Rafa Nadal found himself with his back against the wall again on Saturday as Andy Murray and Robin Soderling continued to be the tournament’s most impressive players.

Venus Williams rolled and Vera Zvonareva crushed number 15, Yanina Wckmayer, but all eyes were focused on Belgian’s two former number ones who are now ready to clash in Monday’s Round of Sixteen.

In anticipation of today’s play, analysts first thought Isner-Mahut might end quickly. At 66-66, they though the match might not end at all. When the last ball was struck, there was a surreal atmosphere that overcame the All England Club.

Former number ones Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin joined second seed Venus Williams in the third round on Wednesday.

Federer, Djokovic and Davydenko escaped five set thrillers in an unforgettable Day One at Wimbledon 2010.

While the women’s draw is unbalanced, the Gentlemen’s Draw at Wimbledon is sensible but filled with predictable landmines for the eventual winner.

In Melbourne, one of the most dominant signs read Just In Time, a tribute to Justine Henin’s return to the tour. The popular 5’ 5 1/2” Belgian dynamo returned to the tour after a nearly an 18 month leave of absence and immediately stormed to the forefront. In her very first event, the unseeded Henin put away Nadia Petrova, the two seed, in the first round at Brisbane and then marched to the finals. She succumbed to Kim Clijsters, another Belgian comeback player, in the finals but clearly staked her claim to the elite level of women’s tennis.

Elena Dementieva has had to endure the label so many tennis players and golfers dread: the best player never to win a major. Spain’s Sergio Garcia is widely regarded as the male golfer who ought to have won a prestigious championship by now, but hasn’t. In men’s tennis, Andy Murray and Nikolay Davydenko are battling for that double-edged distinction, which carries with it both a compliment and a deficiency.

Just when it appeared Venus Williams had lost her early momentum, the five-time Wimbledon Champion once again showed the mettle that has made her such a force on the WTA tour. 20-year old challenger Victoria Azarenka left no doubt that her day is on the horizon, but her big breakthrough will have to come another [...]

Margaret Smith Court won more Grand Slam singles titles than Martina Navratilova. So did Steffi Graf. Chris Evert won just as many Major singles championships as her good friend managed to do. If you wanted to say that Navratilova is not the greatest singles player in the history of women’s tennis, you could make a [...]