• No 7 seed wins 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to reach third round

• Djokovic faces 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech next

There was once a time, not so long ago, when matches between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas occurred on the most significant occasions this sport has to offer. Djokovic was Tsitsipas’s opponent in both of the Greek player’s grand slam finals at the 2021 French Open and then the 2023 Australian Open. In Paris, Tsitsipas led Djokovic by two sets.

Back then, even if he never managed to beat Djokovic in a big final, Tsitsipas was surely convinced that he would at least be around long enough to soar when age finally caught up with the Serb. Instead, it is Tsitsipas who has tumbled down the rankings in recent years and who entered their second-round match as great an underdog against a 39-year-old Djokovic as he has ever been. He was eaten alive by the veteran, who produced an incredible performance to reach the third round with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Cam Norrie and Harriet Dart make early SW19 exits
Jack Draper withdraws with injury | Email Billy

Jodar* 2-1 Gill (* denotes server): The Spaniard is playing his first pro-level game on grass but it does not really look like it. A few more good serves and then a final smash down the centre seals his hold.

Jodar 1-1 Gill* (* denotes server): Gill speeds to a 40-0 lead with some big serves and a powerful forehand down the line. Jodar gets back into it to make it 40-15 but the Spaniard’s wild return at game point is well out and Gill gets on the board.

• ‘I always admired her career, her journey, her story’

• Fellow seven-time singles champion making return

As a seven-time champion, Novak Djokovic is never going to be lacking in motivation when it comes to Wimbledon. But as he continued his preparations for this year’s event, the 39-year-old said the return of 44-year-old Serena Williams has put an extra spring in his step.

“What she’s doing is inspirational and it’s epic,” said Djokovic, who will join Roger Federer on eight titles if he wins this year. “That’s what I told her. I always admired her career, her journey, her story. Of course, Venus, as well.

Shorter points help the 39-year-old at SW19, where Jannik Sinner hopes to show French Open upset was a blip

For the 21st time in his long and fruitful career, Novak Djokovic arrived at the All England Club on Monday and began his preparations for another Wimbledon in earnest. The 39-year-old worked his way through his tentative first steps on the grass courts of Aorangi Park, movement exercises complementing his sparring on court. He found his rhythm against local hitting partners and tussled with other champions. His training sessions included a catchup with his old friend Marin Cilic and then he broke in the grass on No 1 Court with the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, iron sharpening iron.

The ultimate goal is the same as it has been for some time: Djokovic, the seventh seed, returns to Wimbledon again seeking to become the oldest grand slam singles champion in history by winning an unprecedented 25th grand slam title. At 39 years old, his chances of achieving this goal naturally lessen with each tournament, but he has repeatedly shown that, if fortune favours him for two weeks, he is more than capable of taking advantage.

All-time greats have questions to answer in SW19 while Raducanu and Draper have to show they can stay fit

Serena Williams left it until the last minute to take the final available singles wildcard at Wimbledon and dramatically escalate her comeback from retirement. It is hard to imagine this was all part of her master plan. If she knew she was ready to compete against the best in the world from the beginning of the grass court season, Williams would have surely tested the waters at Queen’s Club or in Berlin, rather than playing doubles. But here she is, unable to resist the pull of Wimbledon, where she has won seven times in singles. Williams’s career has been filled with so many magical moments and at 44 years old, after four years of retirement, she is back at SW19 attempting to create a few more magical moments.

It is the stroke that looks easy but can be a nightmare for some of the world’s top players – even Novak Djokovic has the Djokosmash

Elite players are often at their most comfortable when speaking about the fine technical details of their game, but last month at the French Open, a straightforward question about the overhead smash initially drew little more than a regretful shake of the head from Novak Djokovic: “You’re talking to the wrong person,” he said, laughing.

One of the important pillars of Djokovic’s legendary career is his complete game. In a sport where most players have a weak point, the 24-time grand slam champion has mastered nearly every stroke.

• Djokovic had stormed into 2-0 lead on Philippe-Chatrier

• Brazilian 19-year-old wins 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5

As Novak Djokovic limped back to his chair four hours into a tennis match that had descended into hell, the 24-times grand slam winner did not have much more to give. A two-set lead had unravelled and his 39-year-old body had hit a wall against a shining opponent 20 years his junior. Having reached the umpire’s chair, Djokovic vomited into the red dirt.

Still, nobody has mastered the art of finding victory from a miserable position quite like Djokovic, so everybody inside Court Philippe-Chatrier knew he could always conjure a path through.

• Italian says five-set Cerúndolo defeat ‘tough to accept’

• Zverev is new favourite for men’s title

Jannik Sinner described his ­second-round loss at the French Open and the physical difficulties that ­scuppered him as “tough to accept” considering his form. On Thursday, the world No 1’s body betrayed him as he suffered a monumental 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 defeat by Juan Manuel Cerúndolo of Argentina.

“It’s tough to accept because of the position where I’ve been in and everything considered, but now I have a lot of time to recover,” he said. “I won’t play any tournament on grass before, most likely. Now I really need some time off, recover completely, also mentally, and then be ready to go again for Wimbledon.”

• Mensik offered wheelchair to get back to locker room

• Djokovic calls for more night games on hot days

Jakub Mensik claimed it was “insane” for players to compete in such hot conditions at Roland Garros and after collapsing on court due to cramps and being escorted back to the locker room in a wheelchair at the end of his dramatic 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (11) second-round win over Mariano Navone. Novak Djokovic called on organisers to use common sense and push more matches to later in the day during extreme heat.

“It’s insane to play in this weather and especially in front of the sun,” Mensik said. “To be there for more than four and a half hours, that’s just insane, and even with the breaks you don’t have that much time, the ballboy cannot bring you a towel during the changeover. You have just one minute, which obviously before, when you sit, it’s already just 30 seconds. So there is not that much time to cool yourself down.”

Updates from the fourth day’s play at Roland Garros
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Monfils bows out for last time | Mail Daniel

Khachanov saves another break-back point but Trungelliti earns another and they swap loopy, high-bouncing forehands … until the underdog tries a drop. Khachanov hares in to return it but cedes initiative in the process, and though he then has a chance to finish the rally with a forehand, he overhits, and we’re back level at 5-5, Trungelliti saluting the crowd and enjoying his morning.

Bencic, serving at 40-15, comes in to meet a loopy return, and though she doesn’t finish the point, Mcnally dumps her riposte, and that concludes a 6-4 set, taken by the no 11 seed.

• Carlos Alcaraz absence makes Italian heavy men’s favourite

• Emma Raducanu will face talented Solana Sierra

Novak Djokovic has avoided Jannik Sinner’s half of the French Open draw but faces a challenging path as he tries to hit form and launch a deep run after a torrid, injury-ravaged period before the second grand slam event of the year.

Djokovic, a three-times champion at Roland Garros, returns to Paris aiming for a record 25th grand slam singles title. He will begin against the big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

• Djokovic loses in three sets to Dino Prizmic in Rome

• ‘Not ideal preparation’ for French Open later this month

Novak Djokovic believes he must accept the “new reality” of his continuous physical struggles in the latter part of his career as his return to competition after an injury-ravaged clay-court season ended in a second-round Italian Open loss to the young Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic, who recovered courageously from a set down to topple his idol 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Djokovic has not competed since the Indian Wells Masters event two months ago, his only other tournament since his spectacular run to the Australian Open final. As the fourth seed in Rome, he received a first-round bye. Despite starting the match positively, the 38-year-old was outplayed by his 20-year-old opponent, who wore the Serb down physically and played bold tennis to escape with the greatest victory of his career.

• ‘I think we give much more than what we get back’

• Novak Djokovic lending his support to players

Jannik Sinner refused to rule out participating in a player boycott of the grand slam tournaments and accused the majors of disrespect for the top players due to their lack of response in the ongoing prize money dispute.

“It’s more about respect, you know?” said Sinner, the men’s No 1. “Because I think we give much more than what we are getting back. It’s not only for the top players; it’s for all of us players. Again, from men’s and women’s side, we are very, very equal. I think the top 10 men, top 10 women, we wrote a letter. It’s not nice that after one year we are not even close to the conclusion of what we would like to have.

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina served up a classic in latest chapter of their exciting rivalry

In the uncertain early stages of his Indian Wells semi-final contest with Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev swiftly made his intentions clear. Having established a 3-1 lead, he chased down a trademark Alcaraz drop shot, then a lob, before slamming the door shut on the point by firing an ultra-flat inside-out backhand winner on to the edge of the line.

This was a statement point and it formed part of the most startling performance of the year so far. Few gave Medvedev a serious chance against Alcaraz, who had won their four previous meetings, conceding just one set. It took one of the best matches of Medvedev’s distinguished career to turn the tables on Alcaraz in only two sets.

• British No 1 comes from behind in 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) win

• Hard-fought win keeps Draper’s title defence on track

Jack Draper was “overwhelmed” after beating Novak Djokovic for the first time to reach the quarter-finals in Indian Wells and keep his title defence on track.

Playing only the second ATP tournament of his comeback after eight months out with an arm injury, Draper came through a gripping battle lasting more than two-and-a-half hours in a deciding tie-break to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

• Draper defeats Argentinian 6-1, 7-5 in third round

• Cameron Norrie sees off Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4

Jack Draper continued his impressive comeback from an arm injury by beating Francisco Cerundolo to set up a last-16 clash with Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells.

Draper rode his luck at the end of the second set to clinch a 6-1, 7-5 win and set up his first meeting with Djokovic since he took the first set off the defending champion on his Wimbledon debut in 2021.

• Spaniard beat Serbian to complete career grand slam at 22

• Alcaraz also youngest man to win seven grand slam titles

Novak Djokovic called Carlos Alcaraz a tennis legend at the age of 22 after the Spaniard became the youngest male player in history to complete the career grand slam by defeating Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in the Australian Open final.

The world No 1 had entered this tournament seeking to complete his collection of grand slam titles after previously winning each of the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open twice. He played a mature match against Djokovic, the fourth seed, maintaining his composure after a blistering opening set from the Serbian to win in four sets. Alcaraz is also the youngest man in the open era to win seven grand slam titles.

• Alcaraz defeats Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5

• Spaniard is youngest male to win career grand slam

• See live reaction with Daniel Harris

Carlos Alcaraz was a phantom for the first 45 minutes of his maiden Australian Open final. While the Spaniard was painfully tentative on one of the most significant occasions of his career, he was suffocated by the eternal brilliance of Novak Djokovic, who burst into this historic match desperate to take the initiative and set the tone.

A younger version of Alcaraz may have compounded his slow start by overhitting, as was the case during parts of their fateful Olympic battle in Paris 18 months ago, but here he calmly worked his way into the match and then took control. In the process, he pulled off one of the great sporting achievements in recent years, recovering from a set down to defeat Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 and triumph at the Australian Open for the first time in his career.

The 38-year-old master perfectly understands the measure of the challenge against the young pretender in the Australian Open final

Novak Djokovic had barely even begun to digest the madness of one of his great late-career victories, still fighting back tears on Rod Laver Arena, when he was asked by his on-court interviewer to cast his mind ahead to the final.

After his monumental five-set Australian Open semi-final win over Jannik Sinner, where he matched the quality, intensity and athleticism of one of the two commanding players in men’s tennis, he was immediately reminded that Carlos Alcaraz, the other dominant player, was next. “I just hope that I’ll have enough gas to stay toe to toe with him,” said Djokovic. “That’s my desire, then let the gods decide the winner.”

• ‘There is a lot of experts that wanted to retire me’

• Serb won five-set epic to reach Australian Open final

Novak Djokovic thanked his doubters for helping to give him strength after he produced an incredible performance to defeat Jannik Sinner, the No 2 and two-time defending champion, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the Australian Open final.

Djokovic, the fourth seed, will contest his 11th Australian Open final and 38th grand slam final overall on Sunday, his first losing the Wimbledon final in July 2024. At 38 years old, he is the oldest Australian Open men’s finalist in history.