Wimbledon champion Simona Halep is set to be the Romanian flag-bearer at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and has been awarded the Steaua României, the highest distinction of the Romanian state, in the wake of her second Slam triumph.
Read more at: https://www.wtatennis.com/news/halep-set-be-olympic-flag-bearer-awarded-order-star-romania
Roger Federer became the first man in the open era to win 100 singles matches at a grand slam when he battled past Kei Nishikori to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The Swiss great lost in the opening round on his first two attempts at main-draw success at SW19 before coming good in style, landing five titles in a row from 2003 to 2007.
Further trophy triumphs followed in 2009, 2012 and 2017, seeing him go past Pete Sampras to become the most prolific winner of the men’s singles at the championships.
After bringing up a century of wins, we look at five of Federer’s most memorable triumphs at the All England Club.
2001: SENDING PETE PACKING
Result: Federer beat Pete Sampras (fourth round) – 7-6 (9-7) 5-7 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-5
Fed said: “Sometimes it was weird. I looked on the other side of the net, I saw him. Sometimes I was like, it’s just true that this is happening now, that I’m playing against him. But then it just goes away, this feeling. You think about your serve, where you’re going to go, then it’s like playing against maybe some other player, you know. But obviously it was something special for me to play Pete.”
2007: FIVE IN A ROW
Result: Federer beat Rafael Nadal (final) – 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 6-2
Fed said: “I haven’t lost many best-of-five-set matches lately. I knew that was a big occasion, maybe the biggest occasion of my life so far on a big stage. I was very happy to come through as the stronger.”
2009: RODDICK ROCKED
Result: Federer beat Andy Roddick (final) – 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14
Fed said: “It was difficult, because I thought Andy played great. It was frustrating at times because I couldn’t break Andy until the very, very end. So the satisfaction is maybe bigger this time around to come through, because I couldn’t control the match at all.”
2010: ROGER HOUDINI
Result: Federer beat Alejandro Falla (first round) – 5-7 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7/1) 6-0
Fed said: “I wasn’t able to read his serve. That really rattled me. So I had to look for that for a long time. Thank God I found it eventually. I definitely got lucky. But that’s how it goes sometimes.”
2012: KEEPING MURRAY WAITING
Result: Federer beat Andy Murray (final) – 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4
Fed said: “I know the occasion and how big it was for Andy and myself. I’m happy I got a victory today, but obviously it was very, very special. Today I’m sure he got another step closer to a grand slam title.”
Read more at: https://sports.yahoo.com/roger-federer-swiss-centurion-apos-195708568.html
Althea Gibson was the first black player to win a tennis Grand Slam.
First, she won the French championships in 1956, followed by Wimbledon in 1957 and the US Open. She also won both Wimbledon and the US Open twice.
Cori Gauff and Serena Williams have both cited her as their inspirations.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-48933457/the-woman-who-inspired-serena-williams-and-cori-gauff#
John McEnroe believes Roger Federer’s remarkable consistency is the reason why he will go down as the greatest player of all time ahead of Rafael Nadal as the pair cruised into the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
They are the two most successful male players in tennis history and the debate over who is the GOAT has raged for a long time, but McEnroe – himself a seven-time Slam winner – believes Federer just has the edge.
‘Why he gets the nod over Rafa is consistency. He’s putting himself on the line consistently and getting deep into majors consistently,’ McEnroe explained during commentary for the BBC.
The Swiss reduced Britain’s Andy Murray to tears when he beat him in the 2012 final but having set another couple of records on Saturday and armed with what John McEnroe calls “the most beautiful shots in tennis” he remains everyone’s darling at the All England Club.
Even the person manning the “Used Championship Balls” stall around the corner from Centre Court drew in passing trade by shouting: “Roll up, roll up, come and get your used championship balls here if you want to own a piece of Federer’s DNA! Roger’s been all over these balls.”
While the 15,000 Centre Court capacity crowd chuckled at the bird’s audacity, a couple of Asian fans dressed in red made no secret about where their loyalties lay as they held aloft a banner declaring “We can never find another you!”
Such sentiment seems to follow Federer wherever he goes, with his rival Novak Djokovic often declaring “Roger is the most loved tennis player in the world” — mainly thanks to the strokes that ooze off his racket strings like liquid gold.
Nadal has some words of wisdom for her.
“I just will tell her that enjoy, and just work hard off court every time that she’s on-court or in the gym,” Nadal, the 18-time Grand Slam winner, said on ESPN after advancing to the fourth round.”But then enjoy life, too. You cannot be all day thinking about tennis, no? I think everybody believes that I have been a very hard worker and it’s true. I have been a very hard worker on court. But outside of the court, I didn’t miss much during all my life. I went for party with my friends, I did all the things that they did, sometimes less than them but I was able to do it.
Federer didn’t win the first of his 20 majors until he was in his early 20s, but, too, wishes Gauff the best.
“Coco’s doing an amazing job, it’s fun to watch,” he said on the BBC. “She’s really won over all the hearts from all the fans around the world who like tennis. She’s been great. Me on the other hand, I’m don’t know many years I have left.”
The 37-year-old Federer may well be the best men’s player of all time with a record 20 grand slam victories (and 10 runner-up spots), but his aura and popularity add up to far more than the sum of his titles.
Perhaps it has to do with his longevity and elegant playing style.
Federer attended a fundraiser for Roddick’s foundation in Austin, Texas last September — sandwiched between the US Open and Laver Cup — and the way the American remembers it, showed little pretention.
This from one of the world’s most recognizable names who has pocketed more than $120 million in prize money and landed plenty more in endorsements, not to mention having nearly 13 million followers on Twitter and even more likes on Facebook.
“I mean I don’t know how he has enough hours in the day, but he did,” said Roddick. “Landed, great attitude. He’s very insightful. On the car ride to our events that we were doing, most people would say, ‘Hey, what time am I leaving? I need to have a plane.’
“He goes, ‘What can I do to help the most today? Are there any messages that we need to get across? Is there anything I can ask of your donors?’ He just has that kind of a way of asking great questions and really making the most of time that he gives.”
“He’s one of the most normal people I know, and most superstars are always a little bit weird,” Cahill told CNN Sport. “You’ve gotta be a little bit weird to be so self-driven and to go after your dreams and to put so much aside to be able to chase those, but he’s got a way of doing that and being that driven but also being pretty bloody normal.
“I think that’s why so many people react to him in the way they do and can connect with him and I think that’s a big part of his personality.”
Federer contested his first Wimbledon match against Jiri Novak in 1999, losing in five sets to the Czech. He is the lone entrant in the field from back then still playing now.
All these years later Federer continues to flourish, having collected his 10th title at the Wimbledon tuneup of Halle — and 102nd overall — last Sunday. Seven more titles and he will match Jimmy Connors’ men’s record.
Next year’s Olympics in Tokyo are likely to a big target, since the lone silverware missing from his trophy cabinet — which must be the size of a mansion — is an Olympic gold in singles.
Federer has said that when he does eventually retire, he doesn’t want it to be a sad moment. Roddick — who abruptly announced his own retirement — hopes his buddy gets an extended send off.
“I almost feel like the tennis world and the sporting world and just the world kind of deserves to say goodbye to him in each one of these spots,” he said.
“You can’t tell someone how to go about it, but I’m sure a lot of people would appreciate the chance to say goodbye to him.”
Read more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/27/tennis/federer-wimbledon-roddick-cahill-tennis-open-court-intl-spt/index.html
