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Novak Djokovic's performance was so poor that even the 24-time Grand Slam champion admitted it was concerning. Djokovic put on one of his worst displays at one of his favorite tournaments as he was upset by 29th-seeded Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the Italian Open. It was Djokovic's first match since accidentally getting knocked on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs after his opening win on Friday. I managed to sleep okay. I had headaches. The next day or yesterday was pretty fine, so I thought it's okay. Maybe it is okay. Maybe it's not, Djokovic said. I mean, the way I felt on the court today was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes. Just no rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. It's a bit concerning. Djokovic started off with a double-fault and it didn't get much better for the six-time Rome champion. The top-ranked Djokovic lost his first two service games and went on to lose the match 6-2, 6-3 in just 68 minu
Andy Murray will be back at the site of some of his greatest triumphs on Tuesday: Centre Court at Wimbledon. So will Roger Federer. It's where Murray won his first Olympic gold medal during the 2012 London Games. Where he became, in 2013, the first British man in 77 years to win the title at the All England Club. Where he added another Grand Slam championship three years later. And it's where he will play British wild-card entry Ryan Peniston in the first round on Day 2 of this year's tournament. Before that, 2022 women's champion Elena Rybakina will play against American Shelby Rogers. And before that, Federer will be feted by the All England Club, where he won a men's-record eight of his 20 Grand Slam titles. He announced his retirement last season. WHEN ARE TUESDAY'S MATCHES? Play begins on most courts at 11 a.m. local time, which is 6 a.m. EDT. That's when 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem faces two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas at No. 2 Court, with the winner m
Here is one way to look at what Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the now-retired Roger Federer accomplished: The group known as the Big Three of men's tennis accumulated so many Grand Slam titles 63 in all that it seems unlikely anyone will reach the standards they set. Not anytime soon, certainly. Here was another way to think about things as the professional level of the sport began its post-Federer life on Saturday, following the last match of his career: What he and the other two members of that distinguished trio, along with Serena Williams, managed to do was demonstrate that it is possible to dominate for decades, not merely years, at a time. And the 41-year-old Federer, for one, thinks up-and-coming players can learn from the way he and the others of his era went about it, from their self-belief and attitudes about setting goals to their training, nutrition and other methods of ensuring longevity. He laughed when relaying a conversation with Bjorn Borg, who is the captain