Roger Federer needed 16 games in the fifth and deciding set to win his 15th major tournament. Such a poetically appropriate detail helps explain how a legendary athlete became even more of an icon on Sunday evening at Wimbledon, and yet, in the aftermath of another classic gentlemen’s singles final at the Big W, that [...]
For the past two years and three of the last four, Centre Court was Venus Williams‘s personal summer cottage. Now, another member of the Williams household has claimed ownership of the most famous place in tennis. Serena Williams had not won a ladies’ singles championship at the All-England Club since 2003, but this little sister now [...]
As Roger Federer and Andy Roddick meet once again at Wimbledon, two paths that meandered in such distinctly different directions have suddenly converged to create a rather remarkable backdrop to this year’s gentlemen’s singles final. When these familiar foes face each other on Sunday at Centre Court, they’ll find it impossible to ignore the match [...]
The history books will note that Serena Williams won Thursday’s sensational Wimbledon semifinal against Elena Dementieva. When glimpsed from a higher vantage point, however, this ladies’ singles spectacular formed a mountaintop moment that will be shared by both performers, and an audience lucky enough to watch it. Yes, Serena claimed this classic confrontation, 6-7 (4), [...]
Laboring for two and a half hours on a sweltering summer day in England, Safina played a reasonable standard game.
The not-so-secret key to tennis success lies not in one’s shots, but in the footwork needed to set them up. Juan Martin del Potro might know how to move his feet on hard courts and clay courts, but on a Thursday afternoon at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the South American found [...]
If some people on the planet still couldn’t appreciate the amazing nature of Roger Federer’s streak of 20 straight Grand Slam singles semifinals, those foggy-minded folks might finally see the light after the third day of play at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. In a development that won’t grab headlines in the London tabloids, three of [...]
In her comeback from a shoulder injury, Maria Sharapova has walked a tightrope, fighting hard to win matches without the form and fitness produced by the regular rhythms of competition. On Wednesday at Wimbledon, the three-time Grand Slam champion lost her balance. Unable to overcome a spate of untimely errors, Sharapova dropped her second-round match [...]
When Roger Federer won his fourteenth Grand Slam singles title a few weeks ago in Paris, the number one storyline for the 2009 Wimbledon Championships became etched in stone. But as the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament gets set to start in suburban London, the gentlemen’s singles competition now owns a second supreme theme: Life’s [...]
For women with a last name of Williams, the official release of the Wimbledon singles draws on Friday morning provided a pleasing path to tennis riches. After years of being placed on the same side of the draw, Venus and Serena stand on opposite sides of the bracket at the Big W. If you loved [...]
