Day 5

:00:58. > :01:00.his defence of his Wimbledon title, under way.

:01:01. > :01:12.# Slowdown #. Game.

:01:13. > :01:16.# Looking for fun and feeling grooving #.

:01:17. > :01:23.Game, first set, Murray. What a perfect start to the defence of his

:01:24. > :01:28.title at SW19. # I've come to watch your flowers

:01:29. > :01:39.growing # Feeling groovy. #.

:01:40. > :01:49.This should be a good one, this. Getting is under way in this second

:01:50. > :01:56.round match. # Life, I love you come at all is

:01:57. > :02:06.groovy #. Murray is romping away with this

:02:07. > :02:08.one, now. Though good, so easy. The Murray machine rumbles on, no

:02:09. > :02:24.trouble, no fuss. And Andy Murray has certainly been

:02:25. > :02:27.in the groove, as the defence of his Men's Singles title has been

:02:28. > :02:32.flawless so far. He lost to macro games in his second round match. The

:02:33. > :02:36.least he has conceded in nine years here. This was a few moments ago on

:02:37. > :02:41.the practice court with his coach, Amelie Mauresmo. They are preparing

:02:42. > :02:49.for a third-round match against Spain's Roberto Martinez -- Spain's

:02:50. > :02:52.Bautista Agut. Here he is, on a seven match winning streak on grass.

:02:53. > :02:56.This is their first meeting, although they are regular practice

:02:57. > :03:05.partners. Murray will not take this man likely today. -- likely today.

:03:06. > :03:09.More clouds, we have had some rain. Big crowds, there always are on

:03:10. > :03:13.Murray days but everyone coming armed with a brolly. We have had

:03:14. > :03:19.rain earlier today and possibly some more rain to come. Good afternoon.

:03:20. > :03:23.Yes, we have had some rain. That means that play early on was

:03:24. > :03:26.delayed. We did not get under way until noon. But we have plenty of

:03:27. > :03:29.tennis to look forward to, even though we may have the odd

:03:30. > :03:36.interruption with the rain. Here are some of the stars we will be

:03:37. > :03:40.following throughout the day. Mr Murray has won his last 15 matches

:03:41. > :03:43.at the All-England Club. The defending champion is looking to

:03:44. > :03:50.extend that run on Centre Court this afternoon. It is more than five

:03:51. > :03:54.years since Novak Djokovic failed to make the fourth round of the Grand

:03:55. > :04:01.Slam. The top-seeded burst upon Centre Court today against she'll

:04:02. > :04:05.see one. -- Jeal seem on. Queen's winner Grigor Dimitrov looks supreme

:04:06. > :04:13.not on the grass court. He will need to be sharp against Dolgopolov, who

:04:14. > :04:17.hit 42 aces in his last match. Petra Kvitova is one of four ex-champions

:04:18. > :04:22.at the women's pop third round and she is playing another in Venus

:04:23. > :04:27.Williams, who is able to reach the third round for the first time in

:04:28. > :04:31.three years. Second seed Li Na has the fourth round in her sights and

:04:32. > :04:38.has not dropped a set so far. The two time grand champion has begun

:04:39. > :04:44.her match on Court Number One. Some results already in today. Bencic,

:04:45. > :04:49.what a story she is, this teenager from Switzerland. She is the new

:04:50. > :04:54.Swiss Miss following on from Martina Hingis. Her mother has been in her

:04:55. > :05:07.corner, along with Chris Evatt. She is through, 6-4, 7-5. A big name for

:05:08. > :05:11.the future. Caroline Wozniacki, a former world number one, seeded 16

:05:12. > :05:16.in the Championships, is through comfortably against another

:05:17. > :05:27.teenager, 16-year-old Konjuh of Croatia. 6-3, 6-0. And Caroline is

:05:28. > :05:37.through to face the winner of the match currently on Court Number

:05:38. > :05:43.One, Zahlavova Strycova and Li Na, four games all in the first set.

:05:44. > :05:51.Halep was a break of serve up in this third set against Sorrento, but

:05:52. > :05:56.she has just broken back. -- against Sorrento. That is on the red button

:05:57. > :06:02.on Court Number Two. But we are heading to Centre Court. Novak

:06:03. > :06:06.Djokovic up against Simon. There has been a break apiece. Four games

:06:07. > :06:31.all. Let's join our commentators, John Lloyd and Andrew Cotter.

:06:32. > :06:41.Wide, fantastic stuff from Gilles Simon.

:06:42. > :06:49.The neutrals in the crowd want him to win this point, he did so well.

:06:50. > :06:55.He struggled a bit on the overhead. That is the second overhead. This is

:06:56. > :07:01.-- the sun is really affecting him on that shot. He worked so hard to

:07:02. > :07:45.hold his own serve. A hint of a chance here.

:07:46. > :08:14.Simon knows he will not get too many opportunities.

:08:15. > :08:50.His turn to impose himself on a second serve.

:08:51. > :08:55.That is good from Djokovic. Right on the line. Simon giving it a

:08:56. > :09:38.lingering look. We have seen some marvellous rallies

:09:39. > :09:59.that Djokovic holds. A good match. Very good. Excellent

:10:00. > :10:05.quality. Simon, his ground strokes are so economic, the way he hits the

:10:06. > :10:10.ball. He is very flat. He soaks up the pressure, absorbs it, then comes

:10:11. > :10:16.back with it and uses the pace of his opponent. He finds the corner

:10:17. > :10:25.and moves very well. We see his forehand. Beautiful to watch. Look

:10:26. > :10:30.how low he has to hit this from there. Then that follow through,

:10:31. > :10:35.there, almost knocks himself on the head. A classic French style. They

:10:36. > :10:42.frown upon the gym and building yourself up. It is about the grace

:10:43. > :10:47.of it and about the skill. He is grateful of this sit down time after

:10:48. > :10:52.this is two games. This is the service placement in the deuce

:10:53. > :10:59.court. He's going out wide a lot to the Djokovic forehand. It is a risky

:11:00. > :11:04.serve. Going to the forehand again on that side. So the more solid

:11:05. > :11:10.return of Djokovic is the bank can decide. -- was the backhand side.

:11:11. > :11:23.Simon is going up against the forehand side. Hard work-out

:11:24. > :11:28.therefore both at the moment. He will have to serve to seeing this

:11:29. > :11:31.set. He's the only one who walks around -- is there anyone who walks

:11:32. > :12:19.around slower between points than Simon?

:12:20. > :12:31.20 seconds is allowed at the slams, 25 seconds in the regular tour.

:12:32. > :14:10.CROWD: I love you! Djokovic said, that is fine.

:14:11. > :14:18.Wild from Simon. Djokovic as the first set. The number one seed is

:14:19. > :14:33.out in front. Well, the trouble is there, Gilles

:14:34. > :14:37.Simon played about as well as he can play and unfortunately he is going

:14:38. > :14:42.up against someone who is in some ways a mirror image of him. Djokovic

:14:43. > :14:47.does it a little bit better. It looks close. It was a close set. But

:14:48. > :14:54.then you look at the stats, Djokovic ahead in every category. More

:14:55. > :15:00.winners, less unforced errors and first serve percentage better.

:15:01. > :15:07.Points one, better. It makes the stats, it is a lot easier than it

:15:08. > :15:10.was, but the problem is their styles, there is not many styles

:15:11. > :15:16.that go well against Djokovic because he is who eats is but

:15:17. > :15:21.Simon, it is very similar but he struggles to hurt him. He can do it

:15:22. > :15:23.occasionally, as we saw there, but you get these unbelievably long

:15:24. > :15:28.rallies and Simon looked exhausted at times. We have only played one

:15:29. > :15:31.set. There is no quick points against Djokovic, that is the

:15:32. > :15:37.problem, and Simon doesn't have the bidding of serve to get aces, or he

:15:38. > :15:42.can put away quick points. It is work, work and work again. It must

:15:43. > :15:50.be a nightmare playing Djokovic in the best of five sets when he is in

:15:51. > :15:56.this type of mood. An excellent first set. More, please. Very good

:15:57. > :16:00.to watch. The match between stepper neck and Djokovic was cracker.

:16:01. > :16:09.I am not sure it will be that close, especially that Gilles Simon looks

:16:10. > :16:15.so tired and was working so hard and Djokovic has many talents and one of

:16:16. > :16:21.them he is very fit indeed. Again, I go back to that saying, when you are

:16:22. > :16:24.used to playing in the latter stages of tournaments throughout the year

:16:25. > :16:29.it builds up that stamina, that matchplay stamina. Djokovic to start

:16:30. > :16:53.the second set. That is the way you deal with a

:16:54. > :16:55.mid-court all. Got up to it early at the top of the bounce. It could have

:16:56. > :17:22.gone either way. There is no doubt he has the shots,

:17:23. > :17:58.no doubt about that at all. I keep thinking we're watching in

:17:59. > :19:02.super slow motion, but we are not. APPLAUSE

:19:03. > :19:21.Not threatening Djokovic. It has been a very entertaining

:19:22. > :19:28.match for those watching. The yellow and red tie. Terry. Just shouting

:19:29. > :19:47.out names. Mrs Henman. And let -- and we are no

:19:48. > :19:48.longer in the Royal box! I think that would be very fashionable in

:19:49. > :20:15.the Royal box! Always playing catch-up in this

:20:16. > :21:10.set, with Djokovic serving first. Just when you thought it was going

:21:11. > :21:13.to be quick service game, he throws in the first double fault of the

:21:14. > :21:48.match. He has it. Again, it is always good

:21:49. > :22:02.to study the body language. Djokovic is fairly composed. Simon is mopping

:22:03. > :22:04.his brow constantly. He keeps looking up, like he is surprised

:22:05. > :22:14.there is some. Well, we all are. Again, he gives Simon a little bit

:22:15. > :23:35.of hope. He had a chance there. That was not

:23:36. > :23:39.a particularly good approach shot from Djokovic and 0- 30 there, a

:23:40. > :24:17.good chance to go 0-40 on that one. The crowd wanted, they want on

:24:18. > :24:47.elongated match. To calm and assured under pressure

:24:48. > :25:01.from Novak Djokovic. He got away with that but it was a

:25:02. > :25:05.bit of a casual drop shot, I thought. The result was good. A

:25:06. > :25:27.strange game he has played here. Simon is walking back into the wind

:25:28. > :25:44.and looks as if he might not make it.

:25:45. > :25:50.It is all about the response to the pressure. Djokovic has done it very

:25:51. > :26:15.well. UMPIRE: Mr Simon is challenging the

:26:16. > :26:21.call. We are waiting for confirmation that this game is over,

:26:22. > :26:34.that Djokovic has held. No! Look at that!

:26:35. > :26:35.UMPIRE: Replay the point. A silent curse to Hawk-Eye from Boris and we

:26:36. > :27:14.play on. It took a while until the final

:27:15. > :27:20.shot. Novak Djokovic has his lead of serve.

:27:21. > :27:25.SUE BARKER: A good hold from Djokovic there. We will be back on

:27:26. > :27:29.Centre Court in a moment. Plenty is happening elsewhere. Feliciano

:27:30. > :27:33.Lopez, the 19th seed is through, in straight sets. Another straight set

:27:34. > :27:37.victory for the Spaniard but five of his six sets here have all been

:27:38. > :27:57.tie-breaks. He will be back on court tomorrow to face John Esmonde. --

:27:58. > :28:03.Isner. Halep won in her match, 6- fog. Next up, Bencic of Switzerland.

:28:04. > :28:05.That is one to look forward to. But his second round match. They will be

:28:06. > :28:18.on court tomorrow. We will take you around a couple of

:28:19. > :28:25.courts. Court Number One, Li Na is in a first set tie-break, up against

:28:26. > :28:34.Zahlavova Strycova. That is live on BBC Two. On Court Two, the players

:28:35. > :28:43.are just coming out, young of its against Lleyton Hewitt. They are one

:28:44. > :28:51.set and 4-4 full stop that is on the red button. Back we go to Centre

:28:52. > :28:55.Court. Time for Gilles Simon to try and stand firm on his server game.

:28:56. > :29:47.-- on his serve again. He quite likes that tactic against

:29:48. > :29:49.Simon, trying to break -- bring him into the net. Quite a few drop shots

:29:50. > :31:08.and short angles. in, just checked there. Maybe not, I

:31:09. > :31:11.think that is why the ball held like that because it hit the line. It

:31:12. > :31:42.brings a break point. Djokovic has the break in this

:31:43. > :31:48.second set. Well, it is tough to keep up the intensity that he did in

:31:49. > :31:52.the first set at this sort of level. He just dipped a little bit in that

:31:53. > :31:57.game and that is all it takes when you are playing against someone like

:31:58. > :32:20.Djokovic. It is a long way back now, a set and a break.

:32:21. > :32:26.an angle. He should have done better with it. But still. It should have

:32:27. > :33:03.made this smash. Any short shot in the court would have been a winner.

:33:04. > :33:08.Brilliant! Again, Novak Djokovic waives his arms around. He chose his

:33:09. > :33:17.moment to come in. Outstanding from Simon.

:33:18. > :33:22.He came in from too far back from there. It is tough to close in

:33:23. > :33:27.closer than he did. He came in from behind the baseline. He did not do

:33:28. > :33:40.enough in the first volley but an excellent passing shot.

:33:41. > :33:47.It looked a bit shaky. That is just a momentary lapse here. It has put

:33:48. > :33:49.him back into trouble. And what trouble.

:33:50. > :34:29.Three break points. Oh! Remarkable! Simon fights back.

:34:30. > :34:33.They wonder what is happening, we ask the question, who are you and

:34:34. > :34:41.what have you done with Novak Djokovic? ! It is a strange game.

:34:42. > :34:45.For someone like Novak Djokovic, who has been such a great player, a

:34:46. > :34:50.great presence. When you get a break, now is the time to compose

:34:51. > :34:55.yourself, hold your serve. It can make the opponent get down on one

:34:56. > :35:00.self. He handed that break straight back. Now Simon thinks he is back in

:35:01. > :35:20.the match. That is what he is doing with the to with wel the towel over

:35:21. > :35:25.his head. That was astonishing. It is unusual of someone of his

:35:26. > :35:29.level to let an opponent back in. Normally, when they are ahead it is

:35:30. > :35:33.like "see you later" there is no coming back. They have to play

:35:34. > :35:50.brilliant shots to break someone like Djokovic when he is in the

:35:51. > :36:17.mode. But that was a strange game. So, Simon is back on serve.

:36:18. > :37:19.Simon might welcome the rain, it has gotten very dark out there.

:37:20. > :37:28.Well. He put the towel over his head and

:37:29. > :37:54.now three excellent points. So, Simon facing three break points.

:37:55. > :38:22.Still to go. Well played, Gilles Simon. He is

:38:23. > :39:09.nearly there. Djokovic hits back! Break follows

:39:10. > :39:17.break in this match. So perhaps it was a temporary blip.

:39:18. > :39:22.Admiration for Djokovic. Now all heading in the right direction for

:39:23. > :39:29.the game. It was a strange match so far.

:39:30. > :41:32.Gilles Simon has had plenty of opportunities.

:41:33. > :41:35.set. Sue Proctor we are back to see

:41:36. > :41:44.Gilles Simon serve to stay in the second set in a moment.

:41:45. > :41:49.Meanwhile, here is Li Na, a set point down. Playing against Barbora

:41:50. > :41:58.Zahlavova Strycova. She saved a set point. But she is facing another and

:41:59. > :42:03.that one is out. So, we could have a big game on our hands. Li Na facing

:42:04. > :42:08.a real battle. That happened a short time ago. Li

:42:09. > :42:12.Na held her service game in the opening of the second.

:42:13. > :42:19.That match is live on BBC Two. Here on BBC One, we are heading back to

:42:20. > :42:23.Centre Court. It does look like Novak Djokovic is

:42:24. > :42:32.back firmly in control. Although we did say that the last time and

:42:33. > :42:34.suddenly he disappeared. There is Henman Hill and Andy Murray

:42:35. > :42:42.is up later. There is Henman Hill and Andy

:42:43. > :42:54.In the scheme of things, he should win this match. Boris Becker will be

:42:55. > :43:00.concerned. He had a problem against Radek Stepanek in a match with a

:43:01. > :43:04.little blip. But you don't want to see your man lose service breaks

:43:05. > :43:10.because of errors. But the Grand Slam is a long seven matches. You

:43:11. > :43:46.cannot play at your best for all seven matches.

:43:47. > :46:36.Noise for Djokovic for that one. Gilles Simon's serve... Right in the

:46:37. > :46:41.corner. No-one hits the ball better from

:46:42. > :46:49.this height. It is shoulder height. It just gets

:46:50. > :46:51.on top of the ball. He drills it. A great two-handed backhand bringing

:46:52. > :47:10.him to set point. Gilles Simon goes out with a whimper

:47:11. > :47:15.in the second set. And the number one seed now is

:47:16. > :47:24.heading rapidly towards the next round.

:47:25. > :47:30.He's come in the first two sets 25 times, Djokovic. He won 19 points

:47:31. > :47:35.out of 25. That's a lot for him to come in on the first two sets.

:47:36. > :47:42.He is certainly playing aggressively.

:47:43. > :47:51.He would like to get his first serve percentage up. For both players it

:47:52. > :48:03.is under 50%. Even Gilles Simon on his first

:48:04. > :48:06.serve. It was a bit of an iffy set. Quality dropped from both players.

:48:07. > :48:14.Djokovic had the wobble on a break when he was up a break. And Simon

:48:15. > :48:18.was temporarily back into the match. He got his confidence back and then

:48:19. > :48:28.it was a comfortable set for him, really.

:48:29. > :48:32.There is a bit of angst from both players at certain times in that

:48:33. > :48:39.set. But Djokovic is doing what Djokovic does. He is moving forward

:48:40. > :48:43.to a likely meeting with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

:48:44. > :48:52.Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is playing elsewhere, playing very well against

:48:53. > :49:04.Jimmy Wang. There is Mr Henry Jones. Yes, Whitechapel and SSilk and --

:49:05. > :49:56.Silk and Spooks. That is right.

:49:57. > :50:25.world's best. He thought that was going out a lot

:50:26. > :50:32.more than it ended up. What a point! What a point indeed!

:50:33. > :50:42.Gilles Simon reminding us that he still has plenty to offer.

:50:43. > :50:47.These days in the game, it shows you how difficult it is to come to the

:50:48. > :50:50.net and get away with it. Unless the volley is perfect. They can hit such

:50:51. > :51:11.angles with whip and top spin. I have seen this before, Djokovic in

:51:12. > :51:48.control of the match. But it drops away for a moment. Two break points.

:51:49. > :51:53.He tried to do too much with it. The speed and the time to get

:51:54. > :51:58.there... It really was not a very good drop shot from Djokovic either.

:51:59. > :52:06.It was too high over the net it gave Simon lots of time to get to this.

:52:07. > :52:10.He was trying to fake notify November there by looking the wrong

:52:11. > :52:35.way when he hit the ball. But too much angle on that one.

:52:36. > :52:44.A strange game, again. Three breaks now for Simon. Then you

:52:45. > :52:53.look at the board, 6-4, 6-2. He is shaking his head there. In all

:52:54. > :52:59.probability, he is still probably going to win the match but you don't

:53:00. > :53:04.want to get into the the habits, if you have these lapses, you will pay

:53:05. > :53:17.for it in the latter rounds. He may get away with it today but...

:53:18. > :54:28.A fly at the net! OW A fly at the net! It's too good.

:54:29. > :54:35.It was an excellent volley but you really don't want to be hitting

:54:36. > :54:39.volume is from there on the court. You want to be closer to the net. He

:54:40. > :54:47.got away with that one. He seems to be backing up the break

:54:48. > :55:28.of serve quite nicely. Simon is still there.

:55:29. > :55:31.He is doing enough to be there when Djokovic's level dips slightly,

:55:32. > :55:36.which it has. Credit to the Frenchman from two

:55:37. > :55:42.sets to love down. He is against a major player in the

:55:43. > :56:38.world. But he has gotten right back to business. He has got a break and

:56:39. > :57:29.who knows? The crowd thinking, I can hit the ball that far out.

:57:30. > :58:10.There's a very useful return from Simon.

:58:11. > :58:13.the chair. So, Simon is keeping Djokovic on

:58:14. > :58:27.this. There it is.

:58:28. > :58:40.So, Djokovic still a break of serve adrift. For him that is not much.

:58:41. > :58:52.I'm sure that Gilles Simon would love second break to give him some

:58:53. > :58:59.insurance. Just had a glimpse of Boris Becker

:59:00. > :59:07.again. Six Grand Slams a piece for Boris Becker. For the ones that have

:59:08. > :59:13.alluded Djokovic... I do feel that Djokovic will go beyond Boris' grand

:59:14. > :59:18.total. You may be surprised! If he doesn't

:59:19. > :59:25.add a few more to that. But his record recently... It has

:59:26. > :59:33.not been great. He has won a lot of other tournaments but he has come up

:59:34. > :59:38.wanting in the Grand Slam finals. That's one of the reasons he brought

:59:39. > :59:43.Boris on board. He spoke of it, not winning a Grand Slam final for a

:59:44. > :59:49.while. So I feel, he feels he can improve the mental side of things,

:59:50. > :59:54.he thinks that Boris Becker can help bring that. He always talks about

:59:55. > :59:58.that, the mental side of his game that he feels is the difference

:59:59. > :00:02.between winning and losing. Well, even the great players have

:00:03. > :00:09.doubts occasionally. It is why it helps to have a Grand Slam winner in

:00:10. > :00:40.your corner to help you over the mini times of crisis.

:00:41. > :00:46.Talk about a drought, necrosis, it has only been five, the Australian

:00:47. > :00:50.Open last year was the last one he won. It feels -- he feels it has

:00:51. > :01:26.been too long. The best return in the game can't do

:01:27. > :01:50.anything about that. Tidy. Actually, that is a debate,

:01:51. > :01:52.who has the best return in the game? Murray? Murray, Nadal and Djokovic I

:01:53. > :02:44.would think would be the three best. And again, again, Simon so deep. He

:02:45. > :02:52.knew he could get there. Much better drop shot here. It was a more

:02:53. > :02:56.aggressive drop shot. He hit it low over the net, with more speed.

:02:57. > :03:17.Getting down quicker, not as high as some of the others he has hit.

:03:18. > :03:24.No challenge, just mumblings and mutterings. And a break point for

:03:25. > :04:56.Djokovic. On a 50% conversion rate, if you

:04:57. > :05:02.offered two, who should take it? Djokovic again.

:05:03. > :05:13.Well, he has given it. Djokovic back on level terms.

:05:14. > :05:21.It just shows you sometimes, fling yourself at the return of serve. I

:05:22. > :05:25.am not sure if anybody else would have got that. You just managed to

:05:26. > :05:28.get that over the net, just enough to see that error come at him and

:05:29. > :05:50.gets the break of serve. It is 31 times now he has come into

:05:51. > :07:37.the net, Djokovic. That was good from Simon. Again, he

:07:38. > :07:44.shows us the threat that he can pose to Djokovic. After this rally,

:07:45. > :07:48.Djokovic looked up at his bench and gave them a real stare. I don't

:07:49. > :08:12.think he did anything wrong in this rally. That was just too good.

:08:13. > :08:20.That was the stare. What a stir it is! That is where if you are the

:08:21. > :08:23.coach, you look at the other person in the box. He is looking at you,

:08:24. > :08:47.not me. We have another break. He is not

:08:48. > :08:57.faced, he will just stare back. I didn't hit the shot, Boris would

:08:58. > :09:14.say. The Centre Court crowd willing Simon to convert here.

:09:15. > :09:24.Wonderful! He knows how good that was.

:09:25. > :09:31.It is the extra effort here. He barely got this one back and you

:09:32. > :09:33.think it is all over for him. That extra push and the slide, break

:09:34. > :10:19.point down that was, as well. Oh, so good. Again, confirmation

:10:20. > :10:26.requested by Simon. UMPIRE: Mr Simon is challenging the

:10:27. > :10:35.call. The ball was called out. A bit of a long delay on that challenge.

:10:36. > :10:44.That was worth the wait. UMPIRE: Advantage Djokovic, Mr Simon

:10:45. > :11:03.with two challenges remaining. And then like that, it was over, and

:11:04. > :11:08.a howl of frustration from Simon. Again, against the very best, take

:11:09. > :11:13.your chances when they are offered. They don't come along often.

:11:14. > :11:19.Although today, Djokovic has given Simon a few windows of opportunity.

:11:20. > :11:22.That game, I don't think that was really... Simon played a good break

:11:23. > :11:27.point there, Djokovic made an amazing stretch and he has annoyed

:11:28. > :11:30.himself, obviously, but I don't think that was really his doing. It

:11:31. > :11:36.was more that Djokovic just came up with a couple of classics there.

:11:37. > :11:43.That is the modern world right there. They are not going to talk to

:11:44. > :11:48.each other the whole afternoon! Just send messages to each other. What do

:11:49. > :11:52.you make of Djokovic so far? There has been some very good stuff from

:11:53. > :11:57.Gilles Simon as well. He has played well in patches. There has been a

:11:58. > :12:02.couple of lapses. You never play, or very rarely do you play, seven

:12:03. > :12:06.perfect matches in a Grand Slam. You will have occasional dips. That is

:12:07. > :12:11.the way it is. He has lost his concentration a couple of times but

:12:12. > :12:14.he has bounced straight back. He doesn't want to get in a habit of

:12:15. > :12:18.playing poor service games, especially at the latter stages of

:12:19. > :12:21.the tournament because you probably won't get another chance again. But

:12:22. > :12:28.he will cut that out as he progresses further in the

:12:29. > :12:33.tournament. A couple of concerns as they carry on sending messages to

:12:34. > :12:36.each other. A couple of concerns about Djokovic's wrist emerged a

:12:37. > :12:41.couple of months ago. He pulled out of an exhibition event he plays not

:12:42. > :12:48.too far away in Stoke Park, but we can see he is fighting fit. A good

:12:49. > :13:09.match here, two sets to the good, Simon serving, 2-3.

:13:10. > :13:49.that on a return of serve, coming in. It has been very aggressive

:13:50. > :13:53.today, with the amount of times he has come into the net, but I think

:13:54. > :14:51.that is the first time he has actually done that.

:14:52. > :15:04.it is his shoulder he has caught. The left shoulder though. But a

:15:05. > :15:26.nasty fall. Oh, dear. These courts are so hard.

:15:27. > :15:32.That was a very awkward fall indeed. Concern on the face of Gilles Simon.

:15:33. > :15:40.On the face of everybody in Centre Court.

:15:41. > :15:48.It didn't look too bad going down there, but the immediate reaction on

:15:49. > :15:48.his face, it is obviously very painful. What has Novak Djokovic

:15:49. > :16:00.done? UMPIRE: Ladies and gentlemen, the

:16:01. > :16:08.trainer has been called to the court. Again, he flings himself

:16:09. > :16:17.around all the time and you never see that reaction. We're not in the

:16:18. > :16:21.world of football here. When he went down, it didn't look as if there was

:16:22. > :16:23.an obvious slump on the ground. When he falls he normally has perfect

:16:24. > :16:53.balance. On this occasion... It is his left shoulder. There

:16:54. > :16:55.didn't seem to be anything there. Far worse if it were his right

:16:56. > :17:27.shoulder, obviously, but... Le Mans's observation, I think he's

:17:28. > :17:49.going to be OK. -- in a Le Mans's observation.

:17:50. > :17:52.You are allowed for medical treatment the amount of time you are

:17:53. > :18:07.allowed. A couple of minutes of treatment

:18:08. > :18:13.and, well, obvious concern on the faces of his camp.

:18:14. > :18:18.The real concern was in his reaction. The fall did not look that

:18:19. > :18:47.bad. No. SUE BARKER: Watching here in the

:18:48. > :18:49.studio, with Andrew Castle, it is being well manipulated, that

:18:50. > :18:57.shoulder. UMPIRE: Is to Djokovic is taking a

:18:58. > :19:02.medical time-out. We can see that. By the time he rolled over on his

:19:03. > :19:05.back the second time, he was already grimacing. He sort of rolled around

:19:06. > :19:09.it, trying to straighten the arm perhaps, and rolling around. My fast

:19:10. > :19:12.thoughts are it cannot possibly be desecrated because we would have

:19:13. > :19:16.seen it, we have seen so many different angles it would have been

:19:17. > :19:20.very nice to see. I don't think they will be manipulating it quite like

:19:21. > :19:23.that if it was dislocated. If he was dissipated he would be out of the

:19:24. > :19:27.tournament at this point, but perhaps with a bit of rest,

:19:28. > :19:31.relaxation and treatment that he is getting here, perhaps he will be

:19:32. > :19:36.up. I have to say, I don't mean to be ungenerous, but it is combative

:19:37. > :19:38.111 sport and all these guys are trying to achieve great things, my

:19:39. > :19:44.second thought was Andy Murray is playing later on and they are in the

:19:45. > :19:51.same half. It is secondary, but it was thought I had. It has been 18

:19:52. > :19:54.months since he won a Grand Slam. He is technically so proficient and

:19:55. > :19:58.precise. He is such a wonderful mover. You go through something like

:19:59. > :20:02.this and you just wonder. It is the next five or ten minutes which could

:20:03. > :20:07.decide a lot about the Men's Singles title and where it ends up. It is

:20:08. > :20:11.looking as if it is easing, if anything. He is not one of those

:20:12. > :20:16.players who complain a lot about injury. He would not have the

:20:17. > :20:22.trainer on without it being a problem and the doctor has joined

:20:23. > :20:26.them as well. Physically he is all most like elastic, isn't he? He

:20:27. > :20:32.almost bends in places other people do not bend. Heikki as incredibly

:20:33. > :20:36.long muscles. He has and it is something he works on all the time,

:20:37. > :20:41.flexible too. It is to avoid injury. Where this is different is that the

:20:42. > :20:45.move was completely unexpected. It is not like doing the splits, like

:20:46. > :20:51.he does, and finding the angles on the backend. Watch the first one, he

:20:52. > :20:56.is grimacing by the time he turns round and the racket comes up. As he

:20:57. > :21:02.popped a tendon up there? It is a guessing game. It is a dramatic

:21:03. > :21:05.moment. If he had popped attend and I don't think they would be moving

:21:06. > :21:08.the shoulder as much as the train is moving it at the moment, really

:21:09. > :21:13.pushing it around. Gilles Simon not sure what to do, because he has to

:21:14. > :21:18.wait and prepare himself. The Djokovic, he has to say if I can win

:21:19. > :21:22.three more games to get this out of the way, I have until Monday to get

:21:23. > :21:25.myself right. If he is thinking that clearly at this point because one of

:21:26. > :21:31.the first things that happens when you get injured, you go into shock

:21:32. > :21:34.and you shut down a bit. There is a man, Boris Becker, who has thrown

:21:35. > :21:40.himself around this relatively hard grasscourt on a number of occasions.

:21:41. > :21:46.The medical time-out is coming to an end. They will have put the clock on

:21:47. > :21:50.him. The good news is he is up and looks as though he will continue.

:21:51. > :21:55.Time is upon the medical time-out. So we will continue. Let's keep a

:21:56. > :22:00.close eye on Novak Djokovic. Andy, thanks very much. Back we go to John

:22:01. > :22:05.and Andrew. ANDREW COTTER: Very interesting

:22:06. > :22:10.moments to come. Having the last word and the last feel of the

:22:11. > :22:15.shoulder of Novak Djokovic. The right hand on his left shoulder, but

:22:16. > :22:32.you use both shoulders so much and the two handed backhand of Djokovic.

:22:33. > :22:41.It is like the first point of the match. They should have warmed up a

:22:42. > :23:21.little bit, a couple of service. -- serves.

:23:22. > :23:33.He loses the point, but all seems well with the body. I think his

:23:34. > :23:39.focus now and concentration will be at its height, Djokovic. He wants to

:23:40. > :23:44.get this much over with quick now. -- this match.

:23:45. > :23:56.Simon holds, and if there is any weakness he will exploit it. See if

:23:57. > :24:00.it makes any difference to the ball toss, when he throws up with the

:24:01. > :24:33.left hand. Didn't seem to make any difference with his ground strokes.

:24:34. > :24:42.UMPIRE: Mr Simon is challenging the call. The ball was called in.

:24:43. > :25:16.Just clipped the outside. UMPIRE: Mr Simon with one challenge

:25:17. > :25:38.remaining. Just what he needed, a very

:25:39. > :26:17.comfortable hold of serve. Let's see if he fiddles with that

:26:18. > :26:23.shoulder any more. I think he is OK. Still on serving this third set. It

:26:24. > :26:28.has been an interesting match this, because you look at that, 6-4, 6-2,

:26:29. > :26:33.it has been a bit of a Romford Djokovic, but not really. No, it has

:26:34. > :26:39.been a closer score than that. Boris has sat down now, the nerves have

:26:40. > :26:44.gone down a little bit. You can imagine your immediate thought, all

:26:45. > :26:49.the work that you have all put in, is it over? How bad is it? That is

:26:50. > :26:55.the one thing you can't work on, you can't legislate for, is an injury

:26:56. > :26:59.like that. But it seems to be OK. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it,

:27:00. > :27:03.certainly not in the last game we have seen. We think back to his

:27:04. > :27:09.former career before he made himself into this tremendous fit machine

:27:10. > :27:14.come he used to have a lot of retirements in matches, Djokovic, a

:27:15. > :27:20.lot of them. The quarterfinal in the Australian Open against Roddick and

:27:21. > :27:28.a couple against Nadal, he has had in the past. But those days are long

:27:29. > :29:02.past now. Still in a good position here, Simon serving, 3-4.

:29:03. > :29:08.happen with a net cord. Sometimes it can be good, sometimes bad. This one

:29:09. > :29:19.just sat up perfectly for Novak to put away. A little thing like that

:29:20. > :29:58.and a chance at a crucial stage of the match.

:29:59. > :30:08.They do so much, so well, Simon, needs to apply the final touch and

:30:09. > :30:09.he goes wide. Suddenly, the end might be drawing near. Two break

:30:10. > :30:39.point. The man who will not go away at the

:30:40. > :30:57.other end of the court. That's very, very well played by

:30:58. > :32:04.Gilles Simon. Two break points disappear.

:32:05. > :32:13.Staring at two break points that were near enough match points.

:32:14. > :32:19.He was very aggressive on the break points.

:32:20. > :33:26.Some big ground strokes and then served volley on the other.

:33:27. > :34:21.He is playing well again. Break dancing!

:34:22. > :34:34.So, Djokovic gets closer. I think we can put to bed any fears

:34:35. > :34:41.over his fitness. Now we have Simon who is in with the

:34:42. > :34:48.trainer. It all happening out here. Not quite as dramatic, maybe.

:34:49. > :34:58.A nasty paper cut, maybe? A paper cut! He was saying to the umpire

:34:59. > :35:05.that blisters are painted up. It is like a second coating of skin on

:35:06. > :35:10.there. An artificial skin. Not a bad place for it to happen

:35:11. > :35:32.there. You can tape it up without a problem.

:35:33. > :35:39.There is some dark stuff overhead. But bearing in mind the forecast

:35:40. > :35:51.that we had, we got away with things today. It is supposed to be a fine

:35:52. > :35:55.evening. Once again, the pressure falls on

:35:56. > :37:15.the man who has just been patched up. He has to serve to try to stay

:37:16. > :37:41.in the match. We have seen some great rallies in

:37:42. > :37:45.this match. A great return. Gilles Simon using

:37:46. > :38:18.every inch of Centre Court. Suddenly Djokovic is just a couple

:38:19. > :38:59.of points away. Oh, it's been so reliable that

:39:00. > :39:34.two-handed backhand as well. Can he take it now, Djokovic?

:39:35. > :39:40.Done and through! Novak Djokovic, the number one seed survives.

:39:41. > :39:55.He survives the threat of Gilles Simon.

:39:56. > :40:00.After all that, straight sets. And relief and a celebration as

:40:01. > :40:05.there were some moments there. One big moment. But he and his famous

:40:06. > :40:10.coach played on. It was a good effort. The worry with

:40:11. > :40:16.the hard fall he had. Everyone was very concerned about it. But he

:40:17. > :40:20.rebounded in the right way and he got down to business. He wanted to

:40:21. > :40:24.finish the match quick. Wanted to get treatment. Get ice on the

:40:25. > :40:29.shoulder and see what was going on. But overall, happy with the game. He

:40:30. > :40:40.had a couple of lapses of concentration. But he just beat a

:40:41. > :40:44.very, very tough competitor, 6-2, 6 - 3, 6-4. He came to the net a

:40:45. > :40:49.tremendous amount of time. That is probably what you want a

:40:50. > :40:54.good honest work out but still win the three sets.

:40:55. > :40:59.Exactly. You don't want to peak too early in the tournament. He is not

:41:00. > :41:03.playing his best, yet but playing pretty well! That's a good match to

:41:04. > :41:08.start things off on Centre Court here. We have Andy Murray later on.

:41:09. > :41:13.And Petra Kvitova against Venus Williams coming up next.

:41:14. > :41:18.Autographs to be signed. And it will be interesting to get

:41:19. > :41:24.his thoughts on how the shoulder felt. I wonder what was being said.

:41:25. > :41:31.But this was the finishing moment. . He spent a lot of time at the net

:41:32. > :41:42.today. 36 times he came in. That's a lot for Novak Djokovic.

:41:43. > :41:48.And Gilles Simon competed very well. But ultimately just a little bit

:41:49. > :41:55.short in most departments. This man is the favourite for the

:41:56. > :41:58.title this year. He is a hot target for selfies.

:41:59. > :42:05.He should be taking that bag off his left shoulder! I suspect he is OK.

:42:06. > :42:12.But it was a genuinely worrying moment for Djokovic. Not perhaps for

:42:13. > :42:17.the Andy Murray fans! But he is OK. Again, there were moments in the

:42:18. > :42:22.match when he dropped away. Three breaks of serve from Gilles Simon.

:42:23. > :42:31.But every time he had the answer. He had the response and he was able

:42:32. > :42:35.to come back. In the end, it was a straight sets

:42:36. > :42:42.victory for Novak Djokovic. He is through to the last 16. The number

:42:43. > :42:48.one seed with the straight sets victory over Gilles Simon. Let's

:42:49. > :42:52.hear from him now. Novak Djokovic, well played.

:42:53. > :42:58.Firstly, I have to ask you, you had a bad fall. You looked like you were

:42:59. > :43:02.in a great deal of pain? It was an awkward fall. I was hoping that

:43:03. > :43:06.there was nothing going on badly with the joint. Luckily, there is no

:43:07. > :43:12.damage to the joint. I could play a few games after that.

:43:13. > :43:16.The muscle was sore because of the impact. But all in all, I am just

:43:17. > :43:21.very glad to get through. Now you have a couple of days to

:43:22. > :43:26.work on it, if indeed it does need working on? Yes. There are two days

:43:27. > :43:31.off. I will try to recover and get ready. The next one is Jo-Wilfried

:43:32. > :43:35.Tsonga. So a great match for both of us.

:43:36. > :43:40.And as you are playing you are growing into the tournament nicely,

:43:41. > :43:46.not hitting peak form but playing well still? Yes, at moments I played

:43:47. > :43:54.well. Although I dropped a couple of service games. I was up and down

:43:55. > :43:59.throughout the whole match. Gilles was playing well. It could have gone

:44:00. > :44:03.either way in the third. But at the important moments I came up with the

:44:04. > :44:08.right selection of shots. I am very happy to get into the second week.

:44:09. > :44:12.And then that is when you can tap into the Grand Slam experience, you

:44:13. > :44:19.have to take it up a gear from here on in? It is obvious as the

:44:20. > :44:23.tournament progresses you are going to encounter some high-ranking

:44:24. > :44:27.players. They may have more experience of playing on a big

:44:28. > :44:33.stage. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been a regular here at Wimbledon. In the

:44:34. > :44:39.last couple of years he has played a couple of semi-finals. I remember a

:44:40. > :44:50.match with him on Centre Court, one in 2011 and one at the Olympic

:44:51. > :44:53.Games. He loves the energy of the big stadium. It will be a challenge

:44:54. > :44:56.for both of us. We look forward to it. Well played

:44:57. > :45:01.for today. All the best for the next one.

:45:02. > :45:16.So a Goodwin completed by Novak Djokovic.

:45:17. > :45:25.And Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is next up. And there again there were moments

:45:26. > :45:32.of concern for his entourage. Boris Becker watching.

:45:33. > :45:34.He could just win his seventh Grand Slam final, though, he is in good

:45:35. > :45:40.shape. SUE BARKER: We wondered if he was

:45:41. > :45:46.down and out but he has bravely battled on. He is through to the

:45:47. > :45:49.next round. Lots of tennis still to come on the Centre Court and later

:45:50. > :45:57.on Andy Murray continues his Wimbledon, 2014.

:45:58. > :46:03.As he steps out on to Centre Court, expectations are high.

:46:04. > :46:15.A firm hold on the opening-round match for Andy Murray.

:46:16. > :46:19.What a perfect start. Rola now gets a chance. It is a

:46:20. > :46:24.double break for Andy Murray. He is romping away with this one now. As

:46:25. > :46:28.comprehensive a victory as you are likely to see. The money machine

:46:29. > :46:33.rumbles on. He really has been in awesome form.

:46:34. > :46:41.Those two victories mean that the winning streak here at the All

:46:42. > :46:44.England Club is 15, including the Olympic Gold Medal and the victory

:46:45. > :46:50.last year. So, Andy Murray is in great form. Out on the practise

:46:51. > :46:53.courts with Amelie Mauresmo. But his opponent today is Roberto Bautista.

:46:54. > :46:58.There he is. Out on the practise court. And he is also doing well. On

:46:59. > :47:03.a seven-match winning streak on grass.

:47:04. > :47:06.He will not be taking things lightly out on Centre Court today, Andy

:47:07. > :47:11.Murray. That is later on this afternoon. Now let's take a check on

:47:12. > :47:17.what has been happening elsewhere. We know that the winner of the Andy

:47:18. > :47:24.Murray and the Roberto Bautista match will face Kevin Anderson. He

:47:25. > :47:33.won against Fabio Fognini. The first South African man to come

:47:34. > :47:37.into the fourth set since Wayne Fererara in 2000. And Jo-Wilfried

:47:38. > :47:40.Tsonga is through. Straight sets. He had two five-set matches before.

:47:41. > :47:44.This is the fifth match on court because of rain delays. Next up for

:47:45. > :47:51.Jo-Wilfried Tsonga it is Novak Djokovic. That will be one to look

:47:52. > :47:56.forward to on Monday. And of course he has his traditional

:47:57. > :48:02.celebration, doesn't he? Let's stay for that. The crowd loves it, we

:48:03. > :48:08.love it. Yes! Well done Jo-Wilfried Tsonga! And a big celebration on

:48:09. > :48:11.court number one for Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. She has caused

:48:12. > :48:17.the biggest shock of the championships so far. Putting out

:48:18. > :48:25.the two-time Grand Slam winner, the number two seed, Li Na in two

:48:26. > :48:31.tie-break sets, 7-6, 7-6. So it really has been a dramatic half an

:48:32. > :48:38.hour here. Andrew Castle is here with me. It is all happening on day

:48:39. > :48:43.five! I am filling out this draw. There is lots going on.

:48:44. > :48:47.And of course the Novak Djokovic game. 35 minutes ago we thought he

:48:48. > :48:52.may be out of the tournament the way he was holding on to his shoulder. I

:48:53. > :48:56.am glad he is in it. But you don't want to see a player go out in that

:48:57. > :48:59.way. That was a heavy fall. But often

:49:00. > :49:03.when you have a fall like that, you feel you have done the worse. It

:49:04. > :49:08.takes the trainer to tell you it is not that bad.

:49:09. > :49:11.It can be embarrassing, five or six minutes later when there is no

:49:12. > :49:16.problem. Perhaps a shooting pain. I am sure that the journalists will be

:49:17. > :49:21.getting to the bottom of that. But no lasting damage. The next match up

:49:22. > :49:26.against Jo-Wilfried Tsongaline his sternest test with respect to Radek

:49:27. > :49:30.Stepanek. That will be a repeat of the 2008 Australian Open final that

:49:31. > :49:34.Novak Djokovic won. Novak Djokovic is going through the gear but I

:49:35. > :49:39.don't think he has looked his best. He was many people's favourite. He

:49:40. > :49:44.is at the top of the draw but I have not seen a champion in the making.

:49:45. > :49:51.Andy Murray has played so well, Roger is cruising and Rafael Nadal

:49:52. > :49:54.coming through against Rosol. And I don't think that Novak Djokovic has

:49:55. > :50:00.looked A-1. We will look at the game. But look

:50:01. > :50:04.away now if you feel squeamish. Here is the fall coming. If you were

:50:05. > :50:10.sitting like Boris Becker, watching your man in this sort of pain, you

:50:11. > :50:15.would think, oh, no, this is over? ! It was the first time he put his

:50:16. > :50:20.left hand down for support. But there seemed nothing wrong with the

:50:21. > :50:25.angle of the wrist or the elbow. So I suggested a shooting pain or a

:50:26. > :50:40.pinched nerve. But he looks like he has been taken out there.

:50:41. > :50:54.He will have a few days off. He will got lots of treatment have a few

:50:55. > :50:57.days off. He will be able to rest for a couple

:50:58. > :51:04.of days. It will be a questions of an ice

:51:05. > :51:11.bath. It is one of those things, nerves play a part as well. But he

:51:12. > :51:14.eseems to be OK. He has a physical specimen with him in the next match

:51:15. > :51:20.with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. A brutal game.

:51:21. > :51:26.We have been talking about Andy Murray, and how well he is playing,

:51:27. > :51:32.how good is Djokovic's game? Well, here he is the a the baseline. He

:51:33. > :51:38.has the power but he has placement. The angle of his body and the way he

:51:39. > :51:42.manages to give the right shot all the time. It is about shot

:51:43. > :51:47.selection. The one down the line is the one to defend against.

:51:48. > :51:50.And depth as well? Yes. If he is feeling that shot, there is a

:51:51. > :51:55.problem. Certainly a couple of years ago it was the shot of the year. It

:51:56. > :52:00.has been too long since he won a Grand Slam and to not complete the

:52:01. > :52:05.set by winning the French. But at his game, on the front foot he looks

:52:06. > :52:10.better on the grass court than if he tries to defend. It is all very well

:52:11. > :52:15.in these matches but the top three or four guys, if you defend and

:52:16. > :52:20.defend, you allow them to come to you, there will be trouble. Perhaps

:52:21. > :52:25.he will pick it up and get more aggressive in the rallies. But his

:52:26. > :52:32.movement on the court it is a joy to watch. Yes. Talk about him getting

:52:33. > :52:37.injured 35 minutes ago. He seems OK. I don't know how he achieves the

:52:38. > :52:42.angles that he does. I have seen him doing the splits standing up. He did

:52:43. > :52:47.have somebody help him. But he was not yepping. He can do that. His

:52:48. > :52:52.flexibility is incredible. This is how... That was break point down.

:52:53. > :52:57.Look at that. That left foot just locking. Staying on balance. His

:52:58. > :53:01.upper body rotating against the bottom and finding the power to

:53:02. > :53:05.bring it back across the court. You try to come in against somebody, you

:53:06. > :53:10.are not supposed to be able to do that. That is why he has taken it to

:53:11. > :53:14.a different level. Each one of the guys has something dish. Rafael

:53:15. > :53:19.Nadal with the brutality, the elegance of Federer. He never seems

:53:20. > :53:24.to miss a tournament and Andy Murray, who is just posture per

:53:25. > :53:28.sonified. They are a wonderful bunch.

:53:29. > :53:32.And talking of Andy Murray. He has not been very long on the match

:53:33. > :53:36.court. What about the opponents there. He has a bit of a winning

:53:37. > :53:39.streak on the grass courts. He will not take this lightly? The

:53:40. > :53:44.interesting thing about the opponent is that he was about 70 in the world

:53:45. > :53:49.at the beginning of the year. A week-and-a-half in, 67 in the world.

:53:50. > :53:54.That is great fine. How has he achieved 23 in the world? That is a

:53:55. > :54:01.huge jump. He has picked it up. He suddenly has

:54:02. > :54:05.this new level of results in his game. He is comfortable with it. The

:54:06. > :54:10.goal was to be in the top 100 and stay in it. He will have to adjust

:54:11. > :54:19.the goals. He is on a run, he is just 26 years of age. It does not

:54:20. > :54:23.just have to happen at 19 or to. He has a continent grip with the

:54:24. > :54:28.forehand side. Really old fashioned. I approve. He can do a lot of

:54:29. > :54:32.damage. The one thing he has is confidence. He won in Holland. He

:54:33. > :54:38.has nothing to lose. You are talking about age, the

:54:39. > :54:43.average age of the men's top 100 is... 28 years old. I don't know if

:54:44. > :54:46.that is the building of stamina through the training. Increase in

:54:47. > :54:51.knowledge and thou manage the game. That is important. Either way, let's

:54:52. > :54:57.hear it for the oldies! Absolutely. You will be on court for that match

:54:58. > :55:03.for Andy Murray? Yes, with an oldie and a youngie, McEnroe and Henman!

:55:04. > :55:09.We look forward to that! That is later on, after two great champions

:55:10. > :55:13.stepping on to the court, here they come, Petra Kvitova and Venus

:55:14. > :55:18.Williams, 33 years of age. Eight times in the final, five times the

:55:19. > :55:22.champion. But she has not been in the second week of a Grand Slam for

:55:23. > :55:26.three years. Will it happen today? So we talk about the record, two

:55:27. > :55:30.great champions and Phil Jones has been looking at their career.

:55:31. > :55:36.The first Friday, the first collision of champions.

:55:37. > :55:40.On one side, five-time Queen of the Wimbledon court, Venus Williams. On

:55:41. > :55:44.the other, 2011 Wimbledon winner, Petra Kvitova. The biggest face-off

:55:45. > :55:48.of week one. Only one can survive into week two.

:55:49. > :55:53.. I like to go into watching a contest when I have no idea who is

:55:54. > :55:58.going to win. All of the matches have been tough. It will be a great

:55:59. > :56:02.fight. I know I have to get out and play better than her. That is what

:56:03. > :56:07.it boils down to. Venus Williams missed Wimbledon with a an illness,

:56:08. > :56:13.she still contends with it to this day. Then 33, we wondered if we

:56:14. > :56:18.would see her play again. Here she is, two more matches won in a year

:56:19. > :56:26.of two more tightal triumphs. This could be a champion's last hurrah!

:56:27. > :56:30.Grass really jump-starts Venus Williams' game. When she walks into

:56:31. > :56:34.the gates here, she is so much more confident as her game is suited to

:56:35. > :56:38.grass. And Petra Kvitova has made the

:56:39. > :56:44.quarter-finals here for the last four years. The title success in

:56:45. > :56:50.2011 is the only Grand Slam crown. A record perhaps not best we fitting a

:56:51. > :56:54.left-hander of power and presence. I think that Petra Kvitova

:56:55. > :56:59.underachieved since 2011. At that time, a lot of people including

:57:00. > :57:03.myself, were thinking that 2012 she would take the tennis world by storm

:57:04. > :57:11.and get to the top and maintain it. It has not happened as she has been

:57:12. > :57:18.inconsistent. In 2013, she was known as three-set Petra.

:57:19. > :57:22.Each match as gone three sets when they have played in the past

:57:23. > :57:32.together, showing that they push each other all the way. In the final

:57:33. > :57:37.analysis it could be the fight of the fittest.

:57:38. > :57:43.She is normally taped. It is a match I cannot pick. So much depends on

:57:44. > :57:47.Petra's serves and nerves. Whether she is hitting bag and dominating

:57:48. > :57:53.and if she can handle the nerves. When I watch sports, that is what

:57:54. > :57:58.makes it exciting, when I go in with no idea who will win. These are both

:57:59. > :58:04.former champions, Venus Williams has been ill, will she have the stamina

:58:05. > :58:09.to play well? Petara Bay ar, the way that she is hot and cold. And both

:58:10. > :58:13.former champions, playing miles an hour champion there is a lot of

:58:14. > :58:16.interest in the match. A mouth-watering match awaits, it is

:58:17. > :58:20.a day when Wimbledon champions collide! Looking forward to this

:58:21. > :58:26.one. Their match is getting underway. But

:58:27. > :58:31.let us show you what is happening elsewhere. On BBC Two, Lleyton

:58:32. > :58:37.Hewitt is battling back in his match against Jerzy Janowicz. The

:58:38. > :58:41.semi-finalist last year. Seeded 15. He saved two match points in the

:58:42. > :58:47.third-set tie-break. That is live on BBC Two. On the red

:58:48. > :58:51.button, a match on court number one, Grigor Dimitrov, the champion of

:58:52. > :58:56.Queens. Up against an orthodox opponent, Alexandr Dolgopolov. An

:58:57. > :58:59.entertaining match as well. So Grigor Dimitrov and Alexandr

:59:00. > :59:03.Dolgopolov are on the red button on court number one. Lleyton Hewitt is

:59:04. > :59:11.on BBC Two. But here on BBC One we are heading back to Centre Court for

:59:12. > :59:18.CAVH kitsch CAVH and Venus Williams. Tracy Austen and Mark Pechey are

:59:19. > :59:28.there for this one. -- Petra Kvitova.

:59:29. > :59:34.Kvitova has won 77% of her opponent's serves in this

:59:35. > :59:41.tournament. The second best so far. She is so aggressive on it. On the

:59:42. > :00:19.opening point she went right after Venus' second serve. APPLAUSE

:00:20. > :00:27.APPLAUSE A good sign for Venus Williams to

:00:28. > :01:12.get the server to 118 mph. Dashti serve up to.

:01:13. > :01:19.Making inroads into the Americans serve. A couple of things I look for

:01:20. > :01:24.from Venus Williams to see if she is confident, whether she is going up

:01:25. > :01:26.and out on her serve, and doing it with conviction, but sometimes she

:01:27. > :01:35.will need to her left and come down too quickly. Dashingly into. - lean

:01:36. > :01:51.to. APPLAUSE

:01:52. > :01:57.Whether she is striking the second serve with authority or just

:01:58. > :02:00.spinning it in, and whether she is stepping in on her forehand. If she

:02:01. > :02:03.is leaning in their bit, being a little hesitant on that wing, you

:02:04. > :02:35.know she is not full of confidence. A 76 mile in our second serve, that

:02:36. > :02:41.Kvitova was going to lean on. One of the big differences between Venus

:02:42. > :02:45.Williams in 2014 and 2008. We'll have a look at her first serve in

:02:46. > :03:00.the sit down, to see how much it has changed.

:03:01. > :03:12.UMPIRE: Game this Williams. - Miss Williams. Grit and determination

:03:13. > :03:50.from the American on the undulating performance,

:03:51. > :03:50.forehand side, and make a lot of errors. - the flick of an army. -

:03:51. > :04:23.and are I. What a point. APPLAUSE

:04:24. > :04:27.Straight into her stride. I thought this was a tremendous approach from

:04:28. > :04:32.the nurse, she got up to it so quickly and hit it on the rise. -

:04:33. > :05:12.Venus Williams. Great anticipation from Kvitova.

:05:13. > :05:26.APPLAUSE That serve was an defendable, so

:05:27. > :05:30.short in the box. That is the advantage the lefty has come a

:05:31. > :05:35.little spin that slices it, moves it away from the two hander. -- not

:05:36. > :06:22.defendable. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE

:06:23. > :06:27.Kvitova can have problems being a lefty, Venus has a good record

:06:28. > :06:32.against lefties, she lost the ones she played at the Australian earlier

:06:33. > :06:36.this year, and in 2012. Before that she had been on a nice streak of 19

:06:37. > :06:42.consecutive victories, the American. Tough to get it out of her hitting

:06:43. > :06:54.zone on the return when you are as tall as Venus as well. Her range is

:06:55. > :07:03.spectacular. That is what set Venus and Serena apart, when they changed

:07:04. > :07:10.the women's game. Their inability to move from a defensive position to be

:07:11. > :07:36.able to hit an offensive shot. - of their ability.

:07:37. > :07:48.Massive. She is so dangerous. She has such tremendous racket head

:07:49. > :08:05.speed, she needs to make sure she gets a little bit of top-spin for

:08:06. > :08:11.safety. APPLAUSE The only place she could return that

:08:12. > :08:15.from was the first row, you need a ticket to return that serve.

:08:16. > :08:19.Unbelievable. If I was Kvitova I would move one step to my right,

:08:20. > :08:36.Venus tends to slice it to the right side. That is her go to serve.

:08:37. > :08:58.She has that one as well though. She is not as comfortable with that

:08:59. > :09:23.serve as carving around it. The 19th ace of the tournament.

:09:24. > :09:39.APPLAUSE Steady from Venus. Solid on serve so

:09:40. > :09:41.far. Let's take a look at Venus's surfing profile at this year 's

:09:42. > :09:51.championships compared to when she won in 2008. - serving. She has been

:09:52. > :09:56.hitting this serve middle of the box, there is one or two that is a

:09:57. > :10:03.little bit wide. Look at the difference, 91 mph second serve, now

:10:04. > :10:08.74. The height difference hurts her, she is six foot one, Kvitova is 1.6

:10:09. > :10:14.metres. If you look at the difference, it is coming through

:10:15. > :10:22.because of her height. It is a comfortable height for a return to

:10:23. > :10:27.hit. Kvitova is such a dangerous return. You can see her taking it on

:10:28. > :10:31.inside the baseline. Coming up above the height of the net gives Kvitova

:10:32. > :10:35.the opportunity as the match progresses to take the ball on. She

:10:36. > :10:40.will have plenty of time if Venus keeps hitting them back slowly on

:10:41. > :10:46.the second serve. Kvitova is so lethal when she has time to setup

:10:47. > :10:51.and on balance. It seems Venus realises that and is taking bigger

:10:52. > :10:52.cuts and the second serve because of the respect she has for the Kvitova

:10:53. > :11:22.return. Smart serve from Kvitova, the body

:11:23. > :11:28.serve, at the right hip. She had to pull out of a match just before she

:11:29. > :11:35.played Heather Watson in Eastbourne. That was in the quarterfinals. Her

:11:36. > :11:44.neck she says is 100% pain-free but you can see the strapping on it as a

:11:45. > :11:48.bit of precaution. - her leg. It is all about the second serve against

:11:49. > :11:52.somebody who is six foot one. She had her leg strapped in both

:11:53. > :11:54.matches, her first and second round match in Eastbourne, before she had

:11:55. > :12:22.to print out before the quarterfinals. - pull out.

:12:23. > :12:28.The closing figure of Venus Williams down the other end can contribute to

:12:29. > :12:34.if you double faults in a match. - imposing figure.

:12:35. > :12:46.APPLAUSE It's not going to be too much

:12:47. > :12:50.retreating today. No, Kvitova has not much shocked tolerance so far in

:12:51. > :13:00.this match. Two or three shots then she pulls the trigger very quickly.

:13:01. > :13:07.- shots. APPLAUSE Not a bad shot. Straight up the

:13:08. > :13:18.middle of the court. Taking away the angle from her.

:13:19. > :13:30.APPLAUSE Power on the serve followed by the

:13:31. > :13:34.placement on the forehand. From a neutral 's perspective the perfect

:13:35. > :13:38.start. That is a combination that Kvitova will use frequently, the

:13:39. > :13:44.serve out wide, pulls her opponent out of the court. She has the

:13:45. > :13:54.opening to hit the winner. Very effective for the lefty.

:13:55. > :14:10.APPLAUSE Her first serve speed has dropped

:14:11. > :14:15.dramatically since 2008, averaged 116 in 2008 throughout the

:14:16. > :14:19.tournament. She is at 102, a big difference in terms of the reaction

:14:20. > :14:22.time. It's not just about the number of cases you can secure but the

:14:23. > :14:31.reaction time Kvitova is going to have. It will be far greater.

:14:32. > :14:35.APPLAUSE It's not just the aces as you

:14:36. > :14:41.mentioned, it is the unreturnable is, Kvitova will not have as much

:14:42. > :14:49.time to hit a lethal return as she just did with the second serve at

:14:50. > :14:56.such speed. It is about robbing your opponent on such a service, that is

:14:57. > :14:57.exaggerated on grass. - robbing your opponent of time. Beautiful.

:14:58. > :15:10.APPLAUSE One thing about both of these

:15:11. > :15:13.players is they know their way around the forecourt. Both excellent

:15:14. > :16:11.volley is, especially Kvitova with the touch volleys. Volliers -.

:16:12. > :16:26.APPLAUSE Both are hungry for a win. One of

:16:27. > :16:32.the things we talk a lot about on a grass court compared to hard courts

:16:33. > :16:36.and Clay is the ability to move on court. Who would you say out of

:16:37. > :16:44.these two is the move? Definitely Venus, she is quicker, a quick first

:16:45. > :16:47.step. - mover. Kvitova has worked on her fitness and trying to be more

:16:48. > :16:54.display said that that is something her opponents try to exploit. - more

:16:55. > :16:58.explosive. Venus's movement, her tremendous movement is one of the

:16:59. > :17:03.big reasons she feels so comfortable on a grass court. She feels she can

:17:04. > :17:10.play defensive if she needs to, but most of the time she wants to be

:17:11. > :17:16.offensive. Speed may not always be there for Kvitova but the endurance

:17:17. > :17:21.is, she played a leading 30 73-set matches last year with a credible

:17:22. > :17:31.win-loss ratio as well. She has already played another 12. She has

:17:32. > :17:43.the nickname on tour, Petra, they have changed the E two A3. - a

:17:44. > :17:48.three. She gets asked about that on her press conference. It is because

:17:49. > :17:54.she has played so many 3-set is. There is a chance this one will go

:17:55. > :17:58.the distance as well. - setters. The four previous meetings between these

:17:59. > :18:04.two were all on hard courts. All for going three sets. The last two with

:18:05. > :18:54.wins for Kvitova. That is sweet. APPLAUSE

:18:55. > :18:59.The body serve is a good one against Venus, if you pick it either of

:19:00. > :19:05.those sites where she can take a swing at it, she is lethal. - sides.

:19:06. > :19:17.A short backswing, a shorter term, and pushed forward. - shoulder

:19:18. > :19:25.turn. APPLAUSE She made that look a lot easier than

:19:26. > :19:31.it actually was. She had to really get the racket below the ball and

:19:32. > :19:51.put up a lot of racket head speed and still control it.

:19:52. > :20:02.APPLAUSE Nothing too dramatic in terms of the

:20:03. > :20:04.potential for injury but it did reduce the loss of the point for

:20:05. > :20:52.her. Wow. That is as long as I've seen a

:20:53. > :20:55.second serve in years. She thought about Hawk-eye on the first one but

:20:56. > :21:34.probably not so on the second! APPLAUSE

:21:35. > :21:38.Almost too eager. Both players trying to play first strike tennis,

:21:39. > :21:41.getting big and hard frequently in the points. I can almost understand

:21:42. > :21:45.that more from Kvitova because she doesn't move as well, it's hard for

:21:46. > :21:52.her to get behind on a point and recover.

:21:53. > :22:04.APPLAUSE That was a test and she came through

:22:05. > :22:08.it with an a grade. It doesn't matter if you win your last couple

:22:09. > :22:12.of meetings when you are out on Centre Court against someone who has

:22:13. > :22:16.won the title five times, you're feeling pressure. A tremendous

:22:17. > :22:19.amount of respect, goes both ways, both of these players want a

:22:20. > :22:20.successful Wimbledon. Neither player have done well in the other two

:22:21. > :23:00.Grand Slams this year. difficult shot to hit. If you get

:23:01. > :23:06.slices deep Kvitova would have been there, she creates an extraordinary

:23:07. > :23:30.angle from a difficult position. - if she had sliced it deep.

:23:31. > :23:47.APPLAUSE Talking the results of the other two

:23:48. > :23:51.slams, Venus lost in the first round to the history, and in French at the

:23:52. > :23:58.second round. 6-4 in the third as well. - the Australian. She lost in

:23:59. > :24:03.the third round to the stringy and who I've never heard of. And in the

:24:04. > :24:12.third round at Roland Garros, Kuznetsova. - to the Australian. A

:24:13. > :24:14.good year to come in when the prize money has been increasing, she has

:24:15. > :24:45.won won one game in three slams. APPLAUSE

:24:46. > :24:52.Trying to introduce a little subtlety.

:24:53. > :25:06.It wasn't to be. Too deep. Williams mops up that game.

:25:07. > :25:13.She was saying in London how much she loves her art, she says she

:25:14. > :25:18.isn't so much into painting, she prefers the history of cities like

:25:19. > :25:22.the Museum of London. Her favourite artist of the moment there is

:25:23. > :25:26.Picasso. Although he was not part of the Renaissance era, it has to be

:25:27. > :25:32.said she herself is currently having one. Do you feel as though she is

:25:33. > :25:36.capable of not just getting past Kvitova, but does she have enough

:25:37. > :25:40.energy to make a serious run for the title if she could come through? It

:25:41. > :25:50.would be difficult at this stage, 34, with the syndrome she has, I

:25:51. > :25:55.wouldn't put anything past her. She certainly has the weapons to be a

:25:56. > :26:00.contender here. But she has not had the results. She hasn't won a Grand

:26:01. > :26:05.Slam since 2008. She has not had the consistently winning results. She

:26:06. > :26:13.won a title into by. Earlier this year. She beat her opponent in the

:26:14. > :26:18.finals who had beaten Serena in the semifinals, that was good for her

:26:19. > :26:24.confidence. She seems to be hitting the ball as cleanly and she needs

:26:25. > :26:33.two to win this particular match. - as she needs to. Kvitova seems to be

:26:34. > :26:39.wary, she has the new boards. - balls. Kvitova has so little margin

:26:40. > :26:44.in her game on her ground strokes. It is game plan A, that is about it.

:26:45. > :26:46.It is not the subtlety of adding a little more spin if she is not

:26:47. > :27:03.feeling in the groove that day. APPLAUSE

:27:04. > :27:10.A nice game of tennis there, I bet of defence, a scramble, then the

:27:11. > :27:14.offensive forehand. - a bit. I don't either often from Kvitova, I like it

:27:15. > :27:17.on defence, she had some height on the ball, some trajectory and shape

:27:18. > :27:54.to get the ball back in the middle of the court. APPLAUSE

:27:55. > :28:11.One of her great strengths is the unpredictable nature of her tennis,

:28:12. > :28:30.tough to get a rhythm against. APPLAUSE

:28:31. > :28:37.What an end to the game. UMPIRE: 4-4, first set. Venus is to respond

:28:38. > :28:42.to Kvitova's game, she had so much power and so close to the mind. They

:28:43. > :28:44.know they need to try to weather the storm. There might be errors around

:28:45. > :29:23.the corner. Just didn't give herself enough

:29:24. > :29:27.room, she was tucked up at home. When she doesn't have enough room I

:29:28. > :29:30.would like to see her have a shorter backswing and get the ball in play

:29:31. > :29:32.in the middle, not take a big swing with so much risk. The subtle

:29:33. > :30:03.adjustments. The previous one that she made in

:30:04. > :30:07.that sort of position looked very easy, but she made it look easy

:30:08. > :30:17.because it was pretty tough as that one proved to be.

:30:18. > :31:04.APPLAUSE. So unpredictable, a forehand from the middle of the

:31:05. > :31:09.court where she is on balance. Setup and misses that one. Yet she can be

:31:10. > :31:37.on the full stretch and hit a clean winner.

:31:38. > :31:51.Excellent work from Venus Williams. 5-4 to Williams. BARKER: Here, we

:31:52. > :31:57.are staying with the Battle of the champions, but over on BBC Two,

:31:58. > :32:03.there is a five set thriller because this happened a few minutes ago.

:32:04. > :32:08.Lleyton Hewitt levelled the match against the semifinalist from last

:32:09. > :32:15.year. There has been all sorts of talk around Lleyton Hewitt, numerous

:32:16. > :32:20.surgeries, but he is showing that he is still competitive, very

:32:21. > :32:29.competitive and he has now levelled that match at two sets all. That

:32:30. > :32:34.thrilling fifth set is underway. That is live on BBC Two. Lleyton

:32:35. > :32:47.Hewitt is battling away, but here we are rejoining Centre Court. She

:32:48. > :32:59.knows what she would love to see in her future and that is a break of

:33:00. > :33:34.serve. That lady is rock solid on serve.

:33:35. > :33:49.That is some clean-up ball striking from Venus Williams and she is

:33:50. > :33:57.eating up the power that is coming at her from Cabot over. -- Petra

:33:58. > :34:11.Kvitova. Excellent work from Venus Williams. Did not seem like that bad

:34:12. > :34:29.of a return, but dealt with in fact we. So early, stepping inside the

:34:30. > :34:38.baseline, no way to react -- dealt with easily. She stayed down well on

:34:39. > :34:51.the first point, but not so well on the third point.

:34:52. > :35:05.APPLAUSE. Sometimes you scratch your head with

:35:06. > :35:20.Kvitova because she can play such brilliant shots. Then she can send

:35:21. > :35:31.18 feet long. -- she can send one eight feet long. Just the one point

:35:32. > :35:41.on serve, Venus Williams puts a look up to the umpire to see if the first

:35:42. > :36:24.serve was in. The umpire felt it was.

:36:25. > :36:43.Such an imposing figure at the net, six feet tall, moves forward into

:36:44. > :36:55.this volley. Great balance. Photo finish. Held it for the camera 's.

:36:56. > :37:10.-- cameras. Just off her fastest serve of the

:37:11. > :37:39.tournament. APPLAUSE. .

:37:40. > :38:00.Well, you cannot finish a game any better than that. She has the

:38:01. > :38:04.sanctuary of the tie-break coming. Would you, if you were coaching

:38:05. > :38:10.either of them and the server has been so dominant early on, would you

:38:11. > :38:13.wait to see who won the first set before you made an adjustment, or

:38:14. > :38:22.would you be looking to try and do something different? How would you

:38:23. > :38:27.see it? I would keep playing the same and I have been impressed with

:38:28. > :38:36.the way that Venus has raised the level from the second round to the

:38:37. > :38:40.third round. She is definitely having that champion mentality, she

:38:41. > :38:46.has elevated her game, realised she needed to have more on her serve,

:38:47. > :38:50.taking bigger risks, particularly on her second serve, hitting it with

:38:51. > :39:03.more power and on her ground strokes, she is letting it rip. I

:39:04. > :39:12.have not seen Venus hit this well in a while, when she is hitting with so

:39:13. > :39:17.much conviction and confidence. That will be music to her ears, if she

:39:18. > :39:20.could hear it at this stage. Very enjoyable opening set, can Venus

:39:21. > :39:28.break? I felt that Kvitova does not have

:39:29. > :39:50.precise footwork. It contributes to the unforced

:39:51. > :40:14.mistakes. Magnificent. Tremendous step,

:40:15. > :40:48.pushing Kvitova back, which is difficult to do. -- depth.

:40:49. > :41:00.It has gone long and this set may not go on much longer. Just

:41:01. > :41:08.incredible variety from Venus, the onslaught of the power and then some

:41:09. > :41:21.nice slices to change the pace. Three set points for the American.

:41:22. > :41:42.It was extremely impressive, the service had plenty of penetration

:41:43. > :41:51.and Venus got them back deep within a couple of feet of the baseline --

:41:52. > :41:59.serve. You know you are in a good position. Williams would love to get

:42:00. > :42:03.more first serves in, but Kvitova not taking enough when she has a

:42:04. > :42:09.second serve. They say that she would like to do that, but she does

:42:10. > :42:12.not want to do it by compromising that percentage of first serve

:42:13. > :42:21.points one, because it is magnificent. The unforced mistakes

:42:22. > :42:27.by Kvitova needs to go down. Too many shots that were sprayed. That

:42:28. > :42:33.whole set, you could almost throw those statistics down and it is

:42:34. > :42:38.based on the last return game from Venus who -- when she broke Kvitova

:42:39. > :42:48.at love. She hit the returns on the rise. Tremendous hand and I caught a

:42:49. > :43:11.nation to pick it up so quickly. -- co-ordination. -- eye.

:43:12. > :43:19.34 years old, seven Grand Slam titles, 13 Grand Slam doubles

:43:20. > :43:22.titles... She has just walked onto turf for the first time. She is like

:43:23. > :43:41.a sprinter. The success that Venus has had has

:43:42. > :44:19.not diminished the desire. Venus was asked about that, you have

:44:20. > :44:24.won five Wimbledons, all the gold medals at the Olympics, and she said

:44:25. > :44:28.she was not about the easy thing, life is a challenge and I want to

:44:29. > :44:31.leave tennis without any regrets. She still feels that she can compete

:44:32. > :45:15.at the highest level. A little change of pace there, 98

:45:16. > :45:28.mph, Kvitova misjudged it and hit it too early.

:45:29. > :45:38.Oh dear. Did not move up to that. That is the one thing you see in the

:45:39. > :45:43.game of Kvitova, that one extra step going forward, she sometimes waits

:45:44. > :45:48.for the ball. You mentioned the better footwork, but you see her

:45:49. > :45:52.before every match with her coach, doing footwork drills for 15 minutes

:45:53. > :46:05.to warm up. It does not come easily for her.

:46:06. > :46:26.A little bit of a free be there for Venus. She wants to maintain this

:46:27. > :46:34.high level -- freebie. Now, will be more of that? Brews coming up

:46:35. > :46:50.later! She can take it, it looks like -- a bruise. That is a real

:46:51. > :46:51.gift at this stage. When you're looking to try and get into the

:46:52. > :47:25.match early in the second set. Awkward opening hold. She has a

:47:26. > :47:29.stranglehold over Kvitova at the moment and it was interesting to

:47:30. > :47:33.watch Rafa Nadal yesterday and how he changed up his returning

:47:34. > :47:38.position. Do you feel there is room for Kvitova to tromp back a little

:47:39. > :47:47.bit or does it open up the angles for the American -- to jump back?

:47:48. > :47:54.Kvitova likes to return out in front and go for her shots. Rafa Nadal

:47:55. > :48:00.still made the adjustment. He is the ultimate champion, the ultimate

:48:01. > :48:04.Warrior. We will not see Kvitova making too many adjustments to her

:48:05. > :48:10.game, that is probably one of her biggest flaws.

:48:11. > :48:20.In fact, in my opinion, after she won Wimbledon in 2011, I thought

:48:21. > :48:23.that she would dominate in 2012, after she was so successful in

:48:24. > :48:40.winning a bunch of tournaments that year, but she did not handle the

:48:41. > :48:45.pressure or expectations well. Kvitova has struggled to get her

:48:46. > :48:48.game back to that same potential and the way that she played against

:48:49. > :49:12.Maria Sharapova in the final. That, to me, is a perfect example of

:49:13. > :49:16.the subtlety where you have to make an adjustment. That ball is coming

:49:17. > :49:20.hard and fast, and excellent returns from Venus and she had to shorten

:49:21. > :49:23.her backswing and not take such a big swing and hit with so much

:49:24. > :49:37.power. -- an excellent return. Already, a

:49:38. > :50:09.fairly perilous situation developing for Kvitova.

:50:10. > :50:57.She is nervous, but she did not show it. That was a big second serve and

:50:58. > :51:28.a crashing forehand. -- crushing. I often wonder about how much these

:51:29. > :51:32.players know about their draw. You have to worry about what is in front

:51:33. > :51:36.of you, but in the back of your head, if they do know which half

:51:37. > :51:42.they are won and who is in their half, it would be interesting to

:51:43. > :51:52.know what their thought process. That is a monstrous serve. The two

:51:53. > :52:03.big seeds are ad of this half. Victoria Azarenka lost -- out. The

:52:04. > :52:43.number four seed as well. The bottom half was always weaker than the top

:52:44. > :52:55.anyway. APPLAUSE.

:52:56. > :53:02.Attack the second serve much more effectively, they are. -- attacked.

:53:03. > :53:35.-- there. These balls are so hard and so flat

:53:36. > :53:39.and to redirect them across the court and across the line, like

:53:40. > :54:10.Kvitova adjusted, it is so difficult. -- Kvitova just did.

:54:11. > :54:18.Credit to Venus, she has been under a little bit of pressure in the

:54:19. > :54:22.second set, but she has upped her first serves and responded to the

:54:23. > :54:27.challenge from Kvitova and you have to question how easy it is for

:54:28. > :54:33.somebody to return as aggressively as Kvitova is trying to against this

:54:34. > :54:37.monstrous serving from Venus. They have had a much more enjoyable day

:54:38. > :54:43.then we have been led to believe would be the case. The umbrella on

:54:44. > :54:48.the right, you would have thought it would have been used more, but

:54:49. > :55:02.thankfully not. Let us hope it stays that way, for the tennis players and

:55:03. > :55:07.the spectators. You have got your cricket knowledge. Geoffrey Boycott

:55:08. > :55:22.the other day, there is Mike Gatting. I could have let you get

:55:23. > :55:29.away with that! They will probably be taking over that soon, the

:55:30. > :55:30.Americans, now they have dominated in the soccer. I do not know about

:55:31. > :55:42.that! Did they grasp the concept of losing

:55:43. > :55:46.and still going through? That has to be alien to the American way of

:55:47. > :56:23.life! However you need to get it done!

:56:24. > :56:37.That is the one thing that I think she could make an adjustment to. She

:56:38. > :56:39.has good enough hands, soft hands, we see that at the net with her

:56:40. > :56:50.dropped volleys. I would love to see Kvitova be able

:56:51. > :56:55.to employ that a little bit more on her ground strokes, when everything

:56:56. > :56:59.is not clicking on a particular day, to use and roll over the ball and

:57:00. > :57:04.little bit more with top-spin, perhaps to create some angles, then

:57:05. > :57:05.when she felt like she got her confidence back, could push the

:57:06. > :57:28.pedal to the metal again. APPLAUSE. I think that might be the

:57:29. > :57:33.immaculate backhand. Was that in the corner of the corner? We saw a lot

:57:34. > :57:38.of that in 2011. It is so difficult to defend.

:57:39. > :57:46.Six titles in 2011, that was for Kvitova. Not all on different

:57:47. > :58:09.surfaces. UMPIRE: New balls, please. Two games

:58:10. > :58:15.all. Change of racquet coming up here. We were talking about how

:58:16. > :58:20.these players might be feeling, I think Kvitova realise that she might

:58:21. > :58:25.have missed a big opportunity at Wimbledon last year, lost in the

:58:26. > :58:31.quarterfinals to a competitor who did not have as much experience as

:58:32. > :58:37.her. Kvitova was the only champion left in the draw at that stage. She

:58:38. > :59:11.lost to her 6-4 in the third. Apart from the fact of getting the

:59:12. > :59:16.ball back into play with the block to make sure that she gets herself

:59:17. > :59:20.involved in a few more points than she currently has, it has the added

:59:21. > :59:27.benefit that it will come through at a more awkward height. That return

:59:28. > :59:41.she has made was sitting there are so invitingly for Venus.

:59:42. > :59:47.Could not quite put the finishing touches on a wonderful point, but

:59:48. > :59:52.the opening was there. I would like to see herds give herself more

:59:53. > :59:58.margin for a mistake. If she does not get the winner then, she might

:59:59. > :00:12.on the next -- to see her give herself.

:00:13. > :00:31.that you really notice when the second serve sets up. I'm impressed

:00:32. > :00:42.how she has moved herself around more than she normally does. - has

:00:43. > :01:04.her serve. APPLAUSE Her best tennis in her mind is

:01:05. > :01:10.better than Venus's best tennis, and she keeps going after it.

:01:11. > :01:21.APPLAUSE What a response.

:01:22. > :01:34.Tremendous movement and swing out wide.

:01:35. > :01:59.She has defended her serve a well, Venus, she has kept Kvitova on her

:02:00. > :02:11.toes, not sure where the ball is going to go. This is a spectacular

:02:12. > :02:15.adjustment from Venus Williams. She usually tends to serve out to a

:02:16. > :02:22.righty, in this case it would be a lefty 's backhand. Out in a wide

:02:23. > :02:31.position, the 24%. She has switched it up and it has gone more often

:02:32. > :02:36.towards the centre. She usually likes the Centre on this court as

:02:37. > :02:41.well. She has taken herself out of her comfort zone in terms of where

:02:42. > :02:46.she likes to serve. She has really played a traffic match. The way she

:02:47. > :02:51.played in the second match, the way she has played today, she has gone

:02:52. > :02:56.up a couple of levels. She knows it, she had no choice, she has been

:02:57. > :03:00.able to elevate, which is such a tremendous sign of a champion. It

:03:01. > :03:06.doesn't always happen but the threat is always there, great champions,

:03:07. > :03:10.don't play particularly well, they can start a bit. While they are

:03:11. > :03:14.still in it, there is a chance their best tennis will appear. And it

:03:15. > :03:24.seems to have been that way for Venus so far today.

:03:25. > :03:30.APPLAUSE Those are the kind of mistakes that

:03:31. > :03:35.I'm sure her coach gets very disappointed with. She couldn't have

:03:36. > :03:39.hit a winner from there. All she's trying to do is put the ball back

:03:40. > :04:02.and stop Venus from attacking. Her long-time coach, David Kotyza.

:04:03. > :04:08.I would have thought David Kotyza would have a tremendous amount of

:04:09. > :04:17.patience. The highs are so high with Kvitova and the loans can be so

:04:18. > :04:28.difficult to watch. - no points. Such extreme hot and cold during

:04:29. > :04:30.matches. - how low points. A little opening here for Venus, pressure on

:04:31. > :04:55.Kvitova. APPLAUSE

:04:56. > :05:02.Such a big point, it's worth a challenge. All it does is endorse

:05:03. > :05:38.how great a serve that was. That was some rally, one of the

:05:39. > :05:42.biggest points in the match. Kvitova played it safe for most of the

:05:43. > :05:50.points, the shots were down the middle. Until this one, absolutely

:05:51. > :05:59.not Venus over. - and knocked her over. That was a vicious shotmaking

:06:00. > :06:12.from both players. A pretty vicious "come on", from cover Kvitova as

:06:13. > :06:13.well. APPLAUSE He can win titles hitting balls like

:06:14. > :06:26.that. - you can. In the back of my head I just wonder

:06:27. > :06:31.if Venus can sustain this level. Because of the illness she has. Will

:06:32. > :07:08.she get tired? It would be quite a story of Jimmy

:07:09. > :07:12.Connors at the U.S. Open if years back, 1991, in the semifinals. A

:07:13. > :07:41.39-year-old. APPLAUSE Venus has broken down a few barriers

:07:42. > :07:42.in her time. Let's hope age is not a barrier in her quest to be

:07:43. > :07:57.competitive here. APPLAUSE

:07:58. > :08:02.She has it that serves bearing the bed she has hit it so well when she

:08:03. > :08:07.has hated that Kvitova has to guard against it. - sparingly. It has

:08:08. > :08:08.opened a bit of space for the serve down the centre which has proved so

:08:09. > :08:22.profitable for Venus. APPLAUSE

:08:23. > :08:25.The scoreboard rolling along and Venus rolling back the years. 4-3

:08:26. > :08:38.second set. Venus two games away from the second

:08:39. > :08:41.week of Wimbledon. We will move away from the Centre Court to bring you

:08:42. > :08:48.one result from coach number two. Jerzy Janowicz, the 15th seed, has

:08:49. > :08:55.reached the semifinals last year, is celebrating a five set victory over

:08:56. > :09:03.Leyton Hewitt. He came back from 2-0 down to level it at 2-2 but it

:09:04. > :09:20.wasn't enough. He goes through 6-3 in the fifth.

:09:21. > :09:28.EU has broken serve. We knew this would be a tough match. It looks

:09:29. > :09:29.like it will be a long one as well. That magic she can see live on BBC

:09:30. > :09:38.Two. This match will be on the red

:09:39. > :10:16.button. She has done it. What a point to

:10:17. > :10:27.finish. Wow. What they get. She is through to face her next opponent.

:10:28. > :10:39.What a result matters. - that is. Big celebrations on court there.

:10:40. > :10:43.Well done Safarova. In the second set Jeremy Chardy has taken the

:10:44. > :10:45.first, that is on the red button. We are heading back to Centre Court.

:10:46. > :11:00.Andy Murray still to come. APPLAUSE

:11:01. > :11:05.Much still to enjoy on Centre Court today. This one might be extended as

:11:06. > :11:08.well. This has been a very dominant service came from Kvitova. 40 - zero

:11:09. > :11:46.up. Venus hasn't had a look in. A test of both ladies temperaments

:11:47. > :11:52.once again as we get to the second set. It has been about big serving

:11:53. > :11:58.today. They have both faced one break point. Venus was able to

:11:59. > :12:59.convert. Kvitova was not. Not much between them.

:13:00. > :13:15.APPLAUSE Truly wonderful.

:13:16. > :13:23.So beautiful to watch when she makes that hundred percent commitment to

:13:24. > :13:53.stay down and go after that 400. - forehand.

:13:54. > :14:01.APPLAUSE What a response again. Keeps going

:14:02. > :14:04.one way then the other. Stayed marginally on Venus's side

:14:05. > :14:09.throughout the course of this match. Kvitova did not take advantage of

:14:10. > :14:35.the 83 mph second serve, she doesn't even hit it cleanly.

:14:36. > :15:12.How many times today? APPLAUSE Pesci come up with a big serve on a

:15:13. > :15:16.big point. - has she. Not just threatening in terms of her

:15:17. > :15:24.position, Kvitova, but in terms of the school as well. Reported once

:15:25. > :15:32.again in her ambitions. - the score. Thwarted in her ambitions.

:15:33. > :15:40.APPLAUSE Maybe not for ever.

:15:41. > :15:46.She took a little off the return and the last forehand as well before the

:15:47. > :15:47.winning backhand, she got down low and didn't try to hit it so hard,

:15:48. > :16:37.just got back deep. APPLAUSE

:16:38. > :16:51.That serve down the tea has been extraordinary today. - T. She stayed

:16:52. > :16:53.down on her serve better than I have seen for a long time. She got after

:16:54. > :17:13.it. Her coaches out of his chair very

:17:14. > :17:30.quickly. - coach is out. He doesn't face the agony of a final

:17:31. > :17:35.set. Kvitova has proved to be very adept at that over the last couple

:17:36. > :17:39.of years. He must be very proud with our Venus has managed to but her

:17:40. > :17:42.finest tennis on the last couple of years. He must be very proud with

:17:43. > :17:45.our Venus has managed to but her finest tennis on this Court today he

:17:46. > :17:58.knows what the pressure is all about. He has been with Venus for so

:17:59. > :18:02.many years. They have been through highs and lows, so many losses when

:18:03. > :18:07.Venus couldn't figure out why she wasn't feeling on form, why she was

:18:08. > :18:11.so tired. And finally the diagnosis of her syndrome in 2011, told

:18:12. > :18:22.everyone at US Open, took some time off after that. He has been great

:18:23. > :18:29.aside all the way. - by her side. Stoical in the face of adversity.

:18:30. > :18:35.Venus has come out on top of that at the moment, managing it better for

:18:36. > :18:44.than people expected when she first announced it. I'm sure there are a

:18:45. > :18:59.couple more chapters to write in her life. APPLAUSE

:19:00. > :19:00.Perhaps at this year 's Wimbledon. A juristic beginning to the game from

:19:01. > :19:25.Venus. - terrific. Like body blows, it's like a

:19:26. > :20:40.heavyweight fight. APPLAUSE

:20:41. > :20:43.In the same way Venus has responded to any threat with fine first

:20:44. > :20:53.serves, so has Kvitova in the second set.

:20:54. > :21:06.Credit to Kvitova, a huge couple of serves, she is always playing behind

:21:07. > :21:35.in the scoreline. A couple of points away from victory

:21:36. > :21:42.for Venus, thwarted. Can Kvitova carry that momentum into this

:21:43. > :21:43.returning game? Sparse to say the least in terms of break point

:21:44. > :22:20.opportunities for either lady. Great athleticism from Venus. At one

:22:21. > :22:23.stage the ball hit the net and she had to stop and adjust. Still such

:22:24. > :22:44.an effective shock. - shot. APPLAUSE

:22:45. > :22:47.Even if she doesn't want to change in terms of the returning profile

:22:48. > :22:51.she has come out with today, Kvitova, I feel she missed a trick

:22:52. > :22:52.in the opening point of not coming in and giving Venus something

:22:53. > :23:18.different to look at. APPLAUSE

:23:19. > :23:24.We expected a little more than that from Kvitova.

:23:25. > :25:02.You keep admiring everything she is doing out here. This couldn't be a

:25:03. > :25:05.greater test of Venus Williams's competitive spirit, or her ability

:25:06. > :25:09.to play her best tennis under pressure. And the trauma of it all.

:25:10. > :25:21.Two former champions in the third round. Champions at the beginning of

:25:22. > :25:33.the tournament. A third-round encounter, it's mouthwatering. It

:25:34. > :25:37.has lived up to its billing. It doesn't feel as though there's any

:25:38. > :25:42.way you can predict what is going to happen over the next precious 5-10

:25:43. > :25:50.minutes. I feel as if the opening set was going to a tie-breaker but

:25:51. > :25:55.it wasn't to be broken. She will be hoping a similar fate doesn't fall

:25:56. > :25:56.her here otherwise her dreams of winning a second Wimbledon title are

:25:57. > :27:01.over. - await her. The previous encounters between

:27:02. > :27:07.these ladies went to 3 cents and we expected it to be close. But none of

:27:08. > :27:14.them had the weight. - sets. Of Wimbledon. Playing on their

:27:15. > :28:08.favourite surface. Interesting those last two errors

:28:09. > :28:10.from Venus came off shots from Kvitova that were not hit with quite

:28:11. > :28:40.as much authority. UMPIRE: Both players receive one

:28:41. > :28:42.additional challenge. Kvitova might want to think about a mixture of

:28:43. > :28:55.paces once in awhile. Both of the breakers they have

:28:56. > :29:06.played against each other in the past, came in the final set.

:29:07. > :29:08.Kvitova... 7-3 win -loss record in the season. Four tie-breaks this

:29:09. > :29:30.year. Two won, two lost. APPLAUSE It is absolutely right in front of

:29:31. > :29:36.our commentary box and I don't know how she created such an acute angle.

:29:37. > :29:40.It needed to be that good because Venus was lurking around in the

:29:41. > :29:45.forehand corner as well. A promising start for Kvitova's

:29:46. > :31:30.survival here. APPLAUSE Just showed the first signs of

:31:31. > :31:34.entertaining the idea of taking a little bit of pace off the ball. --

:31:35. > :32:16.off. for a Venus of rescuing this dire

:32:17. > :32:19.situation in the tie-break. To get that so early, it is phenomenal --

:32:20. > :32:41.for Venus. Kvitova will not be all that happy

:32:42. > :32:43.to see the sun out, she is a left-hander, it will be a little bit

:32:44. > :34:08.awkward with the ball toss. That ball did not come up. Venus

:34:09. > :34:12.needed one more step. That will be a big step for Kvitova if she can take

:34:13. > :34:24.one of the next four points, they are set points.

:34:25. > :34:40.APPLAUSE. Clearly a disappointing way for a Venus to drop the second

:34:41. > :34:46.set. But still, it has been so watchable this contest -- for

:34:47. > :34:50.Venus. We are set a piece. SUE BARKER: We expected it to go the

:34:51. > :34:56.distance, because every much they have played is three sets. We will

:34:57. > :35:05.be back on Centre Court in a minute, but over on BBC Two, Gregor did the

:35:06. > :35:24.job is in real trouble -- Grigor Dimitrov. There are choices on the

:35:25. > :35:46.red button. 140 80 is starting her match -- -- Radwanska. Jeremy Chardy

:35:47. > :35:51.is also playing on the red button. That is what is happening elsewhere.

:35:52. > :35:57.Here on BBC One, we are heading back to Centre Court. We do not want to

:35:58. > :36:08.go anywhere else and neither, it would seem, does Petra Kvitova. It

:36:09. > :36:13.seems she is here to stay. She has dug deep, not something which

:36:14. > :36:22.perhaps has been seen in her performances over the years. Credit

:36:23. > :36:28.to Kvitova, she has been making too many unforced mistakes in awkward

:36:29. > :36:33.positions -- unforced errors. In short, getting that ball back in

:36:34. > :36:34.play and trying to get the ball back to neutral, she finally made that

:36:35. > :37:13.adjustment. Very important for Venus to reset

:37:14. > :37:18.the champion that she is, she should have good and where she forgets

:37:19. > :37:21.about that loss in the second set, because a couple of times she was

:37:22. > :37:54.two points away. A big change here for Kvitova to be

:37:55. > :37:56.serving first in the set. In the last two sets she has been playing

:37:57. > :38:45.from behind in the score. Not as easy to predict as the

:38:46. > :38:50.weather was. There was supposed to be a downpour, but it stayed away.

:38:51. > :38:54.Kvitova is trying to stay away from the clutches of Venus and is just

:38:55. > :38:59.about managing to do so. In a match this tight, it is difficult to

:39:00. > :39:04.pinpoint anything which would be the most important thing. The margins

:39:05. > :39:24.are so small. They have both only faced one break point. If she there

:39:25. > :39:26.was more power in the shoulder, that would have been the fastest from

:39:27. > :39:50.Venus -- if there was more power. That slice from Kvitova on. That, we

:39:51. > :39:55.had not seen much of in the first set, but she is starting to realise

:39:56. > :40:45.that she does not need to go full tilt when she is not in position.

:40:46. > :40:52.She sometimes likes to try and shrink the space to one side that

:40:53. > :40:56.she sees is wide open. It seems to be profitable at times -- six she

:40:57. > :41:44.sees as wide open. Such word as to her attack,

:41:45. > :41:53.particularly off that backhand side. It would be critical for Kvitova to

:41:54. > :41:54.attack the second serve from Venus. We mentioned that at the start of

:41:55. > :42:13.the match. Venus continues to mix up her serve

:42:14. > :42:34.nicely. Changing her spots, keeping Kvitova guessing.

:42:35. > :43:01.APPLAUSE. She has produced some gorgeous shots, Kvitova.

:43:02. > :43:09.This is what you want. You do not often have it these days at the

:43:10. > :43:12.Grand Slams, but to get a clash of the titans out here, both producing

:43:13. > :43:50.their best tennis, on base points. APPLAUSE. This is where Venus is

:43:51. > :43:57.trying to keep her pace at times. It is called momentum.

:43:58. > :44:03.Venus needs to keep that first service percentage out and go after

:44:04. > :44:34.her second if she has to hit one. Predominantly goes crosscourt with

:44:35. > :44:41.that backhand -- backhand and Venus is able to defend it because she is

:44:42. > :44:46.able to anticipate it. Even though Kvitova missed a bit of that # a bit

:44:47. > :44:53.of a trick, but the change of direction may have produced the

:44:54. > :45:09.result she wanted -- a bit of a trek. -- trek. Venus did not push

:45:10. > :45:18.with her legs on that last serve -- trick.

:45:19. > :45:23.See how she fell to the left on that serve? She has not done that at all

:45:24. > :46:10.today. That is the short where Kvitova is

:46:11. > :46:15.on a shot like that, or she did not have the winner available, she

:46:16. > :46:22.needed to get it across court three or four feet inside the line. --

:46:23. > :46:49.shot. APPLAUSE. And massive effort. -- a

:46:50. > :46:53.massive effort. Not only in the scoreline, but mentally, you felt

:46:54. > :46:57.that Venus was holding on with the double faults and her technique had

:46:58. > :47:00.started to falter on the second serve. It is crucial -- double

:47:01. > :47:26.fault. Sometimes you do not always see the

:47:27. > :47:29.so obviously and when you push -- when you push an opponent like

:47:30. > :47:31.that, even though she did not get the desired result, she might get a

:47:32. > :47:54.quick service. That is a lovely pass. It did not

:47:55. > :48:00.look like she could put it back, but from behind, in the manner she

:48:01. > :48:08.did... Yes, that is where Venus is so impressive, she is so flexible in

:48:09. > :48:09.an awkward position. It to be able to square that racquet up, a good

:48:10. > :48:38.feel. -- it is brilliant. That ball seemed to stop on both the

:48:39. > :48:55.serve and Venus's return. It happens on the natural service

:48:56. > :49:28.where you get an awkward bounce -- surface.

:49:29. > :49:42.APPLAUSE. That was a chance and she knew it.

:49:43. > :49:46.Yes, she does. She has definitely been more emotional in the last

:49:47. > :49:49.couple of games. It is the first time we have seen her look up at her

:49:50. > :50:12.box a couple of times. You can understand why she goes

:50:13. > :50:17.about her business as she does, she does not look as though she backs

:50:18. > :50:22.herself defensively to chisel balls out from behind the baseline and put

:50:23. > :50:32.them in awkward positions. What a response, that last point from

:50:33. > :50:48.Venus. It looked a little long, I will have to be honest.

:50:49. > :50:56.The umpire has decided that the call was quick enough to put Venus off in

:50:57. > :51:03.terms of a return. A first serve for Kvitova. Mild protest.

:51:04. > :51:19.Venus is going to be somewhat disappointed when she watches a

:51:20. > :51:24.replay. If she wins it, it she might not watch it if she loses it, but

:51:25. > :51:32.that was out and if she had challenged it, she would have had a

:51:33. > :51:37.second serve. Although, with precious few chances, those are the

:51:38. > :52:08.opportunities she needs to take. These are the opportunities and

:52:09. > :52:15.margins which can decide things at the end of the day, I was a lot

:52:16. > :52:19.further away, not sitting close to where the ball landed and I felt it

:52:20. > :52:32.was a little bit long. Venus did not elect to use Hawk-Eye. Kvitova

:52:33. > :52:40.dodged a little bit of a bullet there.

:52:41. > :53:01.It seems to me that Venus is always a little reticent to challenge.

:53:02. > :53:10.As tense as start to the set as they have all been so far in this

:53:11. > :53:19.fabulous contest. She has watched a fair bit of tennis over the years,

:53:20. > :53:49.hasn't she? That is the sister of Venus sitting there.

:53:50. > :54:41.That is the challenge... Maybe not! Know, perhaps she was already

:54:42. > :55:36.apologising about where the ball was going! -- No.. Again,

:55:37. > :55:39.to be for Venus. That serve did clip the outside edge of the line. She

:55:40. > :55:45.seems to be resident -- reticent to use the technology. That was right

:55:46. > :55:51.under the umpire's nose and Jupiter finger out as though it was wide.

:55:52. > :55:58.Some will say that they are not sure and that gives you a chance to

:55:59. > :56:34.challenge -- and she put her finger out.

:56:35. > :56:41.Venus has been hitting one up the tee so effectively all day long, the

:56:42. > :57:18.slice out wide is working, opening up the court.

:57:19. > :57:38.APPLAUSE. UMPIRE: Game to them this Williams. A couple of hours gone as

:57:39. > :57:50.you can see from the scoreboard and nothing to choose between the two

:57:51. > :57:55.macro. -- two. Venus broke Kvitova earlier in the game.

:57:56. > :58:05.APPLAUSE. Not many on the woman's tour can hit a volley like that.

:58:06. > :58:12.That is what we were all so impressed with when the Kvitova won

:58:13. > :58:14.the Championships, her versatility and the way she would finish off at

:58:15. > :58:27.the net. -- when Kvitova. There are definitely many layers to

:58:28. > :58:47.the game of Kvitova. You get the sense at times that she

:58:48. > :58:54.does not allow herself to utilise those layers. She gives too much on

:58:55. > :59:13.approach shots. She needs to use the hands she has.

:59:14. > :59:24.What imagination! Vivid! It is one thing to have the imagination, it is

:59:25. > :59:29.another to execute, very difficult to move forward, body weight moving

:59:30. > :59:39.quickly and still the delicate touch.

:59:40. > :59:56.APPLAUSE. In the final set, each round is important. 3-2, Kvitova.

:59:57. > :00:04.SUE BARKER:, Hard to separate these two macro. The battle rages on on

:00:05. > :00:09.Centre Court. -- two. Plenty of tennis to come, because this man has

:00:10. > :00:14.still to play his third round match. Andy Murray will be up against

:00:15. > :00:25.Roberto Bautista-Agut. He is on a winning streak. It will get tougher

:00:26. > :00:31.for him. That matches still to come. Grigor Dimitrov, so much expected of

:00:32. > :00:38.him, but he is trailing, down by two macro sets. This is how the third

:00:39. > :00:52.set finished off. His opponent is in the driving seat. If you want to

:00:53. > :01:03.watch that, it is live on BBC Two. Back to Centre Court. Well, all the

:01:04. > :01:09.weather forecasts in the UK are putting in invoices today. It is a

:01:10. > :01:16.myth! There is no rain in an English summer! They got this one wrong

:01:17. > :01:46.today. No downpour. Just a downpour of power! I don't know if Venus

:01:47. > :01:58.packed her umbrella in anticipation of rain but she certainly packed her

:01:59. > :02:02.first serve for this encounter. Venus seems to have packed her

:02:03. > :02:07.stamina as well. We were concerned about that.

:02:08. > :02:21.She's played six three-setters this year. She is 50%.

:02:22. > :02:26.When you see a shot like that from Kvitova, you feel there is no

:02:27. > :02:30.structure to the game. It is instinctive, great, creative, fun

:02:31. > :02:48.for us to watch but you wonder where the building blocks are at times.

:02:49. > :02:56.The fourth double for Venus. That is where I would, as her coach, I would

:02:57. > :02:59.take her back to watch films of matches and to say to look at this

:03:00. > :03:04.particular position, that she did not have that big of a back swing,

:03:05. > :03:16.she could not afford to use that much pace.

:03:17. > :03:22.The risk is going to be too high and the reward too small.

:03:23. > :03:27.You have to start duplicating that in practise and start to try to have

:03:28. > :03:54.that variety in those situations. The ability to pull back.

:03:55. > :04:43.She plays three incredible points and then just a gift.

:04:44. > :04:51.She was not quick enough at 114. That is the other thing that strikes

:04:52. > :04:57.me about Kvitova. You talk about perhaps she is underachieved before

:04:58. > :05:02.we came on and started this match but she never seems to play the

:05:03. > :05:08.scoreboard. But is self-absorbed on the tennis match on her side. Never

:05:09. > :05:11.appearing to look down the other end to see if her opponent is feeling

:05:12. > :05:22.the pressure. That is such a good point.

:05:23. > :05:25.That's a great point. You have to pay attention to the scoreline and

:05:26. > :05:40.with the tempo of the match. This is why she does go for it. When

:05:41. > :06:21.she connects like that, it is unstoppable.

:06:22. > :06:29.Any despondency she felt after not capitalising on the previous game to

:06:30. > :06:41.deuce, now, it is all about her game.

:06:42. > :06:45.She needs a lot of credit today. Although there are times when she

:06:46. > :06:49.could perhaps do thing marginally better, at the same time her back

:06:50. > :06:53.has been firmly against the wall for the majority of this match. Well,

:06:54. > :06:58.she has now responded to the challenge immaculately so far.

:06:59. > :07:05.I think we have to give credit to both players responding to the

:07:06. > :07:11.situation. Two Wimbledon champions and Kvitova has had such uneven

:07:12. > :07:16.results in the last couple of years. And Venus uneven results because of

:07:17. > :07:21.her age, I suspect, and also the illness.

:07:22. > :07:31.They have given us such a high-level match. Very entertaining.

:07:32. > :07:36.Let's not forget that there is still much to enjoy today. Not just the

:07:37. > :07:40.weather, as these spectators have been fortunate to enjoy but also, of

:07:41. > :07:50.course, Andy Murray is still to come here on Centre Court. At what time,

:07:51. > :07:51.we are not sure. That will be decided on the outcome of this

:07:52. > :08:25.match. APPLAUSE

:08:26. > :08:34.Both women have been so durable, so resilient.

:08:35. > :08:47.This match could be far from over but I think it is worth mentioning

:08:48. > :08:57.who the winner would have to play. Pong Shway.

:08:58. > :09:15.That would abquarter-final to get to the semis.

:09:16. > :09:19.-- Shuai Peng. Another forehand miss from Venus

:09:20. > :10:55.when she has to create the pace. The ball is shorter and does not have as

:10:56. > :11:01.much penetration through the court. That serve only 79 miles an hour but

:11:02. > :11:57.it was like a screwball. It had so much spin and cut away from Kvitova.

:11:58. > :12:03.It's been tense all the way, it has to be said, for the two hours and

:12:04. > :12:08.the 13 minutes that the two former champions have been on court.

:12:09. > :12:21.It's been relentless. It's been such an absorbing

:12:22. > :12:40.encounter. SUE BARKER: We are coming to the end

:12:41. > :12:43.of the transmission on BBC One. The tennis continues on BBC Two. The

:12:44. > :12:48.conclusion of the match and later on, Andy Murray is next on the court

:12:49. > :12:52.for the third-round match against Roberto Bautista Agut. But this

:12:53. > :12:57.match conditions on BBC Two. We are there through the evening. But what

:12:58. > :12:59.a day so far. Thrills and spills, literally. A facinating Friday.

:13:00. > :13:14.Goodbye.