July 8, 2022 - Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić are in the Wimbledon doubles final - again! 

Croatia doubles team Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić will defend their Wimbledon title in the doubles competition after defeating Colombians Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the semi-final of the third tennis Grand Slam tournament of the season. Mektić and Pavić won 6:7 (2), 7:6 (0), 4: 6, 6:2, 7:6 (10:4) after four hours and 22 minutes of play.

Mektić and Pavić thus achieved their 11th consecutive victory at Wimbledon and are now just one step away from defending the title.

Croatian pride and intensity ?? ?

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have secured their spot in the gentlemen’s doubles final after a thrilling five set match, 6-7(2), 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4)#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/XKEkXA4WKv

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2022

In the second semi-final, Australians Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell also defeated Briton Joe Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram 3.6, 6:7 (1), 7:6 (9), 6:4, 6:2 after a five-set drama. Interestingly, Ram and Salisbury had five match points in the third set, but they did not use them, and later they lost the match.

Colombians Cabal and Farah won Wimbledon in 2019, during 2020 there was no play on the London grass due to the coronavirus pandemic, while Mektić and Pavić celebrated last year at the All England Club. The last to defend the title in the doubles competition was Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serbian Nenad Zimonjić in 2008 and 2009.

The semi-final match was fantastic and full of twists and turns, but with many interesting points. It was an unusual match in which Pavić injured his right hand, Mektić was hit on the lip with a racket, and after the third set there was a break to close the roof, but the mechanism got stuck, and everything was prolonged.

It started great for the Croatian side. Already in the first game, they took away the service from their opponents, but the Colombians immediately retaliated by tying the game at 1:1. By the end of the set, there were no more service breaks, so the thirteenth game was decisive. Farah and Cabal led 2:0, then 4:1 and 5:2 after which the set went to their side.

During the tie-break, Pavić slipped and fell on his hand and sought medical help. Despite the pain, he continued the match, and later he almost did not use his right hand at all except to throw on the serve.

In the second set, both sides held their serves, so the decision again fell in the tie-break, which Pavić and Mektic played perfectly, without losing a point (7:0).

A new accident for the Croatian side happened in the third set at 4:3 for the Colombians. Pavić ran into Mektić with a racket and tore his lip. After finishing the game, Mektić used his mobile phone to check the condition of his teeth and lip, and then took a selfie with Pavić to the delight of the audience. Unfortunately, that set went to the Colombian side at 6:4 with a break in the last game.

After the third set, the organizers decided to close the roof, but the mechanism got stuck, and everything took longer than expected. However, the break was obviously good for the Olympic gold medalists because Pavić and Mektic quickly brought the set to an end (6:2) with two breaks, tying the match at 2:2. 

In the decisive, fifth set, both sides firmly held their serves until the score was 5:4 when the Colombians reached the match point on Mektić's serve. Fortunately, the Croatian side pulled through and took the match to a super tie-break in which the Croatian duo won seven of the next eight points after 3:3.

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July 2, 2022 - Petra Martić was brilliant against the 8th-seed of the tournament to book a spot in the Wimbledon round of 16!

Croatia's best female tennis player Petra Martić (WTA - 80) continues with excellent form at the All England Club and has qualified for the Wimbledon round of 16 after defeating the 8th-seeded American Jessica Pegula (WTA - 9th) 6:2, 7:6 (5) in less than an hour and a half of play.

Martić played brilliantly against Pegula to win her third match at this year's Wimbledon without losing a set, reports HRT.

Martić played a set and a half almost without a mistake. During that time, she easily won the first set 6:2, while in the second, with a break advantage, she led 3:1.

However, Pegula came back from the middle of the second set, making it a quality and even fight. Pegula returned the break and had one set point on Martić's serve with a 5:4 lead.

Martić made it to the tie-break in which she led 5:2. The American tennis player gathered her strength and equalized at 5:5, but then Martić made it 6:5 with a good second serve, while Pegula made a mistake on the match point at the net for Martić to celebrate.

In the round of 16, Martić will play against Kazakhstani tennis player Jelena Ribakina, the 17th-seed of the tournament, who won against Chinese tennis player Qinwen Zheng 7:6 (4), 7:5 in the third round.

Martić reached the second week of Wimbledon for the third time in her career. She played in the round of 16 in 2017 and 2019.

"This victory means a lot to me, and I still have enough energy to go on. Pegula is a great tennis player, she has been proving how good she is for a long time, and I know that grass suits her. So I'm going to move on, match by match," said Martić immediately after celebrating against the American.

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June 30, 2022 - Petra Martić has booked the 3rd round of Wimbledon for the fourth time in her career, defeating Kristina Kučová on Thursday. 

Croatia's best female tennis player Petra Martić (WTA - 80) advanced to the 3rd round of Wimbledon for the fourth time in her career, defeating Slovak Kristina Kučová (WTA - 91) 7-6 (4), 6-3 after one hour and 42 minutes, reports Gol.hr. 

For a spot in the round of 16, the 31-year-old will play against the 8th seed American Jessica Pegula (WTA - 9), who defeated Harriet Dart (WTA - 94) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. In the first round, she was better than Donna Vekić in two sets.

Martić and Pegula will be scheduled for Saturday, and it will be their sixth mutual match. In the previous five, Martić achieved four victories, two of which were on hard courts and two on clay.

In the duel against 32-year-old Kučová, Martić showed a great deal of patience, and in the key moments of the match, Kučová's mistakes came in handy.

Martić took a 3-1 lead in the first set, but lost the advantage she gained already in the next game. Along the way, she spent all three challenges checking the decisions of the referees. That, in the end, didn't cost her.

The first set went to a tie-break in which the first six points were won by the tennis players on the serve. Martić came to the first advantage and took a 5-3 lead. She lost the next point and earned two set points with an excellent defense. She only needed one, as Kučová finished the set with her sixth double fault.

Such an outcome did not affect the fighting spirit of the Slovak player, who won the first two games in the second set. However, in the next four games, Martić left only three points to her rival and thus came to a key advantage.

When Kučová served at 3-5 to extend the match, Martić reached the match point at 30-40. She decided to wait for her opponent's mistake. Two points later, the scenario was the same, but with a different ending - Kučová sent the ball into the net and ended the duel with 30 unforced errors.

Martić had two unforced errors less (28) but had a big advantage in direct points (33-20). Petra scored 10 aces, with three double faults, and had an excellent first-serve percentage of 85%. She took advantage of three of the six break points.

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June 28, 2022 - Marin Čilić has tested positive for Covid-19, meaning he too will miss this year's Wimbledon after Borna Ćorić pulled out from the tournament a few days ago. 

Croatia's best tennis player Marin Čilić canceled his performance at this year's Wimbledon, which started on Monday, due to coronavirus. Čilić posted on Instagram with the bad news and expressed great sadness that he had to end the season on grass in this way. 

"Hey guys, I am sad to share that I tested positive for COVID. I have been self-isolating and was hopeful I would be ready but unfortunately I am still feeling unwell & unable to compete at my best. I am heartbroken to be missing @Wimbledon & to see my grass season end this way. Looking forward to competing again next year!"

Marin Čilić was the only Croatian representative in the men's senior singles competition. He was the 14th-seed and in the 1st round, he was meant to play against American Mackenzie McDonald. McDonald will move on without a fight.

Čilić was one of the favorites to go far at Wimbledon this year. The Croat has already played in the Wimbledon final, and at the recent Roland Garros, he reached the semifinals and was said to be in his best form. 

Recall, Borna Ćorić will also miss this year's Wimbledon, where the draw in the first round awarded him the 15th tennis player in the world, Argentine Diego Schwartzman. Ćorić cited a shoulder injury as the reason for this decision. Ćorić will be replaced by the "lucky loser" from the qualifications in the main draw.

The Croatia national team player took a break for a year due to a shoulder injury that needed surgery. However, as points for the ATP rankings cannot be won at this year's Wimbledon, it is not worth the risk for Ćorić to expose his still not fully recovered shoulder to the efforts of playing three sets because his main mission now is to improve his ranking.

Ćorić currently ranks 203rd in the singles ATP rankings, and he pointed out a spot among the 100 best in the world as his goal, which would guarantee him direct entry into the main draw at the biggest tournaments in the world. 

The organizers of the Umag Blue Lagoon Croatia Open gave Ćorić an invitation so that he would not have to spend the quota of the remaining tournaments in which he could play with a protected ranking, and he could have his next performance in Umag. The Umag ATP tournament is scheduled for July 25-31.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

June 27, 2022 - Borna Ćorić will miss this year's Wimbledon tournament due to a shoulder injury. The Croatian tennis player was meant to face Diego Schwartzman in the first round. 

Croatian tennis player Borna Ćorić will miss this year's Wimbledon, where the draw in the first round awarded him the 15th tennis player in the world, Argentine Diego Schwartzman. Ćorić, however, has cited a shoulder injury as the reason for this decision, reports Gol.hr. 

Ćorić will be replaced by the "lucky loser" from the qualifications in the main draw.

Thus,  the only Croatian representative in the Wimbledon singles tennis competition will be Marin Čilić, who is set as the 14th seed in the tournament. On Tuesday, he will face American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.

At a press conference in Zagreb, Borna Ćorić indirectly announced the possibility of withdrawing from Wimbledon, given that he played five matches in six days last week and won the ATP Challenger in Italy on clay.

The Croatia national team player took a break for a year due to a shoulder injury that needed surgery. However, as points for the ATP rankings cannot be won at this year's Wimbledon, it is not worth the risk for Ćorić to expose his still not fully recovered shoulder to the efforts of playing three sets because his main mission now is to improve his ranking.

Ćorić currently ranks 203rd in the singles ATP rankings, and he pointed out a spot among the 100 best in the world as his goal, which would guarantee him a direct entry into the main draw at the biggest tournaments in the world. 

The organizers of the Umag Blue Lagoon Croatia Open gave Ćorić an invitation so that he would not have to spend the quota of the remaining tournaments in which he could play with a protected ranking, and he could have his next performance in Umag.

The Umag ATP tournament is scheduled for July 25-31.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section.