{"id":787369,"date":"2026-07-08T02:32:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T02:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/787369\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T02:32:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T02:32:26","slug":"wimbledon-quarterfinal-recap-how-the-roof-loomed-over-another-day-of-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/787369\/","title":{"rendered":"Wimbledon quarterfinal recap: How the roof loomed over another day of drama"},"content":{"rendered":"

Follow The Athletic\u2018s Wimbledon coverage<\/a><\/p>\n

Welcome to the Wimbledon briefing, where The Athletic\u00a0will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.<\/p>\n

On the first day of the quarterfinals, a player recognized where they had gone wrong, a holdover caused issues and recovery came under the spotlight.<\/p>\n

How did the Wimbledon roof become a point of argument again?<\/p>\n

During No. 7 seed Novak Djokovic\u2019s epic 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(4) win over F\u00e9lix Auger-Aliassime (3)<\/a>, which set up another Grand Slam meeting with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, the Wimbledon roof got in the way.<\/p>\n

With the score level at 1-1 between sets, at around 7:40 p.m., the evening sun was slanting over London \u2014 and, tournament officials decided, it was time to close the roof.<\/p>\n

Djokovic, the 39-year-old seven-time champion, was not impressed. Nor was Auger-Aliassime, the 25-year-old Canadian.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other day you didn\u2019t want to close it until 8:20 p.m., 8:30 p.m., and now you want to close it at 7:40 p.m.? We can play a whole other set, we\u2019re an outdoor tournament,\u201d Djokovic said, before Auger-Aliassime interjected to say, \u201cWe can play until 9 without a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were speaking to tournament referee Denise Parnell, who had come onto the court to inform them that the roof would close, leading to a break in play.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the All England Club said that by 8:20 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Centre Court, players have been complaining about light. There is no hard-and-fast rule for roof closures.<\/p>\n

If Parnell considers that the players may not be able to get through a full set without needing to close the roof, then the tournament may make the decision to shut it.<\/p>\n

In an interview earlier this week, Neil Stubley, the head of courts and horticulture at the All England Club, said roof closures often occur not because of light but because of increased moisture on the grass.<\/p>\n

The temperature often drops quickly in the evenings in London. Warm days don\u2019t bleed into warm evenings. When the air above the grass becomes significantly cooler than the air within the grass, the dew point rises and moisture on the grass increases, jeopardizing the safety of the players.<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t happen Tuesday evening. The temperature was going to remain stable through the sunset. And despite the argument, and a marathon game to start the third set, Djokovic still won it well before the time play normally stops on the outdoor courts, around 9:15 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Futterman<\/p>\n

Why did Jessica Pegula step back from her winning grass formula?<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff said something in her on-court interview Tuesday, after reaching her first Wimbledon semifinal with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win against Jessica Pegula<\/a>, that should\u2019ve perked up the ears of anyone who\u2019d watched the match.<\/p>\n

She said she wasn\u2019t nervous throughout the day. It was a statement that at first surprised, given the stakes of the match and Pegula\u2019s 5-3 record against her heading into the quarterfinal.<\/p>\n

But it also made perfect sense. Gauff, 22, is a two-time Grand Slam champion. Although Pegula, 32, knows how to beat her in a WTA tournament, they were in Gauff\u2019s arena \u2014 on a big stage at a major. Pegula had never played on Centre Court and was aiming to finally make a semifinal at the only Grand Slam she hasn\u2019t reached that stage. After she won the first set \u2014 and even during it \u2014 she looked tight.<\/p>\n

When Gauff grew more confident in the second set, relishing the opportunity to fight for her win, Pegula grew hesitant. She backed off the usual patterns that help her beat her former doubles partner and, literally and repeatedly, took a step back.<\/p>\n

\"Jessica<\/p>\n

\n Jessica Pegula did not play as close to the baseline as she would have liked against Coco Gauff. (Glyn Kirk \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Pegula too often let Gauff push her back off the baseline in rallies, where she nullified two of the things Pegula does best: absorb power and dictate from the back of the court.<\/p>\n

Pegula stood too far behind the baseline to begin with, but her first step also appeared to be backward, not forward, forcing an awkward return high above her strike zone, which allowed Gauff to put away balls or drag Pegula out of position. Pegula said she\u2019d been working on being more athletic lately, and while that showed in her perfectly timed volleys against Iva Jovi\u0107 in the fourth round, her short game was just off Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Gauff fed off that defensive positioning and hesitation as she started to serve better. She played with verve, going for bigger shots more often but keeping her celebrations low-key, as if letting Pegula know that she would scrap all day if she needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe stepped up on pressure points, I thought, really well. When she needs to lock in and just not miss a ball, that\u2019s what she did. But that\u2019s vintage Coco,\u201d Pegula said in her news conference. \u201cI think that\u2019s happened in all of our matches. It\u2019s just whether I\u2019m able to capitalize on it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pegula knows the patterns that are effective against Gauff. But Gauff knows her vulnerabilities, too, and in a high-stakes match on Centre Court, Gauff had Pegula playing on her heels.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ava Wallace<\/p>\n

Want to recover like a Wimbledon pro? That will be $170,000<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ammortal Chamber\u201d might sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but tennis stars competing at Wimbledon the past eight days have become familiar with its qualities.<\/p>\n

The $169,500 \u201czero gravity\u201d bed sits in the corner of a new players recovery room located inside the Millennium Building at the All England Club. The device delivers red and infrared light, sound and electromagnetic pulses while guiding its occupant through breathing exercises, all in the service of helping elite athletes recover. Players will also breathe in molecular hydrogen \u2014 used to lower stress and lactate levels \u2014 through a nasal cannula.<\/p>\n

Also in the room are reclining chairs, weighted blankets, compression boots, heated eye masks and Ohm lamps, which are another breathwork tool.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n Players use the chamber to recover from the intensity of Grand Slam matches. (Charlie Kent \/ AELTC)<\/p>\n

Wimbledon is the first major sporting facility in the United Kingdom to use one of the chambers, Marc Violone, co-founder of New York-based company Recover, which helped design the room, said during an interview at the All England Club. It also works with the French and U.S. Opens. The chamber can also be used as a prematch tool.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have some athletes that are using it as a system before they go on court,\u201d Violone said. \u201cThe bulbs are red light and infrared light, which is helping with muscle tissue regeneration and blood flow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former British tennis player Laura Robson is on the player relations team at the All England Club and is responsible for keeping Wimbledon up to date when it comes to the art of rest and recovery. But what if a player is in the room with an upcoming opponent? Can they truly relax?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re so used to that. You see each other in the locker room, and your locker might be next to each other,\u201d Robson said during an interview. \u201cYou would just put the eye mask on, wouldn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Caoimhe O\u2019Neill<\/p>\n

How did Naomi Osaka make good on grass?<\/p>\n

Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, had failed to go beyond the round of 32 at Wimbledon before this year. But after this tournament, her opinion of grass may be starting to change.<\/p>\n

On the whole, the 28-year-old had an impressive tournament. She secured her most significant victory since returning to tennis in 2024 following the birth of her daughter, beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka<\/a> in straight sets to make the quarterfinals for the first time.<\/p>\n

Despite losing to Karol\u00edna Muchov\u00e1<\/a> 7-6(4), 6-4, Osaka looked more stable on grass, moved more fluidly than she has and counterpunched, particularly against Sabalenka\u2019s power, to great effect.<\/p>\n

She could not consolidate, however, upon that imperious display against Muchov\u00e1, a natural on grass with her slice and net play. Osaka\u2019s serve was not as consistent nor effective. Whereas she won 87 percent of her first-serve points against Sabalenka, that dropped to 67 percent against the Czech.<\/p>\n

Osaka said the accumulation of matches in the lead-up to the championships, different from in her usual preparation, left her feeling depleted of energy. \u201cIt was a really weird feeling,\u201d she said in a news conference. \u201cLike my legs were disconnected from the upper half of my body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osaka sensed the fatigue was coming, but she wanted to try a different rhythm heading into Wimbledon. \u201cIt worked out well,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I probably won\u2019t do that again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Late in the match, the Japanese player seemed to be in some discomfort, and she thinks it is plantar fasciitis, a condition arising when the tissue on the bottom of the foot becomes inflamed. Osaka suffered with the pain in the offseason last year and believes it has returned on grass because she is pushing more off her toes to move forward. \u201cI don\u2019t think it will bother me on hard courts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This tournament performance is Osaka\u2019s most promising since last year\u2019s 2025 U.S. Open semifinal run and has, in her words, boosted her confidence. She has shown she can modify her game to be effective on grass. As she moves onto hard courts, her favorite surface, it could provide a springboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my head I think there\u2019s still an opportunity to win a Slam,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u2014 Charlotte Harpur<\/p>\n

Other notable results on Day 9:
\nGermany\u2019s Alexander Zverev (2) won his fourth-round match held over from the previous night against Ji\u0159\u00ed Lehe\u010dka (13) of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(6), to set up a quarterfinal against\u00a0Taylor Fritz (6) of the U.S.
\nAnd Italy\u2019s Jannik Sinner (1) continued his Wimbledon serving masterclass, seeing off Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3.
\nDrop Shots<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude80 How Jannik Sinner\u2019s serve<\/a> is propelling him through his Wimbledon title defense.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf38 Wimbledon is in full swing, but getting its courts, flowers and tennis balls ready<\/a> is a monumental task.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf93 Quarterfinalist Arthur F\u00e9ry is just one of many successes from the college tennis circuit \u2014 this is how it became an incubator<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Up next: Quarterfinals continue<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s singles: Linda Noskov\u00e1 (9) vs. Elise Mertens (25)<\/p>\n

8 a.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Unlimited<\/p>\n

Noskov\u00e1, the 21-year-old Czech who won the Berlin Tennis Open ahead of Wimbledon, has surged through the draw. She runs into Mertens, the 30-year-old from Belgium, who is in a major quarterfinal for the first time since 2020. If form holds, Noskov\u00e1 should join Muchov\u00e1 in the semifinals, but Mertens managed her moment earlier in the tournament against No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina and will not go away in a tight scenario.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s singles: Marta Kostyuk (12) vs. Jasmine Paolini (13)<\/p>\n

8:30 a.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s Kostyuk, 24, has won 20 of her past 21 matches, displaying a newfound confidence in the consistency of her tennis, which has always been able to reach high highs but rarely stayed there. Paolini, the 30-year-old 2024 Wimbledon finalist from Italy, is rediscovering her form and herself after a challenging 2026. They are both formidable ball-strikers on grass. Expect plenty of thrilling points.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Men\u2019s singles: Taylor Fritz (6) vs. Alexander Zverev (2)<\/p>\n

10:30 a.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Unlimited<\/p>\n

Zverev, the 29-year-old German, is into his first Wimbledon quarterfinal \u2014 where he will face his recent kryptonite. Fritz, the 28-year-old from the U.S. who last year made the Wimbledon semifinals, has beaten Zverev seven times in a row, three of them on grass, and his movement, recently hampered by knee tendinitis, appears improved. Should Zverev overcome Fritz, it would be a big psychological jump for him right after winning his first Grand Slam title.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Men\u2019s singles: Flavio Cobolli (9) vs. Arthur F\u00e9ry (WC)<\/p>\n

11 a.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Unlimited<\/p>\n

Italy\u2019s Cobolli reached the French Open final, where he lost to Zverev, and the 24-year-old Italian has taken that form onto the grass with his swashbuckling shotmaking. F\u00e9ry, the 23-year-old British wild card who has become one of the stories of the tournament, stands in his way. Cobolli has more weapons, but Fery has a brilliant sense of timing and knows when to jump on a ball that is even slightly short \u2014 and he beat Cobolli when they last met, at the Australian Open.<\/p>\n

Wimbledon 2026 women\u2019s bracketWimbledon 2026 men\u2019s bracket<\/p>\n

Tell us what you noticed on the ninth day\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Follow The Athletic\u2018s Wimbledon coverage Welcome to the Wimbledon briefing, where The Athletic\u00a0will explain the stories behind the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":787370,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[49,48,569,4963,82,575,593],"class_list":["post-787369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-culture","tag-olympics","tag-sports","tag-sports-business","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}