Wimbledon Day Seven

The only thing which can disrupt the proclaimed 'greatest day in tennis' is the unpredictable nature British summer weather.

A sketchy forecast stands to upset the day that all male and female singles competitors left at this years Wimbledon compete.

(Andy Murray broke tournament curfew to beat Marcus Baghdatis today he faces Marin Cilic on court one Picture: Getty Images)

Through to this stage for a sixth time is Andy Murray. The world number four overcame a 11pm curfew and a tricky opponent last time out and today may have to battle the elements as well as a 6 ft 6 talented opponent.  Marin Cilic, has a quality serve and power on both wings and also has beaten the home favourite at grand slam level before. The Croat humbled Murray at US Open in 2009 during his ascension to the world's top ten. Still only 23 Cilic looks to be heading back in that direction and was a winner two weeks ago at Queens.

Controversially this contest takes place on court one, leaving Murray at the mercy of British weather. This is the first time this tournament Murray has been shifted court one and it could hardly come at a worse time. The extra rest from a rain delay could be vital, it took him over five hours to see off Sam Querrey in the second longest match in Wimbledon history.

(Roger Federer faces Xavier Malisse a dangerous grass court specialist Picture: Reuters)

Roger Federer is first up on centre court in what is likely to be his second appearance under the roof. Julien Benneteau could hardly have come closer to beating the 16 time grand slam champ under roof and lights on Friday and today will teach us more about Federer's title credentials. A notoriously fantastic indoors player Federer starts heavy favourite against Xavier Malisse. The Belgian has an excellent grass court record and has already beaten Gilles Simon and Fernando Verdasco to reach this spot. Possessing greater power than Federer's French opponent in the previous round Malisse cannot be written off. But having won the last nine meetings against Malisse, the Swiss will be hopeful of moving one step closer to record equaling seventh singles title at SW19.

Also given centre court billing ahead of Murray is world number one, Novak Djokovic. Today he meets a player he first faced at the age of nine in countryman, Viktor Troicki. Djokovic holds an air of superiority over his Davis Cup teammate. The 25 year old has won 11 of his 12 meetings with Triocki. Troicki has a powerful game but nobody is harder to push out of position than the world number one.

(David Ferrer has never reached a Wimbledon quarter final to change that he must beat Juan Martin Del Potro Picture: Bettor)

One of the most intriguing clashes of the day pits seventh seed David Ferrer against Juan Martin Del Potro. The two had a gigantic battle in last year's Davis Cup final and both are playing arguably the best tennis they've ever produced at Wimbledon. Ferrer took out three time finalist Andy Roddick and now looks to be comfortable on his worst surface. While Del Potro came out on the losing end of the best match at last year's Wimbledon in a tight four set match with Rafael Nadal. How the wily 30 year old tries to counter his more powerful opponent will be fascinating.

(Jo Wilfried Tsonga hasn't been broken all tournament today he faces Mardy Fish Picture: Bettor)

Yet to lose his serve more and more people are beginning to believe this tournament will see Jo Wilfried Tsonga reach his second grand slam final. Today's opponent for him is tenth seed Mardy Fish who took out talented 21 year old David Goffin in round three. Fish looked out on his feet against James Ward in the second round and will have been relieved to have wrapped up a straight sets win last time out. Returning from heart problems and not at his peak the American may find Tsonga too difficult to overcome.

The great comeback story of this tournament has been Brian Baker. The American was a standout junior but his professional career has been crippled with injury. Now after multiple surgeries Baker is proving to be a top 50 caliber player maybe even better. Today the American faces a tough test of his credentials against the talented Philipp Kohlschreiber. The German took out Nadal's conqueror Lukas Rosol in the third round and despite multiple fourth round appearances has never reached a grand slam quarter final. Opportunity knocks for one of these two men.

(A reinvigorated Ana Ivanovic returns to the big stage against Victoria Azarenka today Picture: Zimbio)

The glamour tie on the women's side today sees Victoria Azarenka face Ana Ivanovic. Two of the most marketable and talented women in tennis, a lot of eyes will be on centre court when these two do battle. Ivanovic has undergone career rehabilitation and has shown signs of getting back towards her best with work under new coach Nigel Sears paying dividends. Sears, father of Andy Murray's girlfriend Kim, has been working with Ivanovic for a year now and been looking to add variety to the power game which earned the Serbian the world number one ranking and French Open title a few years ago. While Ivanovic is looking to reemerge as a top player, Azarenka is one. The Belarusian has slipped under the radar at Wimbledon this year much like last year, where it took a mammoth effort from champion Petra Kvitova to beat her in the semi-finals.

A repeat of the other Wimbledon women's semi-final kicks off the action on court one where Maria Sharapova meets Sabine Lisicki. Lots of people's pick for the tournament if Sharapova's serve is working expect the world number one to breakdown the big serving German.

Reigning champion Petra Kvitova has been ruthless in her progression to fourth round and could outpower her opponent today. Francesca Schiavone has the unenviable task of trying to stop the dominant Czech. Schiavone has progressed nicely after being given a huge scare in her first round match against Britain's Laura Robson.

One of the biggest stories of a memorable first week at Wimbledon was Yaroslava Shedova's golden set. The first ever seen at Wimbledon where she won every single point of her first set against Sara Errani. The unthinkable milestone was incredibly impressive due to the calibre of her opponent. Errani had contested the French Open final a mere three weeks prior to their match. Shedova faces a big challenge in repeating the feat against four time champion at SW19 Serena Williams. The American was fortunate in her third round contest Jie Zheng and only her serve saved her from an early exit. Williams powered down an excellent 23 aces en route to a 6-7 6-2 9-7 victory.

Wimbledon Day Five

After a colossal upset saw Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon campaign come to a dramatic halt, expectation and excitement has reached its peak at Wimbledon as the action continues.

Lukas Rosol  the world number 100 shocked the world when he blasted the world number two off court, producing three aces and a bullet forehand to defeat the former champion with Sampras-esque ease.

(Lukas Rosol stunned the world by knocking out Rafael Nadal can anybody take inspiration from Czech today? Picture: BBC)

The ability of the 25 year old making his first appearance at Wimbledon to not let the occasion get to him and to dismantle Nadal's second serve was nothing short of incredible. However the match was not short of controversy. The Spaniard appeared to have finally found an answer for his inspired opponent, wrapping up the fourth set 6-2 when play was stopped for 40  minutes so the final set could be played under the roof.

Nadal was not pleased with this decision and was unimpressive for the opening three sets of the contest. He made an uncharacteristic number of errors on his normally lethal forehand and also conceded his serve with a double fault at the start of the second set. This is not to take away Rosol's performance which is likely to be talked about for decades. Nadal had made the final in his past five appearances at Wimbledon.

Few people would have been more delighted with Nadal's exit than six time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer who famously has a poor record against the world number two and lost the glorious 2008 final here to the 26 year old.

(Roger Federer's chances of winning a seventh Wimbledon dramatically increased when Nadal was beaten. He plays Julien Benneteau today Picture: Getty Images)

Hoping to reach his 33rd straight grand slam quarter final a record that can truly be appreciated after last night's result, Federer faces Julien Benneteau. The 30 year old Frenchman who has a very solid game but lacks the brilliance in attack and defence to truly trouble the Swiss.

The man who had contested the last four grand slam finals with Nadal, Novak Djokovic is first up on centre court against Radek Stepanek. Stepanek employs a strange serve and volley style on grass but this suits Djokovic perfectly. The Serbian's return game is legendary and he also possesses excellent passing shots, so while the Czech is good enough to make the match exciting, he probably can't stop the world number one.

Only two men in the half Nadal exited are in action today. The towering figures of Milos Raonic and Sam Querrey tied at one set all and 3-3 in their third set. Both remain potential dangerous opponents and could cause Andy Murray a headaches if they play him in the fourth round, as both possess giant serves.

(Richard Gasquet faces big challenge against Nicholas Almagro but will fancy chances of at least a quarter final appearance Picture: TennisHeads)

Much has been made of the death of the serve volley at this year's tournament but another component of the game rarely utilised in 2012, is the one-handed backhand. Court one's final match today showcases two players with outstanding one-handers. Nicholas Almagro battles Richard Gasquet to progress to the fourth round in another wide open part of the men's draw. Tomas's Berdych's  shock exit and Ernests Gulbis's loss to a qualifier in the second round means the winner here should be reaching the last eight. They will be playing either Florian Mayer or Jerzy Janowicz, two players with little experience of the latter stages of grand slams.  Gasquet's attacking game suits grass perfectly while Almagro is more comfortable on clay. However the Frenchman's mental short-comings could once again haunt him.

Janko Tipsarevic is the highest seed outside of Djokovic and Federer in the top end of the draw. Tipsarevic takes on Mikael Youznhy the fiery Russian who has a very similar game to the Serb in what could be a very close match.

Heather Watson has lit up Wimbledon with her infectious smile and endless energy but her run here could come to an end against number three seed Agnieska Radwanska. The Polish counter puncher hasn't quite matched her success on the WTA Tour at the grand slam level but should have the experience to end British dreams on centre court.

The sign of a true champion is winning when playing badly and that is exactly what Maria Sharapova did yesterday closing out the third set of her battle against Tvesta Pironkova. Today for the world number one, it's Su Wei Hsieh from Chinese Taipei. Ranked 63 in the world the 26 year old may use Rosol's heroics last night as inspiration.

(Former Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva will look to hand Kim Clijsters her final ever competitive defeat at the All England Club Picture: Zvonareva Official)

A repeat of the 2010 US Open final pits Kim Clijsters against Vera Zvonareva. If the Russian keeps her emotions in check she certainly has the potential to make this Clijsters last ever appearance at Wimbledon. Two Americans hoping to be America's next great female champion are in action today. Christina McHale seeded 28, faces a tough contest against Germany's Angelique Kerber. Coming into the tournament ranked 8 Kerber, is a genuine dark horse having had a great season backing up a US Open semi-final appearance last year.

Sloane Stephens is another American with a bright future. Backing up a fourth round appearance at the French Open last month the 19 year old could be the natural successor to the Williams sisters at the top of women's tennis in the US. Her opponent will be familiar to the SW19 crowd, Sabine Lisicki who made it all the way to semi-finals last year and won over the British tennis public with her huge first serve and massive smile.

Wimbledon Day Four

The benchmark was set for all men's tennis players to reach last night, as the world number one Novak Djokovic was in imperious form beating Ryan Harrison in three fantastic sets.

Harrison played very close to his maximum in the match of the tournament so far last night, under the centre court roof.

Someone who will look to match Djokovic is the home hope, Andy Murray. The world number four demolished Nikolay Davydenko and now faces quite literally a much bigger test in 6 ft 10 Ivo Karlovic.

(Andy Murray faces a tall task against Ivo Karlovic today in his second round match picture: Radio Times)

The giant, famous for his serve, which when firing is unplayable, possesses little quality apart from this huge weapon but if that aspect of his game is firing, it will take great concentration from one of the game's best returners to advance through to the third round.

Also in action on centre court is Rafael Nadal who should face little opposition against Czech Republic's Lukas Rosol.

(Milos Raonic faces first real challenge of his Wimbledon credentials against, former Queens champion, Sam Querrey Picture: Canadian Press).

A match almost certain to see a couple of tie-breaks is Sam Querrey versus Milos Raonic. Two tall powerful men who serve big, Raonic is seen by many tennis experts as a future world number one and could potentially upset Murray in the fourth round this year. Querrey however reminded everyone how effective he was on grass reaching the Queens semi-finals and if he is at his best could upset the young upstart.

Britain's James Ward is in second round action against Mardy Fish. The British number three hasn't quite progressed since his Queens semi-final last year and faces a tough task against the world number 12. An irregular heartbeat forced the American out of this year's French Open and question marks over the 30 year old's health might open the door for an upset.

(James Ward faces tough task today against Mardy Fish Picture: Getty Images)

David Ferrer and Andy Roddick both look to continue their progress. The two popular players are returning to SW19 for the third straight day as weather has begun to play havoc with the Wimbledon schedule. The tournament directors are under severe pressure to get all second round matches wrapped up today. Ferrer and Roddick  take on Kenny De Schepper and Bjorn Phau respectively.

Gilles Simon has caused quite a stir this week with his criticism of equal pay in men's and women's tennis. The Frenchman will be keen to highlight his talents as he takes on grasscourt specialist Xavier Malisse. His countryman Jo Wilfred Tsonga was immense against Lleyton Hewitt and may be most likely to upset the top four in the men's game. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez is his second round opponent.

Two crowd favourites meet in a match which could beat them all for entertainment today. Grigor Dimitrov plays Marcus Baghdatis with the winner taking on the victor in the Karlovic Murray contest. Dimitrov won over the crowd and nearly the title at the Aegon Championships two weeks ago and his warm personality and incredible shot variety is likely to continue to win supporters in England. His opponent, Baghdatis had the crowd in the palm of his hands throughout his memorable third round clash with Djokovic last year and will be keen to stunt the 21 year old's progress.

Women's world number one, Maria Sharapova, is returning to complete her second round clash with Tsveta Pironkova after an almighty scare at the close of play yesterday. The Bulgarian squandered  four set points before relinquishing control to the number one seed who at 7-6 and 3-1 up in the second set is closing in on victory.

(Maria Sharapova was rattled yesterday but survived scare to take a set and break lead picture: Anja Niedringhas)

Reigning champion Petra Kvitova overcame nerves to come through in straight sets in her first match 6-4 6-4 and now faces one of the five Brits still in the singles competition at this year's Wimbledon. Elena Baltacha faces a huge challenge against the world number four and may need the powerful Czech to be completely overcome with nerves to stand any chance of progressing further. Anne Keothavong also faces a tough task against last month's French Open finalist, Sara Errani. Whilst Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka are also scheduled for second round competition today.