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Sports => Other Sports => Topic started by: capodetutticapi on June 09, 2009, 12:58:14 PM
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Nadal won't play Wimbledon unless '100 percent'Associated Press
MADRID (AP) - Rafael Nadal will travel to London next Tuesday in hopes of defending his Wimbledon title despite having played with pain in his knees for months.
The top-ranked Spaniard said Tuesday on his Web site that he underwent two days of medical tests in Barcelona and will undergo two weeks of physical therapy in a bid to be fit for the tournament, which starts June 22.
"I am going to give my 200 percent to be ready for the most important tournament in the world," Nadal said. "I will not go out and play, especially on the Wimbledon Centre Court, if I am not 100 percent ready to play.
"I have 2 difficult weeks ahead of me, especially because I won't be doing what I like doing most, which is to play tennis. But I will be working on my recovery through physiotherapy treatments as well as recovery work on the specific muscular area."
Nadal withdrew from a grass-court warmup event at Queen's Club this week. His 31-match winning streak at the French Open ended with a fourth-round loss to eventual finalist Robin Soderling.
"I have been playing with pain on my knees for some months now and I simply can't go on like this," Nadal said. "The pain was limiting certain movements in my body, which affected me mentally as well."
Spanish Tennis Federation physician Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro says Nadal has tendinitis in both knees.
"His treatment will involve oral anti-inflammatories, physiotherapy, as well as muscular exercises for both quadriceps. Following the 48-hour treatment, Mr. Nadal will progressively get back into training," Ruiz-Cotorro said.
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the man ent care that he two knee hurting him...he is a real soldier oui
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the man ent care that he two knee hurting him...he is a real soldier oui
Cosign
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Nadal is a beast.
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Defending champ Nadal won't play WimbledonAssociated Press
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Rafael Nadal figured he couldn't win Wimbledon this year because of his achy knees, so he decided it didn't make sense to try.
Nadal withdrew from the grass-court Grand Slam tournament Friday, three days before it begins, becoming only the second men's champion in 35 years to decline to defend his Wimbledon title.
"When I start a tournament like Wimbledon, it is to try to win," the No. 1-ranked Nadal said, "and my feeling right now is I'm not ready to play to win."
A subdued Nadal, wearing a purple T-shirt and white pants, spoke at a news conference Friday evening at the All England Club, in the same room where he took questions after beating Roger Federer in the epic 2008 final that ended after 9 p.m. with light fading.
He announced his withdrawal about 2 1/2 hours after losing to 18th-ranked Stanislas Wawrinka in an exhibition match on grass at Hurlingham Club in south London.
"Today was the last test. I didn't feel terrible but not close to my best," said Nadal, who also lost an exhibition match against 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt on Thursday. "I'm just not 100 percent. I'm better than I was a couple of weeks ago, but I just don't feel ready."
Nadal called it "one of the toughest decisions of my career," but he also added: "There's no option. I don't feel ready to compete 100 percent for two weeks."
He is the first reigning Wimbledon men's champion to pull out of the following year's tournament since Goran Ivanisevic in 2002. Otherwise, it hadn't happened since 1973, when Stan Smith opted not to defend his Wimbledon title because of an ATP boycott of the tournament.
Nadal has complained about his knees since a fourth-round loss to Robin Soderling at the French Open on May 31 ended his streak of four consecutive championships at Roland Garros. Later that week, Nadal pulled out of the Wimbledon tuneup tournament at Queen's Club, then went to Barcelona to have tests on his knees.
"I think I reached the limit right now. I need to reset to come back stronger," Nadal said.
Asked what sort of threat the knee problems might present to his career moving forward, he said: "It's not chronic. I can recover, for sure."
His exit opens the door for Federer to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, a spot he held for a record 237 consecutive weeks until Nadal pushed him down to No. 2 in August. Federer, who is 7-13 against Nadal, also avoided facing him at the French Open. Instead of a fourth consecutive final in Paris against Nadal, Federer faced Soderling for the championship June 7 and won in straight sets to complete a career Grand Slam and tie Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles.
Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, said the Swiss star would wait to comment on Nadal's withdrawal until a pre-tournament news conference Saturday.
Nadal looked ragged during his straight-set loss against Hewitt on Thursday. But the Spaniard appeared in better condition against Wawrinka, several times racing toward the net for sharp volleys or scurrying along the baseline for winning groundstrokes on the run.
Nadal's uncle and coach, Toni, sat a few rows behind a baseline at the cozy Hurlingham Club court, close enough for them to converse between points, which they did on more than one occasion. After the match, Toni Nadal declined to discuss his nephew's play, saying, "I need to talk to Rafa."
Decked out in an all-white outfit — other than touches of purple, Wimbledon's traditional color, including the "Rafa" stamped on the back of his right heel — Nadal did not play either of the exhibition matches with tape below his knees, something he usually does.
Aside from the physical issues, Nadal spoke Friday about the mental toll the injury has taken. This is, after all, a player whose rise to the upper echelon of tennis was built in part on his ability to race around a court and track down shots.
"One of the big problems is, when I am playing, I'm thinking more about the knees than about the game. So that's very difficult to play well like this, no?" the six-time major champion said.
It also means that No. 6 Andy Roddick, a two-time Wimbledon runner-up, now could face del Potro — rather than Nadal — in the quarterfinals. The other potential men's quarterfinals are Federer vs. No. 7 Fernando Verdasco; No. 3 Andy Murray vs. No. 7 Gilles Simon; and Blake vs. No. 4 Novak Djokovic.
After shaking up the tournament, Nadal sat on a couch in a players' lounge area, chatting for quite awhile with his spokesman, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, and Djokovic. As it approached 10 p.m. — later, even, than the finishing time of his epic match against Federer a year ago — Nadal finally rose to leave. That trio, along with Uncle Toni, walked toward one of the black steel gates that guard the All England Club's exits. The gate was locked shut.
"How do you get out of Wimbledon?" Perez-Barbadillo asked aloud.
They eventually found another — unlocked — gate, and Rafael Nadal, 2008 Wimbledon champion, departed the grounds, his 2009 Wimbledon over before he hit a single shot.
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Fed u inside
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men like verdasco and del potro must be thinking "i might have a chance this year".
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men like verdasco and del potro must be thinking "i might have a chance this year".
They eh stand a chance at Wimbledon. This could be Andy Murray or even Djokovic's chance. But the lone man at the top Federer will be a tuff nut to crack.
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men like verdasco and del potro must be thinking "i might have a chance this year".
They eh stand a chance at Wimbledon. This could be Andy Murray or even Djokovic's chance. But the lone man at the top Federer will be a tuff nut to crack.
i'd say aside from federer, the clear favorite, the other contenders would be djokovic, murray and roddick in that order
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Blake out in the first round. He's such a shithong. Federer and Djokovic survived the first round. Roddick is about to serve for his match in the 4th set. Murray to come on next.
The Williams sisters, Sharapova and Safina all through to the second round.
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WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - As a tyke growing up in Marietta, Ga., Melanie Oudin would watch Venus and Serena Williams on TV and tell anyone who would listen that she was going to play at Wimbledon, too, one day.
Who knew she'd be right? And do so well, so quickly?
American teenager Melanie Oudin upset Jelena Jankovic on Saturday. ( Ian Walton / Getty Images)
Making her Wimbledon debut at age 17 after getting through qualifying, the 124th-ranked Oudin joined the Williams sisters in the fourth round at the All England Club by beating former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-2 Saturday in the most startling result of the tournament's opening week.
"Was just thinking that she was any other player, and this was any other match, and I was at any other tournament — you know, not, like, on the biggest stage, at Wimbledon, playing my first top-10 player," Oudin said. "I mean, I go into every match the exact same, you know, like, no matter who I play. It's not, like, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm playing the No. 1 player in the world."'
Another U.S. qualifier, 133rd-ranked Jesse Levine of Boca Raton, Fla., couldn't extend his run in the men's tournament, losing to No. 19 Stanislas Wawrinka 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3. That leaves No. 6 Andy Roddick as the last American man in the tournament.
The only time Oudin really lost her way was when her match ended and it was time to leave Court 3, a patch of grass known as "The Graveyard of Champions," because of the long list of stars upset there. She wasn't quite sure where to go and asked someone to direct her toward the exit.
Not all that surprising, when you consider that a year ago, Oudin entered the junior event at Wimbledon — seeded No. 1 among the girls — and failed to make it out of the second round, losing 6-1, 6-3 to eventual champion Laura Robson of Britain.
Yet there Oudin was Saturday, outlasting 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Jankovic over nearly 3 hours, then calling Mom and Dad back home to share in the revelry.
"My emotions are all over the place," Oudin's father, John, said in a telephone interview. "When I think about watching Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker in their starched whites at Wimbledon, I just can't believe Melanie is there. It's hardly any words other than, 'Wow!' We've been saying a lot of that. Just, 'Wow!"'
Shortly after his daughter's victory, he and Oudin's mother, Leslie, began scouring the Internet for flights. Even Grandma — who encouraged Melanie and twin sister Katherine to take up tennis — might make the overseas trip to see Oudin face No. 11 Agniesza Radwanska of Poland on Monday with a quarterfinal berth at stake, heady stuff for someone who was 0-2 at Grand Slam tournaments until this week.
Then again, Oudin — it's pronounced "oo-DAN," on account of her father's French ancestry — long has shown ambition.
"My goal has always been, since I was little, to become No. 1 in the world one day," she said.
The only time Oudin showed signs of nerves during the most important match of her nascent career came in the opening set. She held four set points, and blew them all with unforced errors.
"Rushed them. Played undisciplined tennis," said Oudin's coach, Brian de Villiers. "She played the occasion, rather than the point. But, hey, it's understandable."
When that 66-minute set ended, Jankovic had the lead, but she clearly was in trouble on a sunny day with the temperature in the 80s. A trainer and doctor came out to measure her pulse and blood pressure, and she began to cry. They put bags of ice on Jankovic's legs and abdomen, then the back of her neck, and gave her an energy drink to sip.
"I felt really dizzy, and I thought that I was just going to end up in the hospital. I started to shake," said Jankovic, who blamed her difficulty partly on what she called "woman problems."
"I was feeling quite weak. No power," Jankovic said. "I wasn't the same player."
While Oudin was working on her big win, five-time Wimbledon Venus Williams was enjoying a matter-of-fact contest on Centre Court, winning the first eight games en route to a 6-0, 6-4 victory over 34th-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain. The only other time they played, on a hard court at the Australian Open in January, Suarez Navarro knocked off Williams in the second round.
"Completely different circumstances," noted the third-seeded Williams, whose younger sister Serena advanced Friday.
At Wimbledon, the elder Williams has won 17 consecutive matches and 29 straight sets, and is trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win three consecutive titles. Next up: 2008 French Open champion and former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who is seeded 13th and eliminated No. 18 Samantha Stosur 7-5, 6-2.
Williams was pleased to have an American not named Williams stick around for Week 2.
"Super-good news," said Williams, who called Oudin "so enthusiastic about tennis and about life, enjoying herself, very well-adjusted."
Andy Roddick had some trouble Saturday but still reached the fourth round. (Paul Gilham / Getty Images)
Oudin's parents and her 11-year-old sister, Christina, gathered with about 30 other people at the Racquet Club of the South in suburban Atlanta to eat breakfast while watching Saturday's match — although because U.S. TV coverage didn't begin until an hour in, they had to follow most of the first set on the Web.
"No strawberries and cream," John Oudin said, "but it was still delightful fun."
Oudin lost the first set of her opening qualifying match, and also dropped the first set in each of her first two main-draw matches, against 29th-seeded Sybille Bammer and 74th-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova. So overcoming a deficit against Jankovic didn't seem impossible.
"I was right there with her every single point," said Oudin, who during changeovers munched on raisins plucked from those little red boxes kids use for school lunches. "So I knew I could do it if I just kept trying and kept fighting."
She wasn't the only teen who turned in a significant win: 19-year-old Sabine Lisicki of Germany beat two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 7-5. When the match ended, as her parents and best friend watched from the stands, Lisicki sat in her chair, her body shaking as she sobbed.
The 41st-ranked Lisicki now meets yet another teen, No. 9-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, and No. 1 Dinara Safina will play 2006 Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo.
Sometimes, such head-to-head records are irrelevant, and sometimes past is prologue: No. 6 Roddick entered Saturday 8-0 against No. 26 Jurgen Melzer and now is 9-0 after a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-3 victory. But No. 20 Tomas Berdych improved from 0-8 to 1-8 against No. 12 Nikolay Davydenko by winning 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.
Elsewhere, No. 3 Andy Murray's bid to end Britain's 73-year wait for a male champion continued with a straight-set win against No. 30 Viktor Troicki; No. 24 Tommy Haas and No. 29 Igor Andreev wrapped up victories in matches suspended Friday because of darkness; and 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt, No. 8 Gilles Simon, No. 23 Radek Stepanek and 2003 French Open Juan Carlos Ferrero also advanced. Ferrero, a former No. 1 now ranked 70th, needed a wild-card invitation to get into the field, but he beat No. 10 Fernando Gonzalez 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on Court 1 as a light rain fell.
There was some consideration given to moving the conclusion of that match to Centre Court, where the new retractable roof was closed, just in case. But Ferrero and Gonzalez finished, and the roof has yet to be used as a barrier against wet weather.
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Oudin was knocked out in straight sets by 11th seeded Radwanska. Venus was leading 6-1, 0-1 on Ivanovic when the latter retired hurt. Serena beat Hantuchova in straight sets as well. 4th seeded Elena Dementieva knocked out fellow Vesnina 6-1, 6-3 and 8th seeded Azarenka beat 10th seeded Petrova.
Haas defeated Andreev and Federer defeated Soderling.
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Oudin was knocked out in straight sets by 11th seeded Radwanska. Venus was leading 6-1, 0-1 on Ivanovic when the latter retired hurt. Serena beat Hantuchova in straight sets as well. 4th seeded Elena Dementieva knocked out fellow Vesnina 6-1, 6-3 and 8th seeded Azarenka beat 10th seeded Petrova.
Haas defeated Andreev and Federer defeated Soderling.
Thanks 4 d info
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Interesting little quote from Evert (http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story/9747538/Evert:-'Grunting'-getting-out-of-hand) on grunting.
I watched the first 2 sets in Murray's struggle against Wawrinka before I had to go. He eventually won in 5 sets in what is apparently the first Wimbledon match played entirely under the new roof. Roddick also advanced past the 4th round. Safina beat Mauresmo in 3 sets as well.
Federer on having to face big serving Karlovic: "I mean maybe it's not the most fun match to go through," Federer said. "But I like to beat this guy because he makes it hard on us."
Today's quarterfinal matches:
No. 1 D. Safina vs. S. Lisicki
No. 3 V. Williams vs. No. 11 A. Radwanska
F. Schiavone vs. No. 4 E. Dementieva
No. 8 V. Azarenka vs. No. 2 S. Williams
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Interesting little quote from Evert (http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story/9747538/Evert:-'Grunting'-getting-out-of-hand) on grunting.
I watched the first 2 sets in Murray's struggle against Wawrinka before I had to go. He eventually won in 5 sets in what is apparently the first Wimbledon match played entirely under the new roof. Roddick also advanced past the 4th round. Safina beat Mauresmo in 3 sets as well.
Federer on having to face big serving Karlovic: "I mean maybe it's not the most fun match to go through," Federer said. "But I like to beat this guy because he makes it hard on us."
Today's quarterfinal matches:
No. 1 D. Safina vs. S. Lisicki
No. 3 V. Williams vs. No. 11 A. Radwanska
F. Schiavone vs. No. 4 E. Dementieva
No. 8 V. Azarenka vs. No. 2 S. Williams
Chris could take she conservative so and so and ride south, I recall when Serena and Venus were just coming out before either had won a slam, she had made some borderline racists statements with respect to their potential as athletes, after that I examined everything she said with a find tooth comb, so what if Steffi never grunted...she is essentially likening grunting to taunting and quite frankly as I see them as mutually exclusive. Rock so eh Chris
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I agree with that whole grunting equating to taunting. I didn't understand how she came up with that. However, I do wonder how it is this grunting has gotten so common when it hardly happened before. I've played tennis and I play a sport with a lot of hitting and stretching involved and I don't make those noises. It's just a curious thing.
At any rate Venus and Safina will play each other in the semis. Dementieva also won and is awaiting the result of the Azarenka vs. S. Williams match.
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I agree with that whole grunting equating to taunting. I didn't understand how she came up with that. However, I do wonder how it is this grunting has gotten so common when it hardly happened before. I've played tennis and I play a sport with a lot of hitting and stretching involved and I don't make those noises. It's just a curious thing.
At any rate Venus and Safina will play each other in the semis. Dementieva also won and is awaiting the result of the Azarenka vs. S. Williams match.
Maybe the players who grunt have some correlation w/their bedtime activity noises? ;D Just saying
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Venus, Serena Williams reach Wimbledon semifinals
By STEPHEN WILSON, AP Sports Writer Stephen Wilson, Ap Sports Writer – 15 mins ago
WIMBLEDON, England – Venus and Serena Williams are one round away from meeting in another Wimbledon final.
Five-time champion Venus overpowered Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday, and two-time winner Serena followed her into the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Victoria Azarenka.
No. 3-seeded Venus will next face top-ranked Dinara Safina, who overcame 15 double-faults and beat German teenager Sabine Lisicki 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1 to reach the Wimbledon semis for the first time.
In the bottom half of the draw, No. 4 Elena Dementieva defeated Italy's Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-2 to set up a semifinal encounter with No. 2 Serena Williams.
It's the first time since 2006 that all four top-seeded women reached the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament.
The Williams sisters overwhelmed their opponents Tuesday with breathtaking displays of power tennis, showing why they have dominated on the grass of the All England Club for most of the past decade.
"We definitely upped our levels of game today," Serena said.
Venus, seeking her third straight Wimbledon title, outhit the 14th-ranked Pole from all parts of the court and proved again that she is the dominant female player on grass.
"Do I feel invincible?" Williams said. "I'd like to say yes, but I really do work at it."
Williams had her left leg taped up again but showed no weakness at all as she ripped 29 winners — compared to six for Radwanska — in a match that lasted just 68 minutes on a sunbaked Court 1.
"I can't complain," Williams said. "I'm in the semifinals of Wimbledon, right where I want to be. I just need to take another step forward."
With Venus looking on from the guest box, Serena swept through the first set against the eighth-ranked Azarenka in 26 minutes. After being broken to go down 3-2 in the second, she won four straight games and held serve at love to finish the match in commanding fashion. Serena had nine aces and 26 winners, with only seven unforced errors.
Azarenka had beaten Serena in straight sets in their last match in the final at Key Biscayne, Fla., in April.
"I really wanted to do well today," Serena said. "I didn't do well the last time we played. I was not feeling great. I felt like I really wanted to show up today."
Asked whether she also felt unbeatable at Wimbledon, Serena said: "I don't feel invincible, but I definitely should have the same attitude. I'm going to try to feel that way, too."
Only once in the last nine years has there been a Wimbledon women's final that didn't feature at least one of the Williams sisters. The sisters were the only two Grand Slam winners in the women's quarterfinals — Serena has 10 major titles and Venus seven.
The sisters have met in three Wimbledon finals, including last year. Serena has won two of the three, in 2002 and '03. They are 10-10 in career meetings.
"I would love it to be a Williams final, and so would she," Venus said. "That would be great."
The sisters' father, Richard Williams, said he is certain his daughters will be in the final again.
"I think they are both playing super well," he said. "They're playing the Williams way. And when you're playing the Williams way, it's very difficult for anyone to touch you."
Venus is trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win three Wimbledon titles in a row.
Venus Williams raced to a 5-0 lead against Radwanska, and finished off the first set with back-to-back aces. Williams dropped only two of 18 points on serve in the set.
"That first set for me was almost perfect," Williams said.
Safina, who has risen to No. 1 in the world despite never having won a Grand Slam title, struggled against the 19-year-old Lisicki. The Russian had to come from behind after double-faulting to lose the first set tiebreaker, smashing her racket to the turf and drawing a warning from the chair umpire.
"I was Santa Claus on the court, serving so many double-faults," Safina said.
Safina was down 3-2 on serve in the second set, but got the one break in the seventh game to force a third set. The 41st-ranked Lisicki received treatment on her right calf after going down 4-1 in the third. In the next game, Safina was up 40-0 before serving three straight double-faults. She still managed to hold and then broke for the match.
"I was tough mentally, that was the key today," Safina said.
The men's quarterfinals are set for Wednesday with five-time champion Roger Federer against 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic; No. 3 Andy Murray vs. Spanish wild card Juan Carlos Ferrero; 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt vs. two-time finalist Andy Roddick; and No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. Tommy Haas.
Temperatures topped 90 degrees on Tuesday, with no need to close the roof on Centre Court.
Medical officials on site said they treated more than 130 people, mostly for heat-related problems. One person was taken to a hospital.
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Chris could take she conservative so and so and ride south, I recall when Serena and Venus were just coming out before either had won a slam, she had made some borderline racists statements with respect to their potential as athletes, after that I examined everything she said with a find tooth comb, so what if Steffi never grunted...she is essentially likening grunting to taunting and quite frankly as I see them as mutually exclusive. Rock so eh Chris
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Barataria when did you hear Chris Evert say anything racist? I have never in my lifetime hear anything of that nature from Evert. Evert have been as congratulatory of Venus and Serena as anyone could be. She has taken time to give them encouragement. She even coach's a player out of TnT at her academy.
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Top four women's seeds make Wimbledon semisAssociated Press
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Venus and Serena Williams are one round away from meeting in another Wimbledon final.
Her 19th consecutive victory at the All England Club already wrapped up, Venus Williams grabbed a seat and watched younger sister Serena win easily to reach the semifinals, too.
Afterward, Venus and Mom, Oracene Price, strolled out of Centre Court arm-in-arm, chatting and laughing.
Sure is fun to be a Williams at Wimbledon.
Five-time champion Venus beat No. 11-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-2, before two-time champion Serena defeated No. 8 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 6-3, a pair of overwhelming performances Tuesday that moved the siblings closer to another all-in-the-family final at Wimbledon.
"They are both playing super-well. They're playing 'The Williams Way,"' their father, Richard Williams, said. "And when you're playing 'The Williams Way,' it's very difficult for anyone to touch you."
Particularly at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, where a Williams has won seven of the past nine championships.
If No. 3 Venus gets by No. 1 Dinara Safina of Russia in Thursday's semifinals, and No. 2 Serena eliminates No. 4 Elena Dementieva of Russia, the siblings would meet Saturday in their second consecutive final at the All England Club and fourth overall.
It also would be the eighth all-Williams Grand Slam championship match; Serena leads 5-2.
"I would love it to be a Williams final," Venus said, "and so would she."
They are competitors, of course, but also form a team in many ways: The sisters are sharing a house during this tournament, practice with each other and have reached the women's doubles quarterfinals together.
"We've got it all figured out at this point," Venus said.
She is trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles; Serena wants to add to the trophies she earned in 2002-03 by beating her sister in the finals.
At least one person has no doubt there will be a rematch Saturday.
"It will be. I'll go home because I can't watch," their dad said. "I think they both definitely make it to the final."
First things first. If the 19-year-old Azarenka and 20-year-old Radwanska represented up-and-coming opponents with little experience on the sport's grandest stages — neither has reached a Grand Slam semifinal — Safina and Dementieva are far more accustomed to playing significant matches.
On the other hand, they're not nearly as accustomed to winning them as the Williams sisters are, of course: Serena owns 10 major titles, Venus seven; Safina and Dementieva have zero.
Safina, who lost in the final at three of the previous five Grand Slam events, overcame 15 double-faults and wore down 41st-ranked Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1. Dementieva, twice a runner-up at major championships and a singles gold medalist at last year's Beijing Olympics, was never challenged by 43rd-ranked Francesca Schiavone of Italy and won their quarterfinal 6-2, 6-2.
Elena Dementieva cruised into the semis. (Kirsty Wigglesworth / Associated Press)
Asked about her double-fault total, Safina replied with a smile: "15? I thought it was much more. Sometimes even I don't know what I'm doing with my serve."
As the younger sister of former No. 1 Marat Safin, who lost in the first round at what he vows was his last Wimbledon, Safina knows about sibling success. But after losing the French Open final a few weeks ago, she acknowledged cracking under the pressure of trying to win her first major.
Looking ahead to facing Venus, against whom she is 1-2, Safina said, "I cannot go on court thinking I lost already. No, definitely, I think I have a chance there."
Dementieva also sounded a brave tone, despite accumulating more unforced errors (18) than winners (13).
"I just want to see how tough I can be out there against her," said Dementieva, who lost to Venus in last year's Wimbledon semifinals and now takes on Serena. "Just looking for some good fight."
Radwanska and Azarenka failed to make things difficult for the Williams sisters, who were at their dominant best.
"Not perfect," Price said, "but pretty close." Radwanska was playing in her third Grand Slam quarterfinal, 27 fewer than Venus, and while she upset Maria Sharapova at the 2007 U.S. Open, a stunner of that magnitude never seemed a possibility Tuesday. Venus won the first five games and the last six, compiling a 29-6 edge in winners.
Pounding aces at up to 122 mph, Venus won 16 of 18 points on her serve in the first set on a steamy day, the temperature about 90 degrees and not a cloud overhead at Court 1.
"Her tennis is so powerful," Radwanska said. "Very hard to do anything."
It took all of 68 minutes, leaving Venus ample time to shower, change, do postmatch interviews and still make it into the guest box for Serena's match.
Azarenka hits the ball quite hard herself, letting out a grunt that sounds something like "Whoop!", but she couldn't keep up. She even felt compelled to clap after a couple of Serena's best strokes.
"She really showed the unbeatable Serena," Azarenka acknowledged.
Azarenka did break for a 3-2 lead in the second set, but Serena didn't let her win another game. When Serena smacked one last forehand winner, she jogged to the net, pumping her fists. Up in the stands, Venus stood and applauded.
"We definitely upped our level of game today," said Serena, who hit nine aces. "We had really tough opponents, so we had to."
On Thursday, two more opponents will try to slow a pair of sisters who began playing tennis twenty-something years ago in Compton, Calif., and have made the most famous grass courts in the world their personal playground.
One particular family will be hoping for an all-Williams final. One nation will be pulling for an all-Russian final.
Dementieva proposed a unique alternative, asking: "Can we play just two finals instead?"
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Chris could take she conservative so and so and ride south, I recall when Serena and Venus were just coming out before either had won a slam, she had made some borderline racists statements with respect to their potential as athletes, after that I examined everything she said with a find tooth comb, so what if Steffi never grunted...she is essentially likening grunting to taunting and quite frankly as I see them as mutually exclusive. Rock so eh Chris
Barataria when did you hear Chris Evert say anything racist? I have never in my lifetime hear anything of that nature from Evert. Evert have been as congratulatory of Venus and Serena as anyone could be. She has taken time to give them encouragement. She even coach's a player out of TnT at her academy.
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Pass, ah wish it was easy to dig dat one out of the archives and perhaps she came full circle after dem girls (Serena/Venus) destroy everybody on their way to glory, but she did, many years ago, maybe she was of that ilk and has been re-born, we can all mend our bad habits/mindsets/prejudices, if true in her case well done, but I vividly recall the statement she made re-Venus/Serena, just not easy to pull that one from the archives for you, sorry
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Chris could take she conservative so and so and ride south, I recall when Serena and Venus were just coming out before either had won a slam, she had made some borderline racists statements with respect to their potential as athletes, after that I examined everything she said with a find tooth comb, so what if Steffi never grunted...she is essentially likening grunting to taunting and quite frankly as I see them as mutually exclusive. Rock so eh Chris
Barataria when did you hear Chris Evert say anything racist? I have never in my lifetime hear anything of that nature from Evert. Evert have been as congratulatory of Venus and Serena as anyone could be. She has taken time to give them encouragement. She even coach's a player out of TnT at her academy.
Pass, ah wish it was easy to dig dat one out of the archives and perhaps she came full circle after dem girls (Serena/Venus) destroy everybody on their way to glory, but she did, many years ago, maybe she was of that ilk and has been re-born, we can all mend our bad habits/mindsets/prejudices, if true in her case well done, but I vividly recall the statement she made re-Venus/Serena, just not easy to pull that one from the archives for you, sorry
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Okay I hear yuh. ;D
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Federer beat Karlovic in straight sets, oui. 6-3, 7-5, 7-6. Haas defeated Djokovic in 4 sets. 7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. Murray just won the first set against Ferrero 7-5. So Haas vs. Federer in one of the semis.
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I just come here to vent.
To those of you who do this (and you know who you are) the word is WimbleDON not Wimpleton.
How hard is that?
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I just come here to vent.
To those of you who do this (and you know who you are) the word is WimbleDON not Wimpleton.
How hard is that?
Hard enough for who ever said "Wimpleton".
Murray won in straight sets. Roddick and Hewitt are 6-3, 6-7 and on serve in the 3rd.
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I just come here to vent.
To those of you who do this (and you know who you are) the word is WimbleDON not Wimpleton.
How hard is that?
Hard enough for who ever said "Wimpleton".
Murray won in straight sets. Roddick and Hewitt are 6-3, 6-7 and on serve in the 3rd.
Ths watch d Fed game
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Roddick won in 5 sets to earn the final spot in the semis.
Murray vs. Roddick
Haas vs. Federer
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Dementieva won the first set in a tiebreaker.
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Dementieva won the first set in a tiebreaker.
Damn, come on Williams!
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Hell of a comeback.
Serena into the Final.
6-7 7-5 8-6
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Hell of a comeback.
Serena into the Final.
6-7 7-5 8-6
Yup, including facing match point on her serve at 4-5 in the third set. I'm upset that I missed it. Venus is putting on a clinic against Safina leading 6-1 and 4-0.
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all williams final again? nice!!!
last final they played against each other was the best i have ever seen them play against each other.
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how the hell safina is #1 i do not know. they need to reboot that rankings computer because it obviously has a glitch
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how the hell safina is #1 i do not know. they need to reboot that rankings computer because it obviously has a glitch
Cosign
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is it me, or has serena lost some muscle mass? especially her arms, they look smaller
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yeh Serena lose some muscle but she still a bit slow with her lateral movement so she needs to get that back. Venus is always amazing on grass and I don't know why she just has no flaw there and hopefully she can win again, after what she did in the semi's she deserves it. I think Safina deserves the no. 1 because V and Serena haven't played either as much or as consistently as safina has done throughout the year. They are my favourites but safina has made the finals of the last 2 grandslams and the semis and has won a lot of tournements but Venus hasn't done that and serena did win the Aus. open and made the finals of Miami but other than that hasn't done anything big so... i dunno but thats just my thoughts
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WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Roger Federer reached his seventh straight Wimbledon final Friday by beating Tommy Haas of Germany 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-3.
Federer won five consecutive titles at the All England Club before losing to Rafael Nadal in last year's final. At this year's tournament, the second-seeded Swiss is trying to win his record 15th Grand Slam title.
Federer played excellent tennis Friday, holding serve easily and breaking Haas late in the second and third sets. He will next face either Andy Murray or Andy Roddick in Sunday's final.
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espn360 showing last year final. It hard to watch as a federer fan knowing the eventual outcome but it really have to be one of the greatest matches of all time.
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meh boy fed breakin record come sunday.
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meh boy fed breakin record come sunday.
Hopefully he breaks it by beating Murray.
Roddick is Federer's bobolee, so it would be very difficult to savour this victory.
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Roddick it is.
it will be a very good match I think.
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Fed go cut he ass as usual..Break the record Roger!!!
Had a nice show on Fed yesterday on espn (direct tv)...dunno if anyone saw it. Had interviews with lots of the older players as well as current.
Agassi quote was the best, saying even when he played Pete during the games he knew he had a chance..In playing Fed in the US Open final, he realized that this man was just the best.
Even Roddick says that he wishes he cud hate Federer but the man is just too nice to hate.
True Champion!
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Fed go cut he ass as usual..Break the record Roger!!!
Had a nice show on Fed yesterday on espn (direct tv)...dunno if anyone saw it. Had interviews with lots of the older players as well as current.
Agassi quote was the best, saying even when he played Pete during the games he knew he had a chance..In playing Fed in the US Open final, he realized that this man was just the best.
Even Roddick says that he wishes he cud hate Federer but the man is just too nice to hate.
True Champion!
He eh a yank thus he 2 nice too hate. Wanted d Brit but went Fed deal wit Roddock it go b nice. He go b in d footnote of history.
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sometimes yuh hadda feel sorry fuh andy.i heard somewhere he playin tennis in de wrong decade.
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i wid roddick on dis one.. ah fel he comin wid d upset
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i wid roddick on dis one.. ah fel he comin wid d upset
Dat go b a help of ah upset like it was a hell of a punch.
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Williams sisters win Wimbledon doubles title
By CHRIS LEHOURITES, AP Sports Writer
England (AP)—Serena Williams won a pair of Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon on Saturday, just like her sister Venus did last year.
Serena added the women’s doubles title to her take at this year’s tournament, teaming with big sister Venus to beat Rennae Stubbs and Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-6 (4), 6-4. It’s their fourth Wimbledon title together, part of their haul of nine Grand Slam women’s doubles championships.
“There’s nothing like winning a title with your sister,” said Serena, who has won 11 major singles titles. “It’s really a good feeling.”
Earlier Saturday on Centre Court, Serena beat Venus 7-6 (3), 6-2 in singles to win her third Wimbledon title—she beat her older sister in each final.
A year ago, Venus beat Serena in the championship match to win her fifth Wimbledon singles title, and the pair then teamed up to win the doubles.
“One out of two’s not bad,” Venus said. “I really wanted to win the singles, but they’re two separate events. If I won the singles and not the doubles, it’s still not the same.”
Against the Australians, the Williams sisters traded breaks in the first set, with Stosur and Stubbs taking a 2-1 lead off Serena’s opening service game. But the Americans eventually broke back to 4-4 when Stosur put a backhand volley into the net.
In the tiebreaker, Venus put the sisters up a mini-break on the second point with a return of serve that Stubbs couldn’t get back over.
“The ball clipped the tape, and therefore it went a little bit higher than it should have and it hit my frame and didn’t quite get off the string,” Stubbs said. “It was really unlucky.”
The most entertaining point of the match came with Stubbs serving at 1-1 in the second set. Serena returned the serve, and Stubbs swung her racket behind her and hit the ball through her legs to get it back over.
“I do that because sometimes you have to do that,” said Stubbs, who added that she makes that kind of shot all the time. “That’s just experience and being an idiot on the court half the time.”
As the point continued, Stosur stood at the net and battered back volley after volley as both Venus and Serena grunted and groaned while sending groundstrokes back over the net.
Stosur eventually won the point with a drop shot neither sister could get near, and the Australian took that game. But the sisters broke Stubbs to go up 4-3 in that set and kept control.
“I’m really excited to have doubles titles,” Serena said. “I rack ‘em up.”
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Roddick did not come to England to roll over and be a footnote. He's up a set and on serve in the second.
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that match was like the circus: in tents.
hard luck roddick. yuh could make a run at the US Open.
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Finally!!..well done Roger.
Hard to believe he couldn't break Roddick till that final game. He was frustrating meh with some silly mistakes whole match, ut eventually got it done.
Roddick's got spirit. Would not have minded if he had won!
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Congrats Federer and your fans; I was hoping that Roddick would have been the one to make you cry this year. You exhibited great mental toughness. Hard luck Roddick hope you can build on this! I find it disgusting when commentators can't stay neutral because they want to witness history!
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yeah the commentators wanted the man to win...hard luck roddick. i ent feelin sad for andy b.c he married to a SI model. fed is a modern great, no doubt about that. the game has really progressed since rod laver days. just seeing him standing next to borg and sampras...the man looked real diminutive, almost like a hobbit.
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Who was saying that Federer cracks under pressure?
What a great match.
I find McEnroe should not have put Sampras on the spot by asking him if Federer is the greatest. I mean you standing there with Borg and Laver. What yuh expect the man to say? Pete handle it eh. But it was an asshole question. Laver pretty much say, yeah, I would have won some more if they didn't set me up with the pro thing.
I find is a moot point. You looking at Borg, Laver, Federer and Sampras. All the best of their eras.
To me, Federer have to win at least 2 grand slams to get into that greatest of all time talk.
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i wanted roddick to win real bad. to me men's tennis has lost some excitement cuz rite thru, rite thru only one man winnin everything, either federer or nadal.
it really was upsettin to see federer lift d trophy. roddick deserved to win IMHO.
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so happy for fed. this should eradicate any misplaced doubts about federer's mental toughness. he stayed calm and composed and eventually wore roddick done. roddick played the game of his life (so far) though. every time he needed a big serve, like sampras, he summoned it.
hopefully he can produces something special like that against nadal.
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poor andy,man cyar get ah break to cut fed ass.onto de US open and no. 16 fuh roger.
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What a great match.
I find McEnroe should not have put Sampras on the spot by asking him if Federer is the greatest. I mean you standing there with Borg and Laver. What yuh expect the man to say? Pete handle it eh. But it was an asshole question. Laver pretty much say, yeah, I would have won some more if they didn't set me up with the pro thing.
I find is a moot point. You looking at Borg, Laver, Federer and Sampras. All the best of their eras.
To me, Federer have to win at least 2 grand slams to get into that greatest of all time talk.
People love to debate that greatest of all time and it will always depend on the individual's experiences and preferences. Men who old enough would appreciate what the likes of Laver or Borg accomplished and may lend more weight to them in the race. I tend to prefer the point you made about the relevance of eras.
Your point about Federer having to win 2 more titles to make it into the greatest of all time is a prime example of to each their own. To have the career grand slam and more titles than anyone else and STILL not be considered one of the greatest to play the game? Someone else would have accepted him as one of the greatest ever 2-3 titles ago.
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i think federer is already in the GOAT discussion.
at this moment i'd vote for him if i had to.
i'd still like to see him beat nadal in another slam final i.e. extend his era of dominance, to put the final seal of it.
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The reason I say that is simple. the club is very very very small:
Grand Slam (four majors in one calendar year)
Don Budge (1938)
Rod Laver (1962 • 1969)
Career Grand Slam
Men's singles
Fred Perry (1933 US Championships, 1934 Australian Championships, 1934 Wimbledon Championships & 1935 French Championships)
Don Budge (1937 Wimbledon Championships, 1937 US Championships, 1938 Australian Championships & 1938 French Championships)
Rod Laver (1960 Australian Championships, 1961 Wimbledon Championships, 1962 French Championships & 1962 US Championships)
Roy Emerson (1961 Australian Championships, 1961 US Championships, 1963 French Championships & 1964 Wimbledon Championships)
Andre Agassi (1992 Wimbledon, 1994 US Open, 1995 Australian Open & 1999 French Open)
Roger Federer (2003 Wimbledon, 2004 Australian Open, 2004 US Open & 2009 French Open)
The mere fact that the club so small put Laver ahead of everybody. The man prove it on all surfaces, against all opponents several times. Since I can't quantify the beauty of Federer's game, or handicap Laver for the wooden racquets and low-tech balls, I have to go by the next best thing.
I'm not a zealot though, This is a perfect barstool debate.
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i wanted roddick to win real bad. to me men's tennis has lost some excitement cuz rite thru, rite thru only one man winnin everything, either federer or nadal.
it really was upsettin to see federer lift d trophy. roddick deserved to win IMHO.
Agree w/this completely, stopped watching Men's tennis since the end of the Becker, Lendl, Wilander era
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is it true what they say about federer?