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| Forum | | | | | LAST FORUM POSTS | | | Topic | Replies | | Views | | Poster | | Date | | Time |  Venus and Serena Williams take doubles Olympic gold Put an Olympic gold medal in front of the Williams sisters,
send.... | 0 | | 7 | | David | | 18. Aug | | 23:11 | | Olympic tennis a smash with players Roger Federer collapsed on his back in jubilation, a scene
familiar at.... | 0 | | 7 | | David | | 18. Aug | | 23:09 | | Nadal, Dementieva win gold medal in Olympic tennis singles s Rafael Nadal stood in front of the medal podium, his
nation's.... | 0 | | 6 | | David | | 18. Aug | | 23:07 | | Federer ousted by Blake, Williamses Out @ the Olympics Roger Federer directed an angry scream toward his feet. He
swatted a.... | 0 | | 10 | | David | | 14. Aug | | 12:40 | | Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to win first Masters Both players were clearly fired up as the opening games went
with.... | 0 | | 19 | | David | | 03. Aug | | 18:57 | | Roger Federer loses to Karlovic in Cincinnati, #1 in doubt Roger Federer lost another match and, perhaps, his longtime
grip on No..... | 0 | | 18 | | David | | 01. Aug | | 00:26 | | Rafael Nadal wins Roger Cup 2008 Rafael Nadal beat Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday to win
the.... | 0 | | 31 | | David | | 27. Jul | | 18:55 | | Boris Becker: Rafael Nadal is the new number one player The ATP computer says otherwise but Boris Becker believes
Rafael Nadal has.... | 0 | | 24 | | David | | 21. Jul | | 19:47 | | 2008 Olympic Tennis Games Preview World No. 1s Roger Federer of Switzerland and Ana Ivanovic
of Serbia.... | 0 | | 39 | | David | | 18. Jul | | 01:01 | | Williams sisters, Sharapova head US Open field Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are
among the five past.... | 0 | | 28 | | David | | 18. Jul | | 00:58 | | Rafael Nadal gets Asteroid named after him Rafael Nadal's dazzling career reached new heights this week
when an asteroid.... | 0 | | 25 | | David | | 15. Jul | | 22:51 | | Sea-changing moment in Nadal's Wimbledon championship Salt tears flowed in the locker room after Rafael Nadal lost
to.... | 0 | | 49 | | David | | 06. Jul | | 19:59 |
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Rafael Nadal ends Roger Federer's Wimbledon Reign
Posted by: David on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 07:54 PM
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 Rafael Nadal ended Roger Federer’s dream of a record-breaking sixth consecutive Wimbledon mens’ singles title tonight with victory in an epic final.
The Swiss maestro battled back from two sets down and twice saved match point before the 22-year-old Spaniard finally prevailed 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7 in very dark conditions on Centre Court.
Nadal fell onto his back and roared in triumph as Federer hit the ball into the net to bring to an end the four-and-three-quarter hour tussle.
The match was the longest mens’ singles final in Wimbledon history, and the 15,000 spectators on the historic court rose to their feet to acknowledge the titanic efforts of both men.
Nadal clambered into the stands and Royal Box and to thank his family and coaching team for their support, before returning to the court to receive the winner’s cup.
“It’s impossible to describe how I feel,” he said.
“For me it’s a dream to play in this court, but win – I never imagine this.”
He thanked his opponent for the game and paid generous tribute to him, saying Federer was “still number one, still the best”.
Heavy showers delayed the start of the match and forced the players off the court twice, first when Federer was two sets down.
The break seemed to give the 26-year-old a chance to regroup and he came back to take the next two sets on tie breaks.
With the match on a knife edge in the fifth set, the heavens opened again, and there were fears the game would have to go into a second day.
But with dusk gathering and flash bulbs firing in the gloom, Nadal earned a crucial break of serve and held on to win.
Bjorn Borg was in the crowd to watch Federer attempt to beat his record of five straight singles titles, but the left-hander from Mallorca was eventually too much for him – just.
“I tried everything,” Federer said, “Rafa is a deserving champion.
“It has been a joy to play here again. Pity I couldn’t win it, but I’ll be back again next year.”
Fine weather held for the majority of the fortnight, and near record-breaking numbers of spectators streamed through the turnstiles.
Drawn in by sunshine and – albeit modest – British success, 475,812 fans came to enjoy the 122nd Championships, beating the previous best for a 13-day tournament by 5,010.
The 2001 competition saw a total crowd of 490,081, boosted by play running over into an extra day.
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Serena Williams looking ahead to rematch
Posted by: David on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 06:32 PM
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 Not long after losing to her older sister in the Wimbledon final, Serena Williams was already gathering the information she’ll need to beat Venus the next time they face each other.
Venus, who won her fifth Wimbledon title by beating Serena 7-5, 6-4 Saturday, repeatedly hit big serves into Serena’s body to defeat her sister for the first time in three Wimbledon finals.
“I think that was her tactic, was to serve every ball into the body,” Serena said. “I’m glad she did it, because next time I know what to expect. I think I did good with getting them back.
“I think I got a lot of those in-the-body serves. … But I know next time playing what to expect, and I’ll be even more ready for it.”
Serena beat Venus the first two times they met in the Wimbledon final, in 2002 and ‘03, and led their head-to-head series in Grand Slam finals 5-1 going into the match on Centre Court. Chalk up another one for big sis, however, even though Serena jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first set.
“I just lost rhythm and then I just made a lot of errors,” Serena said. “I just couldn’t get the balls in. Nothing I was doing was seeming to work.”
The Williams sisters dominated tennis early in the decade, playing each other in six Grand Slam finals from 2001-03. Venus won the first one, at the 2001 U.S. Open, and Serena took the next five.
But all those matches playing against each other for major championships hasn’t made it any easier for Serena to play her older sister.
“I just look at her as another opponent at the end of the day,” said Serena, an eight-time Grand Slam champion. “I don’t think it’s harder, but it’s definitely not easier.”
Serena again went up a break in the second set Saturday but couldn’t hold on. After she hit a backhand wide on the second match point, Venus was muted in her celebrations.
“I’m definitely more in tune with my sister’s feelings because one of us has to win and one of us has to lose,” Venus said. “Of course the celebration isn’t as exciting because my sister just lost.”
Serena, glumly walking back to her chair to put on her trench coat, didn’t even notice what her sibling was doing.
“I didn’t see any celebration,” Serena said. “I just kind of went over to my chair, so … I wasn’t paying attention.”
Serena was able to celebrate on Centre Court later Saturday, because she and Venus teamed to win the doubles title over Lisa Raymond of the United States and Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-2, 6-2.
After match point, Serena raised her arms and hugged Venus.
“Serena thinks everything is supposed to go her way, that’s the bottom line,” said her mother, Oracene Price, who sat in the players’ guest box for both matches. “She thinks that’s the way it’s supposed to go in life. But this is life.
“She’s going to have to learn how to suck things up,” Price added. “Say, ‘OK, I’m not going to win everything. I just got to be, this is going to make me a better person, this will build character for myself and I have to learn how to lose.”’
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Rafael Nadal dominates Roger Federer to win French Open 2008
Posted by: David on Sunday, June 08, 2008 - 02:00 PM
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 By the fourth game, Rafael Nadal had Roger Federer kicking the clay in frustration. By the second set, the normally stoic Federer was screaming at himself.
The drubbing went on from there. Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open title in a rout Sunday, again spoiling Federer’s bid to complete a career Grand Slam.
Dominating the world’s No. 1 player with astounding ease, Nadal swept six consecutive games early in the match and swept the final nine games to win 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
It was Federer’s worst loss in his 173 Grand Slam matches, and the shortest Roland Garros men’s final in terms of games since 1977.
So thorough was the thumping that during the trophy ceremony, Nadal was moved to apologize.
“Roger, I’m sorry for the final,” Nadal said.
For the No. 2-ranked Nadal, it was merely another in a series of dominating victories. He lost only 41 games in seven rounds.
“I’ve hoped I could have done better today than four games,” Federer said. “But Rafael was very strong this year.”
The Spaniard became the second man to win four consecutive French Open titles. Bjorn Borg did it in 1978-81.
“Winning four times in a row is incredible,” Nadal said.
He improved to 28-0 at Roland Garros, where he has won 83 of 90 sets. Only six-time champion Borg won more French Open men’s titles.
And Nadal became the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the tournament without dropping set.
“He dominated the tournament like never before, like Bjorn,” Federer said.
Borg watched the final from the front row. Much of the crowd rooted for Federer, who arrived in Paris for the fourth consecutive year seeking to become the sixth man to win all four major titles. Each time he has lost to Nadal—in the semifinals in 2005, and in the final each of the past three years.
Federer conceded the latest defeat shakes his belief he can win Roland Garros.
“After a loss like this, you don’t want to play Rafa again tomorrow, that’s for sure,” Federer said.
Fans chanted “Ro-ger! Ro-ger!” between games, but Nadal earned their cheers, too. He won 24 of 27 points to take a 2-0 lead in the second set as a desperate Federer tried everything to reverse the tide.
 But when Federer played serve-and-volley on a second serve, Nadal lunged to hit a lob into the corner for a winner. When Federer tried to chip and charge off a return, Nadal passed him with a backhand.
And when Federer settled for playing from the baseline, he had little chance. It’s tough to hit shots where the relentless Nadal can’t reach them, and Federer probably tried too hard, with uncharacteristic errors flying from his racket.
“When you really cannot play your game, and he can play exactly what he wants from the baseline, you end up with scores like this sometimes,” Federer said. “He hardly made unforced errors, and when he’s on the attack, he’s lethal.”
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Anna Ivanovic is the 2008 French Open Womens' Champion
Posted by: David on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 06:23 PM
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 At last, Ana Ivanovic overcame her stage fright.
In two previous major finals, Ivanovic was so overwhelmed by the setting, so shaken by the stakes, that her focus fell apart and her shots went awry.
Not on this day.
Already assured of rising to No. 1 in the rankings for the first time, Ivanovic collected Grand Slam title No. 1 by beating Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-3 in the French Open final Saturday.
Rather than erasing the memories of those lopsided losses in championship matches against Justine Henin at Roland Garros a year ago and against Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in January, Ivanovic used the bitterness to help her.
“Many, many people ask me, ‘Oh, you want to forget last year’s final?’ But I don’t, because it was a great learning experience,” said Ivanovic, a 20-year-old from Serbia.
She won only three games against Henin, then eight against Sharapova, and said of the latter defeat: “I had a few sleepless nights after that.”
“My personality is I tend too much to think about what will be, and try to think too much in advance, which is definitely not too good,” Ivanovic said. “So I found that breathing helps me to go back in a moment and just enjoy that very moment.”
That’s what carried her through the tightest of times against the 13th-seeded Safina, the younger sister of two-time major champion Marat Safin.
In the men’s final Sunday, No. 1 Roger Federer will meet No. 2 Rafael Nadal in their third consecutive title match at Roland Garros. Nadal seeks a fourth French Open championship, and Federer is hoping to complete a career Grand Slam.
Ivanovic was a point from taking a 5-1 lead in the first set when Safina showed some spark, using a running forehand winner and a swinging volley winner to get to break point. Ivanovic then dumped a forehand into the net, and 10 minutes later, when Safina smacked a backhand winner down the line, suddenly the score was 4-all.
“It was tough, because a lot of emotions build up inside,” said Ivanovic, who was seeded No. 2 behind Sharapova at the French Open but will pass her in Monday’s rankings. “All of a sudden, you’re equal again. So to keep my composure at that point—it was huge for me.”
In the very next game, Ivanovic broke back with a backhand winner of her own, then pumped her fist and let out one of her many yelps of “Hajde!” (sounds like “HIGH-deh!”)—Serbian for “Come on!”
“Once you are on the court—it’s much easier said than done—but you have to be a killer,” Ivanovic said through a wide smile. “You have to put them under pressure and show your presence and stuff.”
It might have helped Saturday that the recently retired Henin was in the front row in a red jacket, not on the court wielding a racket.
Safina sure can wallop the ball, but she’s hardly as complete a player as four-time French Open champion Henin, and never made it past the quarterfinals at any Grand Slam tournament until this one.
Nonetheless, Safina was trying to become the first woman to win a major title after having saved a match point against two opponents. Against both Sharapova in the fourth round, and No. 7 Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals, Safina trailed by a set and 5-2 in the second set, then was a point from losing at 5-3, before coming all the way back to complete the upsets.
Those were part of a 12-match winning streak Safina carried into Saturday, including six victories over top-10 opponents.
“This time? I tried,” Safina said, “but I didn’t have any more of that fire.”
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Retirement a beginning, not an end for Justine Henin
Posted by: David on Monday, May 19, 2008 - 03:23 AM
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 When Justine Henin announced her retirement last week, the No. 1-ranked female tennis player demonstrated that her command of her life is as sure-handed as her sporting dominance once was.
"It's my life as a woman that starts now," Henin said, refreshingly sans the blubbering that accompanies the retirement announcements of any number of male team-sports icons, their ballgames over, their future one big cloud of uncertainty.
Henin seemed like anything but the prototypical athlete with plenty of desire, but waning physical skills.
Rather, she cited the absence of desire to keep up the necessarily punishing training regimen and endless practice sessions as key reasons for her decision.
Henin spoke matter-of-factly and without tears about relief, not sadness, about "a page that's turning."
Her decison no doubt was difficult to conjure with for those given to seeing the close of an athletic career, especially such a brilliant one, as a metaphorical death.
"I think I will take a long, real vacation," Henin said. "I'm going to appreciate going for a run with nothing at stake, just doing it for pleasure. I've never put my feet in skis, and next year I think I'll be doing it the whole winter.
"I want to rediscover the small pleasures, not look at my watch all the time because I have to get to training the next day."
Sounds like someone saying, 'Yes,' to life to me, not grieving the end of a career.
Some were shocked Henin would abandon tennis so abruptly -- at age 25, and less than two weeks before the French Open, the major she won four times in her brilliant, if brief career.
But it's not so unusual for tennis players --many of whom become stars in their early teens -- to get on with their lives well before they hit 30. Sweden's Bjorn Borg was done at 26; so was Argentine Gabriela Sabbatini. Last year, Kim Clijsters retired at age 23 to raise a family.
Tunnel vision is a requirement for athletes across the wide spectrum of sport, but the focus seems especially narrow and intense for tennis players.
Unlike baseball, basketball, hockey or football players, who live within the well-defined structure of continental schedules, the surrogate "family" of the team, aided by large staffs who deal with all manner of concerns, the tennis player travels the world alone, by comparsion.
As well, there are few, if any home games for the tennis star. The commitment must be total to remain on top.
Sure, they have coaches and family members that share their nomadic existence. And there is support from the tennis tours they compete on. But there surely aren't teammates to depend on for company, for solace, or to carry them for a shift, a game, a series, when their own game is slumping.
In team sports, the athlete hanging on past his or her prime is a hoary cliche. It's also more or less passe, what with advances in nutrition, training methods and all the rest of it.
In this age of the personal trainer and the multimillion-dollar salary, 46-year-old Chris Chelios, an overgrown kid at heart, can train off-season after off-season and keep playing indefinitely.
Last year, Henin played through her divorce from Pierre-Yves Hardenne and rapprochement with her father, Jose, and other family members, while winning the French and U.S. Opens in her final full season.
Now she wants to smell some flowers, live a life.
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