.ball used to skip through and really sort people out, and really

:42:19. > :42:22.absolutely defy the clay court. It is middling now. I think there is a

:42:23. > :42:29.much smaller bands that can win. This match for Heather Watson, it is

:42:30. > :42:33.a wonderful opportunity, isn't it? She is playing the defending

:42:34. > :42:39.champion, a lot of pressure. She is like the energise a woman of women's

:42:40. > :42:46.tennis. She is struggling with expectation having won the WTA final

:42:47. > :42:50.last year. Talk about Angelique Kerber struggling with world number

:42:51. > :42:54.one. She is struggling. She has had a pretty nasty wrist injury. There

:42:55. > :42:59.is a big advantage for the lower ranked players like Heather, having

:43:00. > :43:04.won a round and playing somebody who has had a bye. I don't think that

:43:05. > :43:11.helps many of the top players. If they are lacking confidence. And out

:43:12. > :43:15.of form. Cibulkova is out of form. You could see last week at Queen's

:43:16. > :43:19.Court -- Queen's Club how people in a rich vein of form on grass were

:43:20. > :43:25.upsetting the apple cart. I don't see why Eastbourne should be any

:43:26. > :43:29.different to other tournaments we have seen, were so many of the big

:43:30. > :43:34.names have not delivered when you expect them to. A few years ago you

:43:35. > :43:40.could must pencil in six of the top eight and project through. I think a

:43:41. > :43:46.number of the big names will go in the early couple of rounds. That has

:43:47. > :43:50.become the new norm in women's tennis. Talking about Heather

:43:51. > :43:56.Watson, she is about to walk out on course to play her second match.

:43:57. > :44:04.Right on cue. The Channel Islands finalist. As Sam said, perhaps

:44:05. > :44:09.reaching a crossroads in her career. Maybe the next couple of months may

:44:10. > :44:19.define her career. Here is the defending champion.

:44:20. > :44:24.APPLAUSE. And actually, we are talking about wrist injuries, arm

:44:25. > :44:28.injuries, let's talk about Petra Kvitova. She pulled out this morning

:44:29. > :44:31.having won in Birmingham at the weekend. That was a phenomenal

:44:32. > :44:35.performance. It would have been great to see her here. You do kind

:44:36. > :44:40.of wonder, and I'm not suggesting that she doesn't have an abdominal

:44:41. > :44:46.injury, but she must be thinking, I can do really well at Wimbledon. She

:44:47. > :44:52.must be thinking she can get to the last four. We have her now as a

:44:53. > :44:57.contender. When you haven't competed for a good seven months, and she

:44:58. > :45:02.hadn't even practised for most of that time either, your body, however

:45:03. > :45:06.fit you are, I don't think she is as conditioned as she could be, but

:45:07. > :45:10.even if you are a superfit, your body is not hardened to playing

:45:11. > :45:14.matches. You do things in matches you wouldn't do in practice. It

:45:15. > :45:18.doesn't surprise me that she has a little Paul or a twinge because she

:45:19. > :45:23.has done so far beyond what he has done in the last seven or eight

:45:24. > :45:28.months. You have one body and it needs to be coaxed. She must did

:45:29. > :45:32.better than she needed to last week although it is a great story. It was

:45:33. > :45:38.interesting speaking tour in France our enthusiasm for the game has been

:45:39. > :45:42.massively rekindled, because she realised when she was out of the

:45:43. > :45:47.game how much she missed it. She has returned renewed and with an

:45:48. > :45:52.extraordinary desire to actually achieve even more and enjoy it

:45:53. > :45:55.whilst she is doing it. What happened was so unexpected and

:45:56. > :46:01.completely life changing. And also, to go through what she did, it seems

:46:02. > :46:06.as if she has really thought about things very deeply, as anybody

:46:07. > :46:11.would. And to have time out of the bubble as well. You spent enough

:46:12. > :46:17.time around tennis to know what a bubble is and how divorced it is

:46:18. > :46:20.from the real world. I was feel she is underachieving. I

:46:21. > :46:28.feel she should have seven or eight Grand Slams. Her motivation in the

:46:29. > :46:34.last few years... She is a lovely young woman. Very honest. She has

:46:35. > :46:41.been struggling, saying, do I really want to play?

:46:42. > :46:46.The toss taking place. Cibulkova, diminutive but full of energy. Last

:46:47. > :46:51.year she had a fantastic moment in the sun when she won the title. It

:46:52. > :46:54.was a great occasion. She played some fantastic tennis. I remember

:46:55. > :46:59.doing an interview on court with her afterwards. She was about to get

:47:00. > :47:09.married as well at a few weeks later. This was the summer of 2016.

:47:10. > :47:16.An amazing few months for her. She does come here, as Sam says, with

:47:17. > :47:21.some injury concerns and with an element of a loss of form. She will

:47:22. > :47:30.look at the jaw. Her overriding emotion will be, goodness me, this

:47:31. > :47:34.will be tough. The four quarters of the draw feature all of the best

:47:35. > :47:38.players in the world apart from... There is a cliche. And Eastbourne

:47:39. > :47:45.deckchair. Angelique Kerber is top seed. In

:47:46. > :47:52.that section, Ostapenko, the French Open champion, and Johanna Konta.

:47:53. > :48:01.She could play Ostapenko in two arounds. What a match that could be.

:48:02. > :48:12.In the next section, Pliskova. Mladenovic. And Kuznetsova. Seventh

:48:13. > :48:20.seed here. Agnes Kirkbride Zak -- Agnieszka Radwanska. Mother routes.

:48:21. > :48:26.Caroline Wozniacki down at the bottom. The extra entry here that we

:48:27. > :48:32.were not expecting perhaps was Simona Halep, runner-up in France.

:48:33. > :48:37.The number two seed. That is an embodiment... People get injured

:48:38. > :48:42.sometimes. Let's say Venus Williams was injured, and obviously Serena is

:48:43. > :48:51.absent for other reasons, this basically is Wimbledon? It is. I

:48:52. > :48:56.came to watch as a ten-year-old. Played in the tournament. I was

:48:57. > :48:59.allowed to come to that! I remember the days when it was just packed.

:49:00. > :49:07.There was tennis going on everywhere. Navratilova, Tracy

:49:08. > :49:12.Austin. Everybody was here. They all came here. That was what he did

:49:13. > :49:17.before Wimbledon. Then over the years it didn't become so

:49:18. > :49:22.fashionable. Serena didn't like to play. Steffi Graf didn't like to

:49:23. > :49:26.play. The draw shrunk. Now you have to win a lot of matches. This is

:49:27. > :49:35.what you should do the week before Wimbledon. The penny has finally

:49:36. > :49:42.dropped for everyone. There is a match on court to at the moment and

:49:43. > :49:46.it is absolutely packed. This is great. It really doesn't live in the

:49:47. > :49:50.whole of Devonshire Park when you have got matches of this quality

:49:51. > :49:54.taking place on the outside courts. I have got friends who will come

:49:55. > :50:06.down for the day. They want to see tennis. There are a lot of fans.

:50:07. > :50:10.They would stay in a Hotel all week and they don't want to see the

:50:11. > :50:16.courts thinning out. It is wonderful down here. They want to see

:50:17. > :50:23.high-level tennis all over the park. That is what you will get from

:50:24. > :50:28.Monday to Sunday. You can get so close to the action. Not to diminish

:50:29. > :50:34.Wimbledon in any away, but sometimes, especially the big names,

:50:35. > :50:38.there is inevitably a distance between you and them. But here you

:50:39. > :50:51.can almost literally hand them the towel between points. I don't know

:50:52. > :50:56.who's in these days, but I would bus juniors down here for the day and

:50:57. > :51:01.get them to watch how these players play and train. That is far better

:51:02. > :51:05.than another day's training. Then you get an idea of what you have to

:51:06. > :51:08.do to be a great tennis player. It had a huge impact on me when I was

:51:09. > :51:15.very young. That is the best way if you want to have a dream. There is

:51:16. > :51:19.Cibulkova. Talk about Heather. If we had been sitting here five years

:51:20. > :51:24.ago, we would have thought the world was that her feet. It hasn't quite

:51:25. > :51:28.turned out that way. Is it too simple to say that the lack of a

:51:29. > :51:35.really big shot has cost her at the high-level? It has made it harder.

:51:36. > :51:39.But I think with Heather, her when -- or unwillingness... If you speak

:51:40. > :51:45.to her, she is very careful about everything she does. She is just too

:51:46. > :51:49.careful on its tennis court. She has wonderful attributes. Brilliant

:51:50. > :51:55.anticipation. She is beautifully balanced. An incredible mover. That

:51:56. > :51:59.is why she plays so well on the grass. I think Heather has been a

:52:00. > :52:05.little scared to develop a game, to make some big changes. I think she

:52:06. > :52:09.got to around 40 in the world are doing what he did. Then she needed

:52:10. > :52:16.to move on. It wasn't going to sustain that ranking. I see her and

:52:17. > :52:24.we don't really chat about tennis. That is the feeling I get. When you

:52:25. > :52:28.see someone like Ostapenko, it is not just hit ball, receive ball, hit

:52:29. > :52:33.ball. She has an aggression and a dynamism in her game that perhaps

:52:34. > :52:36.Heather didn't have. I don't think that should stop her. I think it is

:52:37. > :52:41.about how she cuts the cake with what she has got. I would like to

:52:42. > :52:47.see her play much more on the baseline. She has an all court game.

:52:48. > :52:52.To take what he has got with use it differently and be prepared to

:52:53. > :52:55.evolve and make mistakes. Firmly, she has been so safe in what she has

:52:56. > :53:01.wanted to do. It has really helped her back. Maybe now she has hit rock

:53:02. > :53:06.bottom. So -- what should her tactics be? She has to make

:53:07. > :53:12.Cibulkova play a lot of balls. She has two run her socks off. She can

:53:13. > :53:16.match athletically. That gives her a fighting chance. She has two start

:53:17. > :53:23.well. When you are not confident, as Cibulkova can't be, you don't want

:53:24. > :53:27.to go down in the score early. This is a big chance for Heather to get a

:53:28. > :53:35.notable scalp. We will let Sam go to the commentary box. GG salmon is

:53:36. > :53:40.there. You must have a great view? It is fantastic. I have been keeping

:53:41. > :53:46.an eye Macron the wind, looking at the flagpoles. It is not too bad

:53:47. > :53:53.today. It can get very windy. It is not too bad today. It is 21 degrees

:53:54. > :53:59.on court. I checked the weather forecast for the rest of the week. I

:54:00. > :54:06.think we will just leave it at that. Today is a data weather-wise. -- a

:54:07. > :54:21.day to savour. There is only a little bit of

:54:22. > :54:28.previous history between these two. 2014 they met twice. They each won

:54:29. > :56:05.one. They haven't faced each other for a while.

:56:06. > :56:13.A good start for Heather Watson. She holds the first service game.

:56:14. > :56:17.Difficult to come into these tournaments when the player you're

:56:18. > :56:26.playing has had a bite. Cibulkova lost in the first round on grass

:56:27. > :56:33.this year recently. Heather Watson has one win and one defeat under her

:56:34. > :56:39.belt. She won in three sets yesterday. That will give her some

:56:40. > :56:43.confidence. She is here on a wildcard against the world number

:56:44. > :56:43.six, the fourth seed and the defending champion, Dominika

:56:44. > :59:37.Cibulkova. Welcome back, Sam. I thought I

:59:38. > :59:42.covered the ground quite well. I will tell you what is so

:59:43. > :59:47.difficult... The stairs? They are fine. There are so many fans sitting

:59:48. > :59:51.on the grass. It's lovely to see, like a summer picnic. It is way past

:59:52. > :59:55.lunchtime, they had all of these fantastic things going on. It was

:59:56. > :00:02.quite hard picking my way through there. I had to be very good on my

:00:03. > :00:06.toes. The good thing is that they will not be there for the rest of

:00:07. > :00:18.the week or they will get wet! You are like the prophet of doom!

:00:19. > :00:25.OK, job for Heather. She has to play upon her baseline, she doesn't want

:00:26. > :00:33.to get pushed back. That is Colin Beecher, former Davis Cup player.

:00:34. > :00:38.Looking after Heather at the moment. She is playing out of Chiswick. She

:00:39. > :01:01.has to stay on her baseline, that is number one.

:01:02. > :01:05.If she stays on her baseline and serves well, it will give her

:01:06. > :01:11.opportunities to move forward. She has wonderful volleys. She has to

:01:12. > :01:22.take out the forehand of Cibulkova from the centre and left of centre.

:01:23. > :01:29.Just to explain that a little bit more, she doesn't want to allow

:01:30. > :01:32.Sybil Covert to get onto her forehand in the centre of the court.

:01:33. > :01:57.-- Cibulkova. Watson just a point on serve, 2-1 on

:01:58. > :02:00.serve. Sam, it must be nice to have a bye. But it can be a disadvantage,

:02:01. > :02:03.particularly on the grass court, when it is so short. Heather Watson

:02:04. > :02:13.was out there, yesterday, three sets. Cibulkova is out there, and

:02:14. > :02:17.then you are suddenly up against somebody who has just had a tough

:02:18. > :02:24.3-set match on these courts. It's not ideal.

:02:25. > :02:33.I have never been over there, it is a difficult name to say, but

:02:34. > :02:36.regardless, the courts will play difficulty. British players don't

:02:37. > :02:39.play as much grass as they would have done in my generation.

:02:40. > :02:47.Everybody thinks you are British, you play on grass. We don't any

:02:48. > :02:51.more. This is a great habitat for Heather. She loves the big stage,

:02:52. > :02:56.she loves playing on this surface. She would prefer to be competing

:02:57. > :03:02.than on the practice court. She is a fan of practice. We mustn't forget

:03:03. > :03:09.she is a reigning Wimbledon champion, taking the mixed doubles

:03:10. > :03:14.champion. I followed their route through. This is tricky. I think she

:03:15. > :03:24.is one of the seas that is vulnerable. All of the pressure is

:03:25. > :03:30.on her as the defending champion. A couple of semifinals for Cibulkova.

:03:31. > :04:44.She has got past the second round in her last four tournaments.

:04:45. > :04:52.If you are a Watson fan, this is a point you don't want to see replayed

:04:53. > :04:54.too often. There, Cibulkova had four forehands from the centre of the

:04:55. > :04:58.court, and was able to set things up. She set up a much improved

:04:59. > :05:49.backhand. That is one of the reasons she played so well last year.

:05:50. > :05:54.That is the second time Cibulkova has attempted the drop shot. I'm

:05:55. > :05:59.really surprised she would do that. I think it shows a lot of anxiety

:06:00. > :06:02.that she has added to her game. But I don't think it is a shop that you

:06:03. > :07:09.play early on, when you are not feeling very confident.

:07:10. > :07:14.So far, Heather is getting is absolutely right, for me, making a

:07:15. > :07:17.lot of returns. Generally keeping the ball away from the centre of the

:07:18. > :07:21.court, with that forehand. Just making Cibulkova play a lot of

:07:22. > :08:14.balls. You can still see this court is a

:08:15. > :08:18.little soft. The ball, a little bit of backspin and it just kind of died

:08:19. > :08:23.on the surface. That was a mixture of the spin, the backspin, but also

:08:24. > :08:50.just clumping on the court. That brings up the first break point

:08:51. > :09:19.of the match. It is for Heather Watson.

:09:20. > :09:23.Incredible from Heather Watson, forced the error from Cibulkova.

:09:24. > :09:41.Heather Watson, 3-1, first set. Heather has done everything right so

:09:42. > :09:47.far. You've always got a chance to break it. Neither of them has an

:09:48. > :09:51.overwhelming serve. Athletically, she is one of the few players that

:09:52. > :10:03.can match Cibulkova. Doing a great job of making balls.

:10:04. > :10:10.Heather Watson a wildcard into the event. She started the year at 81,

:10:11. > :11:44.she is sitting at 126. This is a very strong field in Eastbourne.

:11:45. > :11:51.That is the side Cibulkova who want to play on. One of the reasons I

:11:52. > :11:56.feel Heather has struggled in her career, particularly in recent

:11:57. > :11:59.years, is that the forehand is not a solid shot, technically. I don't

:12:00. > :12:01.know if she has refused to address it all just can't change it. It is

:12:02. > :12:28.where everybody will go. There it is. Cibulkova, targeting

:12:29. > :12:33.the forehand, forcing the error and gets the point.

:12:34. > :12:43.Heather slows down the rocket had. There is husband, Mr Cibulkova come

:12:44. > :12:47.on the right. -- slows down the racket head. Her mum and dad are

:12:48. > :13:06.here as well, her dad is quite a character.

:13:07. > :13:16.She also travels with two Yorkshire terriers. Spiky and Woody. It is a

:13:17. > :13:17.good dog for her to have. She's never going to have a golden

:13:18. > :13:37.labrador. I don't see her with a great Dane.

:13:38. > :13:45.They are two little Yorkshire terriers, exactly the same she is.

:13:46. > :13:46.The canine version. They say that dogs and owners resemble one

:13:47. > :14:16.another. There it is, and immediate break

:14:17. > :14:23.back. The defending champion, Dominika Cibulkova. Heather Watson,

:14:24. > :14:28.3-2. Sam, when USB key about the forehand, you said maybe she doesn't

:14:29. > :14:32.want to address it, or couldn't. Why would you not be able to adjust?

:14:33. > :14:40.Because you have been doing something for too long? Possibly. Or

:14:41. > :14:44.maybe just not... The way you take in the information. I mean she has

:14:45. > :14:50.had quite a few different coaches over the last 18 months. It has been

:14:51. > :14:54.very unsettling for her. There was a coach she had her best years worth,

:14:55. > :14:58.the Argentinian, they had a great working relationship. He has a young

:14:59. > :15:02.family and want to go back to Argentina and have a different life,

:15:03. > :15:08.not travelling so much. She has had a lot of different coaches. The

:15:09. > :15:14.forehand, for me, even the game that you saw, in these big matches she

:15:15. > :15:17.gets very passive and doesn't trust it. It's technical, more than

:15:18. > :15:27.anything, which gets into your head. But it is changeable. Johanna Konta,

:15:28. > :15:32.her forehand was very ordinary. It was a liability. But she has

:15:33. > :15:38.transformed it. How much of that is just making technical adjustments? I

:15:39. > :15:52.think it is all about Heather not been prepared to let go.

:15:53. > :15:57.Maybe accept the fact you will make mistakes at first when it is

:15:58. > :15:59.adjusting. I think that has been the problem.

:16:00. > :17:09.UMPIRE: Challenging the call, the call was out. The call stands. Miss

:17:10. > :18:10.Cibulkova has two challenges remaining.

:18:11. > :18:19.You're going to see that pattern a lot from Cibulkova. She will go

:18:20. > :18:23.towards the backhand, then switched to the forehand. Heather, I am not

:18:24. > :18:26.going to say it too much, but she decelerates and gets locked, she is

:18:27. > :18:28.trying to steer the ball back rather than letting the racket head go

:18:29. > :18:53.through. A couple more break point

:18:54. > :19:00.opportunities for Heather Watson. Back-to-back breaks. Another chance

:19:01. > :19:03.to edge ahead with the brakes. I think the Cibulkova camp will be

:19:04. > :19:09.quite worried about what they are seeing in the opening 25 minutes.

:19:10. > :20:55.Cibulkova's feet stuck to the ground and that is very unusual.

:20:56. > :21:32.That is the third opportunity in this section game for Heather Watson

:21:33. > :21:58.to regain the break and the advantage.

:21:59. > :22:06.A little bit of luck, a racket in the air. Heather Watson with her

:22:07. > :22:16.third break point opportunity, taking the sixth game, regaining the

:22:17. > :22:21.advantage. That was a game, for me, that Heather had to take. She came

:22:22. > :22:24.in here lacking confidence, and she will have got a huge confidence

:22:25. > :22:27.surge from winning the match yesterday. When you haven't been

:22:28. > :22:31.winning and you get a big win on a major court. But it is not deep

:22:32. > :22:32.confidence that she has. I would like to see her now be very

:22:33. > :23:58.aggressive in this game. In what seems like they blink of an

:23:59. > :24:01.eye. She got on so much trouble with the first serve, she put it right to

:24:02. > :24:07.wear Cibulkova wanted it, middle of the box, forehand. If Cibulkova is

:24:08. > :24:24.backing off, she will be super aggressive, whatever the scoreline.

:24:25. > :24:35.Heather Watson has broken, we have had four games, four breaks of

:24:36. > :24:38.serve. We are now back on serve. A missed opportunity, after taking the

:24:39. > :24:43.opportunity she needed to take on the Cibulkova service.

:24:44. > :24:49.For me, I do feel, psychologically, when I watch these, it could not be

:24:50. > :24:54.more different in terms of their personalities. Cibulkova is not

:24:55. > :25:02.feeling the ball very well, and hasn't for a while. Injuries, not

:25:03. > :25:06.getting the results she wanted. When she is under pressure, she steps

:25:07. > :25:12.forward. Heather, when she is struggling, she steps back. It is

:25:13. > :25:16.how she overrides it. I have seen Heather do that. But more when she

:25:17. > :25:21.is confident. Heather doesn't have any pressure out here at all. The

:25:22. > :25:26.first pressure is not to look ridiculous on the court against a

:25:27. > :25:29.top player. That is gone. But that is a huge pressure, when you walk

:25:30. > :25:34.out against the best in the world, that is the pressure you feel, as

:25:35. > :25:38.the lower ranked player. You can be humiliated. That is not going to

:25:39. > :25:41.happen. She is matching her physically, tactically she is doing

:25:42. > :25:44.the right things. She has to be more careful about where she serves,

:25:45. > :25:49.because with Cibulkova you want to serve as close to the lines as

:25:50. > :25:54.possible. She hasn't got the reach. You need to make a stretch on every

:25:55. > :26:01.single return. She hasn't done that as much as I would like. I think she

:26:02. > :26:07.can come out here and have a swing. .

:26:08. > :26:12.Cibulkova won the finals at the end of last year, one of the best

:26:13. > :26:16.players in the women's game, when were fighting it out for the current

:26:17. > :27:44.trophy. With new balls, it is 3- on serve.

:27:45. > :28:17.Caught just inside the baseline. It is already starting to harden up.

:28:18. > :29:23.That is nice. The son-in-law giving mum a cuddle. Hopefully they get on.

:29:24. > :32:21.After four breaks in a row, the defending champion holes. -- holds.

:32:22. > :32:32.Serving patter ands out here are so important for Heather. --

:32:33. > :32:39.Pattersons. She is serving down the capital tee. For me it is a mistake.

:32:40. > :33:11.She has got to make Cibulkova stretch. Go down that center line.

:33:12. > :33:24.From 40-0, Heather Watson serves it out to 30. 5-4. I read an interview

:33:25. > :33:31.with Heather Watson in which she talked about her ultimate goal. It

:33:32. > :33:38.was to become a tennis commentator. You were kidding me, aren't you? I'm

:33:39. > :33:44.not making it up. I don't know if that is our ultimate goal away from

:33:45. > :33:49.tennis. But it is to be a Tom and -- tennis commentator. But this is

:33:50. > :33:57.easy! What she's doing out is difficult. It is not a goal. What is

:33:58. > :34:06.she doing at 25 even thinking about after tennis? I find that very

:34:07. > :34:12.worrying. You do? Yes, I do. I think this may worry you even more. But

:34:13. > :34:16.she also said she is more competitive when she plays Scrabble

:34:17. > :34:21.with her family than when she plays tennis. How are you feeling now? I'm

:34:22. > :34:27.feeling really worried! I believe she has top 20 potential. At

:34:28. > :34:34.Scrabble or tennis? I don't really care about Scrabble or designs to be

:34:35. > :34:38.a player. What she has movement wise, balance, anticipation, a

:34:39. > :34:46.wonderful backhand, she has got so much out there. For now it is

:34:47. > :34:52.tennis. Cibulkova serving to stay in the first set. Are you sure you were

:34:53. > :34:54.reading this interview correctly? I want to see it. I will show you

:34:55. > :36:12.afterwards. OK. This is a side he don't want to see

:36:13. > :36:26.if your Heather Watson. -- site. She hardly misses those kind of shots.

:36:27. > :36:34.Very dangerous when you have the advantage on multiple occasions in a

:36:35. > :36:37.set against a top player and you don't press it home. They then

:36:38. > :37:01.believe that you don't believe. Here is the athleticism of Heather

:37:02. > :37:06.Watson. A beautifully balanced. Read this. This is when the forehand is

:37:07. > :37:08.good. She lets the racket head girl. She didn't have a choice. And look

:37:09. > :37:19.at the result. The first ace of the match for

:37:20. > :37:59.Cibulkova. Perfect timing. Serving isn't easy for Cibulkova at

:38:00. > :38:05.that height. That is one area which is a challenge for her. She is

:38:06. > :38:12.always having to hit up on the ball. She stands at five. But having said

:38:13. > :38:20.that, Rosie to cells, a great American player of the 1970s, she

:38:21. > :38:22.was a similar height. And apparently she had the most fantastic serve. I

:38:23. > :39:06.would love to know how she did it. That was the last place Heather

:39:07. > :39:08.wanted to hit that ball. She had the advantage. That was the aggressive

:39:09. > :39:50.play. She didn't want to take that. This is when she is great, when she

:39:51. > :39:54.is looking to come forward. She has got such good volleys. It is a waste

:39:55. > :40:11.not to see her in the forecourt. On par Mrs Cibulkova challenging the

:40:12. > :40:47.ball. -- call. You cold when she hit the ball. Is

:40:48. > :40:58.it right? De Leeuw hit the ball? Didn't he called out? On par and no,

:40:59. > :41:11.I did call it. He didn't call out. It was a few seconds after. Why? I

:41:12. > :41:20.would have to be Superman to be in the same time. It is not the same.

:41:21. > :41:27.You are not calling out. You are just overruling.

:41:28. > :41:32.Cibulkova believes she should have won the point and should not be

:41:33. > :41:38.replay in the point. I wish the umpires could have a replay on the

:41:39. > :41:45.screen. This is really about her. It is a judgment call. It is really

:41:46. > :41:52.tricky for the umpire. On par I understand that you think

:41:53. > :42:03.that way. I can didn't call it late. I called it at the time.

:42:04. > :42:07.It is not going to be this conversation.

:42:08. > :42:11.It is going to be this conversation because you just talk my point.

:42:12. > :42:29.-- talk. I think she is right. But it is

:42:30. > :42:48.fractions. And it wouldn't have changed

:42:49. > :42:58.anything because the decision was made. I couldn't remember without

:42:59. > :43:00.seeing the replay. Generally umpires tend to error on the side of

:43:01. > :43:29.caution. This will fire her up. Five games apiece. They fired up

:43:30. > :43:36.Cibulkova. You think the umpire should have a little screen? Yes, I

:43:37. > :43:44.do. It will solve all the problems. It would take five or six seconds.

:43:45. > :43:47.Her long-time coach, also the Slovak captain. They were exceptionally

:43:48. > :45:15.well together. -- work. That was a good spot from Cibulkova.

:45:16. > :46:21.She saw Heather Watson was back on her heels at the baseline.

:46:22. > :46:33.There was a lot more pace on that serve. That is the spot she needs to

:46:34. > :46:41.hit it. Every time. There we go. A lovely to wait to finish off the

:46:42. > :46:49.game for Heather Watson. -- a lovely way. It is sometimes dangerous to

:46:50. > :46:57.fire up a player. Especially Cibulkova. The Slovak pot was

:46:58. > :47:01.boiling. Watson did a very good job of putting the lid on. I am

:47:02. > :47:07.impressed by what Heather is doing. I think she realises, and I think

:47:08. > :47:16.she has been told, were to serve against Cibulkova. It has got more

:47:17. > :47:19.pop and pace on that serve, and it is very accurate. When she serves

:47:20. > :47:25.accurately, it sets up the next ball. She once first ball back and

:47:26. > :47:28.after the serve and she can get on top of the point. The more she is on

:47:29. > :47:35.top of the point, everything comes together and she looks great. You

:47:36. > :47:40.talk about Cibulkova's height. She stands at five foot three. What

:47:41. > :47:47.would be the advantages of being that height? Sometimes you can be

:47:48. > :47:51.too tall, like Bambi on ice. As a shorter player, what advantages do

:47:52. > :47:58.they have? You said it, a lower centre of gravity. Cibulkova is an

:47:59. > :48:04.exceptional tennis player at her height. Her energy, her personality,

:48:05. > :48:14.her footwork and work rate. She is special. Serving to stay in the

:48:15. > :48:16.first set. We have been caught for just shy of an hour. Still blue

:48:17. > :49:27.skies. A slight breeze. As well as Heather is doing in this

:49:28. > :49:29.game, I would love to see her move up the court, really have a swing,

:49:30. > :49:39.and put pressure right here. See what she does? She is back

:49:40. > :50:31.behind the baseline. Hodd and there it is. At the first

:50:32. > :50:36.time of asking. A pump of the fist. A wildcard into this event. She is a

:50:37. > :50:48.set to the good with 56 minutes on the clock against Cibulkova, taking

:50:49. > :50:56.it by 7-5. She will be absolutely delighted with how she turned it

:50:57. > :50:59.around. How is your Slovakian? ! I'm not even going to enter that! There

:51:00. > :52:49.will be quite a few will understand. Well, I got position and block. She

:52:50. > :52:55.is still not going properly. Get in touch if you understood that and you

:52:56. > :52:59.can speak Slovakian. Tel us what they discussed, apart from position

:53:00. > :54:48.and block. And OK! And aggression. Starting the second set as she

:54:49. > :54:55.finished the first, Heather Watson, confidently and in style. More fist

:54:56. > :54:59.pumping from the Brit. That is an extraordinary passage of play from

:55:00. > :55:03.Heather Watson. Ten points in a row against one of the best players in

:55:04. > :55:07.the world. She had the cushion of the first set, feeling more

:55:08. > :55:18.confident, she lets the forehand go, plays more aggressively. She is

:55:19. > :55:19.making it look really rather easy. Cibulkova is doing a lot better

:55:20. > :55:47.behind her second serve. It is incredible the difference a

:55:48. > :56:32.little bit of confidence can make. Dominika knows how important this

:56:33. > :56:41.game is. She's going to step forward and be very dangerous. I am sure,

:56:42. > :56:43.despite not understanding a word of it, that he was saying to use her

:56:44. > :56:59.forehand more. Raise the intensity. That is the ball I was talking about

:57:00. > :57:05.earlier in the match, that you don't want to see Cibulkova hitting, if

:57:06. > :57:09.you are a big fan of Heather, or if you are Heather, you want to see her

:57:10. > :58:27.running along the backcourt. Ace number five for Heather Watson

:58:28. > :59:06.in the match. Court position is everything for

:59:07. > :59:09.Heather. She is right on the baseline and she has a world-class

:59:10. > :59:14.backhand. There is no argument about that. It allows her to take the ball

:59:15. > :59:20.on. It is most important take away from Cibulkova. -- take time away

:59:21. > :59:28.from Cibulkova. That has been a problem for Heather against a lot of

:59:29. > :59:32.players, sometime she is to careful. I like to see Heather with her toes

:59:33. > :59:34.on the baseline, taking the ball on the fly. She's got the hands to do

:59:35. > :59:48.that. Yet to drop a point on serve in the

:59:49. > :59:55.second set. 2-1 on serve in the second set. Took that into the first

:59:56. > :00:02.set just under an hour. When we got to this grass court season, an oasis

:00:03. > :00:06.in the tennis Kamal -- calendar, how nice is it playing in front of a

:00:07. > :00:12.home crowd? They talk about sleeping in their own beds, how much of a

:00:13. > :00:16.difference to the crowd make? It is not a lot of fun if you are not

:00:17. > :00:19.playing well, because you hear the groans. There is a lot of

:00:20. > :00:23.expectation. They are willing you to do well. I think Heather enjoys the

:00:24. > :00:30.big stage and I think she has used this ground extremely well,

:00:31. > :00:33.certainly Cibulkova will feel that is very much the case. If you are

:00:34. > :00:40.playing well, there was nothing like it. That weather vane is meant to be

:00:41. > :00:47.Virginia Wade serving. A magpie is sat on her head! Disrespectful! I

:00:48. > :00:55.was shocked when I saw that. Get off the 1997 women's champion's head!

:00:56. > :01:01.But I am sure it was modelled on that. She has a comfortable head for

:01:02. > :01:07.birds to sit on. It doesn't look that comfortable. But there is

:01:08. > :01:10.something special about playing in front of the home crowd, when you

:01:11. > :01:14.are playing well. It does lift you. Heather needed a boost. She needed

:01:15. > :01:19.the grass court season because this year has not gone particularly well

:01:20. > :01:25.for her. She also has a wildcard into Wimbledon. A draw later this

:01:26. > :02:51.week. I always forget, is it Wednesday or Thursday? Thursday.

:02:52. > :03:01.That shot says to me that Monica is slightly running out of ideas

:03:02. > :03:04.against Heather Watson. She's not finding the gaps on the court,

:03:05. > :03:09.because Heather is such a fantastic number.

:03:10. > :03:28.Doing everything right at the moment, Heather Watson.

:03:29. > :03:33.There is some wind today, Heather at the southern end, from time to time

:03:34. > :03:38.it seems like the wind is behind her, blowing down the court into the

:03:39. > :03:41.face of Cibulkova. She could do with a few more mph on her ground

:03:42. > :04:13.strokes. I think that is with a challenge.

:04:14. > :04:14.Maybe she is saving them for later? She's got three left, you get three

:04:15. > :04:44.per set. Cibulkova, targeting the forehand

:04:45. > :04:45.side. Now we have a challenge. If she had challenged the last point,

:04:46. > :04:54.she would have lost it. UMPIRE: Call stands. Miss Watson has

:04:55. > :05:38.two challenges remaining. A look over to her camp from the

:05:39. > :05:47.defending champion. Saved a couple of break points. 2-2 in the second

:05:48. > :05:54.set. One hour and 11 minutes on court. Still lovely temperatures.

:05:55. > :06:07.Are you sure it is about to rain any second now? You seem to be doom and

:06:08. > :06:08.gloom. I am a positive person. I am doubting that. Just not with the

:06:09. > :06:38.British weather! That is the first point Heather

:06:39. > :06:59.Watson has dropped on serve in the second set.

:07:00. > :07:08.I thought the last few games were a big opportunity for Wharton. It was

:07:09. > :07:11.the last few with the old balls. She doesn't like the new balls because

:07:12. > :07:28.she feels she can't control them as well.

:07:29. > :07:37.Have and son-in-law fallen out? -- Mum son-in-law. He is such a great

:07:38. > :07:44.supporter of hers. He has been on the tour a long time. They are a

:07:45. > :07:45.very happy band of travellers, usually, her husband and coach. And

:07:46. > :08:07.the parents have come along as well. The first serve has been working

:08:08. > :08:10.really well for Heather Watson. Has been good, because it has protected

:08:11. > :09:38.her weaker second serve, which can be a problem sometimes.

:09:39. > :09:44.This is why she's good on grass. She played the backhand, where she is

:09:45. > :09:48.more confident. She really happy and provides. She saw the space, lovely

:09:49. > :09:49.soft hands on the bully and she is so confident that the net. Good to

:09:50. > :10:19.see. -- on the volley. Says the break point, hold serve.

:10:20. > :10:22.3-2, Heather Watson, in the second set. Talking about hand, the feel,

:10:23. > :10:25.the touch around the net, we know how good she is on the doubles

:10:26. > :10:29.court, but is this something also on the singles court, the more

:10:30. > :10:36.confident she gets, the more she will come forward? Yes, the service

:10:37. > :10:39.will allow you to do that. It is far more difficult now, because the

:10:40. > :10:43.racket technology has changed so much. The strings, it allows

:10:44. > :10:49.opponents, when you come in, to dip the ball in a way that you couldn't

:10:50. > :10:53.do 20 years ago. When I was in the studio, John was asking me about

:10:54. > :11:00.Heather. She lacks a big shot. Yes, she does. She is not a Cibulkova,

:11:01. > :11:03.she is not an Ostapenko. Does that hold her back? No, but it would be

:11:04. > :11:08.nice if she had a big shot. But she has so much else. Heather can make

:11:09. > :11:14.yourself more of an awkward opponent. I would like to see her

:11:15. > :11:21.mix the pace, the flight, more. She had the same ball back so much it

:11:22. > :11:26.makes a wonderful practice partner, but it gives opponents rhythm. I

:11:27. > :11:31.would like to see her on the baseline, taking risks. She has the

:11:32. > :11:35.soft hands to do it. It is like getting a pack of cards and

:11:36. > :11:41.shuffling them in a different way. It's not all about making her hit

:11:42. > :11:45.the ball harder, and more power, because she doesn't have that. Look

:11:46. > :11:49.at Radwanska, look at how she uses what she's got. I think Heather can

:11:50. > :11:53.be more like Radwanska. That is the way I would like to see her tennis

:11:54. > :12:01.go. Whole court game. All court game. Still plenty of time. She has

:12:02. > :12:04.to see it, though. It is easy from a peer. We have a great view. -- easy

:12:05. > :14:30.from up here. Cibulkova survived a couple of

:14:31. > :14:32.points in the first game of the second set. She has a couple more to

:14:33. > :15:24.defend here. There is the break. Heather Watson

:15:25. > :15:37.now a set and a break to the good, 4-2 in the second.

:15:38. > :15:43.Her distribution has been excellent. Watching Cibulkova, I see her year

:15:44. > :15:48.in, year out, I think she's a fraction slower than normal. That is

:15:49. > :15:50.a lack of match play. Now is the time for Heather, best foot forward.

:15:51. > :16:27.Very aggressive in this game. You are right about that groaning

:16:28. > :16:35.from the home crowd. You can hear it? When you are down on that court

:16:36. > :16:37.and you are for- two down, taking a beating, you just want to get out of

:16:38. > :16:56.there. She is being watched out here by the

:16:57. > :17:05.cup captain, and we have done a lot of commentary on her matches. This

:17:06. > :17:06.is what drives us crazy. She freezes on these occasions, it is like she

:17:07. > :17:25.can't get her arm through the ball. Really intelligent serving now from

:17:26. > :17:58.Watson. I really like the sweatshop in the -- switch up in the pattern.

:17:59. > :18:06.From here, you've got such a good view of how dare to the court is,

:18:07. > :18:10.the front part of it. This time of year, this time of the week, you can

:18:11. > :18:12.put as many balls there as you want and it is always going to be

:18:13. > :18:54.difficult. One game away now, Heather Watson.

:18:55. > :19:02.5-2 she lived in the second set. She took the third set against the

:19:03. > :19:08.defending champion. Cibulkova cannot get her coach on, but we have had

:19:09. > :19:14.some viewers get in touch with a translation of the Slovakian team

:19:15. > :19:17.talk. Thank you to both of you. Susannah said he was telling her to

:19:18. > :19:22.play closer to the net and that she needs to calm down, because she

:19:23. > :19:27.plays to aggressively. I heard the word aggressively. But not the

:19:28. > :19:34.context? I am going to be picky! I didn't have a clue. But I did get a

:19:35. > :19:39.few of the words right. Another the USA's he was saying for her to get

:19:40. > :19:43.harder with the serve and get into the court. I agree with getting into

:19:44. > :19:49.the court, taking time away from Watson. The problem for Dominika is

:19:50. > :19:53.that she is lacking confidence. She has felt a lot of pressure coming in

:19:54. > :19:57.here as defending champion. When you're not feeling the ball terribly

:19:58. > :20:01.well, it is very hard. She's got the sort of game where when she is on,

:20:02. > :20:09.she is devastating, one of the best in the world. Is not a B+ game, a

:20:10. > :20:13.game to pull back off when she's not playing terribly well. With Heather,

:20:14. > :20:20.it is the opposite. There is a lot of B+ game. But she has had a

:20:21. > :20:25.sprinkling of A game. Heather Watson is a game away from game three, a

:20:26. > :20:27.game away from knocking off the defending champion, world number

:20:28. > :21:32.six, fourth seed, Dominika Cibulkova.

:21:33. > :21:43.As dominant as Watson looks in the scoring, it's a lot easier to break

:21:44. > :21:47.than serve out, and still be aggressive. Dominika has played

:21:48. > :21:48.below her best, and Watson has had a part in that. At the top players

:21:49. > :21:57.don't give it to you. Excellent from Heather Watson,

:21:58. > :24:05.bringing up the first match point. The top players don't give it to do.

:24:06. > :24:11.This young woman, she has one of the best attitudes in women's tennis.

:24:12. > :24:13.You're going to have to rip this match away from her. It doesn't

:24:14. > :24:48.matter about the scoreline, she doesn't care.

:24:49. > :24:57.Well played under pressure, Cibulkova. She has held serve. She

:24:58. > :24:58.was serving to stay in the tournament. Now the pressure

:24:59. > :25:12.switches to Heather Watson. 5-2, one break. It looks a lot, 5-2.

:25:13. > :25:14.But one break is not a lot, not against one of the best players in

:25:15. > :26:06.the world. We shouldn't forget that for one moment.

:26:07. > :26:20.Two points away, Watson. It'll be interesting to see what she does. I

:26:21. > :27:25.would like to see her go down T. -- the T.

:27:26. > :27:30.Heather Watson had a match point in the previous service game. Now she

:27:31. > :29:01.has two match points on her serve. It is very hard to close out a match

:29:02. > :29:05.anyway. It is very hard when you have not been winning a lot of

:29:06. > :29:08.matches over the year. It is even harder when you have got a top

:29:09. > :29:14.player at the other end. Right now, Heather is pushing the ball. She

:29:15. > :29:26.once said the cover to give it to. It is not going to happen. -- she

:29:27. > :29:31.wants Cibulkova to give it to her. A total of three match point of come

:29:32. > :29:32.and gone. There is a break back opportunity for the defending

:29:33. > :30:31.champion. And we play on. Three match points

:30:32. > :30:45.have come and gone. Cibulkova has broken back. She is on serve. 5-4.

:30:46. > :30:49.You were down in Australia. Remember the match Heather played in the

:30:50. > :30:54.second round. She -- it was an epic. She had a lot of match points in

:30:55. > :31:01.that match. It was a boiling hot day. She had maybe 67 match points.

:31:02. > :31:07.There have been a couple of other matches this year where she has had

:31:08. > :31:13.other match points and lost. It has become something of an issue for

:31:14. > :31:17.Heather. I really feel for her. You can see what happens. She gets to

:31:18. > :31:21.match point and the arm is freezing. It is a horrible place to be. I'm

:31:22. > :31:27.not sure how you get over it. There is a lot of psychological scar

:31:28. > :31:31.tissue, particularly from the Brady match. That was to go into the third

:31:32. > :31:37.round of the Australian Open. That would have helped its to stay inside

:31:38. > :31:42.the world top 100. Matches like that can really knock you. I think it has

:31:43. > :31:50.knocked her. It has had an effect. She has lost other matches with

:31:51. > :31:57.match point is again this year. She parted ways with her coach as well.

:31:58. > :32:03.It is turbulent. I am not saying she is going to lose but it is not

:32:04. > :32:06.looking a done deal. No. But she knows how to break the Cibulkova

:32:07. > :34:01.server. The pressure back on the defending champion.

:34:02. > :34:09.Cibulkova has been very smart the last ten minutes. She does not have

:34:10. > :34:13.too much of a B plus game. She has pulled in her margins ever so

:34:14. > :34:58.slightly. Not aiming for the lines as she normally does.

:34:59. > :35:16.What Defence from Heather Watson on that point.

:35:17. > :35:22.Defending out here is not a long-term solution against

:35:23. > :35:38.Cibulkova. That might just give her a hope in this game.

:35:39. > :35:48.Match point number four for Heather Watson. We can feel the stance

:35:49. > :36:16.shaking beneath us. -- stands. There it is. What a win for a

:36:17. > :36:20.Heather Watson. On a wildcard. Lost in the first round last year. Note

:36:21. > :36:35.defeats the defending champion, Dominika Cibulkova. -- note defeats.

:36:36. > :36:43.Great, great victory. It is a long time since we have seen that smile.

:36:44. > :36:49.Personally I am delighted for her. Having had those match points and

:36:50. > :36:53.just getting over the line. That sets her up for Wimbledon and the

:36:54. > :36:57.rest of the season. I thought she was the better player. She took

:36:58. > :37:01.advantage of Cibulkova being off her best. You still have to do it. The

:37:02. > :37:07.best match I have seen from this year. You still have to beat a

:37:08. > :37:10.player who is the world number six, defending champion. Not the

:37:11. > :37:17.Cibulkova she was at the end of last year. She is a tough competitor.

:37:18. > :37:22.Watson, low on confidence, had to come out here, had to get through

:37:23. > :37:26.it. And she did. Straight sets. Tactically excellent from the start.

:37:27. > :37:35.Per serving got over the line. Outstanding. Great movement. Enjoy

:37:36. > :37:47.this one. Absolutely. The winner will face Mertens are appropriate...

:37:48. > :37:55.Well, many congratulations. That was such an inspiring performance. Your

:37:56. > :38:02.second win over a top ten opponent. Some up your emotions? Firstly, I'm

:38:03. > :38:06.so grateful again for everybody who came out and supported today. The

:38:07. > :38:12.atmosphere again was just incredible. I was getting goose

:38:13. > :38:18.bumps at the end. It is no secret I got a little nervous. But I'm very

:38:19. > :38:26.pleased that I got through in the last game. I mean, obviously, she is

:38:27. > :38:30.an amazing player. She won this tournament last year. A hard worker

:38:31. > :38:35.and a fighter. I knew it was never going to be easy. It definitely

:38:36. > :38:43.wasn't. But I thought I played really well. It wasn't as Wendy, so

:38:44. > :38:48.I got the serve going. You certainly did that. It felt as though

:38:49. > :38:54.everything you touched turned golden. What was the game plan that

:38:55. > :39:00.was so effective? I just ran! I just ran. She is a very aggressive

:39:01. > :39:06.player, so I knew I wouldn't always be on the front foot. I'm OK with

:39:07. > :39:11.that. I have got some wheels and I have to use them. You used them

:39:12. > :39:17.today. It was a terrific serving day. Where does that rank in terms

:39:18. > :39:24.of serving free you? I really like my serve. I feel like I hit some

:39:25. > :39:28.aces. My second serve maybe can improve but I'm happy with my serve

:39:29. > :39:33.and especially how it is going right now on the grass. Finally, you had

:39:34. > :39:36.an amazing crowd support here today. How much did they help to lift

:39:37. > :39:44.queue, and particularly as things were getting tired towards the end?

:39:45. > :39:51.So much, honestly, so much. I love it. This is my favourite part about

:39:52. > :39:55.tennis, is competing in front of audiences and crowds like this that

:39:56. > :40:00.get so involved. It is fun and exciting for me as a player. I think

:40:01. > :40:02.it was fun and exciting for them, too.

:40:03. > :40:08.Well done Heather Watson. CHEERING. Heather saying Cibulkova

:40:09. > :40:15.is a gritty competitor but she was very gritty, Heather. It was

:40:16. > :40:18.nerve-racking watching. After weeks and months where her ranking has

:40:19. > :40:22.dropped to the point where she has been looking for a wildcards to get

:40:23. > :40:27.into events, including here, that is a fantastic victory to back up one

:40:28. > :40:33.yesterday. It will give a huge confidence going into next week.

:40:34. > :40:36.Talking about Wimbledon, if you have been multi-skilling at home, maybe

:40:37. > :40:43.watching this on your TV with your watch, your phone, whatever it might

:40:44. > :40:47.be on your lap, you will know when leading qualifiers have been taking

:40:48. > :40:53.place. Here is match point for Marcus Willis, one of the poster

:40:54. > :40:56.boys of Wimbledon last year. We got familiar last year with that

:40:57. > :41:04.celebration as he got through to play Roger Federer last year. Here

:41:05. > :41:14.he is playing Andre Martin of Slovakia. Willis is a winner.

:41:15. > :41:19.He talked to Selena Hinchcliffe. This is a special place for you. A

:41:20. > :41:24.fairy tale last year. What emotions were you going through stepping back

:41:25. > :41:28.on court at Roehampton? You have to forget it. As soon as emotions get

:41:29. > :41:33.involved, you can easily crumble. It is easy to choke under the pressure.

:41:34. > :41:37.I have been doing quite well at taking it a point at a time and

:41:38. > :41:41.trying to win a tennis match. The support helped as well. But

:41:42. > :41:46.ultimately I'm taking it a point at a time and trying to play well. It

:41:47. > :41:51.has been quite a year for you. You got married, your wife was watching.

:41:52. > :41:56.His baby Martha here? Yes, she is over there. My lucky mascot. She

:41:57. > :42:01.hasn't got a clue what is going on but as long as she has got her milk

:42:02. > :42:07.she is fine. She hasn't a clue. At least she is smiling. And

:42:08. > :42:14.nonorthodox style on the court. -- and nonorthodox. Is it your comfort

:42:15. > :42:16.on grass that makes a difference? Yeah, I'm confident. I haven't

:42:17. > :42:20.played as many tournaments as I would have liked due to injury and

:42:21. > :42:24.having a baby and getting married. But I'm back full time now. I would

:42:25. > :42:29.like to get my ranking up and compete with these guys on every

:42:30. > :42:34.surface. I have a lot of work to do. Grass suits me very well. It is

:42:35. > :42:40.probably not his favourite surface but I think he did pretty well.

:42:41. > :42:44.Congratulations. What price him being in the main draw next week? He

:42:45. > :42:45.will outdo come through another couple of rounds. He has to play

:42:46. > :42:59.Liam Broady in the next round. Broady gracious enough to say he

:43:00. > :43:09.expects the crowd to be on Willis' side in the next match.

:43:10. > :43:15.Alex Ward was the final British winner today. Qualifying continues

:43:16. > :43:24.live from Roehampton. That is online. Access it however you wish

:43:25. > :43:28.until Thursday. Liam Broady is through in the qualifying at

:43:29. > :43:37.Wimbledon. His sister, Naomi Broady, was earlier today playing Kristyna

:43:38. > :43:45.Pliskova. Here we are at the start of the second set tie-break,

:43:46. > :43:59.Pliskova having won the first. Kristyna Pliskova.

:44:00. > :44:10.Taking the first point of this tie-break. And going on to win

:44:11. > :44:23.comfortably in the end in three sets. -- two sets.

:44:24. > :44:33.A good win for Kristyna Pliskova. We rather pre-empted what happened

:44:34. > :44:39.in the tie-break of there! You can probably guess how this match ended.

:44:40. > :44:44.But anyway, sorry about that. If you weren't aware what happened earlier,

:44:45. > :44:55.obviously use map of the end result. It was a victory for Pliskova. Naomi

:44:56. > :44:59.Broady played well. We can show you the -- we can show it to you now.

:45:00. > :45:01.Great potential she has. Who knows what you can achieve in the next

:45:02. > :45:32.couple of weeks? Great first point of this tie-break,

:45:33. > :45:37.a tie-break Naomi Broady needs to win to hang in against the elder of

:45:38. > :45:44.the Pliskova sisters. She is doing extremely well. Kristyna Pliskova is

:45:45. > :45:49.the elder by two minutes. She is a top 60 player and has been improving

:45:50. > :45:53.a lot this year. Naomi has a wildcard but fancies her chances on

:45:54. > :45:58.grass. She is against somebody who is also comfortable in this -- on

:45:59. > :46:03.this surface. She is a leftie as well. This court is laid on cement,

:46:04. > :46:16.saw the ball comes through fast and quick. Yesterday afternoon I was

:46:17. > :46:23.watching the Pliskova sisters hit with each other. Their ranking is

:46:24. > :46:27.high enough so that they are playing the same tournaments. The ball was

:46:28. > :46:50.coming off her racket very sweetly. Kristyna Pliskova took the first set

:46:51. > :46:55.by 6-2. Naomi Broady has done really well to get herself into the second

:46:56. > :47:00.set tie-break. Is not easy because this young woman has such a big

:47:01. > :47:02.serve. You don't get a lot of rhythm, you don't get a lot of time

:47:03. > :47:38.on the ball. Naomi Broady is unbeaten in

:47:39. > :47:45.tie-break in 2017. Admittedly, it is just her third. Something to hold

:47:46. > :47:49.onto. Yeah, you often favour a player with a big serve and a

:47:50. > :47:53.tie-break. But it is neutralised out here because they both have great

:47:54. > :47:56.serveds and they both have big games. And they're both very, very

:47:57. > :48:22.tall! You are looking at differences

:48:23. > :48:27.between the two Pliskova sisters. Not just the way the ball comes off

:48:28. > :48:33.Kristyna Pliskova's racket, she doesn't move quite as well as her

:48:34. > :48:34.sister. Just subtle differences like that can make a big difference in

:48:35. > :49:01.the rankings. Big hitting and a little bit of luck

:49:02. > :49:06.for Naomi Broady. Her game is lopsided. It is all about the server

:49:07. > :49:12.and the forehand. The backhand can go in one day and at the back fence

:49:13. > :49:16.the next. It is a shame for her. It has improved but it is a big

:49:17. > :49:20.weakness. Players do like to go there. But she has great strengths

:49:21. > :49:22.as well. She is a difficult player to play against. Results are up and

:49:23. > :49:37.down. I spoke to her at the start of the

:49:38. > :49:44.year and she said it had almost dawned on her that she had to think

:49:45. > :49:47.of herself as a big server. It may mean she lost a few points and she

:49:48. > :49:54.would have to go down the ranking, but she would work on her game. It

:49:55. > :50:37.needed to take in her mind before she did it. -- to click.

:50:38. > :50:47.You can see the problem with that shot. She do -- she almost wants to

:50:48. > :50:49.get rid of it. She doesn't trust it. But she can read some winners off it

:50:50. > :51:11.as well. -- rip. Just getting some frustration out.

:51:12. > :51:17.It is better out than in. There is a lot of pressure on her. She wants to

:51:18. > :51:24.take advantage of these wildcards. It can change the course of a year,

:51:25. > :51:29.getting a win or two at this event, and as a launch pad into Wimbledon.

:51:30. > :52:15.Very few players in the world get these opportunities.

:52:16. > :52:53.Kristyna Pliskova looking to finish things off here.

:52:54. > :53:03.Brave play from Broady but it had to be. She always is. They have similar

:53:04. > :53:08.games. If Naomi has a little more time on the backhand, it is a very

:53:09. > :53:16.big swing, she has time to get the racket head back, and then through,

:53:17. > :53:19.and then do it with control as well. She is a very likeable person on

:53:20. > :53:24.court and off court. She competes well. She gives it everything. She

:53:25. > :53:29.is an honest player. She takes risks and goes for it. Whatever the

:53:30. > :53:34.outcome. I don't think I'd like to be a passenger in a motor car with

:53:35. > :53:40.her, the way she plays her tennis! It is a little too high-rolling and

:53:41. > :53:43.high risk for me. I did find when she did commentary with me, she was

:53:44. > :54:20.very honest. It was quite refreshing.

:54:21. > :54:32.An opportunity for Broady to take this into a decider. She has got to

:54:33. > :54:38.be thinking the slide is coming into my backhand. Maybe just nudge over.

:54:39. > :54:56.Forcer opponent to make the... We have had a match point, we have

:54:57. > :56:09.had a set point. You have to admire Naomi Broady's

:56:10. > :56:13.ability to improvise. Use the forecourt. It is so new they are. It

:56:14. > :56:51.is so dead. It is so soft. We are going the distance. Naomi

:56:52. > :57:01.Broady closes at the tie-break, 9-7. The world number 111, the wildcard.

:57:02. > :57:07.As you may have guessed, sadly that was the end of the joy for Naomi

:57:08. > :57:11.Broady. She lost 6-1 in the third set. From a British perspective,

:57:12. > :57:16.from one extreme to another. Heather Watson won a fantastic victory

:57:17. > :57:21.against Dominica Cibulkova. The defending champion, world number

:57:22. > :57:27.six, fourth seed. The second victory in her career over a top ten player.

:57:28. > :57:31.Someone we have enjoyed seeing for so many years at Eastbourne and

:57:32. > :57:37.elsewhere. On court, and here in the studio. How good was that?

:57:38. > :57:43.Very good. I knew it was going to be a very tough match. She's a great

:57:44. > :57:44.player, very aggressive. We have played each other a few times

:57:45. > :57:52.before. I felt really good out there.

:57:53. > :57:56.Playing that long match yesterday in the wind, those conditions, it

:57:57. > :58:02.prepared me well for today. It was not as windy today. I was seeing the

:58:03. > :58:07.ball better, my serve was coming together. I'm pleased with how I got

:58:08. > :58:11.through that. I was at Queen's, and the final was immense. It was a

:58:12. > :58:14.fantastic match. I took my eye off the ball about what was happening

:58:15. > :58:18.elsewhere. I looked up the results, so you had won yesterday and thought

:58:19. > :58:22.it was a really good win. A lot of people thought you might win today,

:58:23. > :58:27.because momentum is such a big thing in this sport, isn't it? Absolutely,

:58:28. > :58:35.momentum and confidence are two big things in tennis. Yes, I felt ready

:58:36. > :58:39.to go today. I wasn't tired at all from my match yesterday, even though

:58:40. > :58:42.it was a long one. It set me up for today. There are little moments when

:58:43. > :58:52.you feel the pendulum turning. When he went 5-2 up, 4-2 up, 30-0 up,

:58:53. > :58:57.then she got it back to 30-30. Then he produced a massive serve. And

:58:58. > :59:02.your serve was good from start to finish? I thought it went better as

:59:03. > :59:08.the match went on. It has to be, really. I got a little nervous at

:59:09. > :59:13.the end. I thought Dominika upped her game, so it was a little bit of

:59:14. > :59:17.both. I kept fighting and got through it in the end. We were

:59:18. > :59:20.talking about the fact that, given the way your ranking has dropped a

:59:21. > :59:23.bit, you have been relying on wildcards and things like that. How

:59:24. > :59:30.does that change the way you approach the week in, week out

:59:31. > :59:36.business being a tennis player? It hasn't changed too much, just

:59:37. > :59:45.because I have been the main draw of these tournaments for many years. It

:59:46. > :59:48.is not different for me playing in Eastbourne, or Birmingham last week.

:59:49. > :59:51.But I'm very thankful for the wildcards. I felt I had been playing

:59:52. > :59:57.great tennis and I love playing on grass. I'm glad I've had an

:59:58. > :00:00.opportunity for the last few weeks. When you look at your diary in

:00:01. > :00:04.January, do you look at the block from the beginning, the middle of

:00:05. > :00:08.June, to the end of July, do you say that is my time, that is when I'm

:00:09. > :00:11.really looking forward to it? I always look forward to the grass,

:00:12. > :00:15.every single year. It is my favourite time of the year for

:00:16. > :00:21.tennis. How much of that is because it is nearly home? I think it is a

:00:22. > :00:29.big part of it. I also think the service does suit my game. --

:00:30. > :00:34.surface. It's great, I feel I am home wherever I am, Eastbourne,

:00:35. > :00:41.Birmingham, Nottingham. One final question, Petra Kvitova has sadly

:00:42. > :00:46.pulled out of the competition. It has been an extraordinary year for

:00:47. > :00:50.the women's game, Serena being pregnant, some people out of the

:00:51. > :00:56.game at the moment, the way that Ostapenko took things by the scruff

:00:57. > :01:04.of the neck in France. Suddenly we have Kvitova back in the game, and

:01:05. > :01:07.here she is, seven months on, having won in Birmingham yesterday. Even

:01:08. > :01:11.though she has pulled out from here, it is amazing to see her as a

:01:12. > :01:14.contender again for the big trophies. What is the general

:01:15. > :01:19.chitchat in the dressing room about that? It is great to see her back.

:01:20. > :01:27.It is horrible what she has been through. I heard that she was told

:01:28. > :01:33.she might not be able to play properly again. To come back, she

:01:34. > :01:38.has won Birmingham now, it is great to have her back. She is a really

:01:39. > :01:43.nice girl. Obviously a great player. Can you imagine her winning

:01:44. > :01:51.Wimbledon again? Might have to beat you in the final? I was going to say

:01:52. > :01:55.that! Best of luck, great to see you winning again, and smiling again.

:01:56. > :02:01.Are you back in action tomorrow? Probably Wednesday now? I hope so,

:02:02. > :02:06.but I don't think I will be. I think it is going to rain tomorrow, so you

:02:07. > :02:10.might get a day off. I mentioned Petra Kvitova, and she has been

:02:11. > :02:13.speaking about having to pull out here, and also about things that

:02:14. > :02:17.have been happening to her over the last few months.

:02:18. > :02:21.We understand you're not going to be playing at Eastbourne this year. You

:02:22. > :02:32.have just pulled out of the tournament, why is that? Yes, I had

:02:33. > :02:35.to pull out, my body is not prepared for a tournament like that. I had a

:02:36. > :02:41.long-running Birmingham and my body did not respond well. Especially my

:02:42. > :02:46.abdominal muscle, which is a bit more tightened than normal. Is it a

:02:47. > :02:52.fitness thing, or a problem with your injured hand? It is the fitness

:02:53. > :03:02.thing. Still some work to go before Wimbledon in the gym? Yes, a lot of

:03:03. > :03:08.treatment as well, to get back into shape. What are you doing this week?

:03:09. > :03:12.I assume you still hope to play at Wimbledon? Yes, I will do my best to

:03:13. > :03:17.get to Wimbledon. I need to take some days off and then I need to

:03:18. > :03:20.start to train slowly, hopefully. Congratulations, a brilliant win in

:03:21. > :03:25.Birmingham. Your first title since coming back from that horrific knife

:03:26. > :03:30.attack six months ago, in your own home. A remarkable story. How did it

:03:31. > :03:37.feel to be back on the tour and back with a trophy in your hand? Well, I

:03:38. > :03:42.cannot describe it in words. It is something very special for me to

:03:43. > :03:50.come back to play tennis, to win titles. It is unusual, I think. It's

:03:51. > :03:54.just after I came back and I already won. I still don't know if it is

:03:55. > :03:58.true. For me, it is a dream. I'm just living in a dream right now.

:03:59. > :04:02.It's a beautiful story to have. Was there any point when you thought,

:04:03. > :04:07.I'm never going to play tennis again, let alone win titles? Yes,

:04:08. > :04:11.for sure. Those thoughts were there in my mind as well, when it

:04:12. > :04:14.happened. The first few months were very difficult, when I didn't know

:04:15. > :04:25.if I would move my fingers properly, if I will ever play tennis. I

:04:26. > :04:28.appreciate now that I am able to play tennis and play well. Do you

:04:29. > :04:32.think it has helped, the moment when you thought it might not happen, it

:04:33. > :04:35.made you realise how much you want to be back out there, how much you

:04:36. > :04:39.want to be playing? Do you think that's helped with your

:04:40. > :04:41.performances, maybe with your mental preparation for games, that

:04:42. > :04:46.expectation is pretty low because you have had so much time out? I

:04:47. > :04:51.think so. Sometimes, when it has taken something from you that is not

:04:52. > :04:55.your choice, it shows you how much you love something. That is what I

:04:56. > :04:58.find now, that I love to play tennis. It was difficult to sit at

:04:59. > :05:05.home, watching girls playing tennis on the TV. There was huge motivation

:05:06. > :05:11.for me to come back as well. I always knew that I loved playing

:05:12. > :05:15.tennis. But now it is more deep. I'm enjoying it more every time. What

:05:16. > :05:19.about Wimbledon? As you say, your body is struggling to get you

:05:20. > :05:22.through these tournaments at the moment. Wimbledon is another kettle

:05:23. > :05:28.of fish. Two weeks of top competition. Is there a chance, with

:05:29. > :05:34.no expectation at all, there could be another Wimbledon title for you?

:05:35. > :05:37.No idea. I don't have an expectation. I didn't have

:05:38. > :05:40.expectation coming back to play tennis, in Birmingham, playing on

:05:41. > :05:44.the grass. I am so happy that my hand is OK, it is not in pain. That

:05:45. > :05:53.is the most important thing in the world right now for me. It was a

:05:54. > :05:59.dream to make my come back. It is better to be prepared for Wimbledon.

:06:00. > :06:03.I can't wait to step onto the court there. It is great to have you back.

:06:04. > :06:08.Well done. We are sorry we will not be seeing you playing in Eastbourne

:06:09. > :06:13.this week. Thank you very much. It is with saying that she will be in

:06:14. > :06:17.Wimbledon next week. Wimbledon qualifying continues and you can

:06:18. > :06:23.watch it on the red button, online and on the BBC Sport app. Sam has

:06:24. > :06:28.popped down from the, the box. Let's talk about three individuals with

:06:29. > :06:31.differing fortunes. Dan Evans, there has been a lot written in newspapers

:06:32. > :06:38.over the last 48 hours about his positive test for cocaine. Are you

:06:39. > :06:42.inclined to be conciliatory, or do you think the book needs to be

:06:43. > :06:49.thrown? Conservatory. I think there has to be a punishment. I also think

:06:50. > :06:52.that he needs a lot of support. Really, for the first time, figure

:06:53. > :06:57.out why he self-destructs in this way. That has been the pattern

:06:58. > :07:00.throughout his junior career and his senior career. He is a really

:07:01. > :07:06.talented guy, very popular. There is a lot to like about him. Super

:07:07. > :07:09.honest, he has great opinions. But he has this tendency, and I think

:07:10. > :07:12.some of it stems back to the way he was handled by the tennis

:07:13. > :07:14.authorities when he was 13 or 14. We have seen this story many times in

:07:15. > :07:29.British tennis. He was the poster boy for being a

:07:30. > :07:32.bad boy who was reformed. I was so sad, it would give a lot of other

:07:33. > :07:35.players that have a bit of a reputation, we have lots of them in

:07:36. > :07:37.British tennis, every country has them, it would give them a lot of

:07:38. > :07:41.hope. Let's give him some support. What do you hope the authorities do?

:07:42. > :07:47.He has to have a band coming have to have a judgment. Cocaine is a class

:07:48. > :07:52.A drug, it is illegal, whether it is performance enhancing or not. People

:07:53. > :07:55.look up to sportswomen and men, and you cannot be seen to be taking

:07:56. > :07:59.recreational drugs. It is a very bad thing. I hope he will go away and

:08:00. > :08:04.have a lot of support, I am sure from family and friends. Whatever

:08:05. > :08:07.happens with his tennis, this is only one chapter in his life. He has

:08:08. > :08:11.the rest of his life to live, whatever he is going to do, come

:08:12. > :08:15.back and play tennis, go into business, coaching. For him, as a

:08:16. > :08:19.human being, this is a really important moment. I have obviously

:08:20. > :08:24.thought about it a lot. I feel incredibly sad for him. But he is a

:08:25. > :08:27.human being, is this going to continue to happen? Unless he really

:08:28. > :08:34.gets the right help and sorts out why he does... You know, there has

:08:35. > :08:37.been a pattern for many years. On a different subject, somebody that

:08:38. > :08:42.maybe has lost his way a bit, Kyle Edmund has just lost to Donald Young

:08:43. > :08:46.in three sets, a tight game. Donald Young is a good player, played very

:08:47. > :08:51.well at Queen's last week. He has just parted company with his coach.

:08:52. > :08:57.Do you feel he is at a crossroads? He is still young. He has pretty

:08:58. > :09:01.much made all of the right steps at the right times. It is very tough on

:09:02. > :09:07.the mend's tour. He has everything to be a top ten player in terms of

:09:08. > :09:13.his ability. What I see is that when he's on court, I don't know who he

:09:14. > :09:18.is. I don't see his personality coming out. I think it is more of a

:09:19. > :09:24.personal development era for him, where he has to find his personality

:09:25. > :09:28.on court. But you mustn't be afraid to make changes. Look at Andy

:09:29. > :09:35.Murray, the Djokovic, it is not always about the coach. You've got

:09:36. > :09:39.to be bold. If you feel it is right, he has to be his own man. We will

:09:40. > :09:44.talk about Heather Watson in a second. We are back at Eastbourne

:09:45. > :09:48.tomorrow on BBC Two from one o'clock. We are one hour earlier

:09:49. > :09:53.than we were today. Johanna Konta will be in action tomorrow. Today,

:09:54. > :09:57.from a British perspective, great to see Heather Watson. She was smiling,

:09:58. > :10:02.happy, upbeat, bubbly. That is how we like to see her. We like to see

:10:03. > :10:05.her playing extremely well. I thought that was an outstanding

:10:06. > :10:10.serving performance. I love the fact in her interview she knew what she

:10:11. > :10:15.had to do, run and worked his socks off. Tactically, she did everything

:10:16. > :10:19.right. She is a far better player than her ranking suggests. I was

:10:20. > :10:23.very happy to see that, particularly when she had the match points and

:10:24. > :10:28.got there in the end. Excellent, thank you. An upbeat way to stop the

:10:29. > :10:32.coverage weather-wise as well. Fantastic day. I cannot promise the

:10:33. > :10:35.same tomorrow. But today has all been about Heather. You know what

:10:36. > :10:44.the last word is going to be? Elementary!

:10:45. > :10:55.The world number three, against Alison Riske from America. A pump of

:10:56. > :11:00.the fist from Heather Watson. A set to the good. There is the break, 4-2

:11:01. > :11:02.in the second. There it is. What a win for Heather Watson.