Day 6, part 2

:00:37. > :00:43.Number 2 Court, Welcome to Wimbledon on this middle Saturday, but I'm

:00:44. > :00:47.afraid, that's the scene that greets us here on SW19, we've had rain all

:00:48. > :00:51.day, dark clouds over Wimbledon. Rain has been falling. No play on

:00:52. > :00:55.the outside courts as yet. But got news is that cloud has moved away.

:00:56. > :00:59.The covers are off and wre hopeful that play will get under way on the

:01:00. > :01:03.outside courts very soon. Play gets under way indoors of course. Maria

:01:04. > :01:08.Sharapova is here. She's on Centre Court. She'll be all smiles, the

:01:09. > :01:12.French Open champion. Roger Federer also back on his favourite court,

:01:13. > :01:18.the winner of 79 titles, seven at Wimbledon. He's on Centre Court late

:01:19. > :01:22.this afternoon. First up is this man, Rafael Nadal. The first time

:01:23. > :01:27.he's through to the third round in three years. He's come through two

:01:28. > :01:32.tough battles. Will he have another today on Centre? Rafa arrived just

:01:33. > :01:35.as the rain came down. He was forced to practice on the indoor courts,

:01:36. > :01:43.not on the grass. The players are used to this. He wasn't the only

:01:44. > :01:46.one. Also the top seed in the ladies championship, Serena Williams,

:01:47. > :01:55.forced indoors. She is on Court No 1. She will be keeping an eye on the

:01:56. > :01:56.clouds. All the players are here and these are those that we'll be

:01:57. > :02:10.following today: Alize Cornet beat her in Dubai

:02:11. > :02:15.earlier this year. Rafael Nadal has dropped sets in his first two

:02:16. > :02:18.rounds, but the dream of a third French Open-Wimbledon double is

:02:19. > :02:24.still alive. He faces Mikhail Kukushkin on centre. 200 4 champion,

:02:25. > :02:28.Maria Sharapova has dropped just four games in her first two rounds.

:02:29. > :02:36.Today's target is a place in the second week here for the ninth time.

:02:37. > :02:39.Centre Court is like a second home for Roger. The seven-time champion

:02:40. > :02:49.will be in action later as he continues his quest for a record

:02:50. > :02:54.eighth men's tight. -- title. Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Centre

:02:55. > :02:58.Court on this middle Saturday. In keeping with tradition, the chairman

:02:59. > :03:04.of the All England Club has invited guests from the world of sport to

:03:05. > :03:09.the Royal Box. First, let's welcome a quartet of cricketing stars,

:03:10. > :03:15.England's current Twenty20 captain, who only last week, became just the

:03:16. > :03:19.fourth bowler in history to take two Test hat tricks. A left-arm spinner

:03:20. > :03:23.who took more than a thousand first-class wickets and

:03:24. > :03:27.post-retirement is bowling over the world of entertainment. A man who

:03:28. > :03:34.captained England to Ashes success both at home and down under. And an

:03:35. > :03:37.Indian batsman who retired last year having scored more international

:03:38. > :03:43.runs than anyone in the history of the game. Please welcome Stuart

:03:44. > :03:49.Broad, Phil tough knell, Andrew Strauss and Sachin Tendulkar. --

:03:50. > :03:57.Phil Tufnell. APPLAUSE

:03:58. > :04:01.From the world of Rugby Union, a flanker who leads his club side

:04:02. > :04:17.Harlequins and was made captain of England after just one match. Please

:04:18. > :04:21.welcome Chris Broadshaw. Of Next we are delighted to be joined by three

:04:22. > :04:26.stars of the ring, a former heavyweight champion of the world

:04:27. > :04:33.and two Gold Medallists from London 2012, one made history as the first

:04:34. > :04:38.ever female Olympic boxing champion. And the other is a super heavyweight

:04:39. > :04:43.champion who claimed Team GB's final Gold Medal of the Games. It's David

:04:44. > :04:47.Haye, Nicola Adams and Anthony Joshua.

:04:48. > :05:03.APPLAUSE From summer Olympics to winters.

:05:04. > :05:06.Please welcome the slider who four years ago became Britain's first

:05:07. > :05:10.individual Gold Medallist at the Winter Olympics for 30 years and a

:05:11. > :05:16.woman who succeeded her as the Skelton champion in Sochi earlier

:05:17. > :05:21.this year. A skier and her guide who conquered the slopes in the super G

:05:22. > :05:30.to win Britain's first ever winter Paralympics gold. Amy Williams,

:05:31. > :05:40.Lizzie Yarnold, Kimi Goole her and Charlotte Evans.

:05:41. > :05:43.-- KimmyGallagher. At the world's most famous tennis championships it

:05:44. > :05:48.is only fitting that we should be joined by some stars from racquet

:05:49. > :05:54.sports. A squash player who in March became the first English female

:05:55. > :05:58.squash champion since 1999. And from the world of tennis, known as the

:05:59. > :06:04.quad father, he won singles gold at the 2004 Paralympics and retained

:06:05. > :06:07.his title four years later in Beijing. The man who earlier this

:06:08. > :06:14.year steered Great Britain into the Davis Cup quarter finals for the

:06:15. > :06:17.first time since 1986. And Britain's fed cup captain who has been a

:06:18. > :06:23.driving force in developing grass-roots ten nis recent years.

:06:24. > :06:25.Please welcome world champion Laura Macaro, Peter Norfolk, Leon Smith

:06:26. > :06:37.and Judy Murray. APPLAUSE

:06:38. > :06:43.From the green grass of Centre Court to greens of a different kind. A

:06:44. > :06:47.teenager who was the top amateur at last year's Open and a month later

:06:48. > :06:54.became the first Englishman to win the US amateur title since 1911. And

:06:55. > :06:58.a man who has been Europe's talisman in recent Ryder Cups, never more so

:06:59. > :07:05.than two years ago when he sparked one of the most amazing comebacks in

:07:06. > :07:07.golfing history. Welcome Matthew Fitzpatrick and Ian Poulter.

:07:08. > :07:21.APPLAUSE Golf will be part of the next

:07:22. > :07:27.Olympics, but now let's meet some stars, two stars from past Games.

:07:28. > :07:31.This man has swum five Olympics and is a former world, European and

:07:32. > :07:35.Commonwealth champion and not a bad dancer either! A legend who spent

:07:36. > :07:41.his sporting career on top of the water and on top of the podium,

:07:42. > :07:43.becoming a four time Olympic champion rower, Mark Foster and Sir

:07:44. > :08:01.Matthew pin sent. -- Pinsent. APPLAUSE

:08:02. > :08:09.Now two joints from the world of cycling. First a rider who wrapped

:08:10. > :08:15.up her glittering career in style at London 2012 winning a second Olympic

:08:16. > :08:19.Gold Medal. We just saw there, winning the first British winner of

:08:20. > :08:22.the Tour De France, Bradley Wiggins and this is a rider who won a second

:08:23. > :08:34.Olympic gold in London. Would you please give a welcome to Victoria

:08:35. > :08:43.pendle ton and Sir Bradley Wiggins. -- Pefd -- Pendleton. Sorry about

:08:44. > :08:48.that Bradley! Now to two men who have represented both club and

:08:49. > :08:52.country with such distinction. England's all-time record goal

:08:53. > :08:57.scorer and a key member of the 1966 World Cup-winning team, who also

:08:58. > :09:02.played over 600 games for Manchester United and a global superstar and

:09:03. > :09:07.sporting ambassador who won 115 England caps, a record for an

:09:08. > :09:12.outfield player, part of a career that included winning titles in four

:09:13. > :09:15.countries. Please give a Centre Court welcome to Sir Bobby Charlton

:09:16. > :09:35.and David Beckham. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

:09:36. > :09:43.Today, is the sixth national armed forces day, established to honour

:09:44. > :09:47.the out standing contribution made by serving and ex-members of the

:09:48. > :09:52.armed forces, especially poignant in the centenary year of the start of

:09:53. > :09:55.the First World War. We are privileged to have voluntary

:09:56. > :09:59.military stewards since 1946, when they helped to re-establish the

:10:00. > :10:03.championships after the Second World War. Many of the stewards here today

:10:04. > :10:06.have recently served their country on operational duty all over the

:10:07. > :10:10.world, showing their professionalism and dedication in the most demanding

:10:11. > :10:13.of circumstances. To commemorate this occasion and recognise the

:10:14. > :10:16.continuing support of the families, the chairman and championship

:10:17. > :10:19.committee have invited representatives of the armed forces

:10:20. > :10:23.and their partners into the Royal Box. Would you please show your

:10:24. > :10:25.appreciation for them and all they do and for all of our Royal Box

:10:26. > :11:16.guests. What a wonderful welcome to Centre

:11:17. > :11:20.Court on this middle Saturday and so many special guests in the Royal Box

:11:21. > :11:26.and boy, we have some super stars coming out on Centre Court as well.

:11:27. > :11:29.First up we have Rafael Nadal, then Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer.

:11:30. > :11:32.Talking of Rafael Nadal, he hasn't made it easy getting through to the

:11:33. > :11:37.third round. Here's his trug this week.

:11:38. > :11:40.-- struggle this week. I feel better than the last couple

:11:41. > :11:43.of years. It means everything to have the chance to play well here

:11:44. > :11:47.again. I'm really excited to be back and I'm looking forward to playing.

:11:48. > :11:56.He comes into Wimbledon knowing that he hasn't won a lot of matches on

:11:57. > :12:03.grass over the last couple of years. Oh, dear oh, dear, this is a huge

:12:04. > :12:08.surprise. The volley was a shocker on the penultimate line. Take that!

:12:09. > :12:19.Martin Klizan, number 51 in the world has taken the first set 6-4.

:12:20. > :12:27.There's the breakthrough. Four straight points. Nadal makes it a

:12:28. > :12:34.set all here on Centre Court. The third set is under the complete

:12:35. > :12:39.control of the world number one, Rafael Nadal. Nadal wins a match on

:12:40. > :12:46.grass for the first time in two years and he's off and running.

:12:47. > :12:53.My goal is to win and for sure, this will be another tough one.

:12:54. > :12:57.COMMENTATOR: Here is Rafael Nadal on Centre Court, anxious for revenge

:12:58. > :13:04.against Lukas Rosol. Let's see if this Czech can do some damage again.

:13:05. > :13:13.JOHN MCENROE: A little nervous, I guess. He can't stop hitting

:13:14. > :13:18.winners. His career Grand Slam record coming into this match is

:13:19. > :13:29.eight wins, 12 losses. And he's just won the first set. Good times, but

:13:30. > :13:37.so much work to do. Great return. There it is. Is that the tipping

:13:38. > :13:46.point? Back in business. Inching towards victory. A huge obstacle

:13:47. > :13:50.surmounted. My goal is to play well and trying to play as good as

:13:51. > :13:54.possible in the tournament. It doesn't matter if it's Rosol or if

:13:55. > :13:59.it's another player. But he beat me in the past, but that doesn't really

:14:00. > :14:02.matter for mement SUE BARKER: He is through to the

:14:03. > :14:05.third round. It doesn't matter how you get there as long as you get

:14:06. > :14:09.there. He's first on Centre Court under the roof. The good news is

:14:10. > :14:13.those dark clouds are moving away and over on Court No 1 play is just

:14:14. > :14:17.getting under way. Here comes Serena Williams, the top seed. She is the

:14:18. > :14:20.bookies' favourite, a heavy favourite. She's up against Alize

:14:21. > :14:25.Cornet of France, the French number one, who beat her earlier this year

:14:26. > :14:29.in Dubai. So, she certainly won't be taking this one easy. She's a

:14:30. > :14:33.five-time champion and she knows how to win here, doesn't she? She has

:14:34. > :14:39.her game face on by the look of it. Well, we'll join that match shortly

:14:40. > :14:42.over on BBC Two. But here on one, it's Centre Court all the way, Tim

:14:43. > :14:47.and Peter are herement I love middle Saturday with all the superstars in

:14:48. > :14:51.the Royal Box. That atmosphere was fantastic, it really was. You see

:14:52. > :14:53.all the stars and they look like they're enjoying themselves. They

:14:54. > :15:00.get the opportunity of all the people in the stadium to Recognise

:15:01. > :15:04.chair achievements. You're -- recognise their achievements. You're

:15:05. > :15:09.brilliant at it too! We had a little hiccup with our Bradley Wiggins and

:15:10. > :15:11.Victoria. It was all right. I reversed it slightly. They are

:15:12. > :15:20.superstars. They are playing outside but still

:15:21. > :15:22.have the roof closed. Yeah I suppose we can expect showers through the

:15:23. > :15:27.day. It will be rough for the players on all the other courts.

:15:28. > :15:31.What a pleasure for us, though and Rafa, of course, assuming he does

:15:32. > :15:35.win, will be in the locker room, you know, in short order and be able to

:15:36. > :15:38.relax for the weekend. When you look at the draw, normally the matches

:15:39. > :15:43.get tougher as you go ahead, when you look at this, you wonder whether

:15:44. > :15:47.it isn't for Rafa. He's had two tough matches already. He certainly

:15:48. > :15:51.has. When you saw his reaction during his second-round match

:15:52. > :15:55.playing Lukas Rosol, I mean, he's always pumped up. You saw how much

:15:56. > :15:58.that meant to him. They have previous. They've got history when

:15:59. > :16:02.Rosol beat him two years ago. For him to come through that test, it

:16:03. > :16:07.sets him up very well. As Peter says, a big advantage to be on

:16:08. > :16:11.Centre Court with the roof closed. We don't play on Sunday, so the

:16:12. > :16:15.match that's don't get finished, it really makes the beginning of the

:16:16. > :16:22.second week tricky. Also, when you look at the head to head, it doesn't

:16:23. > :16:29.look so good for his opponent. No, a year ago he was ranked 324 having

:16:30. > :16:38.just had double hip surgery! It sounds like John Lloyd! He's ranked

:16:39. > :16:43.now 60-something and that says a lot for what he's been able to do, but

:16:44. > :16:48.can he go that much further today? That's a big ask. I think when you

:16:49. > :16:54.look at also Rafa, the fact he's only had one match on the grass,

:16:55. > :16:58.he's exhausted after the French Open. Sometimes the opening rounds,

:16:59. > :17:01.he's getting used to the feel of the grass and what he has to change.

:17:02. > :17:06.Yes, definitely. For his style of play, the technique he has with his

:17:07. > :17:10.extreme grip on the forehand and for the grass, when it's a little bit

:17:11. > :17:14.greener early on, this is when he's at his most vulnerable, perhaps the

:17:15. > :17:18.first two matches. Having had four really good days of weather, the

:17:19. > :17:23.courts are drying out. They're getting firmer. He looks like he's

:17:24. > :17:27.ready and raring to go. The sport stars will love watching him as

:17:28. > :17:29.well, no doubt admire all the players on Centre Court today. Here

:17:30. > :17:51.they come. APPLAUSE

:17:52. > :17:55.That's a special welcome too. Because everyone is in their seats

:17:56. > :17:59.for that sports stars parade, they've given a massive welcome.

:18:00. > :18:04.That's good. That sends the old goose bumps up. Definitely, this is

:18:05. > :18:09.an environment that he's not so used to. I think that's where Rafa can

:18:10. > :18:13.use it to his advantage. He's always looking to get out to a fast start.

:18:14. > :18:20.Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how it unfolds. It is so

:18:21. > :18:23.loud, isn't it, with the roof shut. It just reverberates. It's And so

:18:24. > :18:29.fun. Warm as well. It's going to get a lot warmer as this goes on. This

:18:30. > :18:36.Kukushkin, who coaches him? Is it his wife? Yes! And apparently she

:18:37. > :18:43.couldn't get a visa to come here. So he's on his own. He's doing all

:18:44. > :18:47.right without her. We talked about Andy having a female coach, what

:18:48. > :18:50.about having your partner coaching you - that can't be easy? It would

:18:51. > :18:54.be a recipe for disaster, personally. No, each to their own.

:18:55. > :18:58.That's the beauty of an individual sport. You're in charge of your own

:18:59. > :19:02.destiny to a certain extent. If that works for him, then great. It's

:19:03. > :19:07.pretty unusual to be coached by your uncle, I don't know how many players

:19:08. > :19:13.have relatives that coach them, but you look at Rafa, it's the only

:19:14. > :19:19.coach he's ever had and he hasn't done too badly. Uncle Tony always

:19:20. > :19:27.play it's He does down. . He's a very low-key guy, at least in the

:19:28. > :19:32.public eye. But I guess that whole family angle just, they're so

:19:33. > :19:36.grounded. Certainly, yeah, he's done OK. They walked out about three

:19:37. > :19:41.minutes ago, they still haven't got to the coin toss. This is the ritual

:19:42. > :19:45.that Rafa goes through. He always has the labels on the bottles facing

:19:46. > :19:51.the end that he's going play. Three bottles on the go, one with an

:19:52. > :20:00.electrolite drink, get his head band sort and finally his pants. David

:20:01. > :20:03.sitting in the front row next to the chairman and Bradley Wiggins the

:20:04. > :20:05.other side. Boy, it's lovely to see them in the Royal Box. Here we go,

:20:06. > :20:17.coin toss time. Please remember the time between

:20:18. > :20:25.points. Any questions? Heads or tails? Heads. Tails. Re? Have a good

:20:26. > :20:31.one, thank you. They look like a couple of prize fighters. Off he

:20:32. > :20:35.goes. Love that. We talk about Rafa's injuries but

:20:36. > :20:41.I'm worried about Kukushkin and all the tape he has on his legs. That's

:20:42. > :20:52.right, you normally see Rafa with the knees taped just below the

:20:53. > :20:56.patella. I think it's one to watch out for. I'm not sure about that,

:20:57. > :21:00.Rafa, for the last year-and-a-half, hasn't worn the tape. He just

:21:01. > :21:04.decided last year when he came out and said to stop wearing the tape

:21:05. > :21:08.in. His first-round match against Klizan, it looked like he was

:21:09. > :21:11.hurting. His knees or something looked sore. That's something to

:21:12. > :21:16.watch out for today. He ran like a Jack rabbit during the points. But

:21:17. > :21:19.in between, he was walking slowly. It's bizarre really because you

:21:20. > :21:23.think that on grass it would favour his knees a bit softer. But maybe

:21:24. > :21:27.with the bending and maybe the sliding, he doesn't find it so

:21:28. > :21:32.comfortable. Guys, thank you very much. We're all ready for this

:21:33. > :21:38.third-round match. Peter's off to the commentary box to join David

:21:39. > :21:47.Mercer. We're really looking forward to a very fine match indeed.

:21:48. > :21:53.On this special armed forces day in front of a selection of sporting

:21:54. > :22:00.celebrities. The roof firmly shut, which means that it will remain shut

:22:01. > :22:04.throughout the course of the match, even though play is getting under

:22:05. > :22:11.way on the outside courts as well. The protocol here is once you start

:22:12. > :22:21.under the roof, you finish under the roof. Rafael Nadal, of course, 14

:22:22. > :22:29.major titles to his name. A terrific year so far. Winning in Doha, Rio

:22:30. > :22:32.ma, drid and the French Open -- Rio, Madrid, and the French Open. The

:22:33. > :22:35.world number one seeded number two because he's struggled at Wimbledon

:22:36. > :22:40.in recent years. Indeed, this is the first time for three years that he's

:22:41. > :22:47.made it through to the third round. That's why his seeding is number

:22:48. > :22:52.two. Those nine wins at Roland Garros. Twice here the champion in

:22:53. > :23:01.2008 and 2010. Runner up three times as well, twice the US Open champion

:23:02. > :23:06.and just one win in Australia. Martin Klizan took the first set and

:23:07. > :23:11.Lukas Rosol, the man who beat him a couple of years back, did exactly

:23:12. > :23:19.the same. Nadal has had to work pretty hard over five-and-a-half

:23:20. > :23:23.hours. I'm sure Rafa's a very familiar site to you. I doubt too

:23:24. > :23:31.many of you have seen this man before, Mikhail Kukushkin, who was

:23:32. > :23:37.born in Russia. He's 26. Now he lives in Kazakhstan. He changed

:23:38. > :23:43.nationalities in 2008. He played Davis Cup for Kazakhstan now. You

:23:44. > :23:43.can see his record at Wimbledon is modest,

:23:44. > :23:48.can see his record at Wimbledon is two and two. In fact, come intoing

:23:49. > :23:55.this year's championships he had never won a match at Wimbledon. The

:23:56. > :24:00.world ranking of 63 and as Peter was saying, September and October of

:24:01. > :24:07.2012 he had hip surgery on both hips. As a result, his ranking fell

:24:08. > :24:11.all the way down to 324 in June of last year, couldn't even get into

:24:12. > :24:16.qualifying for Wimbledon. So to be back up in the 60s is a remarkable

:24:17. > :24:21.achievement. Can you see, he hasn't dropped a set. Whereas Nadal has

:24:22. > :24:25.taken five-and-a-half hours, Kukushkin's only been on court for

:24:26. > :24:31.three hours and 17 minutes. So, he's fresh as a daisy, Peter, mind you,

:24:32. > :24:39.when you come to the head to heads, it's not quite so favourable for the

:24:40. > :24:46.Kazakhstani. PETER FLEMING: No, certainly not. Well, let's face it,

:24:47. > :24:50.once you get into the third, Fourth Round of this tournament, probably

:24:51. > :24:54.any tournament really, Nadal starts to come into his own. He starts to

:24:55. > :25:00.hit the ball with a little more authority, a little more confidence

:25:01. > :25:04.and you know, he's a difficult proposition for anybody, let alone a

:25:05. > :25:11.guy who's just making his way back into the upper echelons of the game.

:25:12. > :25:20.So Kukushkin, I'm sure, must be thinking - so, what do I do now?

:25:21. > :25:29.How's this going to work? Kukushkin making his first appearance on the

:25:30. > :25:41.Centre Court. He's actually been coached by Anastasia, who is now his

:25:42. > :25:46.wife, since 2009. Obviously, they started working together - as we

:25:47. > :25:49.look at our umpire - they started working together in 2009 and

:25:50. > :25:56.clearly, the relationship works on and off the court because they got

:25:57. > :26:07.married in November of 2011. It's funny, there are three men left in

:26:08. > :26:11.the draw who are coached by ladies. One is Kukushkin, and one is Denis

:26:12. > :26:15.Istomin, who is coached by his mother and the other is, of

:26:16. > :26:25.course... No idea! Come on, you have, Andy Murray! Who (! ) This is

:26:26. > :26:30.clearly a growing trend. Perhaps. Perhaps a growing trend. I mean they

:26:31. > :26:34.can't get much smaller, can it? Yes, I'm sure it will grow, as time goes

:26:35. > :26:38.on. Well, the Spanish didn't have much to cheer about in the football,

:26:39. > :26:45.did they? But they're here in force today. There is uncle Tony in the

:26:46. > :26:50.white cap. I have to tell you that he is really struggling physically.

:26:51. > :26:55.His back's gone. At the start of the week, he could hardly walk. He's

:26:56. > :27:00.talking there to Carlos Costa, the agent of Rafael Nadal and was a

:27:01. > :27:07.top-ten player. Sir Bobby, what a great player he

:27:08. > :27:18.was. 600 appearances for Manchester United plus, of course, 1966. In

:27:19. > :27:27.front of him another generation of Manchester United heroes. The winner

:27:28. > :27:36.of this match will play a wildcard. They play either Nick Kirios or the

:27:37. > :27:41.Czech. They were given wild cards into the tournaments. Wildcards have

:27:42. > :27:49.a habit of doing well. A few years ago they gave GoranIvanisevic a

:27:50. > :27:53.wildcard and he won the title. I'm not sure if they have a habit of

:27:54. > :27:57.doing well, but one of the reasons they get wildcards is they're in top

:27:58. > :28:01.form and ranking hasn't caught up to them. But it is, though, pretty

:28:02. > :28:02.incredible that you have two wildcards both playing one another

:28:03. > :28:19.in the third round. You may have picked up that Rafael

:28:20. > :28:46.Nadal won the spin of the coin and he chose to receive.

:28:47. > :29:39.So important you feel for Kukushkin to start well.

:29:40. > :30:03.Just 89mph that second serve. Nadal was onto it so quickly.

:30:04. > :30:09.indicator of thatted's confidence. The point before, he just ripped,

:30:10. > :31:24.the winner return tells us that she's starting to settle in.

:31:25. > :31:58.that a few compatriots supporting him.

:31:59. > :32:33.Not easy to get into a slug -fest with Rafael Nadal.

:32:34. > :32:36.Not a tall man by modern tennis standards, exactly six foot, Mikhail

:32:37. > :33:12.Kukushkin. That is a good start for Kukushkin

:33:13. > :33:19.who has won one title on the ATP tour, in Saint Petersburg in 2010.

:33:20. > :33:24.There is Henman Hill, everybody settling down. I hope you don't get

:33:25. > :33:36.wet, those clouds are looking ominous. Have a great day out there.

:33:37. > :33:43.Nice and dry in here, everybody! Do you want is to get out of the ground

:33:44. > :33:47.is alive tonight? Ian Smith on the left and Judy Murray on the right,

:33:48. > :34:23.Britain's Davis Cup and Fed cup captains.

:34:24. > :34:36.What is that? Water polo meets tennis?

:34:37. > :34:54.It is difficult hitting into a slug -fest with Rafael Nadal, but I think

:34:55. > :34:59.players now feel that they don't have a choice. If you hit short

:35:00. > :35:39.slices, he just pummels them. You don't want to get into a slug

:35:40. > :35:51.-fest with those two, Peter. Joshua David Hay and Chris Adams, and the

:35:52. > :36:26.first female in the Olympic Games in boxing, Nicola Adams.

:36:27. > :36:45.Well, Kukushkin is dreaming if he thinks he is going to be able to hit

:36:46. > :36:51.a sliced past Nadal. Nadal, six foot one and one of the quickest guys who

:36:52. > :37:41.ever lived. A very difficult guy to pass, defends that beautifully.

:37:42. > :38:09.Kukushkin has settled into the match very well.

:38:10. > :38:19.He's made it! That was an extraordinary angle. Andy Murray

:38:20. > :38:21.would've been proud of this one, and he's probably got the best forehand

:38:22. > :39:06.crosscourt pass of anyone. Well, love service game there the

:39:07. > :39:10.Mikhail Kukushkin. I was getting a little Jane on him, and they were

:39:11. > :39:16.saying that he was one of the quietest guys on the tour, very

:39:17. > :39:25.unassuming and shy. But a lovely ball striker. Absolutely. It seems

:39:26. > :39:28.there is a trend developing. More and more players are realising that

:39:29. > :39:33.their only chance against Nadal is to hit powerful drives up the line,

:39:34. > :39:40.the Nadal often likes to cheat into the corner, and if you have an

:39:41. > :39:45.opportunity to rip them up the line, you can hit winners against him, or

:39:46. > :39:53.even backhand crosscourts into his forehand.

:39:54. > :40:01.UMPIRE: Time. So it puts a premium on ball

:40:02. > :40:03.striking, but Kukushkin appears to perhaps be, well, well suited to the

:40:04. > :41:36.task. 119 mph, that serve, made all the

:41:37. > :41:49.more difficult to return by all of the spin on it. It really swung into

:41:50. > :41:55.Kukushkin's body. And that lovely variety, because that one was kicked

:41:56. > :41:56.out wide, away from his body, so not allowing the Kazakhstan player to

:41:57. > :42:24.settle into a rhythm. Carlos Acosta having a sip of

:42:25. > :42:28.something or other. Top ten player himself from Spain, and now the

:42:29. > :42:36.agent of Rafa Nadal. Not a bad job to have.

:42:37. > :42:44.UMPIRE: Game Nadal. Two games all, first set.

:42:45. > :42:49.Rafa's prize money in his career is now over 70 million US dollars. So

:42:50. > :42:58.the agent's percentage must be quite pleasant. Come on! He won't get 1

:42:59. > :43:05.cent of his prize-money! He didn't do it for nothing, you know. Even a

:43:06. > :43:18.tiny percentage of his endorsements would make him a wealthy man.

:43:19. > :43:25.That was a rocket! That backhand barely had two revolutions of spin

:43:26. > :43:47.on it. That was an interesting play from

:43:48. > :44:40.Nadal, kept the ball very low. He is looking at the umpire, and has

:44:41. > :44:48.decided to do the war cry. -- Hawk-Eye. It was pretty close.

:44:49. > :45:11.This umpire took charge of the French Open final, Rafa beating

:45:12. > :45:42.Djokovic. Wonderful defence from Nadal.

:45:43. > :45:56.Kukushkin through the kitchen sink at him. -- threw the kitchen sink.

:45:57. > :45:57.And again, he kept the ball very low, forcing Kukushkin to heated up

:45:58. > :46:58.over the net. UMPIRE: Kukushkin leads three games

:46:59. > :47:02.to two, first set. Huge hitting off the ground from

:47:03. > :47:05.Kukushkin. You would never guess that prior to the East

:47:06. > :47:13.Championships, he had never won a match at Wimbledon. Now then, one of

:47:14. > :47:20.the reasons why Rafa finds it harder on grass than on clay is obviously

:47:21. > :47:27.his huge forehand top-spin, the ball really rears up on a clay court,

:47:28. > :47:33.gets very high indeed. On grass, it flattens out much lower. He has

:47:34. > :47:37.driven Roger Federer bananas over the years, Roger trying to play his

:47:38. > :47:45.single-handed backhand up around his ears. It stays lower on a grass

:47:46. > :47:49.court. But also that is by design. Rafa hits the ball with less spin on

:47:50. > :47:55.a grass court, because he has better results when he pushes his

:47:56. > :48:00.opponents back, when he is more aggressive.

:48:01. > :48:05.UMPIRE: Time. Those high balls don't grab the court is well on a grass

:48:06. > :48:13.court. So opponents can attack them easier. So he hits the ball

:48:14. > :48:14.inordinately hard. On this court surface, much harder than he does on

:48:15. > :50:24.clay. Superb!

:50:25. > :50:29.APPLAUSE Come on, he might not hit four

:50:30. > :51:03.shots in a row that crisply again in his life.

:51:04. > :51:22.It was a case of hard, harder, hardest.

:51:23. > :51:29.You get chosen to play on this Centre Court at Wimbledon, and

:51:30. > :51:53.suddenly, new sponsors patches appear on your shirt.

:51:54. > :52:04.UMPIRE: Game, Nadal. Three games all, first set.

:52:05. > :52:14.Whyte first ace of the match, for Nadal,.

:52:15. > :52:24.The first ace for Nadal, and everybody thought this would be a

:52:25. > :53:11.gentle stroll for him, but Kukushkin is giving him the match.

:53:12. > :53:25.That is just extraordinary hitting. It really is apparent that Kukushkin

:53:26. > :53:30.came into this match with a clear strategy, and he said, I am not

:53:31. > :54:16.going to let this guy push me around.

:54:17. > :54:23.Well, that return right back at Kukushkin before it even recovered

:54:24. > :54:37.from the service action. It is amazing how hard Rafa can hit

:54:38. > :55:05.it given the extreme rip he uses. He's a contortionist.

:55:06. > :56:01.It was there, just fractionally long.

:56:02. > :56:18.And once again, Nadal exhibiting the touch that he has around the net. He

:56:19. > :57:03.is one of the game's better volley is.

:57:04. > :57:09.Smiles that indicate people saying, I haven't heard of this guy, and

:57:10. > :57:44.he's really good. That was the third deuce, longest

:57:45. > :57:58.match of the game so far. Once again, Kukushkin scoring with

:57:59. > :59:56.the down the line drive. UMPIRE: New balls, please. Kukushkin

:59:57. > :00:01.leads four games to three, first set.

:00:02. > :00:09.Terrific backhand from Kukushkin. It looks as though Nadal was back in

:00:10. > :00:17.control of the rally. Once he anticipated the shot just prior to

:00:18. > :00:22.that. Now, let's have a look at the total winners. Kukushkin really

:00:23. > :00:27.going for his shots out here, twice as many winners as Nadal. Of course,

:00:28. > :00:29.the other side of the equation is that he is going to make more

:00:30. > :00:35.unforced error is, but as long as the winners, and he had ten, exceed

:00:36. > :00:42.the unforced error is, this guy has got a chance. Exactly right, of

:00:43. > :00:47.course he has. If he can maintain this form, of course he has a

:00:48. > :00:53.chance. UMPIRE: But that is a big if,

:00:54. > :00:59.because this guy just sucks the life out of you. Sir Bradley Wiggins,

:01:00. > :01:04.alongside Sir Philip Brook, chairman of the All-England Club. Bradley

:01:05. > :01:08.sadly not in the Tour de France this year which starts in Leeds the week

:01:09. > :01:16.today. Leads to Harrogate is the first leg. My wife comes from Leeds,

:01:17. > :01:17.and she is very proud of the fact that the tour is starting in her

:01:18. > :01:47.home city. ever won four games in a set against

:01:48. > :02:55.Nadal. He hasn't made any real impact on

:02:56. > :03:20.the Nadal serve. Only won four points so far.

:03:21. > :03:30.The good news for Kukushkin is that it doesn't entirely matter how well

:03:31. > :03:31.he plays in every Nadal service game. He just needs to play well in

:03:32. > :04:06.one. As long as he keeps holding. Wow Plan A - serve out wide, get a

:04:07. > :04:24.return that is not a winner and then hit into the open court.

:04:25. > :04:48.that have you to get the first hit in the rally.

:04:49. > :04:54.Four aces now for Kukushkin. Both men have served 18 aces in the

:04:55. > :05:31.championships. He just goes straight to the

:05:32. > :05:53.down-the-line shot almost every time.

:05:54. > :06:01.His friends thrilled understandably by the way Mikhail Kukushkin has

:06:02. > :06:03.started this match. You might have thought four-all is getting to the

:06:04. > :06:11.sharp end of the set, the nerves would set in, but he seems nerveless

:06:12. > :06:19.so far. So far so good. Yeah, well. I don't know. I think that one set

:06:20. > :06:28.he's going to come out and just crush the ball. If he gets close to

:06:29. > :06:35.actually winning a second set, then the nerves will start to escalate.

:06:36. > :06:43.Of course, the third, yeah, that would be very interesting. It

:06:44. > :06:49.happened to Lukas Rosol, a set and 4-2 up, a set and set point up. He

:06:50. > :06:54.couldn't take advantage. Because then you start thinking, well,

:06:55. > :06:59.actually, I'm up two sets to love and I have a chance to win this. The

:07:00. > :07:04.instant your mind goes into future mode, you're in trouble.

:07:05. > :07:06.You have no power in the future or the past. You have to stay right

:07:07. > :07:26.here, right now. Nadal serving to stay in this

:07:27. > :07:29.opening set. He lost the first set of his first two match that's

:07:30. > :07:58.yearment -- year.

:07:59. > :08:27.Impressive power from Kukushkin here.

:08:28. > :08:30.He couldn't have struck it much better. He tried to go over the high

:08:31. > :08:36.part of the net, though. The acoustics with the roof shut are

:08:37. > :09:55.fascinating. Successive love service games from

:09:56. > :10:09.Rafael Nadal. Still we await the first break point

:10:10. > :10:33.of the match, let alone a break of serve. 41 minutes, 5-5.

:10:34. > :10:42.That shot was a very poor return of a second serve.

:10:43. > :11:28.Ah, well, there's always the next World Cup.

:11:29. > :11:36.What's going on? A complete mis-hit and then a really poorly-struck

:11:37. > :11:42.forehand. I would say that he's not yet in the

:11:43. > :12:02.zone. He's not striking the ball as purely as he would like.

:12:03. > :12:08.That's the beauty of Rafael Nadal, he just keeping plugging away.

:12:09. > :12:45.Eventually, that rhythm seems to come.

:12:46. > :13:18.Two missed first serves and Nadal has been onto those two.

:13:19. > :13:25.Hawk-Eye tells us so much more than just whether the ball is in or out.

:13:26. > :13:30.It's already come up with a little analysis here showing how Kukushkin

:13:31. > :13:34.is opening up the court by concentrating on Rafa's backhand,

:13:35. > :13:38.52%, and then, as you pointed out, he's hitting those forehand

:13:39. > :13:39.down-the-lines, those red dots, those are the winners.

:13:40. > :13:45.down-the-lines, those red dots, those are Yeah, and those are either

:13:46. > :13:48.forehands down-the-line or backhand cross-courts.

:13:49. > :13:59.If Nadal drops the ball short into Kukushkin's backhand, that is an

:14:00. > :14:04.opportunity to take the ball, because Nadal, you see where the 52%

:14:05. > :14:09.is, that's where Nadal likes to camp out, in that light-green area. From

:14:10. > :14:15.there he can hit forehands just about all the time. He cheats into

:14:16. > :14:21.that direction. If you can pummel a few flat ground strokes into his

:14:22. > :14:27.forehand then often, you can generate a few winners. Kukushkin

:14:28. > :14:35.has done that time and again today, at least on his own serve.

:14:36. > :14:39.Kukushkin in that lovely situation knowing that at worst he's into the

:14:40. > :15:24.tie-break. Almost a free game here. It's an unsung part of his game

:15:25. > :15:29.really, the serve for Nadal. He just needs a little foot hold in the

:15:30. > :15:31.rally and his serve is awkward. It spins and slides. It's hard to get a

:15:32. > :16:00.purchase on it. He's going to challenge here,

:16:01. > :17:29.Kukushkin. Judging from the body language he's not overly optimistic.

:17:30. > :17:38.Nadal going into the tie-break having won the last 15 points on his

:17:39. > :17:44.serve. He has a winning record in tie breaks this year, 11 won, 7

:17:45. > :18:02.lost. For Kukushkin, six won, 11 lost.

:18:03. > :18:09.Nadal has to be the favourite in this tie-break. I don't know,

:18:10. > :18:46.though. Kukushkin in that rally appeared to back off a little bit.

:18:47. > :18:57.That's a great return. Immediately the mini-break cancelled out.

:18:58. > :19:01.Any strategy that you're committed to is better than no strategy at all

:19:02. > :19:32.or a wishy-washy one. Oh, terrific play! I'd say he's

:19:33. > :20:33.committed - wouldn't you? ! It's absolutely stunning how hard

:20:34. > :22:06.all the players in the draw hit the ball off the ground now.

:22:07. > :22:15.Every point in this has been won with a winner. Rafa must be

:22:16. > :22:19.thinking, "What's going on here? I played Martin Klizan, exactly this

:22:20. > :22:24.sort of tennis in set one. Lukas Rosol in set number one, exactly

:22:25. > :22:31.this sort of tennis. He must be thinking, "What am I a punching bag?

:22:32. > :22:37.Kukushkin is playing lights-out tennis. This will be the best set

:22:38. > :22:41.he's played this year. Incidentally, that's what's happening outside, it

:22:42. > :22:46.is pouring down. Hope you're enjoying it, despite the weatherment

:22:47. > :22:53.-- weather. At least you've got something to watch.

:22:54. > :23:19.Incredibly, that's the first point that Nadal has won on serve in the

:23:20. > :24:21.breaker. Three set points not man who'd never

:24:22. > :24:32.won a match at Wimbledon until this year.

:24:33. > :24:55.-- for the man who'd never won a match at Wimbledon until this year.

:24:56. > :25:00.Is that what you Americans would call a swing and a miss? Yes, I

:25:01. > :25:27.believe so. He's going to have to come from a

:25:28. > :25:45.set down again, Nadal. That's fun! I'm not sure if

:25:46. > :25:52.everybody in here is totally thrilled at that result, but

:25:53. > :25:59.certainly Kukushkin's box is. It certainly makes for a more dramatic

:26:00. > :26:07.match than perhaps we were expecting, before this thing started

:26:08. > :26:11.off. Rafa's going off, presumably for a bathroom break and to change

:26:12. > :26:22.his shirt. They must be wondering what on earth

:26:23. > :26:27.is happening to halva at these championships. I tell you what's

:26:28. > :26:36.happening is that he's up against guys who are playing with no fear,

:26:37. > :26:45.who are hitting the ball a ton. 17 winners for Kukushkin. Against

:26:46. > :26:48.unforced errors. So he's playing effective

:26:49. > :26:54.It did look as though Nadal was dominant in that set. He was.

:26:55. > :27:03.Certainly on serve. Kukushkin wasn't getting a sniff until the tie-break.

:27:04. > :27:08.Then he just lit it up. Nadal 11 winners, four unforced errors and

:27:09. > :27:12.he's thinking, how on earth have I lost that set? I've won more points

:27:13. > :27:23.than the guy but I haven't won the set. Yeah and so, I guarantee you

:27:24. > :27:28.one thing, Rafa has not gone into panic mode. Because he's been here

:27:29. > :27:35.before. He's played against guys who have come out all guns blazing and

:27:36. > :27:41.he's just waited them out. That's exactly what he will do, because

:27:42. > :27:48.it's one thing playing lights-out tennis for 57 minutes. As Kukushkin

:27:49. > :27:55.has here today. It's another thing doing it for two hours, three hours,

:27:56. > :28:00.then you really start to ask a lot of a guy who doesn't do that week

:28:01. > :28:09.in, week out. That is the huge advantage that the top players have

:28:10. > :28:18.is they win every day. They're physically and mentally tough as

:28:19. > :28:22.nails. You know, you gain more strength physically, well, mentally,

:28:23. > :28:26.I should say, mentally, emotionally, you gain more strength every time

:28:27. > :28:31.you win a match, every time you're competing. A guy like Kukushkin will

:28:32. > :28:38.be playing two, three matches Max in a week. Rafa will be playing five,

:28:39. > :28:41.six, every week. The big difference, of course, between the majors and

:28:42. > :28:46.tour tournaments is that here it's the best of five. So, you might, if

:28:47. > :28:51.it were the best of three sets, Rafa might be worried, but he's thinking,

:28:52. > :29:00.this guy's got to win two sets to beat them. Exactly right. That is

:29:01. > :29:06.why the majors are the majors, because the best players invariably

:29:07. > :29:13.win. They don't always win, but a huge percentage of the time the best

:29:14. > :29:15.players win. That's why everybody, you know, a victory here is a

:29:16. > :29:18.massive event because you you know, a victory here is a

:29:19. > :29:22.massive event because beat the best guy at his almost, when he has the

:29:23. > :29:29.advantage. You've beaten the house almost.

:29:30. > :29:37.Oh, dear, that is depressing, isn't it? We were forecast heavy rain. I'm

:29:38. > :29:43.told it's supposed to get a little drier later. So keep your fingers

:29:44. > :30:05.crossed, folks. Many of you with your Prince y -- ponchos on.

:30:06. > :30:13.Come on, David, they're British! Aren't you Brits like seals any way?

:30:14. > :30:17.It's fun out in the We wouldn't rain. Have the green, green grass of

:30:18. > :30:24.home without the rain, would we? No, sir.

:30:25. > :30:35.Right. We are in the second hour of the match and the second set of the

:30:36. > :31:21.match and Nadal, the second seed, is a set down.

:31:22. > :31:25.All the noise you can hear is the rain, absolutely lashing down on the

:31:26. > :32:03.roof. Barely a revolution of spin on

:32:04. > :32:11.Kukushkin's backhand. It is just a rocket.

:32:12. > :32:20.What has happened here is that the little trembler device that calls

:32:21. > :32:21.the let courts has worked its way loose and they are doing a little

:32:22. > :33:16.adjusting. He'd just asks the umpire, was that

:33:17. > :33:19.long? Got the little nod, so decided not to challenge. Yes, disappointing

:33:20. > :34:11.because he struck that immaculately. Thank heavens we do have a roof,

:34:12. > :34:16.because in a few years' time we will have a roof over Court Number One as

:34:17. > :34:19.well. Very necessary this afternoon, otherwise we would have just a few

:34:20. > :34:27.minutes of play. They managed to macro games on Court Number One. --

:34:28. > :34:33.they managed to macro games on Court Number One. It throws the scheduling

:34:34. > :34:40.into chaos, doesn't it? You can hear the rain falling. That is a camera

:34:41. > :34:50.on a hoist. You can see the rain on the lens. The Australians are going

:34:51. > :34:52.to have three rooms next year, but then they close it rather more for

:34:53. > :35:10.the heat than the rain. Kukushkin leads the aces count, 6-5

:35:11. > :35:29.now. Oh, my word. Fortunately, it is out,

:35:30. > :35:43.but is he all right? Yes. It was a heavy fall. The grass

:35:44. > :35:59.wasn't too happy, either. He knows what it is like to hit the

:36:00. > :36:17.dirt after being tripped occasionally.

:36:18. > :36:43.The power that this man is inflicting it every ball with.

:36:44. > :37:22.Oh, he has mystic! He played a terrific point -- he has missed it.

:37:23. > :37:24.That was two inches away from being the best point of the match by quite

:37:25. > :38:27.some distance. That is an interesting play from

:38:28. > :38:31.Rafa. Stood upon the baseline, took the second serve early, almost to

:38:32. > :38:35.say, I can't rally with this guy. This guy is too strong for me from

:38:36. > :39:22.the back. Better hurt him immediately.

:39:23. > :39:37.Very nearly found the line with the penultimate shot. You can see Rafa

:39:38. > :39:40.found it impossible to time that ball properly. With the erratic

:39:41. > :41:22.bounce. Well, such has been the sustained

:41:23. > :41:24.quality of this much that inevitably we are going to get or more two

:41:25. > :41:57.roles. -- lulls. A third love service game of the

:41:58. > :42:01.match for Rafael Nadal. After an hour and 13 minutes we still await a

:42:02. > :42:09.break point in this match. Kukushkin, we can have a look, his

:42:10. > :42:15.aggressive forehand direction. The vast majority, as you have been

:42:16. > :42:18.going -- as you have been pointing out, going down the line to the

:42:19. > :42:30.Nadal forehand. Just a few crosscourts. Yes. And the winners,

:42:31. > :42:46.by and large, have been down the line to the forehand.

:42:47. > :42:52.Matthew Pinsent, or Sir Matthew, I should call him, talking to the wife

:42:53. > :43:01.of the chairman of the club, Mrs Brooks. There is Steve Redgrave.

:43:02. > :43:10.Victoria Pendleton is there. Nicola Adams, just in front of her as well.

:43:11. > :43:15.Pinsent and Redgrave, you can't separate them, can you? Although

:43:16. > :43:27.Matthew did stay on and win one more gold medal after Steve had retired.

:43:28. > :43:39.This is where it gets tough for Kukushkin. It is almost like the dog

:43:40. > :43:44.days of a match. Early in the second set you have to maintain incredibly

:43:45. > :43:55.high standard of concentration and intensity.

:43:56. > :44:37.Another brilliant shot, going down the line on the backhand.

:44:38. > :45:02.When he gets the first serving, he's winning 76% of the points, Kukushkin

:45:03. > :45:09.Once again, an adult attacking the second serve. -- an adult attacking

:45:10. > :45:32.the second serve. Nadal apologising. He did well to

:45:33. > :45:38.get it back in play but he did not intend this at all.

:45:39. > :45:44.Kukushkin gave him a dirty look, that is why you have won so many

:45:45. > :46:23.tournaments, you are lucky! I am sure David Beckham knows that

:46:24. > :46:38.this is the first break point the match after 77 minutes of play.

:46:39. > :46:43.And if Kukushkin worried about that? No, just comes up with a massive

:46:44. > :47:23.serve. And because Kukushkin has gone up

:47:24. > :47:28.the line so often with that forehand, he froze Nadal there.

:47:29. > :47:49.Nadal not expecting the crosscourt at all.

:47:50. > :49:07.No wonder uncle Toni is fidgeting. A second chance.

:49:08. > :49:30.This guy has such an unquenchable thirst for competition, hasn't he?

:49:31. > :49:37.Every much he plays, he brings those sorts of emotions to the fore. It is

:49:38. > :49:48.remarkable. The first break secured. There are a lot of wise

:49:49. > :49:52.heads. The device is giving us problems again. The wise old heads

:49:53. > :49:55.will be saying, oh, that is the turning point. He will be all right

:49:56. > :50:15.now. A bit premature. But it very possibly could be the

:50:16. > :51:09.turning point. An immediate challenge here. The

:51:10. > :51:45.call was a little late. That might have induced the challenge.

:51:46. > :52:18.Well, you wouldn't blame Nadal for saying, what is going on here?

:52:19. > :52:27.Why aren't you in the top ten, playing like this?

:52:28. > :53:02.But just in case you haven't noticed, Mikhail, I'm number one!

:53:03. > :54:25.I think he was hoping that ball would go long.

:54:26. > :54:35.Well, Nadal's camp will be breathing a little more easily now, after

:54:36. > :54:39.those three successive games. Kukushkin really have an opportunity

:54:40. > :54:45.is there to get back at him. Got to 30. Yes, but that is the sort of

:54:46. > :54:55.pressure that other top players put on opponents. You feel so much

:54:56. > :54:59.pressure, a 30-30 point. OK, it is not even half an opportunity but you

:55:00. > :55:07.feel so much pressure that you have to make every one of them. Because

:55:08. > :55:15.if not, well, you are for-1 down. That is the mental pressure. They

:55:16. > :55:18.put it on everyone else. They maintain such a high standard that

:55:19. > :55:25.on the other side of the net you think I've got to be perfect. From

:55:26. > :55:32.start to finish. And perfection is not easy to maintain. Now, I gather

:55:33. > :55:39.it is a little better outside. Not quite lashing down as it has been.

:55:40. > :55:46.But it is a combination of the roof and the giant screen means you can

:55:47. > :56:01.watch some tennis, even if it is confined to just the one court.

:56:02. > :57:02.Really starting to struggle behind his second serve now, Kukushkin. The

:57:03. > :57:16.percentage is dropping. Yes, and Nadal will force a change

:57:17. > :57:20.of tactics to force Kukushkin to take more risks with the second

:57:21. > :57:21.serve. Either serve more powerfully, or direct the ball close to the

:57:22. > :57:35.lines. It will probably induce a few more

:57:36. > :58:23.double faults as a result. I swear this guy runs backwards

:58:24. > :58:28.faster than a lot of players run forwards. Watch where he hits this

:58:29. > :58:32.shot from. The ball is curving. He is outside the tramlines, and yet

:58:33. > :58:39.still maintains perfect balance. What an athlete he is.

:58:40. > :59:08.Four games in a row. Serving for the second set.

:59:09. > :59:16.Now, what is Kukushkin doing? Has he broken string, perhaps? Certainly

:59:17. > :59:30.changing his racquet. Perhaps hit it off the top of the

:59:31. > :00:14.frame and the frame cracked a little bit. It can sometimes happen.

:00:15. > :00:45.surprise. Rafa has dropped the opening set in his two previous

:00:46. > :00:49.matches. He is going well on centre. Crowd is enjoying the match under

:00:50. > :00:53.the roof. They're the only spectators at Wimbledon enjoying

:00:54. > :00:57.their day. On outside courts, there's no play. There's plenty of

:00:58. > :01:01.brollies on the hill It's been raining heavily. There's been one

:01:02. > :01:07.shower after another. There's no play until at least 3. 30pm on

:01:08. > :01:10.outside courts that. Means all sorts players, scheduled here with their

:01:11. > :01:14.third-round matches, will to sit wait. Many of them will be force

:01:15. > :01:19.come back and finish those on Monday. That is scene outside. We

:01:20. > :01:23.are guaranteed tennis here at Wimbledon, I'm delight say. After

:01:24. > :01:37.Rafael Nadal completes his match, have:

:01:38. > :01:44.Peter you were saying that this man brings this amazing competitive

:01:45. > :01:48.intensity to matches. When you were playing, I suppose if you could

:01:49. > :01:53.choose one guy to play for you, it would have been Jimmy conners, the

:01:54. > :02:00.ultimate street fighters, but this man equals him in terms of the sheer

:02:01. > :02:04.joy he gets from competing. It's extraordinary. He's won nine French

:02:05. > :02:11.Opens. Wouldn't you have thought that at some point, he'd get a

:02:12. > :02:20.little bored? Or, well, tired. It just doesn't seem to have happened

:02:21. > :02:28.ever. It's not all peaches and cream out there either. There's another

:02:29. > :02:33.man who thrives on match play. Ian Poulter, put him in a Ryder Cup

:02:34. > :02:42.shirt and he's a different man to a stroke play competition. He loves

:02:43. > :02:43.that head to head. Shame about his fashion sense, but never mind.

:02:44. > :02:53.No-one's perfect. I'd cash his endorsement cheques

:02:54. > :03:07.though. The start of this set very important

:03:08. > :03:12.for Kukushkin, having lost five games in a row. He cannot afford to

:03:13. > :03:36.let Nadal get away from him early in the third set.

:03:37. > :03:43.The good news for Kukushkin is that it's an entirely new contest here as

:03:44. > :03:59.we start the third set. The bad news is he hasn't start today that well.

:04:00. > :04:06.That's nasty when you try to slide on this surface and it doesn't react

:04:07. > :04:11.the way you expect that. Was very exlos to a hyperextended knee.

:04:12. > :04:51.I think he'll be thrilled he got out of that with just a heavy fall.

:04:52. > :05:00.Oh, goodness, how did he worm his way out of that rally?

:05:01. > :05:51.You don't want to be trapped on the ropes by Nicola Adams.

:05:52. > :06:10.Rafa was in all kinds of trouble during that rally.

:06:11. > :06:43.Come on Tony, you can smile. Things are getting better.

:06:44. > :06:50.If you were going to be hyper critical of Kukushkin in the

:06:51. > :06:54.penultimate rally when he had Rafa running from side to side, he could

:06:55. > :06:59.have moved forward for an easy volleyment It's easy to say that,

:07:00. > :07:03.but how many times have we seen Rafa ten feet behind the baseline rip

:07:04. > :07:08.winners, when you least expect them? It's takes a lot of guts to come

:07:09. > :07:14.into net, especially on a ball that's in the open court, that he's

:07:15. > :07:18.about to hit a forehand off of. You're right, in hindsight, he

:07:19. > :07:24.probably could have finished the rally from the forecast. --

:07:25. > :07:30.forecourt. It's not easy to force yourself to doment

:07:31. > :08:45.-- do. All the momentum now behind this man.

:08:46. > :08:52.He watches a lot of tennis during this fortnight, that's for sure. If

:08:53. > :09:17.you're the chairman of the club, it's required.

:09:18. > :09:47.5-0 -- five love-service games for Rafael Nadal now.

:09:48. > :09:51.Leon Smith, of course, the Davis Cup captain and one of Andy Murray's

:09:52. > :10:09.original coaches. We haven't seen many of those in the

:10:10. > :10:16.last half an hour. Ungur forced error from Nadal.

:10:17. > :10:32.Flexing the knee after that, as if that fall has hurt him a little bit.

:10:33. > :10:43.Even Nadal has had a little lull in this game.

:10:44. > :10:54.Snaps out of it pretty quickly, though.

:10:55. > :11:41.The angle he develops here! You do not want to drop shot Rafael

:11:42. > :11:46.Nadal unless it's absolutely perfect.

:11:47. > :11:51.Yeah, as soon as Nadal saw Kukushkin approach the ball with the racquet

:11:52. > :13:04.face open, he was off. Relief for Kukushkin, as he wins his

:13:05. > :13:07.first game in eight. He came onto court with the strapping on the

:13:08. > :13:16.knee, which suggests he's maybe got a little bit of tendonitis. Fall was

:13:17. > :13:29.a nasty moment, as you poipted out, Peter. -- poirnted. -- pointed out.

:13:30. > :13:34.His knee bent backwards. That will have scared him. It could have been

:13:35. > :13:40.game over right there. But the knee appears all right. The

:13:41. > :13:48.bigger problem for him, well, he's got a couple: Number one, Rafael

:13:49. > :13:56.Nadal is starting to get a full head of steam. Number two, Kukushkin, at

:13:57. > :14:10.some point, probably in the not too distant future, will start to

:14:11. > :14:14.fatigue. Perhaps that process is further down the road from a mental

:14:15. > :14:23.perspective than a physical one. I'm sure this guy can run all day. But

:14:24. > :14:28.mentally, it gets more arduous to maintain that high level of

:14:29. > :14:31.concentration intensity the longer you go, when you're in such

:14:32. > :15:20.pressurised circumstances. You suspect the young lady there is

:15:21. > :15:33.one of the juniors, their competition gets under way today.

:15:34. > :15:59.Sign him up for the cricket team, if he can catch like that!

:16:00. > :16:04.Sachin Tendulkar wouldn't like a catch like that in the slips if he

:16:05. > :16:22.ever slipped one, not that he ever did.

:16:23. > :16:26.Catching was never Phil Tufnell's strength. He could spin the ball

:16:27. > :17:10.pretty well. Where do you approach the net with

:17:11. > :17:53.this guy? He's so quick. He had quite a shot on him, bobby

:17:54. > :18:18.Charlton, with that left foot. He played brilliantly for an hour

:18:19. > :18:49.and a quarter, but it's all fading away for Kukushkin now.

:18:50. > :18:56.Ace on the second serve. You said he would have to go for more. That's

:18:57. > :18:58.the first time we've seen him kick it out that way to the Nadal

:18:59. > :19:13.forehand. Kukushkin has stopped. He thinks the

:19:14. > :19:37.ball was out on his baseline. Now then, the umpire is on the

:19:38. > :19:40.telephone to Hawk-Eye. Because he thought there might have been a

:19:41. > :19:45.malfunction. It There wasn't. Just was a false alarm. What happens

:19:46. > :19:46.incidentally, if there is a malfunction, the original call

:19:47. > :20:16.stands. Last night in that Cilic win over

:20:17. > :20:18.Tomas Berdych, it got so dark that Hawk-Eye could no longer work, there

:20:19. > :21:02.wasn't enough light for it. There's one of the cameras that

:21:03. > :22:09.Hawk-Eye works off. Again, beautiful little volley here

:22:10. > :22:13.from Rafael Nadal. Peter, if I can be presumtive and say, look, it

:22:14. > :22:18.appears now that Nadal is through the crisis and it's plain sailing,

:22:19. > :22:22.what's better for a player, going into a second week of a major, to

:22:23. > :22:26.have played three matches in which he's had to come from behind? Or

:22:27. > :22:30.three very straightforward matches, as Andy Murray has done, winning

:22:31. > :22:35.them all comfortably in straight sets? I asked that question to

:22:36. > :22:39.Johnny Mac every day, and he said he would take two, two and two every

:22:40. > :22:42.time. He would rather an easier match. But what doesn't kill you

:22:43. > :22:46.makes you stronger. Nadal certainly is a lot stronger than he was coming

:22:47. > :22:50.into this event. He's played against three guy who's have come out all

:22:51. > :22:55.guns blazing and really have pushed him around. They've said, you know

:22:56. > :23:00.what, I can play with you. But in the last half an hour, Nadal has

:23:01. > :23:08.shown us why he is such a great player. Why he's probably still the

:23:09. > :23:12.best player in the world. That is a guy like Kukushkin, he has to red

:23:13. > :23:19.line his game. He's got to play to the very best of his ability

:23:20. > :23:29.throughout. If he drops off 5%, that's enough for Nadal to usurp

:23:30. > :23:32.him, just to start inhibiting what Kukushkin wants to do and pulling

:23:33. > :23:40.away. That's exactly what he's done now. As you say, it looks pretty

:23:41. > :23:42.smooth sailing from here. Can Kukushkin regroup and put together

:23:43. > :24:30.another challenge? I don't know. David Tennant is here. A very fine

:24:31. > :25:27.actor, former Doctor Who of course. Ace number nine for Nadal. More

:25:28. > :26:01.importantly, 70% first serves in play.

:26:02. > :26:04.Kukushkin now struggling win points behind the first serve, let alone

:26:05. > :26:39.the second. He will want to hold this service

:26:40. > :26:45.game. At the very least, he forces Nadal to serve out for this third

:26:46. > :27:03.set, so that Kukushkin can start off the fourth.

:27:04. > :27:32.Nadal is just getting stronger and stronger. Yeah, and with a lead like

:27:33. > :27:34.this, there's no pressure on him to actually need to put the ball into

:27:35. > :28:20.play. So he's just free wheeling. SUE BARKER: It's one-way traffic now

:28:21. > :28:25.on Centre Court, all Rafael Nadal. He is in charge. We'll be back with

:28:26. > :28:29.the fourth set in a moment. But while everyone's enjoying the tennis

:28:30. > :28:32.on Centre Court, they're not having as much fun outside. Many are

:28:33. > :28:36.watching the tennis on the hill, but that's the only tennis they're going

:28:37. > :28:42.to be watching. The rain is still falling. The forecast is not good

:28:43. > :28:46.for this afternoon. But they're still sitting in their seats, still

:28:47. > :28:49.hoping. Probably some of them here at Wimbledon for the very first time

:28:50. > :28:53.and this is their experience. Hopefully they'll get some tennis.

:28:54. > :28:57.Andy Murray has had some tennis though. He's been here earlier

:28:58. > :29:02.today. He was on the practice courts, indoors though, not at the

:29:03. > :29:05.outdoors. He arrived after the rain came down. He's smiling, on his way

:29:06. > :29:09.home. He got the job done last night. He'll be back next week to

:29:10. > :29:13.play Kevin Anderson. Will it be on Monday or will it be Tuesday?

:29:14. > :29:17.Because with so many matches held over from today, if the forecast is

:29:18. > :29:20.right, that's going to be a big talking point around the club. But

:29:21. > :29:24.no problem for Centre Court and we've got plenty of tennis to enjoy,

:29:25. > :29:29.because there's also Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer still to come.

:29:30. > :29:36.Let's enjoy watching Rafa and the start of the fourth set.

:29:37. > :29:43.Some lovely shots of Nadal now in absolutely full flight. I was

:29:44. > :29:48.thinking, of course, Rafael Nadal would expect to play, assuming he

:29:49. > :29:57.goes on to win from here, his fourth-round match on Monday. But,

:29:58. > :30:00.if the other match doesn't take to the court today, that doesn't

:30:01. > :30:09.happen. They're not going to make us work on a Sunday, are they? No.

:30:10. > :30:15.Well, he'll have to wait till Tuesday. His opponent will have to

:30:16. > :30:20.play two days in a row. Tom Daley would feel at home in this sort of

:30:21. > :30:25.weather, I guess. Terrific diver on the left. Another seal! He doesn't

:30:26. > :30:29.mind the wet weather. Where I come from, west Wales, it's

:30:30. > :31:07.a fact of life. I want to see signs from this man

:31:08. > :32:05.that he still believes. I'm not sure he does. It would be understandable.

:32:06. > :32:07.realise that he has got to make a huge effort here, just to get back

:32:08. > :32:43.into the match. Once again, than the dull slice

:32:44. > :32:49.serve -- the Nadal slice serve, opening things up for him. OK, fine,

:32:50. > :32:52.Nadal held serve to love there. This, the most important game for

:32:53. > :32:58.Kukushkin, if he is going to make any sort of a challenge.

:32:59. > :33:10.That is rather nice! Hedging his bets with his favourites, I

:33:11. > :33:13.suppose, with those T-shirts. The fabulous four, Nadal, Djokovic,

:33:14. > :33:44.Federer and Murray. Not the fastest serve, but excellent

:33:45. > :34:06.placement. And that has been the change. As

:34:07. > :34:12.soon as Nadal stepped up into the court and started punishing

:34:13. > :34:44.Kukushkin's second week of service. It has been one-way traffic.

:34:45. > :34:54.Those were the rallies that Nadal was losing in the first set. Not any

:34:55. > :34:57.longer. Stuart Broad, of course. Didn't even realise he'd got a

:34:58. > :35:14.hat-trick against Sri Lanka. Extraordinary.

:35:15. > :35:23.There, the shake of the head. The body language is flat now.

:35:24. > :36:49.It is wide. Nadal breaks. 13 of the last 14 games have been won by

:36:50. > :36:51.Rafael Nadal. All the alarms of the opening set are now totally

:36:52. > :37:12.forgotten. You don't really need the shades on

:37:13. > :37:30.under the roof, do you, sir? He is hung over!

:37:31. > :37:46.Well, that time he got around it. Hasn't happened often over the last

:37:47. > :38:22.couple of sets. Hasn't faced a break point yet in

:38:23. > :38:58.this match, Nadal. The first time he has been down 0-30.

:38:59. > :39:09.Two hours and ten minutes it has taken him to get to this, break

:39:10. > :40:09.points. A second serve to take advantage of

:40:10. > :40:17.a break point. Yes, those unforced errors have

:40:18. > :41:19.really mounted. Well, a little pick-up overcome by

:41:20. > :41:29.Rafer, in his remorseless progress continues. Yes, that just might have

:41:30. > :41:33.been the last gasp from Kukushkin. Two Test match captains together,

:41:34. > :41:37.Andrew Strauss and Sachin Tendulkar. I am not sure their exchanges out in

:41:38. > :41:47.the middle were always as pleasant as that. He looks as if he has been

:41:48. > :41:50.on the receiving end of some Mitchell Johnson bounces for the

:41:51. > :41:58.last hour, bruised and battered and bewildered.

:41:59. > :42:06.The memories of how well he played in that first set, particularly in

:42:07. > :42:14.the tie-break, are fading. Yes. It is not a happy place to be right

:42:15. > :42:20.now. For Kukushkin. It is almost as though he has got to play out this

:42:21. > :42:25.string, you know. He must surely think, well, all right, maybe a

:42:26. > :42:29.miracle can happen. Maybe I can pull something together. Maybe Nadal will

:42:30. > :42:38.get injured. I have got to just keep out here as as possible. -- as long

:42:39. > :42:42.as possible. And if the worst comes to the worst, there is a cheque for

:42:43. > :43:31.?73,000 waiting for him in the prize-money office.

:43:32. > :43:38.You have got to feel for Kukushkin a little bit. I feet -- I have a

:43:39. > :44:37.feeling that need is not 100% any more. -- knee.

:44:38. > :45:46.UMPIRE: Kukushkin is challenging the call on the line. The ball was

:45:47. > :46:01.called out. A good challenge again. Nadal is

:46:02. > :46:08.amazed. UMPIRE: Replay the point. He can't

:46:09. > :46:13.believe it. He is saying, is that the right replay? He was convinced

:46:14. > :46:42.it was well out. Just a little fatigue, that is all

:46:43. > :46:51.that is required to send those sorts of shots awry.

:46:52. > :46:57.As you were saying, Peter, there is as much mental fatigue because he

:46:58. > :46:59.hasn't been able to sustain the incredible quality of his play in

:47:00. > :47:08.the first set, understandably. At some point he has started to lose

:47:09. > :47:36.confidence. Yes, that sort of kick seven --

:47:37. > :48:00.second serve, not good enough, it bounced up in the hitting zone.

:48:01. > :48:12.Oh, well done. Extraordinary defence again.

:48:13. > :48:16.This sort of point was commonplace in the first set. Where have they

:48:17. > :49:09.gone? This is a nightmare, when you are

:49:10. > :49:32.playing against a guy who is being that aggressive on returns.

:49:33. > :50:02.Well, at least he is still fighting and that is good to see. The fifth

:50:03. > :51:05.deuce, four break points saved. As always, the Centre Court crowd

:51:06. > :51:10.very knowledgeable, giving Kukushkin a big hand. They know how tough it

:51:11. > :51:16.has been for him in the last hour. Ever since he dropped serve for the

:51:17. > :52:21.first time in the match in the fourth game of the second set.

:52:22. > :52:46.Again, hitting a winner from way outside the doubles tramline. He has

:52:47. > :53:21.a new friend, Kukushkin. Peter, how do you hit that angle?

:53:22. > :53:27.How does one hit it? I sure as hell don't. That he is able to hit that

:53:28. > :53:29.ball is accurately as he does, moving backwards, at such speed,

:53:30. > :53:51.incredible. The force of his will is absolutely

:53:52. > :54:34.colossal. So 4-1, and Rafael Nadal having been

:54:35. > :54:38.out hit, to be honest, in the first set and in particular in the first

:54:39. > :54:46.set tie-break, he is now utterly dominant. I suppose there is the old

:54:47. > :54:51.adage of being played into form and his form now is awesome. It has

:54:52. > :54:55.really been the pattern, hasn't it, throughout Roland Garros. There were

:54:56. > :55:01.a number of matches that he looked as though he was off-colour to start

:55:02. > :55:07.off, and then just war opponents down. That has been the case in all

:55:08. > :55:17.three of his matches here at Wimbledon. And so the real question

:55:18. > :55:27.is can one of the other top guys, can Djokovic or R Murray, or whoever

:55:28. > :55:34.else comes up against him, manage to maintain the required level of play?

:55:35. > :55:39.Long enough to let's say when two sets. Sir Trevor, he is an avid

:55:40. > :55:46.tennis player. I see him out here all the time. A member of the Club.

:55:47. > :55:47.That is the Members Stand. He loves his tennis, loves his cricket of

:55:48. > :57:16.course. I love the way on some backhands

:57:17. > :57:23.Rafer will rip through them flat, on the short angle. He had a lot of

:57:24. > :57:42.brush up on it. Top-spin, creating the angle.

:57:43. > :57:50.For the double break. -- three break points for the double break, which

:57:51. > :58:59.will surely decide this match. Ever the perfectionist, ever the

:59:00. > :59:04.competitor. This is the reaction to getting the double break. Just

:59:05. > :59:10.yelling at his team and saying, OK, problem solved. Serving for the

:59:11. > :59:47.match. Oops. That wasn't a bad bounce, was

:59:48. > :59:50.it? I am not sure if it was due to the court, or due to the line. But

:59:51. > :00:25.yes, it most certainly was. Just missed it.

:00:26. > :00:28.UMPIRE: Kukushkin will challenge the call. The ball was called out.

:00:29. > :00:59.Kukushkin challenging. Pete Sampras - a blast from the

:01:00. > :03:22.past. We may have anticipated some 6-1

:03:23. > :03:26.sets, but we didn't anticipate the set at the start. Nadal's had to

:03:27. > :03:33.come from behind in all three matches in week one. The smile tells

:03:34. > :03:44.you, he's into week two. That up the matly is all that matters. Yeah, and

:03:45. > :03:50.ultimately his camp, his followers will be thrilled with his progress

:03:51. > :03:54.through. He's come up with three inspired opponents, but none of them

:03:55. > :04:07.have been able to stay with Nadal for more than a set. He's through

:04:08. > :04:12.imperiously to week number two. He must begin to become the favourite.

:04:13. > :04:20.Well, come on! You've got plenty more shirts.

:04:21. > :04:28.I think he's feeling pity on the crowd. Nice to see Rafa applauding

:04:29. > :04:32.his opponent off. Kukushkin can look back on a week in which he won two

:04:33. > :04:51.matches at Wimbledon for the first time, nice bit of prize money. His

:04:52. > :04:55.ranking will certainly improve. Ever the perfectionist. His preparation,

:04:56. > :05:01.his water bottles and collecting all his stuff afterwards. Bradley will

:05:02. > :05:21.know all about great preparation. Great champions recognising the

:05:22. > :05:29.performance of a great champion, those final three sets. Quite

:05:30. > :05:39.extraordinary. So, he will play either Nick Kirios or YuriVesily.

:05:40. > :05:46.The earliest they could play, the winner this afternoon match, against

:05:47. > :05:54.Nadal would be on Tuesday. We may have a big change of

:05:55. > :05:59.second-week scheduling as a result no play. Yeah, perhaps not ideal,

:06:00. > :06:05.well not ideal for anyone really. Nadal, I suppose, would have, would

:06:06. > :06:11.feel a lot better about his position simply in that he is through. Yeah,

:06:12. > :06:14.and if he gets an extra day off, that's not the end of the world, is

:06:15. > :06:33.it? It's a shame this guy is not popular

:06:34. > :06:37.(! ) What's so nice about our game is that the guys at the top of it

:06:38. > :06:55.are such nice men. A lovely souvenir to take away. He's

:06:56. > :07:05.going to stay there all day. You're my hero.

:07:06. > :07:12.Well, he's almost finished his work for the day. Except he has about

:07:13. > :07:15.another hour to do of all the various press conferences. He'll

:07:16. > :07:25.have to do all the television interviews. He'll talk fluently in

:07:26. > :07:35.English and Spanish. The ball kids just get a moment's relaxation

:07:36. > :07:40.before they will be back to work. It's Maria Sharapova and the fans

:07:41. > :07:45.can disect it all and say, we were there, we watched our hero. But

:07:46. > :07:50.don't bring those hats again. They really don't suit you, nothing

:07:51. > :07:55.personal. I suppose at least it guaranteed their getting on the

:07:56. > :08:04.telly. All right, how are we going to celebrate tonight? A few

:08:05. > :08:12.cervesas? Perhaps a vino tinto as well. Rafa's first job is to chat to

:08:13. > :08:16.our man Rishi. Well done. The first set took almost

:08:17. > :08:20.an hour, but you then sped through the next three sets, which you won.

:08:21. > :08:26.You won the match. What changed after that first set? I think at the

:08:27. > :08:30.beginning, he was playing no mistakes, very aggressive. Hi a few

:08:31. > :08:37.mistakes with the second serve of him. I make a few unforced errors

:08:38. > :08:42.with that second serve. That led to the tie-break. In the tie-break I

:08:43. > :08:48.didn't serve my best that. Was the real thing what happened and without

:08:49. > :08:55.serving your fwhest a tie-break -- your best in a tie-break. You had a

:08:56. > :09:00.couple of slips and falls, how is the body? He is normal, no? The

:09:01. > :09:04.first week, normally the court is more slippery than in the second

:09:05. > :09:07.week. Especially in days like today, a little bit more humid, when the

:09:08. > :09:13.sunshine is there, it's a bit more dry. But that's part of the game and

:09:14. > :09:17.physical performance looks good. That's the most important thing for

:09:18. > :09:21.me. I finished all the matches playing better than what I started.

:09:22. > :09:25.That's always You've come positive. From behind all week. How well set

:09:26. > :09:29.do you feel for the second week of Wimbledon? You never know, but I'm

:09:30. > :09:33.very happy to be in the second week again, after two years losing in the

:09:34. > :09:42.first and second rounds. Playing well, good speed, fighting for every

:09:43. > :09:46.ball and finding, trying to find the right solutions during the game.

:09:47. > :09:49.That's what I did. I think I finished playing Lovely inter well.

:09:50. > :09:52.Action with the crowd at the end as well. How much do you enjoy that and

:09:53. > :09:58.how much do you enjoy your reaction when you take your shirt off and

:09:59. > :10:02.they scream for you? Well, the crowd always is very special, around the

:10:03. > :10:08.world, no, but here in London, I always have very good connection

:10:09. > :10:13.with the people here and playing the Centre Court always makes me feel

:10:14. > :10:17.very emotional and unbelievable memories of this court and the

:10:18. > :10:22.crowd, always have been amazing. Thanks a lot to them because when

:10:23. > :10:25.I'm able to play here, they make me feel very Well done special. Today.

:10:26. > :10:30.Good luck next week. Thank you. SUE BARKER: What a gracious

:10:31. > :10:33.champion, as we saw with the autographs, he's such a giving

:10:34. > :10:36.player as well. That's why the crowds love him and they support

:10:37. > :10:42.him. He's through to the second week, what a relief after the past

:10:43. > :10:45.two years here. Joy in the Nadal camp and uncle Tony absolutely

:10:46. > :10:47.delighted because Rafael Nadal is through to the second week and

:10:48. > :10:58.through to the Fourth Round. And a souvenir or two for the crowd.

:10:59. > :11:02.They're the lucky ones today, because they're the only ones who

:11:03. > :11:09.are watching any tennis. It's raining outside. Yes, they were the

:11:10. > :11:14.loudest supporters of all. But Rafa is through. Tracey and Lindsay are

:11:15. > :11:18.watching with me here, quite an atmosphere. It's great. I love it.

:11:19. > :11:25.Because the sun, it's pretty light, it's coming through. Due mention the

:11:26. > :11:28.sun? ! It's light, and Rafa has to be happy that he's getting through.

:11:29. > :11:33.Everybody else is biting their finger nails. Serena is 1-1 in the

:11:34. > :11:38.first set. Rafa another slow start. He lost the first set for the third

:11:39. > :11:42.match in a row, but then he got so much better and became more

:11:43. > :11:45.aggressive, more returning particularly on the backhand Doesn't

:11:46. > :11:49.matter side. As long as he wins the match. The motivation he's come in

:11:50. > :11:52.this year, after not doing well the last two years is remarkable. He's

:11:53. > :11:56.treated all three of these first rounds, the first, second and third

:11:57. > :12:00.round like they were finals. He's put it with his emotion, every time

:12:01. > :12:04.he wins, he's so excited to be in the second week here. After his

:12:05. > :12:07.performance this week, I wouldn't be surprise today he's gone up in the

:12:08. > :12:13.odds for the title. Rafael Nadal departs to the locker room. Maria

:12:14. > :12:17.Sharapova and Allison Riske are heading to Centre Court. They're

:12:18. > :12:19.delighted to be able to play today. Here comes the champion of ten years

:12:20. > :12:33.ago, Maria Sharapova. APPLAUSE

:12:34. > :12:38.So Maria Sharapova back on Centre Court. She loves this court. But

:12:39. > :12:43.she's up against Allison Riske of the United States. We will hear more

:12:44. > :12:47.about her in just a moment. They are the lucky ones, because this is the

:12:48. > :12:52.scene outside around Wimbledon. There's only been about ten minutes'

:12:53. > :12:58.play here today, so for all of the thousands of people that have queued

:12:59. > :13:03.for a long time to get into Wimbledon are really just watching

:13:04. > :13:06.the rain come down. A few lucky ones on the Hill watching the big screen.

:13:07. > :13:10.They're watching the play on Centre Court. But not pleasant conditions

:13:11. > :13:15.for them to have their picnic up on the Hill. Earlier on BBC Two, we

:13:16. > :13:20.showed you a challenge we did with our colleagues in Brazil. It was

:13:21. > :13:22.Wimbledon versus Brazil, a keepy-uppy challenge. Here is the

:13:23. > :13:34.leaderboard. Now it's time to see the British

:13:35. > :13:45.number one. Come on, Andy. Watch this, Seedorf with a tennis

:13:46. > :14:01.ball. I'm about to have a poor attempt at

:14:02. > :14:26.the challenge, not for lack of trying, but just for technique.

:14:27. > :14:37.# Let's get ready to rumble # Let's get ready to rumble

:14:38. > :15:35.# Watch us wreck the mic # I'm not going to get better than

:15:36. > :15:39.that, I don't think. There he is, right to the top of the

:15:40. > :15:43.leaderboard by a huge margin. It's advantage Wimbledon and I think

:15:44. > :15:47.that's going to be unbeaten. Wasn't that impressive. So impressive! It

:15:48. > :15:51.didn't look like he was trying. He made a couple of saves in the net as

:15:52. > :15:57.well. Get away from the net at all times. A little bit less effort that

:15:58. > :16:01.Petchey was doing. Jumping all over. Looked like he was doing the

:16:02. > :16:06.can-can. I think David Beckham would be impressed with that. Lindsay and

:16:07. > :16:11.I aren't even going to try! Nor am I. We will be washing our hair or

:16:12. > :16:16.doing something! Back to the match. Oh, just in case you want to have a

:16:17. > :16:24.go and if you beat Andy or get close, send in a film of you doing

:16:25. > :16:30.the challenge. Send it to #copa-uppy. Back to the tennis and

:16:31. > :16:33.Maria Sharapova, great for her again, knowing she's going to come

:16:34. > :16:39.out and play. This isn't an easy match. It isn't, Allison Riske, her

:16:40. > :16:42.best surface is grass. . She's been to the semifinals at Birmingham a

:16:43. > :16:46.couple of times. Her game is suited to the grass. She has a pretty big

:16:47. > :16:49.serve. She doesn't mind finishing points at the net. The most

:16:50. > :16:54.important thing is she hits her ground strokes very flat and hard. I

:16:55. > :17:00.don't think she will be intimidated by the atmosphere here either. She's

:17:01. > :17:04.a very confident young lady, beat Petra Kvitova at the US Open. Maria

:17:05. > :17:07.Sharapova is playing very well though. Only lost four games into

:17:08. > :17:11.the third round. When they win the French Open they're worried about

:17:12. > :17:16.recovering physically but emotionally. Maria took days off

:17:17. > :17:19.after that and watched Grigor at Queen's and seems very relaxed come

:17:20. > :17:25.intoing Wimbledon and very hungry as well. And in that last match, which

:17:26. > :17:29.was her 40th match win here at Wimbledon, she has a good record

:17:30. > :17:33.here, but 27 out of 33 points won on the first serve is impressive. And

:17:34. > :17:36.it will make it easier for Maria today with the roof closed. This is

:17:37. > :17:41.perfect conditions for Sharapova. The one place I wouldn't want to

:17:42. > :17:47.play Maria - indoors. She seems to play better tennis. Riske is a great

:17:48. > :17:51.player, but it's a different level at times when you play the power

:17:52. > :17:54.tennis of Maria. If she's hitting them deep and continues to serve

:17:55. > :17:58.well, this could be a match where she's able to dominate with her

:17:59. > :18:03.power. Very much like Roger and Rafa, there's an aura about Maria on

:18:04. > :18:07.the court. Definitely. Particularly the way that she wins whenever her

:18:08. > :18:12.back is against the wall, it doesn't matter if you have Maria and what

:18:13. > :18:16.score line, she is so respected to have such great mental toughness and

:18:17. > :18:21.every single points, she reminds me of Rafa on the men's side. Doesn't

:18:22. > :18:25.matter if it's a first-round match or the semifinals at Wimbledon,

:18:26. > :18:29.she's so engaged in every point. She never takes off a point or a day in

:18:30. > :18:33.A tall tennis. Girl though Allison, a good serve. She does have a good

:18:34. > :18:38.serve. What she does better than anything is she gets down so low.

:18:39. > :18:42.She uses her legs really well. The grass is normally why she does so

:18:43. > :18:53.well, she can get it in her strike zone because she bends so W -- Well.

:18:54. > :18:56.She beat Pavlyuchenkova in the first round, a seeded player. She will

:18:57. > :19:01.think of this as an opportunity. I talked to her coach, who works with

:19:02. > :19:05.Allison in the United States and he said she really wants to jam Maria

:19:06. > :19:09.sometimes and try to expose her movement and get her on the run. She

:19:10. > :19:12.knows it's really important to get that first strike, because Maria is

:19:13. > :19:16.so good at getting that first strike with her own serve and with her

:19:17. > :19:20.return of serve. I was reading quotes from Maria saying that she's

:19:21. > :19:25.aware of this and she knows she really has to overpower her from the

:19:26. > :19:29.first More important ball. Ly, this Wimbledon, Maria is relaxed. She won

:19:30. > :19:33.the French Open two years ago. She seemed overwhelmed here last year,

:19:34. > :19:36.she was fatigued after the French Open final. She seems more relaxed,

:19:37. > :19:40.happy about the French, but has settled in nicely for Wimbledon.

:19:41. > :19:43.When Maria can get off to the one-two combination, a big serve or

:19:44. > :19:47.big return, it's tough to recover against her in the point. With the

:19:48. > :19:51.roof closed today and the ball right in her strike zone, that could be

:19:52. > :19:55.favourable for We will her. Hear more from Lindsay in the commentary

:19:56. > :19:59.box. Tracey, thank you very much. We are set, next on Centre Court it's

:20:00. > :20:24.the French Open champion, Maria Sharapova.

:20:25. > :20:29.Maria Sharapova in the third round here at Wimbledon, Lindsay's on her

:20:30. > :20:42.way. Good afternoon to Barry Davies. Well, it's a big afternoon for

:20:43. > :20:46.Allison Riske, ranked 44 in the world and celebrates her 24th

:20:47. > :20:57.birthday next Tuesday, getting her opportunity to play one of the

:20:58. > :21:00.greats. Possibly watch the match in perspective in terms of the

:21:01. > :21:12.different quality between the two players at the start, at least, that

:21:13. > :21:14.Allison Riske played her first match in the second degree of tennis

:21:15. > :21:18.competition in 2004. in the second degree of tennis

:21:19. > :21:23.competition in 2004. A year when Maria Sharapova won her first Grand

:21:24. > :21:41.Slam title. It was here at Wimbledon.

:21:42. > :21:53.I think she will echo a bit with the roof closed. Lindsay Davenport has

:21:54. > :21:55.just joined me. A familiar figure and familiar star we're about to

:21:56. > :22:22.see. That's a great return there from

:22:23. > :22:24.Riske. She's going to have to go for her return, especially that second

:22:25. > :23:02.serve, when she sees one. exploit the movement of Sharapova.

:23:03. > :24:11.When you try pull her wide, you open the angles for Sharapova.

:24:12. > :24:18.That's excellent hitting from Riske, who got the upper hand in this rally

:24:19. > :24:21.with her depth and as soon as she saw Sharapova on her back foot,

:24:22. > :24:48.behind the baseline, rips the forehand.

:24:49. > :24:57.We've seen it happen before with Maria, but you can't ask for a

:24:58. > :25:00.better start than that for Riske. So often we see a player come out to

:25:01. > :25:05.Centre Court for their first big match out here and be overwhelmed by

:25:06. > :25:13.the occasion. So, it's always important to get off to a good

:25:14. > :25:18.start. Look at that, Mrs Gillbrook is the only person in the Royal Box

:25:19. > :25:22.right In fairness now. , there are a lot of other empty seats, after a

:25:23. > :25:25.match of such intensity. It's exhausting watching Rafael Nadal.

:25:26. > :26:00.People need a break. Hopefully they'll come back in.

:26:01. > :26:35.She's definitely playing with considerable freedom.

:26:36. > :27:11.Sharapova will tloock break down the forehand of Riske. -- will look to

:27:12. > :27:33.break down the forehand of Riske. Interesting clench of fist and then

:27:34. > :28:38.tap of thigh, "Come on", she says to herself.

:28:39. > :28:42.of our transmission here on BBC One. It's football next from the World

:28:43. > :28:46.Cup, Brazil versus Chile. That's on BBC One. We're moving the tennis to

:28:47. > :28:50.BBC Two. We have the conclusion of this match and Roger Federer on

:28:51. > :28:55.court later. Tennis on two, see you there. Bye-bye..