Emotional Roddick back in Wimby final
WIMBLEDON, England -- As Roger Federer made the media rounds Friday after his semifinal victory over Tommy Haas, he was cordial and, under the circumstances, exceedingly patient.
The five-time Wimbledon champion conducted interviews in four different languages and even visited a certain American sports broadcasting studio. It took about an hour to fulfill his many commitments, and by that time, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick were well into the match that would deliver his opponent in the final.
Federer had more than a passing interest in the result. A Murray victory would turn Sunday's championship into a daunting road game for Federer, since many of the 15,000 feverish fans around Centre Court would be imploring Murray to become the first British man to win here in 73 years. And then there was that damning head-to-head: 6-2, in favor of Murray, including four straight losses.
Roddick was, as they say over here, a completely different kettle of fish. Federer has beaten Roddick 18 times in 20 matches, including the finals here in 2004 and 2005.
It's been a terrific year for Federer. After losing a five-set Australian Open final to Rafael Nadal, Federer won his first French Open, good for his record-tying 14th Grand Slam singles title. And now he goes for No. 15 against Roddick, his favorite crash-test dummy.
Yes, Roddick. Playing spectacularly clean tennis, he knocked Britain's favorite son out of the tournament 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) in three hours and seven minutes of ridiculously taut action.
If Federer wins, he should give Roddick half of his 850,000-pound check.
"I can play some tennis sometimes," Roddick said immediately afterward. "Not many people were giving me a chance at all. I knew that if I could stay the course I had a shot.
"Throughout my career I've had a lot of shortcomings, but trying hard isn't one of them. To be honest, the pressure was all on Andy. I was a little bit better today."
Roddick has made a fine living beating the players he should beat. The corollary: He usually loses to the players he's supposed to lose to. Roddick was 4-12 when he met players ranked in the top 10 in Grand Slams. And two of those four wins came when the opponent retired. That means Roddick had gone the distance to beat only two of 14 such opponents in majors.
Make that three of 15. On this day, the new-and-improved Roddick played out of the box. His searing serve and forehand have always been his one-two calling card, but against Murray he played tennis, marvelous tennis.
On set point in the first, Roddick carved a backhand slice approach that Murray dumped into the net. He carried through with his aggressive plan the entire match, coming to net an extraordinary 75 times. He won 48 of those points, 33 more than Murray converted at net.
Oh, and Roddick's serve sizzled. He and Murray both earned only two service breaks, and Murray actually produced more aces (25 to 21), but Roddick was better in the two tiebreakers that determined the match. In the final breaker, Roddick's first four serves were all unreturnable.
"It just came down to a few points here or there on his serve," Murray said. "Served really, really well in the tiebreaks. There's not a whole lot you can do with that."
The last point, Roddick's second match point, turned on a vintage forehand, deep and down the line. Murray couldn't dig it out, his backhand trickling harmlessly into the net.
Earlier, Federer filleted the 31-year-old Haas 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-3 to become the first man in history to reach seven consecutive finals at Wimbledon.
It is instructive that in Federer's 21 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals, Haas is 15th different opponent, which simultaneously underlines the depth of men's tennis and Federer's unnatural consistency. Their previous three Grand Slam matches had all gone the distance, including last month's scare, when Haas won the first two sets of their fourth-round match at Roland Garros.
Federer couldn't have been more efficient. He won 89 percent of his first serves and double-faulted only once. Haas did not see a break point. Federer made only 15 unforced errors.
When his 18-2 mark against Roddick came up, Federer did his best to downplay it.
"I don't know how much my great record I have against Roddick would come into play," Federer said unconvincingly. "I'm not sure. It starts from zero.
"I've played him 20 times, so I've had plenty of time, you know, to study his game, to understand his game. I've had many different looks against Roddick. I enjoy how he leaves everything out on the court. I can only marvel at how incredible his serve is. I like playing against him, not only just because of the record."
Roddick seemed stunned after he beat Murray -- even when he embraced the Scot, his eyes were uncommonly wide and he looked like he wanted to cry -- and a few minutes later he revealed why.
"To be honest, the last couple years I wasn't sure if I'd get another chance to play another Grand Slam final," Roddick said. "And now I get to play another one."
After exiting in the second round here last year, Roddick had a frank discussion with then-fiancée Brooklyn Decker.
"Brook and I had a lot of talks -- if I still thought I could play and at least be toward the top of the game," Roddick said. "I definitely openly questioned it at that point. You know, then the rest of the year I was kind of hurt.
"So this offseason, we said, 'You know what, if you're not going to be up there, let's at least not wonder. Let's prepare yourself and give yourself every opportunity.'"
They've played three times this year already. After Federer beat Roddick in straight sets in their Australian Open semifinal, the American pushed him to three sets in both Miami and Madrid.
Queen Elizabeth II was expected here at the All England Club on Sunday if Murray had made the final. Well, now she's got the day all to herself.
After his brief BBC interview immediately after the match, Roddick walked from the broadcast position under Centre Court and began his way up the stairs to the players' locker rooms.
And then it hit him.
Roddick fell to his knees on the carpeted stairs and buried his face in a changeover towel.
"As soon as you finish up a match like that, thanking the crowd and acknowledging the crowd, then you get shoved into this little room with a camera in your face and you get asked a bunch of questions," Roddick said. "I didn't know anybody saw that on the stairs.
"It was just kind of me taking a second to kind of try to make myself maybe believe that I was actually going to locker room having done that."
(c)2009 ESPN Internet Ventures
The ten best never to win a Grand Slam
As the French Open continues on the baked red clay of Roland Garros, we thought it was a good time to ask: Who is the best professional tennis player without a Grand Slam singles championship?
For the players, landing in our top 10 brings both good and bad news. The good: The player is considered a true contender for one of the four Grand Slam events: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
The bad news, of course, is that said player hasn't won one yet, and is not yet living up to his/her potential. In that way, the moniker can become an albatross that sullies an otherwise fine career (see: Tim Henman, the best British player of the last 20 years, whose career is considered a disappointment because he never won a slam).
Traditionally that answer was derived from rankings. On the men's side, that player is generally considered to be the Scot, Andy Murray, the current No. 3 in the world. Murray's best finish in a Grand Slam was a trip to the finals in last year's U.S. Open, where he lost in straight sets to Roger Federer.
The Russian Dinara Safina (younger sister of two-time slam winner Marat Safin) is thought to be the best female player without a slam championship. The reason: She's currently ranked No. 1 in the world. She has a real chance to get the monkey off her back this weekend in the French Open (she's in the finals).
But we believe there is a more compelling way to answer this question, by judging the results of non-slam winners in Grand Slam events.
What we found may surprise tennis fans. Nikolay Davydenko, ranked 11th in the world, came out on top. Though he's never taken home the top trophy, the 28-year-old Russian has made the semis in four Grand Slam events (twice at both the French and U.S. Opens) and was just ousted in the quarterfinals of this year's French Open. Davydenko's baseline game has been compared to that of the eight-time slam winner Andre Agassi.
On the women's side, Elena Dementieva earns the moniker. Since 2005, she's been in the semifinals in four slams (in 2004, she made the finals in two of them, losing both in straight sets). The 27-year-old Russian is currently number four in the world.
In tennis, players often achieve lofty rankings without winning a slam. One big reason: One or two great players have tended to dominate Grand Slam events. Since 2003, only two men have won Wimbledon: Roger Federer (2003-2007) and Rafael Nadal (2008); 15 of the last 16 slams have been won by one of those two men (the lone outlier: Novak Djokovic, who won the 2008 Australian Open).
Pete Sampras holds the record for Grand Slam singles titles on the men's side with 14. Federer is right on his heels with 13 and could equal his record with a win in the French Open, a slam title Sampras never won.
The women's side has seen similar stretches of dominance. In the mid-1980s, 19 of 20 consecutive slams were won by either Martina Navratilova or Chris Evert-Lloyd (as she was known then). Later that decade, Steffi Graf won eight of nine.
For the women, Margaret Smith Court has 24 titles, followed by Steffi Graf with 22. But for most players, just one Grand Slam singles championship would be a career-maker, and perhaps for no one more so than the players deemed the best without one.
Now that Nadal and Serena Williams have been knocked out of contention at the French Open, the question is all the more relevant. There's a decent chance two first-timers will hoist the champions' trophy. Those players will also take home some serious cash. Winners of this year's U.S. Open (both male and female) will collect $1.5 million. The total combined purses for the four events comes to just under $80 million.
Behind the numbers
We decided to come at our list from a novel perspective. Perhaps the best way is to ignore regular Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour wins and rankings and instead look at how these players who have yet to win, have performed in the Grand Slam events, where the pressure, prestige and competition are at their highest. In other words, find out who is the best current Grand Slam player without a Grand Slam championship. Our discovery: neither Murray nor Safina top the list.
In compiling our list, we looked at how players who had never won a slam event had performed in those tournaments since 2005 (including the ongoing French Open.) We awarded points on an ascending scale for slam results, from the first round up to an appearance in the final.
Our No. 1, Davydenko, was followed by the Spaniard Tommy Robredo, ranked No. 17 in the world, who made the quarterfinals of the French, his best Grand Slam finish. At No. 3 is David Nalbandian from Argentina, who has made the semis of the Australian and French Opens since 2003 (he lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the 2002 Wimbledon final). Rounding out the list is Fernando Gonzalez of Chile and David Ferrer of Spain.
Murray didn't crack our list, despite his appearance in the finals of last year's U.S. Open. Like the retired Henman, Murray carries the added weight of the hopes and dreams of Britain, which has not produced a men's Grand Slam event singles winner since Fred Perry won the U.S. Open in 1936. That strain might have contributed to his somewhat tepid slam results.
At No. 2 on our list is Dinara Safina, who took over the top spot in the world rankings in late April. The 23-year-old has been in two slam finals but lost in straight sets both times. With rivals like Maria Sharapova and Serena and Venus Williams out of the French, she may be the fastest to drop off this list.
Jelena Jankovic, the feisty Serb, comes in at No. 3. Currently ranked No. 5 in the world, Jankovic holds the distinction of being the only player to finish a year at No. 1 on the WTA rankings (2008) without ever having won a Grand Slam event. She lost to Serena Williams in last year's U.S. Open finals.
Rounding out the list on the women's side is the 26-year-old Russian Nadia Petrova, who made the semifinals of the 2005 French, and Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, who at age 30 is considered a senior citizen in women's tennis standards.
The fact that there are no Americans on this list shows both the strength and the weakness of the American players' roster. Andy Roddick, No. 6 in the world, won the 2003 U.S. Open. And the Williams sisters - when they feel like it - can still dominate Grand Slam tournaments (they've won 17 slam titles between them). But all three of these Americans are tennis veterans. The well of young U.S. tennis talent seems drier than it's been in years.
Copyright (c) 2009 Yahoo!
Federer, Sharapova Advance To Second Round At French OpenParis, France (AHN) - Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova were among the big names that won first-round matches Monday at the French Open.
Federer tore through an overmatched Alberto Martin 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Federer lost the first two games, but quickly found his form overpowering Martin with his serve and forehand.
He will look to snap Rafael Nadal's quest for another French Open title, if R-Fed can dispatch some other foes along the way.
Sharapova shook off a tough first set, and a bandaged right shoulder, to topple Anastasiya Yakimova 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
While Sharapova was broken three times in the opening set, Yakimova had her own woes, calling for a trainer to deal with pain in her lower back.
Sharapova will face Nadia Petrova in the second round.
The Russian defeated Lauren Embree 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round.
(c) 2009 AHN
Tennis star Nalbandian to undergo hip surgery, out for monthsBUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Argentine tennis star David Nalbandian will undergo surgery next week on his right hip, which will rule him out for up to four months.
The operation means Nalbandian will miss Argentina's Davis Cup quarter-final in July, as well as the remaining Grand Slam tournaments: the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
The 19th-ranked Nalbandian was a Wimbledon finalist in 2002, and reached the French Open semifinals in 2004 and 2006. He played in last year's Davis Cup final loss to Spain and was expected to team with Juan Martin del Potro on Argentina's team against the Czech Republic.
Nalbandian's spokesman Bernardo Ballero told Argentina's Fox Sports on Friday that the operation would take place Wednesday in Barcelona. He said recovery time was expected to be three to four months.
"It's very sad to miss the Davis Cup, to lose the rest of the season," Bellero said. "It's a sad day for David."
Nalbandian lost 6-2, 6-2 on Monday to Paul Capdeville of Chile in the first round of the Estoril Open in Portugal. He suggested at the time that surgery seemed inevitable.
"This week he had several training session that were unsatisfactory for him, and he concluded the injury was not coming along as he wished," Bellero said.
Nalbandian's injury has been compared to one suffered by Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, who retired a year ago after surgery and chronic hip problems. Kuerten was ranked No. 1 and was a three-time winner of the French Open.
"He (Nalbandian) is very confident the recovery will be quick because the injury is much less severe that Guga's (Kuerten's) was," Ballero said.
Copyright (c) 2009 The Canadian Press
Tennis ace Federer sets up Djokovic clash
ROME (AFP) -- World number two Roger Federer set up a semi-final against reigning champion Novak Djokovic after beating German qualifier Mischa Zverev 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 at the ATP Rome Masters claycourt tournament on Friday.
The 13-time Grand Slam winner had to battle hard through the first set before eventually subduing the world number 76.
But Zverev impressed in the first set with an attacking and courageous serve and volley game that brought him much success.
"He was playing well I thought from the start. He served some good serves and that made it easy for him to hold in the beginning. It made it hard for me to get the break," said Federer.
"But I thought I served well myself and it was a pity I couldn't make the forehand on set point at 5-4.
"But then I played a great breaker and I played well after that so it was a perfect match for me. I was happy with my match."
Zverev competed with the Swiss blow for blow until the 10th game when Federer forced the first break points of the match.
But the former world number one missed his first break and set point when he sent a forehand passing shot into the tramlines and on his second opportunity, Zverev hit a volley winner.
The first set went to a tie break and although Federer lost the first point on serve he bounced back quickly and took a 4-2 lead with a mini-break of his own from a trademark backhand crosscourt pass.
He grew in confidence from there and sealed the tie-break 7-3 with a forehand pass as Zverev continued to crowd the net.
Having broken the German's resistance, Federer romped away with the second set, although Zverev saved two match points on his own serve at 1-5.
However, the Swiss master had no problems in serving out the match with a stop backhand volley, two forehand winners and then a service winner.
Although Federer has a 7-3 winning record against Djokovic, including victories in their only two previous encounters on clay at Monte Carlo in 2006 and 2008, he lost their most recent clash.
Djokovic came back from a set down to prevail 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the Miami Masters semi-finals earlier this year.
And Federer acknowledged he will have to improve on that performance if he is to beat the Serbian.
"We haven't had each other that much on clay. It seems like he's playing well again," said the 27-year-old.
"He came through very convincingly against good players so I expect a good match. I hope I can play better than in Miami."
With Djokovic the reigning champion here in Rome and world number one Rafael Nadal the undoubted king of clay, Federer could be forgiven for feeling like an outsider.
But the 14-time Masters Series titlist says the pressure is still firmly on him to perform.
"I think everywhere I go there is always pressure involved because I still think people expect me to go far and win tournaments and so forth," he added.
"So I feel the same way, as long as I know my game is up there I can win tournaments.
"I'll also always have pressure. Even though today I see it a bit differently than when I was breaking through as a junior.
"It's nicer now anyway because I'm always playing on centre court and I have a full stadium and that helps to play your best."
Copyright (c) 2009 AFP
Roger Federer: To Retire a Stud or a Dud
I write this article as a question posed to you the reader.
Would you as a Federer fan rather have Federer play into his 30's, thus assuming the risk that he will lose to younger, faster players in the first rounds of tournaments, or would you rather have Federer retire early and not allow those early first round losses pile up that eventually lead to retirement.
Let's make this fun.
Suppose that you the reader are a tennis god.
Now suppose that you are the tennis god assigned to Roger Federer and his career path is dictated by your choices.
Finally suppose that you, as a tennis god, have been instructed to only allow Federer three choices.
Those three choices are as follows.
First, Roger Federer plays until he is 30 and never wins another Slam. He is still competitive at 30 making it consistently to the quarterfinals of most major tournaments.
At the age of 30 after making it into the U.S. Open quarterfinals he would retire from competitive tennis to be a full-time father and husband. His legacy would be that of one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
The second choice would be that Federer plays until his mid 30's. This would have a different set of consequences. First Federer would never win another Slam. Second, after his 30th birthday Federer's level of play would fall drastically and now his survival after the first round or two of major tournaments would not be guaranteed.
His retirement would not be a widely renowned and his legacy would still be that of one of the greatest tennis players ever but the string of first round exits to close out his career would mean a little tarnishing on the legacy and with the emergence of Rafael Nadal people still question Federer's legacy.
The third and final choice would be the most difficult to bear. Roger Federer would go into the 2009 French Open as a huge underdog. He would then emerge victorious by beating Nadal in a five-set match that trumps last year's Wimbledon.
Not only will he complete the career Grand Slam but he will also hoist the French Open trophy as his 14th Slam thus tying Pete Sampras. It will go down as the greatest game ever played, regardless of sport. After the final, Federer will announce his retirement.
Oh my! What do you do?
As Federer fans, none of us want to see Federer ever leave the game of tennis.
My choice would be the final of the three.
For Federer to win a Roland Garros and then walk away from the game of tennis would be earth-shattering stuff. He would go down as the greatest sportsman ever, regardless of the sport.
However, that third choice would be difficult to swallow for the avid Federer fan. Most want to see him play forever and cannot envision a world without him. Allowing him his Roland Garros is fitting but at the expense of never seeing him pick up a racket again?
I assume most would also pick the final of the three choices, but I have to imagine that there are some who just flat out enjoy watching Federer smash forehands down the line and don't care if he never raises another trophy again.
Then I have to imagine that there are some who long for Federer to raise that 14th Slam trophy, and how fitting it would be if it was the Roland Garros trophy.
Oh the stories we would write.
Before long you would have thought Federer had solved world hunger and figured out how to have world peace.
The ball is now your court.
Choose wisely!
Copyright (c) 2009 Bleacher Report, Inc
What's to like about tennis
There are a few things not to like about tennis. Like you sweat a lot while playing during the summer.
But a sunny day at the Family Circle Cup offers 10 good reasons to take up or embrace the sport faster than you can say Barbora Zahlavova Strycova:
1. Rising stars
It's no accident Charleston gets a look at top players such as Maria Sharapova on their way up. Family Circle Cup Tournament Director Bob Moran carefully develops relationships with players and their parents throughout the year to sell an already popular event.
The residue is today's final pitting 18-year-old Caroline Wozniacki against 19-year-old Sabine Lisicki in a probable preview of coming Grand Slam attractions.
2. Chaz The Magician
Step right up! See the kids gathered around the resident trickster, who sometimes works with a rabbit.
It's hard to book a good animal act at a tennis tournament. But don't blame Chaz for making Venus Williams disappear.
3. Cupcakes, jambalaya
As if Chick-fil-A, North Towne gyros, Norm's Pizza and Barbara Jean's jambalaya were not enough, this Family Circle Cup offered the Great American Bake Sale, a Family Circle charity project to combat childhood hunger.
Hockey, too
4. Elena mania
One of the genuinely nicest people in sports also is one of the most talented. Top seed Elena Dementieva spent the week here ranked a career-high No. 3, but couldn't keep up with Wozniacki on Saturday.
5. Celeb boyfriends
Dementieva got support all week from Buffalo Sabres right wing Maxim Afinogenov, also a Moscow native.
6. Cool gear
You don't have to spend $400 in the Merchandise Tent to outfit yourself like Shuai Peng. But it's a high-end option. Or you can just buy a can of neon tennis balls and try to get autographs from WTA Tour and NHL stars.
7. Free gear
Happen by the fence outside the Champions Club at the right time and you might get to play trivia games.
Example: "What year did Arizona become a state?"
What does this have to do with tennis? Reportedly, there are many superb facilities with various playing surfaces located between Yuma and Flagstaff.
8. Green clay.
The best part is: You can play on these same Family Circle Tennis Center courts through programs, leagues and lesson plans offered at one of the finest tennis complexes in the country.
Virtual ghost town
9. The ESPN2 crew
Few sports offer such knowledge, class and teamwork in a single telecasting trio than Cliff Drysdale, Mary Joe Fernandez and Pam Shriver. It's annually fun to hear Drysdale go on about "the Charleston experience."
During Saturday's semifinal, Fernandez shared her tour of Charleston fun with the nation.
"I was surprised to learn Charleston is the third-most haunted city in the United States," Fernandez said, "behind Salem and New Orleans."
Yes, and those places don't have WTA Tour stops or Chaz The Magician.
10. Fitness
Notice? Most tennis participants and fans are in outstanding shape. You, too, can have a "tennis body" soon.
Sooner if you hustle as much as Wozniacki, lay off the baked goods and play a lot during the summer.
Copyright (c) 1995 - 2009 Evening Post Publishing Co
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