Even having her car stolen has not wiped the smile off Heather Watson’s face as she looks forward to a 13th Wimbledon campaign.
The 31-year-old was out celebrating her birthday with friends a month ago when thieves managed to get into the secure underground car park at her home in Chelsea Harbour and drive away in her Range Rover.
“I was quite logical,” she said. “I actually really processed it well, I was like, ‘It’s OK, nobody’s hurt, there are plenty worse things going on in the world, it’s just a material object’. And then now, I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness, what a nightmare’ with all the insurance stuff.
“The police found it, it just doesn’t work. They rewire it to get it started so all the wires have been pulled out. They found it three weeks ago, I called the insurance, they’ve done nothing. So I gave them a kick up the bum.”
Watson made her Wimbledon debut back it 2010 but it was not until last year that she made it beyond the third round at a grand slam for the first time.
The caveat to Watson’s joy was that, as a result of Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Ukrainian players, she did not receive any ranking points for the achievement.
Having dropped outside the top 100, Watson was unable to secure entry into the big tournaments, and it is only thanks to good performances on the grass that she has begun to head back in the right direction.
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Mostly, Watson is just grateful to have another tilt at Wimbledon having been awarded a wild card, saying: “This year coming in I feel really relaxed, I feel happy and just can’t wait to get going.
“Life is good. We’ve got points again this year. I feel in a good place in my life on the court, off the court. I’m so grateful to be back at this amazing tournament for another year. It’s so special.”
Watson is also happy to see Wimbledon listening to female players and adjusting their all-white clothing policy, with competitors now allowed to wear coloured undershorts to help reduce period anxiety.
Last year’s finalist Ons Jabeur raised one unintended consequence but Watson believes it is a step forward, saying: “When they announced the new rule I was like, ‘This is great, this is forward thinking, this is so helpful’.
“Then I thought, ‘Shoot, everyone’s going to know when I’m on my period’. But I’m so open about it anyway I’d probably let all of you know without even asking the question. In Eastbourne I wore black shorts, it really helped.”
Sabalenka sets up Swiatek rematch at Madrid Open
Aryna Sabalenka will face Iga Swiatek in the Madrid Open final for the second year running after beating Elena Rybakina 1-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) in a semi-final classic on Thursday.
Fourth seed Rybakina made a flying start and took the opener within just 25 minutes, but Sabalenka hit back in a topsy-turvy second set featuring five breaks of serve to force a decider.
Both players were imperious on their own serve from there, with a tie-break required to split them. Sabalenka's power looked likely to overwhelm Rybakina as she raced into a 5-1 lead, but the former Wimbledon champion clung on by saving two match points on her own serve.
Sabalenka would not be denied third time around, though, a huge serve giving Rybakina no chance as the defending champion teed up a rematch with Swiatek, who she beat in the Spanish capital in last year's showpiece match.
Data Debrief: Sabalenka's unwanted record
Sabalenka has dropped 60 games at this year's Madrid Open. That makes her the player with the most games dropped en route to reaching the final since the tournament's inception in 2009.
The world number two had to dig deep in a match which saw Rybakina win more total points (99 to 95), but she will not mind one bit if she goes on to capture a third Madrid Open title on Saturday.
Lehecka into maiden Masters semi-final after Medvedev retires hurt
Jiri Lehecka progressed to the first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of his career as Daniil Medvedev retired hurt on Thursday at the Madrid Open.
Lehecka, who beat the great Rafael Nadal in the last 16, had just taken the first set 6-4 when Medvedev threw in the towel.
Medvedev had earlier received treatment from the physio, having seemingly struggled when moving to his right side.
"It's never easy in a match like this," Lehecka said. "If I were to choose the way how to win this match, it wouldn't be like that.
"So of course, it's never easy to see your opponent struggling, but at that moment, you just need to focus on yourself, trying to get the maximum level out of yourself."
Lehecka will face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who progressed thanks to a walkover following Jannik Sinner's withdrawal, for a place in the final.
Data Debrief: Czech mates
Lehecka is the third Czech player to reach the semi-finals in Madrid, following Jiri Vovak and Tomas Berdych.
Should Lehecka reach the final, he will move into the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time.
Swiatek races into Madrid Open final with dominant win over Keys
Iga Swiatek cruised into her second Madrid Open final on Thursday, maintaining her ominous form by beating Madison Keys 6-1 6-3 within 71 minutes.
Swiatek had been forced to fight back from a set down against Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarter-finals, but there was no slow start on Thursday as she broke Keys' serve to love at the first attempt.
Only in the fifth game, when Keys failed to convert two break points, was Swiatek troubled in a 31-minute opener, and she carried that momentum into the second set with another early break.
Having eliminated Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur on a deeply impressive run, Keys had no answer for Swiatek's power as she clinically worked her way through the second set, the American's forehand running long on match point to seal a routine win for the world number one.
Having lost last year's final against Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek could face a rematch against the defending champion, who takes on Elena Rybakina in Thursday's other semi-final.
Data Debrief: Swiatek surpasses Serena
Saturday's final will be Swiatek's 11th at WTA 1000-level, the Pole going all the way on 37.9 per cent of her 29 main-draw entries at that level. That is a better ratio than 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams managed in her glittering career, the American doing so at 18 of 49 WTA 1000 tournaments (36.7 per cent).
Swiatek has now played eight matches in 2024 without dropping a single game on her own serve, a tally only matched by her possible final opponent Sabalenka on the WTA tour.
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