Latest news with #Federer
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Wimbledon, On This Day: When Federer stunned Sampras in 2001
Roger Federer gave a hint of how incredible he was going to be on grass two years before he clinched his maiden Wimbledon title in 2003. Twenty-four years ago, on this day, the then Swiss teenager stunned seven-time champion Pete Sampras 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 in the fourth round of the The Championships. #OnThisDay 2001: a 19 year-old @rogerfederer beat Pete Sampras, one of his childhood heroes, in the 4th round at @Wimbledon. It marked the only time the two legends ever went head to head. Relive this Rolex #Wimbledon Golden Moment. # — ROLEX (@ROLEX) July 2, 2019 Anyone looking at the transitions between tennis eras would see this result as a pivotal moment between the reigns of Pistol Pete and King Roger. Sampras won his seventh Wimbledon title in 2000, but in a marathon clash 12 months later, he came unstuck against the emerging Swiss. Sampras had won the four previous editions of the men's singles at Wimbledon but he would never dominate again at the All England Club. Federer lost in the quarterfinals to Tim Henman, who would then famously be beaten in the last four by eventual champion Goran Ivanisevic. Federer eventually got his hands on the trophy in 2003 and would go on to overhaul Sampras' record. '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,' said Federer after the win.
CNN
17 hours ago
- Sport
- CNN
Wimbledon champion probably ‘playing wide receiver on an NFL team' amid US men's grand slam drought
There was once a time when American men dominated the tennis world at Wimbledon. The likes of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Stan Smith and Arthur Ashe saw widespread success in the 70s and 80s, before Pete Sampras simply dominated the 90s at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. When Sampras won his final Wimbledon title in 2000, the realistic expectation was that it wouldn't be too long before another American man replicated the achievement. In reality, though, it would be the last title for a very long time. It is now 25 years and counting since an American man has lifted the Wimbledon trophy above his head. Since then, the competition has been hogged by arguably the greatest tennis players in history, with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray winning every title between 2003 and 2023. Andy Roddick came closest to breaking the streak in 2009, but the American eventually lost a memorable five-set final against Federer. Big serving John Isner then reached the semifinals in 2018 before losing a marathon match against eventual runner-up Kevin Anderson. No American man has really been able to get close since. It's quite the statistic for one of the biggest countries on the planet, with such a deep history in the sport. It also stands in stark contrast to both the women's game and the doubles tournaments in which the US has continued to find success. But tennis journalist Matt Futterman says he is not surprised by the lack of success in the men's ranks, given the quality they've had to compete against over the last two decades. 'It doesn't surprise me because those handful of guys have just been so much better than everybody else,' Futterman, who works for The Athletic, told CNN Sports ahead of this year's Wimbledon. 'It's just this era, you have to be a unicorn to win a grand slam title these days. If you had asked me 25 years ago, 'Would it be 25 years before another American man won Wimbledon?' I would have said that's crazy, but the way it's gone down, it doesn't surprise me all that much.' Now, as players start another Wimbledon campaign, the landscape of men's tennis looks very different. Murray, Federer and Nadal have all since retired and Djokovic has shown signs that his powers may be on the decline. In their absence, Italian Jannik Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz have stepped up to fill the void, kicking off what looks to be an exciting rivalry for the future. Already, though, the duo appears to be head and shoulders above the best US men's players who haven't jumped off like many hoped they would have. World No. 5 Taylor Fritz is currently the highest ranked men's player from the US, with Ben Shelton ranked No. 10. Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul both currently sit just outside the Top 10 but none of the above have ever won a grand slam title. In fact, no American man has claimed a singles major honor across any of the four grand slams since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003. Wimbledon, being played on grass, also poses another problem for some of the current crop. Tiafoe and Shelton, for example, have never made it past the fourth round. Paul, meanwhile, reached the quarterfinals last year and Fritz has reached the same round twice. Fritz, in particular, perhaps should have done better with both of his opportunities in 2022 and 2024, and recently said he feels Wimbledon is his best chance at a grand slam title. His recent performances on grass this season go some way to backing up his claim. 'This is a huge week for me with the recent results on grass so I was thinking about that during this match,' he said after winning his first round match Tuesday. 'I really didn't want to go out in the first round.' Unless something miraculous happens this year, though, the 25-year streak looks set to continue with Alcaraz the stand out favorite for the men's title, despite a tough five-set test in the first round in the form of Fabio Fognini. The Spaniard is coming off the back of victory at Roland Garros and at Queen's Club and his game is arguably best suited to the grass court game. 'I don't think any of them (US men's players) have more than a 2% chance of winning the tournament,' Futterman said. 'They would all have to play a level that they've just never shown before.' The question, then, naturally turns to why the US hasn't yet been able to develop a men's player capable of competing for a Wimbledon title in recent years. The answer, in truth, is multifaceted. First, modern day tennis is now played by hundreds of nations around the world, with facilities more readily available for upcoming stars no matter where they were born – many top international players, for example, train in the United States from an early age. In the past, tennis was a more closed shop, allowing the likes of the US to dominate for so long. For Futterman, there is also the fact that men's tennis in the US has to compete with so many other sports. 'There's probably a men's grand slam champion playing wide receiver on an NFL team right now,' he says, metaphorically. 'You know, Steph Curry is probably a grand slam champion. LeBron James probably would have been a grand slam champion. If you put a racket in those guys' hands when they were five years old, you never know. 'There's a lot of sports in America that take great athletes off the tennis court.' After 25 years without success, every man representing the US at Wimbledon this year will hope they can be the one who snaps the unwanted record. While Futterman says there isn't a huge amount of pressure back home – with the nation content with how well the women's players like Serena Williams, Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys have done in recent years – the men believe now is the time to get back on top. 'I mean, we've been peaking. It's just a matter of doing it,' Tiafoe told reporters after his first round win on Monday. 'Me and Taylor (Fritz), we played in the semis of a slam last year. Ben (Shelton) made semis of slams. Tommy (Paul) has made semis of slams. Fritz made a final I think. It's just a matter of getting it done. 'I really feel like if we continue to put ourselves in those positions, we're going to get it done. I really feel like I can. It's a matter of putting it together. 'But I think we're definitely peaking. I think now it's just about trying to finish.' This year's tournament has got off to a good start for the US men. Tiafoe made light work of his first round opponent, beating Elmer Møller in straight sets on Monday. Paul then followed suit on Tuesday, breezing past British hope Johannus Monday without dropping a set. Meanwhile, Fritz came through a brutal five-set thriller against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, in a game that spanned two days. The match was suspended by organizers on Monday due to the tournament's strict nighttime curfew, with the deciding set being played out Tuesday. Fritz survived Perricard's incredible serve – the Frenchman recorded Wimbledon's fastest ever on Monday (153 mph or 246 kph) – to book his place in the next round. Elsewhere, Shelton faced a resilient Alex Bolt in his first round match on Tuesday, with the American winning in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(1), 7-6(4).
Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Roger Federer's 'embarrassing' Wimbledon wardrobe malfunction left him red faced
Roger Federer equalled records when he claimed his fifth Wimbledon title back in 2007 but as he prepared to lift the trophy he realised a major error with his outfit Roger Federer made a wardrobe blunder during one of his most iconic Wimbledon moments after putting on his trousers the wrong way round as he went to collect the winner's trophy for the fifth time. In 2007 the Swiss star beat Rafael Nadal in the final to claim his fifth consecutive triumph at Wimbledon - emulating the achievement of Bjorn Borg. Throughout the tournament he'd been wearing an all-white jacket and trousers. Federer had collaborated with Nike to come up with the classy outfit and in the aftermath of beating Nadal he decided to wear the complete look for the trophy presentation. It wasn't until the 20-time Grand Slam champion went to put his hands in his pockets during a nervous moment that he realised the trousers were instead on the wrong way round, but he knew he had to live with his mistake. He said: "As I'm walking over, I try to put my hands in my pocket, because I'm nervous you know about the handshake, and about receiving the trophy, I realise as I put my hands in the pocket, it's not possible, it's going backward and I'm realising 'Oh my God; I put the trousers on the wrong way. "When I got the trophy I lift it up and go like It's gonna look so bad in the pictures but I don't care and nobody knows. Anyway it was the most classic funny and maybe the most embarrassing moment of my career." Federer would go on to win another three Wimbledon titles, the last coming in 2017. He remains the tournament's most successful player with his last success meaning he moved ahead of Pete Sampras, who had held the title with seven championships before the Swiss star's emergence. Across the course of his career Federer won a staggering 105 times at Wimbledon. His 18 quarter-final appearances are also unmatched in the history of SW19 whilst he remains the oldest player to reach the last eight. Unfortunately for Federer his final match at Wimbledon his last ever match ended in despair as he was humbled by Poland's Hubert Hurkacz. He was in primary school when the Swiss star won his first title in 2003 but landed a dominant 6-3, 7-6 (4) 6-0 victory. Despite that Federer's legacy at SW19 is cemented as his success in the early 2000s made him a fan favourite - a status he retained throughout his career and in retirement.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
All-white code ‘drives me nuts': Billie Jean King
Tennis legend Billie Jean Kings wants Wimbledon to scrap one of its sacrosanct traditions. 'It drives me nuts,' she told in an interview. The predominantly white costumes. Her concerns are more spectator-oriented. 'There's a match that comes on, you sit down, and you look – let's say it's television – who's who?' she asks. 'Tennis people say: 'Well, the mark is next to their name' [to indicate who is serving]. I shouldn't have to look at a mark, I shouldn't have to look at anything. I should know [who's who]. My sport drives me nuts,' she says, A winner of 20 titles (singles and doubles) at the SW19, she says: 'You can change traditions. But they shouldn't have the same uniforms on. They both have white on.' She suggests assigning numbers on the the back of shirts and kits. 'I'd have merch with their names on the back so they'd make money, the tournament makes money, everybody makes money. We're losing out on millions and millions because of that. Numbers are really important! Kids love numbers and they can retire numbers – like a Federer. It's so obvious. Take what other sports are doing and what people like from other sports,' she says. There was no restriction on the colours that could be worn in the first inaugural edition in 1877, only that the rules stated that white was preferred. For nearly a century it remained thus before Wimbledon's entry conditions were changed to state that players must wear 'predominantly white' clothing throughout the tournament in 1963. In 2014, a 10-part decree was introduced in the competitors' guide stating that 'white does not include off-white or cream' and allowing only 'a single trim of color no wider than one centimetre.' The almost-all-white rule now covers caps, headbands, bandannas, wristbands, shoes and even 'undergarments that either are or can be visible during play.' 'White, white, full-on white. I think it's very strict. My personal opinion: I think it's too strict. If you look at the pictures of Edberg, Becker, there were some colours,' Roger Federer would express his dissent. He had once come wearing orange socks and white shoes. The chair umpire sniggered at the colour combination and remarked that the socks were too bright. However, the clutch of orthodoxy has not prevented tennis from flaunting an imaginative wardrobe. King herself wore robes with elaborated blue and pink embroidery, a colour combination she picked up in an art class at school. Last edition, Coco Gauff wore a custom-made, cut-out dress. 'I mean, honestly, at Wimbledon there's not too much you can do in the colour department. We just tried to do something different with the cut of the dress. I like to wear crop tops a lot. That cut is kind of supposed to be like a crop top, [in] an elegant Wimbledon-type way,' she said. Naomi Osaka, returning from the birth of her first child, wore a two-piece, featuring asymmetric ruffles and a pleated skirt. The Wimbledon website described it as 'an elaborate outfit that wouldn't have looked out of place at the Met Gala'. Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk came draped in a white sleeveless, V-neck outfit, inspired by her wedding gown. Serena Williams's trench-coat was quite a rage since she wore it for the first time in 2008. She once wore an off-white dress with red trim and bright red undershorts, which she said was an ode to strawberries and cream, Wimbledon's traditional snack.
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 days ago
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Upbeat Djokovic Still Hunts Milestones with 20th Wimbledon Looming
Novak Djokovic says he is still hunting more career milestones as he prepares for his 20th Wimbledon bidding to match Roger Federer's record of eight men's singles titles. The emerging duopoly of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has shifted the focus away from the 38-year-old Serb who will be seeded sixth this year, his lowest since 2018. Despite that, no one will be dismissing the threat he poses as he chases an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title. Asked whether it felt like he was now more hunter than hunted, after being knocked off his perch by the young guns, Djokovic said his goals remained the same, Reuters reported. "In a sense you're always hunting because you're always going for the titles, and in my privileged position, the records and more history," he told reporters after practicing at a sunny and warm Wimbledon on Saturday. "I do feel that I'm always in that position of going for something with the attitude of trying to win rather than trying to defend." Djokovic has reached the final of the last six Wimbledons, losing the last two to Spaniard Alcaraz. He has not added to his Grand Slam collection since the 2023 US Open, since when Alcaraz and Italian Sinner have shared them, winning three apiece. He admits he was outplayed by world number one Sinner in the French Open semi-finals but had taken encouragement from that run in Paris. A return to Wimbledon perhaps offers him the best chance of breaking their stranglehold and becoming the oldest Grand Slam champion in the professional era. "I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance because of the results I had, because of how I feel, how I play in Wimbledon, just getting that extra push mentally and motivation to perform at the highest level," he said. "Let's see. I like the way I feel right now physically. Tennis-wise I've been playing good on the practice sessions. Obviously completely different when you start a tournament. "But yeah, I'll try to have a very good tournament and go as far as I can." Djokovic opens his latest Wimbledon quest against Frenchman Alexandre Muller on Tuesday needing just three victories to become only the second man to reach 100 match wins at the grass court Grand Slam. Federer won 105.
