Wimbledon 2012: Serena Williams wins fifth singles title

Serena Williams overcame a resurgent Agnieszka Radwanska to clinch a hard-fought 6-1 5-7 6-2 victory and earn her fifth Wimbledon singles title.

The American had eased through the opening set before Radwanska regrouped to win a rain-delayed second set.

But Williams broke twice in the decider to kill off Radwanska's challenge.
The 30-year-old then followed up her success to claim the doubles title with sister Venus, defeating Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-5 6-4.

Her singles victory is Williams's 14th Grand Slam title and follows Wimbledon singles victories in 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2010.

But it is also her first since spending almost a year out of action between summer 2010
and 2011 with a leg injury and subsequent pulmonary embolism.

Wimbledon 2012: Briton Jonathan Marray wins men's doubles final

Jonathan Marray became the first Briton to win the Wimbledon men's doubles title for 76 years after victory with wildcard partner Frederik Nielsen.

Sheffield-based Marray, 31, and Dane Nielsen only teamed up three events ago but beat fifth seeds Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 4-6 6-4 7-6 6-7 6-3.

Patrick Hughes and Raymond Tuckey were the last British winners in 1936.

Wimbledon 2012: Cilic beats Querrey in second longest match

Marin Cilic beat Sam Querrey in five hours 31 minutes, the second longest match in Wimbledon history. Cilic, 23, finally won the third-round match 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-7 (7-2) 6-7 (7-3) 17-15 at 21:02 BST.
It was still less than half the length of the longest match in Wimbledon history, when John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut in 11 hours five minutes in 2010.
"That was complete drama, especially that fifth set," said 16th seed Cilic, who faces Andy Murray on Monday.
The match surpassed the mark of five hours 28 minutes set in 1989 when Greg Holmes beat Todd Witsken 5-7 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 14-12.
Cilic and Querrey embraced at the net at the end of the match, and the Croatian said such a long affair was tough both mentally and physically.
"The difficult thing is that you are always thinking you are close, that you are going to break, but the game keeps going and the set is getting longer, and still you have to be really focused not to miss any easy balls," he said.
"You cannot let the other person see you are in physical or mental trouble, so it's not easy, but I would say it was a really big mental battle today."
Cilic, who became Queen's champion after David Nalbandian was disqualified in the final, is anticipating a different style of match against Murray.
"There is going to be more points from the rally, more running and I'd say Sam [Querry] was serving really well today, so it wasn't easy to find the rhythm from the back of the court," said Cilic.
"It was a little bit windy also, so I would say it will be a different match definitely, but I hope I'm going to be fresh and ready to go."
Source : BBC

Wimbledon 2012: Andy Murray beats Marcos Baghdatis in thriller

Andy Murray reached the fourth round of Wimbledon with a victory over Marcos Baghdatis that finished at 23:02 BST. British number one Murray came through 7-5 3-6 7-5 6-1 in three hours and 13 minutes of thrilling tennis to book his place in the second week. The encounter started at 19:15 and the Centre Court roof was closed at 21:00 after Baghdatis had pulled level.
With local rules stating no play beyond 23:00, Murray served out in a hurry and will play Marin Cilic on Monday.
Murray admitted: "I was under the impression I was stopping at 11 (23:00 BST) regardless of what the score was - even if it was in the middle of a game. I am obviously glad I managed to get the finish. The atmosphere at the end was excellent." It was a memorable finish to a bizarre battle, following on from late-night matches involving Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the previous three evenings.
This one was given added spice by the presence of Miles Maclagan - Murray's former coach - in the Baghdatis corner and Maclagan suggested beforehand that inside knowledge could help his charge.
It certainly seemed to as Baghdatis fought back from a set and a break down to lead 4-2 in the third, only for Murray to rally as the Cypriot tired. Baghdatis beat Murray en route to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2006, the same year he reached the Australian Open final.
source : BBC

Wimbledon 2012: Serena Williams & Petra Kvitova reach round four

Serena Williams fought back from a set down and set a new Wimbledon women's record of 23 aces to keep alive her bid for a fifth singles title. Williams, 30, had to dig deep to edge past China's Zheng Jie 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 9-7, while defending champion Petra Kvitova breezed into round four. "I definitely felt like it was a gut check for me," said Williams. "I never felt I would lose. I told myself to stay calm. I'm always strong mentally. That's not going anywhere." The American, who set the previous aces record of 20 in the 2009 semi-final against Elena Dementieva, stumbled in the first-set tie-break. But she romped through the second set before coming out on top in a nail-biting decider after two hours and 28 minutes on Centre Court. "I thought in the third set, if I'm going to go out I want to go out with a bang," said Williams, who served three times to stay in the match, winning each game to love. Williams, the sixth seed, will next play Kazakh wildcard Yaroslava Shvedova, who made history by achieving the first 'golden set' in Grand Slams against Sara Errani . French Open finalist Errani failed to win a single point during a 15-minute first set, in which Shvedova won 24 consecutive points, and eventually fell 6-0 6-4 to the world number 65.
Source: BBC

'Alpha male' Andy Roddick keeps fans guessing

Andy Roddick kissed Wimbledon Centre Court farewell on Saturday, but the ''alpha male'' of American tennis refused to reveal whether it meant goodbye for good.

David Lloyd wants improved Andy Murray image

Former Davis Cup captain David Lloyd believes Andy Murray's chances of winning a major will improve if he works on his serve and his image.

The Englishman also says Murray should prioritise participation in the Davis Cup to build a sense of achievement.

"If you look at Nadal, Djokovic and Federer when they come on the court, they have a demeanour," said Lloyd.

"They are exceptionally well-dressed and clean-shaven. Andy doesn't come on like that."

Murray lost out in this year's Wimbledon semi-final to Rafael Nadal and was runner-up in the Australian Open final, but Lloyd felt the criticism of the British number one was unjustified.

He pointed to Murray's serve as a weakness in his game but refused to concede that the Scotsman had let the nation down.

"I think the criticism is unfair," said Lloyd. "Andy is a very good tennis player.

"He is definitely the third or fourth best in the world, but he's not quite as good as those three guys really.

"It's not that he played badly - I think what happened was his serve, his first serve, when that goes in, he can beat Nadal.

"If Andy is going to become that slightly better player - number two or number one in the world - he has to get more percentage of first serves. Then he can win a major. Otherwise, he's not quite good enough.

"He hasn't let us down - he played to the best of his ability - and it's a pretty good thing."

Lloyd also feels Murray's image sends the wrong message to his opponents and makes him seem weaker in crunch matches - and he should seek out a coach that is equal to the Scotsman's stoical personality.

"I know it's a silly thing, but mental stuff in tennis is so important," said the former Wimbledon doubles semi-finalist.

"It's a one-to-one game. If he could change his image a ilttle bit and go on with a little bit more fight. When players get to the third of fourth set of a five-setter, he's not going to be as tough mentally as them.

"He has great shots in him - one of the best back-hands in the world.

"I think he just needs a mental change and a change in his attitude. I would concentrate on finding a coach of real power who is not going to bow down to Andy and stand up to him."

Ahead of Friday's Davis Cup match against Luxembourg in Glasgow's Braehead Arena, Lloyd feels Murray should place a bigger emphasis on the premier international men's team event in the way Wimbledon champion Djokovic did as he inspired Serbia to a 3-2 win against France.

He also rejected any notion that Luxembourg would be an easy tie for Britain.

"If you would have thought of Luxembourg a year ago, it would have seemed easy," said Lloyd.

"But they've got Gilles Muller, who is a good player. It's not a slam-dunk.

"I think the Davis Cup should be one of the top things on Andy's list to play the Davis Cup. Put it up the calendar.

"If you ask Djokovic what his second-best moment was, I think you'll find it was winning the Davis Cup for his country.

"But I think he'll do great. It's great to be playing in Scotland, but it's not an easy match."

Novak Djokovic ends seven year Roger Federer- Rafael Nadal domination at the top

Novak Djokovic ends seven year Roger Federer- Rafael Nadal domination at the top

Sania leapfrogs to doubles world number 2

The semifinal appearance in the Wimbledon women's doubles on Monday catapulted Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina to number two slot in the WTA Race to the year-end Championships.

Sania-Elena now have 4506 points in the list, headed by Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, who have 6865 points. The top-four pairs compete in the prestigious year-end championship.

"The partnership with Elena has been great in the last four months, specially the Slams. When we started playing together last year at Dubai, and had somebody said that we will be number two after Wimbledon, we would have laughed," Sania told PTI from Dubai.

Sania has taken a three-week break from the circuit to recover from the injury in the left knee.

"It's (knee) sore since I am off the pain killers. I am recovering. Hopefully it will be okay after 10 days rest," she said.

Sania's first tournament after the break will be the WTA event in Washington from July 25.

The good show at the Wimbledon also resulted in Sania achieving the career-best doubles rank of 11, an improvement of three slots. In the singles though Sania slid to 63, a loss of three position, after a first round exit.

In the ATP rankings, Somdev Devvarman rose to career-best 63 in the singles. Leander Paes also improved his doubles rankings by getting back into the top-10.

He is placed eighth while his partner Mahesh Bhupathi is highest ranked Indian in the list at number five. Rohan Bopanna is at number 10, just behind his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi.

Somdev Devvarman reaches career-high 63 in ATP rankings

India's Somdev Devvarman reached a career-high 63 in the ATP singles rankings released Monday.

Devvarman, who reached the second round of Wimbledon where he lost to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, gained five places.

In the doubles, Mahesh Bhupathi was steady at fifth position while his partner Leander Paes climbed three places to eighth.

The Indian pair, who reunited at the start of the year after playing with different partners for nine years, were upset in Wimbleon's second round by Arnaud Clement of France and Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic.

Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq and India's Rohan Bopanna, who lost in the first round of Wimbledon, dropped one place each to occupy ninth and 10th positions.

Wimbledon: Bryan brothers equal record with 11th grand slam title

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan claimed their 11th grand slam doubles title together at Wimbledon on Saturday after beating Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 6-3 6-4 7-6.

The 33-year-olds are now the most prolific men's doubles duo in grand slams along with Australian double-act Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

"This is a Wimbledon title. This is as special as it gets," Mike told reporters. "I always thought we'd play our best at Wimbledon, and we've lost three heart-breaking finals.

"To get on that board again, to have two Wimbledon titles, is really special. And then to equal the Woodies, a team that we idolised, the greatest team in our mind, is unbelievable. I mean to get their title record and get the grand slam record, I mean, I'm trying to figure out what's left. I mean, we'd love to try to get to 12 and do that at the US Open. But those guys have been really gracious. They're the first to come up to us and congratulate us."

The Bryans, who have now won a record 73 doubles titles in tandem, were appearing in their fifth Wimbledon final having lost three of the previous four.

With doubles specialists generally able to play much longer than their singles counterparts, the Bryans have set no limits on how many trophies they can win together.

"We'll keep going," Bob said. "We see our time out here as I think five or six more years. You look at (Daniel) Nestor.He's 39, almost turning 40. The guy's just having a great time still and he's playing well. I think we're going to milk it as long as we can."

Maria Sharapova's seven-year wait to wimbledon 2011final

Seven years after a surprise victory at Wimbledon at age 17, Maria Sharapova is back in the final, this time as a three-time winner in grand slams and the heavy favourite on Saturday.

Petra Kvitova is preparing for her first slam final. The 21-year-old Czech might be dreaming of a debut like that of her Russian rival, who overpowered the top-seeded Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4 in 2004 to establish herself as a precocious star of the women's game.

The seven-year gap between Wimbledon finals might surprise some, but it is not something that troubles Sharapova.

"You obviously hope that you can be in the final stages every single year, but I guess it's just not meant to happen," she said yesterday. This is the year I'm supposed to be back in the final. I don't know why. I'm not going to question it."

Since 2004, Sharapova has added the 2006 US Open and the 2008 Australian Open titles.

She also has recovered from shoulder surgery in October 2008 that took her off the singles court for nearly 10 months and necessitated a change in her service motion when she returned to action.

Her first slam final since the surgery is the sort of moment Sharapova visualised while nursing her shoulder back to health.

"I had time to reflect on my career and things that I've achieved," she said.

"But I think I was always looking towards the future more than anything than in the past because that's where I was trying to envision myself at some point, to be getting back out there."

Looking back to the 2004 final, Sharapova said she spent the day trying to recover from illness.

As she looked ahead to the biggest match of her career, Kvitova dismissed talk of nerves.

"No, I'm not nervous," she said. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow, for sure. I slept well. It's OK."

If Kvitova can hold her nerve, the final could come down to her serve. The left-handed Kvitova has hit 35 aces in her six matches so far and it was her serve that was a determining factor in her semi-final win over the fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka.

Sharapova managed to beat Sabine Lisicki despite 13 double faults and a first-serve percentage of 48.

Martina Navratilova, the last left-handed women's champion at Wimbledon, in 1990, said Kvitova "matches up well" against Sharapova.

"It's such a toss-up. It basically comes down to who serves better," Navratilova said. "Once the ball is in play, Sharapova has an edge with Petra. I think Petra will return better [than did Lisicki] and it will be easier for her to hold serve."

Kvitova has described the nine-time Wimbledon winner Navratilova as her idol.

"She's very sweet," Navratilova said. "It's funny because I haven't had that many players that said, 'You're my hero.' It's nice. I thought she was too young for that."

Kvitova had not won a match on grass before her run to the semifinals at the All England Club last year where she was beaten by Serena Williams.

Since then, she has won three WTA Tour titles and surged into the top 10.

She trained at the same club in the city of Prostejov as 2010 Wimbledon men's finalist Tomas Berdych. Martina Hingis, the 1997 women's champion, also practised there.

Kvitova said her parents are flying over from Prostejov to watch her attempt to become the first Czech woman to win Wimbledon since Jana Novotna in 1998.

Sharapova will again be supported by her fiance, the New Jersey Nets basketball player Sasha Vujacic, who has been at the championships throughout.

Seven years on from her 2004 victory, when she played like a carefree teenager, the 24-year-old Sharapova will go into the final with a far more nuanced perspective.

"I'm a few years older, more mature. I hope so at least," she said, smiling.

"You develop, not only as a player, but as a person as well.

"Obviously, a big part of my life is tennis, but at the end of the day I'm not going to be playing for my whole life. Next page

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal reach Sunday's Wimbledon final

There is no end in sight to Britain's wait at Wimbledon, not with Rafael Nadal of Spain smothering Andy Murray on his home turf once more.

But Novak Djokovic's wait to get to No. 1 in the world is certain to end when next week's computer rankings are released.

Djokovic's deeply convincing, deeply entertaining victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Friday's first semifinal means that for the first time in more than seven years, someone other than Nadal or Roger Federer of Switzerland will hold the top spot.

"They don't give you a lot of chances to become number one," said Djokovic, a 24-year-old from Serbia who is 47-1 this season. "So I guess you need to lose only one match in seven months to get there. If you can do that, then well done."

Well done then to Djokovic for absorbing all of Tsonga's power, showmanship and momentum on Centre Court and answering with plenty of his own to win 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-7 (9-11), 6-3.

"I can beat everybody today, but not Djokovic," No. 12 seed Tsonga said. "He was everywhere."

Djokovic and Nadal will meet in Sunday's final.

Djokovic has defeated Nadal four straight times, but top-ranked Nadal has won 20 consecutive matches at Wimbledon.

Though they have not met each other on grass since 2008, Djokovic is 0-2 on the surface against Nadal, who has won two Wimbledon titles.

Djokovic is playing in his first Wimbledon final.

"I think every child has a dream to become something in his life," he said. "We live from those dreams. Obviously I had a big support of my family and people around me that allowed me to have the opportunity to reach that dream, to reach the life goal."

Murray has yet to reach his major goals. Although he seems increasingly comfortable as the annual focal point of Wimbledon — cracking wry comments — he has not been able to give Britain its first men's finalist here since 1938, let alone its first men's champion since 1936.

Nadal beat No. 4 seed Murray 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

Nadal said he was even feeling for Murray during the match.

"I'm not a robot when I'm playing; I think," Nadal said.

"He's the best player without a title of Grand Slam that I ever see."

Sharapova's off day good enough for final return

Maria Sharapova, the glamour girl of women's tennis, showed she is not averse to winning ugly as she overcame some jitters to set up a Wimbledon final against Petra Kvitova on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Russian served 13 double faults on her way to a 6-4 6-3 defeat of Germany's Sabine Lisicki to reach the final for the first time since she burst into the spotlight by winning the 2004 title as a carefree 17-year-old.

Eighth seed Kvitova silenced the wailing Victoria Azarenka 6-1 3-6 6-2 to reach her first grand slam final.

Neither match will live long in the memory though after a day that did little to alter the perception that the women's game is struggling without the rivalries that have fuelled interest in the men's game.

Not that Sharapova was too concerned.

"It's a great feeling. It's been many years, but it's a really great feeling," said Sharapova, who has filled the vacuum left by the fourth-round exits of champion Serena Williams, five-times winner Venus Williams and top seed Caroline Wozniacki.

"Today wasn't my best match of the championships so I was real happy to get through in two sets. So yeah, it's pretty amazing to be back on that stage."

Czech Kvitova and Belarussian fourth seed Azarenka thrashed around for an hour and 44 minutes on the hallowed turf but their "heavy metal" variety of tennis hardly captivated a Centre Court liberally sprinkled with empty green seats.

The famous arena was still not full either when Sharapova, the only genuine A-lister to survive until the semis, strode out under cloudy skies to take on wildcard Lisicki.

For three games the fifth seed could hardly get the ball in court, struggling on serve, lashing forehands into the net and shooting panicky glances to fiance Sasha Vujacic as he tried his best to offer encouragement from the players' box.

She improved steadily but her progress to the final was helped by an opponent whose belief drained away as quickly as Sharapova ramped up the volume on the "grunt-o-meter".

When the ninth service break ended the contest, the long-limbed Russian blew kisses to all four stands and added an extra one for her boyfriend before aiming another at the sky in gratitude for the looming rain clouds staying away.

After storming through the draw without losing a set to reach her first grand slam final since her career was threatened by shoulder surgery in 2008, Sharapova will be odds-on favourite to collect her fourth major title.

"But the next match starts from scratch. Everything that kind of went before, that doesn't really matter," said the Florida-based Russian, who gets to enjoy a few of the perks of being a member of the All England Club.

Azarenka's defeat will at least help keep the volume down on Saturday as left-handed Kvitova is relatively quiet when she smites the ball over the net.

The Belarussian, whose sound effects again brought giggles from the crowd, was briefly drowned out by an alarm blaring across Centre Court at one point of the match but it was Kvitova's accuracy that was the real danger.

The first set whizzed by in 27 minutes with hardly a rally to speak of but Azarenka got a foothold with an early break in the second and went on to level the contest.

With similar playing styles, both smashing the felt off the ball from the baseline, there was a muted atmosphere in the stands as Kvitova pulled away again in the decider.

Kvitova completed victory on her second match point when Azarenka served a double fault.

"I think it was a nervous match for sure," Kvitova, the first left-hander to reach the women's final since Czech-born American Martina Navratilova in 1994, told reporters.

"It was tough mentally but it's something unbelievable to be in the final at Wimbledon."

Andy Murray's quest to become the first British man to win Wimbledon for 75 years takes centre stage on Friday when he takes on world number one and holder Rafa Nadal in the men's semis after Novak Djokovic plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Djokovic into Wimbledon final; to get No.1 ranking

Novak Djokovic cut down Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 6-2 6-7 6-3 on Friday to reach his first Wimbledon final and guarantee becoming world number one next week.

The Serbian second seed looked to be cruising to a straight-sets victory but Tsonga suddenly sprung to life in the third set, breaking Djokovic's serve to force a tiebreak which the 12-seeded Frenchman won 11-9.

But Djokovic held his nerve to secure an early break in the fourth set and Tsonga, who fought back from two sets down to beat six-times champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, could not respond.

Djokovic, now certain to knock Rafa Nadal off the top of the rankings, will play top seed Nadal or Briton Andy Murray in the final on Sunday.

Clinical Murray brushes Lopez aside

Andy Murray reached his third successive Wimbledon semi-final by brushing aside the negligible challenge of weary Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday to set up another last-four showdown with Rafa Nadal.

The fourth seed -- desperately seeking his first grand slam title -- was never remotely threatened by the unseeded Spaniard, who seemed drained of energy following his gruelling fourth-round victory over Lukasz Kubot when he came from two sets down to win in five.

Murray, bidding to become the first British men's singles champion at Wimbledon for 75 years, said: "I've played a little bit better every year here.”

"I've been beaten in the semis for the past two years and this time I want to go further."

Coming into a near-empty Centre Court as the dust settled on Roger Federer's five-set defeat by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the one-sided match struggled to produce much atmosphere despite Murray again carrying the hopes of the host nation.
Murray looked a little tentative at first but Lopez, who knocked out number eight seed Andy Roddick in the third round, was unable to take advantage as the Scot dropped only four points on his own serve en route to a 40-minute 6-3 success.

Murray did not have to do anything extraordinary as the Spaniard, one of the few players to use serve and volley tactics on a regular basis in this year's tournament, mixed up the occasional eye-catching winner with a string of unforced errors.

The Scot broke in the fifth game of the second set after finding an impossible angle with a lovely two-handed backhand and won that set too at a canter.

Not until the eighth game of the third set did Lopez force his first break points but Murray saved both and went on to finish with a flourish by sending down three successive aces after only two hours of action.

"It was good. I got off to a good start in all of the sets and that helps against someone like Feli because he serves well," Murray said.

"Normally against the big servers, they like to put pressure on you towards the end of the set but because I got ahead early in all of them, I was able to dictate the points from the back of the court and played a good match."

Murray, into his third grand slam semi of the year, has won only four of his 15 matches against Nadal who triumphed in last year's semi-final here in straight sets.

"I believe I can win against him," Murray said. "I had chances last year -- I was up a break in the third set and had breakpoint on my serve in the second set. I think there was only one break in the first set. We both played good tennis.”

"But I just have to have a better game plan. Sometimes it comes down to strategy. Sometimes it comes down to having more experience. Yeah, just have to go out there and play well and serve well and believe and I'll have a chance.”

"I know how difficult it's going to be. I know what the task is. So I'll be ready for it."

Flooring Roger Federer is my best moment: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga described his incredible comeback to floor Roger Federer at Wimbledon on Wednesday as the greatest moment of his career.

The jovial Frenchman, nicknamed Ali for his striking resemblance to boxing great Muhammad Ali, proved that as well as his crowd-pleasing antics and flashy game he also possesses a fighter's survival instincts and a knockout punch.

After being softened up by Federer for two sets in their quarter-final on Centre Court, the 26-year-old world number 19 countered to win 3-6 6-7 6-4 6-46-4 and earn an unexpected crack at second seed Novak Djokovic in the semi-final.

"I felt so good on the court. I was quick, I was just perfect today. Every time I was feeling like a dream," said Tsonga, who is now in his third grand slam semi-final.

"For me it's the most special because I beat Roger Federer in the quarter-final here on this big court. I like the atmosphere here. For me it's just amazing.

"The feeling is like maybe what it would be like to beat Nadal in Roland Garros, so it's just amazing. For sure, one of the best memories in my career anyway."

At 26 Tsonga's career has been disrupted by too many months recovering from a plethora of knee, back and hip injuries and despite one of the most destructive games in tennis his best result was a run to the 2008 Australian Open final where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.

After two sets it looked as though he would just become another of Federer's many Wimbledon victims but, after loosening his shoulders, he came back swinging to leave the six-times champion, who had never lost from 2-0 up in a grand slam, reeling.

His victory was all the more impressive as six-times winner Federer did not do too much wrong.

Tsonga was simply ruthless when his chances came along early in the third, fourth and fifth sets and he hammered home his advantage with unplayable service games and fizzing groundstrokes as well as some trademark full-length dives.

Serving at 5-4 in the fifth Tsonga refused to let the Swiss maestro off the ropes, pounding down three juddering first serves to leave Federer no escape route.

"I think I've improved a lot mentally," Tsonga said of his clinical victory. "I'm stronger because I changed a lot of things in my tennis. Now I try to stay focused all the time and just breathe and stay quiet. I did it today and it worked.

"I think I'm the kind of player who likes these big moments. So I hope I will have some more."

Next up is Djokovic again and Tsonga insists he has a puncher's chance of rolling over the Serb.

Asked if he can win Wimbledon, he replied: "Why not?

"I played against Novak many times. He beat me all the time in the big moments and I want change it. That's it."

Wimbledon: Sania Mirza in mixed doubles third round, women's doubles semis

India's Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna defeated England's Jamie Murray and Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 7-6 (5), 6-2 to move into the third round of mixed doubles in Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday.

The sixth seeded Indian pair will now take on the Czech Republic's Martin Damm and Renata Voracova.

Earlier, Sania and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina entered the semifinals of women's doubles. They edged past the Spanish pair of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Arantxa Parra Santonja 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Fourth seeds Sania-Vesnina, who finished runners-up in the French Open, got the better of Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in the third round Tuesday.

Spotted! Celebs at Wimbledon

Singer Jay Z was there without wife, Beyonce as he mingled with the English crowd.


Hollwood actress Dakota Fanning also made an appearence.


Singer and actress Grace Jones was also present.


Former champion Boris Becker


Newly-wed royals the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine (Kate) were there to watch the action on centre court.


Model and actress Brooklyn Decker was there to cheer hubby, Andy Roddick on.


Actress Kristen Dunst added to the glam quotient.


Singer Cliff Richards also showed up.


Sachin Tendulkar and wife, Anjali were also there in the royal box at Wimbledon.


Roger Federer's wife Mirka is always there in the stands for her man.


Rafael Nadal's girlfriend Maria Xisca Perello has started attending almost all of his matches and she does not skip Wimbledon for sure, where he is the defending champion.


Andy Murray's girlfriend Kimberley Sears is always in the stands with mom Jusyn to cheer the Scot on as he bids to become the first player from the UK after Fred Perry to win at Wimbledon.

Judy Murray to cheer for son Andy, not her crush Feliciano Lopez

Judy Murray has said that although she is fan of Feliciano Lopez, she would be cheering for her son, Andy, when the two men play in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

Judy, 50, who is divorced, and is said to have embarrassed her son with her obsession for Lopez, admitted that she is a Lopez admirer.

"I'm just one of a lot of Feliciano female fans,” the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

But she also added that she will to put aside her crush and concentrate on her son during the game.

"But of course family loyalty comes into it hugely," she stated.