Wimbledon 2025: Sinner, Swiatek and Djokovic in action and AI under scrutiny
Date: 2025-07-07T09:45:04.000Z
Title: Preamble
Content: The round of 16 continues today on the eighth day of the Championships at SW19 as the second week of the tournament gets into full swing and the quarterfinal picture begins to take shape.
Among the headliners, Novak Djokovic returns to Centre Court chasing history. At 38, and just months removed from knee surgery, the seven-time Wimbledon champion has looked sharp and assured: diving volleys, dancing celebrations and all. He faces the tireless Alex de Minaur, whose speed and grit could test even Djokovic's legendary flexibility and composure. A win today would edge the Serbian one step closer to becoming the oldest grand slam singles champion in the Open era – and to his 25th major title.
Jannik Sinner, meanwhile, has been nothing short of clinical. The world No 1 hasn't dropped serve through three rounds, and has surrendered just 17 games en route to the fourth round – a joint record in the Open era. He faces Grigor Dimitrov in a potentially stylish clash of clean ball-strikers on Centre Court.
On the women's side, Iga Świątek continues her steady push toward a first Wimbledon title. The five-time major winner, who lifted the girls' trophy here in 2018, faces Denmark's Clara Tauson on No 1 Court. With all former champions already eliminated, the world No 1 is the only woman left in the bottom half of the draw who knows what it takes to win a Slam.
Elsewhere, teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva takes on Emma Navarro, while 2017 finalist Marin Čilić tries to keep his run alive against Italy's Flavio Cobolli.
By the end of play, the eight quarter-finalists in each draw will be fixed. The business end of Wimbledon has well and truly begun.
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While impressive results dotted her 2021 and 2022 seasons, including the dispatching of defending champion Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open in the latter year, Anisimova would move up and down rankings within the top 50, but seemed well off her early potential. In 2023, the dam burst, and Anisimova made a seismic decision few players have the confidence - or the foresight - to make. On the heels of a first-round defeat at the Madrid Open, the 21-year-old announced that she would be taking a break from tennis. With no plans to return. 'I've really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022,' Anisimova shared in an Instagram statement. 'It's become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. 'At this point my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time. I've worked as hard as I could to push through it.' 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Roos is the son of Australian Football League legend Paul Roos, and a former Australian Football player himself, and sent Anisimova a sweet message of support ahead of the 2020 Australian Open, but Anisimova has kept her private life just that in the years since. There is a sense that the presence of family has been a boost for Anisimova and an important distraction from the pressures of moving through the main draw, with the star giving Jaxon's fifth birthday on Thursday equal billing with her semi-final against Sabalenka. A distraction may have been necessary. Sabalenka has been in strong grass-court form this season, the No 1 seed scything through the competition in SW19 with a view to making her first final at the Grand Slam. As one of the most consistent performers on either the ATP or WTA tour, there seemed to be little stopping her from doing so. But Anisimova has a strong record against the three-time Grand Slam champion, having beaten her four times to Sabalenka's three before they stepped on to Centre Court. She is also one of the few on women's circuit who can match the 27-year-old for power, and bullied her opponent on serve. Blessed with an imperious backhand, Anisimova battled through big-match nerves to secure the tight three-set win. A naturally emotional player whose frustrations can be visible to spectators via eye rolls, heaved shoulders, and even, against Pavlyuchenkova, a dramatic drop to her knees after being broken, it was Sabalenka who blinked first and found herself frustrated by the younger player. Sabalenka shared that Anisimova had 'p****d her off' after she refused to apologise for a lucky ball striking the net cord - but who could blame her if the reward is a place in the Wimbledon final? Sabalenka, a ruthless competitor, more than met her match. In SW19, Anisimova is surrounded by her family - including her nephew Jaxon, whose birthday she celebrated on Thursday The player frustrated world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka over three knife's-edge sets that afternoon She will now look to break Iga Swiatek's flawless run in Grand Slam finals on Saturday But there's another peerless professional waiting for her in the final. Iga Swiatek may be having an unprecedented run on grass, but for her, a baking-hot Wimbledon is playing like her beloved Roland-Garros red clay. Swiatek won the girl's title at the Championships in 2018, another sticky summer, and despite having failed to win a title since her French Open win in 2024, she has never lost any of her five Grand Slam finals. The pairing is a tantalising one - Swiatek and Anisimova have never met on any surface as adults, with a 2016 Junior Fed Cup meeting the only fodder for head-to-head analysts. For Anisimova however, there is triumph already in reaching the final. 'It's been an incredible year for me,' she said after beating Sabalenka. 'To be in the Wimbledon final, I mean, I'm still trying to process it, in a way.' But how would the run look if she were to paint how she felt about it, the finalist was asked. 'I don't know,' Ansimova said. 'I typically do abstract, so it would be hard. A lot of green and white. So maybe it's some inspiration for me when I get back to make a piece.'
