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Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
Wimbledon 2025: Anniversaries for Serena Williams, Arthur Ashe, Isner-Mahut, and COVID
A look at some of the anniversaries this year at Wimbledon: 50 years ago (1975): Arthur Ashe became the first – and to this day only – Black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon in 1975, beating defending champion Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4 in the final. Also that year, Billie Jean King easily won her sixth – and it turned out last – singles championship at the All England Club, defeating Evonne Goolagong 6–0, 6–1. It also was the 19th of the 20 total Wimbledon trophies (across singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles) that King would win. 45 years ago (1980): Bjorn Borg earned his fifth consecutive Wimbledon trophy in 1980, barely getting past rival John McEnroe 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7 (16), 8–6 in a final immediately – and still – considered one of the greatest tennis matches of all time. The fourth-set tiebreaker alone, known as 'The War of 18-16,' is still discussed with reverence. For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. 40 years ago (1985): Anne White showed up for her first-round Wimbledon match in 1985 against Pam Shriver wearing a full white bodysuit that drew plenty of attention – and criticism. After they split the first two sets, play was called because of darkness. During the break, White was told that the All England Club did not love her original outfit, even if it did comply with the all-white rule, and she wound up wearing more traditional clothing for the third set when action resumed the next day. Shriver won the match. 35 years ago (1990): A 6–4, 6–1 victory over Zina Garrison in the 1990 final gave Martina Navratilova her record ninth Wimbledon championship. It also was her 18th and last Grand Slam title, equaling rival Chris Evert for the Open era record at the time. 25 years ago (2000): Pete Sampras' 2000 Wimbledon title via a 6–7 (10), 7–6 (5), 6–4, 6–2 victory over Patrick Rafter in the final gave the American his seventh and last trophy at the All England Club and his then-record 13th title from all Grand Slam tournaments. Sampras would win his 14th major at the 2002 US Open, then walk away from the sport. That stood as the men's record until Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all surpassed it. 15 years ago (2010): John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played the longest tennis match on record at Wimbledon in 2010, competing for 11 hours 5 minutes stretched across three days in the first round at the All England Club until Isner eventually prevailed 70–68 in the fifth set. That was part of the impetus for rules changes that eventually mandated tiebreakers at 6–all in fifth sets of men's matches (and third sets of women's matches) at all four Grand Slam tournaments. 10 years ago (2015): Serena Williams completed her second self-styled 'Serena Slam' – four Grand Slam titles in a row, although not all within a single season – by winning Wimbledon in 2015. Her 6–4, 6–4 victory over Garbiñe Muguruza in the final made the 33-year-old Williams the oldest woman to win a major singles championship in the Open era. It also set up Williams for a bid at a true Grand Slam – going 4 for 4 at the majors within one calendar year – at the US Open later in 2015. She fell just short, losing to Roberta Vinci in a stunning upset in the semifinals in New York. 5 years ago (2020): Wimbledon was called off in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first time since World War II that the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament wasn't held. The cancellation was announced in April with Britain under a nationwide lockdown. Roger Federer offered a one-word commentary on social media, writing simply: 'Devastated.'
Associated Press
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Wimbledon 2025: Anniversaries for Serena Williams, Arthur Ashe, Isner-Mahut and COVID
LONDON (AP) — A look at some of the anniversaries this year at Wimbledon: 50 years ago (1975): Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King win Wimbledon Arthur Ashe became the first — and to this day, only — Black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon in 1975, beating defending champion Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4 in the final. Also that year, Billie Jean King easily won her sixth — and, it turned out, last — singles championship at the All England Club, defeating Evonne Goolagong 6-0, 6-1. It also was the 19th of the 20 total Wimbledon trophies (across singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles) that King would win. 45 years ago (1980): Bjorn Borg collects his 5th Wimbledon title in a row Bjorn Borg earned his fifth consecutive Wimbledon trophy in 1980, barely getting past rival John McEnroe 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7 (16), 8–6 in a final immediately — and still — considered one of the greatest tennis matches of all time. The fourth-set tiebreaker alone, known as The War of 1816, is still discussed with reverence. 40 years ago (1985): Anne White's white bodysui t at the All England Club Anne White showed up for her first-round Wimbledon match in 1985 against Pam Shriver wearing a full white bodysuit that drew plenty of attention — and criticism. After they split the first two sets, play was called because of darkness. During the break, White was told that the All England Club did not love her original outfit, even if it did comply with the all-white rule, and she wound up wearing more traditional clothing for the third set when action resumed the next day. Shriver won the match. 35 years ago (1990): Martina Navratilova wins her 9th Wimbledon trophy A 6-4, 6-1 victory over Zina Garrison in the 1990 final gave Martina Navratilova her record ninth Wimbledon championship. It also was her 18th and last Grand Slam title, equaling rival Chris Evert for the Open era record at the time. 25 years ago (2000): Pete Sampras gets 7th Wimbledon, 13th Slam title Pete Sampras' 2000 Wimbledon title, via a 6–7 (10), 7–6 (5), 6–4, 6–2 victory over Patrick Rafter in the final, gave the American his seventh, and last, trophy at the All England Club and his then-record 13th title from all Grand Slam tournaments. Sampras would win his 14th major at the 2002 U.S. Open, then walk away from the sport. That stood as the men's record until Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all surpassed it. 15 years ago (2010): Isner and Mahut play a 70-68 fifth set at Wimbledon John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played the longest tennis match on record at Wimbledon in 2010, competing for 11 hours, 5 minutes stretched across three days in the first round at the All England Club, until Isner eventually prevailed 70-68 in the fifth set. That was part of the impetus for rules changes that eventually mandated tiebreakers at 6-all in fifth sets of men's matches (and third sets of women's matches) at all four Grand Slam tournaments. 10 years ago (2015): Williams gets a 'Serena Slam' as oldest major champ Serena Williams completed her second self-styled 'Serena Slam' — four Grand Slam titles in a row, although not all within a single season — by winning Wimbledon in 2015. Her 6-4, 6-4 victory over Garbiñe Muguruza in the final made the 33-year-old Williams the oldest woman to win a major singles championship in the Open era. It also set up Williams for a bid at a true Grand Slam — going 4 for 4 at the majors within one calendar year — at the U.S. Open later in 2015. She fell just short, losing to Roberta Vinci in a stunning upset in the semifinals in New York. 5 years ago (2020): Wimbledon is canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic Wimbledon was called off in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first time since World War II that the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament wasn't held. The cancellation was announced in April, with Britain under a nationwide lockdown. Roger Federer offered a one-word commentary on social media, writing simply: 'Devastated.' ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis:
Times of Oman
a day ago
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Huge milestone up for grabs as Alcaraz prepares to defend Wimbledon title
London: Young Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz, who will defend his Wimbledon title from June 30 onwards at the All England, stands on the brink of a massive milestone. If the world number two secures the Wimbledon title for the third successive year and makes it a hat-trick of wins, he will join legendary Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open Era to complete a double of French Open-Wimbledon in consecutive years, as per ATP's official website. Borg set a huge benchmark for future superstars of the game to follow between 1978 and 1980, when he captured the French Open and Wimbledon titles in a calendar year three times in a row, a feat that has not been replicated since. Alcaraz arrives for the third Grand Slam of the season with a career-best 18-match winning streak, with title wins in Rome and Paris, defeating world-number-one Jannik Sinner in both the title clashes, with the latter being a five-hour classic which saw Alcaraz come from behind to capture a thrilling win. The 22-year-old will be aiming to win his fifth successive title on natural surfaces, after victories at Wimbledon in 2023, 2024, the French Open in 2024 and 2025. This would also be his sixth Grand Slam title. The transition from tough clay of Paris to grass surfaces has not proven to be easy even for the biggest stars of the sport. In the Open Era, Alcaraz is one of six men to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, joining Rod Laver (1969), Borg (1978, 1979, 1980), Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010), Roger Federer (2009) and Novak Djokovic (2021). Only Borg has managed to secure the double in back-to-back years. Only one women's player has managed to secure the double in successive years during the Open Era, Stefanie Graf, who did it in 1995 and 1996. Alcaraz arrives to London after securing his second Queens Club Championships title, positioning himself as a huge favourite for a hat-trick. The two-time Wimbledon champion has an impressive tournament record of 18 wins and two losses.
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner pushing each other to new levels pre-Wimbledon
Earlier this month Alcaraz, the reigning SW19 champion and second seed, edged out his Italian rival – the world number one – in five thrilling sets, coming from two down and saving three championship points to win a French Open classic. Between them the pair have carved up the last six grand slams, but their Roland Garros showdown was their first meeting in a major final. It was the first grand slam final to be contested by two men born this century and set the tone for a generation-defining rivalry along the lines of Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz has won eight of their 12 meetings, including the last five, but he knows it is far from a one-sided match-up. 'Every match that I play against him is important honestly,' said the Spaniard, 22. 'As I said many times, every time that we face against each other, we raise our level to the top. 'If you want to win grand slams, you have to beat the best tennis players in the world. I think it feels much better when you face them in the final. 'He's going to come back stronger the next time we are going to face each other. 'I'm pretty sure he's going to do his homework. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try to learn from that match how he can be better, how he can tactically make damage in his game. 'I'm not going to beat him forever. That's obvious. So I have to keep learning from the matches I played against him, and hopefully play more grand slam finals.' Sinner has reached two finals – losing both to Alcaraz – since coming back from a three-month doping ban and, despite the current sequence of defeats, says he relishes being one half of such an absorbing duopoly. 'I think every rivalry is different,' said the 23-year-old. 'Back in the day, they played a little bit different tennis. Now the ball is going fast. It's very physical. It's slightly different from my point of view, but you cannot compare. 'I was lucky enough to play against Novak (Djokovic), against Rafa. Beating these guys, it takes a lot. I have the same feeling with Carlos and some other players. 'It's good to see that we can produce tennis like this, because I think it's good for the whole movement of tennis. Of course, I'm happy to be part of this.'
North Wales Chronicle
3 days ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner pushing each other to new levels pre-Wimbledon
Earlier this month Alcaraz, the reigning SW19 champion and second seed, edged out his Italian rival – the world number one – in five thrilling sets, coming from two down and saving three championship points to win a French Open classic. Between them the pair have carved up the last six grand slams, but their Roland Garros showdown was their first meeting in a major final. It was the first grand slam final to be contested by two men born this century and set the tone for a generation-defining rivalry along the lines of Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz has won eight of their 12 meetings, including the last five, but he knows it is far from a one-sided match-up. 'Every match that I play against him is important honestly,' said the Spaniard, 22. 'As I said many times, every time that we face against each other, we raise our level to the top. 'If you want to win grand slams, you have to beat the best tennis players in the world. I think it feels much better when you face them in the final. 'He's going to come back stronger the next time we are going to face each other. 'I'm pretty sure he's going to do his homework. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try to learn from that match how he can be better, how he can tactically make damage in his game. 'I'm not going to beat him forever. That's obvious. So I have to keep learning from the matches I played against him, and hopefully play more grand slam finals.' Sinner has reached two finals – losing both to Alcaraz – since coming back from a three-month doping ban and, despite the current sequence of defeats, says he relishes being one half of such an absorbing duopoly. 'I think every rivalry is different,' said the 23-year-old. 'Back in the day, they played a little bit different tennis. Now the ball is going fast. It's very physical. It's slightly different from my point of view, but you cannot compare. 'I was lucky enough to play against Novak (Djokovic), against Rafa. Beating these guys, it takes a lot. I have the same feeling with Carlos and some other players. 'It's good to see that we can produce tennis like this, because I think it's good for the whole movement of tennis. Of course, I'm happy to be part of this.'
