LONDON - Having reclaimed his place on Wimbledon's throne and indelibly etched his name in the tournament's record books, Roger Federer dangled the unpalatable possibility that he may never grace its fabled lawns again.
Fourteen years after a pony-tailed Swiss starlet first soared into the tennis ether at The All England Club, Federer returned on Sunday as a 35-year-old veteran to confirm his place as the greatest man ever to play the grasscourt slam with a record eighth title.
The 6-3 6-1 6-4 victory over Marin Cilic was a brutal demolition job, as the Croat's blistered feet rendered him easy pickings.
Yet, having delivered a 19th major title for his army of fans on Centre Court, Federer admitted that his advancing age and last year's injury issues meant he could not say for certain that he would be back to defend his crown next year.
"I hope that I'm back, but there's never a guarantee, especially not at 35," he told reporters.
Federer's resurgence to the game's summit will go down as one of sport's most remarkable comeback tales.
When he exited Wimbledon last year, he spent six months out of tennis through injury. Even the great man himself had doubts as to whether he could ever rekindle the magic that had delivered his last major title in 2012.
However, after the doubts were swept away by a sensational victory at the Australian Open in January, Federer made a game-changing career move to skip the claycourt season and focus on his favourite surface.
And few calls have ever been vindicated with such a resounding affirmation.
"I guess you would have laughed if I told you I was going to win two slams this year," he said. "I also didn't believe that I was going to win two.
"But, it's incredible. I don't know how much longer it's going to last... But I have just got to always remind myself that health comes first at this point. If I do that, maybe things are actually possible I didn't think were."
A lot has changed in the years since Federer clinched his first grand slam trophy at Wimbledon.
The long hair has gone and the fresh face that snatched the title in 2003 has been replaced by the filled-out features of a tour veteran.
Yet, as he marched to this year's crown without dropping a set, it was clear that the dazzling array of shots and sheer, balletic brilliance of tennis's greatest male player are all still in evidence.
Having surpassed Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who both had seven titles, Federer has earned his place in the record books at a tournament whose history is so important to him.
"Wimbledon was always my favorite tournament, will always be my favorite tournament," he said. "My heroes walked the grounds here and walked the courts here. Because of them, I think I became a better player.
"To make history here at Wimbledon really means a lot to me just because of all of that really. It's that simple."
(Reporting by Toby Davis; Editing by Rex Gowar)
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LONDON - It was a tale of two coaches and two sisters for Garbine Muguruza on Saturday as the Spaniard found the formula to steer her way through a barrage of high-intensity tennis and claim her first Wimbledon crown.
The moment of truth came in the 10th game when her opponent Venus Williams, 37 but playing with the energy of a teenager, threatened to cut loose after a captivating half hour of play.
The Venezuela-born 23-year-old faced two set points on her own serve but held her nerve to win them both, before reeling off the next nine games against the seven-times grand slam champion, a player she idolised in her youth.
"I was so excited to go out there and win, especially over somebody like a role model," Muguruza told reporters following the 7-5 6-0 victory that brought her her second major title.
With that comes the distinction of becoming the first player to beat both Venus and sister Serena in grand slam finals.
That triumph over the younger Williams came at last year's French Open, which was followed by a dip in form that has transitioned from a gradual to a spectacular reversal over the past fortnight.
"(It) is very hard to find a recipe to feel good fitness-wise, tennis-(wise), mentally. I think in this tournament I put everything together, which is very hard," Muguruza said.
One obvious new factor at the All England Club has been the addition to her entourage of Conchita Martinez in the absence of regular coach Sam Sumyk, whose wife is expecting a baby.
The new champion met Martinez - who beat a 37-year-old Martina Navratilova in 1994 to become Spain's only previous Wimbledon women's singles winner - as she paraded with her trophy through the corridors beneath Centre Court.
The pair embraced like family before being joined for a patriotic photo-op by Madrid-born four-times men's slam champion Manuel Santana, who lifted the Wimbledon crown in 1966.
"Obviously, I like Conchita to be in my team because I have a great relation with her," Muguruza said.
"We were very excited ... - the coincidence of her (beating) Navratilova, me (beating) Venus.. was, like, awesome."
Did that mean winning the title without Sumyk had given Muguruza extra confidence?
"No, definitely not... I was talking with him every day... We've done a very good job before.. I guess (him and Martinez) is a combination."
And the underlying message for her regular coach was laced with humour.
Asked at courtside if she had anything to say to him, she held the trophy aloft and said: "Here it is."
(Reporting by John Stonestreet, editing by Ed Osmond)
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Garbine Muguruza stormed to her first Wimbledon title and shattered Venus Williams' history bid with a majestic 7-5, 6-0 victory in Saturday's final.
Muguruza overwhelmed Williams with a supreme display of power hitting in 77 minutes on Centre Court to become only the second Spanish woman to win Wimbledon.
Watched from the Royal Box by King Juan Carlos of Spain, the 23-year-old finally got her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish two years after losing to the Venus' sister Serena in her maiden Wimbledon final.
Fittingly, it was Muguruza's current coach Conchita Martinez who was the first woman to raise the Spanish flag at Wimbledon in 1994 when she defeated Martina Navratilova.
"The first set was tough. We both had a lot of chances. I'm glad I took mine," Muguruza said.
"Two years ago I lost in the final against Serena and she told me I would win one day. Here I am. Finally!"
Venezuela-born Muguruza's second Grand Slam title, following her French Open triumph last year, denied Williams, 37, in her attempt to become the oldest Wimbledon champion in the Open era.
Back in the Wimbledon final after an eight-year absence, Williams had hoped to clinch a sixth All England Club title, nine years after she last lifted the trophy.
Instead, she paid the price for a surprisingly nerve-ridden display that condemned her to a second Grand Slam disappointment this year following her Australian Open final loss against Serena.
"Congratulations Garbine. I know how hard you work," Williams said.
"I tried my best to do the things Serena does, but I think there will be other opportunities."
Since winning her maiden Grand Slam title in Paris, Muguruza had endured something of a sophomore slump as her ranking dropped out of the top 10.
But she has rediscovered her mojo on grass and will climb to fifth when the new rankings are confirmed next week.
Remarkably, of her four tour-level titles, two are now Grand Slams.
With persistent drizzle blanketing the All England Club, Williams and Muguruza were competing in the first Wimbledon final to begin under the roof, watched by a sell-out crowd including Hollywood actress Hilary Swank.
Twenty years ago, Williams admitted she was a bundle of nerves when she made a losing Wimbledon debut against Magdalena Grzybowska and, in her ninth All England Club final, once again there was anxiety coursing through her error-strewn display.
Fortified by a cross-court winner to bring up break point at 3-2, Williams looked poised to seize control, but instead a tame forehand into the net to let Muguruza off the hook.
- Barrage -
It was the first of a series of vital escapes for Muguruza, who was matching Williams blow for blow in a series of bruising baseline rallies.
Gifted two set points at 4-5, Williams couldn't deliver the knockout blow and Muguruza over-powered her in a gripping rally to save the first before scrambling out of trouble on the second.
Muguruza had the momentum now, her piercing ground-strokes gradually moving Williams into enough awkward areas to land the crucial first break at 5-5.
Williams was rattled by Muguruza's barrage, fatally allowing the Spaniard's lob to drop in and present her with set points that she gleefully gobbled up.
Muguruza was just 6 when Williams first won Wimbledon and the 23-year-old's third major final appearance was dwarfed by Williams' 16 Grand Slam title matches.
Still reeling from the shock of losing the first set, she served up a limp double fault on break point to hand Muguruza the lead at the start of the second set.
Williams was shattered and Muguruza went for the kill so ruthlessly that in the blink of an eye she had broken twice more to take a 5-0 lead.
Muguruza had spoken eloquently this week of etching her name onto the Wimbledon honours board alongside Venus, Serena and the other All England Club icons.
It took one last blizzard of thunderous winners to ensure her dream would come true.
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LONDON — Roger Federer's relentless pursuit of a record eighth Wimbledon title continued as he beat stubborn Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach the final for the 11th time on Friday.
The 35-year-old Swiss was given his toughest test yet by the 11th seed, who beat him at the quarter-final stage in 2010, but he raised his game at the crucial moments to become the oldest men's singles finalist here since Ken Rosewall in 1974.
Rosewall, the aged 39, went on to lose to Jimmy Connors but Federer will be a huge favourite to reclaim the title he last won in 2012 against big-serving Croatian Marin Cilic on Sunday.
Federer has now reached 29 grand slam finals and for the third time in his career has reach the Wimbledon final without dropping a set, having also achieved the feat in 2006 and 2008.
"I feel very privileged to be in another final," Federer, who received a standing ovation at the end, said.
"I've got the pleasure to play on Centre Court another time. I can't believe it's almost true again. I'm happy to have a day off to reflect on what I've done at the tournament."
Twelve months ago here Federer lost to Milos Raonic in the semi-finals - his legs looking heavy and the years finally appearing to catch up with him - but this year he has rolled back the clock in glorious fashion.
MAJOR PRIZES
He now is one-match away from holding two of the game's major four prizes for the first time since 2010 having begun the year by claiming the Australian Open title.
Berdych, who reached the semifinal after second seed Novak Djokovic retired hurt in the quarters, is not a man to be taken lightly and Federer was never able to truly relax.
Federer, contesting a record 12th Wimbledon semi-final, broke serve in the fifth game when he whipped away a forehand.
Out of nowhere Berdych broke back for 4-4 when Federer — to gasps from the crowd — double-faulted at break point down.
Berdych needed to get his nose in front by winning the first set tiebreak but a terrible forehand at 3-4 gave Federer control and it was the third seed who moved ahead.
Federer served consecutive aces to fend off two break points at 2-3 in a second set which drifted to another tiebreak.
Again Berdych's spirit was crushed as he watched three consecutive forehand winners fly by as Federer again proved ruthless on the way to moving two sets clear.
The 31-year-old Berdych refused to throw in the towel, however, and had break points at 3-3 in the third set, only for Federer to smash down three aces and an unreturnable serve.
Right on cue Federer broke in the next game and the end came quickly as he held serve at 5-4 to seal his 90th win at the All England Club — and yet another notch in the history books.
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LONDON - Johanna Konta won a place at the Wimbledon semi-final table on Tuesday in a feast of tension-filled tennis, powering past Simona Halep in three epic sets to become the first British woman to reach the last four in almost 40 years.
In a match dripping with tension towards the business end of one of the most open women's grasscourt grand slams in years Konta rode a wave of home support to win 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 6-4.
The sixth seed and second-seeded Halep were facing each other for the first time since a turbulent Fed Cup tie in April.
Serving up the only tennis show in town as the rain drummed down outside the roofed-in Centre Court and avoiding eye contact at changeovers, the pair also had the extra weight of history to contend with.
Konta, working hard to keep her opponent pinned behind the baseline, was bidding to book a date with Venus Williams on Thursday as the first home semi-finalist since Virginia Wade in 1978, the year after Wade won the title.
Halep, scampering from wing to wing as she soaked up the pressure, was one match from becoming the first Romanian to top the computerised world rankings - a distinction that, following her defeat, passed to Czech Karolina Pliskova.
The refined surroundings of the main showcourt were a world away from the tiny stadium on the Black Sea where the two players last met, Halep winning that encounter in straight sets.
Konta became tearful during her other singles match in that Fed Cup tie, against Sorana Cirstea, blaming what she called a hostile reception from Romanian fans who Halep this week described as "very fair".
On Tuesday the Australia-born Briton struggled to take it all in too -- but for altogether different reasons.
"Right now it's a little bit surreal," she told the BBC after sealing victory in just under two-and-three-quarter hours.
"Simona... was really not going to give me much for free so I definitely had to be the one out there to create my own chances and I felt I did that."
Konta said she was "excited and humble" to be facing Venus Williams, a match that Wade predicted the Briton would win.
"It’s fine to be the last British women’s winner (at) ...Wimbledon, but it’s better to have plenty of British players to win," Wade said in comments released by the All England Club.
"If I get a chance I will tell (Johanna) how well she played and wish her good luck."
FINAL SCREAM
The match closed on a surreal note, when the final point was punctuated by a spectator's scream, Halep lamely netting a forehand as she appealed in vain for a let.
In a nod to that episode, Konta described the crowd as incredible, adding: I think they were a little over-enthusiastic in parts, but I definitely cannot complain with the amount of support and general good feeling they were wishing my way."
Defying the cheers and cries of "C'mon Jo" echoing around the arena, where only the Royal Box had seats to spare, Halep shaded the early exchanges.
She pounced on any error and broke serve to lead 3-0 as the sixth-seeded Briton, close to brimming over with nervous energy, struggled to keep her searing groundstrokes in court.
But Konta fought back, cranking up her serve and winning eight straight points to draw level at 4-4.
Halep won the first set on a tiebreak with Konta, having squandered a clutch of break points, returning the favour in the second.
The intensity moved up a notch in the third set before Konta broke in the fifth game and held her nerve to serve the match out.
The stadium erupted and, out on Henman Hill, the umbrellas of the fans massed in front of the big screen twirled.
"We've been to every (other) Konta match," said Glenda Powell from Farnham. "She gives the British people heart."
(Reporting by John Stonestreet; editing by Ken Ferris)
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Venus Williams handed out another lesson to one of Wimbledon's young upstarts when she beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 7-5 on Tuesday to become the oldest women's semi-finalist for 23 years.
The five-time champion, who turned 37 last month, tamed the big-hitting Latvian with a rock-solid performance under the Centre Court roof, winning with something to spare.
Ostapenko turned women's tennis upside down when she rocketed out of the pack to claim her first professional title at the French Open last month and the feisty 20-year-old appeared to be gathering momentum on the All England Club lawns.
A rare French Open/Wimbledon double looked within reach for Ostapenko who had struck 121 winners en route to the last eight.
But old maestro Williams, who had already schooled a 21-year-old and two teenagers en route to her 38th grand slam quarter-final, has seen it all before and barely flinched.
There was a wobble when she dropped serve with a double-fault in the second set -- giving Ostapenko renewed belief -- but she never look ruffled as she reached the semi-finals here for the 10th time in 20 visits.
Making her Centre Court debut Ostapenko was a little more subdued than normal but received a glowing report from the veteran of 75 grand slam campaigns.
"She went for a lot of shots. She competed really well. She kept herself really in the game with her attitude. I thought she just did a lot of things really well and kept it close," Williams, who made her Wimbledon debut in 1997, a few weeks after Ostapenko was born, told reporters.
"I never played her. Didn't really know what to expect. I was really happy to come out on top."
SLOW START
Ostapenko, who three years ago served notice of her talent by winning the Wimbledon junior title, said she paid for the slow start which allowed Williams to sprint into a 3-0 lead.
"I was missing a little bit," Ostapenko, who tasted defeat for the first time in 12 grand slam singles matches, said.
"I was not playing bad, but I was just not playing the way I wanted to play today. I wasn't serving so well."
Ostapenko shoveled a backhand into the net in the second game to gift Williams a break and the American breezed through the opener in 29 minutes -- sealing it when Ostapenko completely missed an attempted service return.
Williams secured an early break in the second set but a double-fault allowed Ostapenko to break back and briefly the Latvian livewire looked dangerous with some bludgeoning winners.
Ostapenko was two points from squaring the match when 10th seed Williams served at 4-5 but narrowly missed the line with a forehand howitzer at 30-30, to the relief of her opponent.
Williams capitalized on some errors to break in the next game and held to love to claim victory.
Since winning Wimbledon in 2008, her seventh major, Williams has only reached the final here once, losing to Serena in 2009.
But without her younger sibling for company this time, however, a sixth title beckons. (Editing by Ed Osmond and Pritha Sarkar)
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LONDON - It is women's quarter-finals day at Wimbledon on Tuesday, with Johanna Konta, Simona Halep and Jelena Ostapenko among those looking to make their mark, but Novak Djokovic gets the action underway on Centre Court (1100 GMT) in a fourth round match pushed back from Monday.
The Serbian second seed's match against France's Adrian Mannarino was delayed because of the epic five-setter between Gilles Muller and Rafa Nadal.
From then on, it is women's quarters all the way.
Five-times champion Venus Williams is, at 37, the oldest player in more than two decades to reach the last eight. The American faces 20-year-old French Open champion Ostapenko from Latvia.
Next up is second seed Halep, who will become the first Romanian woman to reach world number one if she beats Konta. The British sixth seed is looking to become the first home women's champion for 40 years.
On Court One, Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova - in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time in 10 years - will go up against Spain's Garbine Muguruza, who eliminated world number one Angelique Kerber on Monday.
Wrapping up the women's quarter-finals, big-hitting Coco Vandeweghe from the United States will hope her new coach Pat Cash, a former Wimbledon champion, will give her the edge as she takes on Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova.
(Reporting by Pravin Char; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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Rafael Nadal's bittersweet relationship with Wimbledon endured another twist Monday when he was knocked out in a five-set, fourth round epic by Luxembourg journeyman Gilles Muller.
Nadal's stunning 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 defeat came after defending champion Andy Murray and seven-time winner Roger Federer had cruised into the last-eight in straight sets.
The four hour and 48-minute stunner on Court One had the knock-on effect of pushing Novak Djokovic's last-16 clash against France's Adrian Mannarino back to Tuesday.
Djokovic had been the last match scheduled on the court but officials chose to postpone the tie instead of shifting it to Centre Court where it could, if necessary, have been completed under lights.
Just weeks after winning his 10th French Open title, Nadal was condemned to his fifth exit before the quarter-finals in his last five visits to Wimbledon.
"It was not my best match against a very uncomfortable opponent," said world number two Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion.
"Well done to him. He played great, especially in the fifth set but I fought to the last ball."
Muller tired but thrilled
Nadal converted just two of 16 break points, while Muller fired 30 aces and 95 winners.
Muller, seeded 16th, will make his first Wimbledon quarter-final appearance against former US Open champion Marin Cilic on Wednesday.
"Tired! It was a long match. I did really well in the first two sets then Rafa stepped it up and in the end it was just a big battle," said Muller, who won on a fifth match point, more than an hour and a half after his first.
In a pulsating final set, which stretched to 95 minutes, Nadal saved two match points in the 10th game and two more in the 20th.
In between, Muller had to fight off a break point in the 13th game and four more in the 19th.
Nadal was always chasing the score and he finally cracked in the 28th game of the decider when he went long with a return.
"I said, 'just give it a shot, go 100 percent', and it's a great feeling to be winning that match," added Muller whose only other win over the great Spaniard also came at Wimbledon, 12 years ago.
Murray through
Defending champion Murray reached a 10th successive Wimbledon quarter-final with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-4 win over France's Benoit Paire.
World number one Murray will face Sam Querrey for a place in the semi-finals.
"I thought I played well. Maybe a couple of sloppy service games in the first set but that was by far the best I'd hit the ball so far in the tournament. So I'm really pleased with that," said Murray.
Only Federer and Jimmy Connors (11 each) have reached more consecutive Wimbledon quarter-finals than Murray.
Murray's win meant that with Johanna Konta also making the last-eight in the women's tournament, it is the first time since 1973 that Britain has two players in the quarter-finals.
Federer reached his 50th Grand Slam quarter-final and 15th at Wimbledon with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over Grigor Dimitrov.
The Swiss star will now face Milos Raonic, the 2016 runner-up, after the sixth-seeded Canadian clinched a 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over Alexander Zverev of Germany, the 10th seed.
Raonic defeated Federer in the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2016.
Federer, 35, is the second oldest man to make the quarter-finals at Wimbledon behind Ken Rosewall who was 39 when he reached the last-eight in 1971.
"I'm thrilled to be back in the quarters again," said Federer who took his record over Dimitrov to 6-0.
Safety issue
The All England Club defended the decision not to switch Djokovic against Mannarino to Centre Court.
"It was determined the match could not be moved to Centre Court due to the number of spectators remaining in the grounds," said a statement.
"As late as 8:30pm, 30,000 people still remained in the grounds, and therefore moving the match would have created a significant safety issue.
"Both players were explained the rationale of postponing the match."
Querrey, the US 24th seed who knocked out Djokovic in 2016, made the quarter-finals for a second successive year with a 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-7 (13/11), 6-3 over unseeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa.
Seventh seeded Cilic downed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
Cilic will look to reach his first semi-final at the All England Club when he faces Muller.
Czech 11th seed Tomas Berdych downed eighth-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Berdych, the 2010 runner-up, will face either three-time champion Djokovic or Mannarino for a place in the semi-finals.
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LONDON - The All England Club was strangely silent on Sunday as Wimbledon took a pause for breath before the most intense day of the tournament - Manic Monday.
While it seems odd for one of the world's biggest sports events to take a day off in the middle of competition, there is a good rationale for the schedule and a reward for the restraint.
Just as a fine bottle of wine benefits from being given time to breathe, the Wimbledon vintage is just that little more special after a day off.
On Monday every player, men and women, remaining in the tournament, takes to the court to fight for a place in the quarter-finals.
It's the business end of the tournament and instead of the early stages messily merging into the last 16 match-ups, the tournament presses the re-set button and the pause amplifies the sense of drama to come.
"It's unlike other grand slams. Wimbledon is very unique because it's not played on middle Sunday. So Monday is a big day for all the players, both men and women," said Novak Djokovic who takes on France's Adrian Mannarino.
"It is even more so for the tournament and fans. It's one of the days where you can get probably the most quality matches, both singles and doubles, men and women, that you can have throughout the entire tournament," said the Serb, a three-times Wimbledon winner.
Eleventh seed Tomas Berdych, beaten finalist in 2010, has an intriguing match against Austria's rising star Dominic Thiem on Court Three and the Czech believes fans with tickets for Monday have chosen wisely.
"I would say it's the best day of tennis that you can see," says Berdych.
"I think if anybody asked me for a day that they want to go to the tennis, I would say the second Monday of the Wimbledon, because you see men's, women's, you see last 16.
"So you see a lot of matches so you can also go to the ground courts and you're still going to see a great match up. I think it's the best day in tennis," he said.
Indeed, away from big stadium courts, fans can see title contenders such as French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko taking on fourth-seed Elina Svitolina on Court 12.
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov has prime billing on Centre Court against seven-times Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and while he is relishing that prospect he savoured the silence of Sunday.
"Everything is so calm. It's just us, the players. All you can hear is the hitting of the ball. You can just hear how the ball sits on the strings. You just hear that.
"Honestly, it's a pretty special feeling. It puts a huge smile on my face."
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
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LONDON - Center Court fans at Wimbledon will be hoping to see a bit more of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on Saturday when they play back-to-back third round matches.
The last time Djokovic and Federer played successive matches on tennis' most famous stage, fans were left short changed as both of their first-round opponents quit midway through the second set with injuries.
Latvia's Ernests Gulbis, once a top 10 player but now ranked 589th, and Germany's Mischa Zverev are unlikely to disappear quite as easily however, and are likely to pose the first real tests to Djokovic and seven-times champion Federer.
Women's top seed Angelique Kerber has been finding her grasscourt feet following her struggles in the first half of the season and will be hoping to continue her resurgence against American Shelby Rogers.
Agnieszka Radwanska, runner-up here in 2012, will open Centre Court proceedings against Swiss Timea Bacsinszky.
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will be back to complete the fifth set of his encounter against Djokovic's 2016 conqueror Sam Querrey.
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Andy Murray survived a scare from Fabio Fognini as the defending champion scraped his way into the Wimbledon last 16 along with title rival Rafael Nadal on Friday.
Murray didn't have it all his own way against Fognini, but the world number one eventually subdued the eccentric Italian 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 to secure a 10th successive appearance in the Wimbledon fourth round.
In a tetchy Centre Court clash, Murray complained about Fognini taking too long between points as the 28th seed, who was given a point penalty for a visible obscenity, shrugged off a mid-match injury to push the Scot to the brink.
Murray had to save five set points to avoid being forced into a deciding set, reeling off five successive games to secure his 105th win on grass and remain on course for a titanic semi-final showdown against Nadal.
The 30-year-old, who faces France's Benoit Paire for a place in the quarter-finals, is bidding to become the first Briton to successfully defend a Grand Slam title since Fred Perry at Wimbledon from 1934-1936.
"Obviously the end of the match was tense. It was a very up and down match," Murray said.
"I didn't feel like it was the best tennis, but I managed to get through. I was pleased to get off in four sets."
Having won his 10th French Open crown without dropping a set last month, Nadal has made the switch from clay to grass with ease.
His 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) win against Russian 30th seed Karen Khachanov equalled the Spaniard's personal record of 28 successive sets won at Grand Slams, a blistering streak dating back to this year's Australian Open final.
Nadal's second and most recent Wimbledon title came in 2010 and the 15-time major winner hasn't been past the fourth round for six years.
But world number two Nadal is in formidable form heading into only his second fourth round tie in his last five visits to Wimbledon.
His opponent is 16th seed Gilles Muller, who defeated Aljaz Bedene 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 6-4 to reach the last 16 for the first time at the age of 34.
"I played fantastic for a set and a half but it got tougher after that. He started to hit stronger so I was happy to get through in three sets," Nadal said.
Former US Open finalist Kei Nishikori had hoped to finally advance past the fourth round at Wimbledon after years of under-achievement.
But the world number nine didn't even reach the last 16 as he was over-powered 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3 by Spanish 18th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
Nishikori's third round exit means Wimbledon remains the only Grand Slam he has failed to make the quarter-finals.
"It's not easy. I don't have good results on grass. I have got to work on it every year," Nishikori said.
Former US Open champion Marin Cilic advanced to face Bautista Agut with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 win against American 26th seed Steve Johnson.
With former England captain David Beckham watching from the Royal Box, former world number one Victoria Azarenka defeated British wild card Heather Watson 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Competing in her first Grand Slam since taking a year off to have her first child -- son Leo -- in December, Azarenka was caught out as Watson made a fast start to her attempt to reach the last 16 for the first time.
But the two-time Australian Open champion stepped on the gas to keep alive her attempt to emulate Evonne Goolagong, who was the last Wimbledon mum to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish in 1980.
- Flamboyant -
Only Goolagong, Margaret Court and Kim Clijsters have won a Grand Slam singles title after having a child.
Next up for Azarenka, who reached the semi-finals in 2011 and 2012, is world number two Simona Halep.
Halep, beaten in the French Open final last month, eased through with a 6-4, 7-6 (9/7) win against China's Peng Shuai.
British sixth seed Johanna Konta showed why she is the new bookmakers' favourite for the title with a 6-4, 6-1 rout of Greek world number 101 Maria Sakkari.
With two-time champion Petra Kvitova and third seed Karolina Pliskova eliminated, Konta hopes to become the first British woman to win Wimbledon since Virginia Wade in 1977.
French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko made the last 16 for the first time with a 7-5, 7-5 win against Camila Giorgi.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LONDON -- Rafael Nadal continued his imperious run of form as he swept aside American Donald Young, 6-4 6-2 7-5, in the Wimbledon second round on Wednesday.
The two-times champion was rarely troubled by an opponent ranked 43rd in the world who chose to slug it out from the back of the court against the supreme Spanish baseliner.
The fourth seed, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament, will face Karen Khachanov in the third round. The 21-year-old Russian is tipped to be a future winner of grand slams.
"It might look easy at this moment in our sport, because there are three players that won 18, 15, and 12," he said, referring to Roger Federer, himself and Novak Djokovic.
"But it not a very long time ago when (Pete) Sampras had 14, and it looked like nobody was going to have the chance to increase that number," Nadal added.
"Karen is a great player, he has chances to win a lot. But then there are other good players out there."
On current form, few people would bet against Nadal.
The 31-year-old, fresh from winning his 10th French Open title last month, was roared on by the crowd and he seemed to be able to produce winners at will with his swashbuckling forehand.
Young, 27, sought to mix up his play in the third set by rushing the net and he broke the Spaniard's serve. But in the end there was nothing he could do to prevent the Nadal juggernaut rolling on.
As Nadal left Center Court, he was slightly taken aback when a fan asked him to sign a prosthetic leg, but he politely agreed.
Asked whether that was the strangest thing he had autographed, he chuckled: "Probably not."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LONDON -- Defending champion Andy Murray and fellow two-time winner Rafael Nadal take center stage on the first day of Wimbledon on Monday, keen to deliver early hammer blows to any doubts over their title aspirations.
Top seed and world number one Murray opens proceedings on Centre Court insisting a hip problem will not prevent him from dispatching Kazakh lucky loser Alexander Bublik.
The weekend news that the 30-year-old Scot is to become a father for the second time will also be an extra incentive to make it a tournament to remember.
Nadal, the champion in 2008 and 2010 and a three-time runner-up, missed last year's championships because of a wrist injury.
Since making the final in 2011, he has lost to opponents outside the top 100 on four occasions.
Australia's John Millman, his first round rival on Monday, is the current 137.
Elsewhere on the opening day, former world number one Victoria Azarenka plays her first Slam since becoming a mother while two-time champion Petra Kvitova is sure to receive a warm Centre Court welcome as she steadily rebuilds her career after being attacked by a knifeman in her home last December.
Murray is looking to become the first British player –- man or woman –- to defend a Grand Slam title since Fred Perry won Wimbledon from 1934-36.
Meanwhile, Bublik, the world number 134, is making his grass court debut.
Murray, who has a 29-0 record against players outside the top 100, insists his recent hip problems are behind him.
"I'll be fine to play the event and play seven matches," he said.
Nadal is bidding to record his 850th tour-level match-win and become just the seventh player in history to reach the landmark.
It's also his 50th match at Wimbledon.
Millman is playing just his second match of the year after missing five months with a hip injury.
- Nadal on high after French Open -
Nadal, on a high after his record-setting 10th French Open title just three weeks ago, will not be under-estimating the Australian after his recent experiences at Wimbledon.
The 31-year-old Spaniard lost to world number 100 Lukas Rosol in 2012, number 135 Steve Darcis in 2013, Nick Kyrgios, the 144, in 2014 the 102-ranked Dustin Brown in 2015.
"This is a tournament that you can go out very early. But at the same time, if I am able to go through at the beginning, I think I'm with confidence," said Nadal.
Venus Williams marks her 20th Wimbledon anniversary with a tie against Belgium's Elise Mertens who she defeated in the third round of Roland Garros.
However, the 37-year-old five-time champion arrives in London facing a wrongful death suit after she was involved in a fatal car crash in Florida.
An elderly man in the other vehicle suffered head injuries in the collision and died on June 22.
Kvitova, whose career was almost ended by the injuries caused fighting off an intruder at her home in the Czech Republic, takes on Sweden's Johann Larsson.
In the absence of Serena Williams (pregnant) and Maria Sharapova (injured), Kvitova finds herself in the position of favourite for a third title to add to her 2011 and 2014 triumphs.
Azarenka, who starts against Catherine Bellis of the United States, will be playing her first Grand Slam since taking time off after last year's French Open to have her first child Leo in December.
Kim Clijsters, Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong are the only women to have won a Grand Slam after having a child.
Elsewhere on day one, men's fifth seed Stan Wawrinka, looking to complete the career Slam faces Russia's Daniil Medvedev while combustible Australian Nick Kyrgios kicks off play on Court Three against Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France.
French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, the 2014 Wimbledon junior champion, takes on Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
Second seed Simona Halep, blasted off court in the Paris final by Ostapenko, faces New Zealand's Marina Erakovic.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
