The Diary

RAFAEL NADAL made sure he avoided a repeat of his head banging accident against Gilles Muller last year when he stepped out on Centre Court against Mikhail Kukushkin.

The Spaniard went viral last year and was left seeing stars after smacking his head against the door frame while he performed his customary pre-match jumping knee-tuck routine before his shock defeat to Muller.

So it was no surprise Nadal had a little check above him this time before he leapt in the air.

THE World Cup is a bit of a touchy subject in these parts and the TV choices on July 15 are unlikely to have helped.

BBC will start their men’s final coverage on BBC One but switch their coverage to the football at 3pm to show the World Cup final while the tennis will continue on BBC Two.

It’s a rare clash, with the tennis starting at 2pm and football kicking off at 4pm.

But Brit teen Katie Boulter could understand the preference for the football.

She said: “I’ll go (for) an England football match if they are in the final.”

HE may be one of the more hot-headed players, but Nick Kyrgios took a serving lesson from an umpire surprisingly well. He had been pulled up for a foot fault in his victory over Robin Haase, but accepted it with a smile.

And, at the game’s end, James Keothavong descended to show Kyrgios how it is done in one of the most bizarre SW19 scenes so far.