Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Wimbledon 2017: Five things to look out for on week two, including Roger Federer and Andy Murray

Can Johanna Konta live up to her favourite's tag and will the men's big four all make the semis?

Monday 10 July 2017 10:15 BST
Comments
Roger Federer looked good in the opening week, but then so did the rest of the Big Four
Roger Federer looked good in the opening week, but then so did the rest of the Big Four (Getty)

After a day of rest, Wimbledon will resume on Manic Monday with all the singles fourth-round matches.

Here, we pick out five things to look forward to in the second week.

Big four heading for the semi-finals

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have monopolised the Wimbledon title since 2002 but surprisingly have never all been in the semi-finals together. This could well be the year when it happens, with all four looking good through the first week. What a treat for Centre Court ticket holders and TV spectators on Friday if that was the case.

Watch out for Zverev

Among those trying to ensure the big four do not have it all their own way is Alexander Zverev. The German only turned 20 in April and has already broken into the top 10 and marked himself out as the clear favourite to be the next big star of men's tennis. Zverev is confident, ferociously ambitious and will fancy his chances against last year's runner-up Milos Raonic on Monday. His grand slam breakthrough is coming and it might just be now.

Can Konta live up to favourite's tag?

This has already been Johanna Konta's best Wimbledon by a long way but, such are the elevated expectations on the world number seven, the hope is she can go a lot further yet. So far the 26-year-old has dealt with the pressure impeccably and is certainly capable of winning the title. France's Caroline Garcia will be a good test in the fourth round, while standing in her way after that are the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep and Venus Williams.

Wide open women's event

The battle for supremacy in the women's game in the absence of Serena Williams is being fiercely fought, with no obvious winner yet emerging. What the uncertainty has led to is plenty of intrigue and a lot of close, exciting matches. At the French Open, that continued throughout the tournament, and there is nothing to indicate that will not be the case again here.

Don't forget the doubles

It is not often Federer gets upstaged at Wimbledon but, while the seven-time champion was seeing off Mischa Zverev on Saturday, the cheers from Court Three were clearly audible as 2016 folk hero Marcus Willis and his teenage partner Jay Clarke knocked out the defending men's doubles champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert. British brothers Ken and Neal Skupski are also through to round three while Heather Watson and Finnish partner Henri Kontinen are defending their mixed doubles title.

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in