Latest news with #RogerFederer
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Swiss city changes traffic lights from men to women's soccer players for 2025 Euros
We may be only one match into the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro tournament, but Europeans are already celebrating their soccer stars. In Basel, Switzerland, the city has decided to support th athletes by swapping the traffic lights. Instead of the classic red and green men, the green man has been swapped with a woman kicking a soccer ball. These changes mark the beginning of a month-long celebration of the tournament. After all, Basel's Parc Saint-Jacques will be one of the main host arenas for the Euros, hosting five matches throughout the tournament, including the final, scheduled for July 27 at 12 p.m. ET. It will also host the official opening match of the tournament – the July 2 tilt between Switzerland and Norway. Has Switzerland hosted the tournament before? This year marks the first time Switzerland has hosted an international women's tournament. In fact, it was a major area of concern that Switzerland might not be able to manage the crowds this event might draw. Parc Saint-Jacques has a capacity of less than 40,000, after all. For comparison, Wembley Stadium, host of the finals for the 2022 Euro,s could hold 90,000 people. According to the New York Times, Switzerland was even asked to remove their bid at one point, being told "England was such a success, we cannot go to a small country now." According to the report, a large part of Switzerland's pitch to host the tournament allegedly came from a local rapper who performed a two-to-three minute rap to the UEFA committee around a cardboard cutout of Swiss tennis star Roger Federer, which had fallen to the floor early during the performance. Somehow that was enough to change the committee's minds, granting Switzerland the opportunity to host the tournament. Has Switzerland ever won the tournament? No. In fact, they've never advanced past the group stage. Despite the tournament existing since 1984, they've only participated twice (2017 and 2022). Switzerland holds a 1-2-3 record across their two tournament appearances, with their lone win coming against Iceland in 2017. Who is in Switzerland's group for 2025? Switzerland is part of Group A in the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro tournament, playing alongside Norway, Iceland, and Finland. The Swiss started play against Norway on July 2, then will meet Iceland on Sunday, July 6 at 3 p.m. ET, and Finland on Thursday, July 10 at 3 p.m. ET, to determine group stage standings.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
The history behind Wimbledon's all-white rule for tennis player's kits
Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament, maintains a strict "almost entirely white" dress code for players, with any colour limited to a 10mm strip. The white clothing rule, enforced since the 19th century, originated to conceal sweat and provide coolness in summer heat. Over time, the dress code became a symbol of Wimbledon's unique history and tradition, despite occasional controversies and revisions. In 2023, the All England Club updated its rules to permit dark undershorts for women players, addressing concerns related to menstruation. Past clothing controversies at Wimbledon include incidents involving Gertrude Moran, Venus Williams, and Roger Federer, highlighting the strict adherence to the white kit policy.
CNN
18 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).
CNN
19 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
a day 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.
