Wimbledon star and wife in tears as on-court interview suddenly halted | Tennis | Sport

Tennis star Roman Safiullin was moved to tears after securing a landmark win over Joao Fonseca at Wimbledon. The Russian beat his Brazilian opponent in straight sets to potentially set up a meeting with Novak Djokovic at SW19. During the match, Safiullin’s wife Liudmyla Smolanova couldn’t bring herself to watch during a key moment. When the cameras cut to her at the end of the 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 triumph, she too was in tears.

Safiullin’s on-court interview was paused as emotions got the better of him. He had been open about fears for his career after a tough time with injuries and it was clear how much the latest win meant to him. “After the US Open I had to stop to treat my injury. That time was super tough,” he said. “Even half a year ago I didn’t know if I’d be able to be back. I didn’t know. I’m super happy to be back here.”