LONDON (Reuters) – With no coach in his corner to guide him when the going gets tough, Roger Federer joked on Friday that he maybe could even a little guidance from Queen Elizabeth.

The six-times Wimbledon champion struggled to find his A-Game in his first two matches but after being summoned on his day off to dine with the Queen, he finally found the form that has helped him to reign at the All England Club for most of the 21st century.

“She knew about my tough first round,” Federer said on Friday after producing a majestic performance in a 6-2 6-4 6-2 third round pummelling of Arnaud Clement.

“She said I should hit more backhands down the line,” the top seed added to hoots of laughter.

In case anyone thought he was being serious, and perhaps to make sure he does not get banished to the Tower of London, the Swiss quickly poured cold water on the theory.

But there was no doubting that after setting pulses racing in his first match when he came within three points of defeat against Colombian Alejandro Falls, and causing a few more panic attacks on Wednesday when he was stretched to four sets by Ilija Bozoljac, he finally hit his stride on Day Five.

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LONDON (Reuters) – A seething Serena Williams took out her anger at being exiled from the main showcourts by pulverising hapless Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-0 6-1 to reach the third round of Wimbledon on Thursday.

Three-times champion Williams, whose day at the All England Club began by curtsying to Queen Elizabeth on the players’ terrace, was clearly not amused by Wimbledon organisers’ decision to banish her to the sunken Court Two.

“I don’t think I should be out there,” the world number one told reporters after booking a last-32 date with Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova.

“Naturally I thought, ‘Well, why wasn’t I on Centre or at least No. 1? I guess they wanted to put Roger (Federer) and (world number 21) Sam (Querrey) and everyone else there. I’m over talking about it,” she added abruptly while indicting she was no longer prepared to be quizzed on the topic.

As the reigning champion, Williams has every right to feel slighted as players such as Federer — who in fact was not even on the schedule for Day Four of the championships — 2008 champion Rafael Nadal and British number one Andy Murray have not played away from the two main showcourts for a number of years.

It was hence little wonder she arrived for her match looking very angry and Chakvetadze was soon on the receiving end of a barrage of brutal groundstrokes.

Chakvetadze raised the loudest cheers from the crowd when she finally ended a losing streak of 11 games but the smile on her face was soon wiped off as Williams bashed down a winner to end the Russian’s torment after 49 fleeting minutes.

LONDON (Reuters) – When umpire Mohamed Lahyani was assigned to officiate a first-round match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, little did he know his years of travelling around the world cramped in economy class would come in handy.

While American Isner and Frenchman Mahut were locked in an almighty three-day battle that stretched on for a surreal 11 hours and five minutes, many people were concerned about the plight of Sweden’s Lahyani.

“Seriously… doesn’t anyone have to pee? Umpires included?” Andy Roddick Tweeted on Wednesday as he watched the final set drag on for what ended up being eight hours and 11 minutes.

Once the match concluded on Thursday, with an eye-popping score of 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 70-68, Lahyani shed light on his own powers of endurance.

“I travel economy so seven hours sitting still on court is nothing,” Lahyani, who had the best seat in town for the match of the century which featured an unbelievable 980 points, told reporters.

“It has been quite amazing to be involved with such an extraordinary match. I can’t imagine seeing another one like it in my lifetime.

“I didn’t get a chance to feel tired, I was gripped by the amazing match and my concentration stayed good — I owe that to the players. Their stamina was breathtaking and their behaviour exceptional.”

LONDON (Reuters) – The embrace John Isner and Nicolas Mahut shared at the net said it all — no words were needed to describe the longest ever tennis match after the American won 70-68 in the fifth set at Wimbledon on Thursday.

A backhand passing shot from Isner at 1648 local time finally broke the three-day deadlock after a staggering 11 hours and five minutes on Court 18.

While Isner’s weary legs buckled under him as he collapsed on to his back in disbelief, the fans occupying every inch of space in and around the court rose to their feet to give the heroes a prolonged standing ovation.

Every man, woman and child who had bagged one of the prized 782 seats on Court 18, or those who were craning their necks to see the action from a heaving Henman Hill knew they had been privileged to see something that happens only once in a lifetime.

“I am a little bit tired,” an elated Isner, who could barely put one foot in front of the other when fading light stopped play at 59-all on Wednesday, said in an on-court interview.

“When you play a match like this with an atmosphere like this you don’t feel tired. This crowd was fantastic. It stinks someone had to lose.”

Isner completed an eye-watering 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 70-68 win — and that was just to reach the second round.

LONDON (Reuters) – “Feel like a million bucks” John Isner Tweeted on Thursday hours before he was due back on Wimbledon’s Court 18 for the third day running to resume a match against Nicolas Mahut already etched into sporting folklore.

Just how Isner can feel anything but sore, tired, ragged or delirious is anyone’s guess after he was locked in battle for 10 monumental hours with Mahut before gathering gloom over the All England Club mercifully halted play at 59-all in the fifth set on Wednesday.

The world waited to see Chapter III of this most compelling of matches on a day Queen Elizabeth was visiting the championships for the first time in 33 years.

But with their battle taking place away from the main Centre Court, where the Queen will be in attendance, former champion John McEnroe quipped: “It’s a good thing Isner and Mahut don’t have to bow because if they did, they wouldn’t be able to get up again.”

It was so long and gruelling, and with no end in sight, McEnroe also suggested doctors should have been on standby to run to the players’ aid.

“I thought Isner was getting delirious and was worried for his health,” McEnroe said after watching his fellow American barely being able to put one foot in front of the other between points.

The match reached such epic proportions, that the battling gladiators were breaking records with almost every shot they made during the course of the fifth set — which has already lasted a surreal seven hours and six minutes.

LONDON (Reuters) – “Nothing like this will ever happen again – ever,” panted John Isner after he and Nicolas Mahut rewrote every record in the book with a 10-hour epic at Wimbledon that left even Roger Federer agog with admiration.

In the most mind-boggling encounter ever witnessed on a tennis court, or maybe even in the sporting world, Isner and Mahut sent statisticians scrambling and caused the scoreboard to malfunction as they fought toe-to-toe for 10 hours in the longest ever tennis match.

Incredibly as the sun set over Court 18, they staggered out of the All England Club at 2110 local time with their first-round match still undecided and the fifth set locked at 59-all.

The battle started on Tuesday, lasted all day Wednesday, will hopefully conclude on Thursday and will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to witness the freak, surreal stalemate.

“Seriously… doesn’t anyone have to pee? Umpires included?” Andy Roddick Tweeted as he watched the final set drag on for seven hours and six minutes.

The fifth set alone eclipsed the record for the longest ever completed match at six hours and 33 minutes.

It was meant to be a day when Federer, who had a narrow escape in the first round, was supposed to prove that he is still the undisputed king of Wimbledon, but again he failed to convince.

LONDON (Reuters) – On a day when fans at Wimbledon hope Roger Federer does not clown around again when he plays a challenger nicknamed ‘Bozo’, Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin wiped the smiles off their opponents in double quick time.

Henin waded her way through a sea of spectators on Wednesday before getting her first glimpse of the All England Club’s sunken Court Two, which was unveiled 12 months ago when the former world number one was still savouring retired life.

Once on court, Henin appeared to notice none of the cries of ‘Welcome back Justine’ or ‘We love you Justine’ as she dispatched German Kristina Barrois 6-3 7-5 to reach round three on another day of glorious sunshine in south west London.

Less than an hour later, Clijsters was also a step closer to setting up their much anticipated fourth-round showdown as she hurried past Croatian Karolina Sprem 6-3 6-2.

Both have maintained an aura of calm during their outings at this year’s Wimbledon, unlike six-times champion Federer who set pulses racing for almost four hours on Monday during one of the most astonishing first-round matches seen on a grand slam stage.

“Who can believe this? It’s the biggest upset you’ll ever see,” exclaimed John McEnroe as the Swiss came within three points of defeat against little-known Colombian Alejandro Falla.

Luckily for Federer, he averted that danger and 48 hours after that narrowest of escapes, he will be up against Serbian qualifier Ilija Bozoljac.

LONDON (Reuters) – Wimbledon proved to be an unhappy hunting ground yet again for French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur as the Australian slumped to a 6-4 6-4 first-round defeat by Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi on Tuesday.

On paper the sixth seed should have the game to do well on turf since she hails from the home of many Wimbledon champions, but the 26-year-old has never made it past the third round in seven previous appearances.

Attempt number eight proved just as frustrating for Stosur as she wilted on a sun-kissed Court 18 in just 82 minutes against a player who had won only one match at the All England Club before Tuesday.

“I wanted to do a lot better here than what I had in previous years. I didn’t. So it’s unfortunate,” Stosur told reporters.

“I’d love to do well here. As Australians, we’ve always had a great tradition of doing well here. I haven’t been able to have my own success yet. I’m still hopeful in years ahead I’ll be able to turn it around.”

Wimbledon’s roll of honour includes such illustrious Australians as Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, John Newcombe and Roy Emerson.

On the day when the British chancellor unveiled his new budget, a misfiring Stosur’s chances of winning Britain’s most famed tennis tournament appeared to be as likely as her solving the nation’s debt crisis.

LONDON (Reuters) – Andy Roddick warmed up for his first outing at Wimbledon since “that final” by playing a round of Monopoly and then cashed in all his assets in double quick time to reach the second round on Monday.

The American, who cemented a place in every tennis fans’ heart after losing an epic 30-game fifth set to Roger Federer in last year’s final, was made to wait over four hours to make his bow at the 2010 event as Nikolay Davydenko performed a great escape on Court One.

Once Roddick was finally set free on the soft green grass against fellow American Rajeev Ram, there was no stopping him.

He started by unleashing a 120mph bullet, finished with a 106mph rocket and in-between dazzled the crowd with a 142 mph ace.

So startled was one front row fan by the ferocity of the serve, she was jolted out of her seat and dropped a punnet of strawberries and cream down her pristine white jacket.

A male voice from high up in the stands hailed Roddick’s effort by crying out “Come on you sexy beast!”.

Roddick, however, did not bat an eye and stalked Ram out of Wimbledon in just 93 minutes with a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win.

LONDON (Reuters) – The Swiss soccer team’s Mr Motivator, also known as Roger Federer, is hoping Alejandro Falla does not turn out to be an awkward first round opponent at Wimbledon on Monday.

In line with Wimbledon tradition, the champion will begin his pursuit of a record-equalling seventh men’s crown at 1400 local time but that means he will have to miss some or all of Switzerland’s World Cup match against Chile.

Federer was recently invited to give the Swiss team a pep talk and despite his vested interest in what happens on the pitch in South Africa, on Monday he will be totally focused on the lush green lawns of Wimbledon.

“You think I’ll just like leave the court at 3:00?” Federer told reporters on Sunday before hotfooting it to Court Four for a relaxed practice session in black shorts and grey T-shirt.

“That’s not going to happen quite yet,” added the top seed, who became a father to twin daughters just a few weeks after winning a record 15th grand slam in London last July.

“In the past that I’ve had to play matches during important things in my life. I went on court last year many times thinking that (my wife) Mirka was going to give birth to my children.

“That was a bit more crazy than Switzerland playing at 3 pm. (But) I still have a chance to maybe go see a little bit (of the football match).”