• Player struck rebounding ball into Beijing crowd

• Djokovic advances to final against De Minaur

Daniil Medvedev was disqualified from his China Open semi-final with Novak Djokovic on Monday after hitting a rebounding ball into the crowd that struck a ​spectator in the eye.

The Russian world ‌No 5 was ‌trailing 7-5, 5-3 and had lost a point ‌when, in frustration, he struck a ball that had come off the back wall. The spectator, sitting in the first row, clutched his left eye and appeared in pain as he left the gallery, assisted by the stadium’s ‌staff.

• Novak Djokovic into semi-finals after 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win

• Aryna Sabalenka loses to 34th-ranked Bartunkova

Novak Djokovic rolled back the years to oust Alexander Zverev from the China Open on Sunday, beating the top seed 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to set up a semi-final with Daniil Medvedev.

The 39-year-old electrified a packed crowd in Beijing, where he extended an astonishing winning streak to 32 matches. Djokovic got off to a poor start, double-faulting twice in the first game to help Zverev, a decade his junior, break serve instantly.

• Mariano Navone wins 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1

• Djokovic vomits numerous times and endures cramps

The first night session of the US Open this year was approaching the three-hour mark when Novak Djokovic walked briskly to the corner of the vast Arthur Ashe Stadium court, bent down and vomited the contents of his stomach straight into the towel bin.

This was neither the first nor the last time that Djokovic threw up during an excruciating four hours and 36 minutes of suffering, and his miserable night ended around midnight with the 24-time grand slam champion in tears as he was defeated 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 by Mariano Navone in the first round.

• Serb hopes to take advantage of wide-open men’s draw

• Elena Rybakina has eyes on No 1 world ranking

Novak Djokovic said he was as prepared as he could be for the US Open as he attempts to take advantage of the wide-open men’s draw and battle for a potential 25th grand slam title.

Djokovic arrived in New York having competed only once after his semi-final run at Wimbledon, losing in his opening match of the Cincinnati Open to Thiago Agustín Tirante while struggling with the humidity. However, he now sees the silver lining in that defeat, which he believes gave him the time to make sure he was in optimal shape for the US Open. “I don’t like early losses anywhere, to be honest, but it gave me time to be prepared for US Open in a most adequate way,” he said. “I had almost a few weeks, actually two weeks, to really train and get my body and mind into the right state, prepared for what’s coming up.

Former women’s No 1 proves she’s no nostalgia act before star pairing crash out in mixed doubles quarter-finals

Serena Williams’ US Open return lasted two matches and one afternoon Tuesday as she and Carlos Alcaraz followed a first-round win with a quarter-final defeat by Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in the headline attraction of the reimagined mixed doubles competition.

Back inside Arthur Ashe Stadium 1,453 days after the defeat by Ajla Tomljanovic that had appeared to end her career, Williams emerged from the tunnel at half past three to the roars of more than 10,000 spectators. As the 44-year-old American and Alcaraz warmed up in matching purple-and-black Nike kits, public-address announcer Andy Taylor rattled off her accolades one by one to a steadily rising wall of applause. Together they carried 30 grand slam singles titles, a record for a mixed-doubles team at a major.

First-round exit for 24-time grand slam winner made for a difficult watch but there is an emerging pattern of saving his best for the big occasion

Novak Djokovic walked from the ­stadium court in Cincinnati to the corridor reserved for post-match press interviews practically without breaking stride. The 39-year-old had been cruising up a set and well on his way to a seemingly comfortable victory when he began to feel the full force of the elements. Djokovic would devote much of his time during the final two sets to crouching on all fours between points, vomiting into towels and desperately struggling to perform.

Such was his disappointment with his ageing body failing him once again that Djokovic, who is usually one of the most loquacious on the tour, briskly answered four questions in about a minute before offering his thanks and striding to the locker room. He wanted nothing more than to get out of there.

• Argentinian powers to 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory

• Heat and humidity take toll on Djokovic

• Britain’s Fery holds off Duckworth 6-4, 2-6, 7-6

The scoreboard did not yet indicate that anything was awry, but even as Novak Djokovic led by a set in his opening match at the Cincinnati Open, he was already struggling badly.

From the second set onwards, he spent much of his time between points squatting and bending over as he desperately tried to catch his breath in the notorious Ohioan humidity. He was eventually dispatched 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Thiago Agustín Tirante of Argentina, who took this golden opportunity to register the biggest win of his career.

• Veteran will be 40 during next year’s tournament

• ‘I’m still able to compete at the highest level’

Novak Djokovic has vowed that he will return to Wimbledon next year, when he will be 40, despite a painful straight sets defeat by Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic looked second best in Friday’s semi-final as he succumbed 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to the world No 1. But afterwards he struck a defiant tone as he insisted he had proven over the fortnight that he is still one of the best in the world.

• Defending champion triumphs 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

• Sinner will face Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final

Novak Djokovic returned to Centre Court, one of the venues that has most defined his legendary career, desperately hoping that he had enough left in the tank to conjure up another miracle. His run to another grand slam semi-final at 39 years old was an immense achievement, but he wanted more. He always wants more. The question was whether his ageing legs would allow it against the best player in the world.

The answer to that question came swiftly and decisively. Jannik Sinner ensured that there would be no repeat of his defeat to Djokovic in their Australian Open semi-final at the beginning of the year, avenging that loss with a ruthless, efficient performance that moved him back into the Wimbledon final with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory. Sinner, the top seed, will face the second seed and recent French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the final after the German defeated Arthur Fery 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4.

Fery’s magical run ends with crushing defeat by Zverev
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What a walk this is, through the corridor and history, down the stairs, past the trophies and by the board; there goes the fear again.

Aha, here they come…

The two greats face off at Wimbledon on Friday with both having questions to answer about their fitness and form

Novak Djokovic has conducted about as many press conferences in his career as any other tennis player in history. He knows the deal: after a victory, particularly a big one, he will usually be asked by a journalist to preview his next match. He is always ready with a long, expansive response summarising his opponent and his anticipation for the next encounter. He has mastered the art of doing so while keeping his cards close to his chest and not giving away a single important detail.

And so, as the clock ticked into the early hours of Wednesday morning in the aftermath of Djokovic’s breathless, impossible-to-believe five-hour, 15-minute marathon win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, a 25-year-old man, his next response was telling. Asked how he might physically recover and what the future might hold in his match against Jannik Sinner, for once he had nothing to say: “Let’s see. Let’s see. I have an extra day, which is good …
Future will tell.”

• Novak Djokovic wins 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4)

• Serb lauds ‘one of the best matches in my career’

On Monday night The Odyssey, ­Christopher Nolan’s three-hour epic about one man’s heroic quest, had its world premiere in London. And 24 hours later at Wimbledon, 15,000 fans on Centre Court witnessed a tennis equivalent. A ­rugged hero: Novak Djokovic. A mighty quest: the hunt for a record-breaking 25th grand slam title. There was an injury scare. Multiple shifts in momentum. And ­numerous times where the ­Centre Court crowd stood up and started punching the air at what they were watching.

It amounted to pure box office. And after five hours and 15 ­minutes of extraordinary tennis, it was ­Djokovic who was again left standing after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4).

Quarter-final action, under way in SW19 from 1pm (BST)
Wildcard Fery extends Wimbledon fairytale | Mail Tanya

Now a love hold for Struff, who’s started pretty well and leads 3-2 He looks confident, but he’s not yet been put under pressure and I wonder if he can offer more testing returns. Even if he needs to stand back to give himself a better look at Sinner’s serve, he has to try and dig into it rather than hope e can struggle to a tiebreaker.

Nana Sinner appears to have been busy knitting Jannik’s top; that, or Nike have rinsed him with gear yet again.

• Djokovic clinches 106th singles victory at Wimbledon

• 39-year-old continues quest for 25th grand slam title

In his quest to win a record-extending 25th grand slam title, Novak Djokovic cares only about results. How perfectly he plays holds less importance. On Sunday he was pushed hard by the Russian Roman Safiullin, and at times he cut a frustrated figure on Centre Court as his game didn’t flow the way it usually does.

For a record 106th time here, however, he came out on top, ­reaching the quarter-finals for the ninth time in a row and a 17th occasion in all. The 39-year-old has now made the quarter-finals of a major tournament 66 times.

All the latest news from Sunday’s live action at SW19
Swiatek and Rybakina go out | Order of play | Mail Sarah

I can’t wait to see Naomi Osaka’s look today, she has been using fashion to express herself and represent her heritage across all of the slams. So far at Wimbledon she has been wearing a white kimono and she told the BBC about it:

When I think about Wimbledon, it’s obviously the all white. There’s obviously the tradition of it all. In my head, when I think about that, I think about my cultures, my heritage, which is Japanese and Haitian.

Then, if I dive deeper into Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono. You don’t have to see the colour of a kimono to know that it is a kimono.

• Seventh seed digs in to win 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4)

• ‘It took a bit of luck and skill in the end,’ says Djokovic

In the dying embers of this pulsating match, Novak Djokovic morphed into a young Boris Becker, flying through the air to hit a diving backhand lob volley at match point. At this juncture his opponent, Arthur Rinderknech, was also on the floor after slipping at the net. And Centre Court? All 15,000 of them on their feet. And no wonder. Because this was a first-week mini-classic.

There was little in Rinderknech’s grass court record of 15 wins and 18 defeats to suggest he could put the greatest player in history through the ringer, save for his victory over Alexander Zverev at last year’s Wimbledon. Yet his 6ft 5in frame, booming serve and surprisingly soft hands gave Djokovic all he could handle.

• 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.