NEW YORK -- The U.S. Open felt like two separate tournaments. The first was an exciting, spirited 10-day party, played amid ideal conditions. The second was a soggy circus. But in the end, the sun came back out and we were treated to some compelling finals. Herewith, some scattered observations and opinions:
SI.com's Jon Wertheim breaks down the men's and women's seeds at the U.S. Open. Read on for the top first-round matchups, dark horses to watch and his predicted winners.
The grassroots renaissance of tennis in the United States was the subject of an Associated Press feature that appeared online and in many newspaper sports sections over the weekend. The story argues, among other things, that "today's dearth of top American professionals" hasn't curtailed the sport's post-2000 growth:
Top seed Serena Williams has crashed out of the Bank of the West Classic, but her older sister Venus reached the semifinals after thrashing Maria Sharapova.
It's always struck me as shabby when a commentator or columnist ignites controversy and then slips away like Laura Dern in the last scene of Citizen Ruth. Last week, I took issue with Roger Federer's Wimbledon attire -- and, more specifically, the Nike taste-makers who determined Federer's dignity and humility required more edge. The responses, pro and con, were as intense as they were numerous.
While mourning Mathieu Montcourt and thinking how downright creepy it is that two players penalized recently by the ATP for petty gambling infractions --Federico Luzzi is the other -- have died ...
The Wimbledon grass has always been a bit of a yoga mat for Roger Federer, who routinely moves around Centre Court at mental and physical ease while his more bruiser-like counterparts clip-clop on its blades.
Some scattered thoughts on a historic Wimbledon ...
Four things we learned while watching the all-American women's final at the All England Club on Independence Day ...
This is our last "crumpet" for Wimbledon 2009. Time to do magazine work (though I'll continue periodic tweeting and podcasting). If you'd like, you could read this tomorrow; think of it as tape-delay. Thanks to everyone who wrote in. We'll be back Sunday with a Wimbledon wrap-up!
NEW YORK -- The U.S. Open felt like two separate tournaments. The first was an exciting, spirited 10-day party, played amid ideal conditions. The second was a soggy circus. But in the end, the sun came back out and we were treated to some compelling finals. Herewith, some scattered observations and opinions:
SI.com's Jon Wertheim breaks down the men's and women's seeds at the U.S. Open. Read on for the top first-round matchups, dark horses to watch and his predicted winners.
The grassroots renaissance of tennis in the United States was the subject of an Associated Press feature that appeared online and in many newspaper sports sections over the weekend. The story argues, among other things, that "today's dearth of top American professionals" hasn't curtailed the sport's post-2000 growth:
Top seed Serena Williams has crashed out of the Bank of the West Classic, but her older sister Venus reached the semifinals after thrashing Maria Sharapova.
It's always struck me as shabby when a commentator or columnist ignites controversy and then slips away like Laura Dern in the last scene of Citizen Ruth. Last week, I took issue with Roger Federer's Wimbledon attire -- and, more specifically, the Nike taste-makers who determined Federer's dignity and humility required more edge. The responses, pro and con, were as intense as they were numerous.
While mourning Mathieu Montcourt and thinking how downright creepy it is that two players penalized recently by the ATP for petty gambling infractions --Federico Luzzi is the other -- have died ...
The Wimbledon grass has always been a bit of a yoga mat for Roger Federer, who routinely moves around Centre Court at mental and physical ease while his more bruiser-like counterparts clip-clop on its blades.
Some scattered thoughts on a historic Wimbledon ...
Four things we learned while watching the all-American women's final at the All England Club on Independence Day ...
This is our last "crumpet" for Wimbledon 2009. Time to do magazine work (though I'll continue periodic tweeting and podcasting). If you'd like, you could read this tomorrow; think of it as tape-delay. Thanks to everyone who wrote in. We'll be back Sunday with a Wimbledon wrap-up!
WIMBLEDON, England -- While marveling at Venus Williams's play on grass....
A total of 28 staff at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships have been asked to stay at home with suspected swine flu.
Two years are tattooed on the English sports consciousness like scarlet letters of anguish and self-pity. One is 1966, the first and only time the Three Lions hoisted the World Cup. The other is 1937, the last time a British player won at Wimbledon.
WIMBLEDON, England -- Here's a Monday baguette, or, as reader Art Wong suggests we call it during Wimbledon, "a crumpet." While wondering what Roger Federer is making of the prospect of facing Ivo Karlovic...
Andy Murray survived a five-set thriller on Monday to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka and advance to the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Twice defending champion Venus Williams moved closer to a Wimbledon title hat-trick on Monday when fourth-round rival Ana Ivanovic left in tears after quitting their Court One match through injury.
Rafael Nadal, the defending champion, stayed away from Wimbledon. Which gives him something in common with the rain. You remember, the Wimbledon rain, right? Wet stuff ... fell from the sky ... constantly disrupted play. The only umbrellas unfurled last week were used to repel the sun. And that may have been the biggest upset of Week 1. Herewith, our midterm grades:
Serena Williams wasted little time in reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon on Friday as she dispatched Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-3 6-4 in a little over an hour.
The absence of defending champion Rafael Nadal has overshadowed the men's singles at Wimbledon and has increased British expectations that Andy Murray may finally become the first home winner of the tournament in over 70 years.
As Wimbledon 2009 gets under way this week, sports commentators and tennis aficionados will closely watch China's tennis superstar, Zheng Jie.
The winner of the French Open title on Sunday will get a first prize less in U.S. dollars than that of Rafael Nadal's in 2008.
Wimbledon have confirmed plans to hold an exhibition event on Centre Court to test conditions under the new roof ahead of next year's tennis championships.
Federer or Nadal, who's your pick at the U.S. Open? -- Chas, New York
That was unquestionably one of the greatest tennis matches I have ever witnessed. But let's digest it a little bit and let the heat of the moment pass before we dub it "the greatest of all time." This one had a lot at stake, with a lot of underlying stories attached to it on the most prestigious stage in all of the sport. But I'm not ready to dismiss Agassi-Blake in the 2005 Open quarters just because we saw a match of its equal. -- Steve, New York, NY
Cleaning out the Wimbledon notebook while still in awe of that final.
Defending champion Venus Williams has won her fifth Wimbledon singles title after beating younger sister Serena Williams 7-5 6-4 in a hard-fought final on Saturday.
Five things we learned from women's final Saturday at Wimbledon:
After six days of play, here are our midterm grades from the 2008 version of Wimbledon:
Top-seeded Ana Ivanovic launched her Wimbledon campaign with a 6-1 6-2 win over Rossana de Los Rios in her first match since winning the French Open title.
The world's oldest tennis tournament retains many of the same customs and quirks 131 years after it was first staged. It's the only Grand Slam event still played on grass, despite perennial moans from the clay- and hard-court specialists who struggle to adjust. Players--who are always referred to as "gentlemen" and "ladies"--must wear predominantly white, and the courts are unsullied by conspicuous corporate logos.
Hi everyone, check back in a few days for a Wimbledon seed report.
It's been nearly two weeks, but the sports world is still buzzing over the Giants' last-minute victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Eli Manning's third-down conversion to David Tyree has become the latest play talked about around the water cooler. How did Manning get away from those massive Patriot linemen, pass the ball to a tightly covered Tyree, who then somehow leaped into the air, grabbed the football with his fingertips, and managed to come down with it, all while juggling it off his helmet? Was it just phenomenal athleticism or just luck? Or maybe, in that enclosed stadium on a rainy afternoon in Arizona, it was their destiny.
Tennis star Martina Hingis says she has been accused of testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon, an accusation she calls "horrendous," the Associated Press reports.
NEW YORK -- He is the British number one, a designation that carries little weight in New York but the weight of the world at Wimbledon.
Former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo has pulled out of this year's U.S. Open while she tries to recapture her best form after a season hit by injury and illness.
Once upon a time there was a surface called "grass." It rewarded aggressive play, and people who served and volleyed and returned and came in did very well. People who sliced and came to the net, like Martina Navratilova, were almost unstoppable when they got on a roll. Since the grass at Wimbledon is so slow, wouldn't it be "fair" to speed up the kitty litter-like surface called "clay" that the rest of the world is so enamored with?
WIMBLEDON, England -- Cleaning out the notebook from a wild and wet Wimbledon. Some random notes and thoughts, trying to incorporate as many of your questions as possible.
Let's pretend you are, say, an insurance salesman. You're damn good at your job, world-class even. You clock in every day. You miss family functions on account of work. You try like hell to improve your performance rating and keep ascending the ladder. But there are these two colleagues -- siblings, no less! -- blocking your progress. They seem to pop into the office only when the mood strikes. They miss all the meetings and those insufferable "team building" outings because they're off acting or designing clothes or doing Lord knows what else. They take lots of sick leave, too. But when there's money on the table, they're the best around. They swoop in, perform with breathtaking skill and close the biggest accounts. Argh!
WIMBLEDON, England -- Five things we learned during a memorable day of tennis on Friday:
WIMBLEDON, England -- In the sheltered world of professional athletes, sometimes we need a reality check. Outside of the locker rooms, practice courts and VIP lounges we inhabit on a daily basis, there's a world that exists that we seem to be protected from and even ignore from time to time. Until it becomes personal.
And it was written: As long as there are rain delays, there will be baguettes:
A quick Baguette, while waiting out still another rain delay ...
In this hyper-commercialized age, let's acknowledge just how aberrational it is for a sporting event to forego play on a Sunday. As rain continued Saturday, it looks as though play won't resume here until Monday. Herewith, our marks from the first week at Wimbledon.
Justine Henin used her formidable backhand and clever angles to beat Russian Elena Vesnina 6-1 6-3 in the third round at Wimbledon.
So I arrived on the grounds Friday morning and, in the wake of last night's car bomb scare in downtown London, the security was tighter than Tim Henman in a fifth set. (Cheap shot. Sorry.)
WIMBLEDON, England -- I can tell you from first-hand experience on Monday that life doesn't always imitate art.
A quick preliminary note to clear up some confusion: While Wimbledon doesn't follow the rankings to seed players, the seedings are not "subjective" or based on the whims of crusty committee members. There is a formula, and it is explained here:
LONDON -- Wimbledon means Roger Federer time. The world's No. 1 player has won the last four and is undeniably the favorite for a fifth. Beyond him is a small, elite group of players who are capable of hoisting the trophy at the end of the fortnight.
A quick Mailbag before the Big Show. Check back on Friday for our Wimbledon seed reports.
LONDON -- Grass-court season has arrived, and I couldn't be happier. Once June arrives, the clay-court shoes of spring are tossed aside in exchange for the pimpled-bottomed soles for the grass court of England.
Check back Friday, June 22, for the official Wimbledon draw and schedule.
Roger Federer wants French Open organizers to follow the example of the Australian Open and Wimbledon by building a roof over a showcourt at Roland Garros.
Men and women will receive equal prize money at Wimbledon this year for the first time in the history of the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.
Amelie Mauresmo came from a set down to take the Wimbledon title for the first time after an absorbing final with Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne on Saturday.
Martina Navratilova took her final bow at Wimbledon on Thursday after failing in her bid to set a record for All England Club titles.
An Internet bookmaking firm has alerted tennis authorities about unusual betting patterns after hefty sums were bet on a first round match at Wimbledon won by Britain's Richard Bloomfield.
Justine Henin-Hardenne buried memories of her shock exit last year with a ruthless 6-0 6-1 win over China's Yuan Meng in the first round at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Rafael Nadal was named second seed for the Wimbledon men's singles on Wednesday, ahead of American Andy Roddick.
Mary Pierce has joined fellow-Grand Slam champions Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams as the latest withdrawal from Wimbledon -- which starts on Monday.
French Open champion Rafael Nadal is focusing on improvement rather than success at Wimbledon next week, after recovering from an injury that forced him out of the Stella Artois event last Friday.
Former world number eight Alicia Molik has been handed a wildcard into the Wimbledon women's draw.
Twice Wimbledon champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from this year's tournament because of injury, Wimbledon referee Andrew Jarrett said on Friday.
It happens every year. That smug bastard in the next office scores amazing seats to some exotic sporting event, then spends months regaling everyone with tales from his adrenaline-fueled travels.
Wimbledon's decision to resist equal pay for its women's champion has led to a barrage of criticism from tennis greats.
French Open champion Rafael Nadal of Spain has confirmed he will play at Queen's Club this year for the first time to test his form on grass ahead of Wimbledon.
When it comes to corporate hospitality, companies are constantly trying to outmaneuver each other.
Centre Court is covered up and the strawberries are sold.
Thursday results at Wimbledon (seeds in bold)
Wednesday results at Wimbledon (seeds in bold)
Tuesday results at Wimbledon (seeds in bold)
French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne was knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round by Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 7-6 2-6 7-5.
Visitors to the All England Tennis Club will have to do without their highly sophisticated picnic hampers, and their champagne might get lukewarm without their cool boxes this year.
Argentine world number eight Guillermo Canas has withdrawn from the Wimbledon championships, officials said Friday.
Former Wimbledon runner-up Mark Philippoussis beat Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6 7-6 to reach the quarterfinals of the Ordina Open.
Former winner Andre Agassi has pulled out of next week's Wimbledon championships because of injury.
Kim Clijsters established herself as a major contender for the Wimbledon crown with a brilliant return to grasscourt action in the $585,000 Eastbourne Championships on Tuesday.
Elena Dementieva's Wimbledon preparations were thrown into disarray when she was forced to retire from her Ordina Open second-round match against Denisa Chladova on Tuesday.
Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan slumped to his fifth successive first round defeat on Monday when he crashed out of the Queen's club in London.
The final day of the French Open marks the start of the grass-court season, so the players have to adapt from one extreme surface to the other in a matter of days.
Former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez resisted a determined comeback by qualifier Martina Mueller to reach the second round of the German Open claycourt tournament in Berlin, winning 6-0 7-6.
Venus Williams avenged her controversial exit from this year's Wimbledon with a 6-2 6-2 win over Croatia's Karolina Sprem at the Zurich Challenge on Tuesday.
Wimbledon champion and top seed Serena Williams advanced to round four with the minimum of fuss, walloping Spain's Magui Serna 6-4 6-0 on Sunday.
Tennis will be played on the middle Sunday at Wimbledon for only the third time in its history, All England club officials said on Saturday.
Serena Williams strutted almost unchallenged into the third round at Wimbledon and insisted that the only way she could lose a match on current form is through a rare self-lapse.
Play at Wimbledon was abandoned at 1745 GMT on Wednesday without a ball being struck in anger, the first wash-out at the championships since 1999.
Tim Henman rode a wave of passionate support to step into the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday with a 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-2 win over Spain's Ruben Ramirez-Hidalgo.
Martina Navratilova rolled back the years with an almost effortless 6-0 6-1 victory over Colombian Catalina Castano at Wimbledon on Monday.
Nine-time champion Martina Navratilova said Wednesday she has accepted a wildcard to play singles at Wimbledon for the first time in 10 years.
Former champion Andre Agassi will miss next week's Wimbledon tennis Championships because of a nagging hip injury, the American has confirmed.
Martina Navratilova may turn down the Wimbledon wildcard offered to her by the grand slam's organizers as the rigors of singles play catch up with the 47-year-old.
French Open winner Gaston Gaudio has joined fellow South American Gustavo Kuerten and the two top women in tennis in withdrawing from the Wimbledon Championships, which begin next week.
Martina Navratilova returns to Wimbledon singles this month a decade after bowing out after being given a wildcard by organizers on Friday.
Tim Henman suffered a pre-Wimbledon blow when Britain's French Open semifinalist was dumped out at Queen's Club by Slovakian journeyman Karol Beck.
World No. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne has announced she will not take part in this year's Wimbledon championships on the advice of her doctors.
Cash-strapped Wimbledon were saved from going into liquidation on Thursday when the club's creditors agreed to a takeover.
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