SALISBURY: HURRY UP, LADS...
JOE SALISBURY is praying for a quick finish between Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini at Wimbledon today so the mixed doubles final in which he is involved doesn’t clash with England’s Euro 2020 showdown with Italy.
Djokovic’s match against Italian Berrettini will start at 2pm on Centre Court, and Salisbury is just hoping it doesn’t last almost five hours like the Serbian’s battle with Roger Federer did two years ago.
With the presentation ceremony afterwards, that meant the mixed doubles final didn’t start until around 8pm — which would be exactly the time Harry Kane and Co kick-off at Wembley.
And if that happens again then Salisbury knows there’ll be next to no one tuning in to see if he and
Harriet Dart can triumph against fellow Brit Neal Skupski and partner Desirae Krawczyk of the United States.
Salisbury said: “That will be annoying if we are on at the same time.
“Hopefully it will be a short men’s final.
“I was joking earlier, saying they might, if it’s during the final, put the match on the big screens on Centre Court while we are playing. If it does come to that, obviously we are happy to be in the final, and that’s more important for us right now.
“But hopefully it’s a short men’s final and then we can get on before the football starts, or we can finish before it starts.”
Skupski and Krawczyk, who won the mixed doubles at the French Open with Salisbury in June, beat Australian John Peers and China’s Shuai Zhang 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 to set up