Wimbledon 2010: Rafa Roars to Wimby #2 (Photos)

He's fast, crafty and tenacious, and now he's can be called one of the best tennis players ever.

That's because Rafael Nadal did something that was unthinkable just a few short years ago when for the second time, he won the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.

Poor Tomas Berdych didn't have a chance as soon as the man from Mallorca got into a groove on Centre Court at Wimbledon.  It was a straight set 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 win.

After Rafa broke Berdych to win the championship, he treated the crowd to a joyous somersault on the grass.

Rafa was joined at the champions dinner, but women's No. 1, and four time Wimbledon champion, Serena Williams.

There's nothing like the Venus Rosewater Dish as a fashion accessory.

Congratulations to Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams!

Wimbledon 2010: Lucky 13 for Serena (Photos)

Congratulations to Serena Williams on her fourth Wimbledon win and her 13th Grand Slam title overall!

Wimbledon 2010: Upset City!

This Wimbledon is turning into the "what's the next shocking headline we can come up with" tournament.

This after Roger Federer was bounced out of the tournament in the quarterfinals by the very dangerous Tomas Berdych.  Federer finally flirted with disaster one too many times, and Berdych took full advantage of Roger's sketchy play.

Venus Williams added to her disastrous Wimbledon showing by being a significant reason she and Serena lost their doubles quarterfinal match to Vera Zvonareva and Elena Vesnina.

Of course her worse loss was yesterday, going down in two sets to Tsvetana Pironkova.

Pironkova played a smart game by giving Venus no pace and changing things up with junky forehand slices and backhand spins. But no way should Venus not have been able to adjust. I think she got panicked after losing the first set and that was the end of that.

So with all these upsets, I'm now firmly seated in the Serena and Rafa player boxes.  The only one who might give Rafa trouble is Novak Djokovic because as always, the pressure is going to get to Andy Murray.

As far as the women, Serena's gonna want some payback for big Sis and no way is she leaving London without her fourth Wimbledon title.

Bring on Championship Weekend!

Wimbledon 2010: Isner Prevails, the Queen Arrives, But No Serena!?

The final clock on the match, 11 hours and 5 minutes.  Eleven hours! 

That's the number of hours it took at Wimbledon for John Isner and Nicolas Mahut to play the longest tennis match ever.

That's longer than some people are married! 

It also took three days, a whole lot of tennis balls and two very sore bodies.

Ultimately it was probably inevitable that Mahut couldn't keep holding serve, game after game, hour after hour.  So despite Isner looking like walking death a majority of the time, his pounding serve kept him steadily just a smidge ahead.

And then today, after earning yet another match point, Isner clocked a passing shot by Mahut for a winner.

The final score, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3), 70-68 broke every match record tennis had to offer:

Match duration: 11 hours, five minutes
Fifth set duration: 8 hours, 11 minutes
Total number of games: 183
Fifth set number of games: 138
Total number of points: 980
Isner aces: 112
Mahut aces: 103
Combined aces: 215
Isner winners: 246
Mahut winners: 244

So a match that was called two days in a row for darkness finally ended. There was a little ceremony on court at the end, starring former Brit fav, Tim Henman, gifts for the players and the umpire, photos at the scoreboard which was resurrected after dying yesterday at 47-47 in the fifth, and poor Mahut putting up with it all in spite of losing a heartbreaker.

During his post match interview, Isner was asked how he slept last night:

I honestly, when I left the match, I really thought it was a dream. I didn't think that type of match was possible. So I was really expecting to wake up, in all seriousness.

No, I went back. I didn't sleep great. I only slept for four hours. I talked to Nic. He said he only slept for about three. So we're both kind of running on fumes right now.

During his interview Mahut was asked if he was proud of his role in the match:

Yeah, ask me tomorrow I will probably say yes. Tonight, it's really difficult. This is just a match I will never forget. I hope the people who watched the match will think the same.

At this moment, it's really painful.

Congrats to Isner and Mahut for some history making tennis.

History--or rather Her-story--was also made at Wimbledon today when Queen Elizabeth showed up for the first time since bell bottoms went out of style.

I'm a sucker for royalty and I loved nothing better than seeing all the top players dressed up to meet Her Majesty and sit down for a little lunch.  She was primarily there to watch Andy Murray, the Scot that England embraces as one of their own only when he's winning at Wimbledon.

But the controversy concerned the rest of the Centre Court schedule.  Rafael Nadal was the other top man scheduled to play on Centre Court.  Nothing wrong with that.  But Serena Williams was put out on Court 2 in favor of Caroline Wozniacki.  Nothing against Wozniacki, but no Serena?  Come on!

I agree with Mary Carillo and Patrick McEnroe that Serena should have been scheduled to play on Centre Court in front of the queen.  As was only right, both Serena and Venus were included in the luncheon with Her Majesty that also included Roger Federer, a dapper looking Andy Roddick, and Novak Djokovic. 

But once again, the All England Club screwed up when it comes to one of the Williams sisters.

@HarlemWriter on Twitter sent me this link to an interesting article about the issue that suggested Serena's outburst at last year's US Open might have had something to do with it.

As it turned out, the queen never stuck around for the Wozniacki match, but that's not the point.  The All England Club dissing one of the greatest female players ever is.

Other than that, a lovely day on the lawns.

French Open 2010: Rafa Returns and Schiavone Scorches

Rafael Nadal won his 5th French Open over the weekend and the tennis world righted itself.  And because he also unseated Roger Federer as No. 1 everyone took note that Rafa is back!

He sobbed with joy and relief after sending Robin Soderling back to Sweden with only the runner-up trophy.

The women's final didn't involve a Williams sister, a Belgian or a Russian, but instead an Aussie and an Italian.

Francesca Schiavone, the 1st Italian woman ever to reach a grand slam final saved the best for the twilight of her career by grasping her once in a lifetime opportunity and wringing the life out of it.

But poor Samantha Stosur.  She played like a grand slam winner, beating Serena Williams, Justin Henin and Jelena Jankovic, but ran into the stubborn Schiavone.

So kind of like Andy Roddick at last year's Wimbledon, playing the best he possibly could in the final against Roger Federer, Sam Stosur did it all.  All except win the tournament.  But really, Schiavone is 29 and Stosur is in her mid-20's so by all rights, Stosur will have another chance.

And don't cry for the Williams sisters. They won the doubles crown.  Below are some great shots from the final weekend.

Oh man, these crunches are a killer.

If that alligator doesn't stop smirking, I'm shoving this ball down his throat.

Must. Get. To. The. Chair.

I told you to shut that baby up!

I'm gonna hit it, I'm gonna hit it, I'm gonna HIT IT!

Did I ever tell you about the time I beat Federer in Cincinnati?

(Beyonce and JayZ were in la maison.)

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, clay!

You get it.  No, you get it.  No, YOU GET IT!

US Open '09: Viva Juan Martin!

Ladies and gentlemen, there's a new man in the tennis town and he's a 20 year old Argentine named Juan Martin del Potro.  Juan Martin did the near impossible by beating world No. 1 Roger Federer in the US Open men's final 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

And it wasn't easy.  He was two points from losing to Federer in the 4th set at 4-5, 30-30, but an ace and a smokin' forehand kept him in the match. 

As the match wore on, Federer's crappy serving got worse and worse.  In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him serve so badly in such an important match.  It could have had something to do with del Potro's crushing returns and his devastating forehand.

Though Federer always looks like a Baryshnikov on the court, all balletic moves and power, del Potro was more like an overgrown little leaguer:  all arms and legs and unharnessed power, that in this match at least, he learned to channel very quickly.

In the post match press conference, del Potro said:

Well, when I lay down to the floor, many things come to my mind. First my family and my friends and everything. I don't know how I can explain, because it's my dream. My dream done. It's over. I will go home with a trophy, and it's my best sensation ever in my life.

It's too early to explain. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week I will be believing in this. But now, I don't know. I don't understand nothing.

Federer's battle with the Hawkeye challenge system continued as he railed against its accuracy and then got understandably pissed at the umpire when he allowed del Potro an excessive amount of time to decide to challenge.

The umpire made the mistake of telling Federer to stop complaining and even the usually calm Federer let fly with some expletives.

Roger however has nothing to be ashamed of.  He's had an incredible year personally--getting married, having twins; and professionally--finally winning the French, winning another Wimbledon and surpassing the men's all time number of Grand Slam titles, so don't weep for him.  He'll be back.

I do have some regrets however for Rafael Nadal because I really, really want to see him win a US Open title.  Hopefully he'll be able to keep himself healthy enough next year to get to the final and then take it all.

Meanwhile, Viva del Potro!

 

 

US Open '09: Congratulations Kim Clijsters! **Updated with Serena Apology**

It took Kim Clijsters three years to defend her US Open title but it took her little more than an hour to defeat No. 9 seed Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3 to do it.

In the post match press conference the 26 year old Belgian talked about why she retired two years ago:

Well, the motivation was missing then. It was something that, yeah, I came to an age where I really felt like, you know, combined with the injuries, I think, I wasn't really 100% focused on my tennis anymore.

You know, as a woman, I came to a stage in my life, too, where I wanted to get married. We wanted to start a family, and I was glad. I feel very lucky that I got this chance to, you know, be back here now and that I made that decision, because it's obviously been a good choice.

But, again, being a mother is obviously my first priority, and being a wife, so...

But I'm just very lucky that I'm able to combine both and that my family supports me in doing this.

This all came of course the night after Serena Williams' meltdown in Saturday's semi-final against Clijsters.  Serena has been fined $10,500 by the USTA and released a statement of regret yesterday:

Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don’t agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly. I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience.

It didn't go as far as the apology she should have made, but it was something.  We'll see what kind of statement she makes today if she and sister Venus win the US Open doubles title.

After that comes Roger Federer vs. Juan Martine Del Portro in the men's final.  It should be a match that's Federer's for the taking, but Del Portro has been sharp as a tack, so we'll see.

Meanwhile, congratulations to Kim Clijsters the 2009 US Open women's champ!

******Updated Info******

Serena has issued an apology on her website and via Twitter:

I want to amend my press statement of yesterday, and want to make it clear as possible - I want to sincerely apologize FIRST to the lines woman, the USTA, and mostly tennis fans everywhere for my inappropriate outburst. I'm a woman of great pride, faith and integrity, and I admit when I'm wrong.

I need to make it clear to all young people that I handled myself inappropriately and it's not the way to act -- win or lose, good call or bad call in any sport, in any manner.

I like to lead by example. We all learn from experiences both good and bad, I will learn and grow from this, and be a better person as a result.

All righty, then.

US Open '09: Serena Loses It In More Ways Than One

Serena lost it.  She lost her temper and because of that, she lost her match.

Now honestly, she might have lost the match anyway because her opponent Kim Clijsters was out playing her and was a couple of points from winning with the score, 4-6, 5-6, 15-30.

That's when, on a second serve, Serena was called for a foot fault.  That made the score 15-40, match point for Clijsters.

Serena started to go back to the baseline to serve and then let fly verbally at the line judge who called the foot fault.  Depending on what mics you listen to, it sounds like Serena told the woman she would like to shove a tennis ball down her f*cking throat.  Or something to that effect.

The line judge went to the umpire and the umpire gave Serena a point penalty.  That's what cost her the match.  Serena got the point penalty because earlier in the match, after losing the first set, she got a warning for smashing her racket.

After a warning, you lose a point, then a game, and then the match.  Serena lost a point.  It was too bad it was on match point.  Game over.

Oh, by the way, the foot fault call was wrong.   But since there is no challenge system for foot faults, Serena was out of luck.

Serena ignored it all during the post match press conference, refusing to say what she actually said to the line judge and basically brushing off the whole thing.

Bottom line, Clijsters is a great player and doing amazingly well for someone who was off having a baby the last three years.  She was beating Serena on every level and though Serena may have pulled it out in three, God knows she's done it before, you do the crime, you do the time.

She screwed up by chewing out the judge, she got penalized and she took it like a woman.  She still didn't do nearly the kinds of stuff some of the men do, and over the years, she's held her temper surprisingly well considering some of the stuff that's happened to her on court.

So congratulations to Kim Clijsters, she won it fair and square.  Oh and she'll probably pound Caroline Wozniacki in about twenty minutes during tonight's final.

Melanie Oudin Rocks the 2009 US Open!

If you're Svetlana Kuznetsova, you might think twice about wanting to face a certain 17 year old from Marietta Georgia named, Melanie Oudin in this week's US Open quarterfinals.  After all, at this year's US Open, Melanie has been knocking down veteran Russian players like so many bowling pins.

First there was Elena Dementieva, then shockingly Maria Sharapova, and now Nadia Petrova.

By all rights, Oudin should have lost her match today against Nadia Petrova.  But despite Petrova's position as the No. 13 seed, everyone in tennis knows she can crack like an egg when pressured and that's exactly what happened.

Oudin lulled Petrova into a false sense of security by losing all her serves in the first set and then losing the set 1-6.  But then in the second set, Melanie pulled it together and the pressure was on.  With a crowd full of screaming New Yorkers solidly behind her, Oudin hung tough against some excellent serving by Petrova and came back from a break down to win the second set in a blowout of a tie breaker.

To her credit, Petrova did try to change things up in the third set by coming in to the net but Oudin hit winner after winner and defended like nobody's business. 

Petrova was ready to be scrambled.  Oudin won the match 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-3.

Melanie's twin sister, who'd flown into town last night for the match sobbed in the stands while Oudin reveled in the roaring crowd.

So right now Svetlana Kuznetsova is playing Caroline Wozniacki in Arthur Ashe stadium.  She's just won the first set 6-2 but it's tied up 2-2 in the second and the former US Open champ is starting to look shaky.

Maybe she's thinking about taking my advice and letting Wozniacki take a crack at Oudin.

Oh, and in other action, Serena Williams is still in it and looking like winning the whole thing, Dinara Safina finally got her unconscious wish and lost, Rafael Nadal's knees look solid and sturdy, Roger Federer looks like Mirka's doing all the night feedings and Kim looks like her hubby did all of theirs.  

Go Melanie!

Wimbledon 2009: Serena Williams & Roger Federer at the Champions Dinner

There's nothing like the smile of a champion...unless it's the smiles of two champions!



Roger Federer and Serena Williams show off their Wimbledon trophies at last night's Champion's Dinner at the Hotel Intercontinental in London.

 

After you check out Serena's very glam dress, you can hear some of Serena's post match interview on the official Wimbledon website.

New hubby Roger is also about to become a Dad.  Wife Mirka will give birth before the US Open--timing is everything.

Excuse me now while I go into my official Wimbledon Withdrawal. 

Wimbledon 2009: Roger The Great!

What can I say?  Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player ever and once again he proved that today by beating American Andy Roddick, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14. in the longest match, in games, in Grand Slam history.  The final score in the fifth set was an unprecedented 16-14.

In addition, this sixth Wimbledon win gave Federer a total of fifteen Grand Slam titles, more than any man in history.

But man, spare a thought for poor Andy Roddick.  He was broken only once in the entire match and that was for Federer to take the fifth set and the championship.  As in the match against Andy Murray, Roddick played the best I've ever seen him and it really appeared in that fifth set that Roger would be the one to get broken to set up a game where Roddick could serve for the match.

Wimbledon 2009: Serena Williams Crowned Queen of Wimby

Serena Williams has always had a fabulous smile and today that smile flashed again as the smile of a Wimbledon champion.  She beat big sister Venus in the finals 7-6, 6, 2.

Spare a thought for Venus.  After the first set tiebreak, Venus couldn't quite get back in it.  Her serve let her down and Serena was relentless.

After a marathon semi-final against Elena Dementieva that almost saw Serena packing her bags for home, it was great to see Serena recover to take the crown once again.  Especially since the All England Club thinks of her and Venus as so "unattractive."

Congratulations Serena!

Wimbledon 2009: Roddick Trounces Murray, A Country Weeps

American Andy Roddick blasted Andy Murray off the court at Wimbledon in the men's semi-finals to set up a third shot at Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final Sunday.

Roddick played the best I've ever seen him play and will hopefully give Roger a look at his own tennis mortality.

Don't get me wrong, I like Roger a lot, but Andy's put in the work to get himself to this position, and I wouldn't be upset at all if he won.

Congratulations Andy and Good Luck!

Wimbledon 2009: The Williams Sister Act In The Finals

The heart of a champion:  Serena Williams.

 

Elena Dementieva at her best.

 

Serena prevails at last!

Memo to Dinara Safina: that chick you sent to play for you at Wimbledon today was crappy. Fire her.





Venus Williams crushes Dinara Safina to set up a date with little Sis.

Wimbledon 2009: Only "Babes" Allowed On Centre Court, Plus Williams/Williams On A Roll

During a Wimbledon where the biggest story on the women's side is the Williams sisters making mincemeat of anyone in their path and the smallest story is the women players' grunting, a new story has emerged.

Something most tennis fans have assumed for years was finally confirmed by a rep of the All England Club:  if you're what's considered a "babe" by the Wimby powers that be, you're more likely to get your match on centre court.  Whereas if you're built more like a jock, are not Vanity Fair-ready, or you're black, you end up on courts 1 or 2.

As Jon Wertheim said in his weekly question and answer column for CNNSI:

Far as I'm concerned, here's the shocker of the day: both Wimbledon and BBC officials confirming looks matter when making scheduling decisions. Wow. Eagerly awaiting WTA outrage.

Yeah, who knows, we may have to wait awhile for that outrage to materialize.  The Daily Mail of London has a pictorial of who got what courts this fortnight, based on looks.

Kate Norcera of the New York Daily News put it this way:

Wimbledon promoters called it "The Battle of the Babes" when Victoria Azarenka, seeded 8th in the tournament, took on Cristea, seeded 28th, at Centre Court on Friday. The same day, second seed Serena Williams, undoubtedly one of the great players the sport has ever seen, was relegated to play her match on the No. 2 court.

Many of the seats on Centre Court for the "Babe" match remained empty. Die-hard tennis fans who came to the event seemed to know better - which indicated the move had more to do with television ratings.

Sunday night, the All England Club admitted that good looks were a factor when considering the play schedule. Spokesman Johnny Perkins told the Daily Mail that "good looks are a factor."

"It's not a coincidence that those (on Centre Court) are attractive," he said.

This is wrong it so many ways, where do I start?  First of all, that definition of attractiveness is the white, male All England Club's definition.  Venus and Serena Williams are some of the most gorgeous ladies out on the court.  But see, this is about being blonde and leggy.  If you're not blonde and leggy, you're not attractive.  Never have been, never will be.

It's about being the reincarnation of the "never won a tournament on tour" Anna Kournikova or "for the longest time all I had was one Wimbledon title," Maria Sharapova.  Of course, Sharapova has a whole lot more talent than Kournikova and she's won two more Grand Slams since that lone Wimby.  But for awhile there, you would have thought Sharapova invented the game of tennis the way the tennis Gods promoted her.

Wimby's big problem this year, besides an expensive new rain roof and no rain, their usual go to glamour girl, Sharapova flamed out in the early rounds.

So who are they left with?  Two of the greatest women tennis players ever.  The very attractive, Serena and Venus Williams.

Go Williams!