Day 1, Part 1

:00:11. > :00:14.This is the national programme. Now we are going to take you over to

:00:15. > :00:32.Wimbledon... Irresistible, majestic. Wimbledon

:00:33. > :00:52.champion. Wimbledon, a place like no other in

:00:53. > :00:58.the sporting world. 140 years of history, 140 years of grass court

:00:59. > :01:02.tennis. 140 years of glorious memories. During that time

:01:03. > :01:06.generations have seen Legends born, champions made, heroes and heroines

:01:07. > :01:12.striving to win in their pursuit of greatness. 140 years is a long time,

:01:13. > :01:18.but Wimbledon is as relevant today as it was for the first

:01:19. > :01:29.Championships back in 1877. And to play here, to win here, even just to

:01:30. > :01:41.be here, it's a privilege. Yes, this place is special.

:01:42. > :01:48.I grew up dreaming and reading about Wimbledon my whole life.

:01:49. > :01:52.Keep coulomb courts. It was a tradition, it was like our Super

:01:53. > :01:58.Bowl. You could feel a traditional magical thing inside those gates.

:01:59. > :02:03.Walking through the gates, everything was so new. I was a zero

:02:04. > :02:09.of the whole place. It was amazing. I immediately fell in love with it.

:02:10. > :02:18.This is heaven. I loved the court, the atmosphere of the place. It was

:02:19. > :02:23.just different. You walk out on Centre Court, there's such a harsh

:02:24. > :02:29.before everybody explodes. The most famous tennis court in the world.

:02:30. > :02:34.This court definitely feels like home. Everything I am is because of

:02:35. > :02:42.this court. I'm going to try this and it is not going to be easy,

:02:43. > :02:49.thanks to everybody... Wimbledon is the Golden Globe you're aiming for.

:02:50. > :02:56.I came here for one reason only to try and win Wimbledon. The chalk

:02:57. > :03:02.blew up! The waiting is over! In a class of her own. It is like living

:03:03. > :03:12.in a dream world. A fairy tale. It is one of the most beautiful things

:03:13. > :03:14.that can happen to as a tennis player.

:03:15. > :03:17.Wimbledon in the words of so many great champions. What a history it

:03:18. > :03:20.has. The 2017 Championships are about to get underway, the latest

:03:21. > :03:24.chapter in the greatest Grand Slam tennis tournament in the world. To

:03:25. > :03:28.be crowned champion you must win seven matches over two weeks with

:03:29. > :03:33.the pressure and expectation building over every round. There are

:03:34. > :03:38.two notable absences this year. Defending champion Serena Williams

:03:39. > :03:42.who is expecting her first child, and no Maria Sharapova who pulled

:03:43. > :03:47.out because of injury. But the other big names I here and we will follow

:03:48. > :03:51.their progress. Among the arrivals here, one of the most watchable

:03:52. > :03:55.players on tour, it Nick Kyrgios. We were worried after that horrendous

:03:56. > :04:01.fall at Queen's Club but he is healthy, fit and ready to play and

:04:02. > :04:04.is on court in just a moment. Also arriving, Juan Martin Del Potro, a

:04:05. > :04:11.former Grand Slam winner and semifinalist here. And one of the

:04:12. > :04:16.danger men, Feliciano Lopez, fresh from his victory at Queen's Club. No

:04:17. > :04:22.one in the draw will want to face him and one of his big serves.

:04:23. > :04:29.Agnieszka Radwanska, a former winner and seeded nights. Venus Williams is

:04:30. > :04:33.just going through the motions, a gentle warm up. She will be on court

:04:34. > :04:38.later today, the five-time champion. All eyes have been on this man and

:04:39. > :04:42.the hip injury. Today on the practice courts, just looking like

:04:43. > :04:48.he is moving a little freer. He will start the defence of his title on

:04:49. > :04:53.Centre Court. This tournament, not only treasured by the players but

:04:54. > :04:57.the fans love it as well. The gates opened at 10:30am this morning. The

:04:58. > :05:02.queues were so long. Some people have been queueing since Saturday

:05:03. > :05:06.morning, such is its appeal, and of course the prospect and the as he

:05:07. > :05:10.starts the defence of his title. The crowds rushing to take their seats,

:05:11. > :05:14.to find where their favourites are playing. There are 18 courts to

:05:15. > :05:25.choose from and I can tell you that just walking around the grounds

:05:26. > :05:28.here this morning, I have never seen Wimbledon looking better. The

:05:29. > :05:31.flowers everywhere, just perfection. The courts looking immaculate as

:05:32. > :05:35.always. So, we are ready to get underway and we have made our way

:05:36. > :05:39.right by Henman Hill. Joining me for the opening day, Tracy, Matt and Tim

:05:40. > :05:45.are here. Tim, I have to say, you must be so proud, it has never

:05:46. > :05:49.looked better? It is amazing. It is important to reflect that is

:05:50. > :05:53.actually a building site. There were some massive cranes in the process

:05:54. > :05:57.of constructing the roof on Court Number One but when you see it

:05:58. > :06:01.today, it looks amazing. The attention to detail, the flowers,

:06:02. > :06:06.the courts, it is ready for action. There is always a buzz on the

:06:07. > :06:11.opening day of a Grand Slam, Tracy? Absolutely. The word that comes up

:06:12. > :06:19.is opportunity. I do think there has ever been a women's draw as

:06:20. > :06:22.wide-open as this year. We might get something similar to the French Open

:06:23. > :06:28.at Wimbledon. I think there are ten or 15 women who have the prospect of

:06:29. > :06:34.taking the title. And Rafa and Roger with the prospect of winning the

:06:35. > :06:39.men's. Mac, it is 90 years of coverage here at Wimbledon, 50 years

:06:40. > :06:45.of colour television and 40 years of year here! Well put! Can I just say

:06:46. > :06:49.that because London and Great Britain has been going through a

:06:50. > :06:54.rather difficult period recently, we as ex-tennis players and the players

:06:55. > :06:57.who play here thank them and the police and everyone else, when we

:06:58. > :07:03.come here it is as beautiful as ever. We do our thing and we

:07:04. > :07:09.hopefully get the chance to say something semi-intelligent and it is

:07:10. > :07:14.awesome. Well said, well said. Going back to 1977, your first Wimbledon,

:07:15. > :07:18.like a lot of people's first Wimbledon, it is nerve-racking? It

:07:19. > :07:26.was a crazy time in London. It was the punk rock era. Johnny Mac

:07:27. > :07:31.inherited the punk of tennis, somewhat deservedly so. This was a

:07:32. > :07:36.life changer for me. Playing in this event for the first time. Next thing

:07:37. > :07:42.I am on Centre Court with Jimmy Connors. That was my first match on

:07:43. > :07:46.Centre. I played one match on Court Number One. I walked around in total

:07:47. > :07:53.anonymity, it was awesome, and then the rest is history! Before we move

:07:54. > :07:59.on, talking of the ladies' championships, I know you have been

:08:00. > :08:05.vocal about Serena Williams. Have I? Has it been in the news this week?

:08:06. > :08:09.Not this again! Everyone knows I believe Serena is a magnificent

:08:10. > :08:13.champion and she is the greatest female tennis player in my mind who

:08:14. > :08:18.has ever lived. At the number I came up with would have been better left

:08:19. > :08:23.unsaid and it is apples and oranges. But I would say if the women are in

:08:24. > :08:27.arms about it, we could offer to have the men and women play together

:08:28. > :08:32.in the same circuit for the next two years, starting in 2018. What do you

:08:33. > :08:37.think? I liked the first part of your paragraph much better. You are

:08:38. > :08:42.healing things at the beginning. Let's move forward. Absolutely! You

:08:43. > :08:46.have got your book out. You have talked about Serena but what did you

:08:47. > :08:52.say about him? What did I say about him? That he was pretty good for an

:08:53. > :08:58.Englishman. I did not believe in my heart of hearts going against the

:08:59. > :09:04.likes of Sampras and other great champions that it would be difficult

:09:05. > :09:11.for him to win. Is that fair to say? He has thrown a couple of grenades

:09:12. > :09:21.already! It is 11:35am! He likes to get you on the back foot little bit.

:09:22. > :09:26.Can I sell the book! Are you in the book, Sue? We will plug the book so

:09:27. > :09:32.much because he was nice about me! I was not even in it. Why'd you think

:09:33. > :09:40.I brought it up?! Sales will go through the roof. But both men's and

:09:41. > :09:43.women's are awesome? After what Roger did in Australia which was one

:09:44. > :09:47.of the greatest achievements I have ever seen in sport, much less

:09:48. > :09:51.tennis, and then Rafa turning it around, all of a sudden they are on

:09:52. > :09:59.the top of their game again. What is going on with Novak and Andy? They

:10:00. > :10:04.have injuries. You are waiting for someone to break through. It is a

:10:05. > :10:08.great time in the men's game. It was an unbelievable shot in the arm for

:10:09. > :10:13.Roger. And the women, I was covering that. If you told me that someone 50

:10:14. > :10:18.in the world would go and win the French Open, especially when she was

:10:19. > :10:23.break points down. The producer said we have got to get something else

:10:24. > :10:27.going. That would leave me to believe that ten, 15, 20 other women

:10:28. > :10:34.are saying, hey, maybe I can win this. Of course, I have a soft spot

:10:35. > :10:38.for Petra Kvitova after what happened to her. She is so great at

:10:39. > :10:43.Wimbledon and it would be nice to see her pull it off. That is my

:10:44. > :10:49.pick. That would be a fairy tale, having been stabbed by an intruder

:10:50. > :10:56.only back in December. We saw Venus practising them. She has not got

:10:57. > :11:02.Serena with her full support. She was in a car accident a few months

:11:03. > :11:06.ago which resulted in the death of a man. She said she was heartbroken.

:11:07. > :11:12.She has not done any press. She will do a press conference later. It is

:11:13. > :11:16.not an easy time for her. It is not an easy time to start Wimbledon when

:11:17. > :11:23.you are already emotional over that tragic accident. Venus is only one

:11:24. > :11:28.of two ladies who have won the title, the other being Petra

:11:29. > :11:35.Kvitova. They both have extenuating circumstances. Petra had her playing

:11:36. > :11:38.hand stabbed multiple times, slicing through tendons. It will be

:11:39. > :11:42.interesting to see if the Mrs to emotional or if she is able to put

:11:43. > :11:48.that aside. Venus is 37 years old here. It is incredible. I think she

:11:49. > :11:52.won her first title back in 2003 and she is still playing at the peak of

:11:53. > :11:57.her powers. She is someone who can still take the title. Once she steps

:11:58. > :12:04.into the All-England Club, this sits her game perfectly. It will be

:12:05. > :12:08.difficult for that not to be a distraction. Venus played great in

:12:09. > :12:12.the finals of Australia and in the French. So you are thinking,

:12:13. > :12:18.especially without Serena being here, that she can win this thing

:12:19. > :12:26.but it is hard to compartmentalised this stage. And hard not to talk

:12:27. > :12:32.about. Just briefly, on Andy Murray, the hip injury, do you think he is

:12:33. > :12:37.fit and healthy? Fingers crossed. It has been the story of his year. He

:12:38. > :12:41.has not been able to gain any momentum. I think he did fantastic

:12:42. > :12:45.to get to the French on the back of poor preparation but coming into

:12:46. > :12:49.Wimbledon, it is such a special event, he is the defending champion,

:12:50. > :12:54.he is so good on grass. Fingers crossed, he can have a great run.

:12:55. > :13:01.Andy Murray will be on Centre Court when play gets underway at one

:13:02. > :13:05.o'clock. He is up against Sasha name-macro, a six foot four

:13:06. > :13:08.progression is talent. He dropped his phone in a cafe when he heard he

:13:09. > :13:46.would be an centre. We hope that Johanna Konta's back is

:13:47. > :13:51.fit. She is up against Hsieh Su-Wei. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will be up

:13:52. > :13:57.against the British wild card, Cameron Norrie.

:13:58. > :14:03.Heather Watson had a wonderful Eastbourne. She looks to be back at

:14:04. > :14:07.her best. We have been talking about the contenders but who are the main

:14:08. > :14:11.men this year? Phil Jones can tell us more.

:14:12. > :14:16.The Fab four are reunited at the top and the men's Championship has

:14:17. > :14:21.rarely been so inviting. The Wimbledon king is primed to rain

:14:22. > :14:28.again. Roger Federer targets an unprecedented eighth title here. The

:14:29. > :14:34.latest of his Grand Slam crowns, is his Australian Open slammer. No one

:14:35. > :14:38.does it here better. Novak Djokovic, his all conquering dominance is now

:14:39. > :14:45.more folklore than fact, but he is a three-time Wimbledon champion and

:14:46. > :14:48.too much of a legend to let this next chapter go unscripted. Rafa

:14:49. > :14:53.Nadal has a storybook fable all of his own after winning the French

:14:54. > :14:59.Open. Recent Wimbledon 's have been cruel. But be warned, this is a

:15:00. > :15:06.resurgent Rafa. For stammering Kerr, Wimbledon remains the one who got

:15:07. > :15:13.away. -- for Stan Wawrinka. The best here is the quarterfinals twice.

:15:14. > :15:18.Alexander Zverev is just out of his teens and into the men's top ten

:15:19. > :15:22.after beating Novak Djokovic to win the Italian open back in May. He is

:15:23. > :15:27.a German with a pedigree game for grass. Australia's Nick Kyrgios is a

:15:28. > :15:34.former quarterfinalist here with skill and flair undoubted, but a

:15:35. > :15:37.temperament often questioned. Be it brash or brilliant, he is pure

:15:38. > :15:42.theatre. Grigor Dimitrov beat Andy Murray en route to the semis here

:15:43. > :15:45.three years ago and he reached his second slam semi in Australia this

:15:46. > :15:52.year. He wants to muscle in on another major. Queen's finalist

:15:53. > :15:57.Marin Cilic won his only slam of the 2014 US Open. His Croatian mentor

:15:58. > :16:05.Goran Ivanisevic claims he is third favourite for the Northern. Milos

:16:06. > :16:11.Raonic, runner-up here last year, and has served to inflict pain. He

:16:12. > :16:17.is a Canadian force of nature hoping to rediscover his Grand Slam powers.

:16:18. > :16:21.Andy Murray, now Sir Andy, world number one, top seed, Olympic

:16:22. > :16:27.champion, here the defending champion, twice a Wimbledon winner.

:16:28. > :16:30.To make it three would be to emulate Britain's previous greatest, Fred

:16:31. > :16:36.Perry. Golden glory awaits at fortnight's end.

:16:37. > :16:42.They are the top ten. Mac, you get a feel it is the top four you are

:16:43. > :16:49.focusing on. Hold on a second, I was coaching someone last year who got

:16:50. > :16:53.to a Wimbledon final! It is time for someone to step up. Raonic and drop

:16:54. > :17:00.have an opportunity but I would be shocked if it was not one of the top

:17:01. > :17:10.four. -- Dimitrov has an opportunity. To see Federer not play

:17:11. > :17:13.for six months and then win three five setters in Australia was

:17:14. > :17:19.incredible. Rafa Nadal looks unbeatable on clay. And then you

:17:20. > :17:24.have these other two guys, what are their names, Murray and Djokovic I

:17:25. > :17:28.believe. It would be hard pressed to imagine someone could be two or

:17:29. > :17:32.three of these guys. Djokovic went to Eastbourne last week. He has

:17:33. > :17:38.never played a warm up tournament before. He felt he needed it but he

:17:39. > :17:44.won it. Seemed semi-desperate considering he had won Wimbledon

:17:45. > :17:47.before so it did surprise me. It shows his fellow competitors that

:17:48. > :17:52.perhaps he feels a little chink in the armour, but you have seen that

:17:53. > :17:56.in the last year. It is a perfect example with Novak. He was holding

:17:57. > :18:00.off and the next thing you are wondering what is going on, off

:18:01. > :18:05.court issues, personal issues getting the way. You become a

:18:06. > :18:09.completely player when you are not lazily been mentally. Hopefully, he

:18:10. > :18:22.is back contract settling in. He has these new guys around. The thing

:18:23. > :18:27.with Andre, I love this. His career was cut short. I love seeing some of

:18:28. > :18:33.the older younger players and the older younger players than me and

:18:34. > :18:38.ex-champions around. I know, it is great. Mac, I may you have to go to

:18:39. > :18:47.American TV. We will hear from you later. We will carry on talking with

:18:48. > :18:51.Tracy and Tim. Your thoughts on the Murray injury scare? Fingers

:18:52. > :18:55.crossed, it makes sense. For me, a lot of things happen when you are

:18:56. > :19:00.not as prepared as you want to be. No one anticipated he would lose

:19:01. > :19:04.first-round Queen's. But you don't want to panic and then you are

:19:05. > :19:08.stressing because you want to do well and everything starts hurting

:19:09. > :19:14.and you have seven injuries and then just before the event, everything is

:19:15. > :19:24.magnified. I am hopeful, we will see. To me, his record is so

:19:25. > :19:27.consistently good here it would be difficult to imagine, if he is

:19:28. > :19:34.healthy, not to get at least the quarters and semis. They are calling

:19:35. > :19:37.for you, you are needed elsewhere! Talking of Murray, he was out on the

:19:38. > :19:45.practice courts and Lee McKenzie went to watch them.

:19:46. > :19:50.We are here with Murray and Mark Petchey. We have seen him limping

:19:51. > :19:56.around on court, yesterday he said he was fit and well and ready to

:19:57. > :19:59.play at Wimbledon. Is it a halfway house? I think it is a halfway

:20:00. > :20:02.house. At this stage of the tournament you want to say you are

:20:03. > :20:07.fit and you do not want to give anything away but he has been far

:20:08. > :20:12.from 100% in his preparation coming in. Given the nature of the surface

:20:13. > :20:17.and his movement on the court, it is still a course of a concern. Do you

:20:18. > :20:27.think if it was any other tournament he would think about it twice? I

:20:28. > :20:30.think he has been thinking about it twice already but because of the

:20:31. > :20:32.magnitude of the tournament and Father Time is ticking for him, he

:20:33. > :20:36.does not know how many more Wimbledons he has got left, he does

:20:37. > :20:43.want to play. You know you will get 100% out of Andy. You have seen him,

:20:44. > :20:49.how is he moving on court? Helix OK. When you see him walking, he has

:20:50. > :20:52.always had that walk where you wonder if something is wrong. He

:20:53. > :20:58.seems to be walking a little bit more gingerly but when he gets into

:20:59. > :21:02.the point he is moving OK. In terms of the ball striking, he looks

:21:03. > :21:09.great. And you think it is right to take on Bublik in this round and

:21:10. > :21:13.then assess how he is feeling? If he can get himself through the first

:21:14. > :21:16.couple of matches in the first week without too much drama, that will be

:21:17. > :21:21.crucial to his success. The one thing we don't know is how much

:21:22. > :21:25.training he has been able to do, in terms of putting in the miles in

:21:26. > :21:31.case he has to put in four or five sets. There are some unknowns.

:21:32. > :21:42.Thank you, Mark. SUE BARKER: He had such a good

:21:43. > :21:47.French Open, losing the final, he has still got a lot of matches in

:21:48. > :21:51.him? Guest, and there were a lot of variables going into the French. He

:21:52. > :21:54.was ill the week before and did not have a good clay-court season. I

:21:55. > :21:58.think it shows his strength of character, he was not playing the

:21:59. > :22:01.best but he was able to take it one match at a time and work his way

:22:02. > :22:07.into the tournament. I think that has got to be the case here. He has

:22:08. > :22:20.not had good preparation. His practice

:22:21. > :22:24.round prior to this was interrupted. Given his track record, given the

:22:25. > :22:27.nature of this tournament, I think he has got to stay in the moment,

:22:28. > :22:29.come out today and hopefully, put in a good performance and slowly build

:22:30. > :22:32.momentum as the tournament goes on. That is the thing, you feel if he

:22:33. > :22:35.can get through the first two or three rounds and then play your way

:22:36. > :22:38.into it and forget about what happened before? That is what

:22:39. > :22:43.happened that the French. He did not have a lot of great match

:22:44. > :22:48.preparation on clay. One thing that comes into account is his ability to

:22:49. > :22:52.play on grass and his desire and passion. There are semi-players out

:22:53. > :22:59.there who do not feel comfortable on this surface. He has a day off as

:23:00. > :23:04.well and then the hip can start to settle down, I think he will really

:23:05. > :23:07.start to feel a lot better with his game. Going through so many

:23:08. > :23:12.different routines on the court. He has such a great team so you know if

:23:13. > :23:19.anybody can get him fit and ready, it is his team of trainers. He has

:23:20. > :23:23.had the same team of trainers around him so they understand his body.

:23:24. > :23:28.They know the areas he has got to work on to make sure he is as

:23:29. > :23:31.flexible as possible. I think it will be interesting to see him on

:23:32. > :23:36.the court today. His body language is never the best at times, he is

:23:37. > :23:41.always complaining about a few things. With an injury like this,

:23:42. > :23:47.hopefully we don't have to read into it too much. I think it is important

:23:48. > :23:51.how he can come through the early rounds relatively unscathed. If he

:23:52. > :23:55.is out there four hours, you wonder if the foundation he has got coming

:23:56. > :24:00.in, whether he has got the legs on him to keep going. He has been a

:24:01. > :24:13.lucky loser as well. That is a thought in a drawer. He seems like

:24:14. > :24:19.an entertaining young man, Bublik. Jordan Johnson was a lucky loser at

:24:20. > :24:21.Queen's as well, they have a lot of matches on grass, the qualifiers.

:24:22. > :24:26.And they will start the defence of his title at one o'clock. We have

:24:27. > :24:29.been talking about the main men. Now here is filled with the leading

:24:30. > :24:33.women. It is a bone of the tournament. The

:24:34. > :24:43.women's Championship has never been so wide open. -- it is a bowler of

:24:44. > :24:46.it on that. Venus Williams won her first Grand Slam title here 17 years

:24:47. > :24:53.ago. Now 37, reaching the Australian Open final shows she is still

:24:54. > :24:57.stellar. Petra Kvitova is twice Wimbledon champion. She was attacked

:24:58. > :25:02.last December in a robbery at home. Her racket hand was badly damaged.

:25:03. > :25:09.After surgery came recovery and then a sweet comeback which saw her win a

:25:10. > :25:12.title on grass at Birmingham last month. Victoria Azarenka is also

:25:13. > :25:17.back having given birth to a son 6.5 months ago. Twice a Grand Slam

:25:18. > :25:24.champion, this former world number one is a mother on a mission to

:25:25. > :25:28.recapture that global glory. Karolina Pliskova, the 25-year-old

:25:29. > :25:33.Czech player, a runner-up at the US Open. In Wimbledon it has been

:25:34. > :25:39.second round and out for the former world number three. Spain's Garbine

:25:40. > :25:42.Muguruza was a Wimbledon finalist two years ago. She won her only

:25:43. > :25:49.Grand Slam at the French Open last year. She has been as high as world

:25:50. > :25:54.number two. Jelena Ostapenko, only 20 and a breath of fresh air. She

:25:55. > :25:58.just created tennis history by becoming the first Latvian ever to

:25:59. > :26:03.win a Grand Slam and the first unseeded player to win the French

:26:04. > :26:09.Open since 1933. Romania's Simona Halep was a set up at the French

:26:10. > :26:12.Open final this year and lost. Psychological barriers may need

:26:13. > :26:19.tearing down if the world number two is to win her first major title

:26:20. > :26:24.here. Angelique Kerber is world number one. Wimbledon runner-up and

:26:25. > :26:28.twice a Grand Slam champion in 2016, but the German is not in that kind

:26:29. > :26:34.of form this year and lost in the first round of the French Open.

:26:35. > :26:37.Johanna Konta is the top British female player for an age and has

:26:38. > :26:42.reached a career world high of another six but a fall on the grass

:26:43. > :26:47.at Eastbourne last week left questions over her fitness.

:26:48. > :26:52.Conquering a bad back is part of the Wimbledon equation she had not

:26:53. > :26:58.expected. That was such a nasty fall. She got

:26:59. > :27:04.up and won the match but she pulled out of the semifinal. She is a real

:27:05. > :27:09.contender, if you can get over the nerves and pressure of it all? I

:27:10. > :27:13.think she handles it so well. This is the first year she is coming back

:27:14. > :27:17.to Wimbledon as world top ten. That is interesting as it is a whole new

:27:18. > :27:24.landscape. I think she likes to play on this surface. I think the faster

:27:25. > :27:27.service will benefit her style of play. If she continues on she will

:27:28. > :27:34.have Kvitova in the fourth round. I think we could look to big things

:27:35. > :27:39.for Jo. She has made such progress in the last 12 months. Will know the

:27:40. > :27:47.pressure off coming in as British and about one. It is not easy to

:27:48. > :27:51.distance yourself from it? No, I would felt when I was playing here,

:27:52. > :27:56.you have to do a good job controlling the controllable and

:27:57. > :28:02.that is your job and performance. With what is said in the newspapers

:28:03. > :28:06.and on television, you have to shy away from that. I think Jo has the

:28:07. > :28:11.capacity to deal with it. She has had a great year. She won in Miami.

:28:12. > :28:17.Grass is a good service for her. She has to look to be offensive and

:28:18. > :28:20.dictate. The first round will not be easy for her. You look at her

:28:21. > :28:24.Wimbledon record, she has only won once in six times she has played

:28:25. > :28:30.here. That does not bode well but she has had such a fantastic year.

:28:31. > :28:36.As far as other contenders, Petra Kvitova, she only came back at the

:28:37. > :28:41.French Open, but with that big serve, such a danger? That shows how

:28:42. > :28:45.wide open the women's drawings. She won Birmingham and that made

:28:46. > :28:51.everyone think she will be a possible favourite. You don't think

:28:52. > :28:55.so? I do but it is only a third tournament. I think she would like

:28:56. > :28:59.to come back under the radar for only had third tournament back. I

:29:00. > :29:03.think Pliskova is someone to watch as well. She has never been past the

:29:04. > :29:08.second round of Wimbledon but we are putting her as favourite as well

:29:09. > :29:12.because she has 14-macro titles this year. She has been the most

:29:13. > :29:14.consistent throughout. Angelique Kerber, never won in the world and

:29:15. > :29:28.she was a finalist last year. She has had a very

:29:29. > :29:30.difficult year. There has not been a lot of consistency from the women.

:29:31. > :29:33.Varies Angelique Kerber. You just wonder with so many of the big

:29:34. > :29:37.hitters around, how she will get through this draw? Last year in 2016

:29:38. > :29:42.she was serving much bigger, she was much more aggressive from the

:29:43. > :29:45.baseline. She had a lot of confidence but her confidence has

:29:46. > :29:52.been deemed this year. She lost early at the Australian and French

:29:53. > :29:57.Opens. She is not quite as instinctive out there. She is

:29:58. > :30:01.doubting herself in the big moments. Grass is the toughest surface to

:30:02. > :30:04.defend on. If you are not as confident that can go into your

:30:05. > :30:09.movement because you are a little bit tight. If she is not recovering

:30:10. > :30:13.and staying in the rallies, she can be exploited. It will be interesting

:30:14. > :30:16.to see again if you can get on the offence, be aggressive and dictate

:30:17. > :30:29.the points which she does when she is playing her best. I spent the

:30:30. > :30:31.whole French Open giggling watching Jelena Ostapenko. She was

:30:32. > :30:38.incredible, no nerves, nothing. And fearless.

:30:39. > :30:47.47 in the world and came through so many matches, four that she won

:30:48. > :30:50.after losing the first set and in the final, the first of a Grand

:30:51. > :30:55.Slam, it was fortunate she was so young, she did not know what a big

:30:56. > :30:59.deal it was for a 20-year-old. Simona Halep up by a set and 3-0 and

:31:00. > :31:06.she froze and we have a new star in women's to less -- tennis. We will

:31:07. > :31:13.change our minds but a winner for the ladies? Pliskova. I'm going with

:31:14. > :31:19.Kvitova. I'm going Johanna Konta the British double! More to talk about

:31:20. > :31:22.in a moment but I have been talking about how wonderful Wimbledon looks,

:31:23. > :31:28.and we can find out more about it with Rishi Persad. I am out and

:31:29. > :31:34.about sampling what it is like to be around the grounds and I'm by court

:31:35. > :31:37.14 and 18 and in the shadow of Court One where the roof is under

:31:38. > :31:41.construction. Around half a million people are expected to attend the

:31:42. > :31:48.championship and they will be consuming about 230,000 bottles of

:31:49. > :31:54.water and around 130,000 portions of stories and cream but arguably the

:31:55. > :31:58.most important statistic is what the weather will do and the Oracle of

:31:59. > :32:04.all things whether it is with me, Carol Kirkwood! Surrounded by her

:32:05. > :32:10.hordes of fans! What do we have in store for the next two weeks? A bit

:32:11. > :32:14.longer but maybe the next week! For this week we are looking at a lot of

:32:15. > :32:18.dry weather, there is the risk of some thundery showers later on in to

:32:19. > :32:22.Thursday and Friday but they might miss Wimbledon so in the next few

:32:23. > :32:29.days and it should be dry. Today, a lot of dry weather, increasing

:32:30. > :32:35.amounts of cloud, feeling humid with temperatures up to 24 and tomorrow,

:32:36. > :32:42.a lot of dry weather, a bit more cloud but still sunny intervals and

:32:43. > :32:47.24 or 25. So definitely dry? 80% chance it will stay dry! You have

:32:48. > :32:55.filled us with such hope! Thank you very much. We are all set fair and

:32:56. > :33:04.the show courts will begin at 1pm with Andy Murray on first.

:33:05. > :33:12.On Court Number One, Venus Williams starts up. Johanna Konta has a

:33:13. > :33:18.pretty opener against at the player who beat her at the French Open.

:33:19. > :33:26.That is on serve between Tsonga and the British wild card, Cameron

:33:27. > :33:34.Norrie. All of that look forward to before we go we will go and see

:33:35. > :33:38.Laura Robson in her match. Such a tough time for her since she had

:33:39. > :33:43.that wrist surgery in 2014 but she is battling her way back. She had a

:33:44. > :33:46.great job in the last five weeks, playing all on grass, even going to

:33:47. > :33:51.Japan to play a couple of tournaments and get ready. It has

:33:52. > :33:55.been difficult to see Laura who has not risen up the rankings as quickly

:33:56. > :34:02.as we would hope after that surgery. She had been top 30, Bedene Mi Na,

:34:03. > :34:08.Venus Williams, Tim Clijsters, -- beating Lee Na. She still has so

:34:09. > :34:11.many weapons and I think she can break through but this is an

:34:12. > :34:16.important match for her to get points and confidence. Not easy,

:34:17. > :34:20.travelling around the world, playing all of these low-level tournaments

:34:21. > :34:26.and it is hard to break out of that rut. It is hard, especially when you

:34:27. > :34:32.have been towards the top of the game. She was top 30, as you

:34:33. > :34:38.mentioned, but there had been encouraging signs. She had a good

:34:39. > :34:42.tour of Asia, got her ranking into around 170 again and have the

:34:43. > :34:46.consistency of matchplay and tournament play come if she can keep

:34:47. > :34:49.building that moment, she has a great game and is a great ball

:34:50. > :34:53.striker and hopefully she can win today and build on that for the

:34:54. > :34:58.future. She is up against a lefty with a strong serve. Thank you very

:34:59. > :35:03.much, we have plenty of forward to and we will tell you how to watch it

:35:04. > :35:08.because the BBC but we are heading out to court 18 with Laura Robson up

:35:09. > :35:12.against Beatriz Haddad Maia, the Brazilian, a big server who is

:35:13. > :35:17.ranked 97 in the world and already Laura is a break of serve down. We

:35:18. > :35:24.can join our commentators, Sam Smith and Matt Chilton.

:35:25. > :35:30.MATT CHILTON: Difficult start for Laura Robson. Three double faults

:35:31. > :35:36.and she has looked a little nervous at times in the first 23 minutes of

:35:37. > :35:40.this match. And Beatriz Haddad Maia has a big serve and so far as the

:35:41. > :35:48.measure of Laura Robson. 21-year-old, originally from Sao

:35:49. > :36:06.Paulo, now a resident of Rio. Two left-handers, making life

:36:07. > :36:31.interesting. And Robson holds on to maintain an

:36:32. > :36:55.interest in this opening set. Laura Robson with the wrist injury

:36:56. > :36:59.problems over the last three or four years. Wimbledon has traditionally

:37:00. > :37:02.been a happy hunting ground for her, winning the junior title here aged

:37:03. > :37:06.14 and a silver medal in the Olympics in the mixed doubles

:37:07. > :37:10.alongside Andy Murray and she is desperately trying to fight her way

:37:11. > :37:15.back in. In tournaments played on grass in Japan, she won one of them

:37:16. > :37:25.and had an interesting opponent in the round of 16, a player by the

:37:26. > :37:30.name of Rika Fujiwara, every time there was a break, she dropped to

:37:31. > :37:34.the grass and did four or five push-ups! Not at the change of ends

:37:35. > :37:41.but between points and Laura had to deal with that.

:37:42. > :37:51.Anne Keothavong, the Fed Cup captain, Jeremy Bates at the back

:37:52. > :37:56.and Johann or to groom who is the coach from Magnus Norman's Academy

:37:57. > :38:07.in Stockholm and he is looking after Laura Robson right now.

:38:08. > :38:15.SAM SMITH: Just trying to find her feet in this contest, the first

:38:16. > :38:21.meeting between, historically lefties don't like playing each

:38:22. > :38:28.other and they have both looked a little uncomfortable at times.

:38:29. > :38:33.Haddad Maia is someone who is on the up with her ranking, having just

:38:34. > :38:37.broken into the top 100 and when you have been on the lower circuits,

:38:38. > :38:42.that is when you think you belong and you are a proper tennis player

:38:43. > :38:46.so she has a lot of confidence and has won lot of matches this year but

:38:47. > :39:00.very inexperienced on grass and at Grand Slam level.

:39:01. > :39:05.She has got some insect action at the broadcast Centre end of court

:39:06. > :39:24.18. In the opening half an hour she has

:39:25. > :39:25.had real problems reading the Haddad Maia serve and she has switched it

:39:26. > :39:42.up and been very clever out here. She sends in these big first serves

:39:43. > :39:48.around 110... And they are swinging as well, loaded with slice.

:39:49. > :40:00.Yes. Laura Robson just stood and watched that sailed past and Haddad

:40:01. > :40:06.Maia is one game from clinching the opening set. We have seen this a

:40:07. > :40:10.lot, the big serve and she shapes up for the forehand, the big con

:40:11. > :40:14.extreme grip which they tend to have on the clay in South America. Not

:40:15. > :40:22.really the grip for a grass court but she is making it work. 3-5 after

:40:23. > :40:39.28 minutes, Robson is serving to save the opening set.

:40:40. > :40:48.APPLAUSE After all the years of problems with

:40:49. > :40:49.the wrist, she said in her press conference she is now playing

:40:50. > :41:21.completely pain-free. That was close. She has accepted the

:41:22. > :41:25.call. She can challenge it if she wants, the Hawk-Eye cameras are up

:41:26. > :41:27.around this court. I don't understand why she wouldn't. It

:41:28. > :41:41.looked long. She should challenge that. That is

:41:42. > :41:44.right under our commentary box. I think the rule of thumb from the

:41:45. > :41:49.players should be done if there is a different of opinion between the

:41:50. > :41:56.umpire and line judge, challenge. Miss Robson is challenging the call

:41:57. > :42:05.on the left baseline, the ball was called in. Eventually she decides to

:42:06. > :42:11.use the Hawk-Eye facility. That is far how -- how far in it was. I

:42:12. > :42:17.can't believe that, that's not the right ball, I'm sorry. That was back

:42:18. > :42:30.edge of the line or over it. Sorry, guys, that's the wrong one.

:42:31. > :42:39.She was a little nervous at the start of the match, Laura. There is

:42:40. > :42:59.a bit of fire their and its needs to come out.

:43:00. > :43:06.That one missed the doubles court from the Brazilian. Laura Robson is

:43:07. > :43:11.quite fired up and is getting the rewards.

:43:12. > :43:20.After the change of ends it will be the Chris Haddad Maia serving for

:43:21. > :43:23.the opening set at 5-4. -- Beatriz Haddad Maia. There was a

:43:24. > :43:29.controversial moment in the last game, and overall from the umpire

:43:30. > :43:34.which we will have a look at in a little while -- overruled. SUE

:43:35. > :43:41.BARKER: There is a big story brewing out on court number three. Nick

:43:42. > :43:48.Kyrgios has dropped the opening set 6-3. He is wearing the warm-ups

:43:49. > :43:52.under his shorts, he had that big fall at Queen's Club and had a hip

:43:53. > :43:56.injury and we wondered if he was fit and we are hearing he is not looking

:43:57. > :44:02.good and is limping around the court. He is up against

:44:03. > :44:05.Pierre-Hugues Herbert who is the defending men's doubles champion

:44:06. > :44:09.here along with Nicolas Mahut, but he is not very happy out on court

:44:10. > :44:15.number three, Nick Kyrgios, and he is a set down to the Frenchman at

:44:16. > :44:16.that. We will keep you up-to-date with his progress but it is back to

:44:17. > :44:28.court 18. COMMENTATOR: Beatriz Haddad Maia

:44:29. > :44:30.serving for the opening set. And Laura Robson got a good read on that

:44:31. > :44:58.first serve that time. Rallies have been in short supply. I

:44:59. > :45:18.don't think there has been an exchange of more than six shots.

:45:19. > :45:25.Robson thought she might just have made that. This is a big, tricky

:45:26. > :45:30.serve, and it is accurate and the most difficult part is its disguise.

:45:31. > :45:48.She has had such bother trying to read it.

:45:49. > :46:15.30-30, Robson will view this as an opportunity.

:46:16. > :46:26.Kept the forehand winner low. Robson left chasing nothing on that side of

:46:27. > :46:41.the court and Haddad Maia has a set point at 40-30.

:46:42. > :46:58.The good news for the fans is that Laura is getting better almost point

:46:59. > :47:03.by point and it is such a great site to see her wrapping the racket head

:47:04. > :47:16.around that one, just about hung onto it on the forehand side.

:47:17. > :47:26.Beauty down the line from the Brazilian! She enjoyed that shot.

:47:27. > :47:30.She might not know her way around a grass court but she has won a lot of

:47:31. > :47:35.matches this year at all sorts of levels and that is when you make

:47:36. > :47:39.those big shots, when you're confident in the big moments.

:47:40. > :47:51.Yes. She clinches it with a serve out wide. And it took 35 minutes in

:47:52. > :47:57.the end for the Chris Haddad Maia to take the opening set 6-4 -- Beatriz

:47:58. > :48:09.Haddad Maia. We got every crosscourt backhand,

:48:10. > :48:14.drop shot and overhead smash cupboard on the BBC. You can watch

:48:15. > :48:19.action from up to 15 courts live and uninterrupted on the BBC sport

:48:20. > :48:24.website, BBC iPlayer and the BBC sport app on your mobile, tablet,

:48:25. > :48:28.games console or connected TV. Press the red button on your remote and

:48:29. > :48:33.you will get coverage from up to six additional courts.

:48:34. > :48:38.SUE BARKER: There are so many ways to watch Wimbledon this year. Our

:48:39. > :48:44.featured match right now is on Court Number Two on the red button which

:48:45. > :48:47.is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against British wild card Cameron Lawrence

:48:48. > :48:53.who went to play college tennis and was the top ranked player there but

:48:54. > :49:00.he is up against a tough competitor in Tsonga who is taking the first

:49:01. > :49:06.set. -- who has taken. Cameron Lawrence playing his first ever

:49:07. > :49:10.Wimbledon. -- Cameron Dorier. It is still on the serve in the second set

:49:11. > :49:16.but it is not looking good for Nick Kyrgios, his body language is not

:49:17. > :49:21.looking good. That Matt is also on the red button and the website. That

:49:22. > :49:30.is what is happening out there but we will go back. -- that match.

:49:31. > :49:39.MATT CHILTON: The first set to Beatriz Haddad Maia. Laura Robson

:49:40. > :49:45.with a lot of work to do to give herself a chance here. A bit of

:49:46. > :49:51.movement just behind where the Brazilian player was standing as

:49:52. > :49:53.people shuffle their seats. Usually when you get a seat on this court

:49:54. > :50:49.you don't move! Stick with it. By contrast, Haddad Maia has had a

:50:50. > :50:53.lot more success returning this Robson serve, she seems to have a

:50:54. > :51:11.good read on it and she has a pretty fierce return.

:51:12. > :51:22.That is a beautifully crafted point. In essence, they both have the same

:51:23. > :51:26.game plan, the movement is probably the weakest part of both their games

:51:27. > :51:29.but they both have excellent forehands and they are constantly

:51:30. > :51:40.trying to get on it to dictate the point.

:51:41. > :51:49.One of Robson's quicker service. She is about ten kilometres, ten mph

:51:50. > :51:54.slower than her opponent out here today. Normally her service speed

:51:55. > :52:08.would peak at around 102 mph. She seems to be stretching for some

:52:09. > :52:13.of these forehands. You almost feel she has not shaken off some of those

:52:14. > :52:16.early nerves, she is a bit uptight and trying too hard and she has to

:52:17. > :52:27.try to get some footwork going out here. Break point. That is going to

:52:28. > :52:34.hurt. She had time and acres of space and found the court 18 net. An

:52:35. > :52:35.early break for Haddad Maia, now leading by a set and a break of

:52:36. > :52:51.serve. They know what she has been through.

:52:52. > :52:56.Can you imagine, three years ago, the world at your feet, heading

:52:57. > :53:01.almost to the top ten, the fourth round here, and then a year later, I

:53:02. > :53:05.was sat next to her in the commentary box after that wrist

:53:06. > :53:20.surgery. So much happening in such a short time and such a young career.

:53:21. > :53:27.APPLAUSE The court 18 crowd are doing their

:53:28. > :53:39.best to help her along. There's quite a golf in ranking

:53:40. > :53:42.between them, Robson is currently at 189. Haddad Maia is in the top 100

:53:43. > :54:20.at 97. So much goodwill towards Laura

:54:21. > :54:25.Robson, she has been through an awful lot. But the way back into

:54:26. > :54:30.this match, and she has the game to do it, is to get Haddad Maia on the

:54:31. > :54:34.stretch because the Brazilian does hang a bit deep behind the baseline

:54:35. > :54:51.and is not able to cut off those kinds of angles.

:54:52. > :55:01.Time and again Haddad Maia's serve comes to her rescue.

:55:02. > :55:12.Nothing that Robson can do about that. It left the court via the side

:55:13. > :55:16.door! Great work with the hand at the top. Super wrist action. Great

:55:17. > :55:29.result. She is a good doubles player and she

:55:30. > :56:09.is comfortable at the net. Robson's unforced errors count

:56:10. > :56:15.starting to stack up now. So much of this is a lack of confidence from

:56:16. > :56:19.Laura and it has to be a big reset because she is not playing on the

:56:20. > :56:23.top for any more and life is much more difficult on the Challenger

:56:24. > :56:29.circuit and she has found it really hard going. I think almost here,

:56:30. > :56:35.this is such a big opportunity, she could leapfrog so many ranking

:56:36. > :56:39.spaces if she could win a round or two at Wimbledon. That is looking

:56:40. > :56:54.increasingly unlikely and she needs to start making the move now.

:56:55. > :56:59.It is actually stringing points together of a high quality.

:57:00. > :57:01.Individually there has been some good tennis but she hasn't really

:57:02. > :57:14.gained any territory. She spent almost 17 months away from

:57:15. > :57:19.the sport. That's a long time in your early 20s, just as your career

:57:20. > :57:23.is getting going. And in that time she has had to watch all of her

:57:24. > :57:24.contemporaries, Madison Keys, Eugenie Bouchard, flying up the

:57:25. > :58:30.rankings. That is a good forehand. Down the

:58:31. > :58:52.line, plenty of power, kept it low and gave Haddad Maia no chance.

:58:53. > :58:59.When you seen her play a point like that and hold her serve so

:59:00. > :59:04.comfortably you realise that Laura is world class when she puts it all

:59:05. > :59:08.together and the hope is that she just keeps working and she settles

:59:09. > :59:13.down with the coaching arrangement that really works for her. She has

:59:14. > :59:19.had nine different coaches in about seven years which is not good. Still

:59:20. > :59:23.a young player. Only 23. There is still time and it is a case of

:59:24. > :59:27.getting through this next 12 months, we would love to see her back here

:59:28. > :59:30.in the main draw by right, and no reason why she can't because when

:59:31. > :59:38.you see her playing well close up, you still believe. She has the same

:59:39. > :59:43.agent as Maria Sharapova there. You believe she could be a top 20

:59:44. > :59:46.player, it is all there, but she has lost a lot of confidence and she

:59:47. > :59:53.needs so much support in this part of her career. Still are set and a

:59:54. > :00:31.break down as Haddad Maia prepares to serve at 2-1. -- a set.

:00:32. > :00:43.The longest rally of the match. 13 strokes in total. We have not seen

:00:44. > :00:44.too much in the wake of long baseline exchanges. Worth a trip to

:00:45. > :01:34.the towel! She has missed it. The last time she

:01:35. > :01:40.was in that position she found the net. This time, she sends it long.

:01:41. > :01:44.This is confidence. She may have played a lot of grass course

:01:45. > :01:48.tournaments leading into this match but I'm afraid she has not had many

:01:49. > :01:50.wins. When you're not feeling well and not feeling confident, you miss

:01:51. > :02:17.those kind of easy balls. Haddad Maia with the confidence of a

:02:18. > :02:25.40-0 lead. Having a good year as well. She has moved up over 100

:02:26. > :02:52.ranking spots. That is a big move in women's tennis.

:02:53. > :03:02.Laura is going for her shots, but unfortunately missing the target

:03:03. > :03:03.time and time again. Beatriz Haddad Maia has strengthened her lead in

:03:04. > :03:15.this second set. Is there a way back from this

:03:16. > :03:17.position for Laura Robson? They certainly hope so. Jeremy Bates with

:03:18. > :03:55.the sunglasses on. There are some wonderful academies

:03:56. > :04:02.out there. There is the all in Academy in southern France.

:04:03. > :04:12.She has gone globetrotting around the different tennis centres in the

:04:13. > :04:18.world. The poster boy for that Academy is stammering kahuna Magnus

:04:19. > :04:36.Norman has done amazing work with. -- Stan Wawrinka.

:04:37. > :04:40.If she is broken again here, Laura Robson Wimbledon is probably as good

:04:41. > :05:14.as over. That is better at back a clean

:05:15. > :05:22.winner on the 11th stroke of that exchange. At times she has looked

:05:23. > :05:25.quite ragged but this is fluid. This is Laura when she was top 30. Just

:05:26. > :06:13.creaming the ball. Another mis-hit. The timing all out,

:06:14. > :06:18.footwork poor. Haddad Maia leads by 4-1. Surely on her way to the second

:06:19. > :06:23.round now? SUE BARKER: Really not looking good

:06:24. > :06:31.for Britain's Laura Robson. We will keep you up-to-date with that match.

:06:32. > :06:37.We will head over to Court Number Three, the big story involving Nick

:06:38. > :06:40.Kyrgios. He is a set and a break down to the Frenchman Pierre-Hugues

:06:41. > :06:44.Herbert. The body language is not looking good. He has held serve but

:06:45. > :06:48.there is a problem. Maybe the hip injury he sustained at Queen's with

:06:49. > :06:52.that heavy fall, he was forced to pull out of the tournament. Not

:06:53. > :06:55.looking good for Kyrgios. We will drop into this one and join our

:06:56. > :07:06.commentators and Mark Petchey. So, Kyrgios

:07:07. > :07:09.hanging onto his service game. His head in his hands. That has been a

:07:10. > :07:20.familiar picture during this contest.

:07:21. > :07:27.He suffered a fall and his hip was bothering him. He has come out here

:07:28. > :07:35.with precious little energy. The server has not fired in the same way

:07:36. > :07:39.we expected it to. The forehand has been more of a liability than a

:07:40. > :07:44.strength. Searching for answers and may be searching for a decision

:07:45. > :07:49.about whether he should continue? Jamie, what do you think would be

:07:50. > :07:53.the right thing to do? Looking at his mindset, his body language, his

:07:54. > :07:59.intensity through the last hour or so, it is hard to imagine what would

:08:00. > :08:03.be in it for him, to still be on the court from two sets down. It is

:08:04. > :08:05.certainly very hard from where we are sitting to see where he could

:08:06. > :08:17.possibly get back into the match. Sebastien Grosjean, twice a

:08:18. > :08:36.semifinalist here is in the Kyrgios corner.

:08:37. > :08:42.That has been the story. Some beautiful touches from Herbert,

:08:43. > :08:50.whether it has been drop shots or serve and volley play. A terrific

:08:51. > :08:51.doubles player, of course. The defending men's doubles champion

:08:52. > :09:37.here with Nicolas Mahut. Kent ace. He is outpacing the

:09:38. > :10:09.Australian by 10-3. Not the stat you would have expected.

:10:10. > :10:14.Herbert wraps things up. He is two sets to love to the good, the

:10:15. > :10:33.Frenchman. Quite a few fans, as you can see,

:10:34. > :10:37.exiting at the end of that second set. Perhaps feeling that the

:10:38. > :10:42.writing is on the wall. Those are the stats behind the tale so far,

:10:43. > :10:49.Jamie? Yes, from what we have seen, it is hard to look too much into the

:10:50. > :10:55.stats. Herbert outpacing Kyrgios, not something we would expect to

:10:56. > :10:59.see. That is the area which is affecting his game the most, in

:11:00. > :11:07.terms of how dynamic he can be off the return of serve. Really, you

:11:08. > :11:12.want to see a decision one way or the other. Either stay out on court

:11:13. > :11:16.and play or, if you're not able to, as have the decision as it is, I

:11:17. > :11:22.think that is the one you have to make. It looks like Herbert may be

:11:23. > :11:28.taking his leave of absence from the court here to go for a rest room

:11:29. > :11:34.break. It will give Kyrgios little bit more thinking time. He has been

:11:35. > :11:39.about as combustible out here as a rain-soaked bonfire, hasn't he?

:11:40. > :11:46.Usually what you get from him is a little talking, maybe some antics,

:11:47. > :11:53.that may be not everybody is going to love and embrace, but at the same

:11:54. > :11:57.time, you get a bit of a show. This has not been the Kyrgios that we

:11:58. > :12:05.know and love. SUE BARKER: Not looking happy, is

:12:06. > :12:09.he? While we wait for Pierre-Hugues Herbert to come back onto court,

:12:10. > :12:15.let's go back to court 18 where Haddad Maia is now serving for the

:12:16. > :12:22.match at 5-2. Laura Robson with a lot of work to do. Back we go.

:12:23. > :12:30.Just over an hour to get to this stage. It has been a rapid-fire

:12:31. > :12:36.first-round encounter. It is almost certainly very nearly over for Laura

:12:37. > :12:37.Robson. The court 18 crowd generously trying to lift the

:12:38. > :13:03.British player. The winner of this match will

:13:04. > :13:21.possibly play the number two seed Simona Halep in the second round.

:13:22. > :13:29.A little puff of white, that was right on the line. She has not been

:13:30. > :13:35.looking further forward. The locker room knows Robson is not where she

:13:36. > :13:52.was three or four years ago. She is a beatable player.

:13:53. > :14:01.I have been impressed with Haddad Maia. She has traded very nicely

:14:02. > :14:08.from the baseline and not made many unforced errors. She has been solid

:14:09. > :14:09.out here. After just 61 minutes of play, the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad

:14:10. > :15:11.Maia has three match points. Robson desperately trying to stay in

:15:12. > :15:17.this match. Two match point saved. One more to come.

:15:18. > :15:23.It is such a big deal to win a match at Wimbledon. She is feeling it

:15:24. > :15:53.here. Haddad Maia just struggling to get

:15:54. > :16:39.over the line here. That is disappointing. She has just

:16:40. > :16:46.not made Haddad Maia play enough and she knows it. Match point number

:16:47. > :17:05.four for the 21-year-old from Rio de Janeiro.

:17:06. > :17:20.Robson is hanging an indirect smack -- hanging on in there! Does shame

:17:21. > :17:24.it is two breaks rather than one. Haddad Maia is not looking to go out

:17:25. > :17:28.and win this last point, she is waiting for Laura to give it to her.

:17:29. > :17:37.I like Robson's stubborn streak here.

:17:38. > :17:43.That was a poor attempt at a second serve. She is clearly feeling the

:17:44. > :17:54.nerves. This opportunity for Haddad Maia to

:17:55. > :18:35.finish this off now. Yes, got it done this time! A 100

:18:36. > :18:39.mph serve right on the line. And there it ends in straight sets,

:18:40. > :18:47.victory for Beatriz Haddad Maia over Laura Robson, 6-4, 6-2.

:18:48. > :18:51.SUE BARKER: And although the Brazilian was ranked above Laura

:18:52. > :18:55.Robson, everyone believing that this was a match she could win to try and

:18:56. > :19:01.get her ranking up, having dropped as low as 189. But not to be. A

:19:02. > :19:08.terrific serving display from the Brazilian but a very disappointed

:19:09. > :19:12.Laura Robson leaving court 18. Laura Robson goes out but the biggest

:19:13. > :19:17.story today involves this man, Nick Kyrgios. We saw him a moment ago

:19:18. > :19:21.losing the second set to Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France.

:19:22. > :19:29.They had the train on court at the end of the second set. They went

:19:30. > :19:32.through a range of movement testing the hip injury which he sustained at

:19:33. > :19:35.Queen's Club but in the end he was forced to retire from the

:19:36. > :19:40.Championships. He did not want to do that. He desperately wanted to play

:19:41. > :19:45.here at Wimbledon but he decided the hip was not good enough. One of the

:19:46. > :19:54.most charismatic men on the tour, Nick Kyrgios, sadly is out of

:19:55. > :19:57.Wimbledon on the opening day. Andy Murray will be starting the

:19:58. > :20:07.defence of his title in just under ten minutes time on Centre Court.

:20:08. > :20:11.First, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga up against the British wild card Cameron

:20:12. > :20:22.Norrie. We can join our commentators.

:20:23. > :20:31.Cameron Norrie has done well to rescue himself from a tricky

:20:32. > :20:41.situation. He has done well, John? He has not found a way to blunt the

:20:42. > :20:46.weapons which Tsonga has had. Once the service starts cranking up as it

:20:47. > :20:48.has been, a big forehand, he is having to defend too much at the

:20:49. > :21:06.moment. Tsonga won the first set 6-3 with a

:21:07. > :21:14.break midway through and the other towards the end and he won the next

:21:15. > :21:27.16-2 in the same circumstances. -- 6-2.

:21:28. > :22:03.He is a 21 Rod Britain, his Wimbledon debut, a wildcard.

:22:04. > :22:16.Just the extra gears at the moment, some extra power. What a challenge

:22:17. > :22:21.this is for young Cameron Norrie. I def say lots of you saying hello to

:22:22. > :22:25.him for the first time today. He has quite a story. He was born in South

:22:26. > :22:30.Africa, brought up in Johannesburg in the early years but the bulk of

:22:31. > :22:34.his growing life was in New Zealand. He has a Scottish dad and a Welsh

:22:35. > :22:39.mum who have flown halfway round the world to be with him here today. He

:22:40. > :22:43.might have been here representing New Zealand, but he switched

:22:44. > :22:57.allegiance five years ago. He has been studying in the States. He has

:22:58. > :23:01.put his sociology degree in Texas on hold to see what he might be if they

:23:02. > :23:04.concentrate full-time on the sport. He has done well to be number one in

:23:05. > :23:07.American college tennis. That is a very good effort. We have seen John

:23:08. > :23:12.Isner come through their a few years back. American college tennis has

:23:13. > :23:20.become in vogue, something players are working on to improve tennis. He

:23:21. > :23:21.is a well grounded player. He has some things to work on, no doubt

:23:22. > :23:33.about it. UMPIRE: Mr Norrie is challenging the

:23:34. > :24:47.ball. The ball was called in. He has struggled to find the balance

:24:48. > :24:53.of being aggressive but not making too many errors, and he has not

:24:54. > :24:56.quite found that. In the last set he had triple the amount of errors that

:24:57. > :24:58.Tsonga had. He has to find that balance if he is going to get back

:24:59. > :25:39.in the match. I think he is just trying to force

:25:40. > :25:41.the issue too much. He is seeing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and he is trying

:25:42. > :25:58.a little bit too much. SUE BARKER:. We are leaving this

:25:59. > :26:02.match as we will be heading to Centre Court as Andy Murray will be

:26:03. > :26:07.starting the defence of his title. If you want to continue watching

:26:08. > :26:12.this match, it is our featured match on the red button. We will keep you

:26:13. > :26:16.up-to-date on BBC Two. Now it is time for us to head to Centre Court.

:26:17. > :26:21.In a few minutes, last year's champion will walk out to start the

:26:22. > :26:22.defence of his title, and so begins the latest chapter in Andy Murray's

:26:23. > :26:49.Wimbledon story. It is Nadal again. He ripped the

:26:50. > :26:55.heart out of Murray. It is not going to BET. -- it is not going to be

:26:56. > :27:12.easy. The waiting is over! Wimbledon champion again. A supreme

:27:13. > :27:29.performance. It truly was a masterclass from Andy

:27:30. > :27:32.Murray last year, winning in straight sets over Milos Raonic. The

:27:33. > :27:36.queues were long this morning. Everybody wanting to get into the

:27:37. > :27:41.grounds. Those lucky Leave not lucky enough to be on Centre Court have

:27:42. > :27:45.taken their place on Henman Hill to watch the champion on the big

:27:46. > :27:49.screen. Everybody so excited. The defence of the title is always a

:27:50. > :27:52.nerve of time and for Andy, it has not been that good a year since he

:27:53. > :27:57.was crowned world number one at the end of 20 16th. He has had injury

:27:58. > :28:01.problems and illness problems and a little loss of form. That is the

:28:02. > :28:16.focus of our attention to see Andy Murray walk onto court in

:28:17. > :28:20.just the moment. I'm delighted to say joining Tim and I, Boris Becker.

:28:21. > :28:23.It must give you goose bumps coming back here to Centre Court. As

:28:24. > :28:25.defending champion, it is a nervous time? Yes, it is the most beautiful

:28:26. > :28:28.feeling because you get to go where you really want to play tennis. It

:28:29. > :28:32.was great to watch the documentary and hear your story which was on

:28:33. > :28:42.last night. It has not been an easy few weeks for you, how are you? I am

:28:43. > :28:47.happy to be at Wimbledon. And on we go. As far as Andy Murray is

:28:48. > :28:53.concerned, he has not had the best year, has he? Very much up and down.

:28:54. > :28:58.Almost undervalued. He has not won a big tournament. He won in Dubai. It

:28:59. > :29:04.was not a Masters Series. He did well at the French Open. His form

:29:05. > :29:08.was picking up. Then he went to Queen's Club, his favourite surface

:29:09. > :29:14.grass, you expect him to be champion but he goes out in the first round.

:29:15. > :29:18.It was trying times for Andy but he is a champion with winning

:29:19. > :29:26.mentality. He has not forgotten how to win. Absolutely. Tim, we will get

:29:27. > :29:29.your thoughts in a moment. Let's hear from the man himself. It has

:29:30. > :29:30.not been an easy six months for him. He has been talking to Russell

:29:31. > :29:46.Fuller. Andy, defending champion here at

:29:47. > :29:51.Wimbledon, the pertinent question seems to be how is your hip? Yes, it

:29:52. > :30:03.feels good. In the last few David Silva are -- in the last few days it

:30:04. > :30:06.feels much better. It was hampering my movement and therefore I wasn't

:30:07. > :30:11.getting loads out of my practice sessions but in the last few days,

:30:12. > :30:16.the practice has been good. I would have liked to have trained the whole

:30:17. > :30:21.week and got some exhibition matches but the positive from it is I am

:30:22. > :30:25.fresh. I have not played too much tennis, but I will certainly have to

:30:26. > :30:31.work my way into the tournament and I will probably not play great

:30:32. > :30:35.straight off the bat. Was there a point on Thursday or Friday when you

:30:36. > :30:40.were worried you had not been truly competitive and you gave thought to

:30:41. > :30:44.pulling out of the Championships? No, I was going to wake to the last

:30:45. > :30:51.minute if there was a chance of that happening. It is just a little bit

:30:52. > :30:54.stressful. At this point of the year, and the biggest tournament of

:30:55. > :30:59.the year for me as a Brit, I want to be prepared and be out there

:31:00. > :31:04.practising and I have not been in that position before really, but you

:31:05. > :31:09.have to try and stay patient, stay calm. It is not easy to get away

:31:10. > :31:15.from everything and all the cameras and the media when you just want a

:31:16. > :31:19.quite practice. It is just a tricky couple of days but I feel much, much

:31:20. > :31:29.better now and looking forward to getting going.

:31:30. > :31:34.The Wimbledon champion again... Andy Murray!

:31:35. > :31:38.Do you feel better equipped to win the title now than three years ago?

:31:39. > :31:44.I think so. A little bit more experienced. Wimbledon, 2014, I

:31:45. > :31:49.wasn't feeling that great, I hadn't had a particularly great year and I

:31:50. > :31:53.dropped out the the ten after Wimbledon that year. It shows how I

:31:54. > :31:56.had been playing for a while. I definitely feel better coming in

:31:57. > :31:59.this year. I feel mentally in a better place. I just need to work

:32:00. > :32:05.out how to get through the first week. And how about your first round

:32:06. > :32:08.opponent, Alexander Bublik? He'll have a couple of Russian rappers in

:32:09. > :32:12.his player's box. What more do you know about him? We don't know each

:32:13. > :32:19.other that well. I have met him a couple of times and he seems like a

:32:20. > :32:24.nice guy, very confident. He's got very unorthodox game style that he

:32:25. > :32:28.makes decisions, like, you know, might hit drop shots out of nowhere

:32:29. > :32:38.from the wrong position. He's very difficult to read on the court.

:32:39. > :32:48.SUE BARKER: Sounds interesting. Leading out the defending champion,

:32:49. > :32:51.Andy Murray. A wonderful ovation for Andy.

:32:52. > :33:06.Flags all going up around Centre Court. Everyone wanted to be here to

:33:07. > :33:10.show their appreciation of everything Andy's done for British

:33:11. > :33:16.tennis. He's got the headphones on. He doesn't want to hear how bias the

:33:17. > :33:20.crowd will be. As Andy said, this could be a fascinating match. That

:33:21. > :33:25.happened just a few moments ago. So, an the i is on court and Tim talking

:33:26. > :33:29.about, it is an interesting guy this guy, he's one of the next, as Andy

:33:30. > :33:34.said you don't know what to expect from him. I don't know a massive

:33:35. > :33:41.amount about him. I am intrigued to see how the match unfolds. As Boris

:33:42. > :33:44.touched upon, first round of any tournament is nerve-racking coming

:33:45. > :33:47.back as defending champion. Throwing into question for Bublik, you don't

:33:48. > :33:53.get a chance to practise on Centre Court. Every other court, if you

:33:54. > :33:58.knew you were going to play, a French Open, US Open, you get half

:33:59. > :34:01.an hour to soak up the atmosphere. Here, Centre Court, Wimbledon, you

:34:02. > :34:07.don't. That is an opportunity for Andy to sdam p his authority early

:34:08. > :34:11.on. -- stamp his authority early on. I think the start can play an

:34:12. > :34:16.important factor. I seem to remember a young man walking out on to Centre

:34:17. > :34:20.Court and it didn't phase him at all, that was you Boris. It is

:34:21. > :34:24.called the innocence of youth. You don't know what you are about to do.

:34:25. > :34:29.You live for the moment and pretty much in denail. You don't know the

:34:30. > :34:33.consequences. Hasn't played at Wimbledon, if you have been a

:34:34. > :34:39.veteran, you know everything already, you have a sleepless night

:34:40. > :34:46.before. But I think Sacha or Alexander, they had a wonderful

:34:47. > :34:50.night. He's actually a lucky loser. He didn't qualify: He said, you are

:34:51. > :34:54.joking. You wouldn't believe his father. So he said, send me the

:34:55. > :34:59.whole draw. Then he started thinking. I wonder how lucky he

:35:00. > :35:05.thought he was when he saw the draw of playing Andy Murray. He is a

:35:06. > :35:08.character on and off the court. Let's find out more about Andy's

:35:09. > :35:14.opponent. What does it mean to play Andy

:35:15. > :35:21.Murray on that famous court? It means a lot. I am very happy to play

:35:22. > :35:25.my first match in Wimbledon, playing against Andy. It is what I work for

:35:26. > :35:28.all my life. Then I get a chance to play against the best player in the

:35:29. > :35:34.world. Now, you lost in the final round of

:35:35. > :35:40.qualifying, didn't you, in a really, really tight match. I never get so

:35:41. > :35:45.emotional, that time I was ex-husted. I woke up in the morning.

:35:46. > :35:52.My father texted me. You are playing Andy. I am like, it cannot be real.

:35:53. > :35:59.It is my first time lucky loser. I have never been lucky loser in my

:36:00. > :36:05.life. Never. I just, the phone fell out of my hand. It can't be real.

:36:06. > :36:14.Does everyone call you Sir Andy Murray? No, Andy is fine. I have

:36:15. > :36:19.seen you interview a few, not just Andy Murray. He's Sir Andy Murray.

:36:20. > :36:24.What did he say? He said, no, you don't need to, Andy's fine. I was

:36:25. > :36:30.like, it is OK, you'll be sir after that, anyway. You don't mind being

:36:31. > :36:33.on Centre Court? No. Finally people can see my trick shots. I do it

:36:34. > :36:43.every day. Finally! He loves his trick shots. He

:36:44. > :36:48.interviewed Roger Federer. He said I think we should play doubles today

:36:49. > :36:53.and Roger diplomatically said, no. He says trick shots, so he's

:36:54. > :36:57.obviously very talented. It is a tricky match, isn't it? If someone

:36:58. > :37:03.is that confident. The vast majority when you play on the tour, with Andy

:37:04. > :37:07.as experienced as he is, he'll know his opponents, this guy coming

:37:08. > :37:13.through the qualifying, a lucky loser. Ranked outside the top 100.

:37:14. > :37:17.Andy doesn't know much about him. He knows to expect the unexpected. He's

:37:18. > :37:22.got to expect him to hit some trick shots. Then, as the opponent, he has

:37:23. > :37:27.to concentrate on his own game. We all know Murray is best when he's

:37:28. > :37:31.proactive. He's aggressive. If he has got a little bit soreness in his

:37:32. > :37:35.hip, there's more reason to be aggressive. The more defensive he

:37:36. > :37:40.is, the more he has to run. He obviously doesn't want to do too

:37:41. > :37:45.much of that. The injury is a worry. We'll all watch closely the first

:37:46. > :37:54.few games how well he is moving, whether pulling up at all. He had

:37:55. > :37:59.injuries before. He knows how to deal with it. I think the injury

:38:00. > :38:03.could be also called lack of confidence, because he hasn't won

:38:04. > :38:06.anything big. This is the tournament, this is where everyone

:38:07. > :38:11.wants him to do so well. The whole country is behind him. It is a lot

:38:12. > :38:15.of pressure. Even if you won it a couple of times, he's still human.

:38:16. > :38:22.That plays part in the injuries. He's fit enough to win today. He's

:38:23. > :38:27.fit enough to win. We have all had injuries. Injuries make you focus

:38:28. > :38:31.more because you don't want to be out for a long match? Injury can

:38:32. > :38:37.distrack you because you think of the pain and whether you can keep

:38:38. > :38:40.going. It focuses you to think I cannot be in rallies, I have to be

:38:41. > :38:45.aggressive and live by the sword, die by the sword. I think we'll be

:38:46. > :38:49.able to in the first seven or eight games understand where Murray is at.

:38:50. > :38:55.If he is running and moving well, hopefully the hip is not too bad F

:38:56. > :38:59.he is aggressive, maybe it is sorer. Having seen Andy so many times, he

:39:00. > :39:03.likes to complain anyway. You don't know whether it is a real injury or

:39:04. > :39:07.whether it is something he needs to get off his chest. He has a way

:39:08. > :39:14.about his behaviour. Is it real? Or is it not? Absolutely! There is

:39:15. > :39:19.Judy, a very proud mum, OBE. Boris, it is lovely to have you back on the

:39:20. > :39:22.BBC. You are not working with Novak and you are heading to the

:39:23. > :39:25.commentary box. Thank you to Tim as well. You will be joined by Andrew

:39:26. > :39:30.Castle. All yours, Andy. THE COMMENTATOR: The first match on

:39:31. > :39:44.Centre Court... The defending champion. The world

:39:45. > :39:59.number one, Andy Murray serving to Bublik.

:40:00. > :40:14.It strikes me he's not a character who will fold under pressure here on

:40:15. > :40:39.Centre Court. Already some interesting variation.

:40:40. > :40:48.From Bublik on the back-hand side. That is his best shot, that and the

:40:49. > :41:21.serve. Going 0-30 down with this delicate forehand down-the-line.

:41:22. > :41:27.You see this variation from Bublik. This is a man who lost in the

:41:28. > :41:33.qualifying. A Wimbledon debut.

:41:34. > :41:37.This generation certainly respect their elders. He's going to enjoy

:41:38. > :43:14.the stage. He's having to play quite a lot of

:43:15. > :43:19.good tennis already, is Andy Murray. Two break points saved.

:43:20. > :43:44.Sweet drop shot there. Forced to play some good tennis.

:43:45. > :44:56.So Andy Murray who lost to Thompson at Queen's Club.

:44:57. > :45:04.He's got some old fashioned tennis has Sasha Bublik. He doesn't mind

:45:05. > :45:09.throwing in a drop shot, maybe coming into the net. He's got a big

:45:10. > :45:22.serve. His backhand is worth watching, too.

:45:23. > :46:51.Mr Murray has two challenges remaining.

:46:52. > :47:22.Net. First serve. He has settled in nicely. He looks

:47:23. > :47:30.to be a man who enjoys this stage. He came across prematch as a

:47:31. > :47:36.confident guy. He interviewed players in tournaments before. He's

:47:37. > :47:37.obviously born in Russia, plays for Kazakhstan, sounds like an American.

:47:38. > :47:59.It is difficult to read him. Bublik just shock his head, a gentle

:48:00. > :48:03.enquiry from Andy Murray choosing not to go to the Hawk-Eye system.

:48:04. > :48:08.Very surprised. Just an 81 miles per hour second serve. He's bound to be

:48:09. > :48:17.nervous as defending champion. This is show time here.

:48:18. > :49:12.Early in the match! He's winning these contests at the

:49:13. > :49:18.moment. I do expect him to win those

:49:19. > :49:23.mini-battles with touch. He's got a lovely feel for the ball.

:49:24. > :49:27.He also shows authority that he's not afraid to play, and his opponent

:49:28. > :49:29.is known for his trick shots and Andy's not afraid to do the same. It

:49:30. > :49:53.is a clear sign of confidence. No breaks here. Just ten minutes.

:49:54. > :50:09.The defending champion, 2-1. SUE BARKER: We will be back with

:50:10. > :50:19.this match in a moment. Play on the outside court got under way at 11.

:50:20. > :50:23.30. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, out on court number two, up against Cameron

:50:24. > :50:27.Norrie and Tsonga winning it in straight sets. Cameron Norrie's

:50:28. > :50:32.first ever Wimbledon. Playing one of the toughest on the surface.

:50:33. > :50:47.One of the No big celebration from Jo-Wilfried

:50:48. > :50:52.Tsonga! That's a shame! And this is a shame, too. Seeing this man, Nick

:50:53. > :50:59.Kyrgios forced to withdraw from his match. 2-0 he was up against

:51:00. > :51:03.Herbert. This is the hip injury he sustained at Queen's Club a couple

:51:04. > :51:06.of weeks ago. Obviously it hasn't improved. He was totally out of

:51:07. > :51:10.sorts throughout the match. No great surprise that he had to call it a

:51:11. > :51:14.day. Always sad when you have to withdraw from one of the Grand Slam

:51:15. > :51:20.events and particularly his favourite, Wimbledon.

:51:21. > :51:30.And disappointment for Laura Robson. Wild card, she lost 6-4, 6-2 to the

:51:31. > :51:35.big serving Brazilian, Haddad Maia. That is what has been happening

:51:36. > :51:40.elsewhere. Back to Centre. This match is on red button, Venus

:51:41. > :51:43.Williams, 3-0 up. That is our featured match on the red button.

:51:44. > :52:46.So, back we go to centre. That's definitely not the shot. So,

:52:47. > :52:56.having lost in qualifying what's he doing in the draw? Well seeded

:52:57. > :53:00.player took out. Came in as a lucky loser. That is what he's doing here.

:53:01. > :53:18.Break point down. Very unpredictable, this young man.

:53:19. > :53:32.But important for Murray to establish his position early.

:53:33. > :53:39.APPLAUSE 133 miles per hour.

:53:40. > :53:47.Murray, remember has saved two break points himself. Is he limping a bit

:53:48. > :54:04.with his hip injury? Yes, he is. Slightly worrying.

:54:05. > :54:41.Settling in nicely. Just a quarter of an hour played in this match.

:54:42. > :54:57.Wow! Earlier on this year, Indian Wells, I did ask Andy Murray how he

:54:58. > :54:58.got to be number one, he said train harder and don't serve 20 double

:54:59. > :55:26.faults. That was his advice. Bublik, having fought back, he then

:55:27. > :55:31.handed the break over. Yes, with the two double faults back-to-back. It

:55:32. > :55:37.is slippery. Early days here, the grass is very lush. Obviously nobody

:55:38. > :55:40.has played in about 12 months. So when you get to the net, it's

:55:41. > :55:53.slippery. Mentally that was very important for

:55:54. > :56:45.Murray to break first. Get your nose in front just a little bit.

:56:46. > :57:17.Bublik doesn't believe the call. Hawk-Eye, I believe? No.

:57:18. > :57:25.We were warned that a couple of Russian rappers were in his box. I

:57:26. > :57:31.was trying to spot the rapper. Didn't look like anything that I

:57:32. > :58:18.expected. No. Or they may different type of music! What do I know?

:58:19. > :58:35.UMPIRE: Murray leads four games to one for set. 4-1 to Murray, the

:58:36. > :58:40.defending champion, for the second time, actually, coming out at

:58:41. > :58:44.Wimbledon, asserting his authority. Really he's won the first

:58:45. > :58:48.mini-battle here. Boris, you came out as defending champion on three

:58:49. > :58:53.occasions. Did you know how intimidating it was for the

:58:54. > :59:04.opposition to come out against against somebody who has won the

:59:05. > :59:09.Championships? You beat out of sight everything. I didn't know the

:59:10. > :59:16.effects coming against me. I, maybe not in the first year, but the

:59:17. > :59:19.second, I felt, this is a place, the court, I felt very comfortably. I if

:59:20. > :59:27.I have to walk more confident, then I feel I may as well do that, just

:59:28. > :59:31.to have the effect. But to play at home and open the championship is

:59:32. > :59:44.the biggest honour in tennis and therefore something I loved doing.

:59:45. > :59:54.Andy Murray still with a suggestion of a limp.

:59:55. > :00:06.Murray checking if there is any dirt on the ball. Hawk-Eye comes into

:00:07. > :00:09.effect. Players have three challenges per set. An extra one

:00:10. > :00:32.goes to a tie-break. UMPIRE: Mr Bublik has two challenges

:00:33. > :00:36.remaining. You mentioned the little wobble in Andy's movement. I think

:00:37. > :00:39.it's easing off. The match eventually takes over. He's

:00:40. > :00:42.focussing more on the points, not so much on the hip.

:00:43. > :01:13.That's a good sign. Bublik coached by his father. His

:01:14. > :01:15.father, he called him and said, you are playing Andy Murray at

:01:16. > :01:26.Wimbledon. It's the biggest match of his career, by far. And at first,

:01:27. > :01:28.young Sasha didn't believe him, until his father showed him the

:01:29. > :01:32.door! until his father

:01:33. > :01:41.showed him the draw! Well, this is a stunning piece of

:01:42. > :01:45.work, isn't it? Going at your opponent, absolutely fair game, but

:01:46. > :01:47.not swinging too much, he makes it look simple. I thought Sasha gave

:01:48. > :01:56.him a bit of Astaire afterwards. -- I thought Sasha gave him a bit

:01:57. > :02:35.of a stare afterwards. Now this backhand lob that won the

:02:36. > :02:42.Davis Cup, against Belgium. I don't know if it was the wisest of

:02:43. > :03:01.choices, the forehand slice, when your opponent is approaching.

:03:02. > :03:04.APPLAUSE The turn out wide, because you

:03:05. > :03:08.really have to push off to cover the rest of the court. That is how we

:03:09. > :03:36.can tell how serious the injury is. The second serve, gone for an ace.

:03:37. > :04:16.Gives him the fourth double fault. And finally, Bublik wins one of

:04:17. > :04:20.these exchanges. There is no way between points Murray leader Murray

:04:21. > :04:26.is moving like a panther, let me put it like that. He is uncomfortable.

:04:27. > :04:30.He has had hip injections. To go seven matches in a Grand Slam

:04:31. > :04:32.tournament and to win, if you're not 100%, I don't know whether that is

:04:33. > :05:17.possible. Another entertaining rally. I have

:05:18. > :05:19.seen many opening match is far less exciting as this one, and we are

:05:20. > :05:39.only 25 minutes into it. Oh. That puts me in mind of the

:05:40. > :05:43.match he played here when he hit that shot and almost ran into the

:05:44. > :05:47.crowd. Used his muscles, if you'll remember, that day. This is a lovely

:05:48. > :05:51.touch from Andy Murray, down the line. Little bit of a slice as well,

:05:52. > :06:15.just to take it away. Beautiful play.

:06:16. > :06:25.The ball was called out. Well, it was on the side of the court, where

:06:26. > :06:34.the umpire's she is, so he had the perfect view. Murray has challenged

:06:35. > :06:59.this one, and umpire will be a little embarrassed with that.

:07:00. > :07:11.Well, Andy Murray pretty much seals the first set with that double

:07:12. > :07:20.break. 5-1. The winner of Dubai this year, Andy Murray, as we assess his

:07:21. > :07:23.form for 2017. A 45th title, remarkable, but, you know, apart

:07:24. > :07:27.from the semifinal of the French Open it has not been a great season,

:07:28. > :09:13.but he retains the world number one ranking.

:09:14. > :09:48.Source at number one at this year's Championships, and the defending

:09:49. > :09:51.champion wins it 6-1. That could have been very different, if Bublik

:09:52. > :09:59.had managed to break serve in Murray's opening service game from

:10:00. > :10:09.15-40. Yes, the scoreline does not indicate it was a very well played

:10:10. > :10:13.first set on Centre Court by Alexander Bublik. Centre Court, if

:10:14. > :10:15.you can remember, it can be the most frightening of all courts, very

:10:16. > :10:24.intimidating. That was a nice gesture. Seeing this young

:10:25. > :10:29.generation, Phil of tattoos, this is the way the world goes. But Andy

:10:30. > :10:34.looked better and better as the match went on. Ten Grand Slam finals

:10:35. > :10:39.he has been in, and he brings this huge experience to bear, doesn't he?

:10:40. > :10:44.Davis Cup medals twice and an Olympic gold medallist as well, but

:10:45. > :10:48.some very good news and life changes, which players absorb more

:10:49. > :10:52.into their playing careers as they get older. Delightful news that

:10:53. > :10:59.Kimberly, his wife, is expecting their second child, after baby

:11:00. > :11:04.Sophia was born. As we let some of these numbers sink in, couple of

:11:05. > :11:08.breaks for Andy Murray, but the players are getting older now and

:11:09. > :11:13.are well into their 30s, so the absorb these family changes, don't

:11:14. > :11:16.they? I think it is important. It doesn't mean you have to stop

:11:17. > :11:25.because you have to start a family. But similar to Novak Djokovic, Roger

:11:26. > :11:33.Federer, now father of four, I think it is imported as you get older to

:11:34. > :11:37.have an off court life, your family. You can't talk only about ten is all

:11:38. > :11:46.night long. I think it is wonderful, the situation, for him. -- you can't

:11:47. > :11:57.talk only about tennis. A bit breezy at the start of the second set here,

:11:58. > :12:02.one set to Murray. These double faults are going to haunt him now.

:12:03. > :12:13.That is number five already. Quite quick on the service motion.

:12:14. > :12:19.And this is a gift of a game so far to Murray. I mean, you have to

:12:20. > :12:26.batten down the hatch. He has cut out the errors. Definitely not the

:12:27. > :12:53.shot to play there. An interesting look at Sasha Bublik.

:12:54. > :13:02.Another forehand slice. Unusual choice of strokes for this young

:13:03. > :13:19.man, but Andy Murray's not complaining. Break points.

:13:20. > :13:32.That is his strongest side, the backhand. The father has a bit of

:13:33. > :13:33.worry on his face. He might just have one of those faces that looks

:13:34. > :14:08.worried always. No, Sir. Absolutely not. And the

:14:09. > :14:18.nation, that was, you cannot bring Murray in with the drop shot. Too

:14:19. > :14:23.bad for Bublik. And the new patron, the Duchess of Cambridge, alongside

:14:24. > :14:29.the chairman of the club. Patron of the England tennis club, now, the

:14:30. > :14:40.Duchess of Cambridge, taking over from the Queen, who was 64 years in

:14:41. > :14:46.that role. Finding a little bit of peace and quiet... Oh, Norma, back

:14:47. > :14:51.with us. I wonder what tennis club that is.

:14:52. > :15:56.Murray is in cruise control now. His opponent looks out of sorts.

:15:57. > :16:09.And that is exactly what the doctor ordered. A slight injury and you

:16:10. > :16:11.risk playing, you want to win fast. Obviously still a long way to go,

:16:12. > :16:35.but it looks promising. APPLAUSE

:16:36. > :16:40.So our first match on Centre Court, and the reason why that man might be

:16:41. > :16:48.having a little bit of a nap in the afternoon. He may be suffering

:16:49. > :16:54.terrible jet lag. Elderly tennis club is in Auckland, New Zealand!

:16:55. > :16:58.The wonders of the Internet, Boris. Wow, that was quick. Hopefully he

:16:59. > :17:10.didn't arrive just this morning. Murray are starting to enjoy this.

:17:11. > :18:04.He is having fun. So great to see Sir Jackie Stewart

:18:05. > :18:24.here, the motor racing world champion, three times.

:18:25. > :18:43.Playing some better tennis now. He qualified at the Australian Open

:18:44. > :18:51.earlier this year, beat Lucas Pouille, well inside the top 20. An

:18:52. > :18:57.outside bet for this championship. No, he has good strokes, beautiful

:18:58. > :19:03.height. I don't think he has an idea yet what his game plan is. He does a

:19:04. > :19:47.lot of trick shots. He is a wild thing, isn't he? Arms

:19:48. > :19:49.and legs flying everywhere. He is giving away this second set rather,

:19:50. > :20:11.isn't he? That was an opportunity for Andy. He

:20:12. > :20:16.is a very bright and quick young man, Bublik. Intellectually he is

:20:17. > :20:22.very strong. You feel he probably has 56 shots for each situation. If

:20:23. > :20:30.you only had one, it might be better -- he probably has five or six

:20:31. > :21:05.shots. That is the case sometimes. Too many options.

:21:06. > :21:26.Bublik doesn't bring the consistency.

:21:27. > :21:43.Advantage, Bublik. Bublik need a confidence booster now. Yes, Bublik

:21:44. > :21:50.keeping the second set alive, a competitive set, anyway, but there's

:21:51. > :21:55.going to the defending champion. We are slightly concerned about Murray.

:21:56. > :21:58.Was he perhaps not even going to take to the court, which would have

:21:59. > :22:02.been a real shame for the tournament? He shakes his head

:22:03. > :22:06.there. We have been taking a look at his movement, Boris. Certainly,

:22:07. > :22:12.between points he has looked very stiff of hip, but during the points

:22:13. > :22:16.as strong as ever. Well, we never know what the problem really is, and

:22:17. > :22:20.I don't think he will tell us honestly, but there is a limp when

:22:21. > :22:27.he walks between the points. Once the rally starts, I find him moving

:22:28. > :22:31.good. He had to run to a lot of drop shots, and you have to do that with

:22:32. > :22:37.your hip or any other part of your life, and he seems to be fast. Once

:22:38. > :22:41.the rally starts, she stands very close to the baseline, as we can see

:22:42. > :22:47.here again, so he doesn't really want to have to track way back

:22:48. > :22:59.behind the baseline. Keeps the point short. He is pretty aggressive.

:23:00. > :23:06.Then again most players only have one game. If you are the number one

:23:07. > :23:41.player in the world, you have multiple games.

:23:42. > :24:16.Bublik has an incredible long reach, his arms and legs.

:24:17. > :25:51.APPLAUSE And as has characterised this match,

:25:52. > :25:55.the exchanges in the forecourt have gone Murray's way.

:25:56. > :26:00.He just has the ability to bring the ball up and down, and even a shrug

:26:01. > :26:06.from Bublik, as he is forced into playing another shot that opens the

:26:07. > :26:12.court up for Andy Murray. A rally of 19 shots, that one.

:26:13. > :26:28.APPLAUSE Murray leads 3-1, second set.

:26:29. > :26:35.No comparison will be favourable for the younger man, including the

:26:36. > :26:41.career record. 651 matches won for Andy Murray. Just the for Bublik who

:26:42. > :26:53.is new to this level. But two of those were top 20 wins. -- just two

:26:54. > :26:57.for Bublik. He has a good technique. But the question, especially when

:26:58. > :27:17.you are that young, will always be can you put it together in one go?

:27:18. > :27:26.Well, if you were the coach, you had coached Novak Djokovic to six Grand

:27:27. > :27:30.Slam titles, the first thing you would say surely to heaven, this is

:27:31. > :27:35.sliced forehand, can we have a word? I would go absolutely mad, I would

:27:36. > :27:38.tell them, for every forehand drop shot, you pay me 10 euros extra.

:27:39. > :27:49.This is an impossible shot. LAUGHTER

:27:50. > :27:53.Sue SUE BARKER: We are leaving this match on BBC Two and it continues

:27:54. > :27:57.over on BBC One. If you want to continue watching

:27:58. > :28:01.Andy Murray at the start of his title defence, you can, and it

:28:02. > :28:06.continues on BBC One. We will head straight over now to Court Number

:28:07. > :28:07.One with Venus Williams has set point against Elise Mertens, so

:28:08. > :28:29.let's join our commentators there. Annabel Frank alongside Chris

:28:30. > :28:32.Martin. COMMENTATOR: Two set point saved by

:28:33. > :28:38.Mertens. She raced into a lead, Williams. She had Mertens at 15-40,

:28:39. > :29:23.but very close right now. Third set point.

:29:24. > :29:33.Battling from the beginning and continues to do so, on the draw

:29:34. > :29:38.here. You could feel the tension in that last point. She got great depth

:29:39. > :29:41.on that the of serve. Not the best strike, but you just felt there was

:29:42. > :29:49.a few nerves creeping into Venus Williams on that last point. She

:29:50. > :29:54.certainly has a battle on her hands. Not a feisty opponent, but someone

:29:55. > :29:59.who is just competing so well out here. Rematch of their third round

:30:00. > :30:03.of the French Open this year. By far the best Grand Slam performance from

:30:04. > :30:16.this 21-year-old, who only has four games on the clay.

:30:17. > :30:34.Is not served and have quite the impact it had earlier in the set,

:30:35. > :30:37.but here, I had to hold my breath on this one. Just got that one into

:30:38. > :30:51.court. Kind of state that one in there. -- steered. Fourth set point.

:30:52. > :31:02.Not batting an eyelid. She is just loving being out here on Court One.

:31:03. > :31:04.She is taking her game to the seven time Grand Slam champion. Just

:31:05. > :32:00.striking out. Great freedom. A smile from mum, she has seen it

:32:01. > :32:02.all before a million times. Never looks overly stressed out there in

:32:03. > :32:10.the box, does she? Fifth set point. Took the best part of our. -- and

:32:11. > :33:11.our. Took the best part of our. Fifth set

:33:12. > :33:15.point. That has created quite a buzz around Court Number One. It

:33:16. > :33:20.certainly has, my goodness, I don't think she played their best tennis

:33:21. > :33:23.in that set, Venus Williams. There was a lot of tension towards the

:33:24. > :33:28.back end of it but drawing on all that experience she brings out onto

:33:29. > :33:35.that court and she needed it. Her friend on the right, hitting

:33:36. > :33:39.partner, friend, mental, coach, been with Venus Williams for so many

:33:40. > :33:44.years, five times champion here of course, last time in 2008. From the

:33:45. > :33:51.spin of the coin, she chose to receive, and when it went 15-40

:33:52. > :33:56.down, since then, she has really grown into this match and has given

:33:57. > :34:03.way to real fight here. She's had such a great attitude. I've enjoy

:34:04. > :34:08.watching her body language, and she has enjoyed her time out here. She

:34:09. > :34:15.plays a solid game, doesn't she? Opening up her shoulders and using

:34:16. > :34:22.the power of Venus Williams. A good set of tennis from her. Somehow, she

:34:23. > :34:26.needs to keep up that level of intensity because quite often, after

:34:27. > :34:35.a tie-break set like that, you can dip off, and she needs to keep

:34:36. > :34:39.battling and stay tight. Second serve points, they have both been

:34:40. > :35:28.struggling. The first serve has been important.

:35:29. > :35:45.75th grand slime main draw, Williams, her 20th Wimbledon. Just a

:35:46. > :35:50.third for Mertens, total. She is ranked 54th, three of her career

:35:51. > :35:57.high of 51. Last month. At the top of her game at the moment. Qualified

:35:58. > :36:17.in Hobart at the start of the year. A big step. This is a giant one.

:36:18. > :36:23.Again, great swerve on that server but when you watch her second serve,

:36:24. > :36:27.that to ball tosses way out to the right hand side, almost like she

:36:28. > :37:16.can't kick back on that server, and has to come back on the outside.

:37:17. > :37:22.Coaches are getting younger. We talked about that earlier.

:37:23. > :37:32.For three years they have been together.

:37:33. > :37:39.Kim Clijsters certainly would have had an input, the biggest match of

:37:40. > :37:45.her career. No question about that. She would have given a lot of very

:37:46. > :37:50.good advice as to tactics, how to tackle the occasion, the fact she's

:37:51. > :37:52.walked out onto this big show court and the scale of the court would

:37:53. > :37:56.have felt so different to anything she's used to but she seems very

:37:57. > :38:02.much at ease. Look at the way she is marching about this tennis court.

:38:03. > :38:05.There's nothing passive about that. This will be the biggest win of her

:38:06. > :38:12.career so far today if she manages to pull this off.

:38:13. > :38:34.Number 15 in the world, her best so far.

:38:35. > :38:42.Has many matches has she watched, honestly?

:38:43. > :38:48.What I like about watching her is she's really relaxed but also she's

:38:49. > :38:50.very warm to the opposition, often applauding their shots at there. She

:38:51. > :39:13.just enjoys it. She enjoys that to. Or maybe not. Maybe not that one!

:39:14. > :39:16.This is a great need bend here, staying low throughout that shot. --

:39:17. > :40:10.knee bent. Never shies away from a drive

:40:11. > :40:23.volley. Yes, she's pretty confident on that

:40:24. > :40:29.shot, isn't she? That was quite a high judge actually, she was taking

:40:30. > :40:36.that ball out of the air. -- hi trajectory.

:40:37. > :40:43.No wonder a half smile. Perhaps didn't do enough with that drive

:40:44. > :41:07.volley. Mertens on it quickly. She has really taken on the second

:41:08. > :41:17.serve in this match. They're certainly hasn't been

:41:18. > :41:21.dropped off after that first set. Quite the opposite. One of two break

:41:22. > :41:50.points converted. That is warm applause. We talked

:41:51. > :41:54.earlier but that match against Venus Williams in the third round of the

:41:55. > :41:58.French this year. It's been a good rehearsal for this match again. I

:41:59. > :42:04.think it's such a good point, Chris, because she's already used to facing

:42:05. > :42:09.the patterns of serving. The pace of the shots. Even though at a

:42:10. > :42:13.different surface. That all didn't feel quite the same. She's done it

:42:14. > :43:12.once before. Like you say, a good rehearsal.

:43:13. > :43:19.A beautiful change of direction with that backhand, leaning in on that

:43:20. > :43:29.shot on the front foot, rifles that one down the line. She's almost in a

:43:30. > :43:31.hurry to get on with this. She has hit eight more winners in this match

:43:32. > :44:04.to Venus. The first run for Hawk-Eye. Last

:44:05. > :44:08.year was the 10-year anniversary of the very first Paul Kaye at

:44:09. > :44:16.Wimbledon, ten years ago. Gosh, it doesn't feel that long, does it? --

:44:17. > :44:20.the very first Hawk-Eye. Andy Roddick match. Six double faults for

:44:21. > :44:32.Mertens. That serve just didn't do enough

:44:33. > :44:36.damage. That ball toss quite far right to the right, just swerving it

:44:37. > :44:52.into Venus Williams' strike zone there. Break point.

:44:53. > :44:56.Nearly three quarters of the points one behind the first less than 40%

:44:57. > :45:16.behind the second. Mertens had hit her shot at. No

:45:17. > :45:26.complaint from the Belgian number one. Another break point.

:45:27. > :45:40.Williams breaks straight back. UMPIRE: New balls please.

:45:41. > :45:43.SUE BARKER: Venus breaking serve and fighting back like the championship

:45:44. > :45:47.is. We can bring you one result from Court number 14 earlier today.

:45:48. > :45:54.Dustin Brown, one of the great entertainers in the sport beat his

:45:55. > :46:02.opponent in Fort set. He beat Rafal Nadal in 2015 and will await the

:46:03. > :46:05.winner of the match on Centre Court, Andy Murray vs Alexander Bublik.

:46:06. > :46:10.Talking of which, over on Centre Court, Andy Murray is coming up to

:46:11. > :46:15.serve for a 2-0 lead. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief that his

:46:16. > :46:19.hips look to be recovered and Andy Murray in charge on Centre Court, it

:46:20. > :46:30.over on BBC One if you want to watch it. And this match is our featured

:46:31. > :46:34.match on the red button. Marina Erakovic v Simona Halep is over on

:46:35. > :46:41.Court Number Two on the red button. The French Open runner-up, a set and

:46:42. > :46:51.a break up. This is Court number three. The number four seed, she was

:46:52. > :46:56.a break of serve down, but Ashleigh Barty reached the final at Edgbaston

:46:57. > :47:00.but she lost, so Elina Svitolina has quite a bit of work to do, so that

:47:01. > :47:04.matches on the website. Back we go to Court Number One.

:47:05. > :47:09.A break is not a break until you held serve so Venus Williams broke

:47:10. > :47:33.straight back. Venus Williams has the ability to

:47:34. > :47:39.make tennis look very, very simple sometimes, doesn't she? Get that big

:47:40. > :47:43.serve and to play, massive strike into corners, and she is dictating

:47:44. > :47:49.play. She's moving as well as she has ever moved. I think she looks

:47:50. > :48:58.fitter now than she has in ten years or more. Just moving beautifully.

:48:59. > :49:08.What a chance. She knows that was an opportunity missed because that

:49:09. > :49:30.second serve sat invitingly. Kim Clijsters Courtside now.

:49:31. > :49:36.Those two missed returns are something to discuss at the Academy.

:49:37. > :50:33.Straight after this match. A real chance there for Mertens. I

:50:34. > :50:37.think that first opportunity at 15-40, that second serve didn't have

:50:38. > :50:41.enough on it, and she got enough on it but just missed it, but it's

:50:42. > :50:45.about not getting the ball back into play and making Venus Williams play.

:50:46. > :50:50.She's going to be disappointed. She needs to put that behind her. One of

:50:51. > :50:56.the hardest things as a tennis player is to move on and wipe the

:50:57. > :51:04.slate clean and not think about what's just happened. Yes, too many

:51:05. > :51:10.of those. You made the point earlier that she's not allowing Venus

:51:11. > :51:25.Williams to totally dictate. And that is 7-0.

:51:26. > :51:40.Didn't go to the space. Mertens was punished.

:51:41. > :51:50.A great lob, wasn't it? It really was a good lob. Great control. Good

:51:51. > :51:57.height. Not sure how much she knew about it!

:51:58. > :52:27.It was almost reactionary, wasn't it?

:52:28. > :52:36.She hasn't been up at the net that match. The one she dumped into the

:52:37. > :52:40.bottom of the net, it is a drive volley which sailed long. I'm not

:52:41. > :52:51.sure she's that confident up around the net area.

:52:52. > :53:12.One hour 12 minutes. More and more comfortable for this scoreboard for

:53:13. > :53:17.Venus Williams on a new look number one court this year. A four-year

:53:18. > :53:22.project to put on a retractable roof. Taken some parts off,

:53:23. > :53:25.installed some parts and will do more over the next year as soon as

:53:26. > :53:32.this Championships has finished. It will be the ready for 2019. It's a

:53:33. > :53:37.massive project, but it's really coming on so well, isn't it? I live

:53:38. > :53:44.quite close by and I've watched it over the last year or so, with all

:53:45. > :53:46.the big cranes and machinery and watched a developing. It's amazing.

:53:47. > :53:53.It's going to be incredible when it's finished. Constantly

:53:54. > :53:56.modernising, never losing, though, the traditional values and look.

:53:57. > :54:01.They want to create the English garden type effect as well because

:54:02. > :54:07.that's where tennis was born, in the UK, in people back gardens. This is

:54:08. > :54:10.a pretty impressive garden. Murray Mount, Henman Hill, whatever you

:54:11. > :54:14.prefer. Court Number One, straightaway in your view there.

:54:15. > :54:19.It's looking magnificent. It just blends in. I think that's what

:54:20. > :54:23.people feel when they first visit Wimbledon. It's just a beautiful

:54:24. > :54:31.planting, the flowers, the greenery, it's just really beautiful.

:54:32. > :55:30.Williams, 3-2 with the break. Just holding Venus Williams there.

:55:31. > :55:32.Just felt as if she was being rushed. Playing to the server's

:55:33. > :56:22.pace. It starts on that serve. She just

:56:23. > :56:25.doesn't quite get hold of the serve sometimes, and it's like it wraps

:56:26. > :56:29.around the string and she doesn't get a good strike on it and then you

:56:30. > :56:40.are chasing the ball and being dictated to.

:56:41. > :56:47.She's had to really battle and, bearing in mind it's her first match

:56:48. > :56:52.on grass since the fourth round of the French Open, things are going

:56:53. > :57:38.very nicely so far, moving well, no signs of a slip.

:57:39. > :57:44.It has become an issue, hasn't it? I think right from the word go Venus

:57:45. > :57:48.was stepping inside the baseline and giving it a good crunch and she is

:57:49. > :57:52.feeling the pressure constantly out here so she's trying to do little

:57:53. > :58:08.bit more with it but it is affecting her.

:58:09. > :58:16.That is a clever shot. Three drop shots, that's the second from

:58:17. > :58:30.Mertens. Kind of Murray shot. Cut inside that

:58:31. > :59:47.slice, fade to that ball away. It's more like a golf chip, isn't it?

:59:48. > :59:57.This is such a big game. You almost feel she has to hold here. There's a

:59:58. > :00:00.sort of sign of confidence and plucky spirit she brought out onto

:00:01. > :00:17.the court, has waned a little bit. Venus going for the insurance,

:00:18. > :00:38.double break. Look Rupp our right to the centre of

:00:39. > :01:02.the strings. -- look at that power right through.

:01:03. > :01:15.A look up at the support camp there, almost can't believe she missed that

:01:16. > :01:19.one. A look of... Drizzle has arrived. That wasn't forecast, was

:01:20. > :01:26.it? APPLAUSE

:01:27. > :01:39.So that's really good concentration, to hit the ace.

:01:40. > :01:56.It was hand in. Says the break point. 3-4. While we watch, with

:01:57. > :02:02.clear keeping an eye on things, the committee here, we took a step back

:02:03. > :02:14.in time, didn't we? The Australian Open, Annabel, and who would have

:02:15. > :02:22.thought Federer Nadal final, and Serena against Venus Williams. She

:02:23. > :02:26.and Kvitova are the only Wimbledon winners in the draw here. Why not

:02:27. > :02:30.another Grand Slam? Definitely, definitely title contenders. We have

:02:31. > :02:34.to remember this is Venus's first match on grass this year, hasn't

:02:35. > :02:38.played a warm up and, OK, perhaps struggled a little in that first

:02:39. > :02:41.set, drawing upon all her experience, but you can only imagine

:02:42. > :02:53.if she does get through this match she will get better and better as

:02:54. > :03:04.the draw unfolds. Well, they are continuing.

:03:05. > :03:21.An hour and 22 minutes. Venus Williams has got the double break.

:03:22. > :03:57.That's a great shot! APPLAUSE

:03:58. > :04:06.LAUGHTER Smiles all round!

:04:07. > :04:09.Great anticipation, the flick of the rest just keeping that racket face

:04:10. > :04:26.over enough to get that ball over Venus's head. -- flick of the wrist.

:04:27. > :04:46.Well played because that wasn't easy, that finish, just had to get

:04:47. > :04:51.the body weight shifted backwards, get the footwork underneath that

:04:52. > :05:05.smash, and managed to send it back, that over the top of it to control

:05:06. > :05:07.that ball. Perfect body serve. She played French cricket there,

:05:08. > :05:52.Kvitova. -- Mertens. It is hard to criticise Venus

:05:53. > :05:55.Williams' serve because it is a stunning and has been so brilliant

:05:56. > :05:59.throughout her career but there are times when she lets that ball

:06:00. > :06:07.dropped a little bit and sinks into it, and that is when the double

:06:08. > :06:11.fault tends to creep into her game. And there you can see it and really

:06:12. > :06:23.push up and use her legs in there in that first serve, use all her

:06:24. > :06:31.height. -- you can see that she didn't really push up and use her

:06:32. > :06:39.legs in there. That was brilliant. Winning a lot of fans here, Mertens,

:06:40. > :06:43.with this approach. I think she has the spring back in her step as well.

:06:44. > :06:56.Her body language has just gone up a couple of notches. Break back point.

:06:57. > :07:01.Using the body serve a lot now. Yes, she has used it a lot today, very

:07:02. > :07:17.effectively. Good to tuck an opponent up, isn't it, and get that

:07:18. > :07:21.short reply? Oh. I think five Venus Williams is really really good, we

:07:22. > :07:24.always talk about that third ball of the rally, the shop that you hit

:07:25. > :07:28.after your serve, and the top players will be brave with that and

:07:29. > :07:57.go into the corners, and that is exactly what Venus does.

:07:58. > :08:08.Solid. Venus could have done better with the pass. You can sense she is

:08:09. > :08:10.not that comfortable up at the Met, Mertens, she slightly hesitant,

:08:11. > :08:13.isn't she, moving forward? She had to force herself out of her comfort

:08:14. > :08:26.zone in that volley. Deuce. Yes, she is really breathing

:08:27. > :08:43.hard here. A tough game. APPLAUSE

:08:44. > :09:29.Advantage, Miss Williams. Game, Miss Williams. Terrific hold

:09:30. > :09:36.again from Williams. You can tell the points are getting bigger with

:09:37. > :09:38.these ball tosses, but the golden rule is to pick a bad one!

:09:39. > :09:42.LAUGHTER That is true. She has been a little

:09:43. > :09:45.one... Something she has lost rhythm on that serve, but when she is

:09:46. > :10:31.really needed to draw up on it she has come up with that big serve.

:10:32. > :10:47.APPLAUSE Moves well.

:10:48. > :10:50.It's just contented look on Kim's Place, watching her player out of

:10:51. > :11:02.four Academy, in her first Grand Slam draw, first time here. -- out

:11:03. > :11:05.of her Academy. Great experience whatever happens. It really is, and

:11:06. > :11:09.I think it is just a chance because of the level of tournaments she has

:11:10. > :11:14.played more on, and you comes a little bit more rain... It. Play

:11:15. > :11:25.perhaps, it is actually raining quite heavily. -- here comes a

:11:26. > :11:28.little bit more rain. What I was going to say, such a chance for her

:11:29. > :11:34.to test yourself out against one of the very best in the world. And an

:11:35. > :11:38.extraordinary situation, isn't it? Match point and it is pouring with

:11:39. > :11:40.rain. Looks like they are going to let it continue. Yes, it is pretty

:11:41. > :12:49.heavy. Advantage, Miss Mertens. Lovely

:12:50. > :12:52.change up there. We have seen some power from her at the back of the

:12:53. > :12:55.court and you can see the little great change. Venus just can't get

:12:56. > :13:08.to that, can't see that one coming. Great disguise.

:13:09. > :13:54.It's in! Or is it? The ball is called in.

:13:55. > :14:31.Oh, just! Right on the outside edge. One challenge remaining.

:14:32. > :14:45.Well played! There are a few people standing. She is not ready to go

:14:46. > :14:49.back to the locker room just yet. She looks like she is really

:14:50. > :14:56.enjoying this, was very nervous at the start. But terrific to see. Yes,

:14:57. > :15:02.it is raining heavier now than it has been. This is such a shame,

:15:03. > :15:07.isn't it, at this stage of the match? Quite slippery, though. It

:15:08. > :15:13.has been such fine drizzle and it is now pretty heavy rain. What a time

:15:14. > :15:18.to cause an interruption in play. Second match point saved, back to

:15:19. > :15:30.deuce, the cover is coming on. Ladies and gentlemen, please

:15:31. > :15:34.suspended. Well, that's really is so frustrating for Venus Williams. So

:15:35. > :15:37.close to the finish line, and of course quite training actually,

:15:38. > :15:42.emotionally, because now you have to go back to the locker room, reset

:15:43. > :15:45.everything, and try to think about what just happened, then you have to

:15:46. > :15:50.come back out. What she would really have loved to have done, finish the

:15:51. > :15:53.match, get showered up, do her press and media commitments, get out of

:15:54. > :15:58.here and start resting, but what a frustration. This wasn't even

:15:59. > :16:02.forecast! I don't think it was and as soon as the covers have come

:16:03. > :16:06.across, we have gone back to very late rain again, but of course take

:16:07. > :16:11.no chances, on a brand-new grass court. Pretty slippy at the best of

:16:12. > :16:18.times when you plan heavily, to get your push off step. For the

:16:19. > :16:23.precaution, taking the decision to cover. But will they hold? Just

:16:24. > :16:24.backstage for a while. Bearing in mind it is virtually not raining

:16:25. > :16:41.again. A tricky one. She has her grass court shoes on,

:16:42. > :16:46.Mertens. Won her first match on the grass this year at Eastbourne,

:16:47. > :16:51.before losing out, and then as we see Venus playing her first grass

:16:52. > :16:57.court match this year, looks very firm, but there is an interruption.

:16:58. > :17:01.Let's keep our fingers crossed. Sue Barker mac and just two points for

:17:02. > :17:04.victory! There is a little waiting room for the players there and

:17:05. > :17:07.everyone will be hoping this will just be a passing shower and that

:17:08. > :17:09.they will get underway very soon. They got the cover is an very

:17:10. > :17:13.quickly. Once the rain has gone away, they will move the covers and

:17:14. > :17:19.play will start within a couple of minutes or so. Covers going on all

:17:20. > :17:22.around Wimbledon here. Really disappointing, because there was

:17:23. > :17:26.nothing really in the forecast suggesting we would have rain on the

:17:27. > :17:30.opening day. So we will be back with that life as soon as the players

:17:31. > :17:34.return to Court Number One. In the meantime we will take you out a

:17:35. > :17:44.match taking place on Court number three, that was between the number

:17:45. > :17:51.four seed, Svitolina of Australia, up against Barty -- Svitolina of

:17:52. > :17:59.Ukraine up against Ashley Barty of Australia. Barty is leading 4-2 in

:18:00. > :18:14.the opening set, and are commented is out there, James Burrage and

:18:15. > :18:37.COMMENTATOR: These two players spoiling us here, and look at the

:18:38. > :18:52.reach! Yes, great move, just get that off the edge of the racket, and

:18:53. > :19:20.again, take a deep breath, Ash Barty.

:19:21. > :19:25.Oh jeez, she just left a gaping gap down that line for Barty to hit

:19:26. > :19:47.into. Too excited that was a big miss. And

:19:48. > :19:53.these serves are coming under too much pressure. Look at this graphic

:19:54. > :19:57.on your screen. First serves in, 48-56. And look at the points they

:19:58. > :20:02.are winning when they are going in. 45% compared to 53%. That is what

:20:03. > :20:12.happens when you do get a good one in. Straight down the centre of the

:20:13. > :20:27.T. A crucial game here for the number four seed. Elina Svitolina,

:20:28. > :20:31.not comparable on grass. I think she would probably even admit that

:20:32. > :20:43.herself. She has only ever won two matches here on grass, and she was a

:20:44. > :20:46.former runner-up here at Junior Will Butel and -- Junior Wimbledon, five

:20:47. > :20:53.years ago. She is like a number of players who come to the grass here

:20:54. > :20:56.at SW19. It is not her favourite surface and sometimes these players

:20:57. > :21:00.are beaten before they come on the court, but we are speaking about the

:21:01. > :21:05.number four seed here. Absolutely. Just a great equaliser. You can have

:21:06. > :21:08.a top ten player playing someone outside of 100 and their skill set

:21:09. > :21:20.matches the grass you are in trouble and that is exactly is happening

:21:21. > :21:22.here. Barty, with a slight advantage, serving with new balls at

:21:23. > :21:53.4-3. Yes, good depth, just finding a

:21:54. > :22:00.little more range on that backhand side, Svitolina. We are in the

:22:01. > :22:01.eighth game and it has taken a bit of time for both of these players

:22:02. > :22:36.just to find some timing. Clever serve. Sweeping it out into

:22:37. > :22:47.the corner. She uses the slice so well.

:22:48. > :22:55.Ah, too good. That is the 1-2 combination, just opens up a

:22:56. > :23:27.forehand crosscourt, giving space to hit into.

:23:28. > :23:38.Coolly done by the 21-year-old here. World ranking number 56, and look at

:23:39. > :23:40.that, 5-3 up in this opening set against Elina Svitolina here, the

:23:41. > :24:31.number four seed. She is in trouble. APPLAUSE

:24:32. > :24:45.So again, good serving there, from Svitolina.

:24:46. > :25:10.Pratt and Alicia Malik, the coaches there from Australia, doing a great

:25:11. > :25:18.job. -- Alisha Malik. They have three girls in the main draw this

:25:19. > :25:23.year. Fascinating watching the contrast, the forehand and backhand,

:25:24. > :25:27.Svitolina when she is serving to this forehand side she's finding it

:25:28. > :25:36.a lot harder, but no problems on the backhand. Mess Svitolina is

:25:37. > :25:50.-- Miss Svitolina is challenging the call.

:25:51. > :26:05.Svitolina has two challenges remaining. She is trying to spew

:26:06. > :26:27.-- She is trying to spear that into the court.

:26:28. > :26:32.That was a decent serve from Elina Svitolina, and, my goodness, she

:26:33. > :26:36.needed it. Every year they have different coloured towels, James, so

:26:37. > :26:39.this year it is a very bright looking colour. For the men they

:26:40. > :26:46.always have green, different shades of greens, but the ladies have the

:26:47. > :26:48.really popular ones. You see all around the streets, people have

:26:49. > :26:56.these towels, taking them home, then you see them all around the world

:26:57. > :26:59.with club players, funds have an iconic momentum from and -- it is

:27:00. > :27:03.fun to have an iconic momentum from Wimbledon. All the players love to

:27:04. > :27:06.keep them as well, from their matches, then hand them over to

:27:07. > :27:11.their family and friends. They are not easy to get, those ones. When we

:27:12. > :27:18.played, they used to have hundreds of these in the locker room

:27:19. > :27:25.everywhere, and of course everybody took a memento home, one or two. Now

:27:26. > :27:32.they are only for the matches. Dark heavy clouds here on Court three,

:27:33. > :27:52.but the forecast is to remain dry. Ashley Barty then, serving for the

:27:53. > :28:07.third set. Right idea, Barty. Just a little bit too much angle. -- Ashley

:28:08. > :28:39.another one for Hawk-Eye, and it is in. These could be crucial.

:28:40. > :29:06.Elina Svitolina asking the umpire what happened there and on par

:29:07. > :29:24.decided was not up from Ashleigh Barty. So tight.

:29:25. > :29:37.That one was white. -- wide. With the grip Svitolina has, so far

:29:38. > :29:40.around with the Western grip, it makes it difficult when it gets very

:29:41. > :29:48.low, she just has to opt for the slice. Can't hit over that shot.

:29:49. > :30:17.Good service. 'S oh, it's wide, and she's not

:30:18. > :30:23.going to challenge, and she is now facing a break and she has struggled

:30:24. > :30:28.throughout with those easy put aways at the net. Yes, her short game has

:30:29. > :30:30.been a little off. Big chance here for the number four seed, to get us

:30:31. > :31:02.back on level terms. That is beautifully finished!

:31:03. > :31:48.Svitolina knew she was so close but the Australian had one more shot.

:31:49. > :31:58.Such good fighting qualities, from Svitolina. Such a feisty player.

:31:59. > :32:35.5-3 back to 5-5. That second double fault for Barty coming at the worst

:32:36. > :33:06.time. That is brilliant, what a punishing

:33:07. > :33:09.forehand. Terrific hitting from Ash, very calm and building this point

:33:10. > :33:16.perfectly so she can get this forehand. It slides nice and deep

:33:17. > :33:38.but that is the weapon, that forehand.

:33:39. > :33:46.That is one where she can actually get behind it, that higher, bouncing

:33:47. > :34:04.forehand. It is the lower ones that cause the problems.

:34:05. > :34:15.Better, and great anticipation that's time from Ash Barty. And this

:34:16. > :34:19.is how to set up a point, she knows Svitolina is going to struggle and

:34:20. > :34:20.she will get a short ball but look at the preparation, getting round

:34:21. > :34:52.and opening up the shoulders. Strangely enough, this is the first

:34:53. > :34:56.backhand winner she has hit today, Svitolina. Nice little steps, good

:34:57. > :35:12.anticipation. A little tight on that backhand, she

:35:13. > :35:27.didn't get through it. One more point for Svitolina and she

:35:28. > :35:50.will have won three games on the trot.

:35:51. > :36:00.She is looking at the line, Svitolina, but she knows it is too

:36:01. > :36:02.late now. That is the 11th winner off the forehand side from Ash

:36:03. > :36:03.Barty. Let's have another look... It was

:36:04. > :36:36.close. Big first serve, that is what she

:36:37. > :36:38.will be needing. For both players, it is a part of their games which is

:36:39. > :36:56.really letting them That is beautiful touch from

:36:57. > :36:59.Ashleigh Barty. Cool as well because Svitolina was scampering around the

:37:00. > :37:06.court and she could easily have been distracted. Good reach from

:37:07. > :37:38.Svitolina but Ash Barty just holds this on her racket.

:37:39. > :37:46.APPLAUSE There was nothing she could do about

:37:47. > :37:51.it, she is exasperated but look at this cool cookie at the other end of

:37:52. > :37:56.the net. The amount of slice that comes off her racket, you can see

:37:57. > :37:58.how she plays across her body and it just does not come up off the grass

:37:59. > :38:06.at all. Good serve, that is what she has

:38:07. > :38:42.been looking for this entire game. That is beautiful. That is too good.

:38:43. > :38:46.The good serve from Svitolina. As soon as you get your opponent out

:38:47. > :38:51.wide like that you can step into the court and take time away and that is

:38:52. > :38:53.the perfect combination, how close she is to the baseline. A great

:38:54. > :39:20.reaction from Svitolina. What a game to hold. Three games on

:39:21. > :39:23.the trot for the number four seed. And she wrestles the initiative back

:39:24. > :39:30.from Ashleigh Barty here on court number three.

:39:31. > :39:40.She also took her opponent's towel for a moment!

:39:41. > :39:51.Reaching the business end of this set and it is all about temperament

:39:52. > :39:57.now. Certainly. Svitolina has improved throughout this match and

:39:58. > :40:04.this set but one thing that never disappears from this young lady's

:40:05. > :40:09.game is her fighting qualities. She is such a feisty player. If you look

:40:10. > :40:16.at the way she plays, she is an incredible mover, a great fighter,

:40:17. > :40:19.but the backhand is world-class. The rest is not unbelievable so she has

:40:20. > :40:30.done such a good job to get here to the top ten.

:40:31. > :40:39.Cord three on day one of the Championships and Ashleigh Barty,

:40:40. > :40:40.who was 5-3 up 15 minutes ago, is now serving to stay in this first

:40:41. > :41:00.set. -- court number three. Just didn't get her feet right

:41:01. > :41:29.there. Oh dear. That was a huge chance for

:41:30. > :41:36.Svitolina, that drop shot was a bit of a horror show from Ash Barty. She

:41:37. > :41:49.was lucky to get away with this. It was almost a lobbed drop shot.

:41:50. > :42:02.Too good. Got a little bit lucky as well, she was pretty deep and snuck

:42:03. > :42:06.in. This is where she is at her best, she has great feel and

:42:07. > :42:19.understanding and she anticipates the net extremely well.

:42:20. > :42:53.That is wide from Barty. What a turnaround in this first set.

:42:54. > :43:16.She has done it. And even she will be impressed by the comeback because

:43:17. > :43:24.15 minutes ago it looked a different game altogether. The confidence is

:43:25. > :43:25.oozing from Elina Svitolina, she is pumped up and she has taken the

:43:26. > :43:38.first set in 52 minutes. What a turnaround for Svitolina.

:43:39. > :43:42.Everything was going the way of Barty. Both players struggled a

:43:43. > :43:49.little bit holding serve but it was Svitolina who improved, you can see

:43:50. > :43:56.everything in the yellow favouring her apart from the double faults,

:43:57. > :44:01.just one more going her way. She was getting better on the serve but look

:44:02. > :44:08.at Ash Barty, 21 times she has come in and only winning 11, that is not

:44:09. > :44:14.normally where she should be standing. 19 unforced errors is too

:44:15. > :44:19.high. She is being more active and trying to produce more but she is

:44:20. > :44:25.just not executing as well as we would normally see from her on the

:44:26. > :44:30.grass. This is a great court, court number three, because everybody is

:44:31. > :44:38.having lunch, everyone can just take over. That was Daria Gavrilova just

:44:39. > :44:46.to be left, of course, Australia. It is very nice to sit up there, that

:44:47. > :44:51.is their view, not bad, James. It will do!

:44:52. > :45:01.This wonderful sporting theatre here on court number three. And it is

:45:02. > :46:35.Svitolina with one set in the bag serving in the second.

:46:36. > :46:41.Looking a little bit more dangerous here, Elina Svitolina. She is really

:46:42. > :46:54.stepping in and taking her chances. Barty will be disappointed to not

:46:55. > :46:59.quite get in the first set. A quick time for an ace and she looks a

:47:00. > :47:07.different player, far more positive. She has got a real way about that at

:47:08. > :47:12.the moment, very positive and a lot more confident on the forehand side

:47:13. > :47:21.as well, stepping into the court and trying to hit that. SUE BARKER: That

:47:22. > :47:24.match was taking place while ago, it is unfinished at the moment but we

:47:25. > :47:28.will update you on it but the good news is that the covers are off and

:47:29. > :47:32.the players are back on, Andy Murray is on Centre Court which is on BBC

:47:33. > :47:38.One and we are heading back to Centre Court -- back to Court Number

:47:39. > :47:43.One where Venus Williams was close to winning so we can rejoin our

:47:44. > :47:51.commentators, Annabel Croft and Chris Bradnam.

:47:52. > :48:24.The way she waved her racket towards Tim Clijsters -- Kim prices if the

:48:25. > :48:27.circular forehand of Venus Williams. ANNABEL CROFT: And an

:48:28. > :48:31.acknowledgement that everything went to plan. Venus will have been a bit

:48:32. > :48:35.disappointed not to do anything with that seconds of opportunity on the

:48:36. > :48:40.deuce point, a rather lame return into the net and did not accelerate

:48:41. > :48:51.the racket head. Plenty to think about for her at the change of ends.

:48:52. > :48:55.And for Clijsters tom night that she could give that information about

:48:56. > :49:02.Venus. She has done so much homework about the modern-day players, and

:49:03. > :49:07.other similar age to Mertens who is 21 but the experience really helps.

:49:08. > :50:15.Venus Williams now with the serve it out question.

:50:16. > :50:22.Very quick up the court then, Venus Williams, she had to motor to get

:50:23. > :50:24.her racket head underneath that ball and to control it when she got there

:50:25. > :51:48.as well. I'm not sure what went wrong then.

:51:49. > :51:53.She almost planted her feet a bit too early and the ball got a bit

:51:54. > :52:15.close into her body and she totally misguided that one.

:52:16. > :52:27.CHEERING An emphatic finish. Terrific effort

:52:28. > :52:32.from Elise Mertens on her main draw debut here but Venus Williams, her

:52:33. > :52:42.first match on grass this year, she starts with a win. One of the

:52:43. > :52:47.favourites, you never know. She has got to be pleased to get that done

:52:48. > :52:50.and dusted right there. I don't think it was the best level we have

:52:51. > :52:56.seen from Venus Williams but certainly for a first match on

:52:57. > :53:03.grass, a very good start. And Elise Mertens certainly did not embarrass

:53:04. > :53:15.herself out here. Terrific round of applause for the 21-year-old. The

:53:16. > :53:19.winning smile. Her 20th Wimbledon, would you believe? The oldest in the

:53:20. > :53:23.tournament on the women's side, 37 years young. She will take some

:53:24. > :53:30.beating. And a very good performance.

:53:31. > :53:44.One hour and 40 minutes. The one interruption. We have seen a great

:53:45. > :53:53.player in action. A five-time Wimbledon champion. Everyone looking

:53:54. > :54:03.around this magnificent court. The roof is on its way, it will be

:54:04. > :54:06.finished by 2019. And all nationalities here, people fly in

:54:07. > :54:15.just to have a day at Wimbledon from all over the world.

:54:16. > :54:22.SUE BARKER: No interview with Venus as she has said she does not want to

:54:23. > :54:27.do any media commitments following the car accident last month. We will

:54:28. > :54:31.hear from her in the press conference a little later but Venus

:54:32. > :54:42.Williams is safely through, at the age of 37, the five-time winner is a

:54:43. > :54:48.contender yet again. Venus is safely through in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4.

:54:49. > :54:53.And we can update you on Centre Court where Andy Murray is not happy

:54:54. > :55:00.with that last point but he should be happy with the scoreline, two set

:55:01. > :55:03.up and 3-2 with a break of serve against Alexander Bublik and that

:55:04. > :55:07.Matt is on BBC One. Some results from earlier, Dustin Brown is

:55:08. > :55:11.through in Forsett against Joao Sousa. The Czech

:55:12. > :55:19.-- such a charismatic player. He will play either Murray or public

:55:20. > :55:26.and will be keeping a close eye on Centre Court -- Bublik. A big crowd

:55:27. > :55:32.on court 14 for his match. And they love this man as well, Jo-Wilfried

:55:33. > :55:36.Tsonga, the 12th seed and former semifinalist here up against British

:55:37. > :55:41.wild card Cameron Norrie who was playing in his first ever Wimbledon

:55:42. > :55:45.but he was outplayed by Tonga today who won in three sets. But keep an

:55:46. > :55:55.eye out for Cameron Norrie, he will be a good player in the future, only

:55:56. > :56:00.21 years of age. Tsonga celebrating on Court Number Two but on court

:56:01. > :56:06.number three, sad news for Nick Kyrgios as he was trailing by two

:56:07. > :56:12.sets to love to Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France but he was forced

:56:13. > :56:15.to withdraw. He would have had to have played another three sets and

:56:16. > :56:20.he was advised the best thing to do was to quit and get fit and you

:56:21. > :56:23.could see a very emotional Nick Kyrgios having to walk away from

:56:24. > :56:28.Wimbledon because of the injury he sustained at Queen's Club a couple

:56:29. > :56:36.of weeks ago. No problems for the number nine seed from Japan, Kei

:56:37. > :56:43.Nishikori, who lost just four games. That was on court number 12.

:56:44. > :56:50.Another of the contenders for the title is Madison Keys who is seeded

:56:51. > :56:57.17 and came through today against Nao Hibino of Japan. She had to have

:56:58. > :57:01.minor surgery on her wrist after the French Open but no signs of any

:57:02. > :57:04.trouble with that as she cruised through to the second round, one of

:57:05. > :57:11.the big hitters and she loves this surface. The number two seed is

:57:12. > :57:15.safely through, Simona Halep, runner-up at the French Open, she

:57:16. > :57:27.went through against Marina Erakovic.

:57:28. > :57:35.We can update you, this is where we are going to head now after the

:57:36. > :57:43.break on Court Number One. We left it with Svitolina leading 1-0 in the

:57:44. > :57:49.second set and she is now serving at for with that break of serve. We can

:57:50. > :57:56.rejoin our commentators, Louise Pleming and James Burridge.

:57:57. > :58:03.COMMENTATOR: And it is the number four seed who has taken the

:58:04. > :58:08.initiative early, breaking Ashleigh Barty in this opening game since the

:58:09. > :58:15.rain delay. One said to the good and for in the second.

:58:16. > :58:36.That is good from Barty. She has got to try to dictate a bit more of that

:58:37. > :58:43.forehand. She gets that slice shot back, opened up the court, perfect

:58:44. > :59:02.but she needs more shape on the ball, Barty.

:59:03. > :59:12.A little flat-footed there. That has been the problem in this match, she

:59:13. > :59:16.has made far too many errors and handed the confidence over to

:59:17. > :59:26.Svitolina and her coach will be feeling frustrated.

:59:27. > :59:36.First serve here after that correction from the line judge.

:59:37. > :59:44.She is 4-2 up, the first time she has come in with some serve and

:59:45. > :59:57.volley. She may not do it again after that! I would advise not to!

:59:58. > :00:06.That is a fabulous return, she stayed really low on it. 40 have

:00:07. > :00:10.been 15 back to deuce and these little mini battles going on --

:00:11. > :00:43.40-15. We have had them all match. Oh no! Just forced her to play that

:00:44. > :00:46.extra shot. Terrific hands from Ash Barty, she just moved to the right

:00:47. > :00:55.part of the court and she sees the racket face. This wants Ah Mau...

:00:56. > :00:59.This is a huge miss for Svitolina -- this one somehow. She's not the most

:01:00. > :01:23.comfortable at the net. And a break point to defend from 40-15 up.

:01:24. > :01:32.Bart just no answer. When she finds that forehand, she is invincible. We

:01:33. > :01:38.have a game on our hands in this second set.

:01:39. > :01:44.Much better body language from Ashleigh Barty. She will be happy

:01:45. > :01:51.with that. She has been in patient in her shotmaking. And where she

:01:52. > :01:55.really does do well, which is just changing up and having that

:01:56. > :02:03.variation. Nice play across her body. There is the change-up slice.

:02:04. > :02:09.That is where she has to get into Svitolina's game. Slice into it,

:02:10. > :02:17.that allows the ball to set up and then she has got plenty of time to

:02:18. > :02:24.really dictate with this shot here. Playing in just her second

:02:25. > :02:29.Wimbledon, Ashleigh Barty. She had a really good run on the grass before

:02:30. > :02:36.she came here. She reached the final at Birmingham where she lost to

:02:37. > :02:41.Petra Kvitova. She beat the likes of Garbine Muguruza on her here. A

:02:42. > :03:07.former junior champion. She loves the grass.

:03:08. > :03:13.The frustration palpable. We have seen this all match. She tees up the

:03:14. > :03:15.point brilliantly and she just misses that final shot, the

:03:16. > :03:41.execution letting her down. She has got a hold here, it is a

:03:42. > :03:44.good move. If she can get her body weight behind it and try and move

:03:45. > :03:59.in, take some time away from Svitolina.

:04:00. > :04:07.Well, just rolled the wrists on that one. Beautifully finished off by

:04:08. > :04:12.Svitolina. I just love the preparation here. The way she reads

:04:13. > :04:17.the play, Svitolina. Look at the hands behind this shot. She knows

:04:18. > :04:22.exactly where she is going. Peripheral awareness here. One of

:04:23. > :05:12.the best movers in the women's game. A great time for an ace.

:05:13. > :05:21.A good mini comeback here from Ashleigh Barty. We saw that forehand

:05:22. > :05:27.in the first set getting the wobbles.

:05:28. > :05:31.Svitolina not getting into a good position. But that she rectified

:05:32. > :06:47.towards the end of that first set. That is interesting. This is where I

:06:48. > :06:52.felt Barty would have the leading edge in this match. It has been

:06:53. > :06:53.fitted Li Na who has been throwing down more aces than her opponent

:06:54. > :07:19.today. It is staggering to think she has

:07:20. > :07:25.only won two matches on grass at Wimbledon and she is the number four

:07:26. > :07:31.seed. A terrific year. She has won in Taipei, Rome, Istanbul and Dubai.

:07:32. > :07:35.At Roland Garros she reached her career-best quarterfinals and she

:07:36. > :07:39.was playing Simona Halep and she was cruising 5-1 up having won the first

:07:40. > :07:45.set, and then it all went horribly wrong. I think she was probably one

:07:46. > :07:52.of the leading players going into Paris. Everyone was expecting great

:07:53. > :07:56.things from Svitolina. The pressure is not 91 not expected to do so

:07:57. > :08:01.well, sometimes you come out and play your best tennis. Today, she is

:08:02. > :08:06.playing really good grass court tennis. The courts are playing

:08:07. > :08:16.slower. The ball does sit up and it does help the better ground stroke

:08:17. > :08:20.players. A beautiful shot of Court Three there from the players'

:08:21. > :09:03.balcony. It holds just under 2000 spectators.

:09:04. > :09:13.A great tennis brain, Ashleigh Barty. She played in some

:09:14. > :09:17.tournaments when she was 14. In her second ever professional tournament,

:09:18. > :09:19.her coach Scott Draper said don't make things too complicated, she

:09:20. > :09:35.will figure it out herself. Oh, not again. If there is a time

:09:36. > :09:56.she has got to figure it out, it is now.

:09:57. > :10:06.That forehand is getting her out of jail big-time. A beautifully

:10:07. > :10:20.manufactured forehand. Great technique.

:10:21. > :10:30.Both players trading relatively clean service games.

:10:31. > :10:34.In the first set, you can see 52 minutes, it looks like the second

:10:35. > :10:56.set could be heading a similar way. Clever tennis. Wrong foot her

:10:57. > :11:12.opponent. -- wrong footing her opponent.

:11:13. > :11:16.Just coming off that forehand fractions there. Barty, a little

:11:17. > :11:43.impatient. Into macro minds there, Svitolina.

:11:44. > :12:04.Gesturing that she should have gone back down the line.

:12:05. > :12:14.UMPIRE: Miss Svitolina is challenging the call, the ball was

:12:15. > :12:17.called out. This could be the six double fault for Svitolina. This is

:12:18. > :12:50.to no avail as well. That was a massive chance. A 67 mile

:12:51. > :13:04.an hour second serve. It was right his own. -- in the zone.

:13:05. > :13:19.And again! Svitolina bounces towards the changeover. If there is one

:13:20. > :13:23.thing Ashleigh Barty is going to be working on after this, it will be

:13:24. > :13:32.finishing off a point. She is trying to go for too much. She is hitting

:13:33. > :13:37.it to bigger targets. To me, coming off that shot, you can see she

:13:38. > :13:42.lifted up so the head lifts, the contact point changes. She has to

:13:43. > :13:46.stay down over the shot. It is the one thing on course that you have to

:13:47. > :13:51.transition from the clay immediately and that is to use your legs, stay

:13:52. > :13:57.nice and low and stay with the ball. We know the Court has been playing

:13:58. > :14:01.faster today. She gestured through after the first couple of games to

:14:02. > :14:09.her coach. The ball is zipping through. More importantly, you have

:14:10. > :14:15.to stay down over the shot. Court Three in the sunshine on the opening

:14:16. > :14:19.day of the Championships. A really healthy crowd here. The great thing

:14:20. > :14:22.about Court Three is it is first-come, first-served. As soon as

:14:23. > :14:27.you come through the gate you can grab one of the best seats in the

:14:28. > :14:32.house. A big moment for Ashleigh Barty, serving to stay in the

:14:33. > :14:54.Championships. The volley was pinpoint but I am

:14:55. > :15:19.afraid there was a bit too much time.

:15:20. > :15:28.She is really committed to breaking down the forehand here. She needs to

:15:29. > :15:37.be careful not to play it into some momentum and good timing.

:15:38. > :15:46.That we haven't seen enough of today. Just using the slice serve,

:15:47. > :15:56.taking a little pace off. It is only 69 mph.

:15:57. > :16:01.Cheap points, in valuable points for Ashleigh Barty. That makes life so

:16:02. > :16:30.much easier on the grass. This is a part of Ash's game that

:16:31. > :16:32.she is adept with, the volley. She's very comfortable moving forwards. It

:16:33. > :16:43.has just eluded her today. A good thing his hands were in the

:16:44. > :16:51.right place. Now it is a question of

:16:52. > :17:19.temperaments. She really took her time there and

:17:20. > :17:21.thought about that. She has been going out wide so Svitolina was half

:17:22. > :17:42.leaning to that forehand side. Brilliant from Ashleigh Barty! And

:17:43. > :17:50.she has the crowd with her now. They sense a battle royal on Court Three.

:17:51. > :17:52.We are into a tie-break. Terrific awareness for Ash. She knew the

:17:53. > :18:57.forehand was going crosscourt. That has just brought up an even

:18:58. > :18:59.number of winners and unforced errors for Barty. She has really

:19:00. > :19:13.struggled today. She is beginning to find a rhythm on

:19:14. > :19:19.the serve. In a tie-break that could be crucial.

:19:20. > :19:34.It has been well down, hovering above 50% for Ashleigh Barty.

:19:35. > :20:01.Svitolina has really served really well today.

:20:02. > :20:17.The returning is really letting her down.

:20:18. > :20:30.Ashley is trying to reset herself here. Take a little time.

:20:31. > :20:44.Why has that shot being? -- where has that shot being? Just drilled it

:20:45. > :20:49.into the bottom corner. She hit this really well. Look how she stays down

:20:50. > :20:56.over the shot. We have seen a couple of shots on the forehand. Just

:20:57. > :20:58.doubted herself. This one, she really drives down of that right leg

:20:59. > :21:35.will stop beautiful shot making there.

:21:36. > :21:43.Nailed it on the line. A puff of smoke. She is just asking the

:21:44. > :21:46.questions now of the number four seed. The 21st winner from that

:21:47. > :22:40.forehand side. A handful of match points for the

:22:41. > :23:16.number four seed. What about that for a first-served?

:23:17. > :23:25.If you are going to make it your fastest as well of the match, 105.

:23:26. > :23:32.CHEERING She has got one left. It is on her

:23:33. > :24:27.serve. What a nerve-racking point! Three

:24:28. > :24:38.match points saved by Ashleigh Barty. Just showing some terrific

:24:39. > :24:42.character out here, Ashleigh Barty. She won junior Wimbledon when she

:24:43. > :24:49.was just 15 years of age. Her coach living on the edge there. Just

:24:50. > :24:55.living the highs and lows of this match. Still has one more serve

:24:56. > :25:32.here, Svitolina. What a shame! But an incredible

:25:33. > :25:39.point from these two. That was a terrific lob from Svitolina. Used

:25:40. > :26:07.all that experience. And she has a fourth match point.

:26:08. > :26:18.Lives on again. UMPIRE: This Svitolina is challenging the call.

:26:19. > :26:21.The ball was called out. I think this is more in hope than

:26:22. > :26:26.expectation. I think she knows in her heart of hearts where this is

:26:27. > :26:33.going. This will be building some tension. She had ceremony chances.

:26:34. > :26:56.-- she had so many chances. She did the first part right. She

:26:57. > :27:28.crumbled with the second. A fifth match point.

:27:29. > :27:39.How about that from Ashleigh Barty?! She went for it all right and she

:27:40. > :27:44.got it. She got what she really deserved here. Svitolina was so

:27:45. > :27:51.passive, just doing anything she can to keep the ball into play. The

:27:52. > :28:10.second serve was 66 miles an hour. Pinpoint accurate. That was a clever

:28:11. > :28:13.serve from Svitolina. If it was a numbers game, you would have to

:28:14. > :28:19.think that Barty is really up against it.

:28:20. > :28:55.What a win for Elina Svitolina. She really had to dig deep there. She

:28:56. > :29:02.clawed her way through in that tie-break. It was very nerve-racking

:29:03. > :29:06.to watch. But she is safely through to round two. She could be one of

:29:07. > :29:18.the dark horses in this year's Championship. She wins 7-5, 7-6, in

:29:19. > :29:24.just under two hours. A good effort from Svitolina. She certainly played

:29:25. > :29:29.some good tennis there. You could see every opportunity with Barty

:29:30. > :29:37.staying in and competing hard. Svitolina was just getting that

:29:38. > :29:43.little bit more tight. SUE BARKER: What an entertaining

:29:44. > :29:46.match the two youngsters baton. It is Elina Svitolina who goes through

:29:47. > :29:50.but Ashleigh Barty certainly playing her part in a wonderful match out

:29:51. > :29:54.there. It is proving white Svitolina is the number four seed. She has

:29:55. > :29:58.14-macro titles this year and very tough to beat. This is Wimbledon.

:29:59. > :30:04.The rain clouds have moved away and the sun is out again. Good news on

:30:05. > :30:08.Centre Court when Andy Murray came on as defending champion. Everybody

:30:09. > :30:13.worrying about how the hip would last against his opponent today, the

:30:14. > :30:17.very tricky Kazakhstan Alexander Bublik. He was not moving as well as

:30:18. > :30:23.we have seen in previous years but he was not really troubled. He went

:30:24. > :30:30.through in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Andy Murray will have some

:30:31. > :30:34.treatment on that hip and hopefully, that will improve as the tournament

:30:35. > :30:39.goes on. When you have an injury, you need a quick match and he got

:30:40. > :30:46.the job done in three sets so he is through.

:30:47. > :30:50.Another two-time champion, Rafael Nadal, has just begun his match and

:30:51. > :30:55.is already up a break against Australian John Millman. That is on

:30:56. > :31:04.BBC One if you would like to watch it. And this is over on Court Number

:31:05. > :31:08.Two, the featured match on the red button, Marin Cilic, the number

:31:09. > :31:12.seven seed, up against Philipp Kohlschreiber who is always tricky

:31:13. > :31:22.on grass. That is on serve in the opening set. We are going to focus

:31:23. > :31:27.on Centre Court and Petra Kvitova. A short time ago she walked out onto

:31:28. > :31:34.Centre Court for her match against Johanna Larsson of Sweden. It is

:31:35. > :31:40.wonderful to see Petra Kvitova back. She has had such a difficult past

:31:41. > :31:47.few months, stabbed in the hand by an intruder in her apartment in the

:31:48. > :31:50.Czech Republic, wondering if she would ever play tennis again but she

:31:51. > :31:56.came back at the French Open and it was wonderful to see her here. Such

:31:57. > :31:59.a popular player on tour. It has been a difficult time for Petra and

:32:00. > :32:08.before we see her playing, we can hear from the two-time champion.

:32:09. > :32:14.This is a really special place for me, like my second home. Petra

:32:15. > :32:20.Kvitova is the Wimbledon champion... I'm very happy to be playing tennis

:32:21. > :32:25.again. Even everything that happened in the past couple of months. Twice

:32:26. > :32:30.Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is going to going a career saving

:32:31. > :32:34.operation... Injured in a knife attack... She's undergoing surgery

:32:35. > :32:38.for injuries to her left hand... What was the journey like when you

:32:39. > :32:42.knew you were going to hospital and this surgeon was going to be in

:32:43. > :32:48.charge of saving your career? That is what it was, a career threatening

:32:49. > :32:53.injury. I think he was saving my hand and my fingers. He didn't

:32:54. > :33:03.really saved my career. It was two nerves. And all seven tendons on

:33:04. > :33:08.five fingers. What it just total shock? It was a big shock. Even the

:33:09. > :33:14.surgery went well, I did not know how to handle the response and how

:33:15. > :33:20.ever think would heal. I had all my fingers cut so it was a difficult

:33:21. > :33:24.time for me. In a moment it was happening, did you just think

:33:25. > :33:28.practically of what you needed to do for the situation? When I look back

:33:29. > :33:32.I think I stayed pretty calm and I knew what I'm doing it which in the

:33:33. > :33:40.end helps me a lot. That is the thing what I learned from as welcome

:33:41. > :33:46.in a tough situation you to become and still think. That is what I did.

:33:47. > :33:51.-- be calm. It still difficult but I'm happy I'm over it. Is it right

:33:52. > :33:57.you still cannot fully closed your hand? That's right. That can't be

:33:58. > :34:00.easy for a tennis player! On the other hand I'm lucky I'm playing

:34:01. > :34:09.tennis and not badminton when the grip is much smaller! It is OK for

:34:10. > :34:14.the tennis that the racket is still a bit wider than what I need. And

:34:15. > :34:20.I'm happy that my hand is getting the power back and the strength is

:34:21. > :34:25.there and it is always improving week by week, that is important. A

:34:26. > :34:29.very popular winner in Birmingham, Petra Kvitova beat the Australian

:34:30. > :34:35.Ashleigh Barty in three sets. Nobody was expecting that list of all

:34:36. > :34:40.yourself? I just came there, I had a few practices and I felt great to be

:34:41. > :34:46.back on a tennis court on the grass. I played better every round. Even

:34:47. > :34:52.the final was amazing, when I had to turn it around when I lost the first

:34:53. > :34:58.set. It was very special. I think it is like a fairy tale. That win in

:34:59. > :35:03.Birmingham and with Serena not being here meant you are the favourite for

:35:04. > :35:07.Wimbledon which is a huge compliment to you. It is, but I don't think it

:35:08. > :35:13.is very realistic. I mean look at the other girls, they are playing

:35:14. > :35:19.amazing, all six months which I wasn't. I'm still missing match

:35:20. > :35:23.practice. I just don't really feel as the favourite of Wimbledon to be

:35:24. > :35:27.honest. It was my dream and motivation to be here and step on

:35:28. > :35:37.the court and to play and suddenly I'm favourite! I just don't get it.

:35:38. > :35:42.My final will be on Monday. And any other match, it would be another

:35:43. > :35:47.final. I'm not here to win it, I already won the biggest fight before

:35:48. > :35:53.and I won already that I am here. I'm happy already.

:35:54. > :36:03.What a great attitude and it is lovely to see her back. I'm sure

:36:04. > :36:08.very emotional walking onto Centre Court, she so loves Wimbledon. She

:36:09. > :36:12.is up against Johanna Larsson of Sweden who has never won a main draw

:36:13. > :36:17.match at the Championships, falling in the first round every year since

:36:18. > :36:21.2011 so you might think it could be good for Kvitova but she has lost

:36:22. > :36:25.opening service game and is down to Noh. We can join it live with Tracy

:36:26. > :36:35.Austin and Simon Reed. COMMENTATOR: Is not going too well

:36:36. > :36:43.for Kvitova, three double faults in her opening service game.

:36:44. > :36:53.That is more like it. She has started tight. She did and in only

:36:54. > :36:57.her third tournament back it is a lot. So much discussion about her

:36:58. > :37:02.being the favourite or one of them but it is a big ask with only seven

:37:03. > :37:28.matches under her belt since coming back at the French Open.

:37:29. > :37:36.Because women's tennis is so wide open right now, there really hasn't

:37:37. > :37:42.been a whole lot of consistency. Probably Pliskova has been the most

:37:43. > :37:50.consistent at a high level, winning four titles. Petra is a two-time

:37:51. > :37:58.champion, and winning Birmingham, all eyes came on her. But so quickly

:37:59. > :38:02.in her comeback and it seems like she is reluctant to be called the

:38:03. > :38:09.favourite. She does not want that added pressure so soon in her

:38:10. > :38:15.comeback. Yes, I am sure she felt it but it was the right thing to do to

:38:16. > :38:21.save this is her final. She has won the battle and everything, even

:38:22. > :38:25.this, is a bonus. John Larson is ranked 53 in the world, 28 years of

:38:26. > :38:41.age -- Johanna Larsson. Not the feel and you can understand

:38:42. > :38:48.that with all that has happened with her left hand. All five fingers were

:38:49. > :38:52.damaged. She said if it was badminton it would be impossible

:38:53. > :38:57.because she cannot close the fist and would not be able to grip it but

:38:58. > :39:14.there is enough width on the tennis racket to make it a possibility.

:39:15. > :39:20.Larsson has played a very solid match so far, going about her

:39:21. > :39:24.business quietly knowing all the eyes will be on her opponent but she

:39:25. > :39:40.has kept so many balls in play and mixed it up with different spins.

:39:41. > :39:51.You get the feeling that if she can hold here, things might change. And

:39:52. > :39:52.Larsson knows that. She knows that a whole string of winners could come

:39:53. > :40:15.right around the corner. That is a stabilising game, on this

:40:16. > :40:21.court where she has had her greatest triumphs. She said all the time that

:40:22. > :40:26.she was recuperating that she was thinking about this tournament, this

:40:27. > :40:31.court, where she was devastating against Sharapova in winning in 2011

:40:32. > :40:39.and three years later when she beat Eugenie Bouchard.

:40:40. > :40:53.That is her coach. A former ATP Tour player. Worked with Pliskova. That

:40:54. > :40:58.was last year. It must be frustrating for coaches because they

:40:59. > :41:03.have gone through the Matchroom to foot and yet it is between the ears

:41:04. > :41:10.now, how she will cope with the situation. He has been an important

:41:11. > :41:18.part of the team with the comeback, he has been very positive. And it is

:41:19. > :42:04.such an extensive injury. Larsson is trying to pin back

:42:05. > :42:08.Kvitova so she does not have anything to feed off. So important

:42:09. > :42:10.to keep Twitter but on the move and off-balance.

:42:11. > :42:49.Oh! She can flip the switch so quickly. Yes. In 30 seconds she

:42:50. > :43:14.looks a different player and three break back points.

:43:15. > :43:26.Welcome support to go with the welcome rake. -- break. Kvitova over

:43:27. > :43:32.the last couple of weeks at Roland Garros and Birmingham had looked

:43:33. > :43:35.hungry. I think she has gained some new perspective and really

:43:36. > :43:38.appreciate playing tennis so much more, when it is taken away from

:43:39. > :44:02.you. I remember a couple of seasons ago

:44:03. > :44:05.she actually took herself off the tour, not because of injury but

:44:06. > :44:10.because she said she wasn't feeling it and wasn't excited to play so in

:44:11. > :44:37.the spring she took about six weeks off.

:44:38. > :45:08.She strikes the ball so cleanly, with tremendous angles.

:45:09. > :46:10.That, there I say it, is the Kvitova old. -- of old.

:46:11. > :46:19.Johanna Larsson, semifinalist in Bogota lost to the eventual champion

:46:20. > :46:24.apprentice this give only. She missed the Australian Open with a

:46:25. > :46:29.Astro problem and lost at Roland Garros to Julia Putintseva but

:46:30. > :46:36.decided not to play a grass court tournament. She went to Croatia and

:46:37. > :46:38.was beaten in the second round there but in three weeks she has not

:46:39. > :46:56.played anywhere. Coached by Matias Arvidson. She is

:46:57. > :47:04.suddenly finding out what is to play Petra Kvitova at her best. They have

:47:05. > :47:07.had four meetings but maybe she wondered which Kvitova would turn up

:47:08. > :47:17.today and we are beginning to find out. It was extraordinary how

:47:18. > :47:24.quickly she started to play so well she did take Kvitova to three sets

:47:25. > :47:27.at Indian Wells last year, with Kvitova coming through 7-5 in the

:47:28. > :47:43.third. Larsson needs to hold here otherwise

:47:44. > :48:17.the pattern for the match might be set.

:48:18. > :48:27.Much better from Kvitova, build the point and don't go for a winner so

:48:28. > :48:29.soon, trust her ground strokes. Even a little more top-spin on a couple

:48:30. > :48:59.of those shots for safety. Well played. The biggest shots so

:49:00. > :49:02.far from the Swede. Really important for Larsson, when she gets an

:49:03. > :49:06.opportunity like that, to take that because they can be few and far

:49:07. > :49:28.between on grass and you have got to try to get that first strike in.

:49:29. > :50:10.It was the right move in, she normally makes those.

:50:11. > :50:22.Larsson still in this. Increasing danger signs, though, with Kvitova

:50:23. > :50:31.starting to go at her. Larsson still without a winner. Kvitova has seven

:50:32. > :50:35.winners but eight unforced errors and that is determining the outcome

:50:36. > :51:05.of the points. So much more risk in her play.

:51:06. > :51:11.Again, Kvitova quite content to build the point, not rushing. It

:51:12. > :51:17.seems that all the emotion associated with this afternoon is

:51:18. > :51:20.not a thing of the past but on the back burner now, as she is in the

:51:21. > :51:58.match. Much quicker service games. That

:51:59. > :52:03.first game was a bit of a struggle for Kvitova with Street double

:52:04. > :52:12.faults to get her service broken in the opening game of the match.

:52:13. > :52:23.-- three double faults. If it was into it was a winner, Kvitova had

:52:24. > :52:27.bought the crosscourt. Seven successive points on serve now for

:52:28. > :52:56.the Czech. Interesting, Tracy, you mentioned

:52:57. > :53:01.she had time of last year. When she won here in 2011, that fantastic

:53:02. > :53:03.performance against Sharapova and we thought she would go from strength

:53:04. > :53:09.to strength but she found it difficult to cope with the fame and

:53:10. > :53:14.when she won in 2014 it was not a great time after that. And she said

:53:15. > :53:18.that maybe what has happened is going to make her stronger as a

:53:19. > :53:23.tennis player. That might be the case. Adding in what you have said,

:53:24. > :53:26.at the players when they take time out, they appreciate what they have.

:53:27. > :53:32.When they get it taken away from them she did, it was very

:53:33. > :53:40.interesting to see, after 2011, the way she went through the draw. There

:53:41. > :53:44.were so many weapons, the Serb and return and clean ball striking but

:53:45. > :53:51.also the improvisation skills, her volley and half volleys -- with the

:53:52. > :53:56.serve. Those skills, and in every department, made you forget she

:53:57. > :53:57.would be a future number one but she really did not handle the pressure

:53:58. > :55:01.and expectations and attention. Perfect point from Larsson. She

:55:02. > :55:04.wrong-footed Kvitova with the second shot, much tougher to get traction

:55:05. > :55:31.on this surface. These are the improv skills from

:55:32. > :55:32.Kvitova, a little slice on the half-volley and the ball completely

:55:33. > :55:59.dies on the grass. Ever alert. So much attention on

:56:00. > :56:28.Kvitova but Larsson is moving well and playing well.

:56:29. > :56:35.Break point, this is a huge point right here, the way that Kvitova has

:56:36. > :56:40.been serving in the last couple of games.

:56:41. > :57:01.Her play Ta'ai is improving game by game but this must be the shot of

:57:02. > :57:14.the set so far -- her play. Absolutely. And the team with the

:57:15. > :57:34.shirts, Coric, belief -- courage and belief.

:57:35. > :57:42.Ms Larsson is challenging the call on the right baseline, the ball was

:57:43. > :57:49.called in. She is looking around at her team as if they should endorse

:57:50. > :57:50.her decision. It is the far end from is so difficult to have a clear

:57:51. > :58:26.view. It was a good challenge. The doubles have been a problem.

:58:27. > :58:42.Three in the opening game. The team with the teachers we saw at

:58:43. > :58:44.the French Open for the first time, saying courage and belief, for

:58:45. > :58:46.everything she has gone through and they have stood by her through this

:58:47. > :58:57.whole rehab process. Miss Kvitova... No, challenge

:58:58. > :59:14.cancelled. She just wanted confirmation.

:59:15. > :59:22.Good stuff. She laid into the previous shot and got the short ball

:59:23. > :59:26.and here are three break points for Johanna Larsson. And Kvitova pulled

:59:27. > :59:30.back a bit because she had an unforced error and a double fold and

:59:31. > :59:32.Larsson was able to take advantage. A little more time to set up for the

:59:33. > :59:45.ground strokes. So good. Third ace and the most

:59:46. > :01:34.valuable so far. It is blistering pace. Not many in

:01:35. > :02:10.the world can deal with that. Set point. After just 33 minutes.

:02:11. > :02:14.She calls every match her final in this tournament. She has won the

:02:15. > :02:27.first half of her final. Understandably nervous at the start.

:02:28. > :02:32.So much must have been going through her head. But game by game, she is

:02:33. > :02:36.getting everything sorted. She played so much better after the

:02:37. > :02:44.first four games but the nerves started to show up again.

:02:45. > :02:51.Interestingly in that night game. She double-faulted to start the

:02:52. > :02:56.game. She was out for about six months and she has only played about

:02:57. > :03:02.seven matches. Her third tournament back. Still can't close that

:03:03. > :03:14.left-hand completely. There is every chance that it will

:03:15. > :03:20.never perfectly heal. But the great thing is, it is good enough to play

:03:21. > :03:27.tennis of this calibre. Look at that. So much support and it was a

:03:28. > :03:30.lot of fun to see. Her parents came to the French Open. Normally they

:03:31. > :03:39.just come to the finals of Wimbledon. A player getting a lot of

:03:40. > :03:51.first serves in. But it is the Armed Forces errors total. Kvitova on the

:03:52. > :04:00.front foot. The Duchess of Cambridge alongside the chairman of the club,

:04:01. > :04:18.Philip Brooke and his wife, Jill. Larsson to start set number two.

:04:19. > :04:27.Beginning to think clearly. I would think that Kvitova will play a lot

:04:28. > :04:34.more freedom now she has that first set and her belt. Under her belt. So

:04:35. > :05:13.much variety. And again. So often you talk about

:05:14. > :05:18.Kvitova's powerful ground strokes. It is those type of shots which are

:05:19. > :05:23.the game changes. Obviously, she did not trust herself to do this in the

:05:24. > :05:25.first set. She sure is now. Getting the first set has eased things a

:05:26. > :06:32.lot. I thought she was going to make it.

:06:33. > :06:37.A smart shot from Larsson. Well executed and then moved forward.

:06:38. > :07:09.Distracted Kvitova enough to cause the mistake.

:07:10. > :07:15.Early going in the second set that you feel it is so important for

:07:16. > :07:21.Larsson to win this. She had a 2-0 lead in the first set and has only

:07:22. > :08:00.one one game since. Very wary of the Kvitova return.

:08:01. > :08:39.The double faults are hurting both players.

:08:40. > :08:52.They know how important this game is.

:08:53. > :09:01.Oh, my goodness! How did she get the power? Kvitova off balance. This is

:09:02. > :09:25.where great hands come into play. The return put her in poll position

:09:26. > :10:19.there. A fine rally from both players.

:10:20. > :10:24.Larsson is trying some different tactics. Trying to deploy the

:10:25. > :11:17.backhand slice to keep the ball low. This is the longest game in the

:11:18. > :11:42.match. It might well be the most important.

:11:43. > :11:48.UMPIRE: Miss Larsson is challenging the call. The ball was called in. It

:11:49. > :12:30.is worth the challenge. Well played, Johanna Larsson.

:12:31. > :12:32.Kvitova was trying to take it to her there but she was not able to get

:12:33. > :12:51.what she wanted. Larsson, who hasn't played for three

:12:52. > :12:56.weeks, hasn't played on grass at all this year, is not doing badly. That

:12:57. > :13:02.was a really good mental effort to hang in there. She has got to be

:13:03. > :13:32.feeling like so many of these points are out of her hands.

:13:33. > :13:38.The goal for Larsson is to get a lot of balls back in play, maintain your

:13:39. > :14:07.depth, wrong-foot Kvitova. Seemed to make the move but not

:14:08. > :14:14.feel. On shots like that it is most difficult. She had a couple of

:14:15. > :14:24.nerves cut and seven different tendons in that hand.

:14:25. > :14:34.I'm sure as the months go by she will heal a bit more. Kvitova came

:14:35. > :14:39.back earlier than expected at the French Open. I think it was a smart

:14:40. > :14:43.move, even though she did not expect a lot from herself, just to take the

:14:44. > :14:50.press and the big comeback story out of the equation here.

:14:51. > :14:57.She played extremely well. I commentated on her match. She just

:14:58. > :15:00.lost a few games. She lost to Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the next

:15:01. > :15:38.game. Kvitova was very emotional as she

:15:39. > :16:14.would be from being out for six months.

:16:15. > :16:23.Still not serving great. 49% first serves in. She is holding now on a

:16:24. > :16:33.regular basis. Dropped serve in the opening game of

:16:34. > :17:09.the match. You can't afford to miss the neutral

:17:10. > :17:48.balls, if you are Larsson. She is so keen to threaten an

:17:49. > :19:03.return. Fine volley. Perfect point for

:19:04. > :19:06.Kvitova. Aggressive and up the line minute shot. Finishes the point. A

:19:07. > :19:59.technically sound volley. It was shots like that that struck

:20:00. > :20:05.me very most when she won that first Wimbledon title. It was the ability

:20:06. > :20:07.to come forward with the finesse and feel, the drop volleys that stood

:20:08. > :20:28.out. That is why Larsson is afraid of

:20:29. > :21:01.Kvitova's return. A set and a break. That will please her. A big, big

:21:02. > :21:08.return at a crucial point. It is fun to see Petra improve in just 12

:21:09. > :21:14.games. She came out so nervous in the first game, three double faults,

:21:15. > :21:18.lost her serve. Too many mistakes at the beginning. Started to settle a

:21:19. > :21:25.little bit in the second, in the mid-part of that set. She is really

:21:26. > :21:34.starting to find her range, find her groove, free up. It is amazing,

:21:35. > :21:42.these two players who are virtually the favourites, Petra Kvitova who

:21:43. > :21:48.has been out for six months and Karolina Pliskova who has hardly

:21:49. > :22:02.ever played here. They are very tall, they hit so hard and so flat.

:22:03. > :23:04.Magnificent! Full stretch, full control.

:23:05. > :23:26.That is bad news, not just for Larsson, but for everyone else in

:23:27. > :23:37.the draw. Boy, oh boy, she is going through

:23:38. > :23:53.the gears pretty rapidly now. When Kvitova is playing well, she

:23:54. > :23:57.makes it look so easy. She is dictating play, so it is hard for

:23:58. > :24:25.her opponents to get her in an awkward position.

:24:26. > :25:00.A successful body serve again from Larsson.

:25:01. > :25:05.Larsson did very well to dig in there. She had all kinds of

:25:06. > :26:14.different shots to deal with. Yes! She wasn't quite able to take

:26:15. > :26:17.care of business earlier on, but I think we are all pleased she didn't.

:26:18. > :26:30.What a shot at the end. She just decides where she wants to

:26:31. > :26:54.hit it and goes for her target beautifully.

:26:55. > :27:03.Larsson, to her credit, is going nowhere here. Still putting as much

:27:04. > :27:11.pressure as she cannot Kvitova. -- is much pressure as she can an

:27:12. > :27:14.Kvitova. It is a good contest. Larsson is on the receiving end of

:27:15. > :27:23.this but she has only made eight unforced errors. She is bringing

:27:24. > :27:31.some of the best out of Kvitova now. She is getting balls back in play.

:27:32. > :27:35.She has only made three winners. She gets it done with a combination of

:27:36. > :27:44.shots, scrambling. She has thrown in a couple of drop shots and slices.

:27:45. > :28:01.For Kvitova, she has ten more winners than I'm 25-15. I would say

:28:02. > :28:09.she has made more unforced errors. It is too soon in her comeback to be

:28:10. > :28:14.picky, her eighth match. As a champion and a former champion, you

:28:15. > :29:40.are always looking to where you can improve.

:29:41. > :29:59.It did look OK. Wonderful angle. Six feet tall.

:30:00. > :30:19.That is the serve so difficult to control. Two-handed backhand. The

:30:20. > :30:35.lefty slice moves away from you, it stays low.

:30:36. > :30:42.That shot demanded a little more footwork. Because the slice from

:30:43. > :30:48.Larsson, it got too close to Petra. Did not have enough space. Could not

:30:49. > :31:19.take it on, could she? Again, Larsson pushing, doing all

:31:20. > :31:25.she can. Kvitova just seems to have the advantage here and is serving

:31:26. > :31:27.better. It is all coming together. Like a jigsaw. Still pieces missing,

:31:28. > :31:49.but not many. There are too many running mistakes,

:31:50. > :31:55.that is where she could add a little top-spin.

:31:56. > :32:35.Well played. She is rapid, Johanna Larsson. The pace on the return,

:32:36. > :32:59.beautiful. And she then read the drop shot.

:33:00. > :33:10.She has done well with the serve down the middle. Just cannot get

:33:11. > :33:53.control. Extra kick on the second serve. Nice job.

:33:54. > :34:09.A comfortable service game in the end. Still Kvitova by a set and a

:34:10. > :34:13.break. She has had good wins in her career against players. She has

:34:14. > :34:21.beaten top 20 players eight times her career. The last in Newhaven

:34:22. > :34:31.last year. This would be huge here. Kvitova is ranked 12. But not

:34:32. > :34:37.regarded as the 12th favourite for this tournament by any stretch of

:34:38. > :34:48.the imagination. Newhaven last year, Larsson got to the semifinal. She

:34:49. > :34:54.beat two top 20 opponents. Third round of the US Open at the end of

:34:55. > :35:01.last summer. Losing to Serena Williams. The best period of time

:35:02. > :35:05.for her in her tennis career. She has played here with a lot of

:35:06. > :35:11.belief. It is tricky for heard to take on the woman who will obviously

:35:12. > :35:16.be the darling of the crowd today. And who has got huge weapons. She

:35:17. > :35:20.has given a very good account of herself. Particularly as she has

:35:21. > :35:27.never won a match at Wimbledon. She has shown a lot of variety. I like

:35:28. > :35:28.the fact she has tried different tactics. She always seems to be

:35:29. > :35:59.thinking. How crafty was that? Very well

:36:00. > :36:03.disguised from Larsson. Her racket was up very high and at the last

:36:04. > :36:16.second she changed grip, got underneath that ball.

:36:17. > :36:32.Yes, she got that, too. This match is far from over.

:36:33. > :36:36.Oftentimes, on the return, not using her feet. It can become more

:36:37. > :36:58.problematic. A beautifully constructed point by

:36:59. > :37:08.Petra Kvitova. Just phenomenal hitting and look at

:37:09. > :37:28.the KNEE bend. Ace number six. She brings them out

:37:29. > :38:11.at important times. Larsson did well to get that. And

:38:12. > :38:17.here is break point. Has not broken Kvitova since the first game of the

:38:18. > :38:46.match. Her seventh break point opportunity.

:38:47. > :38:53.That time the serve did not get her out the problem. The fifth double.

:38:54. > :39:01.Larsson is really back in this now. She knows it was never going to be

:39:02. > :39:29.easy. That is the kind of point I would

:39:30. > :39:34.like to see Kvitova play. Did not go. From her ground strokes, and

:39:35. > :40:00.also a little more margin, about three feet inside the lines.

:40:01. > :40:44.Larsson is proving a thorn in her side right now.

:40:45. > :40:52.And missed that one too. Problems are beginning to mount.

:40:53. > :40:59.She hits the ball with such tremendous pace that three fit in on

:41:00. > :41:01.that shot, even if it is not a winner, it will probably set her up

:41:02. > :41:25.for the next one. Larsson is getting her reward for

:41:26. > :41:50.her stickability. Could not come at a worse time for

:41:51. > :42:42.Larsson. A couple of huge points, serving at

:42:43. > :43:12.40-15, throws in a double fault and then loses the first serve.

:43:13. > :43:26.A fantastic rally. Tennis of the very highest calibre here. Great

:43:27. > :43:35.offence by both players. To keep this point alive. Larsson did well,

:43:36. > :43:41.despite skidding early on. It is Kvitova with break point.

:43:42. > :44:11.Just not getting enough first serves.

:44:12. > :44:20.Larsson down to 41% of first serves in. She does not have a big serve,

:44:21. > :45:06.therefore she needs to rely on consistency, placement.

:45:07. > :45:27.Had to wait for it. Another break point. Her back against the wall.

:45:28. > :46:14.Did really well with the second serve. Again, Kvitova finds the net.

:46:15. > :46:41.Had to adjust at the last second, the ball shorter than she expected.

:46:42. > :46:49.In the end, she gets what she wanted. On the third break point.

:46:50. > :47:00.Now, Kvitova will serve for the match.

:47:01. > :47:08.Just generally now, Kvitova, not perfect. At times she looked she was

:47:09. > :47:13.moving in the right direction. As you say, she is not giving herself

:47:14. > :47:18.enough margin for error, but overall how impressed I use? It is her

:47:19. > :47:22.eighth match back after being out six months with a career threatening

:47:23. > :47:30.injury, so I would say she is doing phenomenally well. Petra played so

:47:31. > :47:34.well in Birmingham and winning the title there, the expectations of

:47:35. > :47:40.everyone goes up very quickly, particularly as the rest of the

:47:41. > :47:44.field seems wide open. This two-time former champion here at Wimbledon.

:47:45. > :47:49.You start to see long games like the last one, playing in her eighth

:47:50. > :47:53.match back, you wonder about fitness and playing seven matches over the

:47:54. > :48:03.two-week period, and how her hand will hold up. I would say she will

:48:04. > :48:13.be pleased that she is just back out playing on her favourite court.

:48:14. > :48:17.Kvitova, after an hour and 20 minutes, serving for a place in the

:48:18. > :48:58.second round. Petra was her own worst enemy then.

:48:59. > :49:04.Good control, though, from the suite. Good anticipation, as well.

:49:05. > :50:11.Not easy to control on a volley like that. -- from the Swede.

:50:12. > :50:17.UMPIRE: Miss Kvitova is challenging the ball. The ball was called out.

:50:18. > :51:49.It did look pretty close. She just could not get purchase on

:51:50. > :52:07.it. We have seen some good feel from Larsson.

:52:08. > :52:18.Yes, she went for her favourite shot. She has done it. She said this

:52:19. > :52:27.match would be her final. She has won her final. Who knows, there

:52:28. > :52:31.could be another six down the line. LAUGHTER But, above all, it is great

:52:32. > :52:37.to see her back and playing as well as this.

:52:38. > :52:42.It has got to feel so good and the smile is evident. The warmth of the

:52:43. > :52:49.crowd. Always a popular champion and a popular player in the locker room,

:52:50. > :52:59.as well. The patron of the club with a big smile on her face. All sorts

:53:00. > :53:03.of emotion, relief would be one. Absolutely, a nervous start for

:53:04. > :53:12.Kvitova. Got better as the match went on. A few signs of nerves,

:53:13. > :53:16.which is understandable in her comeback, but overall, I am sure the

:53:17. > :53:23.resounding feeling is just so happy to be back on court and at her

:53:24. > :53:38.favourite tournament in the world. They all look happy. And well they

:53:39. > :53:43.might be. It was not perfect. But there is a lot of leeway down the

:53:44. > :53:47.road. Who knows, if she keeps the graph moving upwards, and I am

:53:48. > :53:50.confident she can, then it just might happen again for her in 2017.

:53:51. > :54:07.Lovely pictures. The way she plays, fitness should

:54:08. > :54:12.not be too much of an issue, because the matches tend to be over,

:54:13. > :54:19.shortish rallies. Shorter matches, shorter rallies. As you go deeper

:54:20. > :54:24.into the tournament, the points will get more physical. Better players

:54:25. > :54:30.will be able to hang with Petra's power, be able to wrong-foot her,

:54:31. > :54:34.keep her on the move. It looks like she has kept herself it. She could

:54:35. > :54:38.not hold the racket until March and did not come back until a few weeks

:54:39. > :54:46.ago, but she has kept herself in good condition.

:54:47. > :54:55.Mementos of the day. And it is a momentous day for Petra Kvitova.

:54:56. > :55:06.Just an hour and 24 minutes it took. Kvitova is through to the second

:55:07. > :55:12.round. She is talking to Lee McKenzie.

:55:13. > :55:18.Just your eighth match back and after such a difficult year, you

:55:19. > :55:24.have gone back to your favourite court and you have won, you must be

:55:25. > :55:29.delighted. I did, it was amazing to be on it again. I felt the energy

:55:30. > :55:35.from the crowd and it was amazing to be back at Wimbledon. The favourite

:55:36. > :55:39.Centre Court of my career and just amazing to win on it. After

:55:40. > :55:43.everything you have been through, were there times that you doubt it

:55:44. > :55:50.getting back on to Centre Court might be possible? It was my

:55:51. > :55:54.motivation to come back and play. I am happy the dream came true and I

:55:55. > :56:01.was able to play here again. A tough first round. Johanna asked plenty of

:56:02. > :56:11.questions. What pleased you with the performance and what can you still

:56:12. > :56:16.work on? I think the training, you just need to play as many matches as

:56:17. > :56:24.you can. I was tired today, and nervous before. I probably started

:56:25. > :56:27.badly with my serve and I need to improve my serve and some ground

:56:28. > :56:33.strokes. The abdominal issue that kept you out last week, how far away

:56:34. > :56:41.from full fitness are you? I feel no pain, which is good, but I missed a

:56:42. > :56:45.few days of practising. I did not serve well today but I hope with

:56:46. > :56:49.matches in practice it will be better and better. Congratulations.

:56:50. > :56:53.It is great to see you back. Thank you very much.

:56:54. > :56:58.SUE BARKER: It is wonderful to see her back. What an incredible story.

:56:59. > :57:02.To come back only at the French Open and go through and win at Edgbaston

:57:03. > :57:08.and come to Centre Court and win the opening match. Great to see her back

:57:09. > :57:14.on her favourite court. Yes, belief and courage, that is all about this

:57:15. > :57:18.young lady and her fight back to fitness. Petra Kvitova is through on

:57:19. > :57:24.Centre Court. On Court Number One, Rafa Nadal is making his way

:57:25. > :57:30.through. One game away. He just got broken by Millman and guess what, he

:57:31. > :57:36.has broken back. He will be coming out to serve the match. That is on

:57:37. > :57:41.BBC One. Jo Konta will be coming up shortly after that match. But we are

:57:42. > :57:49.heading now to Court number to see Aljaz Bedene take on this man, the

:57:50. > :57:54.giant from Croatia, six foot ten Ivo Karlovic, who won the first set in a

:57:55. > :58:03.tie-break 7-5, and it is on serve in the second. We can join John Lloyd

:58:04. > :58:09.and Matt Chilton. A fairly predictable match so far in

:58:10. > :58:13.terms of the ace count, 17 aces from Karlovic, three of them on his

:58:14. > :58:21.second serve but Aljaz Bedene has been serving solidly with the 11

:58:22. > :58:26.aces in reply. We did not get a single break point in the opening

:58:27. > :58:30.set and then a few came along at the start of the second and none was

:58:31. > :58:35.converted so the second set remains with serve at the moment. Karlovic

:58:36. > :58:43.is always a tough player to face on grass. Sunshine on this first

:58:44. > :58:50.afternoon at Wimbledon. Cotton wool clouds above. A perfect English

:58:51. > :58:59.summer scene. Just a little breath of wind. The crowd enjoying the

:59:00. > :59:03.action. It is not a full house. A few seats are available. Aljaz

:59:04. > :59:30.Bedene currently the British number three. Serving, second set.

:59:31. > :59:43.His attitude has been good in this match. He has not got frustrated

:59:44. > :59:47.with the amount of unreturnables. He has been hanging on in there, taking

:59:48. > :59:57.care of business on this side of the court. Good point. About the longest

:59:58. > :00:04.rally in the game. Just short. That was eight, the longest is ten. It

:00:05. > :00:09.has not been a match of baseline exchanges. Karlovic likes to come

:00:10. > :00:20.forward, to mix it up with serving and volleys.

:00:21. > :00:51.Bedene, on the other hand hasn't hit a volley all match. No!

:00:52. > :01:06.Good length. Backing the serve up very well. Karlovic was heading off

:01:07. > :01:13.in the wrong direction when Bedene sent this down the line. Nice,

:01:14. > :01:35.efficient service game. Just hoping to get his racket on

:01:36. > :01:39.some of these serves. Just get a few returns back, somehow. Karlovic has

:01:40. > :01:55.thrown in a few double faults. Almost. The ball kicks up of such an

:01:56. > :02:18.angle that Bedene is forced to return the serve at shoulder height.

:02:19. > :02:33.Second serve, 111 miles an hour, no hesitation. Blue T-shirt is the

:02:34. > :02:45.coach of Aljaz Bedene. His sister, Naomi was a regular tour player.

:02:46. > :02:53.18 aces now from the Croatian giant. I don't think his coach, Bedene's

:02:54. > :02:59.coach, I don't think there is much he can say if he was talking to him

:03:00. > :03:10.right now. Just hang in there, until you get a chance. Believe it will

:03:11. > :03:15.come. At that sort of points, 1530, 30-30. It just hasn't happened so

:03:16. > :03:23.far. Credit to Karlovic, he only plays one way, there is no plan B.

:03:24. > :03:34.It is attacked, serve big and take chances. But he does it extremely

:03:35. > :03:39.well. Another ace. 19 he has serve now. After the change of ends,

:03:40. > :03:52.Bedene will serve to save the second set. Karlovic has a decent record on

:03:53. > :03:57.grass. Reach the final in the Netherlands a couple of weeks ago.

:03:58. > :04:10.Lost to Giles Muller. During that final, he struck his 12,000 ace.

:04:11. > :04:17.12,000! 12,000 three points he has had in his career. He is looking for

:04:18. > :04:28.his 70th tour victory on the grass, such has been his success rate on

:04:29. > :04:35.this surface. Coached by Peter Popovich. I wonder what their

:04:36. > :04:42.tactics are the night before? OK, just keep hitting aces. Go for it

:04:43. > :04:50.when you get a chance. I don't know what else you would say. That is the

:04:51. > :04:57.scene on Court number three. Nice and warm. Interesting match

:04:58. > :05:02.developing here. With Bedene under a little extra, a bit of pressure.

:05:03. > :05:18.Serving to stay in the second set. We haven't had a break of serve yet.

:05:19. > :05:32.Can Karlovic break here and take the second set?

:05:33. > :05:42.That is a good second serve. A couple of times in the first set

:05:43. > :05:44.with Bedene's second serve wandered a little bit. He got punished, but

:05:45. > :06:22.that was a really good one. Just moved away from Karlovic.

:06:23. > :06:52.Excellent second serve. He is throwing in plenty of aces

:06:53. > :07:05.himself, Aljaz Bedene. That is his 14th.

:07:06. > :07:12.Switched nationality from March 2015 when he gave up his rights to

:07:13. > :07:32.represent Slovenia. He became a British player.

:07:33. > :08:20.It is a rewarding combination that for Ivo Karlovic.

:08:21. > :08:32.Best shot we have seen this afternoon. What a stretch this was.

:08:33. > :08:59.Good technique on that volley. That is number 20. Well at 38, he is

:09:00. > :09:04.the second oldest man in the draw, Ivo Karlovic. Only Tommy Haas, who

:09:05. > :09:09.has got a wildcard this year, is a year and a little bit more older.

:09:10. > :09:14.But if he wins today and Tommy Haas goes on to lose, Karlovic would be

:09:15. > :09:18.the oldest man in the second round sense Jimmy Connors in 1991! --

:09:19. > :09:40.since. A lot riding on this for Ivo

:09:41. > :09:42.Karlovic in terms of his age and the record books this afternoon. Players

:09:43. > :10:00.love records. Bright sunshine at the moment.

:10:01. > :10:06.Lovely afternoon for watching tennis. A few people arriving now,

:10:07. > :10:13.coming possibly after work to take their seats on day one of the

:10:14. > :10:28.Championships. Bedene, serving to stay in the set.

:10:29. > :10:34.Snatched at the volley. Set it up well. Well played points, good

:10:35. > :10:49.approach shot. Really shouldn't miss that volley.

:10:50. > :11:04.That is too long. We haven't seen much in the wake of serve and volley

:11:05. > :11:11.from Aljaz Bedene. Lifted his head up on that volley. Didn't stay down

:11:12. > :11:14.the whole time. He was looking at where the ball was going to go,

:11:15. > :11:25.instead of keeping his eye on the ball. That sliced backhand return

:11:26. > :11:36.has been a problem area for Ivo Karlovic.

:11:37. > :11:51.Looks like we will be watching our second tie-break this afternoon.

:11:52. > :12:11.Well played. Apologises for the mis-hit earlier in the point.

:12:12. > :12:21.Has got to be good to beat Karlovic because his wingspan is so huge. At

:12:22. > :12:40.tie-break will settle things in the second set.

:12:41. > :13:27.Just so simple. Never gets tired with the serve. Just smacks it down

:13:28. > :13:29.there. 120, 130, but with a height it bounces up with, so tough to

:13:30. > :14:25.return. Sat up and nicely, invitingly into

:14:26. > :14:45.the Karlovic hitting zone. Was better on the second serve, Bedene.

:14:46. > :14:49.Got away with it. Got away with it. Won one point out these two on the

:14:50. > :14:59.Karlovic serve. Would be nice if he could get his racket on the ball.

:15:00. > :15:04.Unstoppable, 127 mph. His 22nd ace. Counterbalanced by half a dozen

:15:05. > :15:08.double faults. There has been a little leak in the double fault

:15:09. > :15:40.department. Good return of serve. Challenging

:15:41. > :15:46.the call. I think this is a tactical challenge. I think he knows it is

:15:47. > :15:58.out. He gets a bit of time, relaxes, gets his mind back in gear. Bedene,

:15:59. > :16:00.the first to make a move in the second set tie-break. Has stolen a

:16:01. > :16:29.point on the Karlovic serve. At the change of ends, a little

:16:30. > :16:38.momentum in the tie-break for Aljaz Bedene. This match has been forced

:16:39. > :16:45.out over very fine margins so far. That is exactly the case in this

:16:46. > :16:47.tie-break. One point on the Karlovic serve, at the moment is making the

:16:48. > :17:25.difference. No strings attached their from Ivo

:17:26. > :17:27.Karlovic. It was all frame. Bedene needs two points to wrap up the

:17:28. > :17:51.second set. The serve-volley strategy has been

:17:52. > :18:20.very productive. It is long. Little bit fortunate,

:18:21. > :18:44.Karlovic. Committed himself here, but look how

:18:45. > :18:57.close he was to the net. So vulnerable to a lob. Even at his

:18:58. > :19:23.height. Good first serve. And as set point for Aljaz Bedene.

:19:24. > :19:36.Well left. Well left. Now there is a different complexion on this second

:19:37. > :19:44.set. You could see Karlovic in that rally was trying to get any shock to

:19:45. > :20:04.come into the net. Just gave him one too short. That is all it needed.

:20:05. > :20:15.Well played. Very close, that serve. I think it just caught the edge of

:20:16. > :20:22.the line. I thought it was out when he first headed. That volley wasn't

:20:23. > :20:28.easy. He was about three feet before the service line and he had to punch

:20:29. > :20:30.that away. Did a good job. Bedene is now under a lot of pressure.

:20:31. > :20:50.Karlovic has one more serve to come. If we can produce an ace, you will

:20:51. > :20:58.have a set point of his own, having just saved one.

:20:59. > :21:02.Brilliant returned from Bedene. At last come he's able to read the

:21:03. > :21:17.Karlovic serve. Looked like he started early and

:21:18. > :21:22.anticipated where it was going. Took a chance on it. Short backswing, use

:21:23. > :21:32.the pace of the Karlovic serve. Well directed. First real sign of a

:21:33. > :21:43.motion we have seen from Bedene. That was his third set point. Two

:21:44. > :21:57.tie-breaks, one apiece. One set all on Court three. Plenty more to come.

:21:58. > :22:11.44 minutes for the first, 53 for the second. Just 12 points, a couple of

:22:12. > :22:16.good passing shots there. That was enough from Bedene. It was tough

:22:17. > :22:28.going. The service starts from both of them are so good. You can see the

:22:29. > :22:34.winners. Both going for broke when the rallies start. Bedene, more

:22:35. > :22:54.solid. Both of them, first serve percentage, 70%, that is remarkable.

:22:55. > :23:23.That was the point that won the set for Aljaz Bedene.

:23:24. > :23:32.A few people coming and going. A few new arrivals and some departures.

:23:33. > :23:39.The players are ready to go. An hour and 39 minutes of play to this

:23:40. > :23:47.point. We will have at least two more sets on Court three. Bedene,

:23:48. > :24:30.waiting for a little bit of calm. There is a real spring in Bedene's

:24:31. > :24:33.step right now. Moving into position well. Getting the forehand winner

:24:34. > :25:01.cleanly away. Got it. Well played. That was a

:25:02. > :25:08.bluff approach shot from Karlovic. He sat there and said, hit me. Pick

:25:09. > :25:13.the next parting shot but didn't do enough with the volley. Bedene did

:25:14. > :25:26.well to put that forehand ground stroke away for a winner.

:25:27. > :25:44.No challenge from Karlovic. Bedene, takes the lead early in the third

:25:45. > :25:48.set in this best of five. SUE BARKER: we said we were going to

:25:49. > :25:54.drop in that match for a short time. It has a long way to go and we will

:25:55. > :25:58.keep you up today on BBC Two. But we are heading to Court Number One

:25:59. > :26:15.because you're one concert, seeded six at the Championships is

:26:16. > :27:05.COMMENTATOR: Quality of the second serve we have talked about. Good

:27:06. > :27:37.step. -- depth. She has so much confidence in her

:27:38. > :27:41.serve. She feels like she can hit the spot she wants to hit, really

:27:42. > :27:56.nail it. Just too powerful in her first

:27:57. > :28:33.service game and Johanna Konta has her first game on the board.

:28:34. > :29:17.It is going to have to be a variety of shots from Hsieh to cope with the

:29:18. > :29:38.obvious difference in power. I'm not sure she got enough height

:29:39. > :30:01.on. A tricky return of serve. Still a little bit stilted between

:30:02. > :30:03.them. They have not really settle down, both trying to find a rhythm

:30:04. > :30:22.out here. That was her problem in her first

:30:23. > :30:26.service game. She served a couple of double faults there and another here

:30:27. > :30:33.which brings up another break point for Johanna Konta.

:30:34. > :31:18.A challenge coming from Konta. Instantly.

:31:19. > :31:26.And beating down her opponent with the quality of her ground strokes,

:31:27. > :31:31.and a second break point. You could see how the ball took off from the

:31:32. > :31:42.grass from Johanna Konta. She really gets it through the court. Hsieh

:31:43. > :31:50.could not get behind that ball. Well, the second serve, it was

:31:51. > :31:56.begging to be put away. 65 mph. It floated down the court.

:31:57. > :32:29.And she will have another chance. A different sound as the ball comes

:32:30. > :32:33.off the racket from Konta. She is trying to stamp her authority early

:32:34. > :32:44.and she is dictating, taking charge. Very commanding play. Hsieh

:32:45. > :32:47.struggling to get her weight behind that ball. At the moment she is a

:32:48. > :33:08.little bit late on it. And there it is. A little cry from

:33:09. > :33:17.Konta and she has the break in this first set. The number six seed looks

:33:18. > :33:22.and control -- in control. SUE BARKER: We can take you around

:33:23. > :33:27.because there is plenty happening. Aljaz Bedene locked in battle, this

:33:28. > :33:34.has been going almost two hours ago the big serving Croatian Ivo

:33:35. > :33:40.Karlovic. That matches on the red button if you want to watch it. Also

:33:41. > :33:50.out right now, Bryn's Heather Watson. She is flying through this.

:33:51. > :33:54.5-0 up. Heather Watson, who had disappointing results, was given a

:33:55. > :33:59.wild car and went to Eastbourne and made it into the semifinals and

:34:00. > :34:03.looked to be right back at her best. Great to see Heather Watson back

:34:04. > :34:08.playing superb tennis once again. That match is on the red button and

:34:09. > :34:14.the BBC Sport website, as is the match on Centre Court involving Stan

:34:15. > :34:21.Wawrinka, a break of serve down against this talented star from

:34:22. > :34:26.Russia, Daniil Medvedev. Last year, he actually lost to Marcus Willis in

:34:27. > :34:31.the last round of qualifying. Medvedev. But he is on court and a

:34:32. > :34:37.break of serve up against Wawrinka. This is the only Grand Slam Stan has

:34:38. > :34:41.not won and he is in trouble on Centre Court. We will keep you

:34:42. > :34:45.up-to-date with that match. Many other matches available on the red

:34:46. > :34:53.button, depending on your provider. But back we will go.

:34:54. > :34:59.ANDREW COTTER: Konta with the break. Serving not just more powerfully

:35:00. > :35:15.than her opponent, but more accurately.

:35:16. > :35:23.It is also one of the most artistic ball bounces in the game, Konta's.

:35:24. > :35:30.It is done with a theatrical flourish. That is a good

:35:31. > :35:41.description. It is quite mesmerising, actually.

:35:42. > :35:52.The serve which follows is invariably piled down at over 100

:35:53. > :35:56.mph. That one 108. Some players bounce a few more times if they want

:35:57. > :36:04.to get their thoughts together, but it is exactly the same routine.

:36:05. > :36:26.It is like she has a yo-yo in her hand.

:36:27. > :36:56.That was Konta's first point lost on serve.

:36:57. > :37:05.Just a glimpse of what Hsieh can do. We have not seen too much in the

:37:06. > :37:10.opening games. She has looked a little bit ragged, a little bit

:37:11. > :37:13.nervous, perhaps. And a little bit rushed. That is the key, the

:37:14. > :37:18.movement, getting the weight transference behind the ball. If she

:37:19. > :37:43.is stretching at it, she cannot really do as much.

:37:44. > :38:18.That is good play of the backhand from Hsieh.

:38:19. > :38:35.Not expecting this at 40-0. It is unusual to see her miss her ball and

:38:36. > :38:36.balloon it out. That is an old Johanna Konta forehand from way

:38:37. > :38:52.back. Well, you can hear the gasp being

:38:53. > :39:00.around Court Number One because Konta was in control, a break up,

:39:01. > :39:06.40-0, cruising along, and suddenly finds herself pegged back. The court

:39:07. > :39:10.filling up again. A few spectators drifting out after the Rafa Nadal

:39:11. > :39:12.victory to Millman. They are coming back in now and we are back on

:39:13. > :39:33.serve. Well, quite clever from Hsieh

:39:34. > :39:38.Su-wei. She is sending out so many different types of balls to Konta,

:39:39. > :39:39.mixing up the pace, slicing the ball, giving her lots of different

:39:40. > :40:02.rhythms. It looks much bigger Court One,

:40:03. > :40:39.without its roofing, when it is open to the elements.

:40:40. > :40:47.And no sooner had she been broken back, she gets herself to break

:40:48. > :40:52.point. It is a great response after that last game, just to really get

:40:53. > :41:14.your head down, refocus and really try to meet the ball out in front.

:41:15. > :41:18.And Konta hazard again. Back in front, back with the break in this

:41:19. > :41:29.first set. Overall, she looks far the stronger

:41:30. > :41:34.player at the moment but we have to remind you they have played twice,

:41:35. > :41:40.these two and Hsieh has won them both. One of them back in 2013 when

:41:41. > :41:47.Konta was further down the rankings, but recently, the first round of the

:41:48. > :41:54.French Open. In fact, Konta's record at Wimbledon does not match that of

:41:55. > :41:58.Hsieh Su-wei. Konta has never been beyond the second round. I think

:41:59. > :42:02.first time was the -- last year was the first time she got to the second

:42:03. > :42:11.round. But she is a different player now. Talking about her rise, the way

:42:12. > :42:19.it happened was it started 2015, just inside the top 115. She was a

:42:20. > :42:23.quarterfinalist in Nottingham, in Eastbourne, won a couple of ITF

:42:24. > :42:28.events in Canada and then came through qualifying and reach the

:42:29. > :42:32.last 16 of the US Open. Points accumulating, lifting you inside the

:42:33. > :42:37.top 50 and then you get more regular tennis and straight into the Grand

:42:38. > :42:42.Slams. Then she made it to the semifinals of the 2016 Australian

:42:43. > :42:50.Open. Steady but meteoric, as well. Impressive. She's not 20, 21, so it

:42:51. > :42:57.has been a slightly late flourishing.

:42:58. > :43:04.I think it is based on a lot of hard work and application and putting a

:43:05. > :43:33.good team in place. When she first went to Spain.

:43:34. > :43:39.She worked with the man, who sadly died, working with the Spanish

:43:40. > :43:57.coaches she was working with before these two Gentle Ben. -- gentleman.

:43:58. > :44:12.That was nicely done. Did not panic. The site of Konta coming forward to

:44:13. > :44:14.the net area. She took her time on that. Got herself balanced and found

:44:15. > :45:43.the space. That was an arm shooting straight

:45:44. > :45:53.up. It looks long, but Hawk-Eye will be the judge. She seemed pretty

:45:54. > :45:55.definite about it. She did. Was she definitely right? She was right

:45:56. > :46:28.there. So Konta moving along well now in

:46:29. > :46:44.the first set. On a sunny first day of Wimbledon.

:46:45. > :46:47.The showers that drifted in for a moment a couple of hours ago, a fast

:46:48. > :47:07.fading memory. It is interesting because it is a

:47:08. > :47:12.soft serve, she does not use her legs to project up into the ball,

:47:13. > :47:17.she comes underneath it and pushes it into play, but sometimes a no

:47:18. > :47:22.pace ball is actually... It can give you the jitters. You have got to

:47:23. > :47:26.generate all the pace on it. Some players like to use the pace of the

:47:27. > :47:43.opponent's serve and send it back with something on it.

:47:44. > :47:49.Great step from Johanna Konta. Straight on to that short ball,

:47:50. > :47:54.making no mistake. Sort of a sense of urgency. The first serve of Hsieh

:47:55. > :48:16.is not delivering, so far. Well, she is being really rushed out

:48:17. > :48:18.here by the Konta ground strokes. Not getting her racket back in time,

:48:19. > :48:37.she is very late on it. Two point for a double break for the

:48:38. > :48:42.British number one. It sounds better to save the world number seven. --

:48:43. > :49:08.to say. That was well placed. She was

:49:09. > :49:12.hanging with Konta, she tried to stay in the rally, and was given

:49:13. > :49:19.another opportunity by Johanna Konta. That backhand volley sat up

:49:20. > :49:25.nicely. I think it was meant to be more effective than it ended up

:49:26. > :49:38.being. It sat around the mid-court area invitingly.

:49:39. > :49:41.She has the double break in this first set, which is very nearly

:49:42. > :49:52.hers. She will have had concerns coming

:49:53. > :50:02.into this match. Not so much because of her record against Hsieh, but

:50:03. > :50:07.because not of the fall that Eastbourne but her form has been up

:50:08. > :50:12.and down of late. The great win in Miami, then a dip and then she

:50:13. > :50:17.performed well at Eastbourne, but a heavy defeat against Coco Vandeweghe

:50:18. > :50:20.in Birmingham, although Coco Vandeweghe, when playing well, is a

:50:21. > :50:25.match for anybody, so I think she put that behind her, but I think she

:50:26. > :50:30.will be pleased with the way she has dealt with the opening set. It was

:50:31. > :50:35.evident there were early nerves. All the top players, no matter who they

:50:36. > :50:39.are, they will admit they are a little bit shaky when they first

:50:40. > :50:42.walk out on day one of any Grand Slam. They want to get through the

:50:43. > :50:52.early rounds and try to build momentum. Lively socks, to say the

:50:53. > :51:00.least. We are ready for Johanna Konta to serve for this first set.

:51:01. > :51:05.And a happy coaching camp at the moment.

:51:06. > :51:46.Not enough time to get into position, Hsieh Su-wei. The second

:51:47. > :51:47.serve deep and aggressive. It is difficult to try to attack this

:51:48. > :53:07.serve. We have seen a lot of this drop shot

:53:08. > :53:13.during the course of the grass court season, a relatively new addition to

:53:14. > :53:38.her game. The little grip change, just about power on the court.

:53:39. > :53:44.If you were being hypercritical you would say there are mistakes, which

:53:45. > :53:51.hopefully are being jettisoned from the game in the first round. Things

:53:52. > :54:12.that she and her coaches will look to tighten up.

:54:13. > :54:29.The number six seed arrives at set point.

:54:30. > :54:36.What a get, what a way to win the first set. Johanna Konta, I think

:54:37. > :54:44.surprised herself there. Applause from her coach and job done in this

:54:45. > :54:50.first set. Fairly untroubled. Konta takes it.

:54:51. > :54:59.SUE BARKER: The first set going to the British number one, looking

:55:00. > :55:05.tremendous form. Let's take you around to show you what is happening

:55:06. > :55:11.elsewhere stop Aljaz Bedene of Great Britain is locked in battle against

:55:12. > :55:18.six foot ten Ivo Karlovic. On serve in the third set and you can see

:55:19. > :55:21.that on the red button. Also on the red button and BBC Sport website,

:55:22. > :55:33.Heather Watson, who is marching through her match. Already a break

:55:34. > :55:39.of serve up in the second set. Stan Wawrinka is in real trouble on

:55:40. > :55:48.Centre Court. He dropped the opening set to Daniil Medvedev. We saw how

:55:49. > :55:53.well he can play at club. Wawrinka 1-0 in the second. There is a long

:55:54. > :55:57.way to go in that. We will head back to Court Number One and of course

:55:58. > :56:03.later today Clare Balding will be here with a highlight show on BBC at

:56:04. > :56:08.8:30pm. What you have on the show tonight? We have a tough task

:56:09. > :56:13.getting the best of 64 matches in one hour, but we will look at Andy

:56:14. > :56:17.Murray. Enjoy the return of Rafa Nadal and see how Johanna Konta gets

:56:18. > :56:26.on and we will have quote of the day, shot of the day and best of

:56:27. > :56:30.social media which tonight features a player who is not even here. See

:56:31. > :56:39.you at 8:30pm. Let's head back to Court Number One. Where we have not

:56:40. > :56:47.missed a point. ANDREW COTTER: Seven out of ten

:56:48. > :56:52.first set performance from Johanna Konta? Yes, I think there are

:56:53. > :56:58.definitely other games she can go to and we will see that level rising as

:56:59. > :57:02.the confidence flows and she gets momentum going. Certainly mistakes

:57:03. > :57:11.you would not normally see, and early nerves.

:57:12. > :57:17.She is always businesslike, court. She is methodical about the way she

:57:18. > :57:28.goes about her processes, as she always calls it. And she is right.

:57:29. > :57:43.Caught one approved of that. -- Court Number One approved of that.

:57:44. > :57:48.That time of day when it can be tricky. The ball coming out of the

:57:49. > :58:22.shadows into bright sunshine. Hsieh was thinking about challenging

:58:23. > :59:03.that one. Decided otherwise. Altec smack gosh, that was a shout.

:59:04. > :59:08.It was certainly said with conviction! Would not be arguing

:59:09. > :59:31.with him. One of the impressive things about

:59:32. > :59:37.Hsieh is she is still managing to win a few games serving at 44% first

:59:38. > :59:41.serve percentage. She does not have the biggest first serve, but she is

:59:42. > :59:45.putting a lot of pressure on her second. She is but with that serve,

:59:46. > :59:51.even though it does not have a lot of pace, it has a little bit of

:59:52. > :59:55.swing, and it can be tricky to do something back with it. Jo has done

:59:56. > :00:04.a good job of stamping on the ones that sit up but the ones that swerve

:00:05. > :00:08.away from her really tricky. Does not give anything away, does she,

:00:09. > :00:32.emotionally? Head down, very focused.

:00:33. > :00:41.I think it is the eighth serve on the deuce court that swung out wide.

:00:42. > :01:14.Very effective, gets the short reply. Good formula for her, that.

:01:15. > :01:46.The second forehand we have seen her lose control of.

:01:47. > :01:56.It is definitely the side to target. As I said, a long time ago, it used

:01:57. > :02:00.to be a real weakness. Not so much these days, she has improved it. But

:02:01. > :02:08.if there are pressurised moments, that is the side that will break

:02:09. > :02:19.down. Won't be arguing with her either. They should have a shout of.

:02:20. > :03:29.Get a compilation tape going. High workrate going on down the

:03:30. > :03:34.other end of the court with Konta. She moves her feet well. There is an

:03:35. > :03:40.intensity and energy with the way she moves on Court. Su-Wei Hsieh,

:03:41. > :03:45.she tends to glide around the court and then just plant. Effortlessly

:03:46. > :03:53.moves towards the ball. Less workrate going on.

:03:54. > :03:56.She sometimes just tends to lunch at the ball if she is not quite behind

:03:57. > :04:11.it. We have seen that time and time

:04:12. > :04:15.again, the serve with the lack of pace. You have to try and generate

:04:16. > :04:35.it yourself. She has struggled a little bit.

:04:36. > :04:52.Difficult to feed one over the top of Konta. Gets the wrist snap over

:04:53. > :05:10.the top of the ball on the smash. Footwork going on beneath it.

:05:11. > :05:26.She has a forehand grip, what she is using. It is not unusual on the

:05:27. > :05:35.tour. She found something different, Hsieh, but easily put away by Konta.

:05:36. > :05:47.You can see, too deep. Konta is so quick up to it.

:05:48. > :06:13.Konta, earns herself another couple of break points.

:06:14. > :06:23.Konta breakthrough in this second set and is now entirely in control

:06:24. > :06:29.in this match. It is interesting, when we look at the women's rankings

:06:30. > :06:34.now and where Konta sits at number seven. In the absence of Serena

:06:35. > :06:40.Williams, expecting a baby sometime at the end of August, September.

:06:41. > :06:46.There is a bit of a vacuum with Maria Sharapova trying to come back,

:06:47. > :06:49.or somebody to step up all four two or three players to develop a

:06:50. > :07:00.rivalry, which would be great for the women's game.

:07:01. > :07:07.There is no one dominant figure. There isn't. It has been a bit like

:07:08. > :07:12.that for some time, apart from Serena Williams, who has been a

:07:13. > :07:17.dominant figure at the top of the women's game. The fact she is out of

:07:18. > :07:23.the sport at the moment, there is so many opportunity in the women's game

:07:24. > :07:27.and I think they all feel they have a chance against anybody. And even

:07:28. > :07:32.below are ranked players feel they have a chance against the top

:07:33. > :07:44.players as well. Some good top ten players. They really are two tanned

:07:45. > :08:17.and good-looking individuals. The coaching crew of Johanna Konta.

:08:18. > :08:27.She is looking, she is thinking. She could challenge. We can look at it

:08:28. > :08:31.on the replay. I must add met, she almost thought about it there. She

:08:32. > :08:53.did a double step, waiting for the call that didn't come.

:08:54. > :09:53.Even though she missed the return of serve, it was a very clever return.

:09:54. > :10:01.Double handed slice ball that was going to stay low to Konta's

:10:02. > :10:03.forehand. And with the grip that Konta has got, it would have been

:10:04. > :11:15.hard to generate height. That was a more ambitious challenge

:11:16. > :12:26.from Konta, this one. It was. That is a fabulous backhand. Really

:12:27. > :12:30.bends her knees, plans those feet, gets very balanced and look how she

:12:31. > :12:31.stayed down with the ball. Only comes up at the end of the ground

:12:32. > :13:20.stroke. Just a little corner of sunlight

:13:21. > :13:37.remains on Court One where Hsieh is returning from.

:13:38. > :13:41.Not going to get that back and Konta holds again. Been made to work hard

:13:42. > :14:29.on the service game. I really think she will be

:14:30. > :14:32.disappointed by not getting enough first service into play in this

:14:33. > :14:52.match. She is in full flow now. And again,

:14:53. > :15:10.great need bend of the first forehand. Striking into the corners.

:15:11. > :15:13.-- need bend. The winner of this will play Natalia Vikhlyantseva or

:15:14. > :15:25.the Donna Vekic should of Croatia who beat Konta in the final at

:15:26. > :15:31.Nottingham. Donna Vekic was a very interesting in that much, she has a

:15:32. > :15:38.huge first serve. Big ground strokes into the corners. Really played a

:15:39. > :15:50.terrific match that day. That was wide. Two break points.

:15:51. > :16:02.Konta motoring towards the second round now.

:16:03. > :16:09.Worth stating again and it is a reflection of the rise she has made,

:16:10. > :16:13.Johanna Konta, she has played five times in the main draw of Wimbledon

:16:14. > :16:26.and last year was the first time she made it past the first round. Now

:16:27. > :16:34.far more expected of her. Simona Halep, quarterfinal, headquarter of

:16:35. > :16:38.the draw. Not sure what she is chatting away to the umpire about.

:16:39. > :16:42.You might remember this was the umpire who was hit in the tide by

:16:43. > :16:49.Denis Shapovalov in the Davis Cup match between and Canada. Denis

:16:50. > :16:58.Shapovalov using today to Jerzy Janowicz. Sometimes the umpires will

:16:59. > :17:03.use this period of time just to tell a play if they are over the time

:17:04. > :17:09.limit if they have to get that serve into play. I have no idea if that is

:17:10. > :17:15.what it has got to do with. Not particularly slow, but quite and

:17:16. > :17:26.ornate ball bounce. Konta with the double break and

:17:27. > :19:52.serving a 4-1. First ace of the match. Takes Konta

:19:53. > :20:06.to within one game. Something of a procession now for Konta. She is --

:20:07. > :20:13.Hsieh is serving to stay in it. Trying it again, Hsieh. Little

:20:14. > :20:14.forehand, sliced drop. I take my hat off to her to try something

:20:15. > :20:29.different to change the rhythm. We talked about the footwork, even

:20:30. > :20:36.on the last point, Su-Wei Hsieh was hardly moving her feet. She was

:20:37. > :20:38.almost walking into that last shot. Konta might get it done within the

:20:39. > :20:52.hour. There has been a real sense of

:20:53. > :20:56.purpose out here from Johanna Konta. She has taken the game to her

:20:57. > :20:59.appointments. Su-Wei Hsieh hasn't done enough to make her feel

:21:00. > :21:16.uncomfortable out there. -- opponent.

:21:17. > :21:24.59 minutes of match on the clock. Court Number One makes a bit of

:21:25. > :21:59.noise for a couple of match points for the British number one.

:22:00. > :22:22.Deflation of Court One. Two match points scene of.

:22:23. > :23:01.Well played, lives to fight another game, Su-Wei Hsieh. Looks rather

:23:02. > :23:06.dejected figure, Hsieh. You were talking about the calibre of her and

:23:07. > :23:14.she has won a couple of times in the past, twice a grand slam winner in

:23:15. > :23:18.doubles. Just hasn't been able to really troubled Konta today. We were

:23:19. > :23:23.talking about she would have to play her very best game, but offer a

:23:24. > :23:30.variety and cut out the unforced errors, that she just hasn't been

:23:31. > :23:35.able to manage. No, she hasn't done enough to make Konta uncomfortable.

:23:36. > :23:39.I think of her taking the ball quite early, chopping, slicing and doing

:23:40. > :23:44.different things. She hasn't got into the Konta forehand and she has

:23:45. > :23:50.been late on the ball, more often than not. And her footwork, she is

:23:51. > :23:57.almost lethargic at times. Even if you focus on her, she is walking

:23:58. > :24:01.into the point sometimes. Konta taking a couple of very deliberate

:24:02. > :24:09.deep breaths. She is very focused, she's very disciplined and

:24:10. > :24:29.determined player. She is serving now for a place in the second round.

:24:30. > :25:16.He was out. Great example of Konta getting down to those low-flying

:25:17. > :25:46.bouncers. Great dip of the knees. Again, applause from all inside

:25:47. > :25:57.Court Number One. The British number one has three match points.

:25:58. > :26:06.A challenge at the end from Su-Wei Hsieh. We will land on the say of

:26:07. > :26:10.Hawk-Eye. It is either an ace to win the match... Or a second serve. It

:26:11. > :26:17.is an ace to win the match for Johanna Konta. It is a very tidy,

:26:18. > :26:22.very impressive performance. From what we thought might be a potential

:26:23. > :26:27.banana skin, didn't prove to be that in any way. But Johanna Konta has

:26:28. > :26:32.stepped up and delivered. There is a smile now for the crowd as she moves

:26:33. > :26:36.through to the second round with little fuss. Very businesslike

:26:37. > :26:44.performance from Johanna Konta. I am sure her team will be very pleased

:26:45. > :26:47.with that first match. 33 years since Jo Durie reached the

:26:48. > :26:52.quarterfinals and beyond and the last time a British woman reached

:26:53. > :26:55.that stage... And we get ahead of ourselves in terms of what Johanna

:26:56. > :27:03.Konta could do, but it has been a good start today against Su-Wei

:27:04. > :27:12.Hsieh. Looking to get the first round out of the way. Avoid anything

:27:13. > :27:19.to energy sapping, cutting out some mistakes. A few loose one from

:27:20. > :27:23.Konta, but she will be please. She will be fairly consistent. It will

:27:24. > :27:28.come together more as she goes through the tournament. But served

:27:29. > :27:33.well, very good second serve. Backhand was very rock-solid and I

:27:34. > :27:37.thought all in all, and very good performance. We know she is a top

:27:38. > :27:41.player in the world now because she has just a brief squiggle as an

:27:42. > :27:49.autograph. That is all you can afford to do when you are in demand

:27:50. > :27:54.and you just squiggle away. They will accept those squiggles and

:27:55. > :28:09.Konta will give us her thoughts in a moment. She is safely through to the

:28:10. > :28:16.second round with a symmetrical and tidy win over Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2, 6-2.

:28:17. > :28:27.Day done here on Court Number One. The work is done for Johanna Konta.

:28:28. > :28:40.They have met three times. Let's get her thoughts now.

:28:41. > :28:45.Congratulations. I am pleased to come through, because she is a very

:28:46. > :28:51.tricky player. I was looking forward to playing her again to beta and I

:28:52. > :28:59.am happy I was able to come through that. Your recent injury was

:29:00. > :29:03.documented, how are you feeling? I am feeling well, after I hit

:29:04. > :29:08.yesterday, that was one of the first tests to see how I was feeling

:29:09. > :29:11.hitting and I feel good. Expectations for you at Wimbledon

:29:12. > :29:16.this year are higher than they have ever been, does it have any effect

:29:17. > :29:21.on you? It is a massive compliment. I am working and training very hard

:29:22. > :29:25.to be at my best level and I hopefully I will be involved for the

:29:26. > :29:28.full fortnight, but taking it one match at the time and trying to play

:29:29. > :29:35.at my best level. We wish you the best of luck, well done today. Thank

:29:36. > :29:41.you. SUE BARKER: she is one of the contenders and it is good to see her

:29:42. > :29:46.on court. No signs of that back injury she sustained at Eastbourne.

:29:47. > :29:50.It is that format is born but has given her the confidence. The

:29:51. > :29:53.British number one is absolutely delighted to put away what looked

:29:54. > :29:58.like a very tricky opponent. She beat her at the French Open a few

:29:59. > :30:03.weeks ago, Su-Wei Hsieh. But coming through with a loss of just four

:30:04. > :30:06.games so Britain's number one, Johanna Konta, safely through to the

:30:07. > :30:10.next round. And there are a number of British

:30:11. > :30:18.plays out in action at the moment. Aljaz Bedene is playing this man,

:30:19. > :30:23.the man mountain, Ivo Karlovic. And with the serves these guys play

:30:24. > :30:28.with, no surprise there are three tie-breaks and the tie-break in the

:30:29. > :30:33.third set was 9-7 so so little between them. Ivo Karlovic at the

:30:34. > :30:39.end of the tie-break had the train on court and he is injured with his

:30:40. > :30:45.right shoulder. We will see if he can hit those booming serves down

:30:46. > :30:50.against the British player, Aljaz Bedene. That magic see on the red

:30:51. > :30:56.button and on the BBC Sport website. Injury, Stan Wawrinka has just taken

:30:57. > :31:01.the second set, having stopped Billy McClure dropped the first set to

:31:02. > :31:10.Daniil Medvedev. Just nursing any injury. Some players coming through

:31:11. > :31:16.with some injuries. He is 2-1 in the third set against Daniil Medvedev,

:31:17. > :31:21.one of the rising stars of the game. We will be keeping an eye on those

:31:22. > :31:25.matters, but there is still plenty of players making their way out to

:31:26. > :31:30.court. Beautiful evening, shame we had a couple of rain delays earlier,

:31:31. > :31:33.but it is absolutely perfect, beautiful sunshine and very little

:31:34. > :31:37.wind. Perfect conditions for playing tennis.

:31:38. > :31:45.So we have seen Johanna Konta go through. Now let's see Heather

:31:46. > :31:52.Watson. She's battling out on court number two. We can join it. She's

:31:53. > :31:59.taken the first set, 6-1. We join it at the start of the tenth

:32:00. > :32:02.game, and we can join it with our commentator Sam Smith and David

:32:03. > :32:09.Mercer. THE COMMENTATOR: That's a great

:32:10. > :32:43.start. Might have to be a little weary

:32:44. > :33:08.here, Watson. Serve a few at the body.

:33:09. > :33:13.Made it very difficult for Watson. I would have loved to have seen her

:33:14. > :33:18.move forward after that angled backhand. She had her opponent on

:33:19. > :33:23.the stretch. She could have made life difficult. She could have had a

:33:24. > :33:27.low, short volley to get that up and down in a place she would not get

:33:28. > :33:28.past easily. One of the most difficult shots you can attempt to

:33:29. > :33:44.play. Well, it is not as if she's been

:33:45. > :33:47.missing the first serves, but two break back chances then for

:33:48. > :34:44.Zanevska. It's just worth remembering for

:34:45. > :34:47.Heather, she's had a few ordeals serving out. Sometimes she's had

:34:48. > :34:55.match points, sometimes not able to close. It is not an easy match for

:34:56. > :35:26.her, besides how one-sided it's been.

:35:27. > :35:50.It was all too obvious, I am afraid, that little drop shot. Should have