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AMMAN  — The past three rounds of matches were a chance for Faisali and Ramtha to leap and lead the standings as teams returned to local football action after Asian competitions, as well as, national team qualifiers.

The 10th week of 69th Jordan Professional Football League kicks off on Thursday with Faisali playing fourth placed Salt, Ramtha playing Shabab Urdun while Jazira meet 8th placed Aqaba.

Both leading teams were able to score three consecutive wins leaving reigning champs Wihdat third before they play Sahab. In other matches, Hussein play Baqa’a, who are in last place, after losing all their matches, while Ma’an meet Jalil.

Faisali are in the lead after they beat Ramtha 2-1, as Wihdat beat Jazira beat 1-0 to remain in the top three with a postponed match and an easy encounter against Sahab this week. Decisive matches for the lead include Shabab Urdun and Ramtha this weekend and Wihdat versus Faisali next week. Those matches should help shape the run for the title with Shabab Urdun and Jazira basking midway through the standings.

The league has witnessed inconsistent performances, as players returned to their clubs after the national team was eliminated from 2022 World Cup qualifiers, and now has to go through another stage of qualifying to get to the 2023 Asian Cup. Following that the squad advanced to the FIFA Arab Cup on a technicality after South Sudan was forced to forfeit its match with over six members of the squad contracting the COVID-19.

So far in local competitions, a newcomer to the Pro League, relatively unknown Jalil, overcame Wihdat to win the 34th Jordan Football Association (JFA) Shield — the first of the season competitions. Wihdat jumped back to win their 14th Super Cup when they beat one-time winners Jazira in 38th Jordan Super Cup, the second title up for grabs in the 2021 football season.

Last season, Wihdat won their 17th league title while Jazira finished runner-up, leaving Ramtha third and former champs Faisali settled for fifth after Salt. Sarih dropped alongside eight-time league champ veterans Ahli after a disappointing season. Ahli, were relegated last decade but came back to win the Jordan Cup in 2015 and played in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Jalil and Baqa’a joined the 12-club Pro League this year.  Wihdat also won their 10th JFA Shield title. Faisali overcame Jazira to win their 17th Jordan Super Cup as the Jordan Cup was scrapped from the agenda for the first time since the competition kicked off in 1980.

Since the league kicked off in 1944 with only Faisali, Ahli, Urdun and Homenetmen competing, Faisali are 34 time record league champs while Wihdat won 17 times since they joined in 1980. Although Faisali are the all-time record titleholders, Wihdat’s record is quite impressive. After four years in the Pro League, they won their first title in 1980 and have gone on to win the majority of titles since then.

On the regional scene, Wihdat played Group D of the Asian Champions League but was knocked out in the first round. In the AFC Cup, Salt, who played their inaugural AFC Cup, advanced to the semifinals of the West Asia Zone after taking second spot in Group B, while Faisali were knocked out after finishing third in Group C. The top team in each of the zone’s three groups alongside the best second placed team moved on to the zonal semifinals before teams play the advanced inter zonal knockout stages and final of the second-tier Asian club competition. The zonal semifinals will be played in September when Salt play Kuwait FC and Lebanon’s Al Ahed face Bahrain’s Muharraq. 

In the 2020 AFC Cup, Faisali played alongside Jazira before the tournament was scrapped with the COVID-19 pandemic halting regional and international sporting agendas.

LONDON — With a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title secured, Novak Djokovic has time and winning momentum on his side in the race to be crowned the greatest player of all time.

The World No. 1 went level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 majors with a sixth Wimbledon title thanks to his four-set win over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini on Sunday.

The 34-year-old has won eight majors and appeared in nine Grand Slam finals since turning 30.

Incredibly, when Federer secured his 20th at the 2018 Australian Open, Djokovic was still way back on 12.

“He’s amazing. He’s like in the movies. You have to kill the guy 27 times and still he gets up and you have to kill him again and he gets up,” said Goran Ivanisevic, one of the Serb’s coaching team.

‘Unbeatable’

“The guy is unbeatable at the moment. For me Novak is the best ever. He’s writing history.”

Ivanisevic believes that Djokovic’s coronation as the greatest male player of all time will come at the US Open in September.

A fourth career title there will make him only the third man in history to complete a calendar Grand Slam of all four majors after Don Budge in 1938 and Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969.

“He’s going to do it at the US Open. I strongly believe he’s going to win all four in one year. Then I think the debate is over,” said Ivanisevic.

At 34, Djokovic is a year younger than Nadal and has the best part of six years on Federer who turns 40 in four weeks’ time.

Nadal skipped Wimbledon after losing to Djokovic in a bruising French Open semifinal last month.

A sub-par Federer made a quarter-final exit at the All England Club.

Former Slam winners John McEnroe and Mats Wilander believe Djokovic can easily win at least four or five more Slams.

“I’m going to say Roger Federer’s never going to win another one,” McEnroe told the BBC.

“I think Rafael Nadal wins one more and Novak Djokovic is going to win four or five more.”

Wilander added: “I think he will win another three next year and two or three the following year, so I think he ends up on 25 or 26.

‘Doesn’t look 34’

“Novak just doesn’t look 34, he looks mid-20s, he’s flying around the court.”

When Djokovic won last month’s French Open, he became the first man in 52 years to claim all four majors twice and third overall after Laver and Roy Emerson.

It is not just at the Slams where Djokovic has tightened his grip on the race to be crowned the sport’s greatest.

He has 36 Masters titles, the same as Nadal.

However, he is the only man to have won each one of the series and the only one to have won all of them twice.

He has already surpassed Federer for total weeks in the World No. 1 slot — his 329th starts on Monday.

Djokovic was also the first of the “Big Three” to break the $100 million prize money barrier. Sunday’s win took him comfortably past $150 million.

In head-to-heads, he also has the advantage. 

Against Nadal he is 30-28 and 27-23 in match-ups with Federer.

However, Djokovic insists that he will never anoint himself as “the greatest”.

“I believe that I am the best, otherwise I wouldn’t be talking confidently about winning Slams and making history,” said Djokovic.

“But whether I’m the greatest of all time or not, I leave that debate to other people. 

“It’s very difficult to compare the eras of tennis. We have different racquets, technology, balls, courts.”

There are still some areas where Djokovic at the moment lags behind.

His career total of 85 titles is three fewer than Nadal while Federer has 103. He still has some way to go to beat Jimmy Connors’ all-time record of 109.

In total earnings, Federer commanded $106.3 million in 2020, according to Forbes, while Djokovic made $44.6 million.

Sidelined for most of 2020 to recover from two knee surgeries, Federer’s bank balance remains healthy due to the $300 million 10-year contract he penned with Uniqlo in 2018.

Many regard Australia’s Laver as tennis’s supreme power, arguing he would have collected many more than his 11 Slams had he not been banished between 1963 and 1967 for turning professional.

Djokovic also has some distance to make up on the best women players of all time.

Margaret Court tops the all-time list with 24 Slam titles, Serena Williams has 23 while Steffi Graf retired on 22.

LONDON — Italy wrecked England’s Euro 2020 party at Wembley on Sunday, winning a tense final on penalties to plunge the host nation into despair and prolong their 55-year wait for a second major title.

Roberto Mancini’s men recovered from the shock of conceding the quickest goal ever in a European Championship final to equalise and held their nerve to claim a 3-2 shootout victory after a 1-1 draw following extra-time.

It is the second time Italy has been crowned European champions and comes after the embarrassment of failing even to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Three players fluffed penalties for England, extending their poor record in shoot-outs and leaving the host waiting for another major trophy after the 1966 World Cup.

“We did well,” Mancini told RAI Sport. “We conceded a goal straight away and struggled, but then we dominated the game.

“The lads were wonderful, I don’t know what more to say. It’s important for all the people and all the fans. I hope they’re celebrating [in Italy].”

Italians spilled into the streets from Milan to Palermo to celebrate their side’s triumph, pushing aside thoughts of the coronavirus pandemic which has gripped the nation.

Earlier, a partisan crowd of more than 67,000 mostly England fans at Wembley was whipped into a state of fever pitch by rousing renditions of “Three Lions” and “Sweet Caroline” before kick-off.

Gareth Southgate’s team raced out of the blocks and were ahead in just the second minute when defender Luke Shaw finished coolly at the back post after an inviting cross from Kieran Trippier.

Italy grew stronger as the match went on and equalised with 23 minutes remaining when Leonardo Bonucci scrambled the ball into the net from close range.

With four minutes remaining of normal time a pitch invader stopped the action and stewards struggled to catch him, adding to a sense of chaos at the stadium after ticket-less fans earlier forced their way in.

Normal time finished goalless despite a flurry of substitutions and the sides were still locked at 1-1 after extra time.

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved spot-kicks from Andrea Belotti and Jorginho but Marcus Rashford hit the post and Gianluigi Donnarumma kept out Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, sparking scenes of delirium from the players and the small pocket of italian fans.

Fan frenzy

The atmosphere around Wembley was frenzied in the build-up to the match, which kicked off at 19:00 GMT, with supporters draped in England colours downing pints of beer and chanting anthems.

Footage posted on social media showed hundreds of supporters battling to get past lines of stewards and police, with some able to force their way through security cordons and others scaling walls.

Another video appeared to show violent clashes between fans inside Wembley itself.

London’s Metropolitan Police said officers made 45 arrests while managing the final.

On another sour note, police said they would be investigating “offensive and racist” social media posts directed at Rashford, Sancho and Saka, who all failed from the spot.

A Football Association spokesman said: “The FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players on social media.”

Italy unbeaten

Italy had been arguably the team of the tournament heading into the final, sweeping through the group stage with a perfect record before knocking out Austria, top-ranked Belgium and Spain to reach the final.

Revitalised since Mancini took over after their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the Azzurri are now unbeaten in 34 matches.

The four-time world champions’ lone previous European Championship triumph came in 1968. They were beaten finalists in 2000 and 2012.

England fans will have to come to terms with a painful defeat just when it seemed they were on the brink of ending their tournament drought, stretching all the way back to the 1966 World Cup, which they won on home soil.

Southgate has revolutionised the national side since taking charge in 2016, leading his team to the semifinals of the World Cup in Russian three years ago.

The manager, who missed a penalty in the Euro 96 semifinal against Germany, urged England to use the pain to fuel success in the future.

RIO DE JANEIRO — When Lionel Messi, already a regular starter for the mighty Barcelona, made his international bow in 2005 as an 18-year-old for a powerful Argentina side he surely never imagined it would take him 16 years to finally claim a trophy with his country.

But the six time Ballon d’Or winner had to suffer numerous disappointments, including losing four finals, before leading his country to a 1-0 victory over “eternal rivals” Brazil in the Copa America final at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana Stadium on Saturday.

Despite a glittering career that has seen him help Barcelona to win the Champions League four times, La Liga 10 times and the Copa Del Rey seven times, Messi’s hopes of matching that with international success were repeatedly frustrated.

In truth he wasn’t as inspired in the final as throughout the tournament, even slipping over when clean through two minutes from time and facing Brazil’s goalkeeper Ederson with a chance to finish the match.

But the way his teammates threw him into the air after the final whistle showed how important and appreciated he is within the Argentina camp.

“It was my dream. It was what I wanted most in the world,” said Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez following the triumph.

“We gave it to Messi, who deserved it the most.”

Three times previously — in 2007, 2015 and 2016 — his Argentina lost in the final at the Copa while the South Americans were also defeated 1-0 by Germany in the 2014 World Cup final at the Maracana.

History would not repeat itself this time around as Messi not only inspired his side but also finished the tournament as top goalscorer and with the most assists.

He was named player of the tournament, during which Messi equalled and then broke Javier Mascerano’s record of 147 caps for Argentina, setting a new mark of 151 on Saturday.

His four goals during the competition took him to 76 for his country, just one off all-time South American mark set by Pele for Brazil.

Winning this tournament was no simple feat for an Argentina that was outclassed by Brazil in the semifinals two years ago.

They had gone 28 years without a major trophy and hadn’t won on Brazilian soil since 1998 — in a friendly — while the hosts hadn’t lost at home in 2,553 days.

Neymar, who missed Brazil’s victory two years ago through injury, was also seeking his first major title with the Selecao.

His wait goes on but at 29, he’s five years younger than Messi, who was playing in his sixth Copa.

Next stop Qatar

While he had been unable to replicate his club success at country level, Messi’s never stopped trying and has always led Argentina by example.

In this tournament Messi shed blood — from his ankle in a bruising semifinal win over Colombia — and sweat to drag his side into the title match.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni even revealed Messi had played the final with a tight hamstring.

“If Argentines knew him like we [the players and staff] do, they would love him even more than they already do,” sais Scaloni.

Quite apart from his goals and assists, Messi was at the centre of almost every attacking move produced by Argentina.

Little surprise Scaloni describes him as “the greatest of all time.”

Having won Olympic gold with Argentina’s under-23 side in Beijing in 2008, and been world under-20 champion with his country three years before that, Messi finally has the senior title he’s craved for so long.

And on this form, who would bet against him leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar next year.

LONDON — Italy’s old guard Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci will have the task of stopping English “youngsters” Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling in the Euro 2020 final in London on Sunday.

The Juventus centre-backs are the only survivors of Italy’s 4-0 final loss to Spain in Euro 2012, and central to the side Roberto Mancini’s reconstructed after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup campaign behind them.

Both Chiellini and Bonucci were on the pitch during the low of their play-off defeat by Sweden in November 2017 when they failed to qualify for the World Cup in 60 years.

“The will to rebuild was immense. We managed to transform the disappointment into enthusiasm and the desire to do well,” said captain Chiellini.

“It is a dream that we have cultivated in the last three years, we carry it with us. The coach instilled it in our heads until it became reality.

“At the beginning when he said we had to think about winning the European Championship we too thought he was crazy. Instead we managed to get there and now the last centimetre is missing.”

In Italy’s new-look young side, 36-year-old Chiellini and 34-year-old Bonucci, who between them boast 219 caps, are the centre-back pairing of choice.

The duo have cultivated their art during a decade together at Juventus, apart from a brief ill-fated season-long spell Bonucci spent at AC Milan three years ago.

“Chiellini and Bonucci are two monsters, monumental,” said Italy’s former World Cup winner Andrea Barzagli, the third pillar in Juve’s famed “BBC” (Bonucci, Barzagli, Chiellini) defensive partnership until he retired in 2019.

“They are the cornerstone of the national team. They still play at a very high level and then, when you need someone to do the barking...”

Jose Mourinho lauded a pair who could give “a masterclass in defending at Harvard University” after his Manchester United side fell to a Champions League defeat in Turin.

“Mourinho’s compliments pleased us, they make us think of how much good we had done in our career,” said Bonucci on Friday. “[But] every game you have to prove you are strong, a team”.

Bonucci has so far had an almost perfect European campaign, one of two Italian outfield players, along with Jorginho, to have started in all six matches.

When not injured Chiellini, is Italy’s top defender. 

Chiellini returned after missing two Euro matches with a thigh injury. He was replaced by Lazio’s Francesco Acerbi.

Both are looking for their first trophy with Italy who won the European title in 1968.

‘Youngsters against 

old men’

After seeing off two 28-year-old central strikers in Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and Spain substitute Alvaro Morata, Italy now face 27-year-old Harry Kane.

“Youngsters against old men...” smiled Bonucci.

“Kane? We’re not discovering him now, it’s been years that he’s being doing good things with Tottenham, England.

“In the last three matches we’ve been lucky to come up against the three best strikers in the world. It’s just an added motivation not to concede anything.

“We know the difficulties they can give us and we will have to be careful about their speed.”

Kane, Chiellini added, “is a player that I have always liked very much. I remember one of his first appearances in the national team, we played in Turin against England and he immediately made a huge impression on me”.

“But England is not only him, they have exceptional players on the flanks. 

“Their bench alone could win the European Championship — Grealish, Sancho, Rashford, Calvert-Lewin, Foden. It will be a great match.

“Because we too have great quality.”

Whatever the outcome on Sunday in Wembley it will not have an impact on the friendship of the veteran defenders.

“We finish the 12th [July] and meet again on the 14th to go on holidays together,” said Bonucci. “That says it all about our relationship on and off the pitch.”

LONDON — England fed off the energy of a passionate Wembley crowd to beat Denmark 2-1 in extra time in the Euro 2020 semi-finals on Wednesday and now stand just 90 minutes away from ending their 55-year trophy drought.

Gareth Southgate's men will face Italy on Sunday — again on home turf — infused with belief they can win a first major international tournament since the 1966 World Cup.

For Euro 92 champions Denmark, defeat spells the end of a fairytale run to the last four after the trauma of witnessing star man Christian Eriksen collapse in their first match.

England emerged on a cool evening at Wembley after the crowd of almost 65,000 had whipped themselves into a frenzy with rousing renditions of "Sweet Caroline" and "Football's Coming Home".

But Denmark ripped up the home script on the half-hour when Mikkel Damsgaard punished Luke Shaw for a foul on Andreas Christensen, smashing a free-kick past the despairing dive of Jordan Pickford.

That was the first goal England had conceded in the entire tournament and thousands of British-based Danes celebrated wildly.

The crowd went flat but England were level within 10 minutes when Denmark captain Simon Kjaer could only bundle the ball into his own net after a searching cross from Bukayo Saka.

Neither side could find a goal in the second period despite intense pressure from the home side as normal time drew to a close.

The volume in the stadium increased in extra time as England put Denmark under intense pressure and they finally got their reward when Raheem Sterling was fouled in the box by Joakim Maehle.

Harry Kane's penalty was saved by Kasper Schmeichel but he converted the rebound to give England the advantage and they held Denmark at bay to seal the win.

The final whistle sparked scenes of delirium in the stands and on the pitch as the players partied with the crowd.

"When you've waited as long as we have to get through a semifinal, the players — considering the limited international experience some of them have — have done an incredible job," Southgate told ITV.

"The most pleasing thing is we've given the fans and nation a fantastic night and the journey carries on for another four days.

"We suffered in Moscow [2018 World Cup semifinal] on a night like this and we've managed to put that right."

The match was attended by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince William, who is president of the English Football Association.

"Tonight @England played their hearts out," tweeted Johnson. "What a fantastic performance from Gareth Southgate's squad. Now to the final. Let's bring it home."

Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick when England beat West Germany to win the 1966 World Cup final, tweeted: "Wow! We're in the final. Brilliant game. Well done England. Fantastic."

Slow start

England have suffered semifinal heartbreak at major tournaments four times since becoming world champions in 1966 and those agonising defeats have been etched in the psyche of English football.

But Southgate has overseen the emergence of a vibrant young team unconcerned by the trials and tribulations of their failed predecessors in the national shirt and they are now through to their first European Championship final.

Denmark were fuelled by a sense of destiny and desire after Eriksen had to be resuscitated on the pitch in their tournament opener against Finland following a cardiac arrest.

They went into their final group game without a point but, with Eriksen on the mend, Kasper Hjulmand's team embarked on a three-match winning run that took them to a first semi-final in 29 years.

A disappointed Hjulmand said the nature of the winning goal had left a "bitter" taste.

"One thing is to lose a game, but losing this way is a disappointment because these guys have fought a lot," he said.

"We have to digest this before we can describe these feelings. It's a bitter way to leave the tournament."

Italy, who failed even to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, lie in wait for England at Wembley this weekend after beating Spain 4-2 on penalties at the same stadium following a gripping 1-1 draw on Tuesday.

Federico Chiesa gave Italy the lead with half an hour to go only for Spain substitute Alvaro Morata to equalise with 10 minutes left.

Both sides missed their first two kicks of the shoot-out. Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Morata's effort, with Jorginho converting Italy's winner.

LONDON — One is motivated by a significant anniversary, another rediscovered the grass is definitely greener for her form, a third is driven on by “brutal” critics and the fourth, the girl with a tiger tattoo, finds herself in unknown Grand Slam territory.

The stage is set for the women’s Wimbledon semi-finals on Thursday with three of the contenders new to the experience.

Headline names such as 2019 champion Simona Halep, four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka and seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams are missing but there is the present World No. 1 and 2 former NO. 1s in the last four.

Ashleigh Barty’s clash with Angelique Kerber would be fit for a final, pitching the World No. 1 against the 2018 Wimbledon champion.

The other semi is an intriguing duel between former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova and the powerful second seed from Belarus, Aryna Sabalenka.

Barty is motivated by a higher purpose.

For it is 50 years ago her fellow indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley won the first of her two Wimbledon titles.

Barty has worn a specially-designed dress as a tribute to the ‘iconic’ scallop one her “friend and mentor” wore in that 1971 final.

“It’s a really special anniversary for a lot of Australians, but for indigenous Australians in particular,” said Barty at the outset of her not always convincing campaign.

“I think this is a really special one.”

Barty’s serve has been found wanting at pivotal moments — even her quarter-final opponent Ajla Tomljanovic broke her twice in their second set — but she believes her form is coming together.

“I think obviously play on grass is very different,” she said after her quarter-final.

“The grass season for me, it’s one tournament, pretty cut-throat.

“I certainly wasn’t as loose as I have been with errors and kind of ill-timed lapses. But I felt really sharp today.”

Barty, though, knows she will have to move up a gear if she is to see off Kerber.

The 33-year-old German has bounced back to top form after first round exits at both the Australian and French Open.

“I know one of Angie’s greatest assets is the fact that she can run and hunt and put the ball in an awkward situation to nullify my aggression and my weapons at times,” said Barty.

“It’s a really fine balance.”

Kerber, 33, has improved as the Championships have progressed from earning along with her second round opponent Sara Sorribes Tormo a five minute standing ovation for their three hour marathon.

The 25th seed has gone on to impressive wins over higher-seeded duo Coco Gauff and then Karolina Muchova.

“I have always in my career had some ups and downs but I was always believing I could come back because I know what I can do,” said Kerber.

Pliskova too has never doubted herself despite dropping out of the top 10 — she is ranked 13 — after being a regular since 2016.

A first appearance in a Wimbledon semifinal has justified that self-belief — she is yet to drop a set and has only had her serve broken three times.

The 29-year-old Czech has hit 40 aces and she served one with full force directed at her doubters after she beat Swiss Viktorija Golubic on Tuesday.

“The Internet is the biggest problem,” said Pliskova who had failed to get to the second week of a Slam in her last five outings.

“I think they can be quite brutal. I was five years in the top 10. Then one week I’m not in the top 10, and it’s like huge drama, especially in my country.”

Sabalenka has defied the sceptics questioning her second seed status as she has broken new ground in reaching the last four having never before got past the fourth round of a major.

The 23-year-old’s tiger tattoo on her left thigh — due to her being born in 1998 the Year of the Tiger — led to her parents not speaking to her for a week.

However, she has lived up to the image of the tiger both in power and fighting spirit in eye-catching wins in the past two rounds over Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur to earn her place in the last four.

LONDON — Roger Federer on Monday became the oldest man to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since the dawn of the Open Era in 1968, but then gave a cautious welcome to the return of capacity crowds at the All England Club.

From Tuesday’s start of the women’s quarter-finals until Sunday’s men’s final, organisers can drop the 50 per cent capacity rule which has been enforced since the start of the tournament.

The cap was part of an agreement to allow fans to attend as the country comes slowly out of the COVID-19 pandemic which in 2020 caused Wimbledon to be cancelled for the first time since the Second World War.

“I’m still not a hundred per cent convinced we are on the other side. I still think there is more to come,” said Federer of his fears of another wave.

“Last year in the summer we also felt the same way, super positive, having a few cases here and there. 

“It looked very promising, then everything changed again later on in the year.”

The All England Club will now allow the 15,000-capacity Centre Court to be full as well as the 12,345-capacity Court One.

“We’ll see how it turns out to be now that we have a hundred per cent capacity. I mean, it already almost felt like a hundred per cent, to be quite honest, because the fans here at Wimbledon, they do such a nice job to make us feel so special,” added Federer.

“A hundred per cent crowd is going to be incredible. Playing the night session in Paris it was five people. The difference is immense.”

Night sessions at the recent French Open were staged for the first time but were played in an almost empty Court Philippe Chatrier due to a government-imposed 9:00pm (19:00GMT) curfew.

“I hope it stays this way. I hope that this tournament or the Euro [football championship] or whatever events are going to keep on happening in the future also are not going to create more burden on more families and more people,” added Federer.

“So let’s enjoy it for what it is now. I feel safe as it’s outdoors, a big space. But, yes, it’s also very new for me because I haven’t played much on the tour yet, so I’m still very, very careful, especially with close contact.”

On Monday, Federer, who will be 40 in just under five weeks’ time, eased past Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 to make the last-eight for the 18th time.

“I felt after the first set I was able to control things. I couldn’t be more excited to be in the quarters,” said Federer whose match took place on the final “Manic Monday”, so-called because all the last-16 ties in the men’s and women’s event are played.

From next year, play will be held on the middle Sunday, which has traditionally been the tournament rest day.

“I’m happy to have played in the era that there was a ‘Middle Sunday’ but it now means more people can come to the tournament.

“It was very special and I really enjoyed it.”

In what will be his 58th Grand Slam quarter-final, eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer will face Hubert Hurkacz, the 14th seed, on Wednesday for a place in the semifinals.