Iga Swiatek on facing Elina Svitolina: “For sure, we respect each other. We like each other. It’s all pretty positive.

“It’s good to have these kind of players on tour that are nice and they have kind of good values, I think. I’m happy that she’s back after becoming a mother. I don’t know how tough it is, but I’m sure it’s really tough.

“I’m happy that she’s playing a solid game. We just played once in Rome on clay. I think she’s that kind of player who is patient. She has enough experience to kind of have all the skills to play defence, play offense. She won so many big tournaments, like WTA Finals. She knows how to kind of play well.

“She hasn’t been on tour for, like, past two years. I for sure am going to prepare tactically. We also spent that quarantine time in Australia practicing with each other. She’s really solid player.

“So I have to be ready for everything.”

Elina Svitolina on Iga Swiatek ahead of today’s quarter-final: “Firstly, she’s a great champion, also a great person. I’m really thankful for her support of Ukrainians, Ukraine, doing everything what is in her power, being vocal about that. She had also a big battle today, as well.

“Yes, for me, to be fair, I didn’t speak yet with my coach about what’s going to be the plan. But I’m going to tomorrow have a practice day. The priority is going to be to recover. Then I’m going to sit down with my coach, go through the game plan, see how I can find a way to beat her.”

Tension will be replaced by appreciation when Elina Svitolina takes on Iga Swiatek for a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Tuesday.

The All England Club can have barely heard a reaction like the chorus of booing that accompanied Victoria Azarenka off Court One following her narrow defeat by Svitolina on Sunday evening.

Ukrainian players refuse to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents at the end of matches as a result of the invasion of their country and there has been significant locker room rancour about how the issue has affected tennis.

The WTA has been criticised for not offering enough support to its Ukrainian members, who feel the rights of their Russian and Belarusian counterparts have been prioritised.

An exception to that has been Swiatek, with the Pole using her voice and platform to speak up for Ukraine and organising a charity exhibition event last summer.

Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton said on Monday morning that there is no guarantee that an earlier start time will be considered on Centre Court for next year’s tournament. But Djokovic, who returned to finish off Hurkacz in four sets on Monday afternoon, was unequivocal in his response when asked if matches should start earlier.

“I think so. I agree with that,” said the 23-time grand slam winner. “Obviously curfew is probably something that is much more difficult to change, I understand, because of the community and the residential area we are in. I think the matches could be pushed at least to start at 12pm. I think it would make a difference.”

Carlos Alcaraz after beating Matteo Berrettini in straight sets: “I knew it was going to be really tough, Matteo is a great player, he made the final here on grass. He’s playing great. It’s not easy after losing the first set. I knew I was going to have my chances. Something I’ve been working on is to stay focused and not lose my mind a little bit. That part I did great.

“It’s something that I really wanted. Last year I lost in the fourth round. I came here this year with that goal: first get into the quarter-finals, and now I’m looking for more.

“My dream is to play a final here, to win the title one day. I hope I reach that dream this year, but right now it’s great to be in the quarter-finals.”

Within one hour and two minutes, last year’s runner-up Ons Jabeur had beaten Petra Kvitova and sealed a rematch with Elena Rybakina, the woman who beat her in the 2022 Wimbledon final.

“I respect a lot what Petra has done for women’s tennis,” Jabeur said on court, having just played as if she had no respect for whatsoever for the two-time champion. She then, ironically, went on to talk of the lack of “mercy” that Rybakina has for her opponents, yet perhaps the greatest characteristic that Jabeur displayed against Kvitova was that same kind of ruthlessness.

“It will be a difficult match,” she admitted. “It was a difficult final last year, [the quarter-final] is definitely going to bring a lot of memories. I’m probably going for my revenge.”

In pursuit of that revenge, Jabeur will have to be ruthless against Rybakina.

To be Carlos Alcaraz is to believe that anything is possible on a tennis court, to believe that every point and every shot is an opportunity to produce something special. On a sensational evening on Centre Court, the 20-year-old Spaniard radiated that confidence in every forehand, return and movement, as he came from behind to defeat the former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in four sets and reach the quarter-finals.

This should not look this easy, but to be Carlos Alcaraz is to believe that you can take on one of the biggest serves in the world and reduce it to a relatively average level. It is to see a volley that lands so wide it almost falls in the front row and not only reach it, but flick it around the posts and down the line. It is to believe that you can rock up at Wimbledon, on only your fourth tournament on grass, and confidently state that you can go and win the whole thing.

The quarter-finals of Wimbledon are upon us, with Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek both in action on Tuesday as the favourites continue their respective bids for the singles trophies.

Defending men’s champion Djokovic will play for the third day in a row, as he faces seventh seed Andrey Rublev after overcoming Hubert Hurkacz across two days. Djokovic, a seven-time champion in SW19, led the big-serving Pole by two sets to one on Sunday night but could not see off Hurkacz before the 11pm curfew. The world No 2 then dropped a set upon the resumption of their fourth-round clash on Monday, before ultimately winning in four.

See the other key match-ups and their timings here:

The Wimbledon quarter-finals are here as Novak Djokovic continues his bid for an eighth title while Iga Swiatek faces Elina Svitolina

Djokovic plays the seventh seed Andrey Rublev and is in action for the third day in a row after his fourth-round match against Hubert Hurkacz was suspended due to the Wimbledon curfew on Sunday night. The 36-year-old, who questioned Wimbledon’s scheduling after eventually beating Hukacz on Monday, defeated Rublev in the Australian Open quarter-finals earlier this season and is looking for his 33rd consecutive win at the Championships.

World No 1 Swiatek features in the earlier match on Centre Court, but the home crowd are likely to support the Ukrainian wildcard Svitolina after her stunning victory over Victoria Azarenka on Sunday. Although the three-set thriller was overshadowed by Azarenka being booed off the court, Svitolina is enjoying an inspired run at the All England Club but faces a tough test in Swiatek. The top seed saved two match points as she defeated Belinda Bencic in the previous round and is through to her first Wimbledon quarter-final.

Last night, Carlos Alcaraz battled past former runner-up Matteo Berrettini, setting up a mouth-watering quarter-final with Holger Rune. Defending champion Elena Rybakina will face Ons Jabeur in the women’s quarter-finals, in a rematch of last year’s final, after the Tunisian beat Petra Kvitova in straight sets.

You can follow all the action in today’s live blog.