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Rafael Nadal Wins Wimbledon 2010 After Beating Tomas Berdych
Posted by: David on Sunday, July 04, 2010 - 03:16 PM
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Rafael Nadal marked his victory with a celebratory somersault. That endless energy, and so many superb strokes, allowed the No. 2-seeded Nadal to outclass No. 12 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 Sunday for his second Wimbledon trophy and eighth Grand Slam title overall.
A year ago, sidelined by painful knees, 2008 Wimbledon champion Nadal was planted on his couch at home in Spain and watched the final on television, only the fifth man in the history of a tournament that dates to 1877 who couldn’t defend his championship because of injury.
“Now last year is past,” Nadal told The Associated Press as he leaned back in the gray leather seat of a courtesy car ferrying him away from the All England Club on Sunday night. “I know what happened one year ago, and how difficult it was for me, how much I had to work to be back at my best level.”
He paused, tapping his chest with his left hand, and added: “That’s something special for me.”
In 2009, his 31-match French Open winning streak ended, he missed Wimbledon, went more than eight months without a title anywhere, lost the No. 1 ranking, and, hardest of all, dealt with his parents’ separation.
This year, he is 47-5 with five titles, both tour highs. He won 24 matches in a row in one stretch, regained his Roland Garros title and the No. 1 ranking last month, and managed the tricky transition from clay to grass by winning the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year for the second time.
There is no doubt he’s the best player in tennis today.
“He’s showing in the last few months,” Berdych said, “that he’s really the champion.”
Nadal won his 14th match in a row at Wimbledon, essentially, because he saved all four break points he faced and broke the big-serving Berdych four times.
“The biggest difference between us,” Berdych explained, “was that when he (got) a chance, he just took it.”
Give Nadal the tiniest opening, and the left-hander barges through. It’s no accident he has a silhouette of a bull’s horns stamped on the back of his left sneaker’s heel (the right one reads, “Rafa”).
Still, Nadal acknowledged being “a little bit more nervous than usual” before facing Berdych. Asked why, Nadal said simply: “If you are not nervous in the final of Wimbledon, you are not human.”
This was the first men’s final since 2002 at the All England Club that did not involve Roger Federer, the six-time champion upset by Berdych in the quarterfinals. The past three title matches went five sets: Federer beat Nadal in 2007, Nadal edged Federer 9-7 in 2008 in fading light, and Federer got past Andy Roddick 16-14 last year.
Unlike those, Sunday’s contest was hardly a classic. More like a coronation — or, at the very least, confirmation that Nadal is elbowing his way into any conversation about the best players in tennis history. His eight titles at major tournaments pushes him past John McEnroe and ties Nadal with quite a heady group that includes Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.
“I’m very proud to be alongside those great players,” Nadal said. “My career is much better than I could have imagined when I began playing.”
That wasn’t very long ago: Nadal is only 24.
“He was really strong today,” said Berdych, who never got past the Wimbledon quarterfinals before and played his first Grand Slam final against a man who was in his 10th, winning the last five.
This one lasted barely more than two hours. Imagine how short the proceedings might have been if Nadal had brought his “A” game, because he was not at his very best Sunday. Perhaps affected by the constant breeze or those jitters he mentioned, Nadal finished with more unforced errors than Berdych, 21-17, and only two more winners, 29-27.
“His game was not unbelievable,” said Nadal’s uncle and coach, Toni, “but it was enough.”
This rout came a day after Serena Williams won a straight-set women’s final. Neither title match offered much in the way of intrigue, making this that rare Grand Slam tournament likely to be remembered mainly for its earlier happenings — particularly, of course, the 11-hour, 5-minute match that American John Isner won, 70-68, in the fifth set.
Only a few puffs of clouds dotted an otherwise azure sky Sunday, an appropriate setting given that no singles matches were interrupted by rain throughout the first completely dry fortnight since 1995.
That might have helped keep the footing clean for Nadal, who moves so well and goes from defense to offense faster than his stunned opponents can say, “How’d he get to that?!” After one point, Berdych looked up at his coach with his hands on his hips, then kicked the turf.
Then there’s Nadal’s uppercut of a forehand, announced with an “Uhhh!” from deep in his gut and finished with a flourish, his racket dangling above his head. Nadal’s underrated backhand is pretty good, too, and he can generate power on that side because he hits it with both fists. (He’s naturally a righty, and he used that hand to sign autographs for fans Sunday afternoon, his latest trophy tucked under his bulging left biceps.)
By the third game, Nadal was getting the measure of Berdych’s serve, returning one that clocked 134 mph. By the seventh game, Nadal edged ahead.
Serving at 3-all, Berdych missed first serves on all but one point and sent a forehand wide, then a backhand long to make it love-30. On the next point, as he so often does, Nadal sprinted from an out-of-position place to reach a good approach shot by Berdych and whip a forehand passing winner.
Nadal punched the air. Two points later, he hit a backhand return that Berdych barely touched, making it 4-3. After holding, Nadal broke again to end the set, part of a run of five straight games that shifted the balance irrevocably.
The second set began with a 10-minute game as Berdych essentially made his last stand. The first Czech man in a Wimbledon final since Ivan Lendl in 1987 had three break points, but Nadal saved them all, with a forehand winner, a service winner and a forehand that forced a miscue by Berdych.
The next break point was for Nadal at 6-5, and the second set ended when Berdych missed a forehand. By then, the outcome was a foregone conclusion, because Berdych never figured out how to stem Nadal’s aggression.
“I don’t know if you can say (there are) weaker parts of him. (There’s) not many of them,” said Berdych, who pulled out of the Czech Republic’s Davis Cup quarterfinal at Chile, citing an injured abdominal muscle. He didn’t speak about the problem during Wimbledon, nor did he appear to be troubled while beating Federer and No. 3 Novak Djokovic.
Nadal earlier said he wouldn’t be part of Spain’s Davis Cup team against France, because he needs to get treatment for his right knee, which flared up during consecutive, come-from-behind five-set wins in the second and third rounds.
Nadal earned the nickname “King of Clay” by virtue of a record 81-match winning streak on that surface and five French Open titles. But that’s clearly too narrowly focused: The guy has twice won Wimbledon, along with the 2009 Australian Open on hard courts.
Now, to complete a career Grand Slam, Nadal needs to add the U.S. Open, where he lost in the semifinals each of the last two years.
Asked to look ahead to New York, where play begins in late August, Nadal smiled and said: “Right now, I’m very happy to win Wimbledon. We’re going to think about the U.S. Open in one month.”
First things first.
He’s busy making plans away from the tennis court.
“Enjoy the beach, fishing, golf, friends, party, and Mallorca,” he said.
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Serena Williams Beats Vera Zvonareva, Wins Wimbledon 2010
Posted by: David on Saturday, July 03, 2010 - 10:20 AM
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Serena Williams swept Vera Zvonareva in straight sets Saturday to win her fourth Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam championship, extending the Williams family dominance at the All England Club.
The top-ranked and defending champion American overwhelmed the 21st-seeded Russian 6-3, 6-2 in a one-sided final that lasted just 67 minutes and showed why Williams is considered one of the greatest players of all time.
Williams served nine aces, broke three times and never faced a break point in nine service games. She finished the tournament without dropping a set.
After converting an overhead smash to finish the match, Williams tossed her racket away, bent backward, looked to the sky, shook her fists and screamed.
Williams, who improved her record to 13-3 in Grand Slam finals, added to the Wimbledon titles she won in 2002, 2003 and 2009. However, this was the first time she defeated someone other than her sister Venus in the final.
The Williams sisters have now won nine of the last 11 Wimbledon titles. Venus beat Serena in 2008 for her fifth title here.
“My dream was able to come true,” Serena said after accepting the Venus Rosewater Dish from the Duke of Kent with a curtsy. “Everyone’s dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard. This one is very special.”
Serena, who has won five of the last eight Grand Slams, moved ahead of Billie Jean King into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list of women’s Grand Slam champions with 13, the most of any active woman player. Williams also has five Australian Opens, three U.S. Opens and one French Open.
Williams turned to King, who was sitting in the Royal Box, and said: “Hey, Billie—I got you. This is No. 13 for me now. It’s just amazing to able to be among such great people.”
King grinned and applauded.
“That’s actually my lucky number,” Williams said of No. 13.
Margaret Smith Court leads the Grand Slam list with 24 titles, followed by Steffi Graf with 22, Helen Wills Moody with 19 and Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert with 18.
“At the rate she’s going, she certainly may catch me and Chris and Helen Wills Moody and who knows, maybe even Steffi,” Navratilova said. “She’s just head and shoulders above everybody else, and those are pretty broad shoulders she’s got.”
Williams graciously congratulated Zvonareva, who played in her first Grand Slam final and was the second-lowest ranked women’s finalist ever at Wimbledon.
“Everyone should give her a big round of applause,” Williams said. “She defines what being a champion and never giving up means.”
Zvonareva didn’t look intimidated and kept close early in the match, but the contest swung in Williams favor when she broke for 5-3.
Williams squandered her first break point with a return error, but then hit a perfect backhand lob at deuce to set up another. This time, she ripped a running forehand passing shot down the line, and celebrated by dropping onto her right knee and pumping her left fist.
Williams broke again to open the second set and again to go up 4-1 when Zvonareva double-faulted on the third break point of the game.
“I think I’m a little bit disappointed at the moment,” Zvonareva said. “Maybe I was not able to show my best today, but I think Serena just didn’t allow me to show my best.”
Despite the score, Zvonareva claimed Williams is beatable.
“She’s a human being. She’s not a machine,” the Russian said. “It’s very difficult to beat her. You have to play your best. But if you do, you can do it.”
As has been the case throughout the two weeks, Williams’ big serve was the dominant factor on Saturday.
Williams won 31 of 33 points when her first serve was good. She hit her fastest serve—122 mph—for an ace in the final game. She finished the tournament with a record 89 aces.
“I honestly never served like this,” Williams said. “At Wimbledon whenever I come on this grass and play on this amazing court I start serving well.”
Williams also won all 14 points when she came to the net, and had 29 winners to only nine for Zvonareva.
Posing for photographers, Serena held the trophy on the balcony above the club entrance, then walked through the entrance and twirled and skipped while still holding the trophy as military personnel stationed in the lobby applauded.
The men’s final will be played Sunday, with No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal going for his second Wimbledon title and eighth Grand Slam overall against 12th-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.
Nadal has won 13 straight matches here and 25 of 27, with the only losses coming against Roger Federer in the 2006 and 2007 finals. Nadal beat Federer in the epic 2008 title match, but was unable to defend his crown last year because of tendinitis in his knees.
Berdych upset six-time champion Federer in the quarterfinals.
It will be Nadal’s 10th Grand Slam final; Berdych’s first.
http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/news?slug=ap-wimbledon
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Rafael Nadal Wins 2010 French Open, Regains #1 Ranking
Posted by: David on Sunday, June 06, 2010 - 04:13 PM
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 Rafael Nadal won his fifth Roland Garros title, returned to No. 1 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings and became the first player to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, after defeating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the final in Paris.
At the age of 24 years and four days, Nadal became just the second man in history to win five or more Roland Garros titles. Bjorn Borg finished his esteemed career with six titles on the Parisian clay. The Spaniard will subsequently return to the No. 1 spot in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the first time since 22 June, 2009.
"[It was a] very important victory for me. I think one of the most important victories in my career," said Nadal. "It was a difficult year for me the last year. I worked a lot to be here. I was very nervous during all the tournament, because I know before that I was ready to try to win another time, and I saw the chances there. But the very positive thing is today I was ready to play. I was ready to play with calm and to try my best and to enjoy the match. I did, and it was a very special day.
"For me I was 11 months without winning a title, so a lot of tournaments going back to home without a victory. A lot of difficult moments, because in a few of these tournaments I had to retire for the problems. So is difficult moments to accept. It was personal goal to be back at my best. So I did. And for me, sure, the important thing is Roland Garros. But for me the biggest thing is the personal satisfaction to be here, to be here another time and to be at the top level."
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Francesca Schiavone Wins 2010 French Open
Posted by: David on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 10:05 PM
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Francesca Schiavone defeated Samantha Stosur to win the 2010 French Open.
Playing the red hot Samantha Stosur in the final, Schiavone was solid in every way, giving away almost zero free points and taking control of the rallies in many ways - loopy topspin groundies, creativity at the net, crafty retrieving.
After breaking serve in the ninth game of the match and serving out the first set, Schiavone rallied from 4-1 down in the second set against the No.7-seeded Stosur, eventually playing a perfect tie-break to clinch one of the most unlikely Grand Slam title runs in the Open Era - and in tennis history, 64 76(2).
"I didn't prepare anything, because whenever I prepare something for the future, it doesn't happen," Schiavone told the crowd during the trophy presentation. "I've watched every final of this tournament and I know what the big champions say. So I want to thank everybody. I felt amazing today. I'm really, really happy."
Schiavone had a few words to add for Stosur, who, like herself, was in her first major final. "Congratulations Sam. I think you're a great, great person and a great athlete. You deserve to be here and you're young, so you'll do it too."
Schiavone, who turns 30 years old this month, is the second-oldest player in the Open Era to win their first Grand Slam title (Ann Jones was 30 years, 8 months when she won Wimbledon in 1969). But she doesn't see things as other players her age may: "I can still improve," she told Italian reporters earlier in the week. "I can still be more explosive. I can still put more spin on my shots. I can still hit deeper. I can still improve my serve. I'm just beginning."
"It doesn't matter what the age - if you've got that desire, anyone can do it," Stosur said. "It proves you don't have to be a teenage wonderkid superstar."
Not only was Schiavone the first Italian woman ever to win a major, she was the first to reach a major final, and the first in the Open Era to reach a major semi.
Stosur had been on fire throughout the tournament and the last few months. She has had more clay court wins and more overall wins than anyone else this year, and had beaten three No.1s en route to the final: Justine Henin in the fourth round, Serena Williams in the quarters and Jelena Jankovic in the semis.
"I still don't think I played that badly. She just had her day. She went for it and everything came off," a gracious Stosur told the press. "It takes guts to do that.
"I am disappointed, not just because I lost, but it has been a big journey and a great two weeks. I guess I wanted the full fairytale, but it didn't quite happen."
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Roger Federer Wins 2010 Australian Open, Beating Andy Murray
Posted by: David on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 04:09 PM
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 Roger Federer collected his 16th major title with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(11) win over No. 5 seed Andy Murray at the Australian Open on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Swiss master, appearing in his 18th final from the past 19 Grand Slam events, notched his fifth win over Murray from 11 contests in the two-hour, 41-minute clash as he regained the title he lost to Rafael Nadal last year. It was a repeat of the 2008 US Open final (Murray's first in a major), which Federer also won in three straight sets.
Federer becomes the fifth man to win at least four Australian Open titles (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010) and only the second to do so at Melbourne Park alongside Andre Agassi. It is his first Grand Slam title won as a father, with his wife Mirka giving birth to twin girls six months ago.
"Coming here at the beginning of the year and playing so well, it's a beautiful feeling," said Federer, who edged ahead of Pete Sampras to win a record 15th major at Wimbledon last year. "I definitely had to play some of my best tennis tonight to come through. That was clearly the case."
On a day during which the mercury reached 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit), stormy weather later in the day meant the roof on Rod Laver Arena was only partially open at the start of the match in case the rain returned. But as the skies cleared the roof was opened more, providing perfect conditions for the last match of the 2010 tournament.
Federer broke Murray to love with winners off both wings to lead 2-0 in the first set but Murray returned the favour immediately, hitting some scorching winners to break back.
While Murray continued to threaten Federer's serve he failed to hold another break point from 2-all first set until early in the third set as Federer broke in the eighth game of the first and third game of the second, which was enough for him to take a two-set lead.
"I thought it was very physical at the beginning," Federer said. "We both wanted to win the long rallies, and the start was crucial because it was so intense."
Federer had never lost a Grand Slam match after leading two sets to love, and while Murray appeared to pull up gingerly on his right leg at 2-2 his intensity increased while Federer's dipped slightly.
At 2-3, Federer fell to 0-40 and though he saved two break points Murray won a quick-fire exchange at the net to lead 4-2 which fired up the Scot and the capacity crowd. A confident hold for 5-2 had Murray close to forcing a fourth set, but serving at 5-3 Murray allowed Federer his first break points of the set, and the top seed levelled proceedings.
"There was no reason to panic," said Federer of his 5-2 third-set deficit. "I was still leading two sets to love, and Andy's such a great returner so it wasn't a big problem. I was still happy with the way things were going up to that point."
Fittingly, the third set was decided on a tie-break with both men playing somewhat conservatively. Murray held the first set points at 6-4 but an unreturnable Federer forehand and a Murray forehand error erased both opportunities.
Murray held three more set points but Federer's experience and bravery paid dividends as he held his first championship points 8-7 and 10-9. On the second, Murray chased down a drop volley and hit a backhand that Federer watched drop in, much to his disappointment.
"I hesitated for a split second - I could've played the ball but I decided to let it go, and matches have been lost in the past this way. I'm always positive, but obviously that could have cost me the match and the tournament."
After Murray netted a return on his fifth set point at 11-10, Federer took the next two points as a tired Murray backhand into the net gave Federer the title.
“I always knew it was going to be a very intense match," said Federer. "I'm happy I was able to play so aggressively and patiently at the same time because that's what you got to be against Murray."
"I don't feel great," Murray said. "I wanted to win the tournament. I think it was more the way the end of the match finished. Obviously it was pretty emotional end to the match."
It certainly wasn't a painless path to the title for Federer, who come from behind to beat Russians Igor Andreev in the first round and Nikolay Davydenko in the quarter-finals. Nonetheless, Federer has now won a Grand Slam singles title in each of the past eight years, a feat matched only by Bjorn Borg (1974-81) and Pete Sampras (1993-2000).
Just as Federer fought back tears during last year's trophy presentation after his harrowing five-set loss to Nadal, Murray was overcome during his speech on-court. "I can cry like Roger; it's a shame I can't play like him," Murray joked.
Much had been made of the fact that at age 22 and contesting his 17th Grand Slam event, Murray was at the exact point in his career as Federer was when he won his first major title.
After his semi-final victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Federer had joked that it had been 150,000 years since a British man had won a major singles title. In fact Fred Perry's US Open victory came in 1936, now followed by six runner-up finishes.
“The next one (Grand Slam final) is not going to get any easier [for Murray]," said Federer. "But his game is so good that I'm convinced he will win one. And I thought he did really well tonight because conditions were tough. I think I played a great match. So someone's got to win, and I'm happy it was me."
"Tonight's match was a lot closer than the one at Flushing Meadows," said Murray, comparing his first and second major finals. "I had a chance at the beginning of the match, and I had chances at the end of the match.
"I worked really, really hard to try to do it and give myself the opportunity; so far it's not been good enough. But I'm sure one day it will be. When it comes, maybe because of the two losses, it will be even better."
The official attendance of 653,860 beats the previous record by nearly 50,000 spectators.
It was also announced that approximately $687,000 was raised from the Hit For Haiti appeal launched by Federer on the eve of the tournament, aiding those affected by the recent earthquake.
Federer takes home A$2.1 million for winning the men's singles title while Murray earned A$1.05 million.
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