LONDON (Reuters) – Revenge will be on the minds of Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray on Friday when they seek to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon and banish memories of defeats by their next opponents.

Top seed Nadal faces Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, the Spaniard’s conqueror in the second round at Wimbledon in 2005, while the dangerous Ivan Ljubicic awaits home hope Murray, the Croatian having won their last meeting in Beijing last year.

Since that 2005 defeat world number one Nadal has only lost twice at Wimbledon, to Roger Federer in the final, so although 92nd-ranked Muller is fresh having played just five games in his second-round match before Milos Raonic pulled out injured he will face an almighty task to topple Nadal.

World number four Murray, chasing his first grand slam after three losses in finals, will enjoy a considerable home advantage against veteran Ljubicic on Center Court.

“It’s the only court on earth I haven’t played on,” said the Croatian world number 33 after setting up the clash.

Elsewhere on Friday, five-times champion Venus Williams takes on Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez on Court One after British teenager Laura Robson meets 2004 winner Maria Sharapova in a second-round match carried over from Thursday.

Big-serving American Andy Roddick opens proceedings on Center Court against Spanish serve volleyer Feliciano Lopez.

LONDON, June 24 (Reuters) – Revenge will be on the minds of Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray on Friday when they seek to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon and banish memories of defeats by their next opponents.

Top seed Nadal faces Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, the Spaniard’s conqueror in the second round at Wimbledon in 2005, while the dangerous Ivan Ljubicic awaits home hope Murray, the Croatian having won their last meeting in Beijing last year.

Since that 2005 defeat world number one Nadal has only lost twice at Wimbledon, to Roger Federer in the final, so although 92nd-ranked Muller is fresh having played just five games in his second-round match before Milos Raonic pulled out injured he will face an almighty task to topple Nadal.

World number four Murray, chasing his first grand slam after three losses in finals, will enjoy a considerable home advantage against veteran Ljubicic on Centre Court.

“It’s the only court on earth I haven’t played on,” said the Croatian world number 33 after setting up the clash.

Elsewhere on Friday, five-times champion Venus Williams takes on Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez on Court One after British teenager Laura Robson meets 2004 winner Maria Sharapova in a second-round match carried over from Thursday.

Big-serving American Andy Roddick opens proceedings on Centre Court against Spanish serve volleyer Feliciano Lopez.

LONDON (Reuters) – Serena Williams displayed her tender side again on Thursday when she spoke of her meeting with five-year-old cancer sufferer Jack Marshall during this year’s championship.

“I kind of met him on Twitter. His mum Tracey wrote to me. I read his story, and my heart kind of went out for him,” the 13-times grand slam champion told reporters after securing a place in the third round by beating Romania’s Simona Halep.

“I thought if I made it to Wimbledon, I wanted to invite Jack out. I got to meet him yesterday. We spent some time together,” she said of Manchester United fan Jack, who lives in the north of England.

“They gave me one of his bands that I can wear and you can help him. It’s just been so amazing, his whole story, to be so small to have such courage. He calls me his best bud, so I love it.”

After a year battling a serious foot injury and then suffering life-threatening blood clots Williams has been in a serene mood since returning at Eastbourne last week.

The emotional effects of her longest ever break from tennis caught up with her on Tuesday when she wept on court after beating Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai in round one.

(Editing by Martyn Herman)

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) – Serena Williams displayed her tender side again on Thursday when she spoke of her meeting with five-year-old cancer sufferer Jack Marshall during this year’s championship.

“I kind of met him on Twitter. His mum Tracey wrote to me. I read his story, and my heart kind of went out for him,” the 13-times grand slam champion told reporters after securing a place in the third round by beating Romania’s Simona Halep.

“I thought if I made it to Wimbledon, I wanted to invite Jack out. I got to meet him yesterday. We spent some time together,” she said of Manchester United fan Jack, who lives in the north of England.

“They gave me one of his bands that I can wear and you can help him. It’s just been so amazing, his whole story, to be so small to have such courage. He calls me his best bud, so I love it.”

After a year battling a serious foot injury and then suffering life-threatening blood clots Williams has been in a serene mood since returning at Eastbourne last week.

The emotional effects of her longest ever break from tennis caught up with her on Tuesday when she wept on court after beating Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai in round one.

(Editing by Martyn Herman)

LONDON (Reuters) – A picture of Goran Ivanisevic holding up the 2001 Wimbledon trophy hangs outside one of the All England Club’s interview rooms and a glimpse of it still evokes powerful memories for his fellow Croatians.

Ivan Ljubicic knows the towering left-hander better than most and as he entered the small cubicle after his first-round win over compatriot Marin Cilic it did not take the world number 33 long to recall Ivanisevic’s triumph.

“For me, and I’m sure for a lot of Croatians, it was the biggest emotional moment of my life. Definitely tennis and career-wise,” the 32-year-old told Reuters.

“Everybody I know cried when he won,” added Ljubicic, who escaped war-torn Bosnia aged 13 in 1992 and was one of several players taken to Italy by a club that was reaching out to help children.

Ivanisevic’s famous Monday victory over Australian Pat Rafter, the pinnacle of the Croatian’s career after three losses in Wimbledon finals, gave his countrymen hope.

“For us it broke the ice. I had to go through all the small steps to break through,” said Ljubicic, who climbed from world number 91 to 37 in the year of Ivanisevic’s win.

“Then the others followed. Ivo Karlovic, Zeljko Krajan, then of course Mario Ancic and Ivan Dodig and Cilic now.”

LONDON (Reuters) – A picture of Goran Ivanisevic holding up the 2001 Wimbledon trophy hangs outside one of the All England Club’s interview rooms and a glimpse of it still evokes powerful memories for his fellow Croatians.

Ivan Ljubicic knows the towering left-hander better than most and as he entered the small cubicle after his first-round win over compatriot Marin Cilic it did not take the world number 33 long to recall Ivanisevic’s triumph.

“For me, and I’m sure for a lot of Croatians, it was the biggest emotional moment of my life. Definitely tennis and career-wise,” the 32-year-old told Reuters.

“Everybody I know cried when he won,” added Ljubicic, who escaped war-torn Bosnia aged 13 in 1992 and was one of several players taken to Italy by a club that was reaching out to help children.

Ivanisevic’s famous Monday victory over Australian Pat Rafter, the pinnacle of the Croatian’s career after three losses in Wimbledon finals, gave his countrymen hope.

“For us it broke the ice. I had to go through all the small steps to break through,” said Ljubicic, who climbed from world number 91 to 37 in the year of Ivanisevic’s win.

“Then the others followed. Ivo Karlovic, Zeljko Krajan, then of course Mario Ancic and Ivan Dodig and Cilic now.”

LONDON, June 22 (Reuters) – A picture of Goran Ivanisevic holding up the 2001 Wimbledon trophy hangs outside one of the All England Club’s interview rooms and a glimpse of it still evokes powerful memories for his fellow Croatians.

Ivan Ljubicic knows the towering left-hander better than most and as he entered the small cubicle after his first-round win over compatriot Marin Cilic it did not take the world number 33 long to recall Ivanisevic’s triumph.

“For me, and I’m sure for a lot of Croatians, it was the biggest emotional moment of my life. Definitely tennis and career-wise,” the 32-year-old told Reuters.

“Everybody I know cried when he won,” added Ljubicic, who escaped war-torn Bosnia aged 13 in 1992 and was one of several players taken to Italy by a club that was reaching out to help children.

Ivanisevic’s famous Monday victory over Australian Pat Rafter, the pinnacle of the Croatian’s career after three losses in Wimbledon finals, gave his countrymen hope.

“For us it broke the ice. I had to go through all the small steps to break through,” said Ljubicic, who climbed from world number 91 to 37 in the year of Ivanisevic’s win.

“Then the others followed. Ivo Karlovic, Zeljko Krajan, then of course Mario Ancic and Ivan Dodig and Cilic now.”

LONDON (Reuters) – The John Isner against Nicolas Mahut rematch inevitably failed to live up to last year’s historic clash when American Isner needed only just over two hours to book his place in the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday.

Isner won 7-6 6-2 7-6 against Frenchman Mahut in a contest every bit as low-key as their 11-hour epic last year was dramatic.

The first game of the match lasted less than a minute and although there were two tiebreaks the clash never threatened to live up to last year’s three-day marathon, by far the longest match in tennis history.

Isner took control by winning the first-set tiebreak and Frenchman Mahut never looked like fighting back in a subdued atmosphere on a windy Court Three.

“The phenomenon that was created around last year’s match has been difficult for the two of us to tackle,” 94th-ranked Mahut told a news conference.

“He played better than me today. The atmosphere was not as huge as I was waiting for,” added the Frenchman, who despite his dejected demeanour still found room for humour.

“I’m sure you’re all disappointed about today,” he joked.

LONDON, June 21 (Reuters) – The John Isner against Nicolas Mahut rematch inevitably failed to live up to last year’s historic clash when American Isner needed only just over two hours to book his place in the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday.

Isner won 7-6 6-2 7-6 against Frenchman Mahut in a contest every bit as low-key as their 11-hour epic last year was dramatic.

The first game of the match lasted less than a minute and although there were two tiebreaks the clash never threatened to live up to last year’s three-day marathon, by far the longest match in tennis history.

Isner took control by winning the first-set tiebreak and Frenchman Mahut never looked like fighting back in a subdued atmosphere on a windy Court Three.

“The phenomenon that was created around last year’s match has been difficult for the two of us to tackle,” 94th-ranked Mahut told a news conference.

“He played better than me today. The atmosphere was not as huge as I was waiting for,” added the Frenchman, who despite his dejected demeanour still found room for humour.

“I’m sure you’re all disappointed about today,” he joked.