Edmund loses fight to have Djokovic clash first on court

Briton worried about World Cup distraction Coach backs his player to ‘step up’ against Serb

Kyle Edmund’s coaching team wanted their man to be scheduled first on Centre Court this afternoon, on a day when he faces the three-time former champion Novak Djokovic in a potentially life-changing match.

But the All England Club prioritised broadcasters’ wishes as they placed Edmund in the final slot of the day. On the upside, this makes it much less likely that his match will clash with England’s World Cup quarter-final against Sweden, which is also being screened on the BBC.

The downside, according to Edmund’s co-coach, Mark Hilton, is that he will have a hard time maintaining his focus on a day when he will inevitably be tempted to follow events at the Samara Arena.

“In some ways you could say it would be better if it was first,” Hilton said, “because Kyle will want to watch the match, want to be involved in some shape or form, it can be quite draining, just emotionally, because you can’t help but get involved with it.

“I guess a lot of the afternoon will be taken up by his preparation, whether he is eating, or with Prangers [fitness trainer Ian Prangley] doing his treatments so I think he would be sheltered from it. He will want to know what’s going on, you can’t stop that.”

In all probability, England’s fate will have been decided by the time Edmund goes on court. Roger Federer, who was last on yesterday, began his match with Jan-lennard Struff at 5.44pm, almost three hours after France and Uruguay kicked off in Nizhny Novgorod.

Today, the schedule begins with Rafael Nadal – who plays at a glacial pace – and continues with a potentially tight encounter between Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka, before Edmund finally strides on court.

“It’s a big match for him,” Hilton said, “and one thing he has done really well this year is step up on the big occasion a few times. He’s been in a great mood these past few weeks. He’s been talking a lot and that’s a pretty good precursor.” Could there be interruptions from the stands, if Edmund finds himself up against competition from Russia, as well as Serbia? Smartphones give fans the option of sneakily watching a screen from their courtside seats, although Wimbledon’s mobile networks will struggle to cope with demand. It is hard enough to make a voice call from the All England Club, let alone stream live video. “It will be interesting to see what the crowd will be like,” said Hilton.

“I’m sure it will be full, but there’ll be some sort of atmosphere in there which depends on the result. It’s difficult to predict. People can stream or whatever, I guess if he’s on court when it’s happening you might hear a few roars, oohs and aahs. We talk to him before every match about what to expect with the atmosphere.”

Edmund hates surprises, so such briefings are essential. A methodical man, he likes to settle himself into any new situation. This was all too clear during the Monte Carlo Masters in April. Having lost his maiden ATP final in Marrakesh on the Sunday, Edmund was forced to jump on a private jet in order to be on site for his opening match in Monaco only 48 hours later. No one was hugely surprised when he lost.

Results were very different in the next-but-one event in Madrid. Having arrived a few days early, Edmund was able to acclimatise to the thin air – the ball flies noticeably faster at 2,000 feet above sea level – and string together some of the best results of his career, including a three-set win over Djokovic.

Together with his quarter-final victory over Grigor Dimitrov at the Australian Open, and his “Battle of Britain” success against Andy Murray in Eastbourne 10 days ago, this stands as one of the “big occasions” Hilton was referring to.

“Since then Novak has probably increased his level,” added Hilton. “But for Kyle, beating him in Madrid gives him that extra bit of belief. There’s no doubt that Novak’s going to be a real stubborn test. We all know what his level is, especially on big occasions on this court. It’s whether Kyle can execute in the biggest moments, stay calm, which he’s been doing so well. So I see no reason why he can’t win.”

Hilton is enjoying working with a man of Edmund’s professionalism after being forced to put up with the intermittent focus of his previous client, the likeable, but roguish Dan Evans. “Obviously my work with Dan, the way it ended was disappointing,” said Hilton, in relation to the cocaine ban that cost Evans a year of tennis. “It was a relationship that I would have foreseen going on for as long as he wanted me around.

“At the back end of Asia [in October], Fidde [Rosengren, Edmund’s other coach] and I were approached about doing a dual role. I wanted to spend a bit more time at home – I’ve got two boys and with Evo, for instance, you felt that you had to be there every week. The amazing thing there is that the one week of the year when I wasn’t with Dan was Barcelona [when he gave his fateful positive test].”