Sunday, July 5, 2009
Epic win gives Federer record 15th Slam
It was a truly momentous climax to the 2009 Championships as the 27-year-old Swiss became the most successful man in the sport. Sampras, previous holder of that title, had been an unannounced surprise visitor to Wimbledon – where he has not been seen since winning his seventh title back in 2000. The American arrived three games into the contest, but then sat as enraptured as the rest of the crowd as the two gladiators battled through 77 games, the most seen at any Wimbledon final. In terms of match time, it was not quite as long as last year’s battle between Federer and Rafael Nadal, but it soon took on similarly epic proportions. And for much of the match, it seemed that Roddick would emulate Nadal's feat as he hammered away at his opponent. Federer wavered a few times, but never toppled and in the end won on merit. He returns to number one in the world, too, by way of yet another win bonus. That this was going to be a contest between two big blasters was evident from the opening game, when Roddick slammed down two aces and in the next Federer replied with a couple of his own. That Federer had won 18 of their previous 20 matches was not a consideration on this day. For a start, Roddick, white cap pulled low over his eyes, was clearly a fitter and slimmer version of the man who had already lost to Federer in two Wimbledon finals, and he matched Federer stride for stride, shot for shot, ace for ace as they hurtled through the opening set, completing 10 games in just 25 minutes. Steadily and impressively, Roddick built on the break, with the only scare coming when, at 5-2., he fell heavily. There were fears of a similar ankle injury to the one which had caused his withdrawal from the pre-Wimbledon event at Queen's Club, but this was not the occasion for something like that. He shook himself down, carried on, and held serve in the next game with that trusty weapon, a service winner. All square again after two hours 43 minutes. So to the deciding set, with Federer threatening to strike early as he reached break point for the sixth time in the match, only to be frustrated again as the American pumped down his 20th ace at 138mph. With no tiebreak in the fifth set, this one had to be played out. And so it was, amid mounting excitement and with Federer beginning to show the first signs of uncertainty. This reached a climax as Federer faced two break points at 8-8, only to serve his way out of trouble and as the games ascended into double figures for each man the set became the longest fifth set in Wimbledon's history. Federer's ace count passed the 50 mark and then, finally, it was Roddick who cracked in the 30th game of the set. Three mishits off the frame indicated he was fatigued and when Federer was offered the first Championship point he grabbed it eagerly, leaping into the air with joy as another Roddick mishit sailed long.
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Sampras returns to Centre Court
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Pete Sampras in the Royal Box watching the Men's Final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick.
Roger victorious
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Roger Federer celebrates his sixth Wimbledon crown, beating Andy Roddick in five sets.
Roddick in a tangle
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Andy Roddick plays an almost impossible backhand shot during his match against Roger Federer.
Roddick double-hander
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Andy Roddick plays a two-handed backhand shot in his final match against Roger Federer.
Roddick stretch
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Andy Roddick stretches to reach a Roger Federer serve during the men's singles final.
Federer Scrambles
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Roger Federer at full stretch as he battles Andy Roddick for he Wimbledon Championship.
Roddick and Federer step onto Centre
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Andy Roddick and Roger Federer walking onto Centre Court before the Gentlemen's Final.
Federer, Navratilova top champions' poll
Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova have risen to the top to be respectively named the greatest men's and women's champions of Wimbledon of all time after tennis fans from around the world voted in the HSBC Champions of Wimbledon poll. Nearly 100,000 votes were cast as the public had its say in the debate of who is the greatest Wimbledon champion of all time. The final voting results are as follows: A total of 96,298 combined votes were cast for the greatest men's and women's HSBC Champions of Wimbledon of all time. Men's: Roger Federer 28,794 Roger Federer led from the start and had 80% of the vote at one stage,holding on comfortably to finish with 59.8% of the vote, despite a late surge from Pete Sampras. Women's: Martina Navratilova 19,546 Steffi Graf made the early running and led into the second week, before a surge of voting for Navratilova brought her ever closer to Graf. |
Praise for Federer
Federer smash
The players he has beaten en route to the final match where Andy Roddick waits have been unanimous, this is a player still at the peak of his powers.
"There aren't really any weaknesses. I think he moves such smooth ways and has such good defensive play. The slice bites a lot. You know, when you think sometimes you might get a relatively easy volley, he kind of either dinks it in front of you, or he made two spectacular slice lobs over my head at important points," said Tommy Haas, the former world No.2 who lost their semi-final in straight sets.
"He's maybe like best player ever, but on the grass he's, you know, by far best I think. I mean, he don't like when the ball jumps higher, and over here, you know, everything is around his waist because the ball jumps lower. I don't know. It suits his game unbelievable I think. The reason why he was No. 1 and also why he's maybe the best player ever is because in the tight situations he can play his best tennis. It is difficult, sure," said Ivo Karlovic, who had not lost a service game all tournament until he was undone in straight sets at the hands of Federer.
"I think he's the biggest favorite. If he plays well, I think he's gonna win. But, you know, he definitely need to play well every match. I think he played well, like always when we played. He's a great grass court player, and I think he's the faster surface he plays on, I think the more aggressive he plays," said Robin Soderling, having lost to Federer in the French Open final, the Swede was beaten again in the fourth round here.
"It's always nice to play against him. It's a funny boy. It's always nice, so actually it's quite funny. Unfortunate that most of the time you gonna lose. It sounds maybe stupid, but always if I play very aggressive he just had the better answer and put me on the right foot. So, yeah, he was just too good," said Philipp Kohlschreiber, the only player to win a set off Federer at the tournament so far — and that was via a tie-break.
"I think Federer has a good return. I don't think that it's incredible. He doesn't break serve as much as a lot of the guys. But he'll make Andy play. And Andy gives him enough chances, Roger's gonna take them. That's the one thing he needs to serve very well, especially at the start of all of the games to try and get ahead, not give Roger that chance to sort of swing freely at balls. If he can always sort of stay 15 up, 15 Love, 30 Love up in games, it's gonna be tough. But obviously Roger is the favorite. If he plays his best and passes well, then there's no reason why he can't win," said Andy Murray, the player who lost to Roddick in the semi-finals.
"He conducts himself as all champions do. He's just a super champion," Venus Williams, back-to-back champion and ladies finalist.
"I like how he hates to lose," Serena Williams, ladies finalist and current Australian and US Open champion.
"I believe he is the greatest player of all time. He has won Grand Slams on all four surfaces, he has won 14 in total and is on the verge of winning his 15th here," Boris Becker, three-times champion and youngest winner here.
Praise for Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick will walk onto Centre Court for his third final and for the third time the man standing across the net from him will be Roger Federer.
If Roddick was one for omens and portents he could look back last year and Rafael Nadal who, on his third appearance in a Wimbledon final against Federer beat the player many had declared unbeatable.
Roddick is a changed man. He has gone from believing he would never be in a Grand Slam final again to being one victory away from the lifting the trophy of his boyhood dreams.
"You know you're going to get aced out there. You know he's going to come up with big shots. You've got to weather the storm and take those small chances when you get the opportunity. That's what it comes down to playing these big matches at the end of these tournaments," said Lleyton Hewitt, the former champion who took him to five sets in the quarter-final.
"I mean, he makes volleys. He doesn't normally miss a lot. You just have to make the passes, and I didn't make as many as I needed to. But I wasn't surprised by anything that he did. I expected him to play very well. I think if he serves like that he's got a chance against anyone, 'cause it comes down to, like I say, a few points in each set. So regardless of whether it's Roger or, you know, me or anybody else, if he serves high 70s with the pace he's got on his serve, he's got a good chance," said Andy Murray, who was beaten despite his overwhelming favouritism and home court advantage.
"In the beginning of his career, I remember back in 2003, he was sometimes standing way back, you know, on the return. But then I played him one year, not on grass, but let's say in 2004, he chipped and charged a lot, you know, came to the net a lot. I've also played him when he's serve and volleyed first and second serve almost. 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," said Roddick's final opponent Roger Federer.
"Roddick now has more options than he did before. That is going to help him. Five or six years ago we were saying that Andy Roddick would win Wimbledon. Someone who serves that big, you would think he should ," said three-time winner John McEnroe.
"Andy Roddick played the best match I have seen him play in a long time. He took Murray to his limits and he couldn't come through," said Boris Becker.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
We're back in old routine, says Serena
Serena, 27, is attempting to complete a hat-trick of Wimbledon final victories over her elder sibling after winning the title in 2002 and 2003. But Venus, 29, last year proved that Serena was not destined to forever be her Centre Court bogeywoman as she emerged victorious 7-5, 6-4. Venus, seeking her sixth title at the All England Club, has been in rampant form at SW19 in recent years, not losing a set at Wimbledon since the third round two years ago. It's not often Serena is the underdog in any match. But after the pair took vastly differing routes to Saturday's appointment, Serena knows she's up against it. Serena played in the best match of the ladies' championship - and Wimbledon’s longest-ever semi-final - when she beat Elena Dementieva 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 8-6, while Venus took only 51 minutes to crush world No.1 Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0 – her sixth quickfire in a row. Serena said afterwards: "Going into this final I have nothing to lose. I feel like obviously Venus is playing the best tennis at this tournament. Start with that, and then just keep positive and go with it. So I think that if I can do that, then it will be good." But Serena added that the family are well-equipped to cope with these sisterly battles: "We're used to being in this position now,” she quipped. "We pretty much have it down. "Our routine will be the same. There really is no effect. We just live our lives. It's not the end of the world.” She said: "The basis of my whole career was learning off Venus, especially when she started out and I was in the stands watching. I was able to learn a lot and actually gain experience, even though I wasn't playing the actual matches.” She added: "We really love to play. We just love being out there. We love the competition. It's a great job. It's a privilege to be out there and we're very lucky. We really just love the opportunity." |
Serena reveals formula for success
Serena Williams teases the press during her post match press conference. The closest Serena Williams came to failing to win the Venus Rosewater Dish was when she faced down a match point in the 10th game of the third set against Elena Dementieva in their semi-final. “The match is never over until you shake the opponent's hand. It's like you never give up and you always keep fighting,” she said. “It's just a good lesson for life, not even just in sports, but in life as well. “I usually go kamikaze when I'm down. So if I'm going to go out, I'm going out like a hero or something. Nothing to lose. That's kind of how I felt. I just think almost every Grand Slam I've won I've been down match point in a match before, a lot of them. No more than at least two Australians. Definitely here at Wimbledon." Serena did not go out in a blaze of glory, instead she beat Dementieva and set up a repeat of last year’s final against her sister. Venus, who had not lost a set here since the third round of 2007 and had dropped just 19 games leading into the final, was the overwhelming favourite. “This is one of the few times I didn't expect to come out with the win today,” she said. “I felt like I had nothing to lose. I defended every point that I had from last year. I felt like all I had to do is go out there and do my best, just stay even, because she's such a good player. “When I won that first set, I was like, wow, this is great. No matter what, I'm a set away. So I was just trying to relax. I really wanted to stay calm because I felt like I was getting closer to the goal. Sometimes if I get too pumped or if I grunt too loud, I lose. I just want to stay relaxed, stay calm and stay focused more than anything.” It had been six years since Serena lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish and the world number two admitted she thought her name should have been on the Wimbledon honours’ board at least another time before today. “I'm really just playing for me, whether I'm the greatest or not. I can't even put myself in a sentence with the greatest, because I think of people like Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf and Billie Jean King. They were such great champions. To even be mentioned with those people is a real honour to me. I feel like I'm really young. I feel like I'm only thinking about my career and continuing playing.” “Billie Jean King wrote once: ‘Pressure is a privilege’. Being able to work with her on Fed Cup, just as a person, she's really been able to help me understand that it's a privilege to feel that pressure.” | |||||
No excuses as Venus eclipsed
Venus Williams became ladies' singles runner-up after her loss to her sister Serena in the final. To the victor, the spoils. To the vanquished, a sparsely populated interview room. Barely half an hour after netting a forehand and slipping to a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 defeat, Venus was forced to relive the ordeal in a trial by press in a half-empty interview room. At least the opponent she was heaping praise on was her own sister.“She played so well, really lifted her game, and I had an error here and there,” said the elder sibling. “I also think I played well too, but she just seemed to play a little bit better. “She played great, especially in the tiebreak. I don't think I did too many things wrong, but I would play a good shot and she'd hit a winner off of it or put me in a position where she could hit another winner. She just played a lot of great shots today.” The five-time Wimbledon champion refused to blame her ailing left knee, which has been heavily strapped throughout the tournament, saying on six occasions “I have no complaints”. She also stubbornly refused to accept that her service, usually one of the greatest weapons in the women’s game, was below par, particularly her second serve. “I don't agree on that, because she had a hard time stepping in on my second. It has a lot of side spin on it and bounces [at an angle]. It's more difficult to step into,” she said, describing how her service works when it is firing on all cylinders. On Saturday, however, she won only 56% of points on it compared with 77% in her semi-final rout of Dinara Safina. “I think towards the end I was too far behind the baseline,” she continued, dissecting her performance. “I did realise that, but at that point it was a little deep into the match. I definitely would have liked to have moved forward. A lot of times when I had the short balls, they were really low, and it's hard to come in on those and actually hit an effective shot.” The long and the short of it, however, was that Venus was not the one lifting the trophy that bears her name – the Venus Rosewater Dish – and seeing her sister all smiles was no consolation. “There's no easy [way] to losing, especially when it's so close to the crown. Either way, it’s not easy. ” |
Champion Serena laughs off No.2 ranking
Serena takes a moment to inspect her trophy after he straight sets win in the ladies' singles final. As far as backhands go it was as good as anything Serena Williams delivered on her way to the 2009 ladies singles title at Wimbledon. After winning the title, Williams, the French Open quarter-finalist and reigning Australian and US Open champion, was asked a series of questions about being ranked number two in the world behind Dinara Safina, a player who has never won a Grand Slam. Williams began her answers diplomatically, although with a sprinkle of irony. That sprinkle became a torrent and at one stage Williams was belly laughing after saying: “I think Dinara did a great job to get to No. 1. She won Rome and Madrid.” Serena clearly knew she was in dangerous territory by this stage as she bit her tongue and moved on to the next question. But her answers made it abundantly clear what her feelings are on the world rankings and her place in women’s tennis. “I think if you hold three Grand Slam titles maybe you should be No.1, but not on the WTA Tour obviously, so... You know, my motivation is maybe just to win another Grand Slam and stay No.2, I guess. I'd rather definitely be No.2 and hold three Grand Slams in the past year than be No. 1 and not have any. “I think the girl, Dinara, who is No.1, you can clearly see by her physique how hard she works. You can't get anywhere by not doing the best and not working your hardest. So, you know, I'm happy for her. I'm really excited that I won Wimbledon, though, because, like I said, I'd rather win that than not win the Championships.” It was another entertaining performance from the champion in her final press conference of the tournament. She spoke in glowing terms about her sister Venus, the beaten finalist and defending champion, and Billie Jean King, the player whose Grand Slam record she equalled with her 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory. After being filmed looking at the honours board in the clubhouse after the trophy presentation, Serena said she believed her name “should have been there at least once more”. But the very next question she said she was not interested in her legacy. “I'm really just playing for me, whether I'm the greatest or not. I can't even put myself in a sentence with the greatest, because I think of people like Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf and Billie Jean King. “They were such great champions. To even be mentioned with those people is a real honour to me. I feel like I'm really young. I feel like I'm only thinking about my career and continued playing.” |
Sisters sweep to doubles crown
Four finalists line up: Serena Williams,Venus Williams,Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs. The Williams sisters conquered Wimbledon again after they won a battle of power against guile to retain their doubles crown. Venus and Serena triumphed 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 against the Australian pairing of Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs in a late, enthralling match on Centre Court. They had to survive a first set scare as Stosur and Stubbs raced into a 4-2 set lead. Stosur, who was beaten 6-2, 6-2 with previous partner Lisa Raymond by Venus and Serena in last year’s final, was in particularly inspired form early on, helping to break the Serena serve at 2-1. The Williams sister unsurprisingly looked a little tired following Serena’s earlier victory over Venus in the singles final. But they soon came back, their renowned power game helping them to break the Stubbs serve and level at 4-4. Stosur and Stubbs continued to produce some high quality tennis to take the set to the tiebreak. But they were overpowered with Serena and Venus winning it 7-4 on their second set point. The Australians did well to remain in contention early in the second set as they wowed a near capacity Centre Court crowd with some exciting tennis and battling spirit, which was later acknowledged by their opponents. "They're a really good team, so they definitely pushed us to play our best tennis on the most important points," admitted Venus. Despite many long rallies the Williams sisters eventually broke Stosur and Stubbs’ resistance in the seventh game of the set. Stubbs once again lost her serve thanks to a fine volley by Serena at break point. Serena celebrated as if the game was up. And there was, indeed, no way back for the Australians despite Stosur holding serve in the next game. Serena closed out the match at 5-4 to ensure another Williams clean sweep of the ladies’ trophies. Serena admitted she was just as happy to add the doubles title to her earlier singles win. "It feels great to win the doubles," she said. "You can go home with two titles. There's nothing like winning a title with your sister. It's really a good feeling."
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Nestor/Zimonjic retain doubles trophy
Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic enjoy the celebrations after defeating the Bryan brothers to regain the doubles title. Defending champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic retained their Wimbledon crown by defeating top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan in a high-quality doubles final.The 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 contest always promised to be an intense affair between the two top doubles team in the world. But it was the second seeded pair that eventually stole the advantage, winning a total of 142 points compared with the Bryans’ 139 in a duel that displayed immaculate doubles play. The sheer quality of tennis was perhaps illustrated by the fact it took an hour and 38 minutes before the first break point opportunity of the match even arose. That was on Zimonjic’s serve in the third set. Until that point, the play had been near flawless but the Serb served three double faults in that game. A Nestor smash gave the second seeds a get out of jail card and it was the Canadian who again came up with the goods in the eventual third set tiebreak. He produced an incredible passing winner to earn the pair four set points, which they converted on their second opportunity. On paper, the Bryans were the favourite to win the title as top seeds. The 2006 Wimbledon champions and holders of seven Grand Slam titles were also making their 15th appearance in a major final, while this was only Nestor and Zimonjic's third together. However, Nestor and Zimonjic went into the match with a 5-3 upper hand over the Americans in the head to heads. All their previous meetings had been in finals but it was the Canadian/Serb duo who had won five of the last six contests so their confidence was brimming. When a breakpoint opportunity emerged early in the fourth set, Nestor and Zimonjic wasted no time in seizing it. The previous three sets had all broken the 40-minute barrier, but the 2-0 lead gave the second seeds the jolt they needed and they whisked away the third set in under half an hour. Zimonjic closed out the match with an ace to earn the pair their second Grand Slam title together. Speaking after the match, Nestor described retaining the title as a "great accomplishment". "It's great to come back here. One of the first things I noticed was our name on the board, on the big plaque. Now we get it twice. It's obviously going to be special to come back next year and see that. "We played two solid finals. I thought we played pretty well from start to finish. Those guys are obviously a great team. We both served well, returned well when we had to. Nenad played great. It's great to be back as champions." Zimonjic agreed: "It's always special to play on the Centre Court, a full stadium. I have to say that this is the only place with such a big tradition, and the doubles is still very popular." Nestor also spoke of his delight at winning a second title with Zimonjic. "It's amazing. We started playing together to win Grand Slams. That's what we've done. Unfortunately, this year at the French Open I played a bad match in the semis. I thought we could have easily won that slam too. "The way we play together, we give ourselves a chance to win every tournament and every Grand Slam. We have a good chance of winning on every surface, I think, which is nice."
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Thai girl wins juniors' crown
The girls have a contrasting style of play and the final was filled with dramatic twists and turns. Mladenovic possesses the big serve game and likes to dominate her matches from the back of the court with her high velocity forehand. Lertcheewakarn, the fourth seed and the runner-up to Britain's Laura Robson at last year's Wimbledon girls' final, has been shaped in the mould of Monica Seles and Marion Bartoli. She uses double-handed ground strokes on both sides and has the ability to return serve effectively and draw her opponents into long energy-sapping rallies. Mladenovic, with her exciting power game, seized the opening set after 40 minutes. Starting the match with a 122mph serve and then taking a 2-0 lead was a dream start for the French Open champion. Her go-for-broke game plan bulldozed her Thai opponent into submission with five aces, 15 winners and two break points. Lertcheewakarn’s strategy in the first set had been the right one, but the execution was not good enough. She hit only three winners and was serving first serves at around 85mph (30mph slower than Mladenovic). But the best returner in the girls’ singles found another gear to her game as she hit her shots harder and closer to the lines. Like the first set, there was a early break for each girl but the Thai girl looked to be steadily improving in a match that had so far been dominated by Mladenovic. Lertcheewakarn put more power into her serves and, after the second game of the set, was not broken by the French girl again as she put 75% of her first serves into play. Mladenovic could only put 44% of her powerful first serves into play as she tired from the long rallies her opponent was forcing her into. After levelling the match, Lertcheewakarn maintained her high level of tennis and Mladenovic started to look beaten. Her backhand began to falter even more and her once reliable forehand started to crumble. Once her power had been drained, Mladenovic was incapable of coming back from a 4-0 deficit in the final set. She took more time in between points, her first serve slowed down dramatically and she had to call the trainer to inspect her knee. The match was over after an hour and 43 minutes. Lertcheewakarn ran to the net with a huge smile on her face after becoming the first Thai to win the Junior Wimbledon title and received the trophy from the 1969 ladies’ champion Ann Jones. "I spoke to my parents and they are very happy. I can't wait to get back to Thailand. But first I want to do some shopping here, and go to Wimbledon Village. Mladenovic is a very good player and is qualifying for senior events like me so its great to have won today. Last year I was just excited to be in the final, I never expected to get there. This year I just wanted to win as it is my last year in the juniors."
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Men's Final Preview
Roger Federer smashes the ball at Tommy Haas on Centre Court. Not only does Andy Roddick have to perform the equivalent of scaling a vertical cliff face without ropes or crampons when he tackles Roger Federer in the men's singles final; he is also required to fly in the face of history. Neither task, it has to be said, will particularly faze him if he performs again as he played on Friday in torpedoing Andy Murray and the dreams of a nation. The cliff is constructed of the statistics built up between these two over nine years, and the vertical bit is Roddick looking up at the number of times he has lost to Roger - 18 out of 20. As far as history goes, Federer will walk on court poised to become the History Man. If Federer clocks up victory number 19 this afternoon over Roddick he will become the first man to have won 15 Grand Slams, passing the 14 of Pete Sampras. He will regain the world number one ranking he held for 237 straight weeks before losing it to Rafael Nadal in August last year. By simply turning up, Roger will have shattered the record of Ivan Lendl by appearing in his 20th Grand Slam final. He is the first to contest seven Wimbledon finals in a row. This is also his sixth consecutive Grand Slam final. And by winning his sixth Wimbledon, Federer would move to within one title of Sampras and William Renshaw, who wielded his racket in the days when you didn't have to bother turning up to defend your championship until the final round of the following year. Whether that really counts or not, we will leave to the historians and sentimentalists. The sheer volume of Federer's achievements, winnings and reputation tend to dwarf what Roddick has managed in his career. Which is hardly fair since the man from Omaha, Nebraska, and these days a resident of Austin, a married resident, too, has been most consistently the best American tennis player since Sampras stopped slam-dunking and Andre Agassi found Steffi Graf. This is his eighth straight year in the top 10, he has already won a Grand Slam (US Open 2003) and following a slight career dip last year - for instance, he lost in the second round here - he did very much the smartest thing by taking aboard Larry Stefanki as coach. Stefanki has done wondrous things in the past. For example, he guided Chile's Mister Grumpy, Marcelo Rios, to world number one, helped Fernando Gonzalez develop more than a big forehand, resurrected the late career of John McEnroe, and even guided Tim Henman along a more productive path for a while. In the case of Roddick, he advised losing a bit of weight as the first step to a better level of fitness and it has paid rich dividends, for instance in the way he held off Lleyton Hewitt over five sets in the quarter-finals. 'It's nice to talk about the records because it gives me an incentive to do well'Alhough his total of 27 career titles does not get past Base Camp compared with Federer's 59, he is a threat, and Federer knows it. Having had the wisdom of Jimmy Connors in his corner for a while, Andy has learned the art of scrapping, alley cat fashion, and the arrival of Stefanki has imbued a more tactical awareness. One aspect of the job where Roddick has never needed any coaching or advice is his ability to talk sensibly and intelligently about himself and the sport. That second round exit here 12 months ago was what stayed with him for a long time and he discussed with his then-fiancee, Brooklyn Decker, whether there was still a future in tennis for him. "We had a lot of talks about that, and I definitely openly questioned it at that point. So during the off-season we said, at least let's not wonder, let's prepare and give yourself every opportunity. And I did work real hard. I have been committed, from everything to diet and sleep, to everything. I gave myself every opportunity to succeed. "I'm excited about this one. I didn't know if I was ever going to get to play a Wimbledon final again. I'm thankful to have that opportunity. But you don't go back to a Wimbledon final by accident. It certainly is a process. And Brook has been a very calming influence, someone I can confide in and not have to put up a super brave front in front of." And, 18 defeats or not, the Wimbledon final is a whole new ball game in Roddick's view. "I'm happy where my game's at right now." So is Federer, of course, having dropped only one set en route to the final, compared with the six conceded by Roddick. But he readily acknowledges, "Today it starts from zero", although he concedes it is "quite amazing" to be back in a Wimbledon final already. He also finds his large place in the history books amazing. "I never thought I would be that successful as a kid. I would have been happy winning a couple of tournaments and maybe collecting [one] Wimbledon, achieving the dream scenario. But not all those records. It's quite staggering. And having another opportunity on Sunday, it's fantastic being back in a Wimbledon final because everything happened quite quickly. "But history means more to me today than it used to. It's nice to talk about the records because it gives me an incentive to do well for myself. I love trying to beat the younger generation and playing for the history books, but especially also playing for myself." |
Federer looks ahead to final
When the name “Andy” finally cropped up, it was from the British press asking him whether he was disappointed not to be playing Murray in the final (“I play whoever makes it through. Whoever wins the semi-final obviously deserved it more,” was Federer’s reply, for the record). Even the US media, who you might have expected to talk up the chances of Nebraskan native Andy Roddick, seemed more concerned about Federer overhauling Pete Sampras’s record of 14 Grand Slams – and whether that achievement combined with impending fatherhood might prompt him to hang up his racket. “No, I’m playing great tennis at the moment and still looking forward to playing the Olympics here at Wimbledon in 2012 which will be very special,” said the world No.2. “And in any case, Mirka (his wife) has told you all that she wants our child to be able to watch me play, so I’ve got a while yet!” he grinned. Conversely, the conversation only got round to Roddick when the conference changed languages (the multilingual and ever-obliging Federer always does press conferences in four languages). “He’s a real fighter – you can tell that by the way he sweats so much when he’s on court!” said Federer of his opponent on Sunday, prompting guffaws from the German-speaking journalists. “He has lots of energy, jumping for balls and he has real intensity – he never gives up. “He’s a funny guy as well. We chat a lot and he’s always making jokes in the locker room. I think it was tough for him since the American press had great expectations of him. After Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and all the rest, I think they didn’t want a top 10 player, they wanted a No.1. I used to tell him that he wasn’t as bad as people were making out. It’s great to see him back up there.” Federer has won 18 of the pair’s 20 meetings, but sees his head-to-head advantage as reason for extra vigilance as opposed to complacency. “If I don’t win on Sunday, that record won’t help me! The dream scenario would be like in the 2005 final or the 2003 semi,” said Federer, displaying his famed encyclopaedic memory for past matches. “Those days I managed to read his serve incredibly well. It should be a fun match though – he’ll vary it, he won’t just hit it all on my backhand. He has a great serve and perhaps the best second serve in the game, so I’ll need to be totally focused.” | |||||
Venus cracks in final act
It is rare for Venus and Serena Williams to need time apart from one another. But in the moments after the younger sibling became the new Wimbledon champion and the two sisters embraced at the net, that was when the moment came. Just for a minute or maybe two, they needed space from one another. Serena waved and bowed to the crowd, hand on her heart and then her forehead, struggling to take in her first Wimbledon win in six years. Venus, the vanquished champion who had planned on taking a sixth title today, sat in her chair at courtside staring one of those thousand-mile stares that come to us all now and again when we think on what might have been. Her face was utterly drained at the knowledge that the prize that most defines her had been taken away. So much of the sisters’ lives are metaphorically entwined. They are endlessly compared, endlessly contrasted, endlessly mentioned in the same breath. And today they lined up for their 11th Grand Slam face-off, with the Williams monopoly of women’s tennis still going strong a decade after it began. Waiting to go on court the two of them looked tense, carefully not looking at one another, minds focused on the serious business ahead. When battle commenced, the first set was fittingly intense. It seemed appropriate given the potency of their mutual relationship, and the huge degree of public attention always focused on them whenever they play one another. Sometimes it seems that we who watch demand of these sibling encounters a standard of tennis we rarely require from other matches. We constantly insist that they “prove” to us they are really trying when they face one another across the net, especially when the most glittering prizes are at stake. Neither is permitted a bad day at the office. There must always be some deep dark meaning behind the failure of either to produce their best. For long periods of the first set there was not much between them. Rallies tended to be short, punctuated by a few powerful exchanges where each had the other running from side to side of the court. But what was really noticeable was the way Serena was serving. Perhaps mindful of the fact that her 20 aces in her semi-final against Elena Dementieva kept her in that match at the most critical moments, she easily and quite unexpectedly out-aced her older sister, amassing eight to Venus’ one in that first set. Venus could hardly take a point from Serena’s serve, and it became increasingly clear that if the set went as far as the tiebreak Serena would be in good shape. But when Venus had her chance to prevent the set running its full course – with two break points at 4-3 – she failed to convert. The tiebreak came and Serena bludgeoned her way through it, finishing off with a beautifully judged lob to take it 7-3. From the guest box the sisters were watched as usual by the calm presence of their mother Oracene Price. As usual, their father Richard Williams was absent, having long held a policy that he never watches his daughters on those occasions when they play each other. (“My work is done,” he likes to say.) But a great battery of former women’s champions here were present in the Royal Box including Billie-Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Ann Jones, Christine Janes, Angela Barrett and Maria Bueno. Incongruously among them, the Hollywood star Ben Stiller was also a Royal Box guest. They watched a second set where it soon became clear that Venus – so dominant throughout these Championships – was rapidly losing confidence. Her key weapon, her serve, was losing speed, while Serena was continuing to amass aces without double faults. At 2-3 a Venus mis-hit off the frame of her racket brought up Serena’s first chance to break in the entire match. In the event she did not need to do anything to convert it, because Venus delivered a double fault. Invulnerable to mental pressure in any other match throughout the fortnight, she could not hold it together at the crucial moment against her sister. Not since the Wimbledon final of 2006 (between Justine Henin and victorious Amelie Mauresmo) has a women’s Grand Slam decider gone to a third set. The chance of such an event here was receding by the moment as the confidence of Venus crumbled visibly. At 2-5 came a succession of four separate Championship points. Three went by, but the last was too much. Serena sank to her knees and perhaps that was the moment when the two of them were briefly separated – one the victor, one the vanquished, the indivisible divided just for now. |
Serena seizes crown from Venus
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This time the Williams family battle, so often conducted on the lawns of the All England Club, went the way of Serena as she removed the ladies' singles championship from the custody of her older sister Venus. In straight sets, too, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in 87 minutes. Serena had been saying from the start of these Championships that it was her turn to win Wimbledon. And since the Williamses have turned this event into a private affair, the only one she really needed to defeat was Venus. The job was accomplished in typical powerful style, with Venus so worn down that her own game collapsed spectacularly from 2-2 in the second set. This was Serena’s third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam and was ample amends for her loss to her big sister 12 months ago. It was well deserved as Venus admitted, saying: "Serena had the answer for everything and played the best tennis today, so congratulations." Serena expressed disbelief that she was finally holding once more the trophy, the Venus Rosewater Dish, which might have been named for her sister, who has won it five times, and paid full tribute: "Venus is the greatest on this surface." At which they both went off for a rest before playing the doubles final. Today, the Fourth of July, America's Independence Day, Venus was far from the best. Her progress to the final had been more impressive, contained fewer games and less stress, but there was not enough in the tank today once the match hit its stride. With four great Wimbledon champions, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Maria Bueno and Virginia Wade, watching from the Royal Box, this contest between the current oligarchs of the women's game was conducted for much of the first set at a comparatively sedate pace and in front of a muted audience as both finalists held serve comfortably, with the occasional explosion coming from a Serena ace. Not until the eighth game did the excitement build, when Serena went two break points down. Here was the opportunity for Venus to impose her authority. But the first break point escaped her when she got a bad bounce and the second got away, too, when, faced with a gaping court, she overhit her forehand. Having been reprieved, Serena pressed the power switch and came up with successive aces. She was off the hook and was never subsequently in the slightest danger. A tiebreak to decide the first set was an inevitability, with an indication of the tension coming as both women issued their first challenge on the Hawk-Eye line-calling system. By then Serena was already ahead in the tiebreak by three points to one and tried to make it 4-1 by claiming a Venus shot had been out. No, said the system, it was on the line. By the time Venus got in her own challenge, which was upheld, she was set point down and although Hawk-Eye delayed the inevitable, it was for only one more point as Serena left sister stranded with a perfect backhand lob after 52 minutes. The second set proceeded uneventfully to 3-2 in Serena's favour before Venus and her first service action parted company. One of her second serves trundled over the net at 66mph, which is food and drink to Serena. Venus then double faulted on break point to give her a 4-2 lead, and the destination of the title was set as Serena moved to a 5-2 lead with a love game. The final Venus service game was another catalogue of errors as she faced, and fought off, three match points before capitulating on the fourth with a backhand into the netting.
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Sisters shine on day of finals
Serena and Venus Williams are the ladies' singles winner and runner-up for 2009 Serena Williams deprived her sister Venus of a hat-trick of consecutive wins in a comprehensive 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory in the women’s singles final. The younger sister stepped up her game at important moments, pulling away in the tiebreak and then breaking midway through the second set to put the match beyond Venus’s reach. For nigh on an hour, there was no quarter asked and none given between the 29-year-old number three seed and the 27-year-old second seed. Only two games went to deuce, one on each service, but in the tiebreak Serena was that little bit better. “I don't think I did too many things wrong,” said Venus ruefully after the match. “But I would play a good shot and she'd hit a winner off of it or put me in a position where she could hit another winner.” The second set began much like the first, but then Venus’s serve, usually her greatest weapon, particularly on grass, deserted her. In the sixth game, she sliced a second serve at a mere 66mph that Serena devoured. A break point ensued and worse was to come as Venus double-faulted for the third time in the match, virtually handing the title to Serena. Venus was understandably subdued after the match, refusing either to blame her ailing knee or question her equally faltering serve. Serena, meanwhile, was boisterous, holding court in a press conference where she sported a T-shirt with a risqué slogan and made sideways remarks at Dinara Safina, the world number one who has yet to win a Grand Slam while Serena currently holds three, and the WTA ranking system for allowing such a situation to come about. The sisters were back a few hours later for the women's doubles final, playing the Australians Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs. The first set was a close battle, with some thrilling exchanges around the net. It went to a tiebreak that the Williams sisters won 7-4. The second set involved Venus and Serena battering their opponents with powerful shots as the Australians tried to mount a brave defence. But the American pair were too strong and they took the set 6-4 to claim their fourth Wimbledon doubles title. The men’s doubles was a typically epic affair, stretching over four sets. Second seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic eventually prevailed over top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan, retaining the title that they won last year. The first three sets all went to tiebreaks. In the girls’ singles final, Thailand’s Noppawan Lertcheewakarn put the disappointment of last year’s loss to Laura Robson behind her as she came from a set down to defeat top seed and Roland Garros champion Kristina Mladenovic of France, who struggled with a knee injury as the match wore on. |
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