Liam Broady admitted it took a monumental effort to realise his childhood dream as a career-best win over Casper Ruud on Centre Court made him the first British male into the third round at Wimbledon.
Broady outlasted world number four Ruud to win 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-0 in an enthralling contest that lasted three hours and 27 minutes.
Victory over Ruud, who had made the finals of Roland Garros and the US Open during the past 12 months, was even sweeter for the Stockport left-hander given it took place in front of a buoyant Centre Court crowd.
“It was a pretty terrifying, exhilarating experience coming out at Centre Court on Wimbledon, but it’s been my dream since I was five-years-old,” Broady reflected, having lost his only other match on the venue to Andy Murray in straight-sets in 2016.
“I played on Court One in the finals of the juniors (in 2011). I was a set and a break up. I completely choked it, completely guffed it. That has kind of haunted me my entire career, to be honest.
“It always bothered me coming back, playing on the bigger courts and never really feeling like I was comfortable and had performed. Losing to Andy on Centre, losing to (Milos) Raonic on One, then (Alex) De Minaur on One and never winning so much as a set.
“That’s why it felt good. I feel like it’s taken a monumental effort for me personally to be able to win a match on Centre Court at Wimbledon. I mean, Novak (Djokovic) hasn’t lost a match on Centre in 10 years, which is a testament to how good of a player he is, as well, but that was a big one for me.
“This is why I play tennis. I’m 29, going into this tournament I’m 150 in the world, I only have so many Wimbledons left in my career. This has to be seen as a reward. You have to take the bull by the horns with these opportunities.
“I have played on Centre Court now twice in my entire career. The opportunity might not come by again for one reason or another, so I felt more excited than anything going out there.
“Because as hard as it is, you still have to kind of relish the opportunity. It is the pinnacle of the sport, the pinnacle of almost any sport, Centre Court of Wimbledon. Obviously to have got the result as well is the icing on the cake.”
In trademark gutsy fashion, Broady dug deep to down Ruud but did take a tight first set when he reeled off four games in a row with the home crowd fully engaged.
Ruud has made no secret of the fact grass is his least favoured surface but started to up his level and was edged into a two set to one lead.
Broady’s mixture of flamboyance and grit eventually saw him grind down the fourth seed, going on to win seven of the last nine games to inflict the biggest shock of the tournament so far.
After early exits at Surbiton, Nottingham, Queen’s and Eastbourne, the Manchester City fan was delighted to peak at just the right time in his sixth main draw appearance in SW19.
“It’s always better to have played more matches on grass,” British number five Broady insisted after banking £131,000 ahead of facing 26th seed Denis Shapovalov in round three.
“Time on the match court, as Andy has shown in the three challengers he’s won on the grass, is pretty priceless.
“Even though I maybe didn’t get as many results as I’d have liked to in the build-up, literally the day before my first-round match, I went to bed and I thought, ‘Oh, like I feel good now,’
“For the first time in probably three months, I thought, ‘I think my game is there now, I can rest,’ which is when you want it to, isn’t it? The day before the first round of a slam.”
Ruud’s own preparation for the third major of 2023 included attending two concerts of The Weeknd and playing golf before he spent time on the grass during an exhibition event at Hurlingham last week.
He added: “Of course ranking-wise it’s an upset, but I consider him a better grass-court player than myself.
“I think if he plays the way he played today, I think he has good chances of reaching top hundred within the year.”
Katie Boulter says she will have nothing to lose when she gets a shot at defending champion Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon.
The British number one is through to the third round for the second consecutive year after a 6-0 3-6 6-3 win over Viktoriya Tomova, and will meet last year’s winner, probably on Centre Court, on Saturday.
“I think it’s a super great opportunity for me. I’ve got nothing to lose. She’s clearly the defending champion for a reason,” said British number one Boulter.
“I’m going to have a swing and go for it. I’ve got a lot of tennis behind me. It’s time for me to test my skills against an incredible champion.”
Boulter looked set to breeze through her second-round match against Bulgarian Tomova after wrapping up the first set in 27 minutes.
But the 26-year-old from Leicester put her family, as well as boyfriend and men’s 15th seed Alex De Minaur, through the wringer when Tomova hit back to take the second and level the match.
“Do my family get nervous? I don’t know. I’m sure they do,” added Boulter. “My grandpa spends a lot of time actually cramping with nerves. When I see him walk off, I know he’s struggling!
“Obviously I’ve kind of been in their shoes a little bit more watching Alex. I hate every minute of it because it is so stressful.”
Back-to-back net cords helped Boulter break for 2-0 in the decider and after that second-set wobble, she regained her composure and asserted herself on the contest once more.
The Boulter serve was back on song, but she needed to come out on the right end of an epic 24-shot rally before converting a third match point with her 36th winner to complete a fine victory.
“I think I’m playing really well. I’ve played a lot of matches on the grass. I feel very comfortable,” she said.
“It’s always a tough match on grass when you’re playing people like I am today. They’re going to come back at you with a lot more trouble. I have to find ways to win.
“A lot of it is my self-belief. A lot of matches I’ve really drawn from recently to help me get over the line. I definitely did that again today, as well as the British crowd.”
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from July 6.
FootballCesar Azpilicueta left ‘home’.
Dog’s life for Bernardo Silva.
Mohamed Salah was taking a dip in the sea.
Raheem Sterling was hard at work.
Marcus Rashford enjoyed his holidays.
Millwall players paid tribute to club owner John Berylson.
CricketMark Wood was back with a bang.
Mitch Marsh was as well.
AB de Villiers was impressed with England…
…for the most part
Golfers Min Woo Lee and Daniel Hiller were enjoying Headingley.
TennisLiam Broady enjoyed his big win.
BoxingAJ versus Whyte was announced.
GymnasticsSimone Biles was excited to get back into action.
CyclingGeraint Thomas was unimpressed by the weather in the Pyrenees.
View this post on InstagramAndy Murray’s main memories of the biggest moment of his life are of tension and fatigue.
“I remember it being unbelievably stressful and then at the end of it huge relief,” he says of the victory over Novak Djokovic that ended Great Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon.
The year before had ended with Murray choked by tears on Centre Court following defeat by Roger Federer in his first final.
Twelve months later and with a long-awaited first slam title under his belt in New York, Murray faced another of his major foes with history at his fingertips.
Friday marks the 10-year anniversary of that day and the feelings remain seared in Murray’s mind.
“I was unbelievably nervous before the final and I also remember feeling like my team were really nervous,” he tells the PA news agency.
“They were struggling to hide it. My physical trainer, when we were doing the pre-match warm-up, he was fumbling all of the balls during the reaction drills.”
Even ‘Old Stone Face’ Ivan Lendl, the coach who had helped turn Murray into a slam champion, was not immune to the tension.
“Ivan doesn’t usually talk loads but before the final he was chatting a lot and I just felt my team were feeling it as well,” adds Murray.
“After the match I was exhausted. Twenty or 30 minutes after we got off the court, I was sitting with my wife and I was wanting to sleep. That is not usually how you feel after a match, normally the adrenaline makes it hard to sleep but I was completely spent after the match.”
The history books show Murray won in straight sets, 6-4 7-5 6-4, yet even when he served for the match in a tortuous game that somehow encapsulated all his struggles, it still felt on a knife edge.
Three match points came and went, then there were three break point chances for Djokovic as the tension around Centre Court ramped up and up. Murray stood firm, saving each one confidently, before a fourth chance came the Scot’s way, and this time his opponent netted.
The reaction from Murray was of sheer wide-eyed joy mixed with disbelief before the enormity of it all caught up with him.
For his opponent, the memories are of course very different, although Djokovic could find happiness amid his disappointment for the rival just a week older than him against whom he had been competing since childhood.
“It was not a great result for me obviously in the end, painful to lose a grand slam final, especially the Wimbledon final,” says Djokovic, who has lost only twice at SW19 in the decade since.
“But I was happy for Andy because he deserved it. He was working so hard to get his hands on the Wimbledon title.
“I had to congratulate him because he was a better player that day and it was kind of a perfect scenario for Great Britain and for him as a British player to win at Wimbledon on Centre Court.”
Among the crowd living every twist and turn was an 11-year-old Jack Draper, who eight years later made his own Centre Court debut.
“Watching Andy win Wimbledon on Centre Court in 2013 was an experience that I will never forget,” says the British number four.
“I was only 11 at the time but, looking back, it was definitely a moment that made me more motivated than ever to become a professional tennis player – and compete on the biggest stages against the world’s best players.
“I was very lucky to have Andy as a role model and hope that in the future I can do the same for young players.”
The experience was not at all the same for Murray’s brother Jamie, who was notably absent among the family and friends supporting the Scot courtside.
“I watched the final on a laptop in Stuttgart with my wife,” says the doubles specialist, who had already moved on to his next tournament.
“Of course it would have been great to be there to see him win but reality was it definitely wasn’t a sure thing. He was playing Novak, he’d lost a bunch of finals to that point.
“I was just glad that he won. I didn’t really care that I missed it. Obviously it was a weird situation to find yourself watching the match. The stream wasn’t even particularly great.
“I know what it meant to him to finally get his hands on the trophy. I don’t even remember what it was like when I saw him. Everything had kind of died down by then. It was a bit lame but that’s just the way it was.”
The Wimbledon victory cemented Murray’s place as one of Britain’s sporting greats, and he followed it up three years later with a second title.
Jamie does not believe achieving his biggest goal changed his brother, saying: “He was still incredibly motivated to do the best he could on the court and try to win more grand slams, that his talent probably deserved.
“That was an amazing moment in tennis where these four guys were playing in the semis and finals of every big tournament. They hoovered up everything for so long. I know Andy only won three but he played in 11 grand slam finals, which is a crazy career when you think about it.”
The San Antonio Spurs released their roster for the NBA's Las Vegas Summer League on Thursday, a list that contains 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama.
Multiple reports previously indicated that Wembanyama, the league's most heralded rookie since LeBron James in 2003, will make his ballyhooed debut in the Spurs' Vegas opener against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, where he'll square off against No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller.
Wembanyama told reporters following a team practice last week that he's expected to play "at least one or two" of the Spurs' four confirmed Vegas games. The 7-foot-3 Frenchman did not take part in San Antonio's two contests at the recent California Classic in Sacramento.
"It's going to be intense," Wembanyama said. "I can't wait to wear that Spurs jersey for the first time."
The Spurs also have a game scheduled against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, then take on the Washington Wizards on Tuesday before meeting the Detroit Pistons on Friday in their final matchup before the league playoffs.
Tickets for Day 1 of the Summer League quickly sold out in anticipation of Wembanaya's debut, which is expected to draw approximately 17,500 fans to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center.
Considered a generational prospect due to his playmaking skills and mammoth eight-foot wingspan, Wembanyama arrives in the NBA after spending three seasons as a teenager in France's top professional league. The 19-year-old averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and three blocks in 34 games for Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 this past season while leading the team to the league finals.
Alexander Zverev made it belatedly into round two at Wimbledon and then insisted his horror ankle injury is behind him.
The German, back in action this season after requiring surgery on the ankle ligaments he tore in last year’s French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal, had to wait until day four to play his opening match due to the rain in south-west London.
He quickly made up for lost time, however, beating Dutchman Gijs Brouwer 6-4 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) on Court One.
“Am I pleased to be in the second round? Very, yeah. It took me three days, but I’m here. I’m happy about that,” he said.
“No, look, the tournament starts when the tournament starts. For further matches, it’s not going to be easy because the big difference between here and normal tournaments is we’re playing best-of-five sets.
“But I hope that I’ll be fine. I hope that I am physically prepared for this kind of moment.
“It’s not helpful, let’s put it that way, but it is what it is. Nobody has a magic switch for the rain. Nobody can do anything about that.
“Usually winning in three sets at slams is great. Especially in this case it’s even better for me.”
Zverev let out a blood-curdling scream after slipping on the clay at Roland Garros last year and left the court on crutches.
The former world number two, seeded 19th here, was sidelined until February but believes he is now fully fit and firing.
“I mean, I proved at this year’s French Open that my fitness is at a good stage,” he added.
“I think I’m not thinking about these kind of things anymore. That’s usually a good sign, when you’re not thinking about it. It means that you’re prepared.
“For now, as I said, I played three sets. I feel pretty fresh and I feel pretty ready to go.”
Former finalist Matteo Berrettini was another playing catch-up after his match with fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego was suspended on Wednesday night.
Berrettini, who has endured an injury-hit season, was unhappy that the match continued for so long with the court conditions becoming slippery.
The pair resumed on Thursday with Berrettini 2-1 up and he eventually came through in four sets.
Afterwards, he said: “I think sometimes it’s just a little bit weird, like, supervisors or referees dress up with sneakers and say ‘no, it’s playable’. It has to be a little bit more than that.
“I get, for example, that they wanted to finish the tie-break, but we fell three times in the tie-break. I think it’s really tough.
“I know everybody was in a rush. Everybody wanted to finish the match. But when it’s not safe, it’s dangerous, you don’t want to get injured.”
Russian teen sensation Mirra Andreeva revealed she had met her idol Andy Murray at Wimbledon but was too shy to speak to him.
The 16-year-old recently revealed that the two-time champion was a lucky charm after he sent her a good luck message in Madrid in response to Andreeva calling him “beautiful”.
She went on to make the fourth round in the Spanish capital and more good luck could be about to follow in SW19 after she reached the third round when her opponent Barbora Krejcikova retired injured in their second-round match.
But even though she got to meet Murray, she could not bring herself to say anything.
Andreeva, who was 6-3 4-0 up when the former French Open could not continue, said: “I met Andy Murray here. But I’m too shy to talk to him.
“When I see him, I try to leave the facility super quick just to not talk to him because I’m super shy.”
Anett Kontaveit’s singles career is over after she was easily beaten by 32nd seed Marie Bouzkova.
The Estonian, who reached number two in the world, is retiring after this tournament and will not have a fairytale ending after a 6-1 6-2 defeat.
She left Court 18 in tears, but will compete in the mixed doubles.
French Open finalist Karolina Muchova is out after she was beaten 4-6 7-5 6-1 by Jule Niemeier.
Muchova suffered an injury early in the third set after slipping and was unable to recover.
Asked about the injury she told the PA news agency: “I don’t know much about it yet, it is tough to know how, hopefully it is not serious.
“It affected me for sure, but she played great, it would be tough either way, even if nothing happened.”
Sofia Kenin looks like she could be an outsider for the tournament after following up her statement win over Coco Gauff with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Wang Xinyu, while Elina Svitolina’s comeback from giving birth last year continues to go well with a 6-1 1-6 6-1 success against 28th seed Elise Mertens.
Bianca Andreescu had been waiting since Tuesday to play her first-round match due to the rain and she came through 6-3 3-6 6-2 against Anna Bondar while Viktoria Azarenka made light work of Nadia Podoroska with a 6-3 6-0 success.
Tadej Pogacar raced clear of rival Jonas Vingegaard to take a solo win on stage six of the Tour de France as Jai Hindley’s spell in the yellow jersey proved short-lived.
A day earlier, Pogacar appeared to be suffering the effects of his long injury lay-off as he lost significant time to Vingegaard while Hindley raced into yellow, but it all changed on the second Pyrenean stage as Pogacar flipped the script once again.
After sticking to Vingegaard’s attack on the mighty Tourmalet, the two-time Tour winner put in an explosive dig to distance his rival with 2.7 kilometres of the final climb up to Cauterets-Cambasque remaining, winning the 145km stage from Tarbes by 24 seconds.
Vingegaard’s consolation prize was taking the yellow jersey, but Pogacar’s camp will surely be the happier one after this. Hindley eventually came home two and a half minutes after Pogacar, with the Australian needing to return to his original target of a podium finish after enjoying a day in yellow.
Vingegaard leads by 25 seconds from Pogacar, with Hindley 94 seconds down in third. Simon Yates is up to fourth, a little over three minutes down, with his brother Adam in sixth and Tom Pidcock into the top 10, ninth at a deficit of four minutes 43 seconds.
Vingegaard took on the stage with a clear plan to take the jersey from Hindley and also to again put pressure on Pogacar, who looked vulnerable on the climb of the Marie Blanque on Wednesday.
The Dane attacked close to the top of the Tourmalet, still with more than 50km of the stage to go, quickly distancing Hindley but keeping Pogacar glued to his wheel.
The Slovenian, usually so spritely on the bike, kept his poker face on as he appeared to be clinging on, but as the gradients ramped up on the final climb he sprang forward for a statement win.
“I would not say it’s revenge but it feels sweet to win and to take some time back,” Pogacar said. “I feel a little bit relieved, I feel much better now.
“The display Jonas showed yesterday was incredible and I was thinking when they started to pull on the Tourmalet, I thought, ‘S***, if it’s going to happen like yesterday we can pack our bags and go home’, but luckily I had good legs today and I could follow on the Tourmalet.
“I felt quite comfortable and when I felt it was the right moment in the end I attacked and it was a big relief… I would say now it’s almost the perfect gap and it’s going to be a big battle until the last stage I think.”
When Jumbo-Visma made their move four kilometres from the top of the Tourmalet, Hindley initially stayed with Vingegaard and Pogacar but, having invested so much in Wednesday’s breakaway, he soon fell back into the chasing group.
“What can I say? It was just an epic day,” the Australian said. “Riding around in the yellow jersey, doing some mythical climbs. To be honest I got my arse handed to me but I really enjoyed it.”
Vingegaard had his team-mate Wout van Aert, who ignited the day’s break, waiting for him on the descent of the Tourmalet, where speeds topped 100kmh as they chased down the lead group, and seemed to be in pole position for the win, only for Pogacar to spring a surprise.
“It’s nice to be back in yellow,” Vingegaard said. “I hoped to take the stage but in the end Tadej was really strong and deserved to win.
“We wanted to try to test him again to see how he felt. I suppose he felt better than yesterday.”
Attention returns to the sprinters on Friday with a flat run in to Bordeaux offering Mark Cavendish another opportunity to go for a record-breaking 35th career Tour stage win.
But Pogacar, only 24, is now already up to 10 himself.
“I’m coming for you Mark,” he said with a laugh. “I’m joking. It’s far away.”
Liam Broady outlasted world number four Casper Ruud in five sets for a career-best win that made him the first British male through to the third round at Wimbledon.
In trademark gutsy fashion, Broady had to dig deep to fight back from two sets to one down but – carried by a buoyant Centre Court crowd – he clinched an excellent 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-0 victory in three hours and 27 minutes.
Ruud had made the finals of Roland Garros and the US Open during the past 12 months and yet had no answers to Broady’s mixture of flamboyance and grit, with this win sending the world number 142 through to the third round for a second year in a row.
Tadej Pogacar raced clear of rival Jonas Vingegaard to take a solo win on stage six of the Tour de France as Jai Hindley’s spell in the yellow jersey proved to be short-lived.
A day earlier, Pogacar appeared to be suffering the effects of his long injury lay-off as he lost significant time to Vingegaard while Hindley was racing into yellow, but it all changed on the second stage in the Pyrenees as Pogacar flipped the script once again.
After sticking to Vingegaard’s attack on the mighty Tourmalet, the two-time Tour winner exploded away from his rival with 2.7 kilometres of the final climb up to Cauterets-Cambasque remaining, winning the 145km stage from Tarbes by 24 seconds.
Vingegaard’s consolation prize was taking the yellow jersey, with the widely expected two-horse race between these two riders already emerging.
Vingegaard leads overall by 25 seconds from Pogacar, with Hindley 94 seconds down in third.
Simon Yates is up to fourth, a little over three minutes down, with his brother Adam in sixth and fellow Briton Tom Pidcock into the top 10m ninth at a deficit of four minutes 43 seconds.
Hindley eventually came home a little over two and a half minutes after Pogacar, with the Australian needing to return to his original target of a podium finish in this Tour after enjoying a day in yellow.
Vingegaard took on the stage with a clear plan to claim the jersey from Hindley and also to again put pressure on Pogacar, who looked vulnerable on the climb of the Marie Blanque on Wednesday.
The Dane attacked close to the top of the Tourmalet, still with more than 50km of the stage to go, quickly distancing Hindley but keeping Pogacar glued to his wheel.
The Slovenian, usually so expressive on the bike, kept his poker face on as he appeared to just be clinging on, but as the gradients ramped on the final climb he sprang forward inside the last three kilometres for a statement win.
“I would not say it’s revenge but it feels sweet to win and to take some time back,” Pogacar said. “I feel a little bit relieved, I feel much better now.
“The display Jonas showed yesterday was incredible and I was thinking when they started to pull on the Tourmalet, I thought, ‘S***, if it’s going to happen like yesterday we can pack our bags and go home’, but luckily I had good legs today and I could follow on the Tourmalet.
“I felt quite comfortable and when I felt it was the right moment in the end I attacked and it was a big relief…I would say now it’s almost the perfect gap and it’s going to be a big battle until the last stage I think.”
Lewis Hamilton has defended the casting of Brad Pitt as a Formula One driver with the Hollywood actor to start filming for his new blockbuster at the British Grand Prix on Friday.
Pitt will race an adapted Formula Two machine between practice sessions at a sold-out Silverstone for the movie which Hamilton is helping to produce.
It is understood that the 59-year-old American will play the role of a veteran driver returning to the grid after a 30-year absence.
The plot line has raised eyebrows, given Pitt’s age, but Hamilton said: “Brad looks like he’s ageing backwards. He looks great for his age.
“Of course that was a big topic at the beginning when we were discussing the first story. But he’s super-fit.
“He is such an iconic actor. He’s always done such an incredible job. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have Brad Pitt in Formula One. It’s incredible.”
Pitt has been getting up to speed in Formula Two machinery for two months – first at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France and then here at Silverstone.
While Pitt will be alone on track at Silverstone in a modified car prepared by Hamilton’s Mercedes team, it is believed that the assistance of computer generated imagery will make him look as though he is racing this season’s grid.
A garage has been set up in the paddock to replicate a fictional “11th team”, called Apex GP. They will also have a presence on the grid ahead of Sunday’s race, but will be withdrawn before the event gets under way.
“There are nerves because it is something we’ve been working on for so long,” added Hamilton.
“We want everyone to love it and to really feel that we encapsulate what the essence of this sport is all about.
“I don’t know if this would have been possible 10 years ago when the old management was in place. They wouldn’t have perhaps seen this as an important step in terms of the sport’s growth.
“But we’ve already seen the great work and impact of the Netflix show, and this will take it to new heights beyond that.”
Apple has bought the rights to the movie with a reported budget of 140 million US dollars (£125 million).
Joseph Kosinski, the man behind Top Gun: Maverick, will direct the film, while Jerry Bruckheimer – who also worked on the Tom Cruise blockbuster – is listed as a producer.
Filming will continue at a number of races over the remainder of the season.
Katie Boulter battled into the Wimbledon third round for the second straight year and set up a potential meeting with reigning champion Elena Rybakina.
The sole British woman remaining in the singles draw recovered from a second-set wobble to beat Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova 6-0 3-6 6-3 on Court 12.
Watched by Australian boyfriend Alex De Minaur, who won his delayed first-round match earlier on Thursday, Boulter equalled her best showing in SW19.
Tomova is ranked 10 places below Boulter at 99 in the world, but she appeared a dangerous opponent having recorded her first top-30 win in the opening round by defeating 27th seed Bernarda Pera.
Yet Boulter was all over her from the start, an aggressive opening return game securing the first of three breaks of serve.
Having seen the first set race away from her in just 27 minutes, Tomova finally got on the board in the second and then nicked a break from the previously impeccable Boulter serve.
The British number one hit straight back with a glorious winner, but Tomova had got in her stride, switching tactics and changing angles to unsettle her opponent and level the match.
Back-to-back net cords helped Boulter break for 2-0 in the decider and after that second-set blip, she regained her composure and asserted herself on the contest once more.
The Boulter serve was back on song, but she needed to come out on the right end of an epic 24-shot rally before converting a third match point with her 36th winner to wrap up a fine victory.
Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Dillian Whyte has been announced for August 12 at The O2 in London.
After discussions over taking on Tyson Fury broke down, former world champion Joshua had been linked with a fight against Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua, though, will now face off against Whyte again, having defeated his rival in a British and Commonwealth title clash in December 2015 to avenge a defeat when they had met as amateurs.
Joshua is continuing to build up his record again, having beaten Jermaine Franklin on points in April after suffering back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, the unified champion who is set to face Britain’s Daniel Dubois in Poland next month.
“I’ve been clear that my plan is to be active this year,” said Joshua. “August 12 is the date, I’ll be ready to fight. I look forward to dealing with business.”
Whyte, 36, recovered from his sixth-round loss against WBC champion Fury at Wembley in April 2022 with his own victory over Franklin in November last year.
If Joshua comes through his rematch with Whyte, which will be shown live by broadcaster DAZN, he is then expected to go on to meet Wilder in another lucrative heavyweight showdown.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said: “At times it may have looked like a game of bluff, but now we are set and with everything that’s on the line this is an absolute must win for both.
“The rivalry runs deep and there is something about these two where they will never back down from each other.
“Just like the first time at The O2, get ready for fireworks August 12 and a huge night of boxing.”
Stan Wawrinka rates his chances of winning Wimbledon as “zero” but can complete a notable set by knocking out his old rival Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Wawrinka, 38, defeated 29th seed Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2 to reach the last 32 at the All England Club for the first time since 2015.
The Swiss veteran has won only six of his 26 previous meetings but two of those came in grand slam finals, at the French Open in 2015 and the US Open the following year, while he has also beaten him at the Australian Open.
Wawrinka is finally back in the top 100 after years spent trying to battle back from knee and foot surgeries, and he was determined to play down his chances against Djokovic.
“There’s zero opportunity to win Wimbledon for me, I think,” he said. “I’m happy to have won today again. I think it was a great match. I’m playing better each match and I think it’s an honour to play Novak here.
“I was missing that on my career to play him in the grand slam in Wimbledon. It’s going to be a difficult challenge. Hopefully I can make a competitive match, but, if you will look at recent results, I don’t really stand a chance.”
Asked if he believes he can beat Djokovic, Wawrinka said with a smile: “I don’t know. I have to be on the court, play my best tennis and like I did in the past, but right now it’s been a long time I didn’t play at that level.
“He’s the perfect player. If you look, everything is so clean. He plays the perfect shot in the right moment. I love to watch him play, as much as I was loving to watch Roger (Federer) play. He’s serving amazing, he’s returning everything. He can do everything.
“I like to watch tennis. So I’m going to be playing tomorrow and then watching the rest of the tournament.”
While Wawrinka insisted his last comment was a joke, it will suit him to pile all the pressure on Djokovic for the clash of the veterans.
The match will be the oldest combined age for a men’s singles match at Wimbledon since Ken Rosewall faced Barry Phillips-Moore in 1974.
Djokovic, 36, is now on a 30-match winning streak at Wimbledon and will be a big favourite but he will be wary of the power of Wawrinka.
“He took away two grand slams from me,” said the seven-time Wimbledon champion.
“After several surgeries of his knees, he keeps going strong and trying to create some more history for himself and tennis. We cannot forget that he’s a three-time grand slam champion and Davis Cup winner and also Olympic gold. He had a fantastic career.
“One of the nicest one-handed backhands that I have ever played against, ever seen. Very powerful player. Very strong. Very complete. He can play equally well on all surfaces.”
Max Verstappen believes next season’s Formula One calendar is too long and hinted it will be a factor in whether he stays in the sport beyond 2028 – but George Russell thinks the Red Bull driver simply wants more money.
The Dutchman is powering towards a third successive drivers’ title – holding an 81-point lead heading into this weekend’s British Grand Prix – but has again suggested that ongoing disgruntlement with elements of the sport might cause him to walk away at the end of his current contract.
The 2024 Formula One calendar was released on Wednesday and it will feature a record 24 races – starting on March 2 and ending on December 8.
Verstappen says that is too many and, having already hit out at the increase in the number of sprint races and the new car regulations for 2026 this season, says he will need certain conditions if he is to extend his stay in the sport.
“It is too many (races) for me but we just have to deal with it,” Verstappen, whose Red Bull deal expires in 2028, said.
“I think it (the calendar) is a bit more logical the way that it is planned at least, I guess that is better for everyone.
“But more things will have to come together for me to make my mind up over whether I stay longer (than 2028) or not. But I think that these things are definitely not helping for sure.”
Mercedes driver Russell believes talk of retirement is a tactic from Verstappen but admitted that the lengthening calendar and the commitments on the drivers is an issue.
“I think he is whingeing because he wants more money!” Russell said.
“He is the highest paid on this grid and rightly so for what he is achieving but I think it is all a big tactic of his, this threat of retirement.
“I hope he doesn’t – I hope he stays for as long as I stay because I want to fight against the best drivers in the world.
“I think we are in a great place at the moment with the sport.
“It is challenging, we can’t just keep adding more commitments and races, there has to be a point where if you add something then something has to be taken off.
“We are adding more races and more commitments and we are working overtime and I’m pretty sure that’s the case at Red Bull.
“If we didn’t have any other commitments I’m pretty sure we’d be happy to race every weekend.
“I am doing what I love. Almost the more the merrier to a certain extent. We are the most privileged people in the world to be Formula One drivers. There are a lot of things that come with it.
“I would happily take more races but less commitment outside of the race weekend.”
Should Aidan O’Brien win the Coral-Eclipse for a seventh time with Paddington on Saturday, he will have created yet another piece of Turf history.
Currently he shares the record with Alec Taylor Jnr, famed as the ‘Wizard of Manton’ due to his success in the early 20th century, and Sir Michael Stoute.
O’Brien admitted the Eclipse – a race named after the horse whose footprint on the sport is still around today with his long-distance descendants – was vitally important in his early career.
His first winner, Giant’s Causeway, is regularly brought up in discussions of O’Brien’s best horses.
It was already his fifth race of the season and his first against older horses and 10 furlongs, having just won the St James’s Palace Stakes, and O’Brien is clearly keen to take advantage of the weight-for-age concession the Classic generation receive, given four of his six winners have been three.
“The Eclipse is obviously a very prestigious race for a stallion. It’s the first time the generations really meet and everybody gets a feel of where they all are,” he said.
“The people gone before us have always got it fairly right with the weight-for-age scale. Obviously a three-year-old is not usually as mature as the older horses yet, but as the year goes on it levels up.
“The Eclipse is a very prestigious race to win, Sandown is a good track that is always very well maintained and you get a good picture of where you’re going after.”
Paddington is following a similar route to the Eclipse as Giant’s Causeway, having taken in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes before running at Sandown.
“Paddington is a three-year-old and he’s running in a lot of the races that Giant’s Causeway ran in as well, but it’s just the way it worked out,” said O’Brien.
Another three-year-old to score for Ballydoyle two years ago was St Mark’s Basilica, who was also by the same sire, Siyouni.
“Paddington is out of a Montjeu mare whereas St Mark’s was out of a Galileo mare, but they are both by Siyouni,” said O’Brien.
“Paddington can quicken, he’s a miler that can quicken but then St Mark’s did that as well.
“I think he’s only the second Siyouni we’ve had this far among the colts, we’ve a few more two-year-olds by him but they are the only others.
“We’ve won the Eclipse with some of great horses. So You Think was an unbelievable horse really, and he’s still at stud now and doing very well.
“Hawk Wing was a big powerful horse who had run in the Guineas and Derby, St Mark’s was very good and obviously Giant’s Causeway was very important to us.
“He was our first really good horse at that level and I remember George (Duffield) giving him an unbelievable ride. Pat Eddery was riding Kalanisi for Sir Michael and they were second, a great race.
“They are the days you don’t forget and they were very important days for us.”
When asked how early in the season he would identify a horse for the Eclipse, O’Brien said: “We enter them in all the big races. In Paddington’s case we were going to Goodwood (Sussex Stakes), but he was so fresh and well after Ascot, he started doing a few bits of work.
“The Eclipse is always an option. When the lads discussed it with us we said he could probably take it in with his well-being and when we spoke to Ryan (Moore) we decided to let him do it.”
Roger Teal’s Ocean Wind returns after 771 days out of action in the Coral Marathon at Sandown on Friday.
The gelding, now a seven-year-old, was a high-class bumper horse who made the switch to the Flat after finishing sixth behind Ferny Hollow in the 2020 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham.
His first Flat term was a success as he won a couple of valuable handicaps, including the Cesarewitch Trial at Newmarket, and in 2021 he stepped up a grade to finish second in the Listed Further Flight Stakes and second again in the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot – a Group Three in which he came within a length of staying hero Stradivarius.
Injury curtailed that season after his third in the Henry II Stakes and he has not been seen on course since, meaning his return to racing for Sandown’s two-mile Listed event comes after an unusually lengthy absence.
“He’s been off for a couple of years so it’ll be good to see him back on the track,” said Teal.
“He’s bound to be a bit rusty after being off for so long, he’s not the most enthusiastic work horse and he’s a bit lazy at home but he always seems to wake up on the track.
“He’s as fit as we can get him and obviously he’ll come on 100 per cent for the run.
“It’s a nice little race for him and hopefully he can run well, come on for the run and we can go forward from that.
“You’ve got to take into account that it’s such a long time off, he saves a bit for himself so you can’t really assess him quite as well as you’d want to.
“Hopefully he puts his best foot forward on Friday and runs a solid race.”
Ocean Wind will cross paths with Godolphin’s Yibir, a multiple Group winner who was most recently sixth in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
Trainer Charlie Appleby said via the Godolphin website: “We have been happy with Yibir since the Gold Cup, which was a good first effort over a proper staying trip.
“We were encouraged with what we saw that day and dropping back to two miles should suit. If he can build on his last run, he should be very competitive.”
There is further Listed action on the card in the five-furlong Dragon Stakes, where Sean Woods’ Nazalan looks to back up a course and distance success last time out.
The chestnut was third on his debut and then won smartly in Esher on the next time of asking, with both the runner-up and the sixth-placed horse from that event going on to win again since.
Woods said: “He’s an uncomplicated little horse, he’s been training very well and it’s a natural progression to go back to the Dragon Stakes as he handled Sandown very well last time.
“He’s a very straightforward colt, Tom (Marquand) rode him first time up at Nottingham so he rides him again and we’re looking forward to it.
“The runner-up from Sandown (Notta Nother) has gone out and won and the sixth-placed horse of Roger Varian’s (Markakol) has as well so it looks a pretty good form line.”
Opposing Nazalan will be Alice Haynes’ Hala Emaraaty, a Kodiac colt who beat Mick Appleby’s Big Evs in a Redcar novice in May.
Both horses headed next for the Windsor Castle at Ascot, where Big Evs was the winner but Hala Emaraaty still ran with credit to finish seventh of 23.
“He came out of the Windsor Castle great, obviously a couple of these he beat in the Windsor Castle and there’s a couple to beat,” said Haynes.
“Ideally we did want to step him up to six, but the stiff five will definitely suit him and we’re hoping for another big run.
“The form is all there, I know he turned that round in the Windsor Castle but I definitely feel like it’s worth taking a shot at this race.
“He was flat out all the way, he’s a tough horse who handles his races well and it’s great to be going there with a live chance.”
The third Listed race of the day at the Esher venue is the 10-furlong Davies Insurance Solutions Gala Stakes.
Sure to be popular will be Wolferton Stakes fifth Saga, trained by John and Thady Gosden and owned by the King and Queen. Ryan Moore takes over from the suspended Frankie Dettori.
Following him in the market is Simon and Ed Crisford’s Poker Face, who finished down the field with a luckless run in the Wolferton but has Group form under his belt from earlier this season.
Ed Crisford said: “Poker Face was slightly disappointing in the Wolferton but he was quite far back that day and not much was coming from further back off what was a strong pace. You can put a line through that.
“He is a lightly-raced horse that is climbing up the ladder and he has been very well since that run. There is a small field for this race as well and he has to have a chance in it.”
Woods is represented by Savvy Victory, another who was also well beaten in the Wolferton but this time due to interference.
“He was very unlucky at Ascot, he got knocked over when he was making his run,” the trainer said.
“Any rain will help him, I’m very happy with him.
“He got blocked at Kempton (Magnolia Stakes) and he got beaten a length at Chester, but he stays in really good form and we’re looking forward to running him. Hpefully there’ll be a few more showers before Friday.”
Chris Honour said he would “never tell someone not to win” as he revealed his family have been caught up in the fall-out of the controversial performance of Hillsin at Worcester on Wednesday evening.
Hillsin was making his first start for Honour in the two-and-a-half mile conditional riders’ handicap hurdle and looked to have a fine chance of notching his first career victory in the hands of conditional Dylan Kitts when moving into contention up the home straight.
However, the five-year-old finished third beaten a length and a half, with the run coming under close scrutiny from the raceday stewards who held an inquiry and subsequently referred Kitts to the British Horseracing Authority, with the horse suspended from running for 40 days.
Speaking to the Nick Luck Daily Podcast on Thursday, Honour said: “I’m beside myself about the whole thing. I’ve had phone calls to my wife last night and she’s been in tears. I’m upset with it and it is not something I want to be involved in.
“In my mind I did my job right, the horse has run one of the best races of his career, to the point where I don’t want to be dropping the jockey in trouble – he’s messed up, he’s a 7lb claimer – but I told him not to let go of his head and he’s gone to an extreme. In my mind, if he was to look back this morning I’m sure he would be disappointed with the ride he has given it. It’s a disappointing scenario to be dealing with quite frankly.
“Reading Twitter and Facebook is horrible for us and my family and it is not something I want to be associated with. I did my best with the horse in my mind and I’ve ridden him every day myself. He’s gone there in great shape, run a lovely race, it’s just a very disappointing outcome.
“I love horses and I love them like they are my family to a certain extent, but with him this morning, I’ve gone and fed him and I looked at him and thought you’ve caused one of the worst days in my racing career.
“It upsets me. We don’t stop horses, it’s not our thing, people say it happens in racing and it does but it’s not what we do. We try to think outside the box about how we ride our horses and how to campaign them. I train horses slightly different to other people, but I do believe I have created a good environment where our horses can run above their weight.
“I would never tell someone not to win, it’s not even fair to ask someone not to win, at the end of the day lads go out there with their neck on the line. I don’t want people to think bad or ill of us because it’s not us and it’s not what we do. But I cannot dispute it looks awful.”
Kitts had ridden Hillsin on his last two starts for his previous trainer, but it was the first time that he had linked up with Honour, who said he would have liked Bryan Carver to ride the gelding in ideal circumstances.
“I wanted Bryan on and I want Bryan on all my horses,” he added.
“I spoke to the agents and said I want Bryan on this horse and the owners have said they want Dylan.
“I don’t know Dylan, I had never met him or spoken to him until yesterday when giving him the instructions to go out and drop him in, take your time and keep hold of his head.
“From there I can’t ride the race for him. I feel sorry for the lad, he’s done as I have asked, but he’s done it to an extreme that isn’t enough.
“People are saying we have stopped it, but that’s not me, I haven’t stopped it and it is against my ethos of how we run and train our horses. We have punched above our weight and hopefully we will get to the bottom of it with the investigation with the BHA.
“I’m embarrassed, I’m embarrassed for my team at home, they don’t deserve this, they work really hard.”
Lewis Hamilton has said he would welcome a protest from Just Stop Oil campaigners at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
The climate activists targeted Wimbledon on Wednesday and have caused disruption at the Lord’s Ashes Test, the Premiership rugby final and the World Snooker Championship so far this year.
Asked ahead of Sunday’s race, if he would support a protest which did not involve people invading the track, Hamilton said: “Yes. I support peaceful protests.”
Five people invaded last year’s British Grand Prix after they stormed the Wellington Straight – the fastest point of the Northamptonshire track – before sitting down during the opening lap.
The contest had already been suspended following Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu’s high-speed crash, but a number of cars sped by the group before they were dragged away by marshals. The protesters were handed suspended jail sentences in March.
Silverstone has worked alongside Northamptonshire Police to beef up security ahead of this year’s event, with a record 480,000 people expected to attend over the weekend, and 150,000 fans in place for the race.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton added: “We are hoping we have learnt from the experience (of last year).
“We have 100 more marshals this weekend which will be supportive to make sure it doesn’t happen.
“From my perspective, and my teams’ perspective, we are focused on sustainability and we believe in what people (the protesters) are fighting for and we are making those changes as a sport.
“But safety is key. We don’t want to put them in harm’s way and we don’t want to put anyone else in harm’s way. If there was to be one (a protest) we hope it is not on track.”
Earlier this week, McLaren driver Lando Norris told Just Stop Oil campaigners that they would be “stupid and selfish” to put lives in danger by protesting
But Williams’ London-born Alex Albon believes an attack is likely. “There is a high chance of something happening this week,” he said.
“It is a concern because a pitch invasion is one thing but with cars and moving parts it gets a bit more dangerous to some extent.”
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