Day 10, Part 2

:00:11. > :00:57.You are about to lead -- leave the sanctuary of the locker room. Take a

:00:58. > :01:05.deep breath. Focus. It's time to take the walk. Pictures hang on the

:01:06. > :01:17.wall. Great moments captured in time. Ignore them. Your opponent is

:01:18. > :01:23.right there. Ignore them. You are nervous. There is pressure.

:01:24. > :01:29.Especially if you are the home favourite. The woman who has

:01:30. > :01:35.suddenly got the whole nation behind you. History weighing on your

:01:36. > :01:44.shoulders. Ignore it. Walk down the stairs. Past the trophy cabinet.

:01:45. > :01:48.Past the honours board. Ignore them. Tell yourself, this is just another

:01:49. > :02:02.match. Only it's not. You know it's not. It's the semifinal at

:02:03. > :02:11.Wimbledon. The door is open, finally. The end of the tunnel. And

:02:12. > :02:18.it's time to go to work. No one knows that walk better.

:02:19. > :02:21.Martina Navratilova has 59 Grand Slam titles, while Johanna Konta

:02:22. > :02:27.will make that walk today still striving for her first. We have not

:02:28. > :02:31.had a day like this for 39 years. A British woman in the semifinals at

:02:32. > :02:35.Wimbledon. But Konta has performed brilliantly at this year's Wimbledon

:02:36. > :02:40.and carries the country's hopes after Andy Murray's defeat

:02:41. > :02:43.yesterday. She was out on the practice court this morning. Three

:02:44. > :02:47.times she has been taken to three sets and each time she has found a

:02:48. > :02:51.way to win. And they have been some of the most thrilling matches of

:02:52. > :02:56.this year's Wimbledon. Standing in her way is an all-time great of the

:02:57. > :03:03.sport. Venus Williams is a five times winner of the ladies singles.

:03:04. > :03:07.At the age of 37 she is the oldest semifinalist since Martina 23 years

:03:08. > :03:18.ago. She has played 100 matches here and won 86. But Konta has a winning

:03:19. > :03:22.3-2 record against Williams. And has already disposed of number two seed

:03:23. > :03:27.Simona Halep. She is the first British woman to reach the

:03:28. > :03:30.semifinals since Virginia Wade in 1978. The other semifinal is Garbine

:03:31. > :03:36.Muguruza against Magdalena Rybarikova. Muguruza was a finalist

:03:37. > :03:41.two years ago when she lost to Serena Williams. Rybarikova is one

:03:42. > :03:46.of the stories of the championship. She is ranked 87 in the world and

:03:47. > :03:52.she makes comeback from injury. She has won 18 of 19 matches on grass

:03:53. > :03:57.this year. Good afternoon. Today is a huge day for Jo. She will be on

:03:58. > :04:01.Centre Court later, hoping the British fans will cheer her to

:04:02. > :04:07.victory. That is the second match on the centre. First up, it is Muguruza

:04:08. > :04:11.against a player who until now had never made it past the third round

:04:12. > :04:15.of a major. Maybe the nerves were kicking in. Just a short time ago

:04:16. > :04:27.Muguruza claimed the opening set. This is how she did it. And another

:04:28. > :04:35.error from Rybarikova. Muguruza takes the opening set 6-1. Her

:04:36. > :04:39.coach, can she do Martinez, a former Wimbledon champion, absolutely

:04:40. > :04:44.delighted. Muguruza has a break of serve as we join it live in the

:04:45. > :04:48.second set. She is serving at 1-0. Let's join our commentators, Kim

:04:49. > :05:01.cloisters, John McEnroe and Simon Read.

:05:02. > :05:13.That is one of the few times she has come forward. That is what she

:05:14. > :05:27.needed to do there, just reach for it. Get down with those legs.

:05:28. > :05:34.I hate to say it, as she turned towards us, there is a resigned look

:05:35. > :05:38.about Rybarikova. Frustrating, too. It is frustrating if you are playing

:05:39. > :05:45.the biggest match of your career and you're not playing your best tennis.

:05:46. > :05:49.She is a little hesitant. That is not fun. At least on the big stage

:05:50. > :06:03.you want to play some of your best tennis.

:06:04. > :06:16.She is keeping a great length, to, Muguruza. She has come out extremely

:06:17. > :06:29.focused, ready to go. She has brought game. -- her A game.

:06:30. > :06:57.And this is a woman who has won 18 19 grass court matches coming into

:06:58. > :07:02.this one. But of course is very different. -- this is very

:07:03. > :07:37.different. And then there is that. It took 35

:07:38. > :07:44.minutes for her to start to feel the ball. That one shot, that forehand

:07:45. > :07:52.passing shot that would have given her the lead, just send her reeling

:07:53. > :07:56.in the opposite direction. Now she looks like she did at the beginning.

:07:57. > :08:02.She is coming back to being completely frozen. Muguruza seems

:08:03. > :08:06.even a little bit better. She was making some mistakes in that first

:08:07. > :08:13.sad. She is now stepping her game up. For Rybarikova, it is one thing

:08:14. > :08:17.saying, I'm thrilled to be in the semifinal, I'm delighted, can't

:08:18. > :08:22.believe it. She didn't say it but I'm sure people have said to her,

:08:23. > :08:25.there is no pressure. You are not expected to win. Taking that on

:08:26. > :08:32.board is one thing and it is another thing believing it. You want to show

:08:33. > :08:37.what you can do. One of my most frustrating things about losing my

:08:38. > :08:42.Grand Slam finals early in my career was that, OK, it's lose, that is not

:08:43. > :08:45.fun. But the fact I wasn't able to play my best tennis. That my

:08:46. > :08:56.opponents did not beat me at my best, that was the most

:08:57. > :09:02.disappointing for me. Right now, if you had told me she had won 18 out

:09:03. > :09:11.of 19 grass court matches, it looks like she has lost 18 out of 19.

:09:12. > :09:22.She has stepped game up again, Muguruza. Another notch.

:09:23. > :09:27.Too casual by Rybarikova. How about blasting the ball at her? Change

:09:28. > :10:03.something up. A clever little shot. That is a

:10:04. > :10:10.one-handed sliced backhand. Caught Muguruza off-guard. Tried to let at

:10:11. > :10:32.bounce and changed her mind again. She is hitting way too many balls a

:10:33. > :11:42.couple of feet inside the baseline. Beautiful. You have to hand it to.

:11:43. > :11:49.-- you have to hand it to her. The other side of the coin, it's nice

:11:50. > :12:00.when everything is working. Yeah. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen

:12:01. > :12:12.too often. At times it's frighteningly good. When I was --

:12:13. > :12:18.when I was getting beaten, hence of Lee, I'd be looking at the clock.

:12:19. > :12:33.You've got to make it to an hour. Make it a set 6-3, or something.

:12:34. > :12:42.I played Rios one time here on Centre Court. I did the opposite. It

:12:43. > :12:45.was 6-0, 5-0. I was trying to stay on for 45 minutes just to give it a

:12:46. > :13:22.little bit of a challenge! Yes! APPLAUSE

:13:23. > :13:34.Clear thinking. Could that be a trigger? LAUGHTER.

:13:35. > :13:39.It's a nice feeling for Muguruza knowing that your opponent is not

:13:40. > :13:40.going to hit her of the court. She has put a lot of variety in to her

:13:41. > :14:09.shots but they are not hurting her. You can see what a huge difference

:14:10. > :14:11.hitting the ball deep makes when you're out there. That return right

:14:12. > :14:37.at the baseline, way too many. APPLAUSE

:14:38. > :14:43.That previous return is something her coach worked on with everybody

:14:44. > :14:44.he coached. That is something he really tries to focus on when he

:14:45. > :15:22.works with a girl. She is unstoppable. People don't

:15:23. > :15:26.understand what controlling the court means. They should study this

:15:27. > :15:29.tape. How much easier it is when you are dictating from the baseline as

:15:30. > :16:04.opposed to scrambling. She is going to challenge. It did

:16:05. > :16:14.look like it might have been long. SLOW CLAPPING

:16:15. > :16:43.Certainly needs to be as far as this match is concerned. And it is.

:16:44. > :17:02.The toss was extremely low, too far forward.

:17:03. > :17:14.Really good job. Muguruza is on fire. The rallies are getting longer

:17:15. > :17:20.and she is playing a little bit better again, Rybarikova, but it is

:17:21. > :18:01.Muguruza all the way. Just moving her from side to side.

:18:02. > :18:10.It was there if it was over. That was the same shot she had to hold

:18:11. > :18:21.the first game. She didn't do it. Way too many short balls. Her serve

:18:22. > :18:35.is 34 miles an hour less than it has been in the tournament. -- three or

:18:36. > :18:39.four. Desperate enough to try for the first time the serve and volley.

:18:40. > :19:21.Is a break point for a 5-0. That is the skill she has at her

:19:22. > :19:30.disposal if so -- if only she could use it. She has got some good hands.

:19:31. > :20:01.She has got a lot of variety. That has really hurt her, how short

:20:02. > :20:03.she has hit the ball. That is the shot of the match, that backhand

:20:04. > :20:31.down the line. APPLAUSE

:20:32. > :20:41.For once, Muguruza being manoeuvred around. This is the longest game of

:20:42. > :21:13.the match. And it is pivotal. APPLAUSE

:21:14. > :21:39.Well played. It is fascinating. Just two years

:21:40. > :21:45.ago at Birmingham on grass, Rybarikova went the 6-3, 6-1. A few

:21:46. > :21:51.weeks later, Muguruza goes on to get to the Wimbledon final. She was

:21:52. > :21:55.playing well at that stage. But big court, biggest match of her life,

:21:56. > :21:59.she hasn't been able to show. Yes, and of course a lot can happen in

:22:00. > :22:07.that time. This is already a huge step for her. Both girls. Muguruza,

:22:08. > :22:12.since then, has had some of the biggest result of her career.

:22:13. > :22:17.Something I have admired about Muguruza is that even before she had

:22:18. > :22:21.one a lot of big matches, she was so composed out there. She looked like

:22:22. > :22:26.she had already won Grand Slams, without being overly confident. She

:22:27. > :22:31.already acted and behaved like she belonged. And I think is something

:22:32. > :22:37.that added to it. That belief in yourself is so important, to be able

:22:38. > :22:43.to win matches like this and to win big tournaments. From what I have

:22:44. > :22:50.seen in the last couple of years, you never feel that confidence is

:22:51. > :22:57.one of her problems. No! Which is a good thing. As I said, not overly

:22:58. > :23:00.confident. But she has her results where you think, she is doubting

:23:01. > :23:25.yourself. You would never see it in her body language.

:23:26. > :23:30.The way she acted when she won the French, it looked like she was never

:23:31. > :24:04.going to lose another match! But she has perhaps been humbled

:24:05. > :24:08.just a touch in the past year or so. Can she do Martinez came into the

:24:09. > :24:11.picture. The timing seemed right. She has gathered herself you nicely.

:24:12. > :24:34.-- Conchita Martinez. Martinez a champion here 23 years

:24:35. > :25:11.ago. APPLAUSE

:25:12. > :25:19.She has played those really well, those lobs. Unfortunately, there

:25:20. > :25:25.have only been three or four of those points. And in 12 games, that

:25:26. > :26:08.doesn't amount to a whole lot! Another game goes Muguruza's way.

:26:09. > :26:20.When Conchita Martinez won it, Martina was what, 37? It would be

:26:21. > :26:29.interesting to see Muguruza play another 37-year-old American. It is

:26:30. > :26:30.possible. We will find out, apparently soon, what happens in the

:26:31. > :26:48.other semifinal. We said about Muguruza for a lot of

:26:49. > :26:52.this year, that when things go wrong, they start to go very wrong.

:26:53. > :27:25.But there is no sign of anything going wrong here.

:27:26. > :27:51.Again that depth. It is most like you want to get a hook and take her

:27:52. > :27:54.out of there. -- almost. She wants you to get the hook! Please take me

:27:55. > :28:22.off. For Muguruza, this is the perfect

:28:23. > :28:24.semifinal. It is short, she is not wasting any energy. She has been

:28:25. > :28:32.able to play her game, dominate her opponent. She will leave this match

:28:33. > :28:38.feeling very comfortable and motivated to start. She has been

:28:39. > :29:36.dictating. APPLAUSE

:29:37. > :29:44.She is through to the final again. And it was that good, Conchita

:29:45. > :29:48.Martinez is smiling. The good news for Rybarikova is it did last the

:29:49. > :29:59.hour. But there wasn't much more. 64 minutes. But wasn't Muguruza good?

:30:00. > :30:03.She was extremely good. Rybarikova didn't make it hard enough for her

:30:04. > :30:09.to be tested but she dictated most of the games, almost all of them.

:30:10. > :30:13.Like I said before, she will leave the court feeling very comfortable

:30:14. > :30:21.and happy with how the semifinal went. She is into her third Grand

:30:22. > :30:24.Slam final. But John, as you were hinting, I sense when she won Roland

:30:25. > :30:31.Garros last year, she was going to take over. She acted like she

:30:32. > :30:34.believed it. It took awhile for her to get to grips with the reality

:30:35. > :30:38.that it wasn't quite that simple. I think she is playing better than she

:30:39. > :30:47.was when she won the French. She beat Serena.

:30:48. > :30:53.She's more aggressive and it paid off. I feel bad for Rybarikova.

:30:54. > :30:59.She's had the tournament of her life. It would be hard to, not for a

:31:00. > :31:04.while, to be thinking about what just happened. It makes you think,

:31:05. > :31:08.yeah, maybe I am like 80 in the world. You don't think of yourself

:31:09. > :31:12.as a top player after being beat like that.

:31:13. > :31:18.Well, she will go to 33 on Monday. That will be a boost to be seeded in

:31:19. > :31:25.some tournaments. Getting into the main draw wherever

:31:26. > :31:29.she wants. And who know, Muguruza, the world number one spot is

:31:30. > :31:33.changing week by week and looks as if it will do, and she has a shot at

:31:34. > :31:40.that. Is she the number one? No.

:31:41. > :31:48.A possibility. She will go five if she wins the

:31:49. > :31:53.title, Muguruza. She did what she needed to it was a

:31:54. > :32:00.great effort. So, there is confirmation. It lasted

:32:01. > :32:08.all of 65 minutes. But Muguruza is through, 6-1, 6-1.

:32:09. > :32:13.She's now talking to Phil Jones. Congratulation, another Grand Slam

:32:14. > :32:16.final. You've reached this one, far quicker than anyone expected. It

:32:17. > :32:20.seems you're on the top of your game right now? I think that I played

:32:21. > :32:26.very well for sure. It was a tricky match. She's a talented player. She

:32:27. > :32:30.was playing well during the tournament. Today I stepped out on

:32:31. > :32:34.the court confident and everything went well.

:32:35. > :32:40.How about your big match experience compared to her's, having been a

:32:41. > :32:46.Grand Slam champion ho in the final here, was that telling? Definitely.

:32:47. > :32:51.When you have been before, you handle the matches better. I played

:32:52. > :32:59.well, definitely, yes. Owl through the tournament, you are

:33:00. > :33:01.playing at a great level. Are you surpassing that time you were

:33:02. > :33:07.playing at the French Open? Surpassing it? I'm not sure. I just

:33:08. > :33:14.want to keep it up well now. And hopefully it goes my well. What is

:33:15. > :33:20.Conchita Martinez going to bring to you, being here on former occasions.

:33:21. > :33:23.Well, she knows how to win here. She has been helping Major League

:33:24. > :33:26.through the weeks with her experience and tip, so for sure it

:33:27. > :33:33.will help. And a question on the final itself,

:33:34. > :33:37.it will be Venus, Johanna Konta, an historic occasion, regardless of who

:33:38. > :33:42.is in the final, how will you enjoy the final? I will enjoy it for sure.

:33:43. > :33:46.Being in a Grand Slam final is an achievement. I want to win, no

:33:47. > :33:50.matter who is in front. I want to see their game. I will look forward

:33:51. > :33:52.to it. Well, congratulations, you are

:33:53. > :33:57.playing brilliantly. Well done. Thank you.

:33:58. > :34:02.A masterclass of grass court play and concentration as well. She never

:34:03. > :34:07.let her opponent into the match. Keeping the level of her game so

:34:08. > :34:13.high. When she is in full flow, she looks unstoppable on this surface.

:34:14. > :34:26.There is coach, Martinez, yes, she's absolutely delighted. A former

:34:27. > :34:31.champion here, she has seen Robert Mugabe playing her best and getting

:34:32. > :34:36.into a semifinal for a second time. Well done to Muguruza,

:34:37. > :34:40.disappointment for Rybarikova. But, firstly, what an incredible match,

:34:41. > :34:46.Muguruza is playing? Don't wake her up. All of the years of train, we

:34:47. > :34:51.play to be playing at that level. That is dream like. The way that

:34:52. > :34:58.Muguruza wassating har gets on the serve. Being aggressive. The

:34:59. > :35:03.footwork was so alert. On balance, hitting targets from one sideline to

:35:04. > :35:08.the other. Within six inches of the baseline and loves the backhand and

:35:09. > :35:13.continues to be aggressive as she has throughout the tournament.

:35:14. > :35:21.And never gave her opponent time to play the shots? Just suffocated her.

:35:22. > :35:26.She tried to change the pace with the slice, the drop shots but

:35:27. > :35:33.Muguruza was up there so quickly, she was so prepared. Up there.

:35:34. > :35:37.Obviously loves the backhand. But no missed cues. And Rybarikova was

:35:38. > :35:41.rushed all the time. And Muguruza was inside the baseline

:35:42. > :35:48.in almost every rally. Rybarikova could not push her back? No, and

:35:49. > :35:51.threw in the slice, and there, Muguruza with excellent footwork and

:35:52. > :35:58.preparation and continued to stay calm. We thought maybe she would get

:35:59. > :36:02.nervous closing out quickly but never did.

:36:03. > :36:06.A clear focus and game plan. And as far as Rybarikova is

:36:07. > :36:12.concerned, the enormity of the occasion caught up with her? I

:36:13. > :36:17.agree. She was kicking the ball around, and hitting the ball looking

:36:18. > :36:22.relaxed. But not today. She was a little agitated. A couple of

:36:23. > :36:27.challenges, looking to her support box. I think she got to within a

:36:28. > :36:30.couple of matches of winning Wimbledon, within a touching point

:36:31. > :36:39.and tightened up. This is a lot to take in. She's won five matches, and

:36:40. > :36:44.beaten many, and then the media and the obligations, maybe a little too

:36:45. > :36:51.much. But what a fairy tale so far. We have said it in the summer with

:36:52. > :36:55.Muguruza, a breath of fresh air for tennis but it didn't happen. And if

:36:56. > :37:01.she carries on playing like this, she will be the world number one? We

:37:02. > :37:07.have said it how many time, Sue? That is consistency, that is

:37:08. > :37:12.lacking. Muguruza's career, she has won a grand total of three titles

:37:13. > :37:17.and a major, which is not right for someone with this level of talent

:37:18. > :37:25.and potential and the weapons but is not giving it often enough. Maybe it

:37:26. > :37:33.is Conchita matter Mersey, she knows how to win at Wimbledon in '94. And

:37:34. > :37:38.also chilled. She is relaxed. Maybe that is helping Muguruza manage the

:37:39. > :37:45.situation. She knows how to win here. Garbina struggled with the

:37:46. > :37:50.forced errors. In a tough situation she puts the spin on the ball, and

:37:51. > :37:55.keeps it in play to wait for the right opportunity. Maybe that is

:37:56. > :38:00.Conchita in her head. It took just over an hour. But there

:38:01. > :38:03.is a real buzz on the Centre Court, next up is the British woman rocking

:38:04. > :38:39.Centre Court this year. British tennis history is made. It's

:38:40. > :38:46.been 39 years since a British woman became a semi-finalist.

:38:47. > :38:56.Wow! Yes, it is Johanna Konta up against Venus Williams. Martina has

:38:57. > :39:00.joined us. We saw you doing that nervous walk on Centre Court, it

:39:01. > :39:05.starts to build from the quarterfinals onwards? It does. It

:39:06. > :39:10.has changed the walk. It is longer now as the locker room was closer

:39:11. > :39:14.are so even more time to get nervous. But it's a great moment.

:39:15. > :39:19.This is all the work has been done. This is where you want to be. So,

:39:20. > :39:25.hey, you are here, you get to play. But it is almost surreal it is quiet

:39:26. > :39:29.in the walkway, it is you and the opponent and then you come out and

:39:30. > :39:34.you are on worldwide TV. It's a big change. Even the lockerroom is quiet

:39:35. > :39:39.with less competitors in the drauchlt it feels like, OK, this is

:39:40. > :39:44.the moment. We saw in the last match just how nerves can play a part. She

:39:45. > :39:49.didn't play well in the first few games but couldn't stop the rot?

:39:50. > :39:54.This is why the beginning of the match is crucial for the lower

:39:55. > :39:58.ranked player. Not to let the top-ranked player runaway. As their

:39:59. > :40:04.nerves are set. It is really a freight train. She needed the first

:40:05. > :40:11.hole, it didn't happen. And Muguruza has been playing this way the whole

:40:12. > :40:15.tournament but today, I would have thought her nerves would have been

:40:16. > :40:22.Dingling than perhaps other matches but she played solid.

:40:23. > :40:26.Well, of course, Venus knows her way to a woman's semifinal but let's

:40:27. > :40:31.hear from Johanna Konta, she's been talking to Richie. A very special

:40:32. > :40:36.day for Johanna Konta. It's extra special for British

:40:37. > :40:43.tennis fans - they've waited 33 years to be able to say that one of

:40:44. > :40:48.their own is in the quarterfinals. Whenever you engage in one of these

:40:49. > :40:53.tight tight tustles, you always seem to have the belief... Wow! It's her

:40:54. > :40:58.trademark. I trust in my own ability. It has to

:40:59. > :41:01.be there. # And I rise up

:41:02. > :41:06.# I'll rise like the day # I'll rise up

:41:07. > :41:15.# I'll rise unafraid # I'll rise up, and I do it a

:41:16. > :41:18.thousand and times again... You're the first British woman since 1978

:41:19. > :41:24.to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon. Winning the quarterfinal

:41:25. > :41:28.match means you will be in the top five of the women's rafrngings when

:41:29. > :41:31.they are out next week... I didn't know that! OK! Thank you!

:41:32. > :41:38.Congratulations. Thank you! When you add up all of

:41:39. > :41:47.the achievements, do you pat yourself on the back and go well

:41:48. > :41:50.done? It's difficult. I guess in both the fortunate and unfortunate

:41:51. > :41:55.positions in tennis, things move very quickly. Before you know it,

:41:56. > :41:59.the championships will be over and there will be ex-events next week.

:42:00. > :42:03.In that sense as it is so fast-moving it is almost an art to

:42:04. > :42:08.reflect well and acknowledge the good things you do. And it is

:42:09. > :42:12.something that I work on to acknowledge the good things I'm

:42:13. > :42:18.doing. But I'll let you know over Wimbledon how my pat on the back

:42:19. > :42:22.went, OK. ARCHIVE: British tennis history is

:42:23. > :42:26.made... Venus William, semifinal at Wimbledon, the sound of that to us

:42:27. > :42:31.is exciting, as you can imagine, what about for you? Equally. I have

:42:32. > :42:36.shared the court with her a number of times in the last couple of

:42:37. > :42:40.years, each time I have had to play her it's been a battle. The last

:42:41. > :42:43.time she got the better of me, so I'm looking forward to sharing the

:42:44. > :42:48.court with her again and to be playing against someone in such good

:42:49. > :42:52.form, who is such a champion. I've never played her on the grass, so

:42:53. > :42:57.that will be a new experience as well. How much can the crowd help

:42:58. > :43:04.you in those difficult moments, that, I'm sure, will be coming

:43:05. > :43:10.against Venus? I think they've been tremendous in their passion, their

:43:11. > :43:13.support and their excitement for me to, I guess, battle well. I'm

:43:14. > :43:17.definitely feeling humbled and grateful that they are on this

:43:18. > :43:24.journey with me here and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing

:43:25. > :43:30.them on Thursday. She's staying so focussed. And she's

:43:31. > :43:42.come through major battles at this tournament? She has. Garcia 6-4. And

:43:43. > :43:47.then Halep. In the set, five in the tie-break and then two sets to come.

:43:48. > :43:54.And then getting the number one ranking, and Halep backed off a bit.

:43:55. > :43:59.And Martina, this is when she broke in the fourth set it was important.

:44:00. > :44:04.There are 23 games in a row where the players held serve. That is how

:44:05. > :44:10.they play, no break points. But Jo put herself in the position more

:44:11. > :44:14.than Halep. And pulling back, that was all she needed.

:44:15. > :44:20.This is serving for the match, no sign of nerves at all? Not at all.

:44:21. > :44:28.She was brilliant. She doesn't let the errors mount. That is what she

:44:29. > :44:34.used to do. That's amazing to have such a turn around in two years.

:44:35. > :44:37.Obviously working with a mentor coach has been helpful to be clear

:44:38. > :44:42.of the game plan out there. But to be able to employ it time and time

:44:43. > :44:45.again, that is helpful coming into the semi-finals to have the three

:44:46. > :44:50.tight matches to come through. And beating Venus in Miami.

:44:51. > :44:54.But this is this morning. Look how relaxed she is. Like she is going

:44:55. > :45:00.out for a game in a local park. Again, this is why you are here.

:45:01. > :45:05.This is a warm up to get the cobwebs out, to get the heart rate going and

:45:06. > :45:10.the blood rate going. But all the work has been done. This is the warm

:45:11. > :45:16.up. She is clearly enjoying it. That is what it should be, embracing it,

:45:17. > :45:22.not dreading it. And you have to stay focussed, and

:45:23. > :45:27.also to keep the feet moving. It's a difficult balance.

:45:28. > :45:34.Tennis is a difficult competition, you must be intense, then calm, to

:45:35. > :45:41.get ready for the ball, to be fast then slow. It is fast, low, fast,

:45:42. > :45:46.slow. To remember your mistakes so you don't make them again. It's a

:45:47. > :45:53.fun game! And where one point can swing the set? Absolutely. And how

:45:54. > :45:57.many times has she been able to do that and on her own serve. She has a

:45:58. > :46:01.big serve but a clutch serve. That is important. She can come up with

:46:02. > :46:09.the big serve when she needs it most. Serving today will be huge.

:46:10. > :46:13.Both players have a huge first serve but Venus' sell serve can be

:46:14. > :46:16.attackable. Her first serve must be high.

:46:17. > :46:24.They are both big servers, there is nothing between the two. One mile an

:46:25. > :46:32.hour on the first serve, again on the second serve. The only

:46:33. > :46:37.difference is at the bottom is where Venus has 22 double faults to Jo's

:46:38. > :46:43.ten. Overall, Venus has a better return

:46:44. > :46:47.of serve, overall. Also that last match against Halep, Jo was missing

:46:48. > :46:50.the returns. So she must get that into play.

:46:51. > :46:57.And the placements. This is where Venus has been serving. The middle

:46:58. > :47:04.column in the red. 30% on the left court and 14% on the deuce court and

:47:05. > :47:10.then change over to Konta, she's going for the corners.

:47:11. > :47:15.0% on the left. Tracy, we know she loves to go for the angle. She is

:47:16. > :47:24.fit. So she can get the returns back? She should body serve more

:47:25. > :47:31.with Venus at 6ft 1, throw in the body serve so Venus can't get into a

:47:32. > :47:36.rhythm on the returns. And Jo forehand is a little brittle but

:47:37. > :47:42.Venus serves out wide to the deuce court.

:47:43. > :47:47.And grace placement, and does not like to be taken wide on the return,

:47:48. > :47:53.so she is using the body serve. As you are older you hit the body

:47:54. > :48:00.serves. The young guns go for the aces, Venus is using the body serve,

:48:01. > :48:05.somebody that long it is hard to get out of the way of the ball. Venus

:48:06. > :48:12.loves to step into the ball. When you are that tall with long arm it

:48:13. > :48:17.is is a little more tricky, so hopefully Jo's team have done the

:48:18. > :48:22.homework and know where Venus is serving so that they can change

:48:23. > :48:28.their locations a little bit. Technically, who's serve is better?

:48:29. > :48:33.I think it is Jo. Venus is a big server but pulls down with the left

:48:34. > :48:39.side quickly. And has a tendency to get predictable. As she slices on

:48:40. > :48:45.the right side of the ball she likes to go wide, especially down the T in

:48:46. > :48:50.the ad side. That is predictable. She must mix it up to all four

:48:51. > :48:55.corners and the body serve. The second serve she decelerates instead

:48:56. > :48:59.of going up and after. I think that Jo's second serve is better. Jo has

:49:00. > :49:04.been playing in the first women's semifinal leer. But not the same for

:49:05. > :49:07.Venus who made her debut 20 years ago. She is still in contention for

:49:08. > :49:14.the final. Here is her story.

:49:15. > :49:23.A lot can change in 20 years, people come, people go... Some things

:49:24. > :49:27.remain constant but long reigns are scarce in sport, making Venus

:49:28. > :49:35.Williams the rarest of gems. 20 years after her first Wimbledon, 100

:49:36. > :49:37.matches and five titles later, Williams The Elder is a serious

:49:38. > :49:42.contender again. It's the love for the game. It is

:49:43. > :49:47.what you need to keep a long career. Of course, the belief too. She must

:49:48. > :49:50.still believe she is capable of beating the best players out there

:49:51. > :49:57.and she can. At 37, she's the oldest woman to

:49:58. > :50:01.make the semi-finals here since the legendary Martina Navratilova in

:50:02. > :50:04.1994. The British player who practiced with Venus during the

:50:05. > :50:09.first Wimbledon didn't see it coming at all.

:50:10. > :50:12.I remember back in 1997, Venus' first Wimbledon. We spent a lot of

:50:13. > :50:20.time together on the practice courts. I started hitting with

:50:21. > :50:26.Venus, it was not normal, getting every ball at mach 10. If you told

:50:27. > :50:30.me 20 years ago she would be playing in 2017, I don't think I could have

:50:31. > :50:35.believed you. And considering the gloom of her

:50:36. > :50:45.heavy dwloom of the recent and much publicised car accident.

:50:46. > :50:48.Maybe I should go... Venus is a warm person, an empathetic person, this

:50:49. > :50:55.is not something that she would be able to brush off. She internalises

:50:56. > :50:59.it. She's a stoic person, so for her to break down like that,

:51:00. > :51:07.demonstrates the internal struggle she is going through.

:51:08. > :51:10.I think that she finds refuge on the tennis court but no more so than at

:51:11. > :51:16.Wimbledon. Just being on that grass, I think is

:51:17. > :51:23.very comforting to her in a lot of ways. And she's one of only two

:51:24. > :51:29.former champions here, so I'd' give her a shot.

:51:30. > :51:35.Being able to treat the two imposters, triumph and disaster, the

:51:36. > :51:46.same, has never felt more apt for Williams as she bids to succeed her

:51:47. > :51:51.sister as champion and win her first singles championship for nine years.

:51:52. > :51:57.You can't discount Venus, she is playing well, as well as she ever

:51:58. > :52:02.has. Venus comes to Wimbledon as if she belongs here.s as she says, it

:52:03. > :52:07.feels like her home. Taking fill ownership of Wimbledon once again,

:52:08. > :52:13.would abtale for the ages. A lot can change in 20 years but lifting

:52:14. > :52:18.Wimbledon trophies never gets old. It really is the most incredible

:52:19. > :52:23.story. And being a great champion, walking on to Centre Court it is

:52:24. > :52:29.playing from memory, remembering how to feel on the big moments.

:52:30. > :52:37.Venus has many great feelings and memories to go by. She has won five

:52:38. > :52:47.times. No other woman has won here like that, so she is a favourite

:52:48. > :52:52.from the get-go. It helps. You can see how you hit it ten years

:52:53. > :52:59.ago and then now, and think she can hit it.

:53:00. > :53:07.I didn't think we would see Venus competing for a grand lamb final

:53:08. > :53:10.ever again after hers medical diagnosis, the fatigue and the

:53:11. > :53:16.discomfort for her joints it is a dream.

:53:17. > :53:20.-- Grand Slam. I agree. Last year she got back to the semi-finals and

:53:21. > :53:25.got back into the thick of it. And the top ten and at 37 to get into

:53:26. > :53:31.the finals of the Australian Open, losing to Serena but as soon as

:53:32. > :53:35.Serena was not in the draw, you had to make Venus a part of the

:53:36. > :53:39.conversation. She knows how to play on the surface. She knows it. She is

:53:40. > :53:43.comfortable with the grass on her feet. The points are shorter so,

:53:44. > :53:46.that is helpful. And she knows when to go for the shot, when to pull the

:53:47. > :53:54.trigger. We are to discuss what Jo can do

:53:55. > :54:06.against Venus but let's get into the mind of her coach.

:54:07. > :54:12.It's over. British tennis history is made.

:54:13. > :54:15.It's been 39 years since a British woman can say I'm a Wimbledon

:54:16. > :54:20.semi-finalist. What a moment. A Wimbledon semifinal

:54:21. > :54:25.against a five-time champion for your player. How exciting is it?

:54:26. > :54:30.It's very exciting moment in my coaching career as well.

:54:31. > :54:34.Yes, this is where we want to be. This is what we are training for.

:54:35. > :54:39.Yeah, I believe it will be a fantastic match.

:54:40. > :54:42.Let's look ahead. Venus Williams, 20 years ago she first played the main

:54:43. > :54:47.draw at Wimbledon. It's one of the great stories of the

:54:48. > :54:52.sport, that she is here again in another semifinal.

:54:53. > :54:57.Yes it is fantastic to play against Venus now. She has a successful year

:54:58. > :55:04.this year. Everywhere she is playing she has had very good results. So

:55:05. > :55:08.this will be a very big test for Johanna but a semifinal Wimbledon,

:55:09. > :55:15.playing Venus Williams it can't get much better.

:55:16. > :55:19.We know about Venus' strengths, they are obvious, what about the

:55:20. > :55:24.weaknesses. The area to target? I don't think that we can speak about

:55:25. > :55:30.a weakness, a player like Venus does not have a weakness. It is more

:55:31. > :55:38.patterns. There are things we can expect. For Johannna it is forwent

:55:39. > :55:43.focus on her strengths. When you got the call to coach

:55:44. > :55:48.Johanna Konta, did you believe then that success at Wimbledon was

:55:49. > :55:53.possible? Yes. Definitely yes. A great athlete. Someone who is

:55:54. > :55:55.professional, dedicated. I saw someone with a big presence on

:55:56. > :56:01.court. Not afraid to fail. And not afraid

:56:02. > :56:07.to lose. Some have suggested perhaps she can

:56:08. > :56:16.embrace the crowd a little more. It is such an advantage having 15,000

:56:17. > :56:21.people behind you. Is that an issue, or would you rather she carry on

:56:22. > :56:26.what she is doing? It is great to enjoy the court and feel the energy

:56:27. > :56:30.from the crowd that is for sure. She is probably not expressing it as

:56:31. > :56:35.much as people would like her to. But she is still young in her

:56:36. > :56:41.career. And it's something that needs time for her, I think.

:56:42. > :56:45.But, yeah, she's very comfortable in the zone where she is right now. At

:56:46. > :56:49.this moment I would like her to stay in that zone.

:56:50. > :56:53.Is it possible she will be in the Wimbledon final on Saturday? For

:56:54. > :57:00.sure, it's possible. 50/50 against Venus.

:57:01. > :57:04.She has to play a good match. Unfortunately, it will depend on the

:57:05. > :57:08.level of Venus but I give her a chance.

:57:09. > :57:12.She has to believe in herself. I do belief in her. Her team believes in

:57:13. > :57:17.her. What will your final message be to

:57:18. > :57:22.her when she makes the walk from the locker room to the court? Enjoy it.

:57:23. > :57:28.It is interesting. We have heard it many times.

:57:29. > :57:35.Jo, to involve the crowd more. Did you ever hear that about Bjorg?

:57:36. > :57:45.Sampras or even Agassi? Never. You need to win. That's how you get the

:57:46. > :57:50.crowd involved! For me, it is not a part of her process. She has

:57:51. > :57:53.routines to go through, before serving and each point. That would

:57:54. > :58:00.be distracting for her to change at this time.

:58:01. > :58:06.And her coach does the tactics, e-mails them to her. She must recite

:58:07. > :58:11.them to him and they have a game plan and they stick to it.

:58:12. > :58:15.It is good to know. I liked to speak to my coach. But whatever works and

:58:16. > :58:20.it is working for her. It is good to know that they have a set game plan

:58:21. > :58:25.for the different players. These days there is not the variety as

:58:26. > :58:31.there used to be but there must be ideas toos what to do and

:58:32. > :58:36.concentrate on. There is the coach and the boyfriend

:58:37. > :58:42.and the dad in the pink shirt and the glasses. So a nervous time for

:58:43. > :58:46.them. Being British, you have seen the newspapers, this is more than a

:58:47. > :58:53.tennis match, isn't it? It is such a big deal. Also this is the feeling

:58:54. > :58:57.that this is the break-out year for Johanna Konta. She won in Miami,

:58:58. > :59:01.this is a big year. She broke into the top ten. I don't know if the

:59:02. > :59:06.British crowd knew so much about Johanna Konta. I feel like the

:59:07. > :59:11.matches have impressed them. The way that she held her demean our and has

:59:12. > :59:15.been calm. She loves the battle, the process. In each interview she

:59:16. > :59:19.speaks about that. She has employed that well. When I look at the dad

:59:20. > :59:24.there, you must think about what the family has been through. They were

:59:25. > :59:30.living in Australia, they decided to come here when she was 12, to be

:59:31. > :59:34.home schooled. To put all of the eggs in the basket to play tennis.

:59:35. > :59:38.To move here. To move to Spain. This is a long way coming, it is for this

:59:39. > :59:44.moment right here. Absolutely. It is a sacrifice. You did the same,

:59:45. > :59:47.Martina. It's what you have to do to follow your dream it is a wonderful

:59:48. > :59:52.sport to be a part of. You want to make sure you gave it

:59:53. > :59:57.everything you had. There is no other chance. The time is returning

:59:58. > :00:01.away. You have to make the most of it when there are opportunities.

:00:02. > :00:06.It's a commitment. There are many that go along for the ride. Maybe

:00:07. > :00:09.that helps as you give it your best. You have so many people that have

:00:10. > :00:16.given up their dreams to help your dream. So it takes off the pressure,

:00:17. > :00:22.you better be committed. Tennis in Australia, she was one of the rising

:00:23. > :00:26.juniors but not a top-ranked junior. But getting help from coaching. They

:00:27. > :00:32.took the funding away. That is when they decided to come here. Then at

:00:33. > :00:38.one point the funding was taken from her here as well. It give as strong

:00:39. > :00:43.desire to show them. If she was not so highly talented, it was the work

:00:44. > :00:48.ethic, in the school, the coaches that she worked with have all spoken

:00:49. > :00:54.about the work she has put it. And this is a huge opportunity.

:00:55. > :00:59.Talking about it with Serena out of the game, Maria Sharapova not being

:01:00. > :01:01.here, this was an opportunity to come through and take the

:01:02. > :01:06.opportunity. Yes. That is a big window of

:01:07. > :01:09.opportunity. We have spoke about it from the beginning, who will take

:01:10. > :01:15.the opportunity and make the most of it. Now you see the end result. It

:01:16. > :01:19.could be Muguruza, or could be Jo or Venus. The big hitters have come

:01:20. > :01:29.through. But they play to win. That is what wins majors that is what

:01:30. > :01:34.wins on grass. We saw it at the French with Ostapenka winning. And

:01:35. > :01:37.it was wide open. Anywhere from the small division to come through and

:01:38. > :01:41.win the French. This is a huge opportunity.

:01:42. > :01:45.You look at the French, Wimbledon, the women's matches have been

:01:46. > :01:50.fantastic! ? Physical, mental. And the people that go for it, they play

:01:51. > :01:55.to waned win. And so I hope that the girls are watching and the boys

:01:56. > :01:59.watching this sport. This is what works so get your stuff organised

:02:00. > :02:04.and play to win and not hope that the other person plays badly. Taking

:02:05. > :02:11.the bull by the horns. Excuse me, Halep pulled back. She

:02:12. > :02:15.was up a set, 5-4 in the tie-break, two points away, the shots didn't

:02:16. > :02:20.have the same sting. Landing in thester of the court. And Jo was

:02:21. > :02:27.brave. That's how she must play today.

:02:28. > :02:32.Martina, we saw you telling her to ignore everything. Here she is.

:02:33. > :02:36.Straight out. They are not holding the players. Jo followed by Venus,

:02:37. > :03:04.wait for the cheer... Didn't that give you goose bumps?

:03:05. > :03:07.That was just a huge cheer. I think it will be a factor. That will

:03:08. > :03:15.energise both players, particularly Jo. They are giving it all they

:03:16. > :03:19.have. The crowd may help. It may hurt. At the end of the day you have

:03:20. > :03:23.to play the ball. You're playing Venus Williams, not anybody else.

:03:24. > :03:28.Venus is playing Jo Konta, not anybody else. We will see who can

:03:29. > :03:36.play better tennis at the crucial moments. This is what it is all

:03:37. > :03:40.about. We saw in the last match, these first few games will be key to

:03:41. > :03:45.get yourself focused. She is looking so relaxed. She is chatting to the

:03:46. > :03:50.umpire. This is what we want to see. This is the right state of mind. I

:03:51. > :03:55.can feel the energy already. The crowd will be for her. Yet you have

:03:56. > :04:01.this five-time champion who is so calm, so poised. Jo has beaten

:04:02. > :04:16.Venus. That was the break-out tournament

:04:17. > :04:21.for me with Jo. Miami. It was a big event. And back-to-back big players.

:04:22. > :04:26.She is the only player in the semifinals to have won a tour title.

:04:27. > :04:35.Does not been a great year for any of these players. Venus Williams has

:04:36. > :04:42.a great opportunity here. These people play great tennis on grass.

:04:43. > :04:48.They play aggressively. Shirley Bassey watching on. The crowd will

:04:49. > :04:54.also have a huge respect for Venus as well with everything that she has

:04:55. > :04:59.achieved. Five times a champion. They must be feeling divided. Of

:05:00. > :05:05.course they wanted -- the Brit to win. But what a tailored would be if

:05:06. > :05:13.the nurse were to win here again. At 37. We will talk more about the

:05:14. > :05:21.semifinal. First, let's look at Jo's journey through to the last four.

:05:22. > :05:30.Welcome to Court One. Johanna Konta, the world number seven. High home

:05:31. > :05:48.hopes for her. She has the double break. And it is an ace to win the

:05:49. > :05:58.match for Johanna Konta. Konta takes the opening set. What a

:05:59. > :06:09.fightback from Donna Vekic. Konta composed as ever, hangs on. What a

:06:10. > :06:19.battle. What resilience. First set to the British number one.

:06:20. > :06:22.Three down, four to go. To end 40 years of you know what.

:06:23. > :06:27.One of the biggest days British tennis has known in a long time. Jo

:06:28. > :06:34.Konta halfway there are a women's quarterfinal. She has one the first

:06:35. > :06:41.set. -- won. She had the mental resolve to get the job done. We are

:06:42. > :06:49.level at a set apiece. Jo Konta, Wimbledon quarterfinalist, the first

:06:50. > :06:54.since Jo Durie in 1984. Wow! That is worrying from a British perspective.

:06:55. > :07:01.A magnificent tie-break from Simona Halep. They are bringing the best

:07:02. > :07:06.out of each other. Look at that. Jo Konta has forced a final set. It is

:07:07. > :07:14.over. British tennis history is made.

:07:15. > :07:22.We have found out a lot about Jo throughout this Championships. We

:07:23. > :07:26.will find out even more today as we see the stats of what she has

:07:27. > :07:30.achieved. Semifinal at the Australian Open. She has been in a

:07:31. > :07:37.Grand Slam semifinal. Not quite the same as a home Grand Slam. That was

:07:38. > :07:41.break-out tournament. She announced herself that she would be part of

:07:42. > :07:45.the elite. It has been a nice process, but kind of a quick process

:07:46. > :07:52.the last couple of years am considering she is 26 and has been

:07:53. > :08:00.at this a long time. Donna Vekic had beaten her in Nottingham. And Simona

:08:01. > :08:06.Halep, that was the match right there. She was two points away from

:08:07. > :08:18.defeat. Their kitsch and Garcia gave the most trouble -- Donna Vekic.

:08:19. > :08:25.What will decide the match today is if Jo can return the serve. Venus

:08:26. > :08:28.has the bigger serve. She needs to give herself more opportunities to

:08:29. > :08:35.break serve. She will get broken. Everybody does. Word-macro this is

:08:36. > :08:45.Venus' favourite Grand Slam. It is her favourite course. -- court. The

:08:46. > :08:51.serve is a natural slice, so it stays down and moves away from the

:08:52. > :08:57.opponent. Venus lost one set in the second round. Then she played big

:08:58. > :09:00.hitters. She beat Ostapenko, the French Open champion. She will be

:09:01. > :09:07.used to that hard, powerful, flatground stroke. It is 3-2 in

:09:08. > :09:13.favour of Jo as far as the head-to-heads go. They have played

:09:14. > :09:21.twice this year. Martina, you are saying this year that Mark -- Venus'

:09:22. > :09:25.return is better? Yes, she goes for more and makes more. Especially on

:09:26. > :09:34.the big points. If I were looking at something weird here, I have not

:09:35. > :09:42.seen Venus play a first serve in the warm up. Jo is smacking the heck out

:09:43. > :09:51.of her serve. Total speculation. But you want to warm up the arm more

:09:52. > :09:57.than that. You are right. We watched practising earlier and she was doing

:09:58. > :10:01.the same thing. I have seen that in past tournaments. Could it be her

:10:02. > :10:05.age, at 37? Last year she had trouble with her arm much of the

:10:06. > :10:10.season. Could it be something that she needs a little bit more time to

:10:11. > :10:16.warm up? She will definitely need that serve all out today.

:10:17. > :10:26.Absolutely. They are both very tenacious, aggressive players. They

:10:27. > :10:30.have to back the big serve up. Big first strike, both players. Both

:10:31. > :10:33.good at moving forward and knocking the swing volleys away. It is a

:10:34. > :10:37.matter of who can hold their nerve spatter, who can move better and

:10:38. > :10:41.play the big points better. The movement is crucial because I don't

:10:42. > :10:47.think Venus is moving as quickly. That is the one thing in a game that

:10:48. > :10:53.is not as strong as when she was 27. Not slower by a whole foot. Just a

:10:54. > :10:57.little bit. These small things can make the difference. Everybody has

:10:58. > :11:02.been asking me if she can win. It is must like a coin toss. It is most

:11:03. > :11:06.impossible to tell. I would give the slight edge to Venus because she has

:11:07. > :11:16.been here before. The crowd tell you it is ready to

:11:17. > :11:21.start. It is Jo Konta pots --'s big day on Centre Court. Can she make it

:11:22. > :11:29.back -- to the final as Virginia Wade did in 1977?

:11:30. > :11:35.It has been a long journey for Jo Konta to get to this point. You will

:11:36. > :11:37.hear the noise in a moment as she emerges to what is a home-court

:11:38. > :11:45.reception. The atmosphere is crackling. Muguruza went through in

:11:46. > :12:09.the first semifinal. Contact Centre Court. -- Konta.

:12:10. > :12:20.Not quite ready. Attacked by a beast.

:12:21. > :12:56.LAUGHTER. The insect has had a very good season.

:12:57. > :13:03.It is going to be a different style of match compared to Konta against

:13:04. > :13:15.Halep. But we all hope the quality of the hitting is the same. If we

:13:16. > :13:19.had any doubt about Venus' arm, her serve before the warm up, 99 miles

:13:20. > :13:52.per second serve. I think the shoulder is just fine.

:13:53. > :14:00.That is a big forehand from Venus Williams. Jo Konta takes a big swing

:14:01. > :14:04.forehands. She will have to shorten it a little bit or you will see that

:14:05. > :14:06.result right there. She doesn't have time to get a round ball. The Venus

:14:07. > :14:51.Williams has come out firing. APPLAUSE

:14:52. > :14:57.On the line and Konta gets something on the board. It helps to settle in.

:14:58. > :15:16.-- it helps her to settle in. But the hold for a Venus Williams.

:15:17. > :15:23.Near of an ideal start. Her sister watching on alongside her mother.

:15:24. > :15:30.You can see the power of the hitting we are going to see from both of

:15:31. > :15:45.these women throughout this match. There is Venus Williams' culls on

:15:46. > :15:48.the right-hand side. -- coach. Konta served so well against Halep. She

:15:49. > :16:11.has done throughout the championship.

:16:12. > :16:18.UMPIRE: Let, second service. Venus ready to attack that second

:16:19. > :16:35.serve. Sometimes just that presence there:

:16:36. > :16:41.settle. A double fault very early. You feel the player closer to you,

:16:42. > :16:56.so you hit a shorter serve. Sometimes they go in the net.

:16:57. > :17:00.APPLAUSE It is important for Jo Konta to get

:17:01. > :17:08.off to a decent start. Her coach on the left with the sunglasses. You

:17:09. > :17:26.don't want to let Venus Williams get into her stride.

:17:27. > :17:38.Well Mac! -- Womack! That sends a message. The return is way more

:17:39. > :17:39.powerful than the serve. 93 mph second serve. Venus Williams smacks

:17:40. > :17:55.it back. The crowd applaud, thinking it might

:17:56. > :18:06.be an ace. Johanna Konta asks the question.

:18:07. > :18:21.Not quite. Still stuck on 29 aces in this tournament. APPLAUSE

:18:22. > :18:45.Not even the long arms of Venus Williams can get to that one.

:18:46. > :18:51.APPLAUSE You can hear the goodwill from the

:18:52. > :19:18.crowd, urging her to hold her serve. APPLAUSE

:19:19. > :19:22.That is a good comeback in that service game from Konta. We saw what

:19:23. > :19:29.can happen if things start to slip away quickly, as we did in the first

:19:30. > :19:36.semifinal. Virginia Wade watching, the last British woman to have won

:19:37. > :19:40.here in 1977. That was a big game. It could have totally turned the

:19:41. > :19:47.match already. It was essential for Jo to get on board, hold her nerve,

:19:48. > :20:07.which she has been doing, repeatedly.

:20:08. > :20:20.APPLAUSE That is well played. Konta keeping

:20:21. > :20:24.Venus on the move. Venus has lost a little bit of that spectacular

:20:25. > :20:27.movement. She still moves incredibly well but that forehand was a little

:20:28. > :21:08.bit shorter than Venus would like it to be, and Konta attacks.

:21:09. > :21:15.When you watch her move around the baseline before serving, she has a

:21:16. > :21:26.wonderful calm demeanour. It is the explosion into the power of it. Her

:21:27. > :21:32.legs, so beautiful. There was not much Konta could do about that. Good

:21:33. > :21:37.serving again by Venus Williams. Whether Johanna Konta can get

:21:38. > :21:39.anything on that serve, that is a big question. Both have been serving

:21:40. > :21:46.very well throughout this championship. When they both have

:21:47. > :21:52.those big serves, if they are landing the first serve, it is very

:21:53. > :21:59.difficult for any opponent. Jo Konta add that ridiculously great serving

:22:00. > :22:03.day against Simona Halep in the first set. 97%. You never hear of

:22:04. > :22:07.that. And she lost the set despite that. She didn't serve as well in

:22:08. > :22:16.the second and third but won the match. Venus Williams, straight off

:22:17. > :22:21.the bat here. Ten first serves in. Tracy mentioned Venus' use of legs.

:22:22. > :22:26.It is also high she uses her wrists. You see how loose it is. The racket

:22:27. > :22:30.makes a big loop and accelerates. It starts with the hips. The upper

:22:31. > :22:38.body, shoulder and finally the wrists. The racket completely comes

:22:39. > :22:45.around. It is not just the height but it is the snap. 120 mile -- 129

:22:46. > :23:33.miles per she once recorded at Wimbledon.

:23:34. > :23:47.APPLAUSE Terrific from Konta to absorb those

:23:48. > :23:57.powerful ground strokes. It is very tough to be that close, three feet

:23:58. > :24:07.inside Rome baseline. It is testing your own quickness and hand eye.

:24:08. > :24:26.She is quite good at shutting out the clamour and the noise and the

:24:27. > :24:49.turmoil, Konta. Carlos Ramos says it was just a

:24:50. > :25:03.Ford. Konta is happy with that. -- fault.

:25:04. > :25:10.We can confirm if she had challenged, it would have been

:25:11. > :25:15.successful. It was in, apparently. The umpire was pretty adamant the

:25:16. > :25:22.ball was out. It caught a good part of the line, a centimetre and a

:25:23. > :25:26.half. Bad luck for Jo. It is pressured time again on her serve.

:25:27. > :25:54.UMPIRE: Let, first service. APPLAUSE

:25:55. > :26:01.Fantastic serve under big pressure. 109 mph down the middle. Jo has been

:26:02. > :26:07.sending predominantly Widener first serve. Venus predominantly down the

:26:08. > :26:08.middle. It'll be interesting to see how the numbers out during this

:26:09. > :26:46.match. -- pan out. It wasn't a bad serve but came back

:26:47. > :26:49.pretty hot. Venus Williams is standing well inside the baseline

:26:50. > :26:51.when hitting the second serve return. She is taking away time from

:26:52. > :27:09.Konta. APPLAUSE Konta has been mixing the placement

:27:10. > :27:24.of serves up up hole tournament. APPLAUSE

:27:25. > :27:29.And another one. It brings the hold for Konta. It is not easy for her at

:27:30. > :27:35.the moment. The best thing is she is standing up pretty well when she is

:27:36. > :27:39.put under pressure. She has been doing it all tournament. Against

:27:40. > :28:18.Donna Vekic in the second round. APPLAUSE

:28:19. > :28:38.The first double fault of the match fur Williams. -- for.

:28:39. > :28:47.That is too good from Williams. She seemed to be on the back foot. Even

:28:48. > :28:54.off-balance, she found the gap. You have got to cover the line. She

:28:55. > :28:59.moves to Fatullah right. Really, Venus was so late offer back foot,

:29:00. > :29:06.that was the only shot she had got. You don't want to give away the easy

:29:07. > :29:13.shot. As difficult as that might be. APPLAUSE

:29:14. > :29:20.But she is starting to just forge a few chances on the Williams serve.

:29:21. > :29:25.Konta gets down further ground strokes so beautifully. Necessary on

:29:26. > :29:48.the grass. Smart serving from Venus Williams.

:29:49. > :29:54.Not giving the angle to Jo. More spin. She has to take that slice

:29:55. > :30:22.away on big points. APPLAUSE

:30:23. > :30:26.Excellent approach from Venus. She got low and brushed up beautifully.

:30:27. > :30:31.The better get in position. She does that little funny pomp with their

:30:32. > :30:33.elbows before an overhead. It is very peculiar. But she has one of

:30:34. > :31:03.the best overheads in the game. So another for Venus Williams.

:31:04. > :31:08.Already, I think you sense it will be a rather close semifinal.

:31:09. > :31:16.And the quality of hitting from Venus Williams, and a different

:31:17. > :31:21.level of power from these two. Absolutely, and Venus five-times

:31:22. > :31:26.champion. This is something she is so accustomed to. And for Johanna

:31:27. > :31:31.Konta, she is starting to get used to the match situations, and is

:31:32. > :31:35.proving to be mentally tougher in the last couple of years. Magdelena

:31:36. > :31:42.Rybarikova seemed to result under the occasion. It is interesting,

:31:43. > :31:56.that Anne Jones, who won Wimbledon in 69 and a couple of French Opens.

:31:57. > :32:05.And to the left, Miss Williams, who won in '62 against Sekova's mum.

:32:06. > :32:10.Wow. It is interesting with Venus Williams, and the series of slams,

:32:11. > :32:14.she has won but she's been away for a long time. She'll be feeling a few

:32:15. > :32:56.jitters as well, I'm sure. Again, her father, watching how she

:32:57. > :33:01.gets down so well. 5ft 11, not as tall as Venus but has the ability,

:33:02. > :33:09.as you have to have on grass, to get down.

:33:10. > :33:45.And another line-clipper from Johanna Konta.

:33:46. > :33:51.Now the second serve eaten up by Venus Williams.

:33:52. > :33:56.It's really all about first-strike grass court tennis.

:33:57. > :34:36.Once you get in defensive position, to get that point back to neutral...

:34:37. > :34:45.You don't see that much from Venus, the approach and moving forward.

:34:46. > :34:53.Really just trying to take time away from Konta. A tactic.

:34:54. > :35:12.Great response. Again, it's clutch-serving, as you said.

:35:13. > :35:20.Again! Wow! Location. The balls are on the centre of service line, which

:35:21. > :35:40.is even better on the slice. This can truly lift your confidence,

:35:41. > :35:44.and it's necessary at the moment, as she is feeling the squeeze from

:35:45. > :35:48.Williams. It is either 30-30 or deuce. But no

:35:49. > :35:51.break points from the players so far. But Williams has had it much

:35:52. > :36:19.easier. Too much top-spin on that forehand

:36:20. > :36:43.return. It needs to be flatter. That's Konta's best shot.

:36:44. > :36:45.For both players, the forehand is the side that can be more brittle

:36:46. > :37:20.and you can make more mistakes. Nice return.

:37:21. > :37:27.Backhand. Right at Williams' feet. She is still busy, covering after

:37:28. > :37:29.her serve. And effective on any court but

:37:30. > :37:58.especially here. There for a second serve at 15-30.

:37:59. > :38:00.Too slow a second serve. Konta got ahead of herself after she hit that

:38:01. > :38:36.early. So once more for Venus Williams.

:38:37. > :38:42.But once again, just a few signs from Konta, that she can get

:38:43. > :38:47.something on the Williams' serve. But Venus Williams is serving pretty

:38:48. > :38:52.well on the first match. And earlier on it is such a weapon.

:38:53. > :38:57.A sunny day. It's been close. A little muggy earlier today. But

:38:58. > :39:07.there they are, basking on the hill. He was quick to be up. The quickest

:39:08. > :39:10.reaction by a distance! They're all watching themselves on the big

:39:11. > :39:17.screen. Henman Hill. I no ethat people have

:39:18. > :39:35.been trying to come up with a name, that it should be alliterative

:39:36. > :39:43.but... Konta CKopia. You can check it.

:39:44. > :39:49.The Hill! Well, Johanna Konta, again, as you said, Venus Williams

:39:50. > :39:54.is serving so well. When you are getting the opportunity you have to

:39:55. > :39:57.do something with it. Now serving with new balls. No service points,

:39:58. > :40:36.no break points, for either player. Serving lights out. Half percentage

:40:37. > :40:49.against Halep, now she is getting them in and hitting aces. It's nice

:40:50. > :40:53.to get those quick points. Now a decent first serve there but

:40:54. > :40:57.Williams is equal to it. A short take back on the return. No time for

:40:58. > :41:27.more. Lock it is with accuracy.

:41:28. > :41:37.Went for it in the second serve. The second double fault for Konta. Once

:41:38. > :41:55.again she finds herself at that nervy time, 30-30.

:41:56. > :42:04.Can't fault the quality of her play when she is under a bit of pressure.

:42:05. > :42:07.Comes up with a big serve and the backhand just unloads on the front

:42:08. > :42:25.foot. So flat. It goes through the court.

:42:26. > :42:33.And again, the response from 30-30 to hold.

:42:34. > :42:38.It's a lot of corners hit by both players, under pressure.

:42:39. > :42:43.It is really high quality tennis. Nobody is wilting.

:42:44. > :42:48.I have a feeling somebody's not going to lose this match, somebody's

:42:49. > :42:51.going to win it! They're both going for it. That will pay off for one of

:42:52. > :43:37.them. Venus looking up. That sun is right

:43:38. > :43:47.where she likes to toss the ball. And the double fault arrives.

:43:48. > :43:57.She's not happy at all. If she can't move it, a cloud will

:43:58. > :44:05.be along shortly. Oh, no. No. No. Wow. That's surprising. We rarely

:44:06. > :44:11.see Venus miss swing volleys. Just completely misjudged this.

:44:12. > :44:15.Maybe still blinded by the sun from the serve and then looking right

:44:16. > :44:28.into it again on the volley. I don't know how bright it is out there,

:44:29. > :44:33.playing against the sun. Well, the first break points arrive.

:44:34. > :44:43.A return right back at the feet of Venus Williams. And Centre Court

:44:44. > :44:51.will only get louder. Cover the T serve. The computer

:44:52. > :45:21.brain is working. One disappears.

:45:22. > :45:32.What a serve. That was courageous, 106, second serve.

:45:33. > :45:37.Wow! That's her fastest second serve of the day.

:45:38. > :45:41.Probably of the tournament. It pays off for Venus Williams. That

:45:42. > :45:55.is seriously brave tennis from the former champ.

:45:56. > :46:02.And having seen off those two break points it moves closer now to the

:46:03. > :46:06.hold. So crucial for Venus to be hitting

:46:07. > :46:08.her forehand with authority like this. Staying down and committing to

:46:09. > :46:24.it. Venus Williams weathers the storm.

:46:25. > :46:35.What opportunities there were for Johanna Konta.

:46:36. > :46:40.Now with Williams serving first, what pressure there will be on the

:46:41. > :46:45.serve of couldn't Konta to stay in this first set. A right match on her

:46:46. > :46:51.hands though. Johanna Konta is really dictating

:46:52. > :46:55.once the ball is in play. She's got 14 winners, four unforced errors,

:46:56. > :47:01.Venus Williams eight in five. So Venus has been on the back foot

:47:02. > :47:05.more. But what a shot that was when break point down, second serve, it

:47:06. > :47:12.was one of those if you make it, you're a hero, if you miss it, too

:47:13. > :47:15.much. But she made it. It was tremendous, the second serve.

:47:16. > :47:34.Now she focuses and regathers. Quite often a very, very difficult

:47:35. > :47:38.game, when you have come close to breaking, a couple of break points

:47:39. > :47:40.to try to hold yourself and of course this one to stay in this

:47:41. > :48:08.first set. A challenge from Konta but it did

:48:09. > :48:14.look a little heavy-handed. Long from here it looked. I thought

:48:15. > :48:18.she may try to hit a short ball. But I think she saw Venus at the

:48:19. > :48:26.baseline and tried to sneak it in at her feet.

:48:27. > :48:36.The ball spins funny off that court, it's hard to control.

:48:37. > :48:45.And the pressure grows. Control that forehand side.

:48:46. > :49:17.Just a little bit of top-spin for control is needed.

:49:18. > :49:25.You can feel, you can hear Venus Williams stepping up the noise and

:49:26. > :50:14.the power and suddenly three set points for Venus Williams.

:50:15. > :50:23.Well, that second serve was so deep! Talk about bravery on second serve.

:50:24. > :50:26.A loft the crowd had their hearts in their mouths.

:50:27. > :50:32.It's a good thing. There was a lot of kick on that serve. But the kick

:50:33. > :50:33.brought it in. So a brave second serve from Jo. Just back on the

:50:34. > :50:51.line. It's long! And it is the first blow

:50:52. > :50:56.to Venus Williams in this semifinal. There was a pause as the crowd took

:50:57. > :50:59.it in. But Venus Williams having stared

:51:00. > :51:06.down two break points herself, takes the set. And it so often happens at

:51:07. > :51:07.well like that. It is the great champions who take their

:51:08. > :51:18.opportunities. . Just the small windows there,

:51:19. > :51:23.Venus serving at 15-40, then on the second service point, 106, the

:51:24. > :51:27.fastest serve of the day. It is amazing how quickly the momentum of

:51:28. > :51:31.a set, of a match can turn. Konta was a little sloppy but Venus

:51:32. > :51:36.really stepped on the pend there will to put the pressure on Konta.

:51:37. > :51:40.It will be a tale of that first set, now here in the numbers in the

:51:41. > :51:45.yellow and the gold in that category. And Venus Williams, up in

:51:46. > :51:48.most of them. Yeah, the biggest thing is the

:51:49. > :51:55.second serve points won. As we spoke about before the match, we thought

:51:56. > :52:00.that Venus' second serve is usually more attackable but this tournament

:52:01. > :52:04.hitting it well and Johanna Konta with the kick-serve it goes into the

:52:05. > :52:09.power zone of Venus Williams and she is just a little better on the

:52:10. > :52:13.second serve that is the difference in the set. Johanna Konta has come

:52:14. > :52:27.come through a few three-set matches already.

:52:28. > :52:32.10-8 over the Croatian opponent and against Simona Halep, recently. But

:52:33. > :52:34.will have to do it again. Coming from a set down against Venus

:52:35. > :52:41.Williams. She will be chasing this one. Williams will be serving to get

:52:42. > :52:46.this second set under way. But she has shown so far, Konta, her

:52:47. > :52:55.mental strength throughout this championship.

:52:56. > :53:12.Second set Miss Williams to serve. Go Nice serve. Perfectly executed.

:53:13. > :53:14.Into the right hip instead of the left hip. It's tougher to get out of

:53:15. > :53:34.the way. And so Konta was committed. Threw it

:53:35. > :53:38.in behind her. I want to see if Venus starts to

:53:39. > :53:43.target the Konta forehand a little more. Missing a few critical returns

:53:44. > :54:00.on that side. Entering the rallies as well.

:54:01. > :54:06.Now they seem to be missing the second serves and the ball is coming

:54:07. > :54:11.slower, as she's not timing it right.

:54:12. > :54:17.A little too eager, aq sharks at which you would like to go down the

:54:18. > :54:24.middle of the court so, if you go early, the ball will still go in the

:54:25. > :54:28.court. Venus Williams, to open the second

:54:29. > :54:32.set. Yes, the floor of the match moves

:54:33. > :54:37.with Venus Williams, having taken the first set.

:54:38. > :54:43.And Johanna Konta has to be strong here. But again in a tennis match

:54:44. > :54:47.there can be so many shifts of momentum, and Johanna Konta will

:54:48. > :54:55.have to hope that this woman's level dip as little and then she can take

:54:56. > :54:59.advantage of it. Such positive luck by Konta always.

:55:00. > :55:36.Staying close to her routines. Well it's one thing to take the

:55:37. > :55:40.second thing early and chip and charge. It's easier to be running

:55:41. > :55:45.through the ball with a slice but to hit it on the fourth swing and run

:55:46. > :55:56.to the net, the timing has to be perfect. But it still sends a

:55:57. > :56:00.message. Venus Williams is taking the first serve return early as

:56:01. > :56:04.well. The ball is getting there a little quicker than what Johanna

:56:05. > :56:08.Konta is used to and missed a few second shots as she's just not ready

:56:09. > :56:18.for it, the timing is different with Williams inside the court.

:56:19. > :56:27.Still throwing down the occasional ace.

:56:28. > :56:28.Nice to see from Jo. Half a dozen aces in this match

:56:29. > :57:04.alone now. The swell of noise inside Centre

:57:05. > :57:40.Court trying to lift Konta. I think Venus Williams may ask...

:57:41. > :57:46.She stepped in, thought she had clipped the line.

:57:47. > :57:54.Oh, it hit the line, 40 performance 30.

:57:55. > :57:57.Good challenge. We don't see Venus challenge that

:57:58. > :58:01.much. She doesn't challenge hardly at all.

:58:02. > :58:14.She must have seen something that we didn't see.

:58:15. > :58:25.She's very trusting! It didn't matter in the end. Konta has a game

:58:26. > :58:33.up there in this second set. Venus is off to find a new weapon.

:58:34. > :58:38.Surely the players change around the ball, the ball change, seven or

:58:39. > :58:44.eight games but Venus, in the middle of the match, changes. I guess with

:58:45. > :58:52.the heat, the ball is flying. Maybe she wants a slightly tighter raquet.

:58:53. > :59:05.The raqueta lose tension more quickly. We would play with the same

:59:06. > :59:09.wooden raquets for weeks on end! And as you were mentioning about Konta.

:59:10. > :59:12.It doesn't matter what stage the match is it, the score, she

:59:13. > :59:39.approaches it exactly the same way. Well, working with the mental coach

:59:40. > :59:43.over the last couple of years, has made all the difference in the world

:59:44. > :59:49.to go back to her routines. To barely look up at the crowd, just

:59:50. > :59:50.look down at the ground. To go through the montra of what she must

:59:51. > :00:20.do. Great positioning from Konta inside

:00:21. > :00:38.the baseline. That body serve is so effective,

:00:39. > :00:44.especially if you see your opponent start to move in and try to take

:00:45. > :00:47.your time away. You say, OK, you're going to stand in, I will hit it

:00:48. > :00:49.right at your body. The contrast with Konta who goes wider down the

:00:50. > :01:33.line. The groan from the crowd told you

:01:34. > :01:37.before we saw it. You don't get many opportunities against the great

:01:38. > :01:41.players, and this is one of those. You just can't make an unforced

:01:42. > :01:48.error like that, unless you are going for a winner. A couple of

:01:49. > :02:01.forehands in a row. And the game has gone. We remain on serve in this

:02:02. > :02:04.second set. Watching Venus Williams's service game but on the

:02:05. > :02:08.counter service game this is what we have been talking about, the way

:02:09. > :02:14.Venus Williams imposes herself and is taking things pretty high up the

:02:15. > :02:20.court. This is where I think Jo Konta is struggling on the second

:02:21. > :02:23.shot. Just after the serve, you see how fast the ball gets back because

:02:24. > :02:28.Dennis Williams is sticking every server inside the baseline and every

:02:29. > :02:31.second serve well inside the baseline, and metre and a half in,

:02:32. > :02:34.so the ball gets there that much quicker and it is a different

:02:35. > :02:45.cadence on the second shot which is given Jo trouble. Here it is in

:02:46. > :02:50.actuality. The split step for balance is great, the only take

:02:51. > :02:55.back, and the left arm helps ensure that she gets that body turned. Look

:02:56. > :03:01.at the legs, she uses the legs to absorb the power and yet stay down

:03:02. > :03:07.and forward. They come back at a pretty hefty speed as well. So Konta

:03:08. > :03:25.will be facing that now as she serves at 1-2.

:03:26. > :03:33.Konta just looking to the box before deciding to challenge. It felt wide

:03:34. > :03:43.from here. Of course, we are about 40 yards from there. It looked wide

:03:44. > :03:46.when she hit it, and it is wide. UMPIRE: Miss Konta has two

:03:47. > :04:09.challengers remaining. The hand of apology. Two let cords

:04:10. > :04:14.in a row, forcing Jo to come in and the second dribbling the ball over

:04:15. > :04:43.the net. In trouble, 0-30, she must come up with some big serves here.

:04:44. > :04:54.No, three break points. The double fault, 13 for the entire tournament.

:04:55. > :05:07.I wonder if that stance is causing some of that.

:05:08. > :05:18.What a touch. Shot! She was a little slow getting to the backhand but she

:05:19. > :05:22.did a good job keeping the ball low. What a nice drop volley on a big

:05:23. > :05:26.point. Will this be the difference in this game? She needs a break.

:05:27. > :05:49.She's not been lucky in this match so far.

:05:50. > :06:00.And it's good, just another clip on the net is fine for Konta. Two down,

:06:01. > :06:05.want to go. She's flirting with the net every shot she hits, her

:06:06. > :06:22.clearance is so low. Still a break point down, both.

:06:23. > :06:32.Williams has it now. If Johanna Konta is to make it to this

:06:33. > :06:37.Wimbledon final she will have to travel a very long road. The first

:06:38. > :06:43.sign of frustration from Konta that we have seen all day. The backhand

:06:44. > :06:50.up the line from Williams clipped the net and messed up Konko's timing

:06:51. > :06:55.there. She has a right to be frustrated, 17 winners, eight

:06:56. > :07:02.unforced, but Venus Dummett Venus Williams, 6-4, 3-1 up, she has

:07:03. > :07:06.nothing to show for it. Well-balanced match Venus Williams

:07:07. > :07:28.has played. There are no chinks in her armour today.

:07:29. > :07:43.That is a body second serve. It is such a weapon, Konta just getting

:07:44. > :08:01.out of the way. Three? Miles per hour.

:08:02. > :08:07.Another body serve. The body serve is effective when the Rich Turner

:08:08. > :08:11.stands close in so the ball gets there first, and also one big points

:08:12. > :08:15.because when you are a receiver on a big point you are trying to guess

:08:16. > :08:19.where the ball will go so you are trying to explode to the ball so the

:08:20. > :08:21.ball is going right at you and you don't have the mentality to defend,

:08:22. > :08:40.you want to go for it. Hitting with conviction in the rally

:08:41. > :09:19.but then the mistake. Beforehand again. -- the forehand.

:09:20. > :09:26.And again, the second serve from Venus Williams, another hold, moving

:09:27. > :09:31.along so well, getting closer to the final. There are many, of course,

:09:32. > :09:35.watching this with British coloured lenses but it's a great story on the

:09:36. > :09:40.other side of the net as well. Written off by so many, turned 37

:09:41. > :09:45.last month, and for a long time as well in the shadow of the Serena but

:09:46. > :09:50.she seems to be playing as well as she ever has done. Absolutely, it

:09:51. > :09:53.all started here last year getting back to the semifinals, and that

:09:54. > :09:59.allowed her to get the confidence and get back into the top ten. She

:10:00. > :10:06.had a good, strong US Open and made the finals again in Australia.

:10:07. > :10:10.Serena is out with impending motherhood and Sharapova is out and

:10:11. > :10:13.Azarenka just coming back, Venus thought this was a great opportunity

:10:14. > :10:21.and has handled the whole situation with the car accident just prior to

:10:22. > :10:25.the Championships beautifully. When everything is going really well you

:10:26. > :10:29.are so happy to be playing tennis, yes, I'm playing tennis, and when

:10:30. > :10:32.things don't go so well in your private life, I still get to play

:10:33. > :10:36.tennis, so it's kind of an escape one way or the other and Venus

:10:37. > :10:41.Williams, the old pro that she is, is totally focused on the moment and

:10:42. > :10:48.handling the pressure beautifully. Konta 1-4.

:10:49. > :10:56.She will certainly not give up, Johanna Konta, you can guarantee

:10:57. > :11:01.that. No, but she must organise the forehand, it left the building a few

:11:02. > :11:02.games ago. She needs to get it back in here. She's missed too many of

:11:03. > :11:29.those. The backhand is still very much in

:11:30. > :11:34.the building. It's always been the big weapon, and it's the forehand

:11:35. > :11:39.that has improved so much from Konta so much in the last couple of years.

:11:40. > :12:11.But still, not quite matching the backhand quite yet.

:12:12. > :13:15.Sitting up for Williams to put it away. From a position of some

:13:16. > :13:16.comfort in this game at 40-0, Williams fighting her way back into

:13:17. > :13:52.it. And again on the forehand. The

:13:53. > :13:57.forehand, because of the grip, you have to accelerate on the stroke. If

:13:58. > :14:02.you don't it will fly along because you have such a severe grip that the

:14:03. > :14:07.racket just has to come through and that's why that forehand goes a bit

:14:08. > :14:16.awry, also the bent elbow. It's more difficult to swing freely.

:14:17. > :14:37.Must hold for Jo Konta, needless to say. Good serve there.

:14:38. > :14:46.Must hold, and she does. She remains just one break behind. She keeps

:14:47. > :15:10.some hope alive in this match. They have spent a lot of time on

:15:11. > :15:35.those. Men and their crayons. Venus Williams, though, 4-2.

:15:36. > :15:45.That was very alert from Venus to get up there quickly to create that

:15:46. > :15:48.angle. Amazing speed, she's been covering the ball so well in this

:15:49. > :15:54.match. Konta is used to getting better payoff after her big shots

:15:55. > :15:55.Vinci has been getting today. Venus Williams has been covering the court

:15:56. > :16:42.beautifully today. The little change from Konta, just

:16:43. > :16:47.drop it a little shorter. Perhaps a change of rhythm. So far it has just

:16:48. > :16:53.been a slugfest and Venus Williams has been getting the better of it,

:16:54. > :17:11.but ball low and short. Cut to create your own pace.

:17:12. > :17:19.My goodness! I thought she was going to pull the trigger down the line

:17:20. > :17:27.with the backhand, she goes back a crosscourt. Venus Williams sitting

:17:28. > :17:30.on it. Again, that small window of opportunity, 30-15, getting into the

:17:31. > :17:37.rally will stop Williams holding steady.

:17:38. > :17:42.And then the game slips away and you can understand the frustration that

:17:43. > :17:52.we saw a moment ago from Johanna Konta. She doesn't show too much of

:17:53. > :17:59.it but she knows it is now or never. The margins are just so small, Konta

:18:00. > :18:04.getting broken in the tenth game, and getting broken again in the

:18:05. > :18:09.fourth game in this set, just a few errant forehands. Venus is playing

:18:10. > :18:13.at the peak of her powers, she is really driving through that

:18:14. > :18:21.forehand, serving with excellent pace and variety. Fantastic stuff

:18:22. > :18:26.from Venus Williams and goes to 4-4, 30-42nd serve, Venus goes for the

:18:27. > :18:31.brave shot, goes for the second serve. It has been all Venus

:18:32. > :18:34.Williams since then. If she misses that serve Konta would be serving

:18:35. > :18:42.for the set, a whole different ball game. Just that one shot is a big

:18:43. > :18:51.one. That ball dribbled off the racket. That's that second serve,

:18:52. > :18:56.body serve, extremely effective. We thought that would be the case.

:18:57. > :19:02.Second serve ace Mackem Jo Konta getting out of the way of the ball.

:19:03. > :19:05.I think it's been a different level of quality to most of the tennis we

:19:06. > :19:09.saw in the first semifinal but it has been pretty brief as well.

:19:10. > :19:58.Johanna Konta serving to stay in this match.

:19:59. > :20:13.Write to the corner. Ace number 57. This is about the only battle Jo has

:20:14. > :20:16.been winning today, the aces. Everything else, Williams has been

:20:17. > :21:08.having the upper hand That checked off the baseline right

:21:09. > :21:15.on the line, the ball slows down considerably when it hits the chalk.

:21:16. > :21:33.The chalk is more abrasive than the grass. She was way too aggressive.

:21:34. > :21:46.This time the net favours her, just. They want it to go on, this dream

:21:47. > :22:12.for Johanna Konta. While the second serve was good, the

:22:13. > :22:41.follow up not so. Just about the longest game of this

:22:42. > :24:09.match. The mistake drawn from Johanna

:24:10. > :24:13.Konta. Does it end here? What a run it has been. Match point, Venus

:24:14. > :24:32.Williams. Not yet.

:24:33. > :24:37.That was about the first nervous shock Venus Williams has hit this

:24:38. > :24:44.whole match. Too much time to think about it. That's probably true.

:24:45. > :24:52.Hitting the ball extremely hard and well.

:24:53. > :25:01.Again, the mistake on the forehand. Long it goes. And another

:25:02. > :25:19.opportunity for Venus Williams to make a Wimbledon final once again.

:25:20. > :25:54.Good time to find a great first serve.

:25:55. > :26:07.Double fault once again for Johanna Konta. It brings up a third match

:26:08. > :26:24.point here on Centre Court. There it is this time. The arms

:26:25. > :26:29.aloft and the celebration, it is Venus Williams who is back in the

:26:30. > :26:37.Wimbledon final after so many years. For Konta it ends here. It is a

:26:38. > :26:42.sight we have seen many times, but not for a very long time at

:26:43. > :26:47.Wimbledon. Celebrating a semifinal victory, and what they went it was,

:26:48. > :26:51.what a performance. Johanna Konta did not play badly. And what a run

:26:52. > :26:54.she has had, what excitement she has brought to so many here. But it is

:26:55. > :27:08.over now. Not hanging around at the end,

:27:09. > :27:13.Johanna Konta. I'd like to see her weight for Venus Williams. But she

:27:14. > :27:16.will sign a few autographs. She will be desperately disappointed that it

:27:17. > :27:21.is over now because it has been so good for so long. She will be up

:27:22. > :27:26.into the top five in the world but she desperately wanted to go all the

:27:27. > :27:32.way here. The match really did turn on that one break point at 4-4,

:27:33. > :27:35.break point down, Venus Williams, second serve, goes for broke, makes

:27:36. > :27:39.the serve and she never looked back after that point. It almost relaxed

:27:40. > :27:44.her, and then she breaks the very next game and ran away with it in

:27:45. > :27:48.the second set, too solid. Konta could not find the opening that she

:27:49. > :27:55.normally finds with her big hitting. What a nice site that is, she has

:27:56. > :28:01.had some difficult times off the court but she is back to enjoying

:28:02. > :28:07.her play. She will face Garbine Muguruza of Spain. Of all the talk

:28:08. > :28:13.of Konta, for Venus Williams this place has always felt like home.

:28:14. > :28:18.Through in straight sets, not long over an hour, straight sets win over

:28:19. > :28:21.Johanna Konta, 6-4, 6-2. Venus Williams is now talking to Richard

:28:22. > :28:26.Purcell. Venus, congratulations, your 20th

:28:27. > :28:30.year at Wimbledon and your first final since 2009. What does that

:28:31. > :28:33.mean to you? I've played a lot of finals here, it is a blessing for

:28:34. > :28:38.sub I couldn't have asked for more but I will ask for a little more,

:28:39. > :28:41.one more win would be amazing, it would be given but I will give it my

:28:42. > :28:45.all. You were up against the great British hope with the crowd behind

:28:46. > :28:49.her, how well did you have to play to win? I thought the crowd was very

:28:50. > :29:00.nice to me, they could have been even more boisterous. I thought the

:29:01. > :29:04.crowd was so fair and I know that they love Jo and she gave it all

:29:05. > :29:06.today and it's a lot of pressure. I thought she handled it well. I think

:29:07. > :29:09.my experienced just helped a lot. You had a lovely smile on your face

:29:10. > :29:12.when the match was over, what were your feelings when it was over? She

:29:13. > :29:15.played so well, no point was easy. I just tried to climb on top each time

:29:16. > :29:19.to get another point and then it was done. I was just so happy. Garbine

:29:20. > :29:23.Muguruza waits for you in the final on Saturday. What can we look

:29:24. > :29:29.forward to? We both play well on grass. The last time she played

:29:30. > :29:33.Serena so I will have to ask her for some pointers. Serena is always in

:29:34. > :29:39.my corner, and usually it is usually hurt in the final so I'm trying to

:29:40. > :29:43.represent the Williams as best I can. Have you missed her? Terribly,

:29:44. > :29:49.I wish she was here and I wish she could do this for me. But this time,

:29:50. > :29:53.she said, this time you can do it for yourself. You certainly did it

:29:54. > :29:57.for yourself, well done, Venus. That is how a great champion deals

:29:58. > :30:00.with a difficult opponent. She played the big points so well and

:30:01. > :30:04.raised the level of her play when it mattered and it was an awesome power

:30:05. > :30:09.display in every department of her game. She is back in the final and

:30:10. > :30:12.looking to be back to her best. She mentioned the crowd and the

:30:13. > :30:16.appreciation of the crowd. They certainly appreciate everything that

:30:17. > :30:20.Venus has achieved here at these championships. Big smile from Venus,

:30:21. > :30:26.she's back in the final for the first time since 2009.

:30:27. > :30:30.Well, Virginia Wade is here. We thought maybe we would be

:30:31. > :30:34.celebrating a British player in the final for the first time in 40

:30:35. > :30:39.years. Virginia, you can't take anything away from Venus. What a

:30:40. > :30:43.match she played. Venus absolutely loves Wimbledon. She adores

:30:44. > :30:46.Wimbledon, she likes being here and playing on the Centre Court, she

:30:47. > :30:50.feels at home. I think what's happened in the last few days with

:30:51. > :30:55.all of the excitement on the anniversary, you know, it would have

:30:56. > :31:00.been so much fun to have a British player win on an anniversary year.

:31:01. > :31:05.But, you know, we noted Jo up with all of this pressure and the others

:31:06. > :31:10.have just gone under the radar. Nobody has given Venus too much

:31:11. > :31:14.strife, too much pressure. I think, you know, she said how she missed

:31:15. > :31:19.three. But frankly I think it's when Serena is not here that she comes

:31:20. > :31:22.into her own -- she missed Serena. You were watching that match

:31:23. > :31:27.courtside. Could you feel the tension and think that Jo reacted to

:31:28. > :31:32.it? I thought she played really well. Every time she had a little

:31:33. > :31:40.bit of an edge, Venus came up with something better. What we were

:31:41. > :31:42.saying is that we have been watching Jo beating everybody by taking the

:31:43. > :31:46.ball early, changing direction so well, just pounding it. But actually

:31:47. > :31:49.it was Venus he was absorbing the pace and hitting even harder. That

:31:50. > :31:56.was something that was interesting to observe. I frankly have thought

:31:57. > :31:59.that Venus has been playing very well this year. You know, her serve

:32:00. > :32:04.has improved no end. Her Tost used to wander all over the place but now

:32:05. > :32:10.she is being very consistent. I said to Billie Jean, may be Serena was

:32:11. > :32:14.giving her some tips. She said, no, she's been out there practising it

:32:15. > :32:19.herself. The server was immaculate. In the end I thought what Venus also

:32:20. > :32:23.did really well was she took away the ability of Jo to push her around

:32:24. > :32:29.by hitting more up the middle. I tell you what, why speak to one

:32:30. > :32:33.multiple Grand Slam champion when you have got another two waiting in

:32:34. > :32:37.the commentary box! Martina, we talked about the body serve and what

:32:38. > :32:41.Venus would do. She served incredibly well. Particularly the

:32:42. > :32:45.second serve on big points. Really handcuffed Jo Konta, she didn't know

:32:46. > :32:52.what was coming her way. Conversely, Jo Konta lost, only won 3% of the

:32:53. > :32:56.points. Venus was really attacking the points. I thought the defence

:32:57. > :33:05.would be the return of serve, and in the end that's what did it. Venus

:33:06. > :33:12.serving, how well she served, these were the body blows, not giving Joe

:33:13. > :33:17.any chance to make a swing on it. She respects Jo so much. She had to

:33:18. > :33:22.come out and play attacking tennis and go for her service. It was that

:33:23. > :33:27.106 mph second serve that she saved a break point and really turned the

:33:28. > :33:36.first set around. She changed this a bit. 52% in the deuce court, but 68%

:33:37. > :33:39.going down the centre. Johanna really started to miscue in the

:33:40. > :33:43.forehand return in the first set and Venus picked up on that and started

:33:44. > :33:47.to target beforehand in some of the longer rallies. That was one of the

:33:48. > :33:53.aspects that made the difference. Venus felt she could go to that

:33:54. > :33:57.side. Konta is so solid on the backhand, the contact point is so

:33:58. > :34:00.repeatable on the backhand. These are really small criticisms but they

:34:01. > :34:04.make a difference in a match like this where they are both playing so

:34:05. > :34:11.well. You've really got to hand it to Venus for playing this well at

:34:12. > :34:18.this highly -- at this highly of a level at 37. Virginia? I want to ask

:34:19. > :34:21.the girls, don't you think in the last couple of years the return of

:34:22. > :34:26.serve on the women's game has just improved so dramatically that what

:34:27. > :34:30.that's done is of course made the second serve very vulnerable. And

:34:31. > :34:34.what's happened with the guys, I mean, I feel that the girls game is

:34:35. > :34:38.just a few years behind. But the guys are still throwing in some slow

:34:39. > :34:44.second service but they got so much action on it that the ball is

:34:45. > :34:47.kicking way up and the girls haven't quite got that much spin on the

:34:48. > :34:51.second serve. I couldn't agree more, Virginia. That's when nerves come in

:34:52. > :34:54.and there are double faults because the women do not have enough spin,

:34:55. > :34:58.and I'm speaking very generally here, they need to use their hand

:34:59. > :35:02.more on the second serve to get the second spend, to get the safety.

:35:03. > :35:09.They had an swing harder, and you will get a Greek reply. -- they can

:35:10. > :35:14.swing harder. -- you will get a reply. The same at the end of the

:35:15. > :35:17.match, they need to do it earlier so that you are confident with it and

:35:18. > :35:22.you can hit it on the big points. That's what made all the difference

:35:23. > :35:27.for Venus Williams today, she had that serve and it paid off. 106 mph

:35:28. > :35:34.on the second serve from Venus. When it on a break point. When you say

:35:35. > :35:38.the best servers in the world, it's not just about pace and location,

:35:39. > :35:42.it's about when they are able to serve those service at clutch

:35:43. > :35:46.moments, Venus took a big chance and she was brave there. Brave on her

:35:47. > :35:50.serve but also one higher forehand. So often it is the forehand that is

:35:51. > :35:54.the barometer of how confident Venus is. She was really hitting through

:35:55. > :35:58.that forehand and really committing to it coming into the net, which she

:35:59. > :36:06.needed to. It is that first strike tennis that she loves grass. The

:36:07. > :36:09.points are shorter, and it really works well for her. As Martina

:36:10. > :36:11.pointed out, Venus moves really well today. She held her ground, hiding

:36:12. > :36:14.the baseline. Konta just absorbing the power, she wasn't able to get in

:36:15. > :36:20.the angle that she needed to us frequently. With the Venus Williams

:36:21. > :36:25.forehand, she broke down the Konta week Owen, her forehand. Forehand to

:36:26. > :36:31.forehand, Venus won those exchanges -- weaker wing. Jo lost confidence

:36:32. > :36:36.in the forehand, and it cost her. Let's relive some of Venus's great

:36:37. > :36:40.moments, there were so many of them. She is moving well and hitting the

:36:41. > :36:44.ball so hard. The first game that Konta was serving already Venus was

:36:45. > :36:49.three feet inside the baseline. That was sending a message to Konta, look

:36:50. > :36:52.at that, just attacking the serve. Konta throwing in quite a double

:36:53. > :36:58.faults today, feeling a bit of stress, under stress, under attack.

:36:59. > :37:03.-- throwing in four double faults. By cumulative pressure gets too. It

:37:04. > :37:06.takes 1.2 but a seed of doubt and Europe on a's game sometimes, and

:37:07. > :37:14.that is what Venus did with the big return of serve -- it takes one

:37:15. > :37:18.point to put a seed of doubt. Just enough to sway the match. Targeting

:37:19. > :37:23.the Konta forehand, Venus three in a row and goes behind her. She can see

:37:24. > :37:27.the backhand was so solid from Konta. This is the break point from

:37:28. > :37:33.Venus, the fourth game of the second set. Virginia, she was so good,

:37:34. > :37:39.wasn't she? I mean, even when she was running wide, the Anglesey was

:37:40. > :37:43.producing, Venus. Venus has got such an incredible wingspan -- the angles

:37:44. > :37:46.she was producing. She isn't quite as quick as she was ten years ago,

:37:47. > :37:50.but she sure makes up with that wingspan. What I was impressed with

:37:51. > :37:55.today was her forehand down the line. Traditionally we've always

:37:56. > :37:59.thought of both Serena and Venus being so brilliant crosscourt. With

:38:00. > :38:03.maybe the backhand down the line. But her forehand, she just looked so

:38:04. > :38:08.natural and easy down the line. Let's talk about how the match was

:38:09. > :38:12.won. Martina, that game when Jo came out to serve at 5-4, I was saying,

:38:13. > :38:16.don't think of the score. But it seems like she did think of the

:38:17. > :38:21.score. Maybe she was thinking of the chance that she had. That is where

:38:22. > :38:25.you have to forget that and get in the moment. Great opportunity, I'm

:38:26. > :38:30.only down 5-4 and on serve. She would have been better off not

:38:31. > :38:37.having had that opportunity at 4-4. You say, OK, I'm in good shape. But

:38:38. > :38:40.it's hard to not think about it. Just a couple of loose errors there,

:38:41. > :38:44.down 0-30, and she never could recover. You just can't do that.

:38:45. > :38:47.This is the thing she is going to learn from it, Tracy. Absolutely.

:38:48. > :38:50.One thing we have to remember is that Jo Konta had never been past

:38:51. > :38:56.the second round of Wimbledon and told this year. And then match after

:38:57. > :38:58.match she came through it and played such clutch tennis, particularly

:38:59. > :39:02.against Simona Halep in the quarterfinals, she was two points

:39:03. > :39:07.away from victory. The improvement rate is just a nominal from Jo

:39:08. > :39:12.Konta. She is young, 26, in tennis terms she is very young. She has

:39:13. > :39:15.only been in the elite of the past year or two. She is a hard worker

:39:16. > :39:19.and happy with the support team she has come at the set and all of the

:39:20. > :39:23.others. Still there is room for improvement and the ceiling is much,

:39:24. > :39:26.much higher, which is very promising. And you have got to

:39:27. > :39:30.learn, Virginia, from these big occasions, and this was a huge

:39:31. > :39:35.occasion, everyone does, do you feel that she is a Grand Slam champion in

:39:36. > :39:38.the making? Yes, as I said right at the beginning, we sort of said that

:39:39. > :39:42.she didn't come through on an anniversary year, it has been so

:39:43. > :39:47.long since we had a winner. But, you know, I think next year she could

:39:48. > :39:53.make it. Or she could make it to the final. And just progress a little

:39:54. > :39:58.bit more. I mean, when you look at Rybarikova, how tense she was in her

:39:59. > :40:03.first semifinal, that didn't happen to Jo, she didn't fall apart at all.

:40:04. > :40:07.She actually was just beaten by somebody who, as Venus said in her

:40:08. > :40:12.interview, has a lot of experience, loves being out there, loves playing

:40:13. > :40:16.on grass, and has been playing well and confident all tournament.

:40:17. > :40:20.Martina and Tracy, we'll let you go. I promised I wouldn't lock you in

:40:21. > :40:23.that box any longer! Looking forward to the final between Venus and

:40:24. > :40:29.Garbine Muguruza. What a glorious match that could be. What's so

:40:30. > :40:32.interesting about that is that both players played so well in the

:40:33. > :40:35.semifinal and they have been playing better with each match. The build-up

:40:36. > :40:38.is tremendous. They are ultra-aggressive and they have been

:40:39. > :40:44.serving extremely well. That is going to be power tennis at the

:40:45. > :40:48.maximum. They both like to stand inside the baseline of the returns

:40:49. > :40:51.of serve. Who is going to give there? They both have good first

:40:52. > :40:55.serves, very big second serves, they are playing their best tennis right

:40:56. > :40:59.now. I think we are in for a treat. I think it's going to go three sets,

:41:00. > :41:03.and I've no idea who is going to win. Thank you both so much for

:41:04. > :41:14.wonderful commentary, great to listen to you. Virginia, as far as

:41:15. > :41:17.Jo is concerned, she's got to pick herself up. We know this is going to

:41:18. > :41:20.hurt. We've been there and we know, you know, it's going to take a long

:41:21. > :41:23.time to get over this, the memory of it. Yes, I mean it's hard to know

:41:24. > :41:26.what's going on in her head. In all of our heads we gave her a little

:41:27. > :41:29.bit over the edge. Nobody predicted that she would have an easy win. But

:41:30. > :41:33.I think everybody thought that she might just be the better player,

:41:34. > :41:38.especially if she could make it go to three sets. I don't know, I mean

:41:39. > :41:42.obviously her head has been so good, her mindset has been excellent. We

:41:43. > :41:47.know she plays every point is if it's the most important point. But

:41:48. > :41:51.she did sort of start brushing it. The second set, she did. You could

:41:52. > :42:00.see her head was going too fast -- start rushing it. She couldn't quite

:42:01. > :42:02.label is. That's what she has worked on before they sport psychologist.

:42:03. > :42:05.That is what she used to do before, she tended to panic in a match. It

:42:06. > :42:09.is easy to panic when Venus is playing that well. I don't think she

:42:10. > :42:14.can blame has offered all. If you play the best that you can, -- she

:42:15. > :42:20.should lay herself at all. She was very smart. I would like to see a

:42:21. > :42:25.little more variety coming to her again. Her serve is superb, but

:42:26. > :42:29.maybe as we were talking about with Martina, I'm so glad that she agreed

:42:30. > :42:35.with me, is that a little bit more spin action on the second serve, not

:42:36. > :42:40.just always going for broke. What we found yesterday, two days ago, with

:42:41. > :42:46.her match against Halep, they were very Matrin mix, both of them. They

:42:47. > :42:52.were always giving the same pace off and the Saint Jude actuary off both

:42:53. > :42:56.sides. -- the same trajectory. Today's game, everybody is so good

:42:57. > :43:00.that you've got to be able to shove and some spins and some eggs and

:43:01. > :43:05.some silly shots to mess the other person up. It's what they called

:43:06. > :43:10.junk shots. Just to mess up the nurse's rhythm. Venus got into a

:43:11. > :43:15.rhythm, didn't she? -- Venus's rhythm. I found it curious that

:43:16. > :43:19.Venus tried to slice the ball on the and failed. She persevered and tried

:43:20. > :43:23.another time, and then it was perfect and then she could utilise

:43:24. > :43:27.it. Martin also said, you've got to also try things early in the match.

:43:28. > :43:32.-- Martina. Otherwise you going to your default mode when push comes to

:43:33. > :43:37.shove, and it's very hard to do anything different. Jo has a good

:43:38. > :43:42.volley. Let's see her trying to set the ball up and down in a little

:43:43. > :43:46.bit. I think she will do that. -- come in a little bit. I think she

:43:47. > :43:49.will be adding to her again. I think she will be very soon trying to do a

:43:50. > :43:56.few different things, I just feel that about her. Maybe 41 years will

:43:57. > :44:00.be her number! She is like a sponge, she does that. I'm sure we will see

:44:01. > :44:03.her competing at the latter stages of Grand Slams for many years to

:44:04. > :44:08.come. Virginia, we cannot let you go by without going back 40 years. Your

:44:09. > :44:13.big celebration, take you back to that lovely match there. I know this

:44:14. > :44:17.story, this is the shot that you are practising with your coach, and it

:44:18. > :44:22.was the winning shot on the day, while. I know, I was trying so hard!

:44:23. > :44:31.Don't laugh at my hair, everybody! It took weeks! We couldn't believe

:44:32. > :44:36.you had had it cut just before the tournament! I've always had long

:44:37. > :44:39.has. Such special memories. Do you still get goose bumps and the

:44:40. > :44:45.memories come flooding back? Well, I have to say yes. More than that

:44:46. > :44:50.forehand return, which as you say, it is something I was being told to

:44:51. > :44:54.hit a percentage return, that was a percentage return and I got it just

:44:55. > :44:58.at the right moment. But I liked the shot before when I was flying across

:44:59. > :45:01.the court on the other side hitting a forehand, because, you know, a

:45:02. > :45:07.game looks so slow with wooden rackets. But I used to look like I

:45:08. > :45:11.was fairly athletic! You won other Grand Slams, obviously, but this

:45:12. > :45:16.one, because of being British, you can understand what Andy Murray has

:45:17. > :45:21.gone through. Absolutely. It's interesting, the sevens all seem to

:45:22. > :45:29.work for everybody, right? It was 77, he was 77 years... So, 41, seven

:45:30. > :45:34.doesn't go into 41... Never might! No, I mean to win Wimbledon is

:45:35. > :45:38.absolutely superb. You know, last night we had such a lovely time.

:45:39. > :45:45.Because the chairman had invited the Grand Slam people and the special

:45:46. > :45:49.guests this year and they gave me some momentum is. They gave me a

:45:50. > :45:54.beautiful book, gorgeous book, with my name engraved on it and all of

:45:55. > :45:57.the pictures from 77, something I will treasure. All of the guys who

:45:58. > :46:01.were special guests, they were almost choked up, we were all choked

:46:02. > :46:17.up, it was so emotional. Who were the others there? Well, the invited

:46:18. > :46:26.guests were I guess from 67,... Fred was a little choked up, said a few

:46:27. > :46:34.words. Rod Laver, obviously. He couldn't make it last night. Really,

:46:35. > :46:40.I mean people really do get very emotionally involved in Wimbledon.

:46:41. > :46:43.They love it. It is, you know, then you start telling these stories and

:46:44. > :46:48.people remember matches that they've played that either they won or they

:46:49. > :46:55.lost. It's fascinating. I mean, I had another evening with all, Rosa,

:46:56. > :46:57.who beat me in the semifinal in 1974, which I never forgave her for!

:46:58. > :47:05.-- with all go. You know, I just love hearing other

:47:06. > :47:11.people is stories. Basically you live in the present. You get an

:47:12. > :47:16.opportunity to hark back to some memorable times. In your

:47:17. > :47:21.documentary, you know, I wasn't worried about what I said, but I

:47:22. > :47:26.loved listening to Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver and what everybody else

:47:27. > :47:30.said, Pete Sampras, I mean, it was fabulous. Because everybody grew up

:47:31. > :47:36.watching, that's where they saw the champions that inspired them there.

:47:37. > :47:41.I mean, who inspired you? You know, I mean, I was born in England, I

:47:42. > :47:45.have to stress that I am 100% British! I was born here, but my

:47:46. > :47:50.family went out to South Africa when I was one-year-old. It was a great

:47:51. > :47:54.place to play tennis. We came back when I was 15. In those days, we

:47:55. > :47:58.didn't have television in South Africa. So we would listen to the

:47:59. > :48:07.radio. And it would be Maria Bueno or South African players of great

:48:08. > :48:11.calibre, Sandra Reynolds. You know, Wimbledon was everything. From the

:48:12. > :48:15.first lessons I took when I was about, just before my tenth

:48:16. > :48:21.birthday, the person who taught me had played at Wimbledon. So that was

:48:22. > :48:26.like... You played at Wimbledon! So it grows. And when I first came back

:48:27. > :48:31.to England at 15, we were living in a house up in, just up the road, up

:48:32. > :48:36.in the village. It was just circumstantial that was where we

:48:37. > :48:40.lived for six months. The first day, I came and poked my head through the

:48:41. > :48:46.bars of the gate which was closed. You know, Wimbledon does that to

:48:47. > :48:51.you. It's just ingrained. Indelibly. And when you were on Centre Court

:48:52. > :48:55.today, the crowd cheered Jo, did it take you back to 77 and be of age

:48:56. > :49:00.and that you got? Absolutely. I think they were a bit more out of

:49:01. > :49:06.control. -- and the ovation that you got. Poor Betty didn't like it. You

:49:07. > :49:12.sensed it was going the right way. There was no stopping them. You

:49:13. > :49:16.know, lots of things, the 70s were famous for lots of things. I mean,

:49:17. > :49:22.it wasn't a great time economic league and this country. But with

:49:23. > :49:28.the Queen'sCubelli, the Centenary of Wimbledon -- the Queen'sJubilee. It

:49:29. > :49:33.was such an elevated atmosphere. Golly, there were so many good

:49:34. > :49:36.players. Sue Barker was playing! Martina Navratilova... You were

:49:37. > :49:45.playing at your best. I am first on the list! You know, everybody... I'm

:49:46. > :49:51.not sure that Billie Jean actually played that year, but lots of great

:49:52. > :49:54.players. Absolutely. The wonderful line at the end of your match,

:49:55. > :50:02.Virginia will take tea with the Queen, did you? No, Max Robinson...

:50:03. > :50:09.No, because I think I was... She was otherwise occupied! But I did take

:50:10. > :50:13.tea with her several times afterwards. Lovely to see you back

:50:14. > :50:17.here and back on Centre Court in during the tennis. And it's always a

:50:18. > :50:20.pleasure being with you. And Wimbledon beats everything.

:50:21. > :50:25.Absolutely, even when you lose in the semis, it's pretty battle, I can

:50:26. > :50:28.tell you! Thanks to Virginia. We are heading off to Centre Court for a

:50:29. > :50:36.moment -- it is produced by Shaw. We are going to take you back to last

:50:37. > :50:40.night. -- it is pretty special. Ken Skupski and Jocelyn Rae are

:50:41. > :50:46.defeating Max Mirnyi and Ekaterina Makarova, putting out the seeded

:50:47. > :50:50.team. Wonderful scenes in Court One. I am staying in a house about one

:50:51. > :50:55.mile away, and I could hear the roar from Court Number One! They are

:50:56. > :51:02.taking their place in the fourth round here at Wimbledon. Well done

:51:03. > :51:05.to Ken and Jocelyn. Because of that victory, it means they have bought

:51:06. > :51:10.themselves a place on Centre Court right now to take on the number one

:51:11. > :51:14.seeds. And it is Britain's Jamie Murray. He is playing with Martina

:51:15. > :51:19.Hingis, who won 17 Grand Slam doubles titles. That's just doubles,

:51:20. > :51:21.not even singles. They are in the first game. Let's drawing this live

:51:22. > :51:37.with Sam Smith and John Inverdale. JOHN INVERDALE: An eventful first

:51:38. > :51:47.game. A mis-hit winner, a sensational let court. Some very

:51:48. > :51:48.astute work at the net from both players. And that's just an four

:51:49. > :52:10.point! Three of these players had very

:52:11. > :52:42.eventful Wednesdays. And we'll talk about that in just a moment or two.

:52:43. > :52:58.And they may not have had much sleep last night, Skupski and Rae, because

:52:59. > :53:05.that match finished not far short of nine o'clock last night. That was a

:53:06. > :53:11.very eventful match, finishing 9-7 in the third. Meanwhile, Martina

:53:12. > :53:14.Hingis was involved in a very acrimonious ladies doubles match.

:53:15. > :53:20.She really threw every toy she possessed out of the pram, and lost.

:53:21. > :53:23.This is a bit of a redemption mission in the mixed doubles for

:53:24. > :53:32.Hingis today, with Jamie Murray, who is serving now.

:53:33. > :53:43.This combination are made to play mixed doubles. They innately

:53:44. > :53:48.understand where to position themselves, how to close down the

:53:49. > :53:53.spaces. Just watch where Martina's standing. They've got a great man in

:53:54. > :54:18.their corner, as well. What Murray and Hingis are going to

:54:19. > :54:22.look for is trying to find the space and win Skupski and Rae, splitting

:54:23. > :54:46.them up, moving them to all sides of the court and just finding space.

:54:47. > :54:54.This is Jamie Murray's last hope of a title at Wimbledon this year as

:54:55. > :54:54.well. He and Bruno Soares exited the men's doubles rather earlier than

:54:55. > :55:16.they would have wanted to have done. And from a British perspective we

:55:17. > :55:21.know Jamie Murray originally comes from Dunblane. Ken Skupski is a

:55:22. > :55:24.Scouse from Liverpool. And Jocelyn Rae is an Anglo Scottish, she

:55:25. > :55:35.represented Scotland and won a gold medal for Scotland.

:55:36. > :55:42.Oh! APPLAUSE

:55:43. > :55:47.She lives in Arnold in Nottinghamshire now. And with three

:55:48. > :55:51.British players on the court, I think they are all on a mission to

:55:52. > :55:58.try and perk up the British nation after what was a disappointment from

:55:59. > :56:01.Jo Konta earlier on today. With more rallies like that, we're going to

:56:02. > :56:09.have an entertaining couple of hours ahead.

:56:10. > :56:17.Well, if Skupski and Rae want to survive that, they do not serve that

:56:18. > :56:22.we do Martina Hingis so she can get that forehand. That is playing

:56:23. > :56:23.Martina 101. Kick it up to the backhand, make life difficult for

:56:24. > :57:56.her. This is a big outing for Jocelyn

:57:57. > :58:02.Rae. I always think of the words of a

:58:03. > :58:06.great doubles champion, told Woodward, he said, it is always

:58:07. > :58:11.about who is the strongest woman out there. On paper, it's clearly

:58:12. > :58:13.Martina Hingis. Jocelyn Rae has got to play levels above herself to be

:58:14. > :58:34.competitive out here. Not quite sure where that came off.

:58:35. > :58:39.It's not how, but how many. The most important thing is that Skupskis

:58:40. > :58:42.trying to dominate the middle, helping out Rae, not making too many

:58:43. > :58:43.first serves in this game, just trying to take some pressure off my

:58:44. > :59:46.car. -- off her. And it's a shame there and more

:59:47. > :59:49.people on Centre Court at the moment enjoying this, because this is

:59:50. > :59:56.richly entertaining. I'm sure they'll come back after tea. Talk

:59:57. > :00:01.about Hingis, she's younger, the reason we on so early, you know,

:00:02. > :00:06.barely 4:30pm, is because of Venus Williams beating Jo Konta. And

:00:07. > :00:10.Martina Hingis is younger than Venus Williams. So if she, and she's made

:00:11. > :00:14.it perfectly clear she has no desire to placing us again, but if she did,

:00:15. > :00:18.if she was actually back on the tour now -- to play singles again. What

:00:19. > :00:23.do you think she might be doing? In terms of a ranking in singles? Would

:00:24. > :00:27.she be competing like Venus still is? No, I don't think so. She

:00:28. > :00:36.doesn't have the power. Women's tennis now, you've got to be able to

:00:37. > :00:39.crack it from the back of the court. What is great is that Venus and

:00:40. > :00:41.Hingis are still going. Separate tours, but they still want to be

:00:42. > :00:44.playing in their mid-30s, which you wouldn't have thought 20 years ago.

:00:45. > :00:50.Hingis was winning here. In the singles. It is extraordinary, isn't

:00:51. > :00:54.it? As a 16-year-old. And here she is, 20 years on. Two matches away

:00:55. > :01:38.from another Grand Slam title. We are going to see an awful lot of

:01:39. > :01:39.planning from Jamie and Martina in this game. This is where they are

:01:40. > :01:57.more vulnerable to being broken. Martina struggles to get service

:01:58. > :02:02.above 100 miles power. You will see Jamie all over the net, he will make

:02:03. > :02:10.a step forward and across as they hit straight towards the centre. One

:02:11. > :02:16.thing to look out for when Martina hits the ball on first serve, you

:02:17. > :02:17.will see Jamie check and balance himself to get himself ready to

:02:18. > :02:35.move. I sometimes think Mixed Doubles is

:02:36. > :02:38.the most entertaining of all the doubles because there is so much

:02:39. > :02:42.contrast on the court and you are not going to have the power you have

:02:43. > :02:45.in the Men's Doubles game at the moment where you can have lots of

:02:46. > :02:53.matches go to five sets but every rally could be three or four shots

:02:54. > :02:56.at best. There is an awful lot of problem-solving going on in Mixed

:02:57. > :02:59.Doubles, particularly in this game web Martina doesn't get a lot of

:03:00. > :03:07.free points and they are having to find the best way to get through

:03:08. > :03:10.this game. Mr Skupski and Miss Wray are challenging the court, on the

:03:11. > :03:20.left service line the ball was called in. That was a seriously bad

:03:21. > :03:28.bounce. -- Rae. It was just on the back of the back of the line. Just

:03:29. > :03:34.going back to what we were saying at the break, serving at 95 mph, if

:03:35. > :03:35.that was Hingis's first serve on the single circuit people would be

:03:36. > :03:49.whacking it straight past her. Yes, Serena's average second serve

:03:50. > :03:52.speed is only a couple of clicks less than Martina's first serve

:03:53. > :04:41.speed. Played with his brother Neal in the

:04:42. > :04:59.Men's Doubles here. And talking about brothers in

:05:00. > :05:14.tennis... Just before Wimbledon this year Judy

:05:15. > :05:19.Murray did say, I think on Radio 5 live, she was absolutely sure that

:05:20. > :05:22.just wants before either or both retired, Andy and Jamie would play

:05:23. > :05:40.together at Wimbledon and that would be a great site. -- sight. More than

:05:41. > :05:45.holding their own. Talking about how important Grand Slam events like

:05:46. > :05:48.this are for the likes of Ken Skupski and Jocelyn Rae, from a

:05:49. > :05:52.money point of view, if nothing else, there is ?50,000 each to the

:05:53. > :06:00.winners of this Mixed Doubles championship on Sunday. Even

:06:01. > :06:02.quarterfinal losing money, semifinal losing money makes a massive

:06:03. > :06:08.difference to how they can live their lives as tennis players. You

:06:09. > :06:15.are probably talking about, both specialising doubles, at least

:06:16. > :06:21.?60,000, ?70,000 a year in basic expenses getting around the world,

:06:22. > :06:24.hotels and training, I think I have underestimated that, 100,000 to play

:06:25. > :06:31.in the singles. There is more money on the Men's Doubles tour these

:06:32. > :06:41.days. The slams are effectively keeping many players who are not in

:06:42. > :06:47.the top echelon in the sport. Just looking to see where it Jocelyn Rae

:06:48. > :06:54.has been in 2017. Monterey, Budapest, Hobart, Auckland,

:06:55. > :07:00.Surbiton. The Auckland to Surbiton express! Melbourne, Southsea,

:07:01. > :07:03.Ilkley, France. Not as extensive a traveller as a lot of other people

:07:04. > :07:51.but the costs are still there week in and week out.

:07:52. > :07:59.There is a lot of pressure on Centre Court to take the catch cleanly.

:08:00. > :08:02.There is, and it's all down to technique, you just cup, it's not

:08:03. > :08:13.about grabbing at it, because it might clip the end of your finger

:08:14. > :08:18.and you will look stupid. They will have a job with Jamie's serve. I was

:08:19. > :08:20.doing a match with Peter Fleming early in this tournament and he said

:08:21. > :08:24.he thinks Jamie Murray has sometimes almost the best hand eye

:08:25. > :08:27.coordination, the most wonderful touch at the net, in the entire

:08:28. > :08:57.game. It was certainly angry Hingis last

:08:58. > :09:03.night but it's happy Hingis at the moment. Everybody who is on Centre

:09:04. > :09:20.Court is enjoying this. All square after just about 20 minutes.

:09:21. > :09:28.The bottom left of your picture in the white top and grey hair, Louis

:09:29. > :09:31.Cayer, the best doubles coach in the world, he's worked with Jamie for a

:09:32. > :09:51.very long time. Talking about those quick reactions,

:09:52. > :09:56.they spent hours, firing balls at Jamie right on top of the net, very

:09:57. > :09:59.unusual coaching techniques. It's all about space and territory and

:10:00. > :10:04.closing it down. And self-preservation. As he is

:10:05. > :10:29.hammering those things straight at you.

:10:30. > :10:35.I think I would be quite confident to give you a pound every time

:10:36. > :10:40.Martina Hingis misses a volley or a smash in this match. That is how

:10:41. > :11:20.solid she is. I will start making a note now.

:11:21. > :11:42.Just finishing off that money subject, which I know may not demean

:11:43. > :11:46.the occasion, it's about the practicalities of getting around as

:11:47. > :11:52.a tennis player. Martina Hingis has earned tens of millions but looking

:11:53. > :11:57.at Ken Skupski's career earnings, at 35 now almost, $500,000 across 15

:11:58. > :12:01.years. When you do the maths which I am frantically doing here, whatever

:12:02. > :12:06.that is, it's not a lot in terms of living the life that you have to

:12:07. > :12:10.live to compete. The great thing about Ken and his brother Neal

:12:11. > :12:14.Skupski is they are graduates of Louisiana State University. They

:12:15. > :12:16.took that route, Ken made the quarterfinals of junior Wimbledon

:12:17. > :12:22.here. College tennis was a better route for him as he was not seen as

:12:23. > :12:27.one of the best and got a lot of backing. He has lived the life he

:12:28. > :12:33.wanted to live but he has something to fall back on. That is a smart

:12:34. > :12:38.move. It is becoming a popular route these days as players play longer

:12:39. > :12:43.and longer. Whereas in your day you were the exception that proved the

:12:44. > :13:21.rule, weren't you? That's why they used to call her the boffin.

:13:22. > :13:30.Some great Court craft and just some great skills. I can remember a few

:13:31. > :13:34.years ago I played Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova in the

:13:35. > :13:39.Invitational, and I always felt Martina, I always believed she is a

:13:40. > :13:43.tennis genius, I felt she always knew where I would hit the ball

:13:44. > :13:47.before I did, she seemed to have moved there. By the end of the

:13:48. > :13:48.match, I just said this is ridiculous, Martina should be

:13:49. > :14:03.playing in the main draw. Jamie saw that coming and he was off

:14:04. > :14:20.like a rabbit. See how quickly Jamie goes there.

:14:21. > :14:31.But he held and held. He went just before the strike. Just watch Jamie

:14:32. > :14:39.just check his feet as soon as Martina hits the ball.

:14:40. > :15:28.He offered the barn door and Jocelyn Rae took it.

:15:29. > :15:39.She couldn't do that again if she tried. Just watch where this goes.

:15:40. > :15:49.Almost took the post out by the roots. Bang.

:15:50. > :16:23.Top seeds in control as the clock ticks around to just past 5pm and we

:16:24. > :16:28.are almost at the end of the first set. Just a quick thought, a quick

:16:29. > :16:31.question, we are being richly entertained here, but at this time

:16:32. > :16:37.most of the Centre Court crowd would still wish the women's semifinals to

:16:38. > :16:44.still be going on. Should they be best of five? Yes. Because? There is

:16:45. > :16:49.no reason why the women can't play five sets the same as the men from

:16:50. > :16:52.that point of view. Physically it's not an issue any more. These to say

:16:53. > :16:56.women could only play best of three sets, it was because they were seen

:16:57. > :17:10.as they couldn't manage it. Lovely pink from Jamie Murray. Would

:17:11. > :17:14.you do that from the quarterfinal stage? I would do it from the

:17:15. > :17:18.quarterfinal stage and also to give the fans on semifinals day, it is a

:17:19. > :17:24.high tariff ticket, give them some more tennis. -- lovely pink. They

:17:25. > :17:30.are getting value for money with this.

:17:31. > :17:43.Grapeshot. That was just beautifully worked.

:17:44. > :18:13.So, less than half an hour and three set points for Murray and Hingis.

:18:14. > :18:23.That's about the first ball she has missed in this opening set. Is that

:18:24. > :18:42.the pound? No, it was a volley or a smash. Get your piggy bank ready.

:18:43. > :19:06.Great serve. Took Jamie by surprise there.

:19:07. > :19:42.They have fought back well from 0-40 down.

:19:43. > :19:57.I suppose it works two ways, if you have played a really long match the

:19:58. > :20:02.night before which went on for ever and ever, almost until dusk, so on

:20:03. > :20:06.the one hand you could be tired. But on the other hand you've really got

:20:07. > :20:09.your are right in, they've played a lot of tennis in the last couple of

:20:10. > :20:13.days. Sometimes when it is really liked by the time they have warmed

:20:14. > :20:16.down and done what they need to do these days, ice baths, Power gels

:20:17. > :20:26.and goodness knows what else, and you go to bed rather late it can

:20:27. > :20:29.take you the first set, you can feel a little flat. And then you have

:20:30. > :20:32.Hingis and Murray who are by far the favourites for the championship,

:20:33. > :20:40.they are so sharp, and coming at you, and they have done very well

:20:41. > :20:47.out here. The prize for the winners of this... It is not tickets for a

:20:48. > :20:53.Shirley Bassey concert, is it? Sorry, John. It's all right.

:20:54. > :20:56.Whenever I see Shirley Bassey, she sang at the opening ceremony of the

:20:57. > :21:02.Rugby World Cup at the millennium in Cardiff in 1999 and I had one of

:21:03. > :21:06.these things you never thought you would do, standing in a tunnel at a

:21:07. > :21:10.rugby stadium having a conversation with Shirley Bassey. One of those

:21:11. > :21:13.things you thought you'd never do and somehow or another you find

:21:14. > :21:31.yourself in that situation. She sang a duet with Bryn Terfel. Anyway, to

:21:32. > :21:43.tell you, the winners play either Marcelo Demoliner or Maria Jose

:21:44. > :21:47.Martinez Sanchez, or Mate Pavic or Lyudmyla Kichenok in the next round.

:21:48. > :21:50.They have yet to begin their match. I mention that because it's actually

:21:51. > :21:54.good, a stellar name like Martina Hingis, is playing in the doubles

:21:55. > :22:26.because it does give it that bit of stardust.

:22:27. > :22:35.That is superb from Jamie. I'm in Clyde to agree, his hand I caught

:22:36. > :22:43.the nation is unbelievable. He is a good golfer, and a good footballer,

:22:44. > :22:59.he is one of those multisport guys. -- I'm inclined to agree.

:23:00. > :23:08.Take that from Skupski. I'm not sure that was going to go back whether it

:23:09. > :23:12.hit the net cord or not. That was backed into a corner, three set

:23:13. > :23:41.points down, I'm just going to whack this.

:23:42. > :23:48.Martina looked around Ben and said, what was that? That was so wide.

:23:49. > :24:08.Brilliantly reached by Murray and the first set to the top seeds. --

:24:09. > :24:11.around then. You mentioned the instinctive nature Murray and Hingis

:24:12. > :24:17.have playing together, but it goes without saying, if you play with

:24:18. > :24:21.somebody a lot you will have that automatically. That was obviously

:24:22. > :24:24.kind of yours, OK, and then put away by Hingis in the end but you think

:24:25. > :24:28.about all the great doubles pairings, whoever they might have

:24:29. > :24:33.been, they eventually cultivated a complete understanding of who was

:24:34. > :24:36.going to beware at what point. This is what is so great about the Mixed

:24:37. > :24:42.Doubles because it's only at the slams so you don't get the chance to

:24:43. > :24:47.play a lot with that person from slam to slam. Super serving numbers

:24:48. > :24:51.from Murray and Hingis, that's what it is about, making almost every

:24:52. > :24:57.return, they looked comfortable all the way through, they could have

:24:58. > :25:00.broken another couple of times but super entertainment and well in

:25:01. > :25:04.control. They might want to knock in a couple more first serves, if you

:25:05. > :25:08.are going to be a little picky. What I have said about Hingis and Murray,

:25:09. > :25:11.they instinctively understand where the spaces are and they are so good

:25:12. > :25:15.technically, such good doubles players, that they will fit very

:25:16. > :25:18.nicely. Martina got it slightly right on the last one but she

:25:19. > :25:29.immediately moved on the space and they are constantly covering for

:25:30. > :25:33.each other. Great experience from Skupski and Rae to play on Centre

:25:34. > :25:38.Court against top seeds. Bit by bit more and more people are coming back

:25:39. > :25:42.after tea following the two semi-finals. Pretty nearly full now.

:25:43. > :26:03.Let's hope the second set is as good as the first.

:26:04. > :26:13.You heard Jocelyn Rae shout sorry to Ken Skupski there. Who should have

:26:14. > :26:18.taken this ball? It was on Kent's left side. Jocelyn for me. Anyway,

:26:19. > :26:29.she is taller. Were you one of those people playing

:26:30. > :26:37.doubles who banned the use of the word sorry? No. Sometimes, you

:26:38. > :26:44.think, you don't have to say sorry, we are in this thing together, kind

:26:45. > :26:54.of thing? Lovely shot. What an angle from Hingis. She is hitting it very

:26:55. > :27:01.sweetly. No one knows where that's going. I used to play with a

:27:02. > :27:12.Japanese player in doubles who would apologise if I made a mistake.

:27:13. > :27:18.Apologising to the crowd? No, to me! Sorry about that, sorry about my

:27:19. > :27:19.partner, I will be shot of her next time.

:27:20. > :27:25.She didn't teach me any Japanese swear words because she said there

:27:26. > :27:27.weren't any. What is the Japanese word for sorry? I don't know, she

:27:28. > :27:42.said it in English. Having lost the first set its always

:27:43. > :27:44.good to open the second with a service hold and Skupski now has the

:27:45. > :28:03.chance to do that. And he does. When you are playing doubles like

:28:04. > :28:12.this, in a singles match you can say, if plan a is not working, we

:28:13. > :28:15.will go to plan a and a bit, B, C and whatever. What can you change in

:28:16. > :28:22.this doubles match if you are on the wrong end of it? You have to break

:28:23. > :28:26.up the plans of your opponent, they are being picked off constantly at

:28:27. > :28:28.the net. It is easier said than done. That is what Martina is trying

:28:29. > :28:42.to do here. Then you will have a discussion

:28:43. > :28:47.about, alongside that, where is the best placed to serve to and then

:28:48. > :28:48.talk about doing the basics well, making first serves and making

:28:49. > :29:06.plenty of returns. The ball swinging in at Skupski's

:29:07. > :29:49.body. APPLAUSE

:29:50. > :29:57.It is a pretty consistent backhand, or this match. -- throughout this

:29:58. > :30:16.match. She would have known all about Joslin from their junior days.

:30:17. > :30:27.I think Hingis is six from six on the overheads so far. She is seeing

:30:28. > :30:39.the ball very, very cleanly. I'm not getting my purse open just yet!

:30:40. > :30:43.Just waited and waited and waited. We weren't sure where it was going,

:30:44. > :31:03.and then it went. Oh, that's a pitch, as somebody

:31:04. > :31:10.would have said in this commentary box many years ago. I think the

:31:11. > :31:14.tennis gods have sprinkled some fairy dust on Martina Hingis

:31:15. > :31:20.throughout his career. -- throughout her career. She can do some really

:31:21. > :31:23.special things on tennis court. -- out here on this tennis court.

:31:24. > :31:45.Athletic from Skupski. And again. We are eulogising,

:31:46. > :31:50.Martina Hingis, but it's easy to forget that she fell out of love

:31:51. > :31:54.with this sport in a big way at a very early age after having achieved

:31:55. > :32:03.so much. 22, she had already been on the tour of ten years.

:32:04. > :32:20.Great staff! Hugely entertaining. -- great stuff. A lovely touch from

:32:21. > :32:49.Murray too. Well, it was a beautiful shot.

:32:50. > :32:53.Didn't need the help of the net. A bit of a masterclass by the top

:32:54. > :32:56.seeds here at the moment. I mentioned about Hingis falling out

:32:57. > :33:00.of love with the sport, as you've been doing a lot of work over here

:33:01. > :33:03.for channel seven in Australia as well, they've been having endless

:33:04. > :33:06.discussions I would imagine until we're blue in the phrase in the

:33:07. > :33:11.early hours of the morning, not just about Nick Kyrgios but about Bernard

:33:12. > :33:15.Tomic, he said he was bored of playing here, he is falling in and

:33:16. > :33:20.out of love with the sport. At regular intervals. And she decided

:33:21. > :33:23.that to walk away from it. So it is understandable how young people can

:33:24. > :33:29.sometimes feel like that. Yes, I think with Martina, though, I think

:33:30. > :33:32.she did pretty much love the game. You've got to remember, she won the

:33:33. > :33:38.juniors at the French Open which it was 12. She won the juniors at 13,

:33:39. > :33:46.she played her first Wimbledon at 14. She beat Steffi Graf in the

:33:47. > :33:50.first round. By 22, she was jaded, weekend, week out. The Williams

:33:51. > :33:54.sisters were hitting the ball harder and harder, Lindsay Davenport came

:33:55. > :33:59.on the scene. Bernard Tomic, he has been forced to play when he didn't

:34:00. > :34:03.want to play. It's understandable, some of the statements he's coming

:34:04. > :34:09.up with. A set and a break for the top seeds.

:34:10. > :34:14.Jamie is going left. They haven't really got the hand signals worked

:34:15. > :34:29.out. When you've got somebody at the net

:34:30. > :34:32.who moves as much as Jamie Murray, you try being on the other side,

:34:33. > :34:43.it's so hard to make your return. Oh, that was a very clean strike

:34:44. > :34:46.from Skupski. Sitting at home, wherever you may be watching, it's

:34:47. > :34:51.almost worth, just don't watch the ball for this next point, just watch

:34:52. > :34:52.Jamie Murray's feet and his activity level, it's almost hyperactive,

:34:53. > :35:13.isn't it, he's just everywhere. Skupski auditioning for Goodison all

:35:14. > :35:17.and feel there! He is a big Liverpool supporter. Oh, I shouldn't

:35:18. > :35:23.have said the word Liverpool! I apologise! His dad was a goalkeeper

:35:24. > :35:29.for Aston Villa reserves. Really?! He played in Poland as well, didn't

:35:30. > :35:32.he? Ken Skupski Senior, a great football. Also the treasurer of a

:35:33. > :35:53.tennis club in Liverpool. Well, read quickly a 3-1 lead for

:35:54. > :36:09.Jamie and Martina. -- very quickly. And this match is in danger of going

:36:10. > :36:11.the way of the first two on Centre Court today. Rather more swiftly

:36:12. > :37:14.than I think anybody would have wanted.

:37:15. > :37:25.Are Oh! You were just willing somebody to win eight! -- is to win

:37:26. > :37:43.it. What a fantastic shot from Skupski. That one!

:37:44. > :38:10.No missed volleying from Hingis, noted.

:38:11. > :38:26.I've been very impressed, actually, how competitive Jocelyn Rae and Ken

:38:27. > :38:29.Skupski have been in this match. I mean, just that one break in the

:38:30. > :38:33.opening set, that's all it was, just the serve.

:38:34. > :38:46.Well, Skupski has banged down for a seat in this match so far, to keep

:38:47. > :38:59.them just in touch -- four aces. It's so easy to forget, actually,

:39:00. > :39:05.because the years go by, that actually the holders of this

:39:06. > :39:08.Championship are a British - finish combination of Henri Kontinen and

:39:09. > :39:13.Heather Watson. And they are still in the competition as well. They are

:39:14. > :39:20.playing Parma and the Brodsky in their quarterfinal match today. It's

:39:21. > :39:23.not in conceivable that we could have British involvement on both

:39:24. > :39:26.sides of the net late on Sunday evening. Even if we're not going to

:39:27. > :39:31.have any British involvement in either of the singles of the

:39:32. > :39:35.weekend, which is obviously a huge disappointment. You weren't part of

:39:36. > :39:39.the Jo Konta commentary for us on the BBC. What was your take on how

:39:40. > :39:45.that much planned out? I thought it would be tighter. I thought that Jo

:39:46. > :39:49.tried to hard and pushed it too much, she had to go to the edge

:39:50. > :39:54.against Venus Williams, who I thought struck the ball beautifully.

:39:55. > :39:57.So much pressure from Venus. And Jo was right to push but the forehand

:39:58. > :39:59.broke down a little more than I thought it would. Just not quite

:40:00. > :41:37.ready. As comfortable as Murray and Hingis

:41:38. > :41:40.are making this, they've done a very nice job of just keeping the tempo

:41:41. > :42:13.up here, keeping the pace of the match running along.

:42:14. > :42:25.That's a big weapon to have! Especially in this game.

:42:26. > :42:30.Murray and Hingis are just about to receive, and Jamie is the

:42:31. > :42:33.left-hander is standing on the right-hand side of the court. I'm

:42:34. > :42:38.sure most club players watching this and listening all over the world, if

:42:39. > :42:41.they are playing a right-hander and the left-hander, the natural

:42:42. > :42:45.instinct is to always have the left-hander on the left. Why are

:42:46. > :42:49.they doing it like this? Because Martina always plays on the left in

:42:50. > :42:53.women's doubles. And she's much more comfortable there. And you've also

:42:54. > :42:59.got a woman playing on the left. I think in club tennis that would very

:43:00. > :43:04.rally happened. -- that would very rarely happen. You just go with your

:43:05. > :43:10.strengths are and where you feel the most comfortable, and we were used

:43:11. > :43:15.to week in, week out. -- where you used to. That's a very good point.

:43:16. > :43:18.There's always the feeling that the pressure points are going to be the

:43:19. > :43:38.advantage called. So, club tennis, you know, the man tends to go there.

:43:39. > :43:46.It's a very crisp striking of the ball from Jamie Murray today. Just

:43:47. > :43:50.have a look at this. He's got such a short take back, he hardly takes the

:43:51. > :43:52.racket. It's all forward motion, just clicked it. Very tough to read.

:43:53. > :45:19.He takes its super early. She will not be happy with that. Her

:45:20. > :45:56.favourite return. There's a kind of tone that we get

:45:57. > :46:00.given before every match of that's about all of the players and

:46:01. > :46:04.everybody involved. There is war and peace about Martina Hingis! There's

:46:05. > :46:11.just so much to say about all of her career wins and career titles. 43

:46:12. > :46:16.tour singles successes for Martina Hingis in her career. 60 women's

:46:17. > :46:21.doubles titles. Five mixed doubles titles. And so it goes on, almost

:46:22. > :46:26.every country in the world she's won an event in somewhere or other. Most

:46:27. > :46:28.remarkably, really, in terms of the longevity, albeit with a slight

:46:29. > :46:36.hiatus in the muddle, she's been an Olympian twice. In Atlanta and Rio.

:46:37. > :46:42.You know, spanning 20 years, from 1996 until last year. She first

:46:43. > :46:47.represented Switzerland in the Federation cup 22 years ago. And is

:46:48. > :46:58.still doing it now. Just extraordinary.

:46:59. > :47:05.And she will serve now, and if she holds, Murray and Hingis will just

:47:06. > :48:09.about be there. Oh! How did he see that? And if he

:48:10. > :48:17.hadn't seen it, he'd have got it in the eye. But look at him, he's

:48:18. > :48:27.always moving forward, he's always active.

:48:28. > :48:39.That caught the thinnest of slivers of Rae's racket. But it means, after

:48:40. > :48:40.almost an hour, Murray and Hingis are one game away from the

:48:41. > :50:19.semifinals. I wouldn't mind seeing that again.

:50:20. > :50:25.Was that an air shot by Skupski? Or did he leave it at the last minute?

:50:26. > :50:27.He managed to earn a shot it but he still won the point! Great vision

:50:28. > :50:40.from Rae. -- to air shot it. Rae and Skupski, this is Avery tough

:50:41. > :50:45.assignment for them in terms of the class of Hingis and Murray. -- a

:50:46. > :50:52.very tough assignment. But they have competed brilliantly.

:50:53. > :50:58.And a tough occasion also in terms of the setting, the stage.

:50:59. > :51:22.Everything else that has set this matchup.

:51:23. > :51:36.Well played, Jocelyn Rae. Hanging on in there.

:51:37. > :51:42.But it's Jamie to serve. So there'll be some big swinging serves out of

:51:43. > :51:47.the advantage court. I suppose you've just got to make them play,

:51:48. > :51:52.if you possibly can. It's not that easy. I mean, both teams have played

:51:53. > :51:55.pretty smart. They've stop to what many think is the golden rule of

:51:56. > :51:59.mixed doubles, if you can play on the woman, that's what you do most

:52:00. > :52:04.of the time. They've both done that well. Jamie and Martina just have a

:52:05. > :52:08.little extra pizzazz at the net, and it is just small things that have

:52:09. > :52:13.divided them out here. A few more returns of serve in, clean on the

:52:14. > :52:18.follies, not missing any at all. And just work a little better together

:52:19. > :52:23.-- clean-up on the volleys. Skupski and Rae, they won't be used to

:52:24. > :52:27.having the ball coming at them. It is all split, split, split seconds,

:52:28. > :52:31.isn't it? But the fraction that you have got less time to move the ball

:52:32. > :52:35.and move your feed, if you are not used about on a regular basis, you

:52:36. > :52:36.will get found out. Everything is just coming up a little quicker here

:52:37. > :52:41.this afternoon. So, here is Jamie Murray de polish

:52:42. > :53:37.things. -- to polish things off. Another big swinging serve. If you

:53:38. > :53:44.weren't with us one hour ago when this match started, Sam did promise

:53:45. > :53:50.to give me ?1 for every error that Martina Hingis made at the net

:53:51. > :53:52.during the course of this match. And her purse has remained, and looks

:53:53. > :54:03.like remaining, resolutely shut. Of course, she hasn't made a single

:54:04. > :54:19.error at the net. And so, one final bit of whispering,

:54:20. > :54:27.and here we are, Jamie Murray, three set points. Three match points.

:54:28. > :54:34.Done, dusted! In one hour and four minutes. But that was richly

:54:35. > :54:37.entertaining stuff. Well played Ken Skupski and Jocelyn Rae. But Jamie

:54:38. > :54:45.Murray Martina Hingis just a little bit too much class.

:54:46. > :54:52.SUE BARKER: Well done to Jamie and Martina, the big favourites to take

:54:53. > :54:58.the title here at Wimbledon. And the crowd certainly enjoying that match

:54:59. > :55:02.an centre. Well done to them. Today is Lady semifinals day. First on

:55:03. > :55:07.court was Garbine Muguruza, if final two years to go. She was on court

:55:08. > :55:16.for only one hour and four minutes against Magdalene -- Magdalena

:55:17. > :55:19.Rybarikova. The former champion is getting better and better with every

:55:20. > :55:23.match. She is a big hitter with a big serve, and that the end of this

:55:24. > :55:27.match she had a big smile as well. She is the root of the Wimbledon

:55:28. > :55:30.final once again. And playing possibly the best tennis of her life

:55:31. > :55:34.-- she is through to the Wimbledon final. And she is there to face

:55:35. > :55:41.Venus Williams, who crushed Jo Konta's dreams of becoming the first

:55:42. > :55:45.British woman through to final since 1977. And you can't take anything

:55:46. > :55:49.away from Jo. She played a good match. But Venus was just better.

:55:50. > :55:53.She served well, the tactics were right, and she just hit winner of

:55:54. > :55:58.the winner. It's incredible that Venus was last in the final here

:55:59. > :56:01.back in 2009. At the age of 37 she looks as though she's moving and

:56:02. > :56:07.hitting the ball better than ever. Venus against Muguruza in the final.

:56:08. > :56:12.During the day, we've heard from so many great champions here. And on

:56:13. > :56:17.ladies semi final day, I thought we'd hear from another one, winner

:56:18. > :56:21.of 18 Grand Slam titles it's Chris Everett. She popped into the studio

:56:22. > :56:26.to talk about the semifinals, and a lot more. It's lovely to see my good

:56:27. > :56:31.friend, multiple Grand Slam winner, Wimbledon darling here, Chris

:56:32. > :56:35.Everett. You are the Wimbledon darling! I so wish that I was! Great

:56:36. > :56:41.to see Jo Konta doing so well here, isn't it? But today, just couldn't

:56:42. > :56:45.find the answers, could she? Oh, she came up against the Venus Williams

:56:46. > :56:51.in top form. I mean, I don't think I'd ever seen Venus play that well

:56:52. > :56:55.on a grass court. I mean, she had so much power, but she was so

:56:56. > :56:58.consistent. I mean, even when she won it, and she was number one in

:56:59. > :57:02.the world, she made a lot more areas. She's much more consistent

:57:03. > :57:07.now, she's moving well. That served as unbelievable -- she made more

:57:08. > :57:13.errors. She is stepping in on the second serve returns. She looks just

:57:14. > :57:17.so, up there. Her facade and composure -- so calm out there. It

:57:18. > :57:22.is unmatched by anybody in this tournament. What you make of Jo's

:57:23. > :57:27.game? I'm a big fan, I think she had a great tournament. I hope, you

:57:28. > :57:31.know, I hope the press goes easy on her. She had three really tough

:57:32. > :57:37.emotional 3-set matches, starting with Donna Vekic. You know, she got

:57:38. > :57:42.out of trouble. She played her best tennis and oppression. She managed

:57:43. > :57:45.to get herself calm and, you know, it really work for her. But at some

:57:46. > :57:51.point it's going to catch up with you. I wonder if she ran out the

:57:52. > :57:56.little bid of steam at the end. But, no, I'm a big fan of her composure

:57:57. > :58:01.and maturity, her philosophy on life. I think she's just got to keep

:58:02. > :58:04.going. You know, it's her first Wimbledon semifinal. I know she's

:58:05. > :58:08.been in a Grand Slam semifinal of the Australian, is not the same

:58:09. > :58:12.thing as a home Grand Slam. Maybe the occasion was a bit much. She

:58:13. > :58:16.made a couple of uncharacteristic errors when she was serving at 5-

:58:17. > :58:19.for in that first set. I don't know, that could have been a bit of

:58:20. > :58:24.wariness, where entire, over the two week that she played, the

:58:25. > :58:28.accumulation of having played a lot of matches. I still think having

:58:29. > :58:32.been a player, and you know this and then, emotionally, you know, when

:58:33. > :58:38.you get through a big match, I mean, that match with Vekic, and then

:58:39. > :58:43.Caroline Garcia, another struggle, and then Simona Halep. Three matches

:58:44. > :58:47.like that has got to take something out of you. I think she's human and

:58:48. > :58:52.it took something out of her. Do you feel that she is a Grand Slam

:58:53. > :58:57.champion? Very much a possibility, very much. She plays great on the

:58:58. > :59:01.grass courts. Absolutely. I mean, the way that women's tennis has

:59:02. > :59:04.opened up, absolutely, she is a contender. Did you ever think you

:59:05. > :59:08.would see Venus play that well again? No, we were just talking

:59:09. > :59:13.about and actually in the ESPN Green Room. I mean, we thought maybe three

:59:14. > :59:20.or four years ago she had had it. Because she was really getting tired

:59:21. > :59:23.in her matches, she was making a lot of errors, she does didn't look

:59:24. > :59:27.happy out there. It's very much like a Roger Federer sort of centres,

:59:28. > :59:31.really, what's happened in the last year has happened to Venus. I mean,

:59:32. > :59:35.she's 37 years old, and she is playing better now than when choose

:59:36. > :59:38.number one in the world. And she just... She loved the pressure, she

:59:39. > :59:47.loves the big moments, the big matches. And she has such a passion.

:59:48. > :59:50.And I'd just, you know, I keep saying this, I'm a big fan of Hearst

:59:51. > :59:54.and yen. But it's incredible, the second serve on a break point. 106

:59:55. > :59:59.mph! A couple almost hit Konta, did you notice a couple of them?! What

:00:00. > :00:04.about the body serves. That almost won the match. Coming up with those

:00:05. > :00:09.big serves at key moments, right into the body. Jo and get out of the

:00:10. > :00:13.way. She was very smart. She definitely had clarity and a

:00:14. > :00:16.strategy going out there today -- Jo couldn't get out of the way.

:00:17. > :00:21.Everybody underestimates the body serve. Jo's serve pattern, she

:00:22. > :00:24.hardly puts any down the centre, maybe that's something she's got to

:00:25. > :00:28.add to her against a pillar in our day we didn't have a body serve

:00:29. > :00:32.because the ball was so soft will stop you just wanted to place it a

:00:33. > :00:36.little more. But nowadays the speed of the serve, it sometimes takes

:00:37. > :00:39.more effort to get out of the way of the ball than it is just a stretch

:00:40. > :00:43.wide and go for a forehand or a backhand return. It's a great play.

:00:44. > :00:48.I think the guys have used it a lot in men's tennis and the women are

:00:49. > :00:50.starting to use it more. What about Muguruza? We could be treated to a

:00:51. > :00:59.magnificent final, can we? I hope so, she has proven she can

:01:00. > :01:02.play on grass reaching the finals. I don't know what has happened, she is

:01:03. > :01:06.more relaxed this tournament, maybe Conchita Martinez is coaching her

:01:07. > :01:13.and Conchita Martinez is kind of laid-back. I think Muguruza needs

:01:14. > :01:17.somebody to help her relax more than put pressure on her and get her

:01:18. > :01:22.stressed out. She has just been very focused. Again, harnessing her power

:01:23. > :01:28.gun not making a lot of errors, reining in the areas -- harnessing

:01:29. > :01:32.her power, not making a lot of errors. Whistle at the French Open

:01:33. > :01:39.last summer, it seems like two years ago, but she won it a year ago and

:01:40. > :01:43.has not lived up to that, grandson champion. Maybe it is taking a

:01:44. > :01:47.little time for her to get used to getting the publicity and having all

:01:48. > :01:51.the attention. Maybe now she feels more comfortable in her own skin and

:01:52. > :01:55.playing better tennis. When she plays freely she is beautiful to

:01:56. > :02:00.watch and she will attack. And just as strong as Venus. She has a big

:02:01. > :02:03.first serve and cracks those ground strokes. I think in that Kerber

:02:04. > :02:07.match, I said whoever wins the match it could change their year around,

:02:08. > :02:12.if Kerber won they could have changed her year and I think that

:02:13. > :02:17.match was huge for Muguruza. When you have a match like that it frees

:02:18. > :02:21.you up and you feel more confident. She is a confidence player. That

:02:22. > :02:26.match was of the highest quality. We have a lot of great women's matches.

:02:27. > :02:31.Considering Serena Williams, the dominant player, is not here, it has

:02:32. > :02:34.opened the door to a lot of great matches and possibilities. Everyone

:02:35. > :02:37.trying to seize the opportunity that Serena Williams has left. As far as

:02:38. > :02:41.the men are concerned, the semi-finals have not worked out as

:02:42. > :02:44.we predicted. First of all, Andy Murray, we have all played with

:02:45. > :02:48.injuries and we know how tough it is and it was sad to see him limping

:02:49. > :02:54.around a Centre Court. I thought he was a real gentleman, the way he is

:02:55. > :02:58.not making excuses. But last year, 2016, Davis Cup, the Olympics, and

:02:59. > :03:03.playing a full schedule up until November trying to get the number

:03:04. > :03:07.one ranking over Novak, I just think he was a little burnt out coming

:03:08. > :03:12.into this year. He has never really got the fresh feeling. He needs a

:03:13. > :03:17.break. I briefly read in the newspaper he is talking about taking

:03:18. > :03:21.some time off. I think he does need to take time off, I think Djokovic

:03:22. > :03:25.needs to take time off. When you get to a certain point in your career,

:03:26. > :03:29.whether it is being 30 years old, or being on the tour for ten or 15

:03:30. > :03:33.years and you must re-evaluate your schedule and limit your tournaments

:03:34. > :03:37.because it is not humanly possible with how athletic this sport is and

:03:38. > :03:44.the wear and tear on your body that you can keep it up year after year

:03:45. > :03:47.after year. If you have an injury you have to get it right before

:03:48. > :03:49.coming back and he must listen to the doctors. Absolutely. You cannot

:03:50. > :03:55.really play at this top level nursing an injury. Again, the power

:03:56. > :04:00.in the game, just the way it affects your body and the athleticism is so

:04:01. > :04:07.much more than it was ten years ago at its highest level. There is a lot

:04:08. > :04:10.of pressure from tournaments, pressure for accumulating more

:04:11. > :04:15.points on the circuit, pressure from endorsements, I don't know. There

:04:16. > :04:17.are lots of outside pressures but at some point take a break and look

:04:18. > :04:23.what it did to Roger Federer. Exactly! It is a no-brainer, look

:04:24. > :04:28.what it did to him. We must have your thoughts on Sam Querrey. He is

:04:29. > :04:32.one of the sport's nice guys, isn't he? He took his chances, didn't he?

:04:33. > :04:38.He's surely playing his best tennis ever. Yes but he played his best

:04:39. > :04:45.tennis last year too when he had the upset. But Novak wasn't really in

:04:46. > :04:50.the ballpark that day. But also the manner in which he played, he seems

:04:51. > :04:53.to be moving better. 6-1, 6-1, fourth and fifth sets looked like he

:04:54. > :04:57.was a Wimbledon Championships where he played with the big serve. Big

:04:58. > :05:02.guys don't always move well but he was covering the court really well.

:05:03. > :05:10.I love his backhand, it was right on target with the backhand. He is the

:05:11. > :05:13.nicest most unassuming, humble guy. So, we Americans are really proud of

:05:14. > :05:19.him the way he has got this far and hope he can go further. Finally, in

:05:20. > :05:24.a Grand Slam semifinal. What about superhuman Roger Federer? The

:05:25. > :05:28.superhuman, yes. Some of the tennis he produced against Raonic took your

:05:29. > :05:32.breath away, didn't it? He is a shot maker, I feel like he saved his body

:05:33. > :05:37.because he doesn't need to go out there and work like Nadal and Andy

:05:38. > :05:41.Murray. They physically grind it out and they are defence as well as

:05:42. > :05:44.counterpuncher is as well as offence. Roger Federer only knows

:05:45. > :05:49.one way to play tennis and that is just to be aggressive. I feel like

:05:50. > :05:53.as hard as he works, and I know he works hard, he doesn't have the wear

:05:54. > :05:59.and tear over his body over the years that the other players have

:06:00. > :06:02.and all he needs to do is concentrate on the Majors. He needs

:06:03. > :06:07.to stay in shape and he needs to have that eagerness and hunger to

:06:08. > :06:10.win. He does not need to play 12 months of the year. I think that is

:06:11. > :06:16.something that the other players can look at also to, you know, get their

:06:17. > :06:21.career longer at the other end. We will see players playing until 38,

:06:22. > :06:25.40, I am sure, in the next few years. I cannot let you go without

:06:26. > :06:32.reminiscing. You mean the 77 when you should have won Wimbledon?

:06:33. > :06:41.Everybody has been reminding me. The crowd bothered me in that match.

:06:42. > :06:45.Debate? They were brutal. I thought they were. I never got upset and a

:06:46. > :06:50.match but in that match I was really upset. I let it bother me and I

:06:51. > :06:55.shouldn't have. That is not like you. I shouldn't have but in the

:06:56. > :06:59.last game I was ready to say, it's your match. But on the other side of

:07:00. > :07:09.the draw there was Sue Barker and Jenny. You could have won. I'm

:07:10. > :07:13.sorry. Look what you are doing now. Virginia swanning around the world

:07:14. > :07:18.having holidays and I'm working. In Portugal! We want to reminisce one

:07:19. > :07:22.of your finals. Pick your favourite final that you won. I don't have

:07:23. > :07:32.one, I'm sorry. I will pick one for you. Yvonne? Yes, 1976 because it

:07:33. > :07:37.was a wonderful final, ute two, very much like with Martina, the contrast

:07:38. > :07:42.of styles. She had the upper hand -- you two. She had the upper hand on

:07:43. > :07:49.me on grass courts up until that point. I love the hairstyle.

:07:50. > :07:55.Jeepers! The courts were playing hard that year, that was the hot

:07:56. > :08:00.year, right? Yes. It didn't rain and I didn't have to bend that no. I

:08:01. > :08:03.loved playing it on because she gave me a target coming into the net.

:08:04. > :08:07.Sometimes when I played Yvonne I watched her instead of the ball

:08:08. > :08:11.because she was so beautiful as an athlete, the way she hit the ball

:08:12. > :08:16.and glided. I had to say, don't look at her, look at the ball. That was a

:08:17. > :08:20.big win. Yvonne came to play in an exhibition at the Albert Hall a few

:08:21. > :08:24.years later and asked me to go and practice with her and I said I'd be

:08:25. > :08:27.delighted, and I to court for two arrows and I thought she might want

:08:28. > :08:33.a bit longer, she turned up at the front desk and said we got caught

:08:34. > :08:37.four for two hours and she said I have never practised more than 45

:08:38. > :08:43.minutes in my life and that is where I went wrong I played four hours a

:08:44. > :08:46.day. Roger is the same, he can put in two arrows the way Nadal can put

:08:47. > :08:53.in five hours because they are shot makers. -- two hours. They are so

:08:54. > :08:57.talented and gifted unlike us. We had to drench our way hitting ground

:08:58. > :09:02.shots. Drill after drill after pattern after Pat. How is your body?

:09:03. > :09:05.Mine is fine, is yours OK? You told me when I went to visit you that you

:09:06. > :09:12.are hitting York volleys better now than you were. With the new rackets

:09:13. > :09:16.and strings every old time is hitting the volleys better. Are

:09:17. > :09:25.playing every day. With ten or 12-year-olds. I exaggerate! You are

:09:26. > :09:28.not playing at all? I snapped my Achilles playing one time and the

:09:29. > :09:34.surgeon said I will see you here again if you carry on playing. I was

:09:35. > :09:38.lucky for you. Do you know what, when I was playing out there, when

:09:39. > :09:43.the ball was coming and it got short I thought I'm going to run up there

:09:44. > :09:46.and hit it across court and no, I was running up and barely getting to

:09:47. > :09:51.it. The brain remembered what to do but the body didn't follow. You

:09:52. > :09:55.think you are 18 again. By the way everybody, Sue Barker had the big De

:09:56. > :10:03.Maio biggest forehand in the game. Remember Steffi Graf in our era, she

:10:04. > :10:09.had it. Andy moved well. Stop! You've got the cheque in the post!

:10:10. > :10:18.You're welcome. So lovely to see you. Thank you for inviting me. We

:10:19. > :10:23.missed you in the studio last year. In the final will you join us for a

:10:24. > :10:30.bit? I will try. Breakfast at Wimbledon but I will do my utmost to

:10:31. > :10:34.try for you. Thank you so much. Good to see you. It is always great to

:10:35. > :10:37.hear from Chris and encouraging that she sees Jo Konta as a potential

:10:38. > :10:42.Grand Slam champion. She can be proud of the way she has played at

:10:43. > :10:47.Wimbledon. Let's hear from Jo who has been talking to Phil Jones.

:10:48. > :10:52.Commiserations on today but congratulations on a wonderful

:10:53. > :10:55.tournament as well. Thank you. We are not that far removed from the

:10:56. > :10:57.match but have you been able to process how it unfolded for you

:10:58. > :11:02.today? Definitely a little bit and I will

:11:03. > :11:07.keep working on it with my team. But overall I think all the credit has

:11:08. > :11:11.to go to Venus and the way she was able to play today. I don't think I

:11:12. > :11:15.did too much wrong. She really just dictated the match from the very

:11:16. > :11:22.beginning until the very end. I had very few chances to get a good

:11:23. > :11:25.foothold in the match. And again, when I did have those chances, she

:11:26. > :11:30.did very well to take them away from me. So all credit to her. I know

:11:31. > :11:33.that you said ahead of the match you would be humbled to share the court

:11:34. > :11:37.with somebody like Venus. When you see what she is able to do at the

:11:38. > :11:41.age of 37 with the illness she has, is there a sense of wonder as well?

:11:42. > :11:44.I think there is just a massive amount of respect for her and what

:11:45. > :11:49.she has achieved in our sport and what she has brought to our sport

:11:50. > :11:54.and what she has given it. I think it is more the fact that today shows

:11:55. > :11:59.why she is also a five-time champion here. And as for you, did you feel

:12:00. > :12:03.any extra nerves today because it was a Wimbledon semifinal and the

:12:04. > :12:06.occasion was such a big one? Actually, once I got out onto the

:12:07. > :12:13.court I felt very comfortable. I do love being on Centre Court here.

:12:14. > :12:19.It's both kind of big but also intimate at the same time. I think

:12:20. > :12:23.overall I enjoyed my tournament here, but definitely enjoyed today.

:12:24. > :12:27.Do you take away a sense of pride in the way you were able to not only

:12:28. > :12:32.played so well to get to this point but deal with all the attention that

:12:33. > :12:35.goes with it as a British player here at Wimbledon? Definitely. I

:12:36. > :12:42.think I dealt with it how I expected myself to deal with it, how I felt I

:12:43. > :12:45.was going to. But to be able to be involved until this stage of the

:12:46. > :12:49.tournament, I am very happy with that. Obviously I would have liked

:12:50. > :12:52.to go in little further but I'm definitely taking a lot of good

:12:53. > :12:57.things. The great thing is above all else you continue to show time after

:12:58. > :13:00.time you belong on this stage. Venus touched on it in her press

:13:01. > :13:04.conference about you are going to be challenging for majors for many

:13:05. > :13:11.years to come, we hope. I hope so too and that is very kind of her.

:13:12. > :13:17.Again, I am very humbled by that, I guess, by that from her. I will

:13:18. > :13:20.definitely do my best to do that. SUE BARKER: I'm sure she will be

:13:21. > :13:24.disappointed but has proved to herself she is right up there with

:13:25. > :13:27.the game's best and we look forward to following her in the years to

:13:28. > :13:32.come. I'm sure she will have learned a lot from that experience today. We

:13:33. > :13:36.look forward to the final, it is Venus Williams up against Garbine

:13:37. > :13:40.Muguruza. It will be a wonderful display of big serving and power

:13:41. > :13:52.from the back of the court. That is the final on Saturday on BBC One

:13:53. > :13:55.from 1pm. We have come to be end on BBC One but plenty of tennis still

:13:56. > :13:59.to come over on BBC Two and on Centre at the moment Britain's

:14:00. > :14:02.Heather Watson in her Mixed Doubles game with Henri Kontinen. That will

:14:03. > :14:05.be on BBC Two. For now, goodbye.