Day 5 Wimbledon

his defence of his Wimbledon title, under way.

# Slowdown #. Game.

# Looking for fun and feeling grooving #.

Game, first set, Murray. What a perfect start to the defence of his

title at SW19. # I've come to watch your flowers

growing # Feeling groovy. #.

This should be a good one, this. Getting is under way in this second

round match. # Life, I love you come at all is

groovy #. Murray is romping away with this

one, now. Though good, so easy. The Murray machine rumbles on, no

trouble, no fuss. And Andy Murray has certainly been

in the groove, as the defence of his Men's Singles title has been

flawless so far. He lost to macro games in his second round match. The

least he has conceded in nine years here. This was a few moments ago on

the practice court with his coach, Amelie Mauresmo. They are preparing

for a third-round match against Spain's Roberto Martinez -- Spain's

Bautista Agut. Here he is, on a seven match winning streak on grass.

This is their first meeting, although they are regular practice

partners. Murray will not take this man likely today. -- likely today.

More clouds, we have had some rain. Big crowds, there always are on

Murray days but everyone coming armed with a brolly. We have had

rain earlier today and possibly some more rain to come. Good afternoon.

Yes, we have had some rain. That means that play early on was

delayed. We did not get under way until noon. But we have plenty of

tennis to look forward to, even though we may have the odd

interruption with the rain. Here are some of the stars we will be

following throughout the day. Mr Murray has won his last 15 matches

at the All-England Club. The defending champion is looking to

extend that run on Centre Court this afternoon. It is more than five

years since Novak Djokovic failed to make the fourth round of the Grand

Slam. The top-seeded burst upon Centre Court today against she'll

see one. -- Jeal seem on. Queen's winner Grigor Dimitrov looks supreme

not on the grass court. He will need to be sharp against Dolgopolov, who

hit 42 aces in his last match. Petra Kvitova is one of four ex-champions

at the women's pop third round and she is playing another in Venus

Williams, who is able to reach the third round for the first time in

three years. Second seed Li Na has the fourth round in her sights and

has not dropped a set so far. The two time grand champion has begun

her match on Court Number One. Some results already in today. Bencic,

what a story she is, this teenager from Switzerland. She is the new

Swiss Miss following on from Martina Hingis. Her mother has been in her

corner, along with Chris Evatt. She is through, 6-4, 7-5. A big name for

the future. Caroline Wozniacki, a former world number one, seeded 16

in the Championships, is through comfortably against another

teenager, 16-year-old Konjuh of Croatia. 6-3, 6-0. And Caroline is

through to face the winner of the match currently on Court Number

One, Zahlavova Strycova and Li Na, four games all in the first set.

Halep was a break of serve up in this third set against Sorrento, but

she has just broken back. -- against Sorrento. That is on the red button

on Court Number Two. But we are heading to Centre Court. Novak

Djokovic up against Simon. There has been a break apiece. Four games

all. Let's join our commentators, John Lloyd and Andrew Cotter.

Wide, fantastic stuff from Gilles Simon.

The neutrals in the crowd want him to win this point, he did so well.

He struggled a bit on the overhead. That is the second overhead. This is

-- the sun is really affecting him on that shot. He worked so hard to

hold his own serve. A hint of a chance here.

Simon knows he will not get too many opportunities.

His turn to impose himself on a second serve.

That is good from Djokovic. Right on the line. Simon giving it a

lingering look. We have seen some marvellous rallies

that Djokovic holds. A good match. Very good. Excellent

quality. Simon, his ground strokes are so economic, the way he hits the

ball. He is very flat. He soaks up the pressure, absorbs it, then comes

back with it and uses the pace of his opponent. He finds the corner

and moves very well. We see his forehand. Beautiful to watch. Look

how low he has to hit this from there. Then that follow through,

there, almost knocks himself on the head. A classic French style. They

frown upon the gym and building yourself up. It is about the grace

of it and about the skill. He is grateful of this sit down time after

this is two games. This is the service placement in the deuce

court. He's going out wide a lot to the Djokovic forehand. It is a risky

serve. Going to the forehand again on that side. So the more solid

return of Djokovic is the bank can decide. -- was the backhand side.

Simon is going up against the forehand side. Hard work-out

therefore both at the moment. He will have to serve to seeing this

set. He's the only one who walks around -- is there anyone who walks

around slower between points than Simon?

20 seconds is allowed at the slams, 25 seconds in the regular tour.

CROWD: I love you! Djokovic said, that is fine.

Wild from Simon. Djokovic as the first set. The number one seed is

out in front. Well, the trouble is there, Gilles

Simon played about as well as he can play and unfortunately he is going

up against someone who is in some ways a mirror image of him. Djokovic

does it a little bit better. It looks close. It was a close set. But

then you look at the stats, Djokovic ahead in every category. More

winners, less unforced errors and first serve percentage better.

Points one, better. It makes the stats, it is a lot easier than it

was, but the problem is their styles, there is not many styles

that go well against Djokovic because he is who eats is but

Simon, it is very similar but he struggles to hurt him. He can do it

occasionally, as we saw there, but you get these unbelievably long

rallies and Simon looked exhausted at times. We have only played one

set. There is no quick points against Djokovic, that is the

problem, and Simon doesn't have the bidding of serve to get aces, or he

can put away quick points. It is work, work and work again. It must

be a nightmare playing Djokovic in the best of five sets when he is in

this type of mood. An excellent first set. More, please. Very good

to watch. The match between stepper neck and Djokovic was cracker.

I am not sure it will be that close, especially that Gilles Simon looks

so tired and was working so hard and Djokovic has many talents and one of

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

used to playing in the latter stages of tournaments throughout the year

it builds up that stamina, that matchplay stamina. Djokovic to start

the second set. That is the way you deal with a

mid-court all. Got up to it early at the top of the bounce. It could have

gone either way. There is no doubt he has the shots,

no doubt about that at all. I keep thinking we're watching in

super slow motion, but we are not. APPLAUSE

Not threatening Djokovic. It has been a very entertaining

match for those watching. The yellow and red tie. Terry. Just shouting

out names. Mrs Henman. And let -- and we are no

longer in the Royal box! I think that would be very fashionable in

the Royal box! Always playing catch-up in this

set, with Djokovic serving first. Just when you thought it was going

to be quick service game, he throws in the first double fault of the

match. He has it. Again, it is always good

to study the body language. Djokovic is fairly composed. Simon is mopping

his brow constantly. He keeps looking up, like he is surprised

there is some. Well, we all are. Again, he gives Simon a little bit

of hope. He had a chance there. That was not

a particularly good approach shot from Djokovic and 0- 30 there, a

good chance to go 0-40 on that one. The crowd wanted, they want on

elongated match. To calm and assured under pressure

from Novak Djokovic. He got away with that but it was a

bit of a casual drop shot, I thought. The result was good. A

strange game he has played here. Simon is walking back into the wind

and looks as if he might not make it.

It is all about the response to the pressure. Djokovic has done it very

well. UMPIRE: Mr Simon is challenging the

call. We are waiting for confirmation that this game is over,

that Djokovic has held. No! Look at that!

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

play on. It took a while until the final

shot. Novak Djokovic has his lead of serve.

SUE BARKER: A good hold from Djokovic there. We will be back on

Centre Court in a moment. Plenty is happening elsewhere. Feliciano

Lopez, the 19th seed is through, in straight sets. Another straight set

victory for the Spaniard but five of his six sets here have all been

tie-breaks. He will be back on court tomorrow to face John Esmonde. --

Isner. Halep won in her match, 6- fog. Next up, Bencic of Switzerland.

That is one to look forward to. But his second round match. They will be

on court tomorrow. We will take you around a couple of

courts. Court Number One, Li Na is in a first set tie-break, up against

Zahlavova Strycova. That is live on BBC Two. On Court Two, the players

are just coming out, young of its against Lleyton Hewitt. They are one

set and 4-4 full stop that is on the red button. Back we go to Centre

Court. Time for Gilles Simon to try and stand firm on his server game.

-- on his serve again. He quite likes that tactic against

Simon, trying to break -- bring him into the net. Quite a few drop shots

and short angles. in, just checked there. Maybe not, I

think that is why the ball held like that because it hit the line. It

brings a break point. Djokovic has the break in this

second set. Well, it is tough to keep up the intensity that he did in

the first set at this sort of level. He just dipped a little bit in that

game and that is all it takes when you are playing against someone like

Djokovic. It is a long way back now, a set and a break.

an angle. He should have done better with it. But still. It should have

made this smash. Any short shot in the court would have been a winner.

Brilliant! Again, Novak Djokovic waives his arms around. He chose his

moment to come in. Outstanding from Simon.

He came in from too far back from there. It is tough to close in

closer than he did. He came in from behind the baseline. He did not do

enough in the first volley but an excellent passing shot.

It looked a bit shaky. That is just a momentary lapse here. It has put

him back into trouble. And what trouble.

Three break points. Oh! Remarkable! Simon fights back.

They wonder what is happening, we ask the question, who are you and

what have you done with Novak Djokovic? ! It is a strange game.

For someone like Novak Djokovic, who has been such a great player, a

great presence. When you get a break, now is the time to compose

yourself, hold your serve. It can make the opponent get down on one

self. He handed that break straight back. Now Simon thinks he is back in

the match. That is what he is doing with the to with wel the towel over

his head. That was astonishing. It is unusual of someone of his

level to let an opponent back in. Normally, when they are ahead it is

like "see you later" there is no coming back. They have to play

brilliant shots to break someone like Djokovic when he is in the

mode. But that was a strange game. So, Simon is back on serve.

Simon might welcome the rain, it has gotten very dark out there.

Well. He put the towel over his head and

now three excellent points. So, Simon facing three break points.

Still to go. Well played, Gilles Simon. He is

nearly there. Djokovic hits back! Break follows

break in this match. So perhaps it was a temporary blip.

Admiration for Djokovic. Now all heading in the right direction for

the game. It was a strange match so far.

Gilles Simon has had plenty of opportunities.

set. Sue Proctor we are back to see

Gilles Simon serve to stay in the second set in a moment.

Meanwhile, here is Li Na, a set point down. Playing against Barbora

Zahlavova Strycova. She saved a set point. But she is facing another and

that one is out. So, we could have a big game on our hands. Li Na facing

a real battle. That happened a short time ago. Li

Na held her service game in the opening of the second.

That match is live on BBC Two. Here on BBC One, we are heading back to

Centre Court. It does look like Novak Djokovic is

back firmly in control. Although we did say that the last time and

suddenly he disappeared. There is Henman Hill and Andy Murray

is up later. There is Henman Hill and Andy

In the scheme of things, he should win this match. Boris Becker will be

concerned. He had a problem against Radek Stepanek in a match with a

little blip. But you don't want to see your man lose service breaks

because of errors. But the Grand Slam is a long seven matches. You

cannot play at your best for all seven matches.

Noise for Djokovic for that one. Gilles Simon's serve... Right in the

corner. No-one hits the ball better from

this height. It is shoulder height. It just gets

on top of the ball. He drills it. A great two-handed backhand bringing

him to set point. Gilles Simon goes out with a whimper

in the second set. And the number one seed now is

heading rapidly towards the next round.

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

out of 25. That's a lot for him to come in on the first two sets.

He is certainly playing aggressively.

He would like to get his first serve percentage up. For both players it

is under 50%. Even Gilles Simon on his first

serve. It was a bit of an iffy set. Quality dropped from both players.

Djokovic had the wobble on a break when he was up a break. And Simon

was temporarily back into the match. He got his confidence back and then

it was a comfortable set for him, really.

There is a bit of angst from both players at certain times in that

set. But Djokovic is doing what Djokovic does. He is moving forward

to a likely meeting with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is playing elsewhere, playing very well against

Jimmy Wang. There is Mr Henry Jones. Yes, Whitechapel and SSilk and --

Silk and Spooks. That is right.

world's best. He thought that was going out a lot

more than it ended up. What a point! What a point indeed!

Gilles Simon reminding us that he still has plenty to offer.

These days in the game, it shows you how difficult it is to come to the

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

angles with whip and top spin. I have seen this before, Djokovic in

control of the match. But it drops away for a moment. Two break points.

He tried to do too much with it. The speed and the time to get

there... It really was not a very good drop shot from Djokovic either.

It was too high over the net it gave Simon lots of time to get to this.

He was trying to fake notify November there by looking the wrong

way when he hit the ball. But too much angle on that one.

A strange game, again. Three breaks now for Simon. Then you

look at the board, 6-4, 6-2. He is shaking his head there. In all

probability, he is still probably going to win the match but you don't

want to get into the the habits, if you have these lapses, you will pay

for it in the latter rounds. He may get away with it today but...

A fly at the net! OW A fly at the net! It's too good.

It was an excellent volley but you really don't want to be hitting

volume is from there on the court. You want to be closer to the net. He

got away with that one. He seems to be backing up the break

of serve quite nicely. Simon is still there.

He is doing enough to be there when Djokovic's level dips slightly,

which it has. Credit to the Frenchman from two

sets to love down. He is against a major player in the

world. But he has gotten right back to business. He has got a break and

who knows? The crowd thinking, I can hit the ball that far out.

There's a very useful return from Simon.

the chair. So, Simon is keeping Djokovic on

this. There it is.

So, Djokovic still a break of serve adrift. For him that is not much.

I'm sure that Gilles Simon would love second break to give him some

insurance. Just had a glimpse of Boris Becker

again. Six Grand Slams a piece for Boris Becker. For the ones that have

alluded Djokovic... I do feel that Djokovic will go beyond Boris' grand

total. You may be surprised! If he doesn't

add a few more to that. But his record recently... It has

not been great. He has won a lot of other tournaments but he has come up

wanting in the Grand Slam finals. That's one of the reasons he brought

Boris on board. He spoke of it, not winning a Grand Slam final for a

while. So I feel, he feels he can improve the mental side of things,

he thinks that Boris Becker can help bring that. He always talks about

that, the mental side of his game that he feels is the difference

between winning and losing. Well, even the great players have

doubts occasionally. It is why it helps to have a Grand Slam winner in

your corner to help you over the mini times of crisis.

Talk about a drought, necrosis, it has only been five, the Australian

Open last year was the last one he won. It feels -- he feels it has

been too long. The best return in the game can't do

anything about that. Tidy. Actually, that is a debate,

who has the best return in the game? Murray? Murray, Nadal and Djokovic I

would think would be the three best. And again, again, Simon so deep. He

knew he could get there. Much better drop shot here. It was a more

aggressive drop shot. He hit it low over the net, with more speed.

Getting down quicker, not as high as some of the others he has hit.

No challenge, just mumblings and mutterings. And a break point for

Djokovic. On a 50% conversion rate, if you

offered two, who should take it? Djokovic again.

Well, he has given it. Djokovic back on level terms.

It just shows you sometimes, fling yourself at the return of serve. I

am not sure if anybody else would have got that. You just managed to

get that over the net, just enough to see that error come at him and

gets the break of serve. It is 31 times now he has come into

the net, Djokovic. That was good from Simon. Again, he

shows us the threat that he can pose to Djokovic. After this rally,

Djokovic looked up at his bench and gave them a real stare. I don't

think he did anything wrong in this rally. That was just too good.

That was the stare. What a stir it is! That is where if you are the

coach, you look at the other person in the box. He is looking at you,

not me. We have another break. He is not

faced, he will just stare back. I didn't hit the shot, Boris would

say. The Centre Court crowd willing Simon to convert here.

Wonderful! He knows how good that was.

It is the extra effort here. He barely got this one back and you

think it is all over for him. That extra push and the slide, break

point down that was, as well. Oh, so good. Again, confirmation

requested by Simon. UMPIRE: Mr Simon is challenging the

call. The ball was called out. A bit of a long delay on that challenge.

That was worth the wait. UMPIRE: Advantage Djokovic, Mr Simon

with two challenges remaining. And then like that, it was over, and

a howl of frustration from Simon. Again, against the very best, take

your chances when they are offered. They don't come along often.

Although today, Djokovic has given Simon a few windows of opportunity.

That game, I don't think that was really... Simon played a good break

point there, Djokovic made an amazing stretch and he has annoyed

himself, obviously, but I don't think that was really his doing. It

was more that Djokovic just came up with a couple of classics there.

That is the modern world right there. They are not going to talk to

each other the whole afternoon! Just send messages to each other. What do

you make of Djokovic so far? There has been some very good stuff from

Gilles Simon as well. He has played well in patches. There has been a

couple of lapses. You never play, or very rarely do you play, seven

perfect matches in a Grand Slam. You will have occasional dips. That is

the way it is. He has lost his concentration a couple of times but

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

playing poor service games, especially at the latter stages of

the tournament because you probably won't get another chance again. But

he will cut that out as he progresses further in the

tournament. A couple of concerns as they carry on sending messages to

each other. A couple of concerns about Djokovic's wrist emerged a

couple of months ago. He pulled out of an exhibition event he plays not

too far away in Stoke Park, but we can see he is fighting fit. A good

match here, two sets to the good, Simon serving, 2-3.

that on a return of serve, coming in. It has been very aggressive

today, with the amount of times he has come into the net, but I think

that is the first time he has actually done that.

it is his shoulder he has caught. The left shoulder though. But a

nasty fall. Oh, dear. These courts are so hard.

That was a very awkward fall indeed. Concern on the face of Gilles Simon.

On the face of everybody in Centre Court.

It didn't look too bad going down there, but the immediate reaction on

his face, it is obviously very painful. What has Novak Djokovic

done? UMPIRE: Ladies and gentlemen, the

trainer has been called to the court. Again, he flings himself

around all the time and you never see that reaction. We're not in the

world of football here. When he went down, it didn't look as if there was

an obvious slump on the ground. When he falls he normally has perfect

balance. On this occasion... It is his left shoulder. There

didn't seem to be anything there. Far worse if it were his right

shoulder, obviously, but... Le Mans's observation, I think he's

going to be OK. -- in a Le Mans's observation.

You are allowed for medical treatment the amount of time you are

allowed. A couple of minutes of treatment

and, well, obvious concern on the faces of his camp.

The real concern was in his reaction. The fall did not look that

bad. No. SUE BARKER: Watching here in the

studio, with Andrew Castle, it is being well manipulated, that

shoulder. UMPIRE: Is to Djokovic is taking a

medical time-out. We can see that. By the time he rolled over on his

back the second time, he was already grimacing. He sort of rolled around

it, trying to straighten the arm perhaps, and rolling around. My fast

thoughts are it cannot possibly be desecrated because we would have

seen it, we have seen so many different angles it would have been

very nice to see. I don't think they will be manipulating it quite like

that if it was dislocated. If he was dissipated he would be out of the

tournament at this point, but perhaps with a bit of rest,

relaxation and treatment that he is getting here, perhaps he will be

up. I have to say, I don't mean to be ungenerous, but it is combative

111 sport and all these guys are trying to achieve great things, my

second thought was Andy Murray is playing later on and they are in the

same half. It is secondary, but it was thought I had. It has been 18

months since he won a Grand Slam. He is technically so proficient and

precise. He is such a wonderful mover. You go through something like

this and you just wonder. It is the next five or ten minutes which could

decide a lot about the Men's Singles title and where it ends up. It is

looking as if it is easing, if anything. He is not one of those

players who complain a lot about injury. He would not have the

trainer on without it being a problem and the doctor has joined

them as well. Physically he is all most like elastic, isn't he? He

almost bends in places other people do not bend. Heikki as incredibly

long muscles. He has and it is something he works on all the time,

flexible too. It is to avoid injury. Where this is different is that the

move was completely unexpected. It is not like doing the splits, like

he does, and finding the angles on the backend. Watch the first one, he

is grimacing by the time he turns round and the racket comes up. As he

popped a tendon up there? It is a guessing game. It is a dramatic

moment. If he had popped attend and I don't think they would be moving

the shoulder as much as the train is moving it at the moment, really

pushing it around. Gilles Simon not sure what to do, because he has to

wait and prepare himself. The Djokovic, he has to say if I can win

three more games to get this out of the way, I have until Monday to get

myself right. If he is thinking that clearly at this point because one of

the first things that happens when you get injured, you go into shock

and you shut down a bit. There is a man, Boris Becker, who has thrown

himself around this relatively hard grasscourt on a number of occasions.

The medical time-out is coming to an end. They will have put the clock on

him. The good news is he is up and looks as though he will continue.

Time is upon the medical time-out. So we will continue. Let's keep a

close eye on Novak Djokovic. Andy, thanks very much. Back we go to John

and Andrew. ANDREW COTTER: Very interesting

moments to come. Having the last word and the last feel of the

shoulder of Novak Djokovic. The right hand on his left shoulder, but

you use both shoulders so much and the two handed backhand of Djokovic.

It is like the first point of the match. They should have warmed up a

little bit, a couple of service. -- serves.

He loses the point, but all seems well with the body. I think his

focus now and concentration will be at its height, Djokovic. He wants to

get this much over with quick now. -- this match.

Simon holds, and if there is any weakness he will exploit it. See if

it makes any difference to the ball toss, when he throws up with the

left hand. Didn't seem to make any difference with his ground strokes.

UMPIRE: Mr Simon is challenging the call. The ball was called in.

Just clipped the outside. UMPIRE: Mr Simon with one challenge

remaining. Just what he needed, a very

comfortable hold of serve. Let's see if he fiddles with that

shoulder any more. I think he is OK. Still on serving this third set. It

has been an interesting match this, because you look at that, 6-4, 6-2,

it has been a bit of a Romford Djokovic, but not really. No, it has

been a closer score than that. Boris has sat down now, the nerves have

gone down a little bit. You can imagine your immediate thought, all

the work that you have all put in, is it over? How bad is it? That is

the one thing you can't work on, you can't legislate for, is an injury

like that. But it seems to be OK. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it,

certainly not in the last game we have seen. We think back to his

former career before he made himself into this tremendous fit machine

come he used to have a lot of retirements in matches, Djokovic, a

lot of them. The quarterfinal in the Australian Open against Roddick and

a couple against Nadal, he has had in the past. But those days are long

past now. Still in a good position here, Simon serving, 3-4.

happen with a net cord. Sometimes it can be good, sometimes bad. This one

just sat up perfectly for Novak to put away. A little thing like that

and a chance at a crucial stage of the match.

They do so much, so well, Simon, needs to apply the final touch and

he goes wide. Suddenly, the end might be drawing near. Two break

point. The man who will not go away at the

other end of the court. That's very, very well played by

Gilles Simon. Two break points disappear.

Staring at two break points that were near enough match points.

He was very aggressive on the break points.

Some big ground strokes and then served volley on the other.

He is playing well again. Break dancing!

So, Djokovic gets closer. I think we can put to bed any fears

over his fitness. Now we have Simon who is in with the

trainer. It all happening out here. Not quite as dramatic, maybe.

A nasty paper cut, maybe? A paper cut! He was saying to the umpire

that blisters are painted up. It is like a second coating of skin on

there. An artificial skin. Not a bad place for it to happen

there. You can tape it up without a problem.

There is some dark stuff overhead. But bearing in mind the forecast

that we had, we got away with things today. It is supposed to be a fine

evening. Once again, the pressure falls on

the man who has just been patched up. He has to serve to try to stay

in the match. We have seen some great rallies in

this match. A great return. Gilles Simon using

every inch of Centre Court. Suddenly Djokovic is just a couple

of points away. Oh, it's been so reliable that

two-handed backhand as well. Can he take it now, Djokovic?

Done and through! Novak Djokovic, the number one seed survives.

He survives the threat of Gilles Simon.

After all that, straight sets. And relief and a celebration as

there were some moments there. One big moment. But he and his famous

coach played on. It was a good effort. The worry with

the hard fall he had. Everyone was very concerned about it. But he

rebounded in the right way and he got down to business. He wanted to

finish the match quick. Wanted to get treatment. Get ice on the

shoulder and see what was going on. But overall, happy with the game. He

had a couple of lapses of concentration. But he just beat a

very, very tough competitor, 6-2, 6 - 3, 6-4. He came to the net a

tremendous amount of time. That is probably what you want a

good honest work out but still win the three sets.

Exactly. You don't want to peak too early in the tournament. He is not

playing his best, yet but playing pretty well! That's a good match to

start things off on Centre Court here. We have Andy Murray later on.

And Petra Kvitova against Venus Williams coming up next.

Autographs to be signed. And it will be interesting to get

his thoughts on how the shoulder felt. I wonder what was being said.

But this was the finishing moment. . He spent a lot of time at the net

today. 36 times he came in. That's a lot for Novak Djokovic.

And Gilles Simon competed very well. But ultimately just a little bit

short in most departments. This man is the favourite for the

title this year. He is a hot target for selfies.

He should be taking that bag off his left shoulder! I suspect he is OK.

But it was a genuinely worrying moment for Djokovic. Not perhaps for

the Andy Murray fans! But he is OK. Again, there were moments in the

match when he dropped away. Three breaks of serve from Gilles Simon.

But every time he had the answer. He had the response and he was able

to come back. In the end, it was a straight sets

victory for Novak Djokovic. He is through to the last 16. The number

one seed with the straight sets victory over Gilles Simon. Let's

hear from him now. Novak Djokovic, well played.

Firstly, I have to ask you, you had a bad fall. You looked like you were

in a great deal of pain? It was an awkward fall. I was hoping that

there was nothing going on badly with the joint. Luckily, there is no

damage to the joint. I could play a few games after that.

The muscle was sore because of the impact. But all in all, I am just

very glad to get through. Now you have a couple of days to

work on it, if indeed it does need working on? Yes. There are two days

off. I will try to recover and get ready. The next one is Jo-Wilfried

Tsonga. So a great match for both of us.

And as you are playing you are growing into the tournament nicely,

not hitting peak form but playing well still? Yes, at moments I played

well. Although I dropped a couple of service games. I was up and down

throughout the whole match. Gilles was playing well. It could have gone

either way in the third. But at the important moments I came up with the

right selection of shots. I am very happy to get into the second week.

And then that is when you can tap into the Grand Slam experience, you

have to take it up a gear from here on in? It is obvious as the

tournament progresses you are going to encounter some high-ranking

players. They may have more experience of playing on a big

stage. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been a regular here at Wimbledon. In the

last couple of years he has played a couple of semi-finals. I remember a

match with him on Centre Court, one in 2011 and one at the Olympic

Games. He loves the energy of the big stadium. It will be a challenge

for both of us. We look forward to it. Well played

for today. All the best for the next one.

So a Goodwin completed by Novak Djokovic.

And Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is next up. And there again there were moments

of concern for his entourage. Boris Becker watching.

He could just win his seventh Grand Slam final, though, he is in good

shape. SUE BARKER: We wondered if he was

down and out but he has bravely battled on. He is through to the

next round. Lots of tennis still to come on the Centre Court and later

on Andy Murray continues his Wimbledon, 2014.

As he steps out on to Centre Court, expectations are high.

A firm hold on the opening-round match for Andy Murray.

What a perfect start. Rola now gets a chance. It is a

double break for Andy Murray. He is romping away with this one now. As

comprehensive a victory as you are likely to see. The money machine

rumbles on. He really has been in awesome form.

Those two victories mean that the winning streak here at the All

England Club is 15, including the Olympic Gold Medal and the victory

last year. So, Andy Murray is in great form. Out on the practise

courts with Amelie Mauresmo. But his opponent today is Roberto Bautista.

There he is. Out on the practise court. And he is also doing well. On

a seven-match winning streak on grass.

He will not be taking things lightly out on Centre Court today, Andy

Murray. That is later on this afternoon. Now let's take a check on

what has been happening elsewhere. We know that the winner of the Andy

Murray and the Roberto Bautista match will face Kevin Anderson. He

won against Fabio Fognini. The first South African man to come

into the fourth set since Wayne Fererara in 2000. And Jo-Wilfried

Tsonga is through. Straight sets. He had two five-set matches before.

This is the fifth match on court because of rain delays. Next up for

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga it is Novak Djokovic. That will be one to look

forward to on Monday. And of course he has his traditional

celebration, doesn't he? Let's stay for that. The crowd loves it, we

love it. Yes! Well done Jo-Wilfried Tsonga! And a big celebration on

court number one for Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. She has caused

the biggest shock of the championships so far. Putting out

the two-time Grand Slam winner, the number two seed, Li Na in two

tie-break sets, 7-6, 7-6. So it really has been a dramatic half an

hour here. Andrew Castle is here with me. It is all happening on day

five! I am filling out this draw. There is lots going on.

And of course the Novak Djokovic game. 35 minutes ago we thought he

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

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

way. That was a heavy fall. But often

when you have a fall like that, you feel you have done the worse. It

takes the trainer to tell you it is not that bad.

It can be embarrassing, five or six minutes later when there is no

problem. Perhaps a shooting pain. I am sure that the journalists will be

getting to the bottom of that. But no lasting damage. The next match up

against Jo-Wilfried Tsongaline his sternest test with respect to Radek

Stepanek. That will be a repeat of the 2008 Australian Open final that

Novak Djokovic won. Novak Djokovic is going through the gear but I

don't think he has looked his best. He was many people's favourite. He

is at the top of the draw but I have not seen a champion in the making.

Andy Murray has played so well, Roger is cruising and Rafael Nadal

coming through against Rosol. And I don't think that Novak Djokovic has

looked A-1. We will look at the game. But look

away now if you feel squeamish. Here is the fall coming. If you were

sitting like Boris Becker, watching your man in this sort of pain, you

would think, oh, no, this is over? ! It was the first time he put his

left hand down for support. But there seemed nothing wrong with the

angle of the wrist or the elbow. So I suggested a shooting pain or a

pinched nerve. But he looks like he has been taken out there.

He will have a few days off. He will got lots of treatment have a few

days off. He will be able to rest for a couple

of days. It will be a questions of an ice

bath. It is one of those things, nerves play a part as well. But he

eseems to be OK. He has a physical specimen with him in the next match

with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. A brutal game.

We have been talking about Andy Murray, and how well he is playing,

how good is Djokovic's game? Well, here he is the a the baseline. He

has the power but he has placement. The angle of his body and the way he

manages to give the right shot all the time. It is about shot

selection. The one down the line is the one to defend against.

And depth as well? Yes. If he is feeling that shot, there is a

problem. Certainly a couple of years ago it was the shot of the year. It

has been too long since he won a Grand Slam and to not complete the

set by winning the French. But at his game, on the front foot he looks

better on the grass court than if he tries to defend. It is all very well

in these matches but the top three or four guys, if you defend and

defend, you allow them to come to you, there will be trouble. Perhaps

he will pick it up and get more aggressive in the rallies. But his

movement on the court it is a joy to watch. Yes. Talk about him getting

injured 35 minutes ago. He seems OK. I don't know how he achieves the

angles that he does. I have seen him doing the splits standing up. He did

have somebody help him. But he was not yepping. He can do that. His

flexibility is incredible. This is how... That was break point down.

Look at that. That left foot just locking. Staying on balance. His

upper body rotating against the bottom and finding the power to

bring it back across the court. You try to come in against somebody, you

are not supposed to be able to do that. That is why he has taken it to

a different level. Each one of the guys has something dish. Rafael

Nadal with the brutality, the elegance of Federer. He never seems

to miss a tournament and Andy Murray, who is just posture per

sonified. They are a wonderful bunch.

And talking of Andy Murray. He has not been very long on the match

court. What about the opponents there. He has a bit of a winning

streak on the grass courts. He will not take this lightly? The

interesting thing about the opponent is that he was about 70 in the world

at the beginning of the year. A week-and-a-half in, 67 in the world.

That is great fine. How has he achieved 23 in the world? That is a

huge jump. He has picked it up. He suddenly has

this new level of results in his game. He is comfortable with it. The

goal was to be in the top 100 and stay in it. He will have to adjust

the goals. He is on a run, he is just 26 years of age. It does not

just have to happen at 19 or to. He has a continent grip with the

forehand side. Really old fashioned. I approve. He can do a lot of

damage. The one thing he has is confidence. He won in Holland. He

has nothing to lose. You are talking about age, the

average age of the men's top 100 is... 28 years old. I don't know if

that is the building of stamina through the training. Increase in

knowledge and thou manage the game. That is important. Either way, let's

hear it for the oldies! Absolutely. You will be on court for that match

for Andy Murray? Yes, with an oldie and a youngie, McEnroe and Henman!

We look forward to that! That is later on, after two great champions

stepping on to the court, here they come, Petra Kvitova and Venus

Williams, 33 years of age. Eight times in the final, five times the

champion. But she has not been in the second week of a Grand Slam for

three years. Will it happen today? So we talk about the record, two

great champions and Phil Jones has been looking at their career.

The first Friday, the first collision of champions.

On one side, five-time Queen of the Wimbledon court, Venus Williams. On

the other, 2011 Wimbledon winner, Petra Kvitova. The biggest face-off

of week one. Only one can survive into week two.

. I like to go into watching a contest when I have no idea who is

going to win. All of the matches have been tough. It will be a great

fight. I know I have to get out and play better than her. That is what

it boils down to. Venus Williams missed Wimbledon with a an illness,

she still contends with it to this day. Then 33, we wondered if we

would see her play again. Here she is, two more matches won in a year

of two more tightal triumphs. This could be a champion's last hurrah!

Grass really jump-starts Venus Williams' game. When she walks into

the gates here, she is so much more confident as her game is suited to

grass. And Petra Kvitova has made the

quarter-finals here for the last four years. The title success in

2011 is the only Grand Slam crown. A record perhaps not best we fitting a

left-hander of power and presence. I think that Petra Kvitova

underachieved since 2011. At that time, a lot of people including

myself, were thinking that 2012 she would take the tennis world by storm

and get to the top and maintain it. It has not happened as she has been

inconsistent. In 2013, she was known as three-set Petra.

Each match as gone three sets when they have played in the past

together, showing that they push each other all the way. In the final

analysis it could be the fight of the fittest.

She is normally taped. It is a match I cannot pick. So much depends on

Petra's serves and nerves. Whether she is hitting bag and dominating

and if she can handle the nerves. When I watch sports, that is what

makes it exciting, when I go in with no idea who will win. These are both

former champions, Venus Williams has been ill, will she have the stamina

to play well? Petara Bay ar, the way that she is hot and cold. And both

former champions, playing miles an hour champion there is a lot of

interest in the match. A mouth-watering match awaits, it is

a day when Wimbledon champions collide! Looking forward to this

one. Their match is getting underway. But

let us show you what is happening elsewhere. On BBC Two, Lleyton

Hewitt is battling back in his match against Jerzy Janowicz. The

semi-finalist last year. Seeded 15. He saved two match points in the

third-set tie-break. That is live on BBC Two. On the red

button, a match on court number one, Grigor Dimitrov, the champion of

Queens. Up against an orthodox opponent, Alexandr Dolgopolov. An

entertaining match as well. So Grigor Dimitrov and Alexandr

Dolgopolov are on the red button on court number one. Lleyton Hewitt is

on BBC Two. But here on BBC One we are heading back to Centre Court for

CAVH kitsch CAVH and Venus Williams. Tracy Austen and Mark Pechey are

there for this one. -- Petra Kvitova.

Kvitova has won 77% of her opponent's serves in this

tournament. The second best so far. She is so aggressive on it. On the

opening point she went right after Venus' second serve. APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE A good sign for Venus Williams to

get the server to 118 mph. Dashti serve up to.

Making inroads into the Americans serve. A couple of things I look for

from Venus Williams to see if she is confident, whether she is going up

and out on her serve, and doing it with conviction, but sometimes she

will need to her left and come down too quickly. Dashingly into. - lean

to. APPLAUSE

Whether she is striking the second serve with authority or just

spinning it in, and whether she is stepping in on her forehand. If she

is leaning in their bit, being a little hesitant on that wing, you

know she is not full of confidence. A 76 mile in our second serve, that

Kvitova was going to lean on. One of the big differences between Venus

Williams in 2014 and 2008. We'll have a look at her first serve in

the sit down, to see how much it has changed.

UMPIRE: Game this Williams. - Miss Williams. Grit and determination

from the American on the undulating performance,

forehand side, and make a lot of errors. - the flick of an army. -

and are I. What a point. APPLAUSE

Straight into her stride. I thought this was a tremendous approach from

the nurse, she got up to it so quickly and hit it on the rise. -

Venus Williams. Great anticipation from Kvitova.

APPLAUSE That serve was an defendable, so

short in the box. That is the advantage the lefty has come a

little spin that slices it, moves it away from the two hander. -- not

defendable. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE

Kvitova can have problems being a lefty, Venus has a good record

against lefties, she lost the ones she played at the Australian earlier

this year, and in 2012. Before that she had been on a nice streak of 19

consecutive victories, the American. Tough to get it out of her hitting

zone on the return when you are as tall as Venus as well. Her range is

spectacular. That is what set Venus and Serena apart, when they changed

the women's game. Their inability to move from a defensive position to be

able to hit an offensive shot. - of their ability.

Massive. She is so dangerous. She has such tremendous racket head

speed, she needs to make sure she gets a little bit of top-spin for

safety. APPLAUSE The only place she could return that

from was the first row, you need a ticket to return that serve.

Unbelievable. If I was Kvitova I would move one step to my right,

Venus tends to slice it to the right side. That is her go to serve.

She has that one as well though. She is not as comfortable with that

serve as carving around it. The 19th ace of the tournament.

APPLAUSE Steady from Venus. Solid on serve so

far. Let's take a look at Venus's surfing profile at this year 's

championships compared to when she won in 2008. - serving. She has been

hitting this serve middle of the box, there is one or two that is a

little bit wide. Look at the difference, 91 mph second serve, now

74. The height difference hurts her, she is six foot one, Kvitova is 1.6

metres. If you look at the difference, it is coming through

because of her height. It is a comfortable height for a return to

hit. Kvitova is such a dangerous return. You can see her taking it on

inside the baseline. Coming up above the height of the net gives Kvitova

the opportunity as the match progresses to take the ball on. She

will have plenty of time if Venus keeps hitting them back slowly on

the second serve. Kvitova is so lethal when she has time to setup

and on balance. It seems Venus realises that and is taking bigger

cuts and the second serve because of the respect she has for the Kvitova

return. Smart serve from Kvitova, the body

serve, at the right hip. She had to pull out of a match just before she

played Heather Watson in Eastbourne. That was in the quarterfinals. Her

neck she says is 100% pain-free but you can see the strapping on it as a

bit of precaution. - her leg. It is all about the second serve against

somebody who is six foot one. She had her leg strapped in both

matches, her first and second round match in Eastbourne, before she had

to print out before the quarterfinals. - pull out.

The closing figure of Venus Williams down the other end can contribute to

if you double faults in a match. - imposing figure.

APPLAUSE It's not going to be too much

retreating today. No, Kvitova has not much shocked tolerance so far in

this match. Two or three shots then she pulls the trigger very quickly.

- shots. APPLAUSE Not a bad shot. Straight up the

middle of the court. Taking away the angle from her.

APPLAUSE Power on the serve followed by the

placement on the forehand. From a neutral 's perspective the perfect

start. That is a combination that Kvitova will use frequently, the

serve out wide, pulls her opponent out of the court. She has the

opening to hit the winner. Very effective for the lefty.

APPLAUSE Her first serve speed has dropped

dramatically since 2008, averaged 116 in 2008 throughout the

tournament. She is at 102, a big difference in terms of the reaction

time. It's not just about the number of cases you can secure but the

reaction time Kvitova is going to have. It will be far greater.

APPLAUSE It's not just the aces as you

mentioned, it is the unreturnable is, Kvitova will not have as much

time to hit a lethal return as she just did with the second serve at

such speed. It is about robbing your opponent on such a service, that is

exaggerated on grass. - robbing your opponent of time. Beautiful.

APPLAUSE One thing about both of these

players is they know their way around the forecourt. Both excellent

volley is, especially Kvitova with the touch volleys. Volliers -.

APPLAUSE Both are hungry for a win. One of

the things we talk a lot about on a grass court compared to hard courts

and Clay is the ability to move on court. Who would you say out of

these two is the move? Definitely Venus, she is quicker, a quick first

step. - mover. Kvitova has worked on her fitness and trying to be more

display said that that is something her opponents try to exploit. - more

explosive. Venus's movement, her tremendous movement is one of the

big reasons she feels so comfortable on a grass court. She feels she can

play defensive if she needs to, but most of the time she wants to be

offensive. Speed may not always be there for Kvitova but the endurance

is, she played a leading 30 73-set matches last year with a credible

win-loss ratio as well. She has already played another 12. She has

the nickname on tour, Petra, they have changed the E two A3. - a

three. She gets asked about that on her press conference. It is because

she has played so many 3-set is. There is a chance this one will go

the distance as well. - setters. The four previous meetings between these

two were all on hard courts. All for going three sets. The last two with

wins for Kvitova. That is sweet. APPLAUSE

The body serve is a good one against Venus, if you pick it either of

those sites where she can take a swing at it, she is lethal. - sides.

A short backswing, a shorter term, and pushed forward. - shoulder

turn. APPLAUSE She made that look a lot easier than

it actually was. She had to really get the racket below the ball and

put up a lot of racket head speed and still control it.

APPLAUSE Nothing too dramatic in terms of the

potential for injury but it did reduce the loss of the point for

her. Wow. That is as long as I've seen a

second serve in years. She thought about Hawk-eye on the first one but

probably not so on the second! APPLAUSE

Almost too eager. Both players trying to play first strike tennis,

getting big and hard frequently in the points. I can almost understand

that more from Kvitova because she doesn't move as well, it's hard for

her to get behind on a point and recover.

APPLAUSE That was a test and she came through

it with an a grade. It doesn't matter if you win your last couple

of meetings when you are out on Centre Court against someone who has

won the title five times, you're feeling pressure. A tremendous

amount of respect, goes both ways, both of these players want a

successful Wimbledon. Neither player have done well in the other two

Grand Slams this year. difficult shot to hit. If you get

slices deep Kvitova would have been there, she creates an extraordinary

angle from a difficult position. - if she had sliced it deep.

APPLAUSE Talking the results of the other two

slams, Venus lost in the first round to the history, and in French at the

second round. 6-4 in the third as well. - the Australian. She lost in

the third round to the stringy and who I've never heard of. And in the

third round at Roland Garros, Kuznetsova. - to the Australian. A

good year to come in when the prize money has been increasing, she has

won won one game in three slams. APPLAUSE

Trying to introduce a little subtlety.

It wasn't to be. Too deep. Williams mops up that game.

She was saying in London how much she loves her art, she says she

isn't so much into painting, she prefers the history of cities like

the Museum of London. Her favourite artist of the moment there is

Picasso. Although he was not part of the Renaissance era, it has to be

said she herself is currently having one. Do you feel as though she is

capable of not just getting past Kvitova, but does she have enough

energy to make a serious run for the title if she could come through? It

would be difficult at this stage, 34, with the syndrome she has, I

wouldn't put anything past her. She certainly has the weapons to be a

contender here. But she has not had the results. She hasn't won a Grand

Slam since 2008. She has not had the consistently winning results. She

won a title into by. Earlier this year. She beat her opponent in the

finals who had beaten Serena in the semifinals, that was good for her

confidence. She seems to be hitting the ball as cleanly and she needs

two to win this particular match. - as she needs to. Kvitova seems to be

wary, she has the new boards. - balls. Kvitova has so little margin

in her game on her ground strokes. It is game plan A, that is about it.

It is not the subtlety of adding a little more spin if she is not

feeling in the groove that day. APPLAUSE

A nice game of tennis there, I bet of defence, a scramble, then the

offensive forehand. - a bit. I don't either often from Kvitova, I like it

on defence, she had some height on the ball, some trajectory and shape

to get the ball back in the middle of the court. APPLAUSE

One of her great strengths is the unpredictable nature of her tennis,

tough to get a rhythm against. APPLAUSE

What an end to the game. UMPIRE: 4-4, first set. Venus is to respond

to Kvitova's game, she had so much power and so close to the mind. They

know they need to try to weather the storm. There might be errors around

the corner. Just didn't give herself enough

room, she was tucked up at home. When she doesn't have enough room I

would like to see her have a shorter backswing and get the ball in play

in the middle, not take a big swing with so much risk. The subtle

adjustments. The previous one that she made in

that sort of position looked very easy, but she made it look easy

because it was pretty tough as that one proved to be.

APPLAUSE. So unpredictable, a forehand from the middle of the

court where she is on balance. Setup and misses that one. Yet she can be

on the full stretch and hit a clean winner.

Excellent work from Venus Williams. 5-4 to Williams. BARKER: Here, we

are staying with the Battle of the champions, but over on BBC Two,

there is a five set thriller because this happened a few minutes ago.

Lleyton Hewitt levelled the match against the semifinalist from last

year. There has been all sorts of talk around Lleyton Hewitt, numerous

surgeries, but he is showing that he is still competitive, very

competitive and he has now levelled that match at two sets all. That

thrilling fifth set is underway. That is live on BBC Two. Lleyton

Hewitt is battling away, but here we are rejoining Centre Court. She

knows what she would love to see in her future and that is a break of

serve. That lady is rock solid on serve.

That is some clean-up ball striking from Venus Williams and she is

eating up the power that is coming at her from Cabot over. -- Petra

Kvitova. Excellent work from Venus Williams. Did not seem like that bad

of a return, but dealt with in fact we. So early, stepping inside the

baseline, no way to react -- dealt with easily. She stayed down well on

the first point, but not so well on the third point.

APPLAUSE. Sometimes you scratch your head with

Kvitova because she can play such brilliant shots. Then she can send

18 feet long. -- she can send one eight feet long. Just the one point

on serve, Venus Williams puts a look up to the umpire to see if the first

serve was in. The umpire felt it was.

Such an imposing figure at the net, six feet tall, moves forward into

this volley. Great balance. Photo finish. Held it for the camera 's.

-- cameras. Just off her fastest serve of the

tournament. APPLAUSE. .

Well, you cannot finish a game any better than that. She has the

sanctuary of the tie-break coming. Would you, if you were coaching

either of them and the server has been so dominant early on, would you

wait to see who won the first set before you made an adjustment, or

would you be looking to try and do something different? How would you

see it? I would keep playing the same and I have been impressed with

the way that Venus has raised the level from the second round to the

third round. She is definitely having that champion mentality, she

has elevated her game, realised she needed to have more on her serve,

taking bigger risks, particularly on her second serve, hitting it with

more power and on her ground strokes, she is letting it rip. I

have not seen Venus hit this well in a while, when she is hitting with so

much conviction and confidence. That will be music to her ears, if she

could hear it at this stage. Very enjoyable opening set, can Venus

break? I felt that Kvitova does not have

precise footwork. It contributes to the unforced

mistakes. Magnificent. Tremendous step,

pushing Kvitova back, which is difficult to do. -- depth.

It has gone long and this set may not go on much longer. Just

incredible variety from Venus, the onslaught of the power and then some

nice slices to change the pace. Three set points for the American.

It was extremely impressive, the service had plenty of penetration

and Venus got them back deep within a couple of feet of the baseline --

serve. You know you are in a good position. Williams would love to get

more first serves in, but Kvitova not taking enough when she has a

second serve. They say that she would like to do that, but she does

not want to do it by compromising that percentage of first serve

points one, because it is magnificent. The unforced mistakes

by Kvitova needs to go down. Too many shots that were sprayed. That

whole set, you could almost throw those statistics down and it is

based on the last return game from Venus who -- when she broke Kvitova

at love. She hit the returns on the rise. Tremendous hand and I caught a

nation to pick it up so quickly. -- co-ordination. -- eye.

34 years old, seven Grand Slam titles, 13 Grand Slam doubles

titles... She has just walked onto turf for the first time. She is like

a sprinter. The success that Venus has had has

not diminished the desire. Venus was asked about that, you have

won five Wimbledons, all the gold medals at the Olympics, and she said

she was not about the easy thing, life is a challenge and I want to

leave tennis without any regrets. She still feels that she can compete

at the highest level. A little change of pace there, 98

mph, Kvitova misjudged it and hit it too early.

Oh dear. Did not move up to that. That is the one thing you see in the

game of Kvitova, that one extra step going forward, she sometimes waits

for the ball. You mentioned the better footwork, but you see her

before every match with her coach, doing footwork drills for 15 minutes

to warm up. It does not come easily for her.

A little bit of a free be there for Venus. She wants to maintain this

high level -- freebie. Now, will be more of that? Brews coming up

later! She can take it, it looks like -- a bruise. That is a real

gift at this stage. When you're looking to try and get into the

match early in the second set. Awkward opening hold. She has a

stranglehold over Kvitova at the moment and it was interesting to

watch Rafa Nadal yesterday and how he changed up his returning

position. Do you feel there is room for Kvitova to tromp back a little

bit or does it open up the angles for the American -- to jump back?

Kvitova likes to return out in front and go for her shots. Rafa Nadal

still made the adjustment. He is the ultimate champion, the ultimate

Warrior. We will not see Kvitova making too many adjustments to her

game, that is probably one of her biggest flaws.

In fact, in my opinion, after she won Wimbledon in 2011, I thought

that she would dominate in 2012, after she was so successful in

winning a bunch of tournaments that year, but she did not handle the

pressure or expectations well. Kvitova has struggled to get her

game back to that same potential and the way that she played against

Maria Sharapova in the final. That, to me, is a perfect example of

the subtlety where you have to make an adjustment. That ball is coming

hard and fast, and excellent returns from Venus and she had to shorten

her backswing and not take such a big swing and hit with so much

power. -- an excellent return. Already, a

fairly perilous situation developing for Kvitova.

She is nervous, but she did not show it. That was a big second serve and

a crashing forehand. -- crushing. I often wonder about how much these

players know about their draw. You have to worry about what is in front

of you, but in the back of your head, if they do know which half

they are won and who is in their half, it would be interesting to

know what their thought process. That is a monstrous serve. The two

big seeds are ad of this half. Victoria Azarenka lost -- out. The

number four seed as well. The bottom half was always weaker than the top

anyway. APPLAUSE.

Attack the second serve much more effectively, they are. -- attacked.

-- there. These balls are so hard and so flat

and to redirect them across the court and across the line, like

Kvitova adjusted, it is so difficult. -- Kvitova just did.

Credit to Venus, she has been under a little bit of pressure in the

second set, but she has upped her first serves and responded to the

challenge from Kvitova and you have to question how easy it is for

somebody to return as aggressively as Kvitova is trying to against this

monstrous serving from Venus. They have had a much more enjoyable day

then we have been led to believe would be the case. The umbrella on

the right, you would have thought it would have been used more, but

thankfully not. Let us hope it stays that way, for the tennis players and

the spectators. You have got your cricket knowledge. Geoffrey Boycott

the other day, there is Mike Gatting. I could have let you get

away with that! They will probably be taking over that soon, the

Americans, now they have dominated in the soccer. I do not know about

that! Did they grasp the concept of losing

and still going through? That has to be alien to the American way of

life! However you need to get it done!

That is the one thing that I think she could make an adjustment to. She

has good enough hands, soft hands, we see that at the net with her

dropped volleys. I would love to see Kvitova be able

to employ that a little bit more on her ground strokes, when everything

is not clicking on a particular day, to use and roll over the ball and

little bit more with top-spin, perhaps to create some angles, then

when she felt like she got her confidence back, could push the

pedal to the metal again. APPLAUSE. I think that might be the

immaculate backhand. Was that in the corner of the corner? We saw a lot

of that in 2011. It is so difficult to defend.

Six titles in 2011, that was for Kvitova. Not all on different

surfaces. UMPIRE: New balls, please. Two games

all. Change of racquet coming up here. We were talking about how

these players might be feeling, I think Kvitova realise that she might

have missed a big opportunity at Wimbledon last year, lost in the

quarterfinals to a competitor who did not have as much experience as

her. Kvitova was the only champion left in the draw at that stage. She

lost to her 6-4 in the third. Apart from the fact of getting the

ball back into play with the block to make sure that she gets herself

involved in a few more points than she currently has, it has the added

benefit that it will come through at a more awkward height. That return

she has made was sitting there are so invitingly for Venus.

Could not quite put the finishing touches on a wonderful point, but

the opening was there. I would like to see herds give herself more

margin for a mistake. If she does not get the winner then, she might

on the next -- to see her give herself.

that you really notice when the second serve sets up. I'm impressed

how she has moved herself around more than she normally does. - has

her serve. APPLAUSE Her best tennis in her mind is

better than Venus's best tennis, and she keeps going after it.

APPLAUSE What a response.

Tremendous movement and swing out wide.

She has defended her serve a well, Venus, she has kept Kvitova on her

toes, not sure where the ball is going to go. This is a spectacular

adjustment from Venus Williams. She usually tends to serve out to a

righty, in this case it would be a lefty 's backhand. Out in a wide

position, the 24%. She has switched it up and it has gone more often

towards the centre. She usually likes the Centre on this court as

well. She has taken herself out of her comfort zone in terms of where

she likes to serve. She has really played a traffic match. The way she

played in the second match, the way she has played today, she has gone

up a couple of levels. She knows it, she had no choice, she has been

able to elevate, which is such a tremendous sign of a champion. It

doesn't always happen but the threat is always there, great champions,

don't play particularly well, they can start a bit. While they are

still in it, there is a chance their best tennis will appear. And it

seems to have been that way for Venus so far today.

APPLAUSE Those are the kind of mistakes that

I'm sure her coach gets very disappointed with. She couldn't have

hit a winner from there. All she's trying to do is put the ball back

and stop Venus from attacking. Her long-time coach, David Kotyza.

I would have thought David Kotyza would have a tremendous amount of

patience. The highs are so high with Kvitova and the loans can be so

difficult to watch. - no points. Such extreme hot and cold during

matches. - how low points. A little opening here for Venus, pressure on

Kvitova. APPLAUSE

Such a big point, it's worth a challenge. All it does is endorse

how great a serve that was. That was some rally, one of the

biggest points in the match. Kvitova played it safe for most of the

points, the shots were down the middle. Until this one, absolutely

not Venus over. - and knocked her over. That was a vicious shotmaking

from both players. A pretty vicious "come on", from cover Kvitova as

well. APPLAUSE He can win titles hitting balls like

that. - you can. In the back of my head I just wonder

if Venus can sustain this level. Because of the illness she has. Will

she get tired? It would be quite a story of Jimmy

Connors at the U.S. Open if years back, 1991, in the semifinals. A

39-year-old. APPLAUSE Venus has broken down a few barriers

in her time. Let's hope age is not a barrier in her quest to be

competitive here. APPLAUSE

She has it that serves bearing the bed she has hit it so well when she

has hated that Kvitova has to guard against it. - sparingly. It has

opened a bit of space for the serve down the centre which has proved so

profitable for Venus. APPLAUSE

The scoreboard rolling along and Venus rolling back the years. 4-3

second set. Venus two games away from the second

week of Wimbledon. We will move away from the Centre Court to bring you

one result from coach number two. Jerzy Janowicz, the 15th seed, has

reached the semifinals last year, is celebrating a five set victory over

Leyton Hewitt. He came back from 2-0 down to level it at 2-2 but it

wasn't enough. He goes through 6-3 in the fifth.

EU has broken serve. We knew this would be a tough match. It looks

like it will be a long one as well. That magic she can see live on BBC

Two. This match will be on the red

button. She has done it. What a point to

finish. Wow. What they get. She is through to face her next opponent.

What a result matters. - that is. Big celebrations on court there.

Well done Safarova. In the second set Jeremy Chardy has taken the

first, that is on the red button. We are heading back to Centre Court.

Andy Murray still to come. APPLAUSE

Much still to enjoy on Centre Court today. This one might be extended as

well. This has been a very dominant service came from Kvitova. 40 - zero

up. Venus hasn't had a look in. A test of both ladies temperaments

once again as we get to the second set. It has been about big serving

today. They have both faced one break point. Venus was able to

convert. Kvitova was not. Not much between them.

APPLAUSE Truly wonderful.

So beautiful to watch when she makes that hundred percent commitment to

stay down and go after that 400. - forehand.

APPLAUSE What a response again. Keeps going

one way then the other. Stayed marginally on Venus's side

throughout the course of this match. Kvitova did not take advantage of

the 83 mph second serve, she doesn't even hit it cleanly.

How many times today? APPLAUSE Pesci come up with a big serve on a

big point. - has she. Not just threatening in terms of her

position, Kvitova, but in terms of the school as well. Reported once

again in her ambitions. - the score. Thwarted in her ambitions.

APPLAUSE Maybe not for ever.

She took a little off the return and the last forehand as well before the

winning backhand, she got down low and didn't try to hit it so hard,

just got back deep. APPLAUSE

That serve down the tea has been extraordinary today. - T. She stayed

down on her serve better than I have seen for a long time. She got after

it. Her coaches out of his chair very

quickly. - coach is out. He doesn't face the agony of a final

set. Kvitova has proved to be very adept at that over the last couple

of years. He must be very proud with our Venus has managed to but her

finest tennis on the last couple of years. He must be very proud with

our Venus has managed to but her finest tennis on this Court today he

knows what the pressure is all about. He has been with Venus for so

many years. They have been through highs and lows, so many losses when

Venus couldn't figure out why she wasn't feeling on form, why she was

so tired. And finally the diagnosis of her syndrome in 2011, told

everyone at US Open, took some time off after that. He has been great

aside all the way. - by her side. Stoical in the face of adversity.

Venus has come out on top of that at the moment, managing it better for

than people expected when she first announced it. I'm sure there are a

couple more chapters to write in her life. APPLAUSE

Perhaps at this year 's Wimbledon. A juristic beginning to the game from

Venus. - terrific. Like body blows, it's like a

heavyweight fight. APPLAUSE

In the same way Venus has responded to any threat with fine first

serves, so has Kvitova in the second set.

Credit to Kvitova, a huge couple of serves, she is always playing behind

in the scoreline. A couple of points away from victory

for Venus, thwarted. Can Kvitova carry that momentum into this

returning game? Sparse to say the least in terms of break point

opportunities for either lady. Great athleticism from Venus. At one

stage the ball hit the net and she had to stop and adjust. Still such

an effective shock. - shot. APPLAUSE

Even if she doesn't want to change in terms of the returning profile

she has come out with today, Kvitova, I feel she missed a trick

in the opening point of not coming in and giving Venus something

different to look at. APPLAUSE

We expected a little more than that from Kvitova.

You keep admiring everything she is doing out here. This couldn't be a

greater test of Venus Williams's competitive spirit, or her ability

to play her best tennis under pressure. And the trauma of it all.

Two former champions in the third round. Champions at the beginning of

the tournament. A third-round encounter, it's mouthwatering. It

has lived up to its billing. It doesn't feel as though there's any

way you can predict what is going to happen over the next precious 5-10

minutes. I feel as if the opening set was going to a tie-breaker but

it wasn't to be broken. She will be hoping a similar fate doesn't fall

her here otherwise her dreams of winning a second Wimbledon title are

over. - await her. The previous encounters between

these ladies went to 3 cents and we expected it to be close. But none of

them had the weight. - sets. Of Wimbledon. Playing on their

favourite surface. Interesting those last two errors

from Venus came off shots from Kvitova that were not hit with quite

as much authority. UMPIRE: Both players receive one

additional challenge. Kvitova might want to think about a mixture of

paces once in awhile. Both of the breakers they have

played against each other in the past, came in the final set.

Kvitova... 7-3 win -loss record in the season. Four tie-breaks this

year. Two won, two lost. APPLAUSE It is absolutely right in front of

our commentary box and I don't know how she created such an acute angle.

It needed to be that good because Venus was lurking around in the

forehand corner as well. A promising start for Kvitova's

survival here. APPLAUSE Just showed the first signs of

entertaining the idea of taking a little bit of pace off the ball. --

off. for a Venus of rescuing this dire

situation in the tie-break. To get that so early, it is phenomenal --

for Venus. Kvitova will not be all that happy

to see the sun out, she is a left-hander, it will be a little bit

awkward with the ball toss. That ball did not come up. Venus

needed one more step. That will be a big step for Kvitova if she can take

one of the next four points, they are set points.

APPLAUSE. Clearly a disappointing way for a Venus to drop the second

set. But still, it has been so watchable this contest -- for

Venus. We are set a piece. SUE BARKER: We expected it to go the

distance, because every much they have played is three sets. We will

be back on Centre Court in a minute, but over on BBC Two, Gregor did the

job is in real trouble -- Grigor Dimitrov. There are choices on the

red button. 140 80 is starting her match -- -- Radwanska. Jeremy Chardy

is also playing on the red button. That is what is happening elsewhere.

Here on BBC One, we are heading back to Centre Court. We do not want to

go anywhere else and neither, it would seem, does Petra Kvitova. It

seems she is here to stay. She has dug deep, not something which

perhaps has been seen in her performances over the years. Credit

to Kvitova, she has been making too many unforced mistakes in awkward

positions -- unforced errors. In short, getting that ball back in

play and trying to get the ball back to neutral, she finally made that

adjustment. Very important for Venus to reset

the champion that she is, she should have good and where she forgets

about that loss in the second set, because a couple of times she was

two points away. A big change here for Kvitova to be

serving first in the set. In the last two sets she has been playing

from behind in the score. Not as easy to predict as the

weather was. There was supposed to be a downpour, but it stayed away.

Kvitova is trying to stay away from the clutches of Venus and is just

about managing to do so. In a match this tight, it is difficult to

pinpoint anything which would be the most important thing. The margins

are so small. They have both only faced one break point. If she there

was more power in the shoulder, that would have been the fastest from

Venus -- if there was more power. That slice from Kvitova on. That, we

had not seen much of in the first set, but she is starting to realise

that she does not need to go full tilt when she is not in position.

She sometimes likes to try and shrink the space to one side that

she sees is wide open. It seems to be profitable at times -- six she

sees as wide open. Such word as to her attack,

particularly off that backhand side. It would be critical for Kvitova to

attack the second serve from Venus. We mentioned that at the start of

the match. Venus continues to mix up her serve

nicely. Changing her spots, keeping Kvitova guessing.

APPLAUSE. She has produced some gorgeous shots, Kvitova.

This is what you want. You do not often have it these days at the

Grand Slams, but to get a clash of the titans out here, both producing

their best tennis, on base points. APPLAUSE. This is where Venus is

trying to keep her pace at times. It is called momentum.

Venus needs to keep that first service percentage out and go after

her second if she has to hit one. Predominantly goes crosscourt with

that backhand -- backhand and Venus is able to defend it because she is

able to anticipate it. Even though Kvitova missed a bit of that # a bit

of a trick, but the change of direction may have produced the

result she wanted -- a bit of a trek. -- trek. Venus did not push

with her legs on that last serve -- trick.

See how she fell to the left on that serve? She has not done that at all

today. That is the short where Kvitova is

on a shot like that, or she did not have the winner available, she

needed to get it across court three or four feet inside the line. --

shot. APPLAUSE. And massive effort. -- a

massive effort. Not only in the scoreline, but mentally, you felt

that Venus was holding on with the double faults and her technique had

started to falter on the second serve. It is crucial -- double

fault. Sometimes you do not always see the

so obviously and when you push -- when you push an opponent like

that, even though she did not get the desired result, she might get a

quick service. That is a lovely pass. It did not

look like she could put it back, but from behind, in the manner she

did... Yes, that is where Venus is so impressive, she is so flexible in

an awkward position. It to be able to square that racquet up, a good

feel. -- it is brilliant. That ball seemed to stop on both the

serve and Venus's return. It happens on the natural service

where you get an awkward bounce -- surface.

APPLAUSE. That was a chance and she knew it.

Yes, she does. She has definitely been more emotional in the last

couple of games. It is the first time we have seen her look up at her

box a couple of times. You can understand why she goes

about her business as she does, she does not look as though she backs

herself defensively to chisel balls out from behind the baseline and put

them in awkward positions. What a response, that last point from

Venus. It looked a little long, I will have to be honest.

The umpire has decided that the call was quick enough to put Venus off in

terms of a return. A first serve for Kvitova. Mild protest.

Venus is going to be somewhat disappointed when she watches a

replay. If she wins it, it she might not watch it if she loses it, but

that was out and if she had challenged it, she would have had a

second serve. Although, with precious few chances, those are the

opportunities she needs to take. These are the opportunities and

margins which can decide things at the end of the day, I was a lot

further away, not sitting close to where the ball landed and I felt it

was a little bit long. Venus did not elect to use Hawk-Eye. Kvitova

dodged a little bit of a bullet there.

It seems to me that Venus is always a little reticent to challenge.

As tense as start to the set as they have all been so far in this

fabulous contest. She has watched a fair bit of tennis over the years,

hasn't she? That is the sister of Venus sitting there.

That is the challenge... Maybe not! Know, perhaps she was already

apologising about where the ball was going! -- No.. Again,

to be for Venus. That serve did clip the outside edge of the line. She

seems to be resident -- reticent to use the technology. That was right

under the umpire's nose and Jupiter finger out as though it was wide.

Some will say that they are not sure and that gives you a chance to

challenge -- and she put her finger out.

Venus has been hitting one up the tee so effectively all day long, the

slice out wide is working, opening up the court.

APPLAUSE. UMPIRE: Game to them this Williams. A couple of hours gone as

you can see from the scoreboard and nothing to choose between the two

macro. -- two. Venus broke Kvitova earlier in the game.

APPLAUSE. Not many on the woman's tour can hit a volley like that.

That is what we were all so impressed with when the Kvitova won

the Championships, her versatility and the way she would finish off at

the net. -- when Kvitova. There are definitely many layers to

the game of Kvitova. You get the sense at times that she

does not allow herself to utilise those layers. She gives too much on

approach shots. She needs to use the hands she has.

What imagination! Vivid! It is one thing to have the imagination, it is

another to execute, very difficult to move forward, body weight moving

quickly and still the delicate touch.

APPLAUSE. In the final set, each round is important. 3-2, Kvitova.

SUE BARKER:, Hard to separate these two macro. The battle rages on on

Centre Court. -- two. Plenty of tennis to come, because this man has

still to play his third round match. Andy Murray will be up against

Roberto Bautista-Agut. He is on a winning streak. It will get tougher

for him. That matches still to come. Grigor Dimitrov, so much expected of

him, but he is trailing, down by two macro sets. This is how the third

set finished off. His opponent is in the driving seat. If you want to

watch that, it is live on BBC Two. Back to Centre Court. Well, all the

weather forecasts in the UK are putting in invoices today. It is a

myth! There is no rain in an English summer! They got this one wrong

today. No downpour. Just a downpour of power! I don't know if Venus

packed her umbrella in anticipation of rain but she certainly packed her

first serve for this encounter. Venus seems to have packed her

stamina as well. We were concerned about that.

She's played six three-setters this year. She is 50%.

When you see a shot like that from Kvitova, you feel there is no

structure to the game. It is instinctive, great, creative, fun

for us to watch but you wonder where the building blocks are at times.

The fourth double for Venus. That is where I would, as her coach, I would

take her back to watch films of matches and to say to look at this

particular position, that she did not have that big of a back swing,

she could not afford to use that much pace.

The risk is going to be too high and the reward too small.

You have to start duplicating that in practise and start to try to have

that variety in those situations. The ability to pull back.

She plays three incredible points and then just a gift.

She was not quick enough at 114. That is the other thing that strikes

me about Kvitova. You talk about perhaps she is underachieved before

we came on and started this match but she never seems to play the

scoreboard. But is self-absorbed on the tennis match on her side. Never

appearing to look down the other end to see if her opponent is feeling

the pressure. That is such a good point.

That's a great point. You have to pay attention to the scoreline and

with the tempo of the match. This is why she does go for it. When

she connects like that, it is unstoppable.

Any despondency she felt after not capitalising on the previous game to

deuce, now, it is all about her game.

She needs a lot of credit today. Although there are times when she

could perhaps do thing marginally better, at the same time her back

has been firmly against the wall for the majority of this match. Well,

she has now responded to the challenge immaculately so far.

I think we have to give credit to both players responding to the

situation. Two Wimbledon champions and Kvitova has had such uneven

results in the last couple of years. And Venus uneven results because of

her age, I suspect, and also the illness.

They have given us such a high-level match. Very entertaining.

Let's not forget that there is still much to enjoy today. Not just the

weather, as these spectators have been fortunate to enjoy but also, of