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Tag: grand slam

  • Venus Williams Loses in Third Round at Wimbledon

    While she has not experienced much success in recent years, many thought that this year was potentially the year Venus Williams would once again prove why she is one of the greatest to ever play the game of tennis. Battling Sjogren’s Syndrome and various illnesses and injuries over the past three years, Venus had finally gotten in playing-shape once again. And what better time to do so than Wimbledon, a place where she has won the singles and doubles titles five times each. Unfortunately, though, this was not to be Venus’s year to shine.

    Earlier today, Venus lost in three sets to No. 6 ranked Petra Kvitova, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 7-5.

    However, there was no shame in defeat. Many had thought that Venus would never reach this level of play again. On Thursday, she went toe-to-toe with one of the world’s best in perhaps the most entertaining match of Wimbledon 2014 yet.

    Venus started the first set strongly, committing only three unforced errors in the set and never facing a breakpoint. Toward the end of the second set, though, one could see the fatigue set in, with Venus giving Kvitova the tie-break with a double fault.

    It would be Venus’s serve which would once again fail her in the third set, giving Kvitova match point. An unforced error coming from a backhand eventually gave Kvitova the victory.

    “It was definitely a very tough battle. I was preparing for this because I know Venus can play very well on grass. I’m just happy I’m through. When I lost the first set I was a little bit down mentally but I knew I could come back. In the third set anything can happen. It was hard to break her. I was just trying to push her and finally I did it. I was just lucky in the end,” Kvitova humbly assessed.

    As for what the future holds for Venus, only time will tell. If tennis should fail her, she always has the back-up option of becoming a nude model – a practice in which she recently dabbled.

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  • Agnieszka Radwanska Defeated at French Open

    When the No. 2 ranked women’s tennis player in the world, Li Na, lost in the third round at the French Open to 21-year-old Kristina Mladenovic on Tuesday, the world saw the occasion as simply a routine upset which occurs at every major event. When No. 1 ranked Serena Williams lost to 20-year-old Garbiñe Muguruza, the world took note. And when No. 3 ranked Agnieszka Radwanska lost to No. 72 ranked, 21-year-old Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday, the world was aghast.

    Never before has the tennis world seen such a sight – the top three women in tennis have all exited the stage before the fourth round of the French Open, something which has not happened since tennis became a professional sport in 1968.

    After both Williams and Na were defeated early on, many thought that this year’s French Open was Radwanska’s to lose. The 25-year-old Pole did not see things in the same light, however: “It doesn’t mean if the first and second seeds lost, it doesn’t mean the third one is going to win… It’s stupid to say that. It doesn’t matter who is in the draw, if you play good then you’re going to win. I just didn’t play good enough today to win the match.”

    “I don’t think it was my day today,” Radwanska concluded.

    On the converse, however, it was one hell of a day for Tomljanovic.

    Coming into Friday’s contest against Radwanska, Tomljanovic had little evidence to support a bid for an upset. She was ranked No. 72 in the world, she had never advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam event, and she had never beaten anyone ranked in the top 30. Friday was a day of firsts, to say the least.

    While no one would have picked Tomljanovic to defeat Radwanska, the Pole had much confidence coming into the match: “After seeing the two first seeds go out, you kind of feel you can do this, too.I grew up with these girls who are beating them.”

    Tomljanovic used the confidence derived from the losses of both Na and Williams to propel herself to the win. “I went into the stadium for the first time, and she [Radwanska] kind of feels like home there, because she’s been there a lot more than I have… I went out there, and inside I really thought I could win. I think that showed and it is why I won.”

    Up next for Tomljanovic is No. 14 Carla Suarez Navarro. While she may be at a rank-disadvantage once again, Tomljanovic’s confidence is not shaken.

    “I definitely think the tournament is not over for me,” proclaimed Tomljanovic.

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  • Maria Sharapova Hopes to Continue Success in Germany

    Maria Sharapova, currently ranked No. 9 in the world, last saw Grand Slam success at the French Open in 2013, reaching the finals of said event after easily defeating China’s Li Na. Sharapova would finish as the runner-up, though, after losing to the most dominant player in tennis currently, Serena Williams. Luckily for Sharapova, she will not have to face Williams as she gears up for the 2014 French Open at this week’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.

    Whether the participating of Serena WIlliams would have had an impact on Sharapova’s performance or not is perhaps a superfluous question considering the success Sharapova has experienced at Stuttgart in the past. “I’ve competed here for the last two years and won both times, so I have only positive memories… I don’t want to miss out on an experience like this.”

    When asked if she was excited at the prospect of competing at the event without having to worry about the presence of Serena Williams, Sharapova replied, “I am a person who loves the challenges and I don’t go out of my way to avoid anyone… Serena has been playing her most successful tennis in recent years and my aim must be to learn from the defeats against her and work to get to her level.”

    Sharapova has been battling a recurring shoulder injury since August 2013. In her first competition in 2014, Sharapova advanced to the semifinals before losing to Serena Williams. Going into the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, however, Sharapova feels as good as ever: “I was out of action for four months and hardly played after last year’s French Open. But I’m back to 100 percent now and I want to win in Stuttgart.”

    Sharapova is also riding the success of her most recent candy launch. In celebration of her 27th birthday, Sharapova announced the production of the newest candy from her premium candy brand, Sugarpova.

    The resemblance of the candy to the shape of a Porsche 911 is no coincidence. One year ago, Porsche named Sharapova its first global ambassador.

    “As an ambassador of the brand, it’s thrilling for me to combine my passions in such a totally unexpected and exciting way. The 911 is my favourite Porsche because its shape is so perfect,” stated Sharapova.

    WIth all of her connections to Porsche, it’s no wonder Sharapova has had so much success at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at Stuttgart. With Serena Williams out of the mix this year, it looks as if that success will remain.

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  • Ivan Lendl and Andy Murray Parting Ways

    Ivan Lendl, described as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has parted ways with Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray. During their two-year coaching partnership, Murray won Wimbledon, as the first Briton to do so in 77 years.

    Murray commented on his blog, “I’m eternally grateful to Ivan for all his hard work over the past two years, the most successful of my career so far. As a team, we’ve learned a lot and it will definitely be of benefit in the future. I’ll take some time with the team to consider the next steps and how we progress from here.”

    Lendl, once a four-time Grand Slam runner up, went on to win eight major titles, and once spent 270 weeks as the world’s top player. Murray, also a four-time Grand Slam runner up, was able to win two major titles and an Olympic gold, under Lendl’s tutelage.

    Watch Murray nail Lendl with a tennis ball during a doubles match:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4H8r3cPuhE

    Lendl commented on the split in a statement, “Working with Andy over the last two years has been a fantastic experience for me. He is a first-class guy. Having helped him achieve his goal of winning major titles, I feel like it is time for me to concentrate on some of my own projects moving forward including playing more events around the world which I am really enjoying.”

    Lendl has recently opened courts at the Ivan Lendl Junior Tennis Academy in Bluffton, South Carolina, and has been giving lessons in the Canary Islands. He’d shied away from the sport for almost two decades before coming on as Murray’s coach. Lendl has been credited with helping Murray with his second serve, as well as learning how to better traverse the mental aspects of the game.

    Lendl added, “I will always be in Andy’s corner and wish him nothing but great success as he too goes into a new phase of his career.”

    Image via YouTube.

  • Stanislas Wawrinka Wins His First Grand Slam

    Swiss tennis player Stanislas Wawrinka nabbed his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Sunday. In an interview with CNN, the 28-year old Wawrinka seemed thrilled and maybe even a little surprised.

    “I never dreamed about that, never expected to be in that situation and that’s just crazy … You don’t really know what’s happening, I started to tell myself ‘You just won a grand slam.’ It’s something amazing for me.”

    Wawrinka wasn’t the only one surprised by his victory.

    When Spain’s Rafael Nadal beat Wawrinka’s compatriot Roger Federer in the semi-finals Friday night, many assumed that Nadal would take the Australian Open title.

    A victory for Nadal would have tied him with tennis legend Pete Sampras at 14 Grand Slam titles. He would have been the first man in the Open era to win each of the Grand Slam titles twice, and only the third in history to do so. (Australians Roy Emerson and Rod Laver accomplished the feat previously.)

    Sampras himself tipped Nadal to win: “It’s a tough match-up and I’m not sure [Wawrinka] has the firepower from the back of the court. He’s got to deal with Rafa and his nerves, it’s his first major final so he needs to settle down and work his way into the match … I think Rafa’s just playing too well.”

    Wawrinka had lost to Nadal in all 12 of their prior matches – and all 26 sets. But before their Australian Open match-up, Wawrinka pointed to his record with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic: “I’m playing my best tennis here, I’m physically ready. I’m going to try everything. Before I beat Djokovic it was the same — I had lost 14 times to him before that.”

    But another Grand Slam win wasn’t in the cards for Nadal this time around. The Spaniard suffered a back injury on Sunday, and although he played through the pain barrier, he lacked the power to overcome Wawrinka.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_reY1EtQDk#t=21

    The final score: 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

    The win puts Wawrinka at number 3 in the world:

    In what the tennis world has quickly come to recognize as his typical humble style, Wawrinka said: “It’s really not the way you want to win a tennis match, but in a Grand Slam final I’ll take it.”

    Image via Twitter

  • Rafael Nadal Loses to Wawrinka in Australian Open

    Following his victory over Roger Federer in the Australian Open semifinals, most tennis pundits went ahead and pegged Rafael Nadal as the 2014 Australian Open Champion, despite the fact that he still had one match to win. And in his heart of hearts, Nadal’s opponent, Stanislas Wawrinka, most likely held the same opinion. After all, Nadal had defeated the Swede in each of their last 12 matches. In fact, Wawrinka had not even won a set against Nadal during those contests. However, that would all change Sunday.

    Nadal found himself in the finals of the Australian Open for the third time this Sunday, winning the title in 2009 and finishing second to Djokovic in 2012. While this record is not particularly noteworthy, Nadal has won 12 other Grand Slam titles in his career, placing him third on the all-time Grand Slam title list, one place behind Pete Sampras.

    On the other hand, Wawrinka’s best finish in a Grand Slam final before Sunday’s Australian Open was a semifinal finish at the 2013 US Open.

    However, despite his lack of Grand Slam success, Wawrinka had one hidden advantage in Sunday’s contest – Nadal’s Australian Open injury curse. As previously stated, Nadal has won 13 Grand Slam titles, only one of which came at the Australian Open. This stat is in large part due to the unfortunate luck Nadal has had at the Australian Open. In 2006, Nadal was forced to pull-out of the Australian Open with a foot injury. In 2010, Nadal’s knees failed him in a match against Andy Murray, forcing the Spaniard to retire. In 2011, it was a strained leg muscle that forced Nadal out of competition. And in 2013, Nadal didn’t even get a chance to compete due to recovering from illness and a knee injury.

    This time around, it would be the upper-half of Nadal’s body that would betray him. According to Nadal, he first noticed an issue with his back while warming up before Sunday’s contest. Down 0-2 in the second set, Nadal reaggravated the injury and grabbed his lower back while grimacing in pain. Shortly following, Nadal requested a medical timeout that lasted for 7 minutes.

    Surprisingly, fans started booing Nadal as he was being treated on the sidelines, apparently not understanding why the Spaniard was not on the court. While the boos rained down onto the court, Wawrinka was arguing with the chair umpire, demanding to know what was sidelining his opponent.

    Perhaps it was this sudden out-pour of negativity toward him which inspired Nadal to come back to the court with a new plan of vengeance. While he was not 100% healthy, Nadal was able to take the 3rd set from Wawrinka through cunning shots which forced the Swede into many errors.

    This surge of success would not last long, however. Wawrinka would quickly dispose of Nadal in the 4th set, 6-3, to secure his first Grand Slam victory. The match lasted a total of 2 hours and 21 minutes.

    Following the match, Wawrinka expressed his sympathies toward Nadal’s misfortune: “Rafa, I’m really sorry for you, I hope your back is going to be fine, you’re a really great guy, good friend and really amazing champion.” Wawrinka would go on to add that “It’s really not the way you want to win a tennis match, but in a Grand Slam final I’ll take it.”

    While Nadal was bitter concerning his defeat, his closing remarks displayed why he will eventually surpass Pete Sampras (and most likely Roger Federer as well) on the all time Grand Slam titles list: “At the end is a sport of victories. People remember the victories, don’t remember the losses. For me is a tough one [against Wawrinka] because I felt that I was ready to compete well. But in a few weeks that’s going to pass. I’m going to keep playing, going to keep training hard. A lot of people in the world have lot of very tough days. I am not this kind of person, so I feel very lucky.”

    Image via Twitter

  • Victoria Azarenka Wins First Round of Australian Open

    Victoria Azarenka is off to a good start in her quest to defend her consecutive Australian Open singles titles (2012 and 2013.)

    Azarenka battled long and hard in the dangerous Melbourne heat on Tuesday to advance to the second round. The second-seeded Belarusian tennis player was up against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson. Larsson put up an admirable fight in the first set, pushing Azarenka to 6-6.

    However, Azarenka won the tie-break 7-2, taking the second set 6-2 in just over 30 minutes.

    Of the extended time she spent on the court in dangerously high temperatures, Azarenka said “It would have been nice to get it over quicker … But it is a win and that’s the main thing.”

    If Azarenka were to take the singles title again this year, it would make her the first woman to win three successive titles in Melbourne since Martina Hingis did so in 1997, 1998, and 1999.

    However, Azarenka won her other Grand Slam titles without facing Serena Williams, who was eliminated in both those Australian Opens due to foot injuries.

    When asked about the rivalry between her and Williams, Azarenka said “I think everybody is the one to beat here. We have such a high competition right now … You always have to look for every opponent you play. You cannot look past anybody because everybody is prepared, everybody wants it badly.”

    Indeed, Larsson proved those words true when she ran Azarenka all over the court on Tuesday.

    Azarenka will be joined in the second round by Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki. The tenth-seeded Wozniacki had a much easier time of it on Tuesday, winning 6-0, 6-2 over Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino.

    Wozniacki said it was so hot that when she set a plastic water bottle down on the court, it began to melt.

    Temperatures peaked at a dangerous 42.2 degrees Celsius (107.9 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. Although temperatures over the next few days shouldn’t reach quite that high, they’re forecasted to remain above the 100-degree mark.

    Officials have already implemented two stages of the tournament’s heat policy: ice vests are required for all players and women are required to take a 10 minute break between second and third sets.

    They said that humidity levels were too low to call for the tournament’s more aggressive heat precautions which involve closing the retractable roof over the two main courts and discontinuing play on the outside courts.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Boston Red Sox Advance to World Series with Grand Slam

    Fenway Park was packed on Saturday night for Game 6 of the American League Championship between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers . The Red Sox were trailing 2-1, but the crowd was still in good spirits. The crowd sang, “Don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing is gonna be all right,” — the chorus to Bob Marley’s song, “Three Little Birds.”

    Shane Victorino stepped to the plate in the seventh inning with the bases loaded. Then came Tigers reliever, Jose Veras. Strike one…strike two… Victorino missed on both curve balls from Veras. Then came another throw by Veras but this time Victorino connected. Victorino hit the ball just past the Green Monster for a Grand Slam, putting the Sox ahead 5 -2 over the Tigers, whose bullpen gave yet another disappointing performance.

    As Victorino made his way around the diamond, the dugout celebrated and the stadium cheered.”It’s one of those moments you live for,” said Victorino, “Just listen to the crowd…the one thing I came here to do is to be a part of this city. With all we went through as a city, there’s definitely a bond.”
    (image)
    “My emotions are getting me,” Victorino said, “A special moment. Something I will never forget.

    The Red Sox won the series, four games to two and will start the World Series at Fenway Park on Wednesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night to win NL pennant.

    “This series had a little bit of everything — dramatic comeback wins, dominant starting pitching, particularly on their part,” said Red Sox Manager, John Farrell. “You couldn’t have asked for a better series. It tested everything we had, pushed us to the limit.”

    Also worth mentioning, is the Red Sox pitcher, Koji Uehara, who got the last three outs for his team and went on to win the series MVP award.

    Game one of the World Series starts Wednesday.

     

  • Rafael Nadal Defeats Djokovich To Win 2013 U.S. Open

    On September 9, 2013 Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovich to win the U.S. Open, winning his second U.S. Open title. Since Nadal was plagued with an injury during the 2012 U.S. Open, he wanted to come back this year and make a stand, and show that he was the best. He suffered an injury to his knee and after that took seven months to rest and rehabilitate. Rafael Nadal has become a household name in recent years, due to the amount of success that he has had in major tournaments. Both players are very tough, and winning this match was no easy task.

    He is currently ranked at No. 2 in the world, although after his recent defeat of Djokovich, who is currently ranked No. 1, he may be moving up soon enough. Nadal is a native of Spain and at age 27, defeated the Serbian Djokovich, who is 26.

    After winning this match, it also marks his 13th major overall and his 10th title of the year. It also makes his 22nd win in a row on hard courts in 2013, moving him into sole possession of third place in Grand Slam titles, behind only Roger Federer and Pete Sampras, according to Sports Illustrated. Like Federer, he won his 13th at the age of 27, and he is only one behind Sampras.

    On having to face Nadal, Djokovich was quoted saying, “It is a challenge you have to accept, like it or not.” The win moved Nadal to a record of 22-15 against Djokovich, and 2-1 in U.S. Open finals. They have met more times than any other two players during the Open era. Nadal has changed his game a bit and says he is trying to play more aggressive than he has in the past, going for more shots inside the net and closer to the baseline.

    It has been said that this is the men’s tennis’ Golden Era. It will continue into the next major, which is the Australian Open, only 125 days away, states NBC News. At that tournament, Nadal will attempt to become the first man during the Open Era, to win all four Slams at least twice. Although, at the same time, Djokovich looks to become the first man to win the event four straight times in the Open Era. There is sure to be plenty of emotion going into the tournament for both players, when they each try to set records.

    His celebration after the match even included a meeting with Spain’s Queen Sofia.

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