mauiguy90

What a shocking defeat by Fed against the Frenchman Simon! I thought he had it all wrapped up when he broke early in the 3rd set but he kept giving away points, especially in the final game. Maybe Fed will lose his #1 position very soon!

Becker: Nadal is the New King

Boris Becker says the newest king of tennis was crowned at Wimbledon as Rafael Nadal ended the glory run of Roger Federer.

Germany's own tennis icon said that after watching the pair play possibly the greatest Wimbledon final ever a fortnight ago, he thinks the guard at the top has been changed – even if the rankings continue to show Federer as number one.

"Obviously in the world rankings, there is still a number one called Federer," said the 40-year-old Becker on Monday prior to his induction into a local Canadian Hall of fame at the Toronto Masters.

"But if you talk to anybody in the world of tennis, the number one is the winner of French Open and Wimbledon.

"I think there's a change in position at the moment," he said of his opinion that Nadal must now be considered the best player in the world ahead of the Swiss.

"The winner is known now so you have to give credit."

Becker said that Nadal's fast rise is due to his own improvement, not a fall in Federer's lethal form.

"Nadal has just improved to a level that nobody expected him to play," Becker said.

"We all knew that he's great on clay, but nobody expected him to play that well on grass."

And Becker thinks it bodes well this summer on hard courts for the Spaniard.

"Even now on the hard courts, he's going to have big improvements. It's because of the serve. He has a much better serve and much better positioning on the court on a hard surface. That's the reason why he's at the position right now."

Becker said that Federer "is playing as good as always. He didn't drop a set at Wimbledon into the finals.

"You cannot really blame him for playing badly," Becker said.

"You can only give credit of Nadal really raising his game to another level and winning."

Darkest Hour for Federer

After his epic five-set battle, Roger Federer was due in the press interview room at 9.55pm, with the newly minted champion Rafael Nadal next up at 10.20pm. Perhaps to make sure that he would only have to do the 10-minute minimum as the world waited for him to dissect his defeat, the beaten finalist eventually appeared, red-eyed and disconsolate, at 10.10pm on the dot. What followed was as much of a roller-coaster as the match itself.

"I thought we both played well," he said, before beginning a litany of lethargically raised eyebrows and shrugged shoulders. "The rain didn’t help me that much – I didn’t win the match, did I? I was struggling with the wind a little bit and the light was tough but that was not an excuse. This is probably the hardest loss of my career so far."

Once the conference moved into French, Federer suddenly became decidedly more blunt and to the point. "I couldn’t see who I was playing against by the end," he said with another shrug which he used as punctuation to make it quite clear that he had no intention of giving a more detailed answer.

When asked whether it was a consolation that it was a great player like Nadal who had put an end to his 65-match winning streak, Federer’s humour became even darker. "No. Zero consolation. I didn’t learn anything new from today – certainly not about how to play him on grass. This really hurts… Losing Paris for me was nothing, losing here is a disaster." No more, no less.

The straw that broke the camel’s back came when he was quizzed about the vast haul of points he will have to defend in the coming tournaments – far more than Nadal – if he is to remain number one in the rankings. "Write what you want," he glowered after a sigh, a pause and a shrug. "I’m going to try to win at the Olympics and the US Open and have a good end to the season. That’s it."

Though the Swiss German media tried to perk his spirits up by asking him whether he would take some holidays prior to beginning the second half of the hard-court season, there was no consoling Roger. The bigger they come, the harder they fall, and there had been none bigger than Federer here at Wimbledon.

Defeat Plunges Federer Into Gloom

Roger Federer described his Wimbledon final defeat by Rafael Nadal as the most painful loss of his career, but vowed that he is not about to give up his world number one status to his great rival.

"It is probably my hardest loss by far, there is not much harder than this right now," the despondent Swiss star admitted after losing one of the greatest Grand Slam finals 9-7 in the fifth set after four hours and 48 minutes of extraordinary drama on the All England club's Centre Court.

Having been part of a final that will rank alongside the great Bjorn Borg–John McEnroe classic of 1980 provided little in the way of solace for Federer, who was denied the opportunity to surpass Borg's run of five consecutive titles.

"It is always nice to be part of great matches. Later on in life I will look back on it as a great match but right now there is not much of a feel-good factor or anything positive about it," he said ruefully.

Federer, 26, was gracious in his praise for the performance of Nadal, who had threatened to repeat his straight sets win in last month's French Open final after claiming the first two sets here.

But his bitterness at losing his Wimbledon crown was reflected in a gripe about the fact that the match, which was twice interrupted for rain, was finished in rapidly fading light.

"I almost could not see who I was playing at the end, it was not funny," Federer said, revealing that he would have asked for play to be suspended for the night if he had broken back to level the match at 8-8 in the final set.

"It would have been brutal for the fans, for the media and for us to come back tomorrow but it is also tough on me to lose the biggest tournament in the world because of a loss of light."

Federer could console himself with the fact that he played, in patches at least, as well as he had done in any of the five previous finals here.

But the relentless quality of Nadal's resistance was underlined by the fact that the world number one was able to convert just one of the 13 breakpoints he generated over the course of the five sets, and was hustled into a total of 52 unforced errors, almost twice his opponent's tally.

"I thought I played well overall but I missed too many chances in the first couple of sets," he confessed. "I was struggling with the wind a little bit.

"On some of the break points Rafa played great, on others I played poorly. I should have decided much more what I really wanted to do but Rafa keeps you thinking and that is what great players do.

"I was not able to break him in last three sets but I pushed him right to the end."

Despite Nadal's triumphs here and at Roland Garros, Federer will remain world number one for now – and he did not take kindly to a suggestion that he should be preparing to hand that position over to his Spanish rival.

"You write what you want," he snapped. "I'm going to try and win the Olympics and the US Open and then we can talk again."

Federer did not let his reign at Wimbledon end without an almighty scrap.

After holding his nerve to win a third set tie-break, he then saved two match points at the end of the fourth and, for much of the fifth he looked the more likely winner.

"It was a great feeling to turn it around in the fourth set tiebreak and to push it to the fifth set was awesome," he said. "I really thought that with the momentum and having won in five sets last year that I was going to do it again.

"I saw he was getting very nervous in the fourth set tiebreak. He could not make the returns he usually does. I really felt he was feeling it and the momentum was with me."

Nadal Dethrones Federer in 5 Set Thriller

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—With darkness enveloping Centre Court and the clock showing 9:15 p.m., Rafael Nadal watched as Roger Federer’s errant forehand settled into the net, ending what might have been the greatest men’s final on the greatest stage in tennis.

With that, Nadal flopped onto his back on the worn-out lawn as champion of Wimbledon for the first time and conqueror of the five-time winner and grass-court master.

After five riveting sets and 4 hours, 48 minutes of play, there was a changing of the guard at Wimbledon on Sunday when Nadal held off Federer’s stirring comeback to win 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7.

“It’s impossible to explain what I felt in that moment,” Nadal said after receiving the winner’s trophy from the Duke of Kent. “Just very, very happy to win this title. For me, (it) is a dream to play in this tournament. But to win, I never imagined something like this.”

Nadal, winner of four straight French Open championships, is no longer just the King of Clay.

He’s the first Spanish man to win at the All England Club since Manolo Santana in 1966 and, more significantly, the first player to sweep the French Open and Wimbledon men’s titles in the same year since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

Federer, who converted only one of 13 break points but saved two match points in the fourth set tiebreaker, fell short in his bid to set two landmarks: He failed to surpass Borg by winning a sixth consecutive title or equal Willie Renshaw’s record of six in a row from 1881-86.

Both Borg and Santana were in the Royal Box for the occasion, the longest singles final in Wimbledon history and one that many rated as an epic for the ages.

“This is the greatest match I’ve ever seen,” said John McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champion and a television commentator at the tournament.

Nadal, who snapped Federer’s Wimbledon winning streak at 40 matches and overall grass-court run at 65, climbed into the players’ guest box to embrace his entourage. He grabbed a Spanish flag and walked across the television commentators’ booth to the edge of the Royal Box to shake hands with Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain.

Was this Nadal’s greatest match?

“Probably the best, yes,” said the 22-year-old Spaniard from Mallorca. “When I won for the first time the French Open (it) was unbelievable, too. I don’t want to compare Grand Slams, but Wimbledon is special for everybody. Tradition, everything. For me, it’s more surprise to win here than the French.”

As for Federer, he called it “probably my hardest loss, by far.”

Federer said he thought the match, which started late due to rain and was interrupted twice by showers, should have been suspended and carried over to Monday because of the fading light.

“It’s rough on me now, obviously, to lose the biggest tournament in the world over maybe a bit of light,” he said.

Nadal, too, wasn’t sure the match could go on any longer.

“In the last game, I didn’t see nothing, it’s true,” he said. “It was unbelievable. I thought we have to stop. If I lose that game, we have to stop.”

Nadal won his fifth Grand Slam title, adding to his four consecutive French Open championships. Federer, meanwhile, remains two shy of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam wins.

“He’s still No. 1,” Nadal said. “He’s still the best. He’s still five-time champion here and I only have one, so for me it is very, very important.”

Nadal, who has won 24 straight matches, extended his career record against Federer to 12-6, but it was only his third win in six against him on a surface other than clay. Nadal had lost in the last two Wimbledon finals to Federer.

Sunday’s victory was Nadal’s second straight over Federer in a Grand Slam final—and this time on the champion’s favorite court and surface. Nadal crushed Federer in last month’s French Open final, losing only four games.

As Nadal and Federer battled through the fifth set in the fading light, they were like two heavyweight prize fighters going toe-to-toe in the late rounds of a title fight. The overall intensity and quality of the match recalled the 1980 final between Borg and McEnroe, which the Swede won in the fifth set after losing an 18-16 tiebreaker.

Federer had mixed feelings about being part of a classic.

“It’s sort of always nice to be part of them,” he said. “Probably later in life, I’ll go, ‘That was a great match.’ But right now, it’s not much of a feel-good thing. It’s not up to us to judge if it was the best ever.”

Federer lost despite serving 25 aces and smacking 89 winners, 29 more than Nadal. But he was more erratic than his opponent, committing 52 unforced errors, compared to 27 for Nadal.

Federer came close to becoming the first player to overcome a two-set deficit in a Wimbledon men’s final since 1927, when Henri Cochet beat Jean Borotra.

The fourth-set tiebreaker featured brilliant winners by both players, sudden changes of momentum—and two missed match points for Nadal.

The Spaniard was serving at 5-2 in the tiebreaker, two points from victory, when he let Federer off the hook with a double-fault and a backhand error. After saving a set point at 6-5, Nadal earned match points at 7-6 and 8-7 but couldn’t convert. Federer erased the first with a 127 mph service winner and the second with a backhand pass down the line.

“I was hoping with the momentum going into the fifth set, that it was going to be enough, that I would play a little bit better,” Federer said. “But I couldn’t play my best when I really had to.”

Probably going to be Nadal's year. Just a few advantages here and there is all it takes at this level.... the main one being Federer's Nadal complex.

Although Nadal may pull this one out, I'm inclined to think that Fed will maintain the #1 position till the end of the year. He is too consistent especially in the major tournaments (18 straight semis in majors) to lose his points lead. Djokovic is still more show than action; Nadal is not a great hard court player.

On the other hand, although Federer apparently thinks he can play forever, it won't be at the top of the pack. I do think next year someone else will edge him out for #1. If he drops below #2, he will lose his seeding advantage and may take a shocking drop in his ranking.

I actually thought Nadal would win in 3-4 sets, not a 5 setter. Watching it yesterday, I really thought Fed might have pulled it out in the end. Oh well. All good things must come to an end.

Still hoping for another good year or two out of Federer. Two things he has going for him (or rather against Nadal) -at least as of now- is that there are actually more players that have a 'chance' of taking out Nadal in any particular non-clay match than there are that can have the same chance of taking out Federer. Also, Nadal is way too strapped up health wise for a 22 year old pro. Even odds that he won't even make it to 26 as a top 10 pro, like Fed has.

Great final! I thought at the end of the 2nd set, Federer was finished but then Nadal fell, it rained and two tiebreakers later, it was all square. I'm sure a lot of people thought that Nadal was done then as well but he is a great fighter. Just an outstanding match that really had no losers, especially all of us that were lucky enough to watch!

Thailand has new budding champion

Noppawan loses final at Wimbledon

Thai junior tennis player Noppawan Lertcheewakarn failed to win the final of the girls’ singles at Wimbledon in England late last night.

Noppawan, 16, lost to Briton Laura Robson, 14, 3-6, 6-3, 1-6. It was a fine showing for the Chiang Mai girl who is known as ‘‘Nok’’. In the first set Robson needed just one break of serve to take the set. Despite having a much slower serve, Noppawan held serve throughout the second set, breaking Robson at 2-all and again at 5-2 to send the match into a final deciding set.

Using her big serve and forehand and with the partisan crowd behind her, Robson blitzed the Thai in the final set for a well-deserved victory.

‘‘Tammy [Tanasugarn] gave me some tactics playing on grass. I really want to win a trophy and be in the Champions’ Ball with Federer,’’ Noppawan had reportedly said before the match.

Wimbledon marks a stellar rise for the young Thai who won her first senior event, on the Challenger’s Tour in Indonesia, in May. She is currently the top ranked junior girl with the Asian Tennis Federation and 4th ranked in the world.

From starting to play tennis as a fiveyear-old, her first big opportunity came when she was discovered by Ric Fowler, an American living in Chiang Mai.

Mr Fowler created a non-profit foundation (www.ricofoundation.org) that among other objectives was to provide long-term funding for a youth tennis programme.

He spotted her playing tennis on the hospital courts where her mother worked as a nurse and after observing her rapid progress, he contacted a coach from Germany and the foundation began sponsoring Noppawan to train seriously and travel abroad. She is now sponsored by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand and is coached by Rung-rit Takong.

Probably going to be Nadal's year. Just a few advantages here and there is all it takes at this level.... the main one being Federer's Nadal complex.

Although Nadal may pull this one out, I'm inclined to think that Fed will maintain the #1 position till the end of the year. He is too consistent especially in the major tournaments (18 straight semis in majors) to lose his points lead. Djokovic is still more show than action; Nadal is not a great hard court player.

On the other hand, although Federer apparently thinks he can play forever, it won't be at the top of the pack. I do think next year someone else will edge him out for #1. If he drops below #2, he will lose his seeding advantage and may take a shocking drop in his ranking.

Finalists Federer and Nadal Know Each Other Well

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—After moving within a victory of his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title, Roger Federer found time to catch only a few games of Rafael Nadal's semifinal.

Federer does have a DVD of Nadal's match, but he wasn't exactly rushing to use it for scouting purposes before they meet for the Wimbledon championship Sunday.

"I know plenty already," Federer said. "I'll watch more if I think I have to, but at the moment, I think I know everything that I need to."

He certainly should. After all, Sunday's encounter will be the sixth Grand Slam title match between the No. 1-ranked Federer and No. 2 Nadal, more than for any other pair of men in the 40-year Open era.

"I think it's quite incredible, myself," Federer said, "that we've played each other so many times on so many big occasions."

While he isn't exactly sure where their rivalry stands in tennis annals, when discussing it Saturday, Federer did toss around names such as Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Lendl, Becker, Edberg, Agassi and Sampras.

"I don't know how it will be looked at in many years' time, because at the moment, you are right in it, and you try to win the matches that come along against your main rival. It's hard," Federer said. "I know it's something special what we're going through at the moment."

They met in the past three French Open finals, with Nadal winning each time.

And now they will meet in their third consecutive Wimbledon final, with Federer holding a 2-0 edge, part of his record-tying streak of five titles in a row at the All England Club.

Some significant milestones are at stake Sunday.

Federer, who tied Bjorn Borg's modern mark of five Wimbledon titles last year, is trying to become the first man since the 1880s to win six consecutive Wimbledon championships. When Willie Renshaw collected six successive titles from 1881-86, though, he had to play only one match during each of his defenses because the reigning champion was given a bye to the final then.

Nadal, for his part, is aiming to become the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.

"Both Federer and Nadal are hungry. Nadal for the last two years has lost in the final and I know he wants to win this one very badly. Roger wants to win it six in a row, but he is not satisfied. He wants to win more Wimbledons, more grand slams," Borg said. "They push each other, each time they play … to the limits."

Nadal leads the head-to-head series 11-6, though away from clay, Federer leads 5-2. It will be the 14th Federer-Nadal matchup in a tournament final, putting the pair fourth in Open era history, behind only Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe (20); Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras (16); Boris Becker vs. Stefan Edberg (16); and Jimmy Connors vs. McEnroe (15).

Given that Federer is only 26 years old, and Nadal 22, they could be adding to their total for some time.

Consider, also, just how much better Federer and Nadal have been than their contemporaries. Federer is in his record 231st straight week atop the rankings, while Nadal is in his record 154th straight week right behind him.

"Sure, it is a nice rivalry because we are No. 1 and No. 2. That's the main rivalry because if someone is No. 1 and the other one is No. 5 doesn't matter, no?" Nadal said. "But for the last years we did well, and I hope (it continues) like this for a lot of years."

They might not be the best of pals, but they do have a good relationship. Last year, when Nadal was having trouble arranging a commercial flight from a tournament in Montreal to another in Ohio, Federer gave him a lift on a private jet.

When they run into each other in the locker room, they'll chat, often about soccer. Nadal once asked Federer, years ago, to play doubles with him, although it hasn't happened.

And there clearly is mutual respect.

Both speak in glowing terms about the other's game, even if Federer is not a huge fan of how much time Nadal takes between points.

Said Federer about Nadal: "He's definitely made me more tough."

Said Nadal about Federer: "He plays specially, very nice all the time, very easy. Sometimes you (get distracted) watching his game."

In the 2006 Wimbledon final, Federer beat Nadal in four sets. Last year, they went five sets, and Nadal came close to breaking through, earning four break points in the fifth set—two apiece at 1-1 and 2-2—but failing to convert any.

If Nadal appears to be getting closer to Federer on grass, the gap seems to be widening on clay. In last month's French Open final, Nadal dropped only four games while handing Federer his worst loss in a Grand Slam match.

"Beating me or beating Rafa in a Grand Slam final, you can really say the guy deserved to win," Federer said. "Beating your main rival is always a big thrill."

Roger and Rafa: Take Three

It is the final that most people wanted and almost everyone expected. On Sunday afternoon, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will fight it out for supremacy in SW19 for the third consecutive year.

Neither player had been overly stretched in the tournament so far, Nadal dropping just one set (to Ernests Gulbis in the second round) and Federer brandishing an unblemished record. Both cruised through their semi-finals against unseeded opposition.

On paper, Federer was facing the tougher task in the form of a resurgent Marat Safin, but the two-time Grand Slam winner made a slow start, losing his opening service game and swishing his first racquet in frustration at 4-1 down. Federer then seemed to slip into stand-by mode, content to hold serve – which was enough to secure the first set and get him through to a second set tie-break, duly dominated. The third set also went with serve until the 12th game, when the energy-conserving five-time champion upped the ante to break and win the match 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.

Nadal’s match was similarly low-key, at least as far as the No. 2 seed was concerned. Schuettler was slow out of the blocks and when Nadal took the first set 6-1, a rout looked on the cards.

The German played out of his skin in the second, however, breaking and then holding serve with grim determination. He took it as far as 5-4, but the world No. 94 could not serve out for the set. The ensuing tie-break was dominated by the Spaniard, who went on to break Schuettler’s second service game of the third set. Though the German had the consolation of saving three match points on his own serve at 5-3, Nadal served out to win by a scoreline – 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 – that bore a remarkable resemblance to Federer’s.

In a men’s doubles semi-final carried over from Thursday, No. 2 seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic made it to their second consecutive Grand Slam final by overcoming No. 9 seeds Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes 8-6 in the final set. They face No. 8 seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Kevin Ullyett, who ousted the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, a day earlier.

The doubles specialist-brothers will, however, contest the mixed doubles final – obviously on opposite sides of the net. Bob and Samantha Stosur defeated defending champion Jamie Murray and Liezel Huber, while Mike and Katarina Srebotnik beat Igor Andreev and Maria Kirilenko.

Another sibling pair – the Williams sisters – took the penultimate step towards a clean sweep of the ladies’ silverware by winning through to the doubles finals, defeating Nathalie Dechy and Casey Dellacqua in straight sets. They will face Sam Stosur and Lisa Raymond on Saturday evening – by which time one of the sisters will already have hoisted the Venus Rosewater Dish aloft.

One more time Fed vs. Nadal

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Add up all of Roger Federer’s greatness on grass courts, and the numbers are striking: 40 wins in a row at Wimbledon, 65 overall on the surface.

Now he seeks an additional victory, a victory that would make him the first man since the 1880s to win six consecutive Wimbledon titles, a victory that would give him a 13th Grand Slam championship, one shy of Pete Sampras’ career record.

And a victory that would have to come against his only real rival in today’s game, Rafael Nadal.

No. 1 Federer and No. 2 Nadal set up their third straight showdown in the Wimbledon final, and sixth meeting in a major title match, by handily beating unseeded opponents Friday. Federer eliminated Marat Safin 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the first semifinal, and Nadal defeated Rainer Schuettler 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

“There’s one more left,” Federer said. “I don’t think it matters really a lot if I’m the favorite or not. I’m on an incredible winning streak on grass. First somebody has to be able to break that before we start talking differently.”

He reached his 16th Grand Slam final, tying him with Bjorn Borg for fourth most in history. Borg was the last man to win Wimbledon five years in a row. The only man with six successive titles was Willie Renshaw from 1881-86, but he merely needed to win one match in each of his five title defenses because back then the reigning champion got a bye directly into the final.

“A little different,” Federer noted.

On the other hand, the ease with which Federer dominates the All England Club these days sort of makes it seem as though he’s getting a pass to the second Sunday. For the second time in three years, he’s reached the final without losing a set.

“He didn’t even give me a chance,” said Safin, a former No. 1 with two major titles.

Federer walked out in his custom-designed cream cardigan, the one with the gold “RF” on the chest. Safin, in contrast, looked as though he might have just rolled out of bed, emerging from the locker room with his T-shirt wrinkled, his sneakers untied, his hair mussed. During the third set, a woman in the crowd yelled, “Come on, Safin, wake up!”

Federer did plenty well, but he served impeccably.

He smacked 14 aces, took 70 of 90 points in his service games and faced only two break points. Both came with Safin leading 2-1 in the second set, and Federer erased them in similar fashion: a second serve delivered right at Safin’s body, setting up short returns that led to forehand winners.

Federer’s return game was working, too, and he broke Safin in the match’s second game and its last one. Asked if it was easy out there, Federer said, “Easy in terms of being able to control a really dangerous player who’s got the potential to upset anyone—in this aspect, yes.”

One example: Safin beat No. 3 Novak Djokovic last week. It was Djokovic who ended Federer’s record run of reaching 10 consecutive major finals by stopping him at this year’s Australian Open, then wondered aloud before Wimbledon whether the Swiss star was slipping. Djokovic thought Federer’s 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 loss to Nadal in last month’s French Open final—his worst loss in 179 career Grand Slam matches—might have left him “a little bit shaken.”

Federer has scoffed at such suggestions and did so again Friday.

“For me, anyway, that final is out of the picture. I hardly remember anything of it. It went so quickly,” he said, without a trace of irony. “Yeah, for me it’s not really that big of a problem.”

He also alluded to the fact that while he is only 6-11 against Nadal—0-3 in French Open finals—over their careers, Federer does lead 5-2 in matches played on surfaces other than clay. That includes victories in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals, the latter a taut, five-set thriller.

That is why, Nadal acknowledged, “I believe I can win, but I also know he’s the favorite.”

Like Federer, Nadal faced only two break points Friday, and while the Spaniard did get broken once, he never was in true trouble. Thanks to that break, the 94th-ranked Schuettler went ahead 2-1 in the second set, then served for it at 5-4.

But Nadal broke the 2003 Australian Open runner-up there to pull even, and that was pretty much that. The only thing that really bothered Nadal on this day was the condition of his shoes, which he said were worn out from too much running around on the bare earth where the grass has disappeared near the Centre Court baselines. A member of Nadal’s entourage tossed a fresh pair onto the court from the stands, and Nadal was back to his usual perpetual motion.

Afterward, Nadal spoke of how a Wimbledon championship would change his career. He’ll try again, just as he did each of the past two years, to beat Federer to become the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.

“It doesn’t matter at any tournament who you beat. It matters that you get to take the trophy home,” Nadal said. “But beating Federer would be special.”

Borg showed up at the All England Club in 2007, and watched Federer match his modern mark of five consecutive titles. Borg returned this year and sat in the second row of the Royal Box on Friday, rising to clap when Federer finished off Safin to close in on breaking that tie.

“He is still hungry to win. He is still the No. 1 player in the world, and he wants to win more Grand Slam tournaments. He still has motivation to win. I think he will play many more years to come,” said Borg, who walked away from the game in his 20s. “Sooner or later someone will beat him here at Wimbledon on Centre Court, but that might not happen this year.”

I went to look at the Soi Klang Racquet Club and it is a very good facility. Met w/Leatheryjowls today at a restaurant close to the club and discussed membership. Even though the facilities are not spanking new, they are in very good shape. If you have been looking for a place to play tennis, badminton and racketball/squash, this is the place for you. I am meeting Leatheryjowls again on Monday at lunch to finalize membership, so if you are interested, show up or contact him. He still needs a couple more people to join.

PS Just a last note, if you do become a member, they do have tuk tuk pickups at Sukhumvit 35 next to BTS Phrom Phong, appx. 15 minutes after the hour (10:15, 11:15, etc.).

Federer, Nadal Close to Wimbledon Final Showdown

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Roger Federer is back to his old self on the Wimbledon grass, and Rafael Nadal is moving ever closer to a new level of success at the All England Club.

The top two players in men’s tennis are on course to meet in their third straight Wimbledon final, but both have to get through the semifinals first.

“I don’t want to think about the final,” said Nadal, who lost to Federer in the last two Wimbledon finals but stretched the five-time defending champion to five sets last year. “Not yet.”

Both players dominated their quarterfinal opponents, with neither facing a break point in straight-set wins. Federer hasn’t been broken once through five matches at this year’s tournament.

“I feel so comfortable on this Centre Court that my confidence level is obviously very high,” Federer said after beating Mario Ancic to set up a semifinal match against two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin.

Federer’s comfort in Wimbledon has been obvious. Despite struggling at the start of the season with mononucleosis and coming into the third major of the year with only two titles, the 12-time Grand Slam champion has stretched his grass-court winning streak to 64 matches and his Wimbledon streak to 39.

“Very confident,” added Federer, who has reached the semifinals for the 17th consecutive time at a Grand Slam event.

“It’s something fantastic, no doubt. Because I know the streak before that was way lower,” Federer said of Ivan Lendl’s previous record of 10 straight major semifinal appearances. “Getting so far in every Grand Slam I’ve played for so many times in a row, it’s something that means a lot to me.”

Nadal isn’t exactly shaking at the prospect of facing Federer again, however. Last year, he wasted four break points in the fifth set, coming as close as anyone to beating Federer at the All England Club for the first time since 2002.

“Only one more point and probably I have the trophy in my home,” said Nadal, a four-time French Open champion who beat Federer in the last three finals at Roland Garros. “I don’t know if this year I’m going to have more chances (to) win the title, because last year I played the final and this year I am in semifinals only.”

In Friday’s semis, Nadal will face Rainer Schuettler, who beat Arnaud Clement 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (7), 8-6 in a match that started Wednesday but was suspended because of darkness at one set apiece. They split the next two sets Thursday, and Clement had a match point on Schuettler’s serve at 5-4, but the German hit a forehand winner before holding and eventually setting up the match against Nadal.

“Obviously a tough one,” Schuettler said of his semifinal match. “He plays unbelievable.”

In the quarterfinals, Nadal had a relatively easy win over Andy Murray, and he said it might have been his best performance at Wimbledon.

“The second half of the first and the second set especially probably was my best match here,” said Nadal, who is again trying to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.

“I have to play very well if I want to win this tournament,” Nadal added. “I am playing well, but I don’t know if is enough. I hope.”

Federer has a more difficult semifinal opponent in Safin, who has put away his distaste for grass to become the first Russian man to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon in the 40-year history of the Open era.

“He’s beaten me on big occasions in the past, so I will not underestimate him, especially not in the semifinals of a Slam,” Federer said Thursday. “I have to be very careful tomorrow.”

At the 2005 Australian Open, Safin beat Federer in the semifinals on the way to winning his second Grand Slam title.

“Once he’s on a roll, he’s quite unstoppable,” Federer said.

Safin, however, is 2-8 against Federer and doesn’t think he has much of a chance against someone trying to become the first man since Willie Renshaw in 1886 to win Wimbledon six years in a row.

“I’m playing semifinals, but that doesn’t mean that I have a chance there, because the guy has won how many times already here?” Safin said. “To beat Federer you need to be Nadal and run around like a rabbit and hit winners from all over the place. … It’s just a little bit too difficult.”

Federer Eyes Wimbledon 2018

Among Roger Federer's many attributes, one of the more subtle and less frequently mentioned is the almost total lack of false modesty. Somehow, the Swiss superstar manages to mix genuine self-effacement with a supreme self-confidence that never quite tips into distasteful arrogance.

With 12 Grand Slam titles to his name, including five Wimbledon crowns on the trot, Federer has an ego, to be sure. But vainglorious he is not.

And so when the 26-year-old says in a matter-of-fact way he believes he could keep winning Wimbledon for some time to come, people listen — whatever the talk that he is past his peak.

"I'll have a chance to win this tournament for the next five or 10 years, you know," he said after defeating Croatia's Mario Ancic in straight sets in their quarter-final. "I think my game's made for grass. There will always be tough opponents, dangerous opponents. That has been the case for the last few years as well but I always found a way to win always.

"If it doesn't happen [this year], I'll try to win the next one again."

If that's a daunting proposition for his current crop of rivals, it also serves notice to the next generation — some of whom are possibly battling it out in the boys' event at SW19 this week.

In defeating Ancic, the man who famously dished out Federer's last Wimbledon loss, in the first round in 2002, Federer has now reached 18 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals, stretching back to Wimbledon, 2004. It's just one of his many gently percolating records, but he's not done yet.

"I think I played smart today. I served really the right way against him, because he's a dangerous player, and he tends to take net away. I've had some better draws, some tougher draws over the years here at Wimbledon.

"I was able to come through, you know, all of them the last five years, so I'm happy that this time it's worked out again as good. I really feel like I'm playing as good as the last few years.

"I feel so comfortable here on this Centre Court that my confidence level is obviously very high."

It will need to be in Friday's semi-finals, against an opponent he certainly won't take lightly: Resurgent 28-year-old Russian, Marat Safin.

"I've never looked at Marat as if he's like No.75 in the world. I mean, that's ridiculous," Federer said. "He knows that himself. He's finally showing again what he can do. It's just quite surprising he does it here at Wimbledon in some ways, because he used to dislike playing on this surface.

"It should be interesting, because last year I wasn't happy to see Safin in my draw. I'm never happy. He probably knows that. Hopefully he's got a second thing going here in his career. I'm looking forward to playing him in case he wins this."

When you're Roger Federer, you can afford to be magnanimous. After all, if you don't win it this year, you'll have plenty of other chances, right?

Federer Routs Ancic, Meets Safin in Semis

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Lest anyone forget that Roger Federer has, indeed, lost at Wimbledon, the BBC filled time during a rain delay Wednesday by rolling tape of his 2002 first-round exit against Mario Ancic.

That, of course, was the last time Federer stepped on a court at the All England Club—or anywhere on grass, for that matter—and walked away without winning.

Once Wednesday’s weather cleared up, Federer faced off against Ancic on Centre Court once more, only this time they were playing in the 2008 quarterfinals, and it was no contest whatsoever. The top-ranked Federer dismissed Ancic 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 to extend all manner of streaks: 39 consecutive wins at Wimbledon, 64 consecutive wins on grass, and 17 consecutive semifinal appearances at Grand Slam tournaments.

There were other numbers at which to marvel, not the least of which was this: Federer won 61 of 71 points on his serve.

Asked afterward if he could pick one match over his career that stands out from the rest in terms of quality, Federer replied, “Thankfully, I get those moments quite often, actually.”

So there.

If anyone wondered whether the thumping he took from Rafael Nadal in last month’s French Open final might have a lasting effect on Federer, it sure doesn’t sound as though there’s anything wrong with his confidence— particularly here.

“I’ll have a chance to win this tournament for the next five or 10 years,” said Federer, whose semifinal opponent Friday is the resurgent Marat Safin, a former No. 1 player who owns two Grand Slam titles.

“My game’s made for grass,” Federer continued. “There will always be tough opponents, dangerous opponents. That has been the case for the last years, as well. But I found a way to win always. Of course, my dream is to not only win this year, but many more years to come.”

He is trying to become the first man since 1886 to win Wimbledon six years in a row. Pete Sampras never did it. Neither did Bjorn Borg. The only man who did? Willie Renshaw, and he only needed to win one match in each of his five title defenses, because back then the reigning champion got a bye into the final.

Federer is forced to navigate a tougher path, and the expectation this year has been that he will face his nemesis Nadal in a third straight Wimbledon championship match. The second-ranked Nadal moved closer to that by overwhelming 12th-seeded Andy Murray of Britain 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 for his 22nd consecutive victory overall.

Just like Federer did against Ancic, Nadal avoided facing a single break point against Murray, who was in his first major quarterfinal.

“I feel like the return is normally a strong part of my game. I had no chance at all really on his serve, which was a shame,” Murray said. “He’s improved his game a lot on the grass in the last couple of years. Definitely, he’s the second-best grass-court player behind Federer. He’s definitely closer to him this year than he was.”

Nadal agreed with that assessment.

He’s trying to make a little history of his own: No man has won the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year since Borg in 1980.

“I am doing a lot of things better than last year,” Nadal said. “Slice better. The position on court, in my opinion, I felt like this is better. Playing more aggressive with the forehand all the time, and the backhand is feeling well, too.”

The four-time French Open champion knows he’ll be facing an unseeded player next, but he doesn’t know which one. The quarterfinal between 94th-ranked Rainer Schuettler and 145th-ranked Arnaud Clement was suspended because of darkness at one set apiece.

They’re slated to resume play Thursday, when the forecast calls for showers, and whatever the outcome, Nadal would be an overwhelming favorite.

Safin acknowledges Federer should be looked upon that way in their matchup.

“I’m playing semifinals, but that doesn’t mean that I have a chance there, because the guy has won how many times already here?” Safin said after beating No. 31 Feliciano Lopez 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1), 6-3. “To beat Federer you need to be Nadal and run around like a rabbit and hit winners from all over the place. … It’s just a little bit too difficult for me to beat him.”

Especially if Federer plays the way he did Wednesday.

He served brilliantly, including 15 aces—one on each of the final three points. He returned just as well, handling Ancic’s 130 mph serves and limiting him to nine aces, half of what the Croat was averaging in the tournament.

Federer broke Ancic four times, and even when he didn’t, made him work. The third set’s opening game, for example, took 16 minutes, with 10 deuces and four break points, before Ancic finally held. It lasted 26 points, and Federer won 12 — or, put another way, two more than Ancic took off Federer’s serve all match.

“There’s not one point you get for free,” said Ancic, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2005.

The All England Club was the only Grand Slam site where Safin hadn’t reached the final four. He came to Wimbledon with a 10-13 record this season, a ranking of 75th and a well-documented distaste for the place, from the grass to the weather to the high price of strawberries and cream.

But he’s played fantastically, beating No. 3 Novak Djokovic and three other seeded players. Federer knows how talented the 6-foot-4 Russian is.

“I never looked at Marat like No. 80 or 90 in the world. I mean, that’s ridiculous. He knows that himself,” Federer said. “He’s finally showing again what he can do. It’s just quite surprising he does it here at Wimbledon.”

One of Federer’s two losses in 10 matches against Safin came in the 2005 Australian Open semifinals, 9-7 in the fifth set.

“Marat knows how to beat me,” Federer noted. “That was a hard one. I’m going to try to get him back for that one.”

As Ancic knows all too well, Federer can follow through on such thoughts.

Murray doesn't stand a chance.

And I'm not just saying that coz he's 2 sets down at the moment.

Murray had a good run at Wimbledon and a great win over Gasquet. He'd have had a better chance against Fed (2-1) but that's the luck of the draw. He can come back... next year!

Murray vs. Nadal Preview

When Andy Murray sealed his epic comeback win over Richard Gasquet to advance to the quarter-finals, he turned to his support team in the stands, drew up his shirtsleeve and flexed a pale bicep by way of celebration.

Later he would say the act was in tribute to his personal trainers, who have been working hard to build up the young Scotsman’s strength. But he may have been sending a subliminal message to the man with the biggest biceps in the sport – Rafael Nadal, his opponent in the last eight on Wednesday.

Murray will certainly have his work cut out against the Spanish No.2 seed, who has more than proven his grass court credentials over the past couple of years. Last year he stretched Roger Federer to five sets in a thrilling Wimbledon final, and a few weeks ago he won the Artois on grass at Queen’s Club. Underlining his growing comfort on the surface, against Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round here on Monday, the Spaniard even won 21 of his 24 forays to the net.

The head-to-head record between Murray and Nadal is 3-0 in the Spaniard’s favour. As might be expected, the clay court maestro had a relatively straightforward time of it the last time they played, in the round of 16 at Hamburg in May, winning 6-3, 6-2.

But the two matches they played on hard courts were much closer. At the Masters Series in Madrid in October, the Spaniard prevailed 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, and at the Australian Open in January, Murray held a two-sets-to-one lead before Nadal finished strongly for a five-set triumph.

Still, Murray, the 12th seed here, says that match taught him he could play at Nadal’s level. “For probably 4½ sets I was up there with him and definitely had my chances,” he said.

Of course, both players’ have evolved since then.

“He’s definitely playing better on grass than he has in previous years,” Murray said. “[And] I like to think I’m playing a bit better.

“It is going to be a completely different match to a year and a half ago. I have to look at the guys that have given him trouble - and the way that Tsonga played against him in Australia this year.

“It is really important to serve well, be aggressive and not give him a chance to start dictating the rallies.”

For the winner, the prize is a semi-final against either Arnaud Clement or Rainer Schuettler, both surprise, unseeded quarter-finalists.

Against Nadal, Murray will be hoping his relationship with the crowd, which shifted gears on Monday night, will be an asset. Indeed, the 20-year-old admitted that without the monumental level of support against Gasquet, “I don’t know for sure if I would have won.”

“Obviously Nadal is the favourite for the match. But I do think that I can win,” Murray said.

For his part, the 21-year-old Spaniard is taking things in stride, whether it is a twinge suffered behind one of his knees in his last match, or the prospect of playing a homegrown favourite. He insists he is not fazed.

“The Wimbledon crowd is always very respectful with everybody. And with me, when I go on court, I feel the people are with me always, so that’s very nice.

“I just can say thank you very much for the England people and the London people. I felt the same last week in Queen’s. I know if I play against Andy Murray, probably the crowd is going to be with him. But I think with me they are going be nice, too.”

Ever the charmer, he is probably right.

Williams' Sisters On Track to Wimbledon Final

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—One prematch glance Tuesday at the data displayed on those fancy, new digital scoreboards at staid, old Wimbledon provided a pretty persuasive case for why Venus Williams might be considered the woman to beat.

The entry under career record at the grass-court Grand Slam: “55-7.” The listing of her best result: “WINNER 2007, 2005, 2001, 2000.”

Yet another reason to like the American’s chances: The way she served during the ensuing 6-4, 6-3 quarterfinal victory over Tamarine Tanasugarn—smacking eight aces, saving nine of the 10 break points, tying her Wimbledon record with a 127 mph delivery.

That extended Williams’ winning streak at the All England Club to 12 matches, including 19 sets in a row. Nonetheless, at least one person who knows a thing or two about tennis and a thing or two about Venus Williams flatly rejected the notion that she’s the favorite: Serena Williams.

Asked after her own impressive quarterfinal victory—6-4, 6-0 against 11th-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska—whether her older sister should be considered the likeliest champion, Serena shot back: “I would never sit here and say she’s the favorite when I’m still in the draw. What are you on?”

Rather than a sibling rivalry, that response perhaps reflects nothing more than the sort of competitive drive that helped the younger Williams win eight Grand Slam singles titles. That haul includes the 2002 and 2003 Wimbledon championships, each time concluded by beating her sister.

One more win apiece, and they’ll reprise the all-in-the-family final tradition Saturday. In Thursday’s semifinals, Serena will face 133rd-ranked Zheng Jie, who became the first Chinese player to reach the semifinals at a major tournament by upsetting 18th-seeded Nicole Vaidisova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.

Venus next plays the highest-seeded remaining woman, No. 5 Elena Dementieva, who beat No. 21 Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-3.

Zheng is the first wild-card entrant to reach the women’s semifinals at Wimbledon; only one woman ranked lower has made the semifinals at any Grand Slam.

“I just try my best to keep going,” Zheng said.

“China has quite a lot of sports in which it is a world leader,” she said through a translator. “Unfortunately, tennis is not one of them.”

Like Zheng, Radwanska and Tanasugarn were playing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time. Unlike her, they were forced to deal with a Williams on Tuesday.

More specifically, they were forced to deal with those Williams serves, developed by Dad all those years ago on the courts in Compton, Calif.

“We’re different,” Venus said. “I serve big almost every time. She goes for a little more placement.”

Against Radwanska, Serena hit 11 aces, including four in one game while pulling even at 3-3 in the first set. On the last of those, Radwanska lunged and whiffed, then grimaced at her racket.

“It’s too much, you know,” Radwanska said.

She isn’t exactly a nobody, having won the Wimbledon junior title in 2005 and pulled off an upset of defending champion Maria Sharapova at last year’s U.S. Open. But Serena made her look absolutely ordinary, if that, taking 28 of the last 37 points.

While Serena mixed in flat 120 mph serves with spinning, kicking changeups, Venus stuck with the hard stuff against Tanasugarn.

“I have a lot of power, so it helps,” Venus said. “Definitely, the power helps.”

She produced some of her best stuff when she needed to, particularly in the match’s sixth game.

Tanasugarn earned six break points, and the first five vanished thanks to, in order, a 107 mph service winner, a 102 mph service winner, a 115 mph service winner, a 94 mph service winner and a 122 mph ace.

“I’m really blessed to be able to have a serve to get me out of those issues,” Venus said.

On break point No. 6, Tanasugarn managed to put her return in play but then slapped a forehand into the net.

That’s when she turned her back to the court and motioned toward the players’ guest box with her hand, raising one finger at a time to count out those missed opportunities: 1-2-3-4-5-6.

“She served very well during the break points,” Tanasugarn said. “So what can I do?”

A few moments later, she did come up with a possible solution. A tad envious of her statuesque opponent—the 6-foot-1 Williams has 8 inches on her— Tanasugarn said, “Next life, I want to be tall as her. Please.”

Neither Williams has dropped a set during the tournament, and their seedings — Serena is No. 6, Venus No. 7—certainly seem to have been miscalculated. It’s the first time at any Grand Slam in the 40-year Open era that none of the four top-seeded women reached the quarterfinals, making the path even smoother for the siblings.

Hard to believe, but there hasn’t been a Williams vs. Williams final at a tournament since 2003 at the All England Club.

And what if they do meet again for the title, in what would be their seventh matchup in a Grand Slam final? What would breakfast be like Saturday morning at the place they’re sharing here?

“I’m going to sabotage her and eat all the breakfast,” Serena said. “I’ll eat all the Wheaties so she doesn’t have any chance.”

Murray Comeback Lights Up Centre Court

It was 9.29pm and almost dark. They had been on court for 3hrs 57mins and for two sets and 92 minutes of that struggle, no one would have given Andy Murray a hope but somehow Scotland's finest pulled off a rip-roaring, nerve-snapping 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Richard Gasquet.

Murray is through to the quarter-finals, the first time in his career he has reached the last eight at a Grand Slam. Now he meets Rafael Nadal, but with the whole of the Centre Court crowd roaring themselves hoarse to help him along, anything seems possible.

Pity the poor All England Club – they are half way through building the new multi-million pound sliding roof for their famous old court and along comes Murray and whips up his followers to raise that roof and rattle the rafters.

When the two men had met last time, it was on Gasquet's home turf in Paris at the Bercy Masters with the victor earning a ticket to the Masters Cup in Shanghai. In the winner-takes-all environment – and playing in front of a vociferous Parisian crowd – Gasquet was as tight as a drum but still just nicked the result.

This time the tables were supposed to have been turned – this was meant to be Murray leading his 15,000 supporters in a teatime bout of Andymonium (it is the new Henmania). The pressure was allegedly on the Frenchman as he tried desperately to get through another round and move a step closer to defending the semi-final ranking points he earned last year here. Right, then – over to you, Andy.

But as talented as Murray is, not even he can expect to win a place in the quarter-finals without the aid of a first serve. Against the 10th best player in the world, he could not afford to display any sign of weakness, any crack in his defences that Gasquet could pick away at, but he could not buy a first serve for the first two sets. By the end of the first set, he was down to 44 per cent accuracy on the shot and by the time he was a break down in the second set, that had dropped to a miserable 42 per cent.

At the other end of the court, Gasquet was serving consistently, clobbering his forehand and laying into his single-handed backhand. He was also chasing forwards to the net whenever he could, stealing the march on Murray.

Both of them were hitting winners as if it were going out of fashion but Gasquet was keeping his unforced errors to a minimum while Murray was just having one of those days. He would set up the point perfectly and then go for the final winner only to wince as it flew just over the baseline or clipped the net and fell back.

From going toe to toe with Gasquet for the first 11 games, Murray was finally broken as the Frenchman set off on a run of four consecutive games to take the first set and grab the early break in the second.

Murray did everything in his power to get the crowd working for him, chasing lost causes and turning them into winners when he was in trouble – and the crowd responded in deafening style – but it was not enough. Gasquet was just too good.

Only when Gasquet came to serve for the match did the nerves start to jangle. As his serving arm turned to lead and his brain to cement, he dropped his serve on a double fault. The crowd perked up. It had taken 2hrs 16 minutes for Murray to so much as scratch Gasquet's armour but now, as the Centre Court faithful gasped, screamed and pleaded with the Scot to make a match of it, we had a fight on our hands.

Two sets down and 5-5 may not be the best place to plan for victory, but it was the only chance Murray was going to get. With the crowd at his shoulder, he battled, scrapped and strained through eight game points before he finally he held serve – and the louder the Scot's new best friends cheered, the edgier Gasquet became.

Murray, meanwhile, had found a new lease of life. He was aggressive on the returns, he was finding the fizz in his ground strokes and, on occasion, he was even landing some first serves. When he took the third set tie-break with a roaring, staggering backhand winner that was played so far out of court that he was almost in the photographers' pit, he brought the house down. Henmania was never like this.

With 2hrs 40 mins gone, it was game on.

For three sets, Gasquet had barely noticed the 15,000 fans screaming for Murray. He had gone about his business as if he were playing in is own back garden. Then just when he needed his nerve to hold, he could not think for the noise around him and the sight of the big Scot staring at him from across the net. Murray suddenly seemed two feet taller and, in the few seconds it took Gasquet to tighten up and Murray to realise it, the Scot's first serve had returned.

The fourth set whistled by in just 25 minutes as Gasquet's resistance crumbled and the noise levels on Centre Court increased with every winner and every game. As Gasquet complained about the fading light, he could do nothing about his fading chances. Broken in the opening game of the fifth set, he could only watch as Murray accelerated away and into the last eight.

Williams' Sisters Win at 'Graveyard of Champions'

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—While Roger Federer glided to another victory on Centre Court, and Rafael Nadal won despite a scary stumble on Court 1, the Williams sisters found themselves playing back to back Monday on cozy, clattery Court 2, known as the "Graveyard of Champions."

What in the name of lawn tennis were they doing out there?

"It wasn't what I would have liked to see," Serena Williams said. "Initially I thought, `OK, is this the right schedule?' I thought maybe there was a mistake."

The sisters' mother and coach, Oracene Price, suspected more than a mere mistake by tournament organizers.

"I guess they wanted to put them on the jinx court so they could lose," Price said.

The sisters said Wimbledon gives men preferential treatment in court assignments, while Federer came to the defense of the All England Club, and the tournament referee said there was no intent to slight anyone.

Even after Venus and Serena spent the day at the Graveyard, their title hopes remained very much alive. They're defying the trend in a women's tournament that, by one measure, ranks as the most upset-filled on record.

Four-time champion Venus played first, making a high-noon entrance on the court known for its history of upsets and beating Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-4. Ninety minutes later, two-time Serena joined her older sister in the quarterfinals by defeating American Bethanie Mattek 6-3, 6-3.

Neither sister has lost a set in the tournament, and the chances of a sibling showdown in the final keep improving as a wave of upsets take out other title contenders. The fourth round claimed No. 2-seeded Jelena Jankovic and No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, leaving No. 5 Elena Dementieva as the highest-seeded survivor among the final eight.

The elimination before the quarterfinals of the women seeded Nos. 1-4 has never previously happened at Wimbledon since the tournament began keeping such records in 1927. It's the first time it has happened at any Grand Slam event in the 40-year Open era.

"Every player is ready to play, especially at these Slams," Venus Williams said. "Everyone comes out with double vengeance, so you just have to be ready."

Jankovic, slowed by a knee injury she suffered in the previous round, lost to No. 60-ranked Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 6-2. Kuznetsova was beaten by No. 14-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

Their defeats ensure Ana Ivanovic of retaining the No. 1 ranking next week, even though she was beaten by Zheng Jie in the third round. The No. 133-ranked Zheng, who needed a wild card to enter the tournament, became a first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist by beating No. 15-seeded Agnes Szavay 6-3, 6-4.

Alla Kudryavtseva, who upset No. 3-seeded Maria Sharapova in the second round, was eliminated by Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-4.

Tanasugarn, a first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist at age 31, will play Venus Williams on Tuesday. The 19-year-old Radwanska will face Serena Williams.

Almost as unpredictable is the men's draw, with eight of the top 10 players eliminated. But the No. 1-ranked Federer and No. 2 Nadal remain on course to meet in the final for the third consecutive year.

While Federer beat 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt for the 12th time in a row Monday, Nadal hurt his right leg against Mikhail Youzhny and stopped in the middle of the second game for treatment by a trainer.

Nadal slipped on worn turf behind the baseline while stretching for a shot, and his right leg bent awkwardly. He said he felt a crack behind the knee.

"I felt a little bit pain," he said. "I was a little bit scared."

After the trainer wrapped Nadal's leg below the knee, the Spaniard showed no sign the injury bothered him the rest of the way, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

"Right now I am feeling better," Nadal said an hour after the victory. "Tomorrow we will see how I wake up. But hopefully going to be fine."

Nadal will next play No. 12-seeded Andy Murray, trying to become the first British man to win Wimbledon since 1936. He thrilled a partisan Centre Court crowd by completing a comeback win just before dark against No. 8 Richard Gasquet, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-4.

Marat Safin reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time since winning the 2005 Australian Open, beating No. 13 Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1. Safin's opponent Wednesday will be No. 31 Feliciano Lopez, who overcame three match points to defeat No. 10 Marcos Baghdatis 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 8-6.

Federer will next play the last man to beat him at Wimbledon, Mario Ancic. Federer overcame some shaky moments in the first-set tiebreaker to defeat Hewitt 7-6 (7), 6-2, 6-4, while Ancic outlasted Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-11.

Since losing to the big-serving Ancic in the first round in 2002, Federer has won 63 consecutive grass-court matches, including 38 at Wimbledon.

"I completely underestimated him back in 2002," Federer said. "What it taught me was not to underestimate any opponent."

That may be the biggest challenge in the next two rounds for the Williams sisters, who have won six of the past eight Wimbledon titles and are dominating again this year. If the Graveyard of Champions can't stop them, what will?

Court 2 has no tombstones, but the names of losers there includes such former champions as Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors— and both Williams sisters.

There are no replay reviews on Court 2, where the scoreboard is manually operated. There are no seats behind one baseline and only three rows behind the other. Spectators can hear players muttering to themselves, and the soundtrack for matches also includes cheering from other courts and noise from the nearby dining area for players.

"I don't think I've ever played a fourth-round match on a court like that in my career," Serena Williams said.

With all 16 fourth-round matches on the schedule Monday, tournament referee Andrew Jarrett said it was unavoidable that some leading players would be assigned to outer courts. Serena and Venus found themselves back on Court 2 for their evening doubles match, which they also won to reach the quarterfinals.

The tempest about the schedule was defused somewhat because the sisters swept all three matches, and defending champion Venus at first said she had no complaint. But when asked if Wimbledon slights the women when deciding court assignments, she said yes.

Regarding Federer, Serena said, "I haven't seen him on Court 2 in, like, six years."

She's close: He last played there in the 2003 quarterfinals.

Federer said he didn't think the tournament was being disrespectful of anyone. He remembers Sampras losing on the Graveyard in his final Wimbledon match in 2002.

"Pete played on Court 2 after winning seven years," Federer said. "Who deserves what here? It's the club who decides in the end.

"I wouldn't be disappointed if they put me on Court 2. … Sometimes it's also kind of cool. You're closer to the crowds. It's kind of a different feeling out there."

The Williams sisters might be glad to know the days are numbered for the Graveyard of Champions. As part of a project to renovate the outer courts, a new Court 2 opens next year, while the Graveyard will become Court 3 in 2009— meaning fewer marquee matches—and will eventually be torn down.

In the meantime, Venus has been assigned to the Court 1 stadium Tuesday. Serena is to play on Centre Court, where fans may find them both Saturday.

Jankovic Toppled by Tanasugarn

Second seed Jelena Jankovic was given a short, sharp shock as she was knocked out in the fourth round by unseeded Wimbledon veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand.

With so many seeds falling by the wayside in the first week, Jankovic went on to court knowing that she would rarely have a better chance to break her Grand Slam title duck and in the process move to the top of the world rankings.

But those dreams were dashed by a woman who, despite being ranked just 60 in the world, has become a permanent fixture in Wimbledon's fourth round. Tanasugarn has reached this stage seven times in 11 years, but never before had she progressed any further.

For Jankovic, defeat was short - just 75 minutes - and painful. Two days ago she had struggled through her Centre Court match against the Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki in three sets and had extensive treatment on her left knee. Today, on the crowded cockpit of Court 18, the Serbian came to the court with her knee strapped and she needed more treatment in the latter stages of the match.

But her injury did not seem to hamper her early on and it was only in the sixth game that she started to come under pressure.

Trailing 3-2, Jankovic saved two break points before Tanasugarn's counter-attack gave her a 4-2 lead when the Serb missed a forehand.

Tanasugarn kept the lead to run out the set in 36 minutes. As her forehand winner ended the set Jankovic slipped over behind the baseline.

Jankovic slipped further, too, on the scoreboard when she lost serve at the start of the second set and she called the trainer to the court at the first opportunity two games later for attention to her knee. A second trainer attended to Tanasugarn at the same time, treating a back injury.

But medical interventions over, the rhythm of the match remained unchanged. Jankovic dropped serve to fall 4-1 behind and broke Tanasugarn for the only time in the next game.

But an awesome forehand which landed right on the junction of the baseline and tramlines gave the Thai another break and the chance to serve for the match. She did so successfully and was in tears as she celebrated reaching her first quarter-final after trying every year since her debut in 1998.

Federer is at the top of his game but Nadal is hoping to be the first to win the French and Wimbledon since Borg.

Too bad for whoever voted for Andy Roddick as he is out already!

Yep, that be me! Roddick was a bit of a long shot but he's beaten Nadal and DJ this year plus he had a good draw at Wimbledon finally. Problem is, he couldn't get past Tipsarevic, who is a tremendous "floater", who almost beat Fed in five (10-8 in the fifth) at the Aussie Open.

My next long shot pick is Andy Murray, who plays Gasquet next. His chances will be greatly improved if Youzhny can get past Nadal (6-4 head to head). Youzhny beat Nadal 6-0, 6-1 early in the year and has the net game to beat Nadal on grass. Murray has a winning record against Fed (2-1) including a win at Dubai.

Whatever happens, the next couple days should be great tennis. Hopefully Star Sports will come through with televising the competitive matches. Very disappointed with last week's telecasts, especially when they skipped over DJ's upset loss to Marat Safin and later showed 10 minutes of a huge upset.

Wimbledon: Day 7 Preview

It may be windy and it may be a touch chilly for the time of year but, hey, the rain is holding off and Wimbledon is steaming ahead like one of those magnificent transatlantic liners of old. Steaming into the second week with the finest programme of the fortnight, too.

These days Wimbledon stands alone among the four Grand Slams as the one which does not play on the middle Sunday - something welcomed by the players as well as tournament staff and we media folk - so this means that the fourth rounds of both men's and women's singles are due to be completed in their entirety in one day. Weather permitting, of course.

It is time for regrouping and reassessment; who among the seeds is still standing from the wreckage of the opening week and who is likely to be contesting the big one by the weekend? Let's deal first with the ladies. Here, in the shape of two players, there is one name which stands out: Williams. While the big names around them have toppled, sisters Serena and Venus have needed not so much to stride forward as to just stand tall and play their game.

Both are rather good at that. Six times in the eight years which constitute our new century one Williams or the other has conquered Wimbledon: Venus four times, Serena two. Quite a statistic, isn't it? No wonder their father, Richard, is already sporting a celebratory cigarillo.

The smoke should still be curling after today, too. Serena, the sixth seed who has not conceded a set so far, takes on a fellow-American, the only American, man or woman, not called Williams who is still standing. She is Bethanie Mattek, a 23-year-old ranked 69 who saw off last year's runner-up, Marion Bartoli, in the last round. Serena won their only previous match, two years back in Cincinnati, at a cost of four games.

As for Venus, four-time winner and defending champion, progress has been even smoother, if possible, against opposition which did not rate as over-demanding. Now comes another name which has not illuminated the boards of the sport so far, Alisa Kleybanova, one of the horde of young Russians who are threatening to take the women's tour by storm. Kleybanova is only 18 but already ranked inside the top 50. Venus, with a fifth reunion with the Venus Rosewater Dish in the forefront of her thinking, will have assessed all this and is ready to swing into action.

Jelena Jankovic, the second seed, is the highest-ranked woman still involved, albeit with a sore left leg after her laboured third round win on Centre Court. She did not even know who her next opponent is and when she was told "a Thai girl" she replied, "Tiger who? Tiger Woods?" No, not Tiger, but a 31-year-old Thai called Tamarine Tanasugarn, who has been playing tennis to match her bewitching name. However, if the Jankovic leg holds up, Tamarine could be destined for a Thai sunset.

Now the men's draw, where the big three has been reduced to the big two with the departure of Novak Djokovic. Roger Federer, five-time champion and owner of the nicest gold-trimmed cardigan in town, booked his place in the last 16 on Friday with his third simple victory, but things may become a touch tougher today when he faces Lleyton Hewitt. The feisty Aussie, winner of the title in 2002, is the only other former champion in the field.

They go back a bit, these two. All the way to 1999 in fact, 21 matches in all. Federer has won 13, Hewitt eight, but none of the last 11. So Federer is favourite for the round dozen but, quite rightly, he points out that Lleyton does not belong on the same planet as the word "quitter". That said, expect an entertaining battle and a win for Cardigan Man.

There is a frisson in the air over London and a spring in the step of most British who care for sport, since Andy Murray and his new curly hairdo have waltzed into the fourth round without undue fuss, matching his previous best at Wimbledon. Not quite time yet to start mentioning how long since a Brit won this thing (Fred Perry, 1936) but we are entitled to be getting a trifle excited. The level will be racheted up if Andy can surmount his next hurdle, the French number one and eighth seed Richard Gasquet, who was a semi-finalist at Wimbledon 2007.

Gasquet reckons he is playing "not my best tennis, but good tennis for sure" and says he is looking forward to taking on that hairdo on Centre Court. Murray's attitude? Bring it on.

Looking forward more than one match is foolhardy, but let's do it anyway and point out that if Murray gets past Gasquet he could meet Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals. First, of course, Rafa must himself see off the Russian, Mikhail Youzhny in today's extravaganza of choice matches.

Well, the Williams sisters are back and in fine fighting form. Although the match was short and fast, the power of Venus' serve was amazing.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Venus Williams led the charge into the fourth round Saturday at the All England Club.

The defending champion and four-time winner unleashed a Wimbledon women's record serve of 127-miles-per-hour for an ace, capping a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Spanish qualifier Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

Williams is joined in the round of 16 by second seed Jelena Jankovic, who overcame a knee problem to beat upset-minded Caroline Wozniacki 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, and fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva, who topped Gisela Dulko 7-6, 7-5.

Jankovic plans to have an MRI before facing Tamarine Tanasugarn in the fourth round on Monday.

Source: News10.net

My pick is the winner of the Tanasugarn-Jankovic match. Hard not to pick Tammie but she will be hard pressed to beat Jankovic.

Venus Joins Sister in Wimbledon Round of 16's

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—One swing from completing her week’s work, Venus Williams toed the baseline, dribbled the ball, gave it a toss and delivered yet another thunderclap serve at sun-kissed Wimbledon.

The ace bounced off the Court 1 backstop as Williams trotted to the net to bid another foe farewell.

The scoreboard said 127 mph, the fastest women’s serve ever recorded at Wimbledon. The scoreboard also had Williams winning 6-1, 7-5 Saturday over qualifier Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

It was an upset-filled first week at Wimbledon and a rough one for American tennis, but the nonconformist Williams sisters ignored both trends. Four-time champion Venus and two-time champion Serena won three matches each without dropping a set.

Both advanced to Monday’s round of 16, as did No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal on the men’s side.

With No. 1-ranked Ana Ivanovic and No. 2 Maria Sharapova eliminated, and with No. 3 Jelena Jankovic limping to victory Saturday, prospects look good for an all-Williams final next weekend.

“The chances were wonderful from the beginning, from round one,” Venus said. “That’s how we see it. The more we progress, obviously the closer it gets.”

It would be their first meeting in a Grand Slam final since Serena beat Venus for the 2003 Wimbledon title.

Potential pitfalls remain, Jankovic foremost among them. But she hurt her left knee in the first set against 17-year-old Caroline Wozniacki.

Jankovic won 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, finishing the match with her leg heavily wrapped. She planned to have an MRI exam before facing Tamarine Tanasugarn on Monday.

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” Jankovic said. “I hope for the best so that I will be able to play my next match.”

Unable to overcome injury was French Open runner-up Dinara Safina, who finished in tears as she lost to Shahar Peer 7-5, 6-7 (4), 8-6. Safina, who required treatment of her thighs during at least two changeovers, cried between points and hit half-speed serves in the final game, then double-faulted on match point.

Alla Kudryavtseva had a successful encore to her upset of Sharapova, reaching the fourth round at a major event for the first time by beating Peng Shuai 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

With a late start on Centre Court, Nadal barely beat darkness but easily defeated Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-3. Runner-up to Roger Federer the past two years, Nadal is trying to become the first man to consecutively win the French Open and Wimbledon since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

On Monday he’ll play No. 17-seeded Mikhail Youzhny.

In the wake of the worst showing by American men at Wimbledon since 1926, with no one reaching the second week in singles, top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan advanced to the doubles quarterfinals.

But the U.S. curse extended to Russian Dmitry Tursunov, who lives in California, and German Tommy Haas, who lives in Florida. Both lost.

Tursunov was beaten by Janko Tipsarevic, who upset Andy Roddick in the second round. Haas was defeated by Andy Murray, seeking to become the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.

The marquee men’s match Monday will be five-time defending champion Federer against 2002 winner Lleyton Hewitt.

Defending women’s champion Venus Williams is to play Alisa Kleybanova, and Serena Williams faces unseeded Bethanie Mattek, the only other remaining American. Those matches are back to back on Court 2—the “Graveyard of Champions”—but the sisters will nonetheless be heavily favored, as usual at Wimbledon, where they’ve won six of the past eight titles. Venus and Serena have settled into a groove on grass after enduring third-round upsets at the French Open—only the second time both lost on the same day at a major event. Serena cleared Wimbledon’s third-round hurdle Friday, and Venus was in a hurry to follow.

Her opponent was a Spanish left-hander with a lifetime record of 4-7 in Grand Slam matches. Predictably, Martinez Sanchez had no chance in baseline rallies, and the first set was a tennis clinic of sorts, with Williams whacking winners all over the court.

Her serve was especially impressive—she finished with 11 aces and won 33 of 38 points on her first serve. Even Martinez Sanchez’s supporters could appreciate the overpowering performance.

“Vamos, Venus,” someone shouted.

But in the second set Martinez Sanchez changed strategy and began to play serve and volley. It was a curious tactic to counter Williams’ booming groundstrokes, like diving into the barrel of a howitzer, but for a while it worked.

Martinez Sanchez won three games in a row for a 5-4 lead. Then Williams began to treat her like slow traffic on the British motorway, passing her on the left, then on the right, then on the left again.

“I was pretty happy, because she started putting some pressure on, and I had some good answers,” Williams said.

Williams won 12 of the final 14 points, the last with the record serve. At 127 mph, it topped the previous Wimbledon high of 126 achieved by both Venus and Serena. Venus holds the women’s tour record with a 129 mph serve at last year’s U.S. Open.

“The power that I have … it’s a real blessing,” she said. “I’m actually never really trying to serve that hard, if that makes any sense. It just comes big. It’s just how I serve. It’s just me.”

Williams celebrated the victory with her customary pirouette and wave, and as she left the stadium, she spotted a friend in the stands. She put her thumb to her ear and her little finger to her lips and mouthed the words “Call me.”

Time to start making dinner plans for the second week.