tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87920225343098275522024-03-05T22:33:32.344-08:00TENNIS FEASTTENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-60979034514575940522009-09-18T11:02:00.000-07:002009-09-18T11:06:15.870-07:00ROGER AND SERENA FINED FOR THEIR CONVERSATION WITH THE UMPIRES<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>The world No.1 Roger Federer has been fined $1,500 for using a profanity while arguing with the chair umpire during the U.S. Open final. He also lost his first ever US open since 2003. <p>CBS microphones picked up the exchange during its live broadcast of the match.</p><p>Tournament spokesman Chris Widmaier says Federer is being docked the same amount as two other players Vera Zvonareva and Daniel Koellerer for audible obscenity.</p><p>Widmaier says a total of $31,500 in fines is being collected by the tournament, topped by Serena Williams $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct. She was also fined $500 for racket abuse. Daniel Nestor was docked $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct toward a fan.</p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-69031712846451935792009-09-18T10:58:00.000-07:002009-09-18T11:02:05.443-07:00DEL POTRO ON US OPEN<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLHbFGIIHU3DPJOUNXNJeOk6SshJF4lt0ry3W93XPTXW26-gY-XgbTZjUFpNxl-n1pN4JqIyzBhU54HTlh8Bjvci2daFmp3cqmnZ5EUuxt0gsQbnb2U5HSY2NBjdo6uMucE7sdkNgO7hKo/s1600-h/ten_ap_jmdelpotro_federer1_576.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLHbFGIIHU3DPJOUNXNJeOk6SshJF4lt0ry3W93XPTXW26-gY-XgbTZjUFpNxl-n1pN4JqIyzBhU54HTlh8Bjvci2daFmp3cqmnZ5EUuxt0gsQbnb2U5HSY2NBjdo6uMucE7sdkNgO7hKo/s320/ten_ap_jmdelpotro_federer1_576.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382869271707435506" border="0" /></a><br />Very brilliant player Roger federer slips his US open this time to Del Potro and He won his first time US open tournament.<br /><p>Two points from victory against inexperienced, unheralded Del Potro <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=284"></a> of Argentina -- and two points from a sixth consecutive title at Flushing Meadows and a record-extending 16th Grand Slam overall -- Federer, quite simply, fell apart Monday.</p><p>He railed at the chair umpire. His legs grew weary. His double-faults mounted. He could not figure out a way to stop the 6-foot-6 del Potro from pounding forehands past him. In a result as surprising for who lost as how it happened, the sixth-seeded del Potro came back to win his first Grand Slam title by upsetting the No. 1-seeded Federer 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.</p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-82633763817060277152009-09-18T10:54:00.000-07:002009-09-18T10:58:28.663-07:00SERENA APOLIZES FOR HER BEHAVIOUR IN SEMI FINALS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqm_iTjzaHC8H4GEwpjYlOfe8MIIhoEpjP44ugYTSDS5tqRyyCbCj5A6FuHj2PtsDkYolM22YXcagXpwJYrxGImagLDeY_LglK_Jpvlp-8S5-clElFIZ5h4OlI7k810wX1sZgt3GaGrLQL/s1600-h/394.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 65px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqm_iTjzaHC8H4GEwpjYlOfe8MIIhoEpjP44ugYTSDS5tqRyyCbCj5A6FuHj2PtsDkYolM22YXcagXpwJYrxGImagLDeY_LglK_Jpvlp-8S5-clElFIZ5h4OlI7k810wX1sZgt3GaGrLQL/s320/394.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382868338715960274" border="0" /></a><br />The No.3 seed Serena williams set about repairing self-inflicted damage to her image Monday, first winning the U.S. Open doubles title with her sister and then taking on the more complex task of explaining her actions and feelings in the wake of her shocking on-court outburst in Saturday's singles semifinal. She just over reacted in the current situation and she apolizes for it.<br /><p> </p><p> "I just really wanted to apologize sincerely, because I'm a very prideful person and I'm a very intense person and a very emotional person," Williams said. "I wanted to offer my sincere apologies to anyone that I may have offended." She said she had been humbled by the experience.</p><p> </p><p><br /></p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-73042861850661389812009-08-17T09:03:00.000-07:002009-08-17T09:04:22.226-07:00SAFINA GOING TOO GOOD IN CURRENT SERIES<p class="first">World number one Dinara Safina demolished the previously in-form Flavia Pennetta for the loss of just two games to make the Cincinnati final.</p><p>The Russian won 6-2 6-0 in just 56 minutes to bring an end to Pennetta's 15-match unbeaten run that had included titles in Palermo and Los Angeles. </p><p>The Italian had blisters on her feet and played with her right ankle taped. </p><p>Safina will face fifth seed Jelena Jankovic in the final after the Serbian beat Elena Dementieva. </p><!-- E SF --><p>Jankovic had a very different route to the final, with a topsy-turvy 7-6 (7-2) 0-6 7-6 (8-6) victory in a match that saw 13 breaks of serve and 25 double faults. </p><p>"I can't believe I won this match," said Jankovic, who was 6-2 down in the third-set tie-break before winning six points in a row to clinch the victory. </p> <!-- S IBOX --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="231"> <tbody><tr> <td width="5"><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="5" /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IBOX --> <p>"Every match I feel better," said Safina. "Today, stepping on the court, I was feeling very good and confident. I was feeling very good stepping in." </p><p>Pennetta said: "She was playing much better than me. I was a little bit tired, of course, but I didn't lose for that. She was playing unbelievable." </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-58634067873301867772009-08-17T09:00:00.000-07:002009-08-17T09:01:23.338-07:00MURRAY IN FINAL<p class="first">Britain's Andy Murray completed a superb week by fighting back to beat Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the Montreal Masters.</p><p>The 22-year-old Scot defeated the world number six from Argentina 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 for his 13th career title, and fourth at the elite Masters level. </p><p>By reaching the final, Murray had guaranteed that he will move to second in the new world rankings on Monday. </p><p>He heads to Cincinnati next week to defend the title he won last year. </p><!-- E SF --><p>Following that is the US Open where Murray reached last year's final, only to be beaten by world number one Roger Federer.</p> <!-- Inline Embbeded Media --> <!-- This is the embedded player component --> <div class="audioInStoryC"> <div id="emp_8204809" class="emp"> <noscript> <div class="audioImage"></div> <div class="warning"><p><strong>Please turn on JavaScript.</strong> Media requires JavaScript to play. </p> </p></div> </noscript> <object height="0" width="0"> <param name="id" value="embeddedPlayer_8204809"> <param name="size" value="Small"> <param name="playlist" value="http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/emp/8200000/8204800/8204809.xml"> <param name="config_settings_autoPlay" value="false"> <param name="config_settings_showPopoutButton" value="false"> <param name="autoPlay" value="false"> <param name="config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_pageType" value="eav2"> <param name="config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_edition" value="International"> <param name="fmtjDocURI" value="/sport2/hi/tennis/8204270.stm"> <param name="config_settings_suppressItemKind" value="advert, ident"> <param name="config_settings_showUpdatedInFooter" value="true"> </object> <!-- embedding script --> <script type="text/javascript"> emp_load.getEmpEmbeddedParams("emp_8204809"); </script> <div class="warning"><p><strong>Cannot play media.</strong>You do not have the correct version of the flash player. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash">Download the correct version</a></p></div></div> </div> <!-- end of the embedded player component --> <!-- END of Inline Embedded Media --> <p>But the British number one has put any thoughts of going one better at Flushing Meadows on the back burner. </p><p>"I feel like I've got a good chance of doing well at the US Open, but each week is different and I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself. I'll just focus on Cincinnati," Murray said. </p><p>Despite becoming the first Briton in 128 years to lift the Canadian title, Murray considered breaking the duopoly of Federer and Nadal a bigger achievement, though he clearly enjoyed his success in Canada. </p><p>"I've won a couple of Masters now, so it still feels great, but the number two - maybe because it's something different - that means maybe a little bit more, but winning a tournament here is still great," he added. </p><p>Del Potro was playing in his first Masters 1000 final and for much of the second set looked like taking the title, but Murray's superior fitness played a huge part as he outlasted the 20-year-old in the hot conditions. </p><p>After a cagey start that yielded just one break point in the opening 12 games, Murray appeared to just have the edge going into the tie-break, but Del Potro made the breakthrough with a surprise chip-and-charge return to lead 5-4 and two good serves gave him the set.</p> <!-- S IBOX --><!-- E IBOX --> <p>Murray then won a gripping game at the start of the second by converting his fourth break point when Del Potro put a backhand wide, but he let a 30-0 lead slip in the following game to hand his hard-earned advantage straight back. </p><p>Del Potro had beaten Murray for the first time in four meetings on clay in Madrid last time out and has been in tremendous form, winning in Washington last week and extending his unbeaten run to 10 matches in Montreal. </p><p>The momentum was certainly with him as the second set progressed and when Murray missed two more break points in game nine, the Argentine was on the brink at just a game away from the title. </p><p>Finally, and with perfect timing, the Murray serve began to click into gear and he held his nerve superbly to force a second tie-break, despite clearly being unhappy when Del Potro called an injury time-out for treatment to his shoulder. </p><p>Some brilliant scrambling from the Briton earned him the crucial break for 5-3 in the tie-break and he quickly levelled the match from there. </p><p>That effectively ended the Del Potro challenge and, as Murray's game went from strength to strength, the Argentine's legs appeared to have gone beneath him. </p><p>Murray swept into a 4-0 lead and, despite losing one of the breaks when a now free-swinging Del Potro connected with a few returns, the new world number two sealed victory with an ace after two hours and 42 minutes. </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-91283595101092233992009-08-17T08:57:00.000-07:002009-08-17T08:59:15.872-07:00RAFAEL'S STRONG RETURN BACK<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygHAL75WlUw4m9lZdBqP4vgBGMM_VdtVwTwzKpkzXGDxA2TpgogzfU22HL9t3sxcLqUii1rAbdEz7VxljU9wYBnEvV4F73Dy694nf2JW5sIXIv2Pkx2X2kCURE0bE3kzj0d82_3ZET968/s1600-h/_46203415_nadal_getty2_226.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygHAL75WlUw4m9lZdBqP4vgBGMM_VdtVwTwzKpkzXGDxA2TpgogzfU22HL9t3sxcLqUii1rAbdEz7VxljU9wYBnEvV4F73Dy694nf2JW5sIXIv2Pkx2X2kCURE0bE3kzj0d82_3ZET968/s320/_46203415_nadal_getty2_226.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370962844202582802" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="first">Rafael Nadal was only on court for 36 minutes on his singles comeback as his opponent David Ferrer retired hurt at the Montreal Masters.</p><p>Nadal was back in action after 10 weeks out with knee problems, and was trailing 4-3 in a scrappy first set when fellow Spaniard Ferrer pulled out. </p><p>Ferrer played with one knee taped and twice required visits from the trainer before calling it quits. </p><p>"I'm very sorry it had to end like this," said defending champion Nadal. </p><!-- E SF --><p>The world number two saved six break points in the fourth game before losing serve, only to break Ferrer again in the seventh game before the early end. </p><p>"I must be happy, because I didn't play terrible. In the next round, I have another chance to continue to improve. Every match, every game is important to feel better for me. </p><p>"My knees felt OK, but I need more days to have a real test." </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-6247063272367442302009-08-06T09:07:00.000-07:002009-08-06T09:11:09.095-07:00HEWITT WON HIS FIRST IN US OPENLleyton Hewitt began his summer hard-court campaign with victory over US wildcard Donald Young at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington DC.<br />Hewitt, contesting his first tournament since losing to Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, reached round two with a 7-5 6-2 win.<br />Russia's Mikhail Youzhny required three sets to overcome Robert Kendrick, eventually prevailing 7-5 3-6 6-1.<br />Philipp Petzschner came from behind to beat Teimuraz Gabashvili 4-6 6-3 6-4.<br />Former world number one Hewitt, 28, the 2004 champion in Washington, said: "It's always hard after a few weeks off, so it's nice to get through in straight sets."<br /><br />Top seed Andy Roddick, a three-times winner of the event, will play either fellow American Robby Ginepri or Benjamin Becker of Germany in his first match on Wednesday.<br />Meanwhile, British number two Alex Bogdanovic enjoyed a morale-boosting win in round one of the Odlum Brown Van Open in Vancouver.<br />The 25-year-old left-hander beat Dutch qualifier Igor Sijsling 6-2 5-7 7-5 to set up a second-round meeting with American Scoville Jenkins.TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-5043250778159079222009-08-06T09:01:00.000-07:002009-08-06T09:07:24.255-07:00SOMDEV MADE INDIA PROUD IN TENNISMarin Cilic suffered a shock second-round defeat by Indian qualifier Somdev Devvarman in the ATP Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington DC.<br />The Croat produced numerous unforced errors during the 7-5 6-4 loss to world number 153 Devvarman.<br /><br />Defending champion Juan Martin del Potro came from a set down to beat Taiwan's Yen-sun Lu 4-6 6-3 6-2.<br />while Eighth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych downed Lativa's Ernests Gulbis 6-2 7-6 (8-6) to book his third-round spot.<br /><br />World number 15 Cilic showed signs of rustiness in his encounter with Devvarman having received a bye in the first round, but was still expected to prevail over an opponent he defeated in the final at Chennai, India in January.<br /><br />However, Devvarman was able to capitalise on Cilic's lack of match practice to record his first win over a top-20 ranked player.<br />"I knew that it was the first match he was playing this week and I already had three under my belt. That's always a good feeling to bring to the match," said Devvarman.<br />Roddick will now face either Rainer Schuettler of Germany, who beat Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-5), or Croat Ivo Karlovic in round three.<br />In a match that started late on Tuesday night and ended well past midnight, Del Potro lost the opening set after dropping his serve at 3-3 but stormed back with his own break at 4-3 to give him the winning edge in the second set.<br />After breaking Lu to open the third set, the 2008 champion finished off the long night by winning 16 of 18 service points.<br />Del Potro now faces a third-round tie with either Australian Lleyton Hewitt or Israeli number 15 seed Dudi Sela.<br />German Tommy Haas, the only other seeded player in action on Tuesday, edged past Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-1 4-6 6-4 to set up a third-round match with either Tommy Robredo or Juan Carlos Ferrero.TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-16657766794314446052009-07-26T05:42:00.000-07:002009-07-26T05:46:09.627-07:00NADA; MAY SEE A BIT RELAX TO COMEBACK<p class="first">Rafael Nadal back to training session after a two month gap. He is somewhat happy man to be back in his training. After an heavy workload in the clay court, Rafael feels that this knee problem wont stop going further and he will definitely defeat Roger to be in his position.<br /></p><p>The 23-year-old Spaniard missed out on defending his Wimbledon title this year because of tendinitis in his knee. </p><p>"It was just a small dose of contact without too much force, just enough to see how I am feeling," he said. </p><p>"I am happy to return to training, to have the racquet in my hand and do what I like doing." </p><!-- E SF --><p>He took to the court for 75 minutes in his home town of Manacor in Majorca on Monday. </p><p>"It was just a quick training session with no pressure to get a better idea of how he feels and, on top of everything, make sure there is no pain," said Nadal's coach and uncle Toni.</p> <!-- S IBOX --><!-- E IBOX --> <p>Nadal says he hopes to return to action to defend his title at the Montreal Masters in August. </p><p>"We still have to be cautious and in a week and a half we will know more but I am pleased," he added in a statement on his website. </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-50343907960943779182009-07-26T05:33:00.000-07:002009-07-26T05:36:59.394-07:00FEDERER BECOMES FATHER OF TWINSRoger federer finally become a good father for twin girls. Mirka, Roger wife gave birth to twins on Thursday night and Roger said that all the three were in good condition. Mirka is doing well and he named his twins as Charlene Riva and Myla Rose. After beating Andy Roddick in wimbledon and beating the epic 15th grand slam title, Roger feels very happy with his twins. Roger the most happiest man in the world as of now.TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-34900523570544015072009-07-16T08:57:00.001-07:002009-07-16T08:57:56.105-07:00NADAL IS BACK TO PRACTICE<p class="first"><b>World number two Rafael Nadal will resume training on Monday before returning to action at the Montreal Masters in August.</b></p><p>The Spaniard, whose last match was a defeat by Robin Soderling at the French Open, was forced to miss Wimbledon because of tendinitis in his knees. </p><p>"I am really looking forward to practice again," the 23-year-old told his official website. </p><p>"The event in Montreal is important and I expect to be there fit to play." </p><!-- E SF --><p>Nadal was given the go-ahead to resume training after undergoing tests in Barcelona on Tuesday.</p> <!-- S IBOX --> <table width="231" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td width="5"><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" alt="" vspace="0" width="5" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IBOX --> <p>"I am happy with the way the tests went and of the positive evolution of the injury as the doctors are saying," added Nadal. </p><p>He will train at his home in Mallorca before his planned return to action in Montral on 10 August. </p>In Nadal's absence, Roger Federer won the Wimbledon title and returned to number one in the rankings at the expense of the SpaniardTENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-81625240822386053492009-07-11T20:57:00.000-07:002009-07-11T21:11:44.461-07:00ISRAEL REACHES SEMIS IN DAVIS CUP<p>Israel, a much awaited country to reach the Davis cup semifinals for the first time after taking a 3-0 lead over Russia in Tel Aviv. It was a splendid performance given from Israel and Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich played a superb tennis to win this quarterfinals.<br /></p><p>Russia were favourites, but a 6-3 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 6-4 win for Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich over Marat Safin and Igor Kunitsyn sealed the surprise win. </p><p>On Friday, world number 210 Harle Levy beat Igor Andreev, ranked 24 in the world, 6-4 6-2 4-6 6-2. </p><p>And Dudi Sela beat Mikhail Youzhny 3-6 6-1 6-0 7-5 in front of 10,500 fans. </p><!-- E SF --><p>Israel captain Eyal Ran was carried around the Tel Aviv venue by his players after the famous win. </p><p>"I have to thank the team for all the remarkable work they have done," said Ran. </p> <!-- S IBOX --><!-- E IBOX --> <p>Israel will face either Spain or Germany in the last four in September. </p><p>Meanwhile, brothers Bob and Mike Bryan beat Roko Karanusic and Lovro Zovko with ease to keep the united states hopes alive against Croatia, cutting their opponents' lead to 2-1. </p><p>The Bryan brothers cruised to a 6-3 6-1 6-3 win on the indoor clay at Zatika Hall. </p><p>"We're really happy we're back in this thing," said Mike Bryan. </p><p>"We wanted to keep it short after they played for about nine hours on Friday. The guys believe we can actually win this tie, and that's the biggest thing." </p><p>The US have come back from a 2-0 deficit only once in 35 attempts, and that came back in 1934. </p><p>"Tomorrow, we hope to make history," added Mike Bryan, looking ahead to the reverse singles when James Blake meets Marin Cilic before Mardy Fish takes on Ivo Karlovic. </p><p>"We certainly think we can win both matches, but first James has to beat Cilic," said US captain Patrick McEnroe. </p><p>Argentina fell 2-1 behind against the Czech Republic<b> </b>after Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Jose Acasuso and Leonardo Mayer 6-1 6-4 6-3. </p><p>Eyebrows were raised when Argentina captain Tito Vazquez decided to leave world number five Juan Martin del Potro out of the doubles. </p><p>"The decision was planned in advance so that the Czech Republic would put all their best players in the doubles," said Vazquez. </p><p>"We were hoping it would be a long match so we had a better chance on Sunday (in the reverse singles). </p><p>"Our advantage in the first of the singles is that Berdych will have played eight sets in two days while del Potro will have played only three." </p><p>In Marbella, <b>Spain </b>took a 2-1 lead against <b>Germany</b> after the doubles. </p><p>Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez beat German duo Nicolas Kiefer and Mischa Zverev in the scorching heat in Marbella. </p><p>Left-handers Verdasco and Lopez ultimately had too much firepower for the Germans on the clay at the adapted bull ring and came through 6-3 7-6 6-7 6-3. </p><p>"We were in control all the time except for a little blip in the third set," said Lopez. </p><p>"We were fighting to the end and I think we deserved the win because we were better." </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-15734005348850203752009-07-07T10:06:00.000-07:002009-07-07T10:08:36.224-07:00FEDERERMADE AN EPIC TITLE IN WIMBLEDON<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZ4JDae7MnohA8Xe7AH-V5mHU-xBZ2PHEpa9fQPJrB8P5hUHUoO2F93nNijwZADfaC1wzLh4PnmJdn1GKaSKH15leKr8mIEAts4gPcwkQE9XKEtvvP6S9FDW2uAJ9zxzTg0nXIiwvhufp/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZ4JDae7MnohA8Xe7AH-V5mHU-xBZ2PHEpa9fQPJrB8P5hUHUoO2F93nNijwZADfaC1wzLh4PnmJdn1GKaSKH15leKr8mIEAts4gPcwkQE9XKEtvvP6S9FDW2uAJ9zxzTg0nXIiwvhufp/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355766259318758354" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="first"><b>Roger Federer became the greatest player in Grand Slam history as he beat Andy Roddick in five dramatic sets for a sixth Wimbledon and 15th major title.</b></p><p>The Swiss won 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 to surpass Pete Sampras's 14 Grand Slam wins and regain the title he lost to Rafael Nadal last year. </p><p>And Sampras was back at Wimbledon for the first time since 2002 to watch from the Royal Box as Federer made history. </p><p>Federer, 27, will now return to the top of the world rankings ahead of Nadal. </p><!-- E SF --><p>But he had to dig deep against an in-form Roddick, who had four points for a two-set lead and then battled back to force an epic fifth set as the match became the longest men's singles final ever in terms of games played. </p><p>Federer lost 9-7 in the fifth to Nadal 12 months ago, but this year's final set alone lasted 95 minutes and with 30 games was considerably longer than the previous Grand Slam record of 11-9 in the fifth set at the 1927 French Open. </p> <!-- S IBOX --><!-- E IBOX --> <p>"Andy played unbelievable," Federer told BBC Sport, adding: "It feels great. It was a crazy match with an unbelievable end and my head's still spinning, but it's an unbelievable moment in my career." </p><p>Federer, who claimed a first French Open title last month, has now won Wimbledon six times, the US Open five times, the Australian Open three times and Roland Garros once. </p><p>Sampras was the last man to set a new mark in Grand Slams when he beat Pat Rafter in an emotional final at Wimbledon in 2000, and the American chose to return to the All England Club to witness Federer's achievement. </p> <!-- S IBOX --><!-- E IBOX --> <p>The 37-year-old arrived to applause during the changeover after the third game and, with his wife, took his seat alongside Manuel Santana, Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase. </p><p>With so many tennis greats on hand, Roddick appeared to be very much the support act as Federer attempted to make history, but the American has been a rejuvenated force this year and played one of his best ever matches in beating British hope Andy Murray in the semi-finals. </p><p>He went into the final having won just two of his previous 18 matches against Federer, but with the confidence of having arguably the world's best serve and a new variety to his game brought out by coach Larry Stefanki. </p><p>Both men started strongly on serve but it was the Swiss who put the pressure on first, forcing four break points in a tense game at 5-5. </p> <!-- Inline Embbeded Media --> <!-- This is the embedded player component --> <div class="videoInStoryC"> <div id="emp_8135326" class="emp"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/2.11.7978_8433/9player.swf" style="" id="embeddedPlayer_8135326" name="embeddedPlayer_8135326" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" wmode="default" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="config_settings_language=default&config=http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/config/default.xml?1.3.114_2.11.7978_8433_20090514110202&playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Femp%2F8130000%2F8135300%2F8135326.xml&embedReferer=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/default.stm&embedPageUrl=/sport2/hi/tennis/8133424.stm&config_settings_autoPlay=false&config_settings_showPopoutButton=false&config_settings_showUpdatedInFooter=true&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_pageType=eav2&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_edition=International&preroll=http://ad.doubleclick.net/pfadx/bbccom.live.site.news/sport_tennis_content;sectn=sport;ctype=content;sport=tennis;adsense_middle=adsense_middle;adsense_mpu=adsense_mpu;referrer=sport1hitennis;rsi=J08781_10049;slot=companion;sz=512x288;tile=6&companionSize=300x60&companionType=adi&config_settings_suppressItemKind=advert, ident" width="256" height="179"></embed></div> <!-- caption --><p class="caption">Federer hails 'unbelievable' moment</p><!-- END - caption --> </div> <!-- end of the embedded player component --> <!-- END of Inline Embedded Media --> <p>Federer was twice denied by Hawkeye, while Roddick saved two break points with trademark heavy serves, and the five-time champion was quickly made to regret the missed chances. </p><p>Moments later he was under pressure as he leaked a forehand into the tramlines to give Roddick a set point from seemingly nowhere, and when the Swiss made the same mistake in the following rally the American's supporters were on their feet applauding as their man took a shock lead. </p><p>The second set followed the same pattern, with neither player able to fashion a break point and Roddick now making 80% of his first serves. </p><p>It came down to a tie-break and, knowing his title hopes were under serious threat, Federer made a nervous forehand error to hand over the mini-break before the Roddick serve took over, sweeping the American to 6-2 and four set points. </p><p>An imperious Federer backhand and two service winners cut the deficit before Roddick had a chance on his own serve, but he put a high backhand volley well wide. </p> <!-- S IBOX --><!-- E IBOX --> <p>Federer fired a cross-court backhand pass to win a fifth straight point and earn a set point for himself, and Roddick pushed a backhand well over the baseline to bring Federer level at one-set all. </p><p>It was a body blow for the American and he headed straight to the locker room on the changeover before marching to the wrong end on his return to Centre Court. </p><p>Roddick's head cleared sufficiently for him to get a foothold in the third set and he saved a break point in game five with a serve. </p><p>The 26-year-old could win only two points on the Federer serve throughout the set but he forced another tie-break, and a chance to amend for the disaster of the second set. </p><p>A backhand approach into the net gave Federer the mini-break though and, although Roddick did well to close the gap to 6-5, the Swiss converted his third set point with a thumping forehand. </p> <!-- Inline Embbeded Media --> <!-- This is the embedded player component --> <div class="videoInStoryC"> <div id="emp_8135328" class="emp"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/2.11.7978_8433/9player.swf" style="" id="embeddedPlayer_8135328" name="embeddedPlayer_8135328" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" wmode="default" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="config_settings_language=default&config=http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/config/default.xml?1.3.114_2.11.7978_8433_20090514110202&playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Femp%2F8130000%2F8135300%2F8135328.xml&embedReferer=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/default.stm&embedPageUrl=/sport2/hi/tennis/8133424.stm&config_settings_autoPlay=false&config_settings_showPopoutButton=false&config_settings_showUpdatedInFooter=true&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_pageType=eav2&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_edition=International&preroll=http://ad.doubleclick.net/pfadx/bbccom.live.site.news/sport_tennis_content;sectn=sport;ctype=content;sport=tennis;adsense_middle=adsense_middle;adsense_mpu=adsense_mpu;referrer=sport1hitennis;rsi=J08781_10049;slot=companion;sz=512x288;tile=6&companionSize=300x60&companionType=adi&config_settings_suppressItemKind=advert, ident" width="256" height="179"></embed></div> <!-- caption --><p class="caption">Defeated Roddick hopes for Wimbledon title</p><!-- END - caption --> </div> <!-- end of the embedded player component --> <!-- END of Inline Embedded Media --> <p>If anyone thought that the smooth coronation of Federer was now back on track, Roddick had other ideas, playing a magnificent volley at 2-1 to earn two break points and taking the second with a backhand pass that Federer could not handle. </p><p>Roddick served out valiantly from 0-30 in game nine, thrilling the Centre Court crowd who were about to enjoy a fifth set that few had expected to see. </p><p>Federer had the first chance at a break in the decider but again Roddick served his way out of trouble, and the Swiss had still not broken his opponent after nearly three hours. </p><p>Both men appeared to be getting stronger and stronger and they were well and truly in the groove on serve, with Federer ahead in the ace count as the fifth set rolled on. </p> <!-- Inline Embbeded Media --> <!-- This is the embedded player component --> <div class="videoInStoryC"> <div id="emp_8135332" class="emp"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/2.11.7978_8433/9player.swf" style="" id="embeddedPlayer_8135332" name="embeddedPlayer_8135332" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" wmode="default" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="config_settings_language=default&config=http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/config/default.xml?1.3.114_2.11.7978_8433_20090514110202&playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Femp%2F8130000%2F8135300%2F8135332.xml&embedReferer=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/default.stm&embedPageUrl=/sport2/hi/tennis/8133424.stm&config_settings_autoPlay=false&config_settings_showPopoutButton=false&config_settings_showUpdatedInFooter=true&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_pageType=eav2&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_edition=International&preroll=http://ad.doubleclick.net/pfadx/bbccom.live.site.news/sport_tennis_content;sectn=sport;ctype=content;sport=tennis;adsense_middle=adsense_middle;adsense_mpu=adsense_mpu;referrer=sport1hitennis;rsi=J08781_10049;slot=companion;sz=512x288;tile=6&companionSize=300x60&companionType=adi&config_settings_suppressItemKind=advert, ident" width="256" height="179"></embed></div> <!-- caption --><p class="caption">Federer is the greatest ever - Sampras</p><!-- END - caption --> </div> <!-- end of the embedded player component --> <!-- END of Inline Embedded Media --> <p>Roddick made his move at 8-8, firing a spectacular backhand winner down the line for 15-40, but five-time champion Federer responded magnificently with a service winner and a nerveless drive-volley. </p><p>The set became the longest in a men's singles final when Federer fired three aces in a row to move ahead 13-12, and Roddick began to look the more tired - but he refused to yield until the 30th game of the set. </p><p>The American looped a forehand long at deuce, and when he did the same on championship point Federer had his first service break of the day - and a historic victory after four hours and 17 minutes that takes him to the top of the Grand Slam list. </p> <!-- S IBOX --> <table width="231" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td width="5"><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" alt="" vspace="0" width="5" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IBOX --> <p>"It's not one of those goals you set as a little boy but it's been quite a career and quite a month," said Federer. </p><p>"This is not why I'm playing tennis, to break records, and this doesn't mean I'm going to stop playing tennis. I hope to come back for many years." </p><p>Roddick told the crowd: "I'm one of the lucky few who gets cheered for, so thank you for that. I just want to say congratulations to Roger, he deserves everything he gets, so well done Roger." </p><p>And looking up to the Royal Box, he told compatriot Sampras: "I tried, sorry Pete." </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-57496148651929435052009-07-07T10:04:00.000-07:002009-07-07T10:05:52.158-07:00UNEXPECTED DEATH FOR MONTCOURT<p>Montcourt, who was ranked 119 in the world, was was found dead by his girlfriend in the stairwell of his Paris apartment. </p><p>The reason for his death is as yet unexplained and an autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause. </p><p>"Mathieu was an enthusiastic young man, passionate, and extremely appreciated for his kindness and politeness," read a French Tennis Federation statement. </p><!-- E SF --><p>In June, Montcourt achieved his highest career ranking of 104 after reaching the second round at the French Open, where he lost to Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in four sets.</p> <!-- S IBOX --><!-- E IBOX --> <p>"Mathieu was a promising young player," added Patrice Dominguez, the FFT's technical director. </p><p>"We are totally devastated. Our first thoughts are with his family." </p><p>In August 2008, Montcourt was banned for eight weeks and fined £7,420 for betting on matches. </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-5179681587283717712009-07-04T20:30:00.000-07:002009-07-04T20:42:04.722-07:00SERENA TO WIN HER WIMBLEDON TITLE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C9s-a_3dW_J1Y81XTtRD6AOk6rlYKzHempEUN-cR7MCnSDbvQQ1kTD-TRLY0ZFSsaGqSvBSh9BZi1UOhIW79q2ujZY9Y2VLqOStK5N72wiTArgV5h77Xr3IoOVkMDHoXQtPNeae5z_bm/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C9s-a_3dW_J1Y81XTtRD6AOk6rlYKzHempEUN-cR7MCnSDbvQQ1kTD-TRLY0ZFSsaGqSvBSh9BZi1UOhIW79q2ujZY9Y2VLqOStK5N72wiTArgV5h77Xr3IoOVkMDHoXQtPNeae5z_bm/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354816124202666962" border="0" /></a><br />Serena Williams, the all-time champion in wimbledon and most favorite player among the tennis fans, won her 11th grand slam title here in London. Serena beat her sister venus williams in wimbledon to win her title. Serena leads her number when it comes to her sister. Serena won 11 times while her sister venus won 10 times in a head to head contest. Serena won in straight sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-2. It was the fourth time the sisters had met in a Wimbledon final.<br /><p>However, the defending champion was still wearing the heavy strapping on her left leg that she had repeatedly insisted was not an issue throughout the fortnight. </p><p>Early matches between the pair were often disappointing as nerves and sibling concern took the edge off two usually fearsome competitors, but recent matches had been better, notably last year's Wimbledon final. </p><p>This latest contest was dominated by serve, and Serena was the first to falter in game eight when a forehand into the net brought up 15-40 and two break points for Venus.</p><p>Venus said: "Today she was too good, she had an answer for everything. She played the best tennis today so congratulations. I don't think the loss has set in yet because I'm still smiling. </p><p>"I've had so many great times here and of course I'm looking forward to next year and the doubles final later. I love what I do and most of all I love playing these finals." </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-22462975095694704552009-07-03T21:02:00.000-07:002009-07-03T21:04:53.571-07:00VENUS, SERENA IN BOTH FINALS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0Yq_bCqy91sKbwFN1W-wx8mOAIZT6JRYNYOHyw_MIlROwRGMRAxo2UZ_mQ6MVlBKCIwOsYa5RxRM3ck-vtZo6GRJ19XFiKb0hy8OErBvT3zZVNPnbpIW_G0IBnuepiLjGOTwZxkg_vlf/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0Yq_bCqy91sKbwFN1W-wx8mOAIZT6JRYNYOHyw_MIlROwRGMRAxo2UZ_mQ6MVlBKCIwOsYa5RxRM3ck-vtZo6GRJ19XFiKb0hy8OErBvT3zZVNPnbpIW_G0IBnuepiLjGOTwZxkg_vlf/s320/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354450951756879778" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="first">Venus and Serena Williams swept through to the final of the ladies doubles with an emphatic 6-1 6-2 victory over Cara Black and Liezel Huber at Wimbledon.</p><p>The sisters, who meet in Saturday's singles final, showed no sign of fatigue en route to a 61-minute win. </p><p>Black and Huber fought off several match points before finally succumbing to their opponents' power. </p><p>Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs will form their final opposition after wining the second semi-final. </p><!-- E SF --><p>The Australian pair overcome the second-seeded Anabel Medina Garriques and Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2. </p><p>After losing the opening set on a tie-break, Stosur, who was beaten by Ana Ivanovic in the third round of the singles competition, and Stubbs found their service range and eventually wore down their Spanish opponents. </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-72987140941422061642009-07-03T20:54:00.000-07:002009-07-03T21:02:39.506-07:00ANDY MURRAY OUT OF WIMBLEDON<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWCcVH0IudWoBUQvlkFAsjYYGwF4hFU3-Ru4_lFoSdJls2jR5Qhqj0gQMteeiTQ5bk4AtA6nEq6FN3wTKGoj57fm8PRKxWaXTYLHBoemlSgvucNdoltUyR_2_7uU-T1FeIj8Nxl6KYrK6/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWCcVH0IudWoBUQvlkFAsjYYGwF4hFU3-Ru4_lFoSdJls2jR5Qhqj0gQMteeiTQ5bk4AtA6nEq6FN3wTKGoj57fm8PRKxWaXTYLHBoemlSgvucNdoltUyR_2_7uU-T1FeIj8Nxl6KYrK6/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354450458164375186" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Andy Murray a very tough player on his home ground struggled a lot. The 22-year-old missed out on becoming the first British man in 71 years to reach the final when he was beaten in four sets by Andy Roddick. </p><p>"I'll move on very quickly and come back stronger," said the Scot. </p><p>"It's a pathetic attitude to lose one match and let it ruin your year. I've always said the US Open is my best chance and I'll give it my best shot." </p><!-- E SF --><p>With his form over year and his 6-2 winning record against Roddick, Murray had been hotly tipped to match Bunny Austin's 1938 run to the final. </p><p>Instead, he joins Mike Sangster, Roger Taylor and Tim Henman on the list of Britain's losing semi-finalists in the 71 years since.</p> <!-- S IBOX --><!-- E IBOX --> <p>He believes his chance will come again. </p><p>"I believe I can win a Grand Slam, whether it's Wimbledon or US Open or Australia or whatever, I'm going to give myself chances." </p><p>Roddick, along with many others in the game, agrees that Murray is on course to win at least one Grand Slam title. </p><p>"He's going to break through and win one of these titles and probably numerous ones. He's too good not to," he said. </p><p>"In my mind it's a matter of time - it's not if, but when." </p><p>On Friday though, Murray was frustrated by a brilliant display by Roddick, who will face Roger Federer for the third time in a Wimbledon final on Sunday. </p><p>"If he serves like that, he's got a chance against anyone," said Murray. </p><p>"If someone serves at 130mph consistently throughout the match, it's very tough to break them - especially on a court like this that's quick." </p><p>Roddick told BBC Sport immediately after the match that Murray "had a lot of pressure on him", but the Scot denied it had been a factor. </p><p>"I put pressure on myself to play well, but there weren't moments where I felt too tight to go for my shots," he said.</p> <!-- S IBOX --><!-- E IBOX --> <p>"Maybe I made some mistakes I shouldn't have in the third-set tie-break, but I don't think I could say I wasn't swinging freely." </p><p>Murray also cited the match statistics, which had him on top in both aces and winners. </p><p>But Roddick's stunning serving display, allied with a tactical plan he carried out to the letter, gave the American the edge. </p><p>Murray, though, said he was pleased with his tournament on the whole. </p><p>"It's been very good. I did better than I ever had before," he said. </p><p>"I had some very good matches. I thought I dealt with everything put in front of me. It was a good tournament." </p><p>He added: "The last few slams that I've lost, I've come up against some guys that have played great, great tennis. </p><p>"Mentally, for me, I've got much better at it, understanding that guys can do that against you. That's happened to me a few times now in slams. </p><p>"I need to keep making sure I bring my best game to the court in every match." </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-50861465860019630052009-06-27T21:32:00.000-07:002009-06-27T21:38:39.378-07:00MURRAY IN LAST 16<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDE16af1sBVLZc5k-cDUQvr_apXLxhT3CA8-9Zuv8h1p82jtTwSYe9ax1S78gLMR9kxYrsdfhrB9lvsqb-Jq8uDZFHwtN9Ye7fMYrf00yjuProLE8lfM11SdItYpr1vme_-ozAEHLxrshB/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDE16af1sBVLZc5k-cDUQvr_apXLxhT3CA8-9Zuv8h1p82jtTwSYe9ax1S78gLMR9kxYrsdfhrB9lvsqb-Jq8uDZFHwtN9Ye7fMYrf00yjuProLE8lfM11SdItYpr1vme_-ozAEHLxrshB/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352233223973137394" border="0" /></a><br /><p>The British number one, Andy Murray will face Stanislas Wawrinka in Monday's fourth round after winning a comfortable 6-2 6-3 6-4 win against <b>Viktor Troicki</b> in one hour 36 minutes on Centre Court. </p><p>Murray broke for the first time at 3-2 and Troicki crumbled, losing seven games in a row as the world number three almost toyed with his opponent. </p><p>Murray faced one break point in the entire match, saving it with an ace. </p><!-- E SF --><p>The match was played under leaden skies, but despite thunderstorms in the Wimbledon area, the rain never came - and Centre Court's new roof is still awaiting its competitive debut after six days of action. </p><p>"Obviously I wanted to finish the match as quickly as possible," said the 22-year-old. "It would have been a nice bit of history, but I wasn't that worried by it." </p> <!-- Inline Embbeded Media --> <!-- This is the embedded player component --> <div class="videoInStoryC"> <div id="emp_8122728" class="emp"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/2.11.7978_8433/9player.swf" style="" id="embeddedPlayer_8122728" name="embeddedPlayer_8122728" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" wmode="default" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="config_settings_language=default&config=http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/config/default.xml?1.3.114_2.11.7978_8433_20090514110202&playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Femp%2F8120000%2F8122700%2F8122728.xml&embedReferer=http://www.bbc.co.uk/&embedPageUrl=/sport2/hi/tennis/8120682.stm&config_settings_autoPlay=false&config_settings_showPopoutButton=false&config_settings_showUpdatedInFooter=true&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_pageType=eav2&config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_edition=International&preroll=http://ad.doubleclick.net/pfadx/bbccom.live.site.news/sport_tennis_content;sectn=sport;ctype=content;sport=tennis;adsense_middle=adsense_middle;adsense_mpu=adsense_mpu;rsi=;slot=companion;sz=512x288;tile=6&companionSize=300x60&companionType=adi&config_settings_suppressItemKind=advert, ident" width="256" height="179"></embed></div> <!-- caption --><p class="caption">Murray pleased with opening week</p><!-- END - caption --> </div> <!-- end of the embedded player component --> <!-- END of Inline Embedded Media --> <p>The roof was immediately shut after the players went off, whereupon Murray told BBC Sport he felt he had not peaked yet. </p><p>"I have to give myself an A for coming through the first week," he said. "Today was very good. I felt a little bit uncomfortable at the start, but after the first set I started to feel more comfortable. </p><p>"I've got to be happy with the first week - I felt better and better with every match. But I'm going to have to play better next week if I want to come away with the title." </p><p>Murray's hopes of making his second Grand Slam final received a boost later on Saturday when Fernando Gonzalez, his conqueror at this year's French Open and a possible quarter-final opponent here, was beaten in five sets by Juan Carlos Ferrero. </p><p>But on this form, Murray has no-one to fear. </p><p>Troicki had won just one game in his last encounter against Murray at the Miami Masters, a tournament the Scot went on to win.<br /></p><p>Murray consider this match to be far better than the previous one in this tournament and it will be a good sign for the forth coming matches.<br /></p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-60020487131468554622009-06-23T22:49:00.000-07:002009-06-23T23:04:59.586-07:00CRACKLING FIRST ROUND IN WIMBLEDONWimbledon has been so beautiful this year as a new retrackable roof has been covered in the centre court during rain. The centre court looks too good for the spectators to watch on. The crowd were also too good and pretty decent as well. Andy Murray being a local player won his first round against American Robert Kendrick 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesdaay. The match seems to be so exciting as Murray being a local player. If Murray win this wimbledon then he will be the first player in Britain since 1936 to win a wimbledon. Nadal feels that his opponent came so vigourous and Murray stayed calm and took the pressure off from him.<br /><br /><p>Fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro made a mockery of his supposed lack of grass-court prowess by hammering experienced Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round.</p><p>Del Potro, who has won only two matches in two previous visits to Wimbledon, put Clement out of his misery when the Frenchman ballooned a forehand long after 1 hour, 37 minutes on Court 1. He will face 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 winner over American Robby Ginepri, in the second round.</p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-80569162036167204102009-06-20T09:53:00.000-07:002009-06-20T10:03:11.205-07:00FEDERER FEELS FOR NADAL'S INJURYRoger federer is so sad after hearing the news that Nadal withdrawn from the wimbledon because of his knee injury. Federer feels that he is the only rivalry who can fight against Federer and has already won a wimbledon last year by beating Federer. Nadal's loss will definitely make the fans so sad. Nadal is so young to tennis and played excellent tennis and he is the only man who can beat Roger Federer continuously for many a time. Without Nadal it will be easy for Roger to clinch the title of his 15 th Grand slam. If he picks up this title then he will be the first player to acquire 15 grand slams by beating Pete Sampras.TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-45695428467658552752009-06-19T21:43:00.000-07:002009-06-19T21:52:35.189-07:00SAFINA CRUSHED IN ORDINA OPEN SEMIFINALS<p>Dinara Safina, world number one surprisely out of the Ordina open against unseeded Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn in the semifinals 7-5, 7-5. The match was so tough that it could turn to either way as it was the last game break in both the sets.<br /></p><p>Tanasugarn, 32, beat Safina in the final of this event last year and once again proved too much for the Russian. </p><p>World number 42 Tanasugarn will meet Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer in the final after she beat Italy's Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 6-3. </p><!-- E SF --><p>It will be the third time the 19-year-old Belgian Wickmayer - ranked 72 in the world - will contest a WTA final having lost to Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko in Birmingham, though she won in Estoril last year.</p> <!-- S IBOX --> <table width="231" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td width="5"><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" alt="" vspace="0" width="5" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" /></td> <td class="sib606"><div><div class="mva"><b> <!-- E ILIN --> </b> <br /> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IBOX --> <p>Safina must now pick herself up in time for the start of Wimbledon this Monday, as she goes in search of her first Grand slam title. </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-72580818031367678612009-06-19T21:33:00.000-07:002009-06-19T21:42:53.945-07:00RAFAEL NADAL OUT OF WIMBLEDON 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBnj5b2em8PlHy9kheCWF797kPDvQidj_U0yvF_pBWqHrff0bjPC3cFA68ff5i1YfGADoyN-QQ78lq-I27fX3TE4E7ESDCl6u0NT9miaVqvkhRahdaMrdolBqRBg_7Q9tYOrGVJklBSpP/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBnj5b2em8PlHy9kheCWF797kPDvQidj_U0yvF_pBWqHrff0bjPC3cFA68ff5i1YfGADoyN-QQ78lq-I27fX3TE4E7ESDCl6u0NT9miaVqvkhRahdaMrdolBqRBg_7Q9tYOrGVJklBSpP/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349265598604351858" border="0" /></a><br />Defending champion Rafael Nadal is out of the wimbledon because of the knee injury. He was suffering from the injury for the past 6 months and he was playing with the problem, which made him out of the early exit in the French open. Nadal feels that he is not concentrating on the match 100% as he feels that his knee has some problem. With such an intention no one can play to their 100%. He needs some rest in order to recover. When he comeback, he will comeback strongly with 100% in physical and mental. He also said that I am young and I have a plenty of career to spare. Definitely this problem is temporary and it is not going to affect my future career. Definitely this is a big loss to my Fans and the Wimbledon. But I and my fans need to bare it in order to proceed further.<br /><br />Nadal, struggling with tendinitis, tested out his fitness in exhibition matches on Thursday and Friday, but was unhappy with the state of his knee.<br /><br />Nadal is the first champion not to defend his SW19 crown since Goran Ivanisevic missed the event in 2002TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-43786674863811061632009-06-09T20:58:00.000-07:002009-06-09T21:11:19.455-07:00RAFAEL NADAL WILL COME STRONG IN WIMBLEDON<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5rZ_uM8jhntg4V9MyS3kOtNyg4WoJG-DHEClGll9Az7TP9IlWu33YXKcMpfNaTpzQFA9S3UEOsg93pTgOV-Vxjdr24y_GMI7SbMLvZn29eP1GRcWDmqgdnZwhbN7tO64gT9yYeiG3y7a/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5rZ_uM8jhntg4V9MyS3kOtNyg4WoJG-DHEClGll9Az7TP9IlWu33YXKcMpfNaTpzQFA9S3UEOsg93pTgOV-Vxjdr24y_GMI7SbMLvZn29eP1GRcWDmqgdnZwhbN7tO64gT9yYeiG3y7a/s320/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345546643096885538" border="0" /></a><br />Rafael Nadal, the world No.1 in tennis was unexpectedly moved out in the Round 4 of the French open. He was suffering from both Knee problems continuously for the past 4 months. He played with the pain in the French open so his game is little poor throughout the tournament. He cannot able to fight against Robin soderling because he always feels that his knees were paining. Rafael Nadal is mentally out in this tournament because of his knee problem. After the early exit in French open, he went to Barcelona to go on for the treatment. Nadal revealed that he will be 200% fit in the Wimbledon and he will give the best of him. It will be really good for most of his fans and tennis lovers to see a fantastic match. Roger also hope to wish him best of luck for his upcoming tournament and he hope that Rafael should be fully fit to play in Wimbledon.TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-74834134422804085112009-06-09T20:41:00.000-07:002009-06-09T20:50:53.244-07:00ROGER WINS 14TH GRAND SLAM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7YfDgivXqhYiCFpmBRUyI4CZ5Pu7Jl5KEiuRHXLqd_EyfcmaCCWeytklnj9iIHV-ovM04fM6zOM_jF_hZY6OmbzMitZYCqIO1LGccBBWfZH46hodMpJa-2YDniZch1tSBGTjnTXoObpu/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7YfDgivXqhYiCFpmBRUyI4CZ5Pu7Jl5KEiuRHXLqd_EyfcmaCCWeytklnj9iIHV-ovM04fM6zOM_jF_hZY6OmbzMitZYCqIO1LGccBBWfZH46hodMpJa-2YDniZch1tSBGTjnTXoObpu/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345541356050290242" border="0" /></a><br />The finals between Roger Federer and Robin soderling was taken easily by Roger Federer in straight sets. Roger wins his 14th grand slam to match Pete Sampras. The next moment after Roger took the match winning point, he started to cry and he continued after receiving the title. It was a brillant comebck from Roger Federer after continuous loss to Rafael Nadal. Robin said that "he knew the result the day before the match but he played to his full strength and can't able to succeed". Roger Federer will look forward for his Wimbledon as it is his favourite ground. If Roger wins the Grand slam in Wimbledon then he will the first man to go beyond Pete Sampras in the total number of grand slams won.TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8792022534309827552.post-7760241808825314442009-06-06T22:36:00.000-07:002009-06-06T22:47:00.355-07:00KUZNETSOVA WINS THE FRENCH OPEN TITLE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieG_h3fwYCvZJb633SDmHjA7E-2vuPML9nXE4D1Igvtla9j-Xl4yCOQFVxTKu_LoH2ooJ-SlbCtJhg5C8HfqrI1NrskyV5xCj5uIrF2_CqQSzFdk6EKXZOG5RIIs-F9cxjL0Fz-4O1zbk5/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieG_h3fwYCvZJb633SDmHjA7E-2vuPML9nXE4D1Igvtla9j-Xl4yCOQFVxTKu_LoH2ooJ-SlbCtJhg5C8HfqrI1NrskyV5xCj5uIrF2_CqQSzFdk6EKXZOG5RIIs-F9cxjL0Fz-4O1zbk5/s320/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344457765831323682" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Dinara Safina lost to her opponent Svetlana Kuznetsova in the French open finals. Safina was strong throughout the tournament but always lost in her finals. Safina was so upset with her performance that why she throw her bat down when she lost critical points. Kuznetsova knew that safina is under pressure to win this title. Kuznetsova played her normal tennis with less number of unforced errors. Safina was too ambitious to win this title. We can see the pressure on safina's face but Kuznetsova can be seen relaxed. It was a very confortable win for Kuznetsova over Safina 6-4, 6-2. It was Kuznetsova's second grand slam after winning the 2004 US open. Safina made too much of blunders by putting double faults during the match point for Kuznetsova.<br /></p><!-- E SF --><p>"Today I think she was too tight," Kuznetsova said of her opponent. "She had so much pressure on her but I could bring my better game today - that's why I won."</p> <!-- Inline Embbeded Media --> <!-- This is the embedded player component --> <div class="videoInStoryC"> <div id="emp_8087456" class="emp"> <img name="holdingImage" class="holding" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45879000/jpg/_45879954_kuznetsova_int512.jpg" alt="Svetlana Kuznetsova" /> </div> <!-- caption --></div><p>The 23-year-old has now lost in the French Open final for two years running, and was also heavily beaten by Serena Williams in January's Australian Open final. </p><p>"Here I am back in the same situation as last year," said Safina. "Hopefully one day I can win here." </p>TENNIS ZONEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668461586389920400noreply@blogger.com0