2009 wimbledon

wimbledons new face

2009-07-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

Some pics:
CLASSIC WIMBLEDON WITH UNFORGETTABLE OLD COURT Nº1

Mid 90's

Last year

Wimbledon 2009

Sachin enjoys Wimbledon action

2009-07-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar created a buzz at the All-England Club as he joined distinguished guests that included soccer legends like Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Geoff Hurst, Sir Bobby Robson and Niall Quinn at Centre Court here on Saturday.

Traditionally, the first Saturday of the Championships is usually described as ‘Sporting Saturday’ since a select few British sports stars and former Wimbledon champs grace the Royal Box.

Dressed in a black suit, Tendulkar was cheered with a huge roar when his presence was announced at the Centre Court, and that was enough to suggest how much the little champion is adored in this part of the world.

Tendulkar watched women’s second seed Jelena Jankovich and upcoming British youngster Andy Murray in action, while waiting for Rafael Nadal’s match to begin. Yet he admitted that he is a die hard fan of Roger Federer.

Four champs

2009-07-06T02:07:00.000-07:00

(from left to right) Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Rod Laver pose with the trophy they have all held over the years.

Roddick's coach: Murray needs to change

2009-07-06T02:04:00.001-07:00

Murray yells

Larry Stefanki, the coach who guided Andy Roddick to his first Grand Slam final since 2006, says Andy Murray needs to "change his mentality" and stop "playing defensive tennis" if he wants to win a Grand Slam.

Stefanki, who turned down the chance to coach Murray three years ago, said the British No.1 was the best mover in the game after Roger Federer who would win plenty of Grand Slams but he needed to be more offensive.

"I don't think Murray transitions to offence well enough. He is stuck playing defensive tennis only and, in my opinion, that was the big difference. I don't think Murray played enough offence [in his match against Roddick]," Stefanki said. "Murray's second serve was very attackable. That was the plan [for Roddick], to move in and club some second serve returns.

"You have have to some offensive threat. He has developed a big serve and can move the ball from A to B as well as anybody, he just does not know when to do it."

"Besides Roger Federer he is the best mover in the game. He has the best footwork and he is technically very sound. He has to change his mentality of the way he wants to play this game at the very top level.

"His record is great and he is very strong-minded, and I like that, but he needs to recognise when to play offence. I don't think he sees it while he is playing right now and that's the next step for him."

The coach said Murray's arsenal is well-equipped, but the next stage is in his head, getting his mindset around when to use his kit and how to mix it up. "I think he has plenty of weapons. He hits the ball as cleanly as anybody but you have to learn when to use them and unload on certain balls and I don't see him doing that," Stefanki told Radio Wimbledon.

"He is going to have a great future if he gets to the point of recognising balls to attack and to come into the forecourt and play there rather than 15 feet behind the baseline. He will win a lot of slams, he is that good a mover."

Roddick's second set nightmare

2009-07-06T02:03:00.001-07:00

Roddick double-hander

Four points. Four points on which Andy Roddick’s Wimbledon dream hinged. Four luxurious points stretching away in front of him, four separate opportunities to take an unthinkable two sets to love lead over the mighty Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. What would Roddick trade right now for the chance to relive those points? What if he could have that moment back, and make it right? What would he give? Half of all he owns? Everything?

It doesn’t matter. Life won’t oblige him with a second opportunity. Yet how often will he wake in the night over the coming months and find himself back there, on Centre Court, reliving the hideous nightmare yet again? How did it happen? Four points in his hands, the set handed to him on a plate – but somehow the plate slipped through his fingers and ended up smashed to tiny pieces on the floor, along with Roddick’s dreams.

All right, so a two-set lead did not add up to the Wimbledon title itself. There were no guarantees that he would magically stroll away with the match from there and go on to lift the golden trophy for the first time in his life. But as a no-guarantee situation goes, a two-set lead over Federer is an agreeable neighbourhood to occupy. It should have been Roddick’s. He had played so wisely, so unshakeably up to that moment. And in four points it was over.

Until then there had been almost a palpable bubble of self-containment around the American, such was the power of his focus on the task in hand. No one gave him a prayer coming into this match, and no wonder given that he was looking the wrong way down the barrel of an 18-2 career record against Federer.

But two days before this, Roddick out-thought Andy Murray in the semi-final, and the same strategy was working again. It was as if Roddick could see only himself and some nameless opponent on the Centre Court, and no one else at all. The 15,000 crowd and the gallery of famous names in the Royal Box – Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver – might as well not have been there. This was about Roddick getting the impossible job done.

It did not matter what was thrown at him. It seemed that he was breaking the match down into that most successful of formats – one point at a time. So easy to say, so difficult to execute. But Roddick was doing it. If his serve came under pressure, he was equal to it. When chances came to attack, he took them without rushing. It seemed certain that the first set would go to the tiebreak, but at the death he turned it in his favour. When Federer made the error that gave the first set to Roddick 7-5, the American didn’t so much clench his first as merely close it in verification. Then he turned his back, mind already on the next phase of the task.

The crowd was of course thrilled, knowing that he needed this set if the match was to amount to anything. But how could this form last, against the legendary Federer? The second set seemed to go in a flash. This one did go to the tiebreak ... and those four points. Roddick was at 6-2, and the set was all but his. Key phrase: all but. Federer took six straight points. It could not be, and yet it was. Roddick took time out for what is commonly known as a comfort break, although it is difficult to believe that comfort played a big role in his life at that moment.

When he came back out on court, he looked hollow-cheeked and sunken-eyed. He had the air of a helpless eyewitness powerless to prevent some terrible trauma. So disoriented was he that he went to the wrong end of the court to receive serve, and umpire Lars Graf was forced to call him back. He hung on throughout the set to take it to the tiebreak, but there was to be no fairytale opportunity to put things right. Federer pounced on a short Roddick return and he was two sets to one up.

If you know of anyone who was predicting a fifth set at that moment, then you are of wider acquaintance than anyone on the Centre Court today. It was a done deal that Federer would win it in four. But he didn’t. Roddick had had enough of being shocked, and at 2-1 in the fourth outplayed the Swiss to convert a break point. It was enough to take it into the fifth.

All match Federer had tried and failed to break Roddick. Not until the final stroke of an epic final set would he manage what had previously been impossible. It was the second longest final of all time, by far the longest in games played. The two of them were in the 30th game of the set when at last successive loose shots from Roddick gave Federer what no other player has ever achieved, a 15th Grand Slam.

The American, beyond exhausted, was too worn out to weep. But the tears will no doubt come and, one fears, the nightmares after that. Elite sport is played out in an arena as wonderful as it is cruel, and only the bravest need apply.

Federer feels the warm hand of history

2009-07-06T02:02:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer smiles with his trophy after his sixth Wimbledon title.

There was standing room only in the media room at 8pm, and whispers were already going around. “I will if you will,” was the gist of it. Protocol had already been broken half an hour earlier when Andy Roddick was sportingly applauded when his press conference ended.

Journalists should by definition be impartial and applause is frowned upon as unseemly in any media room for this very reason. Here, however, everyone seemed to realise that they were in the presence of greatness. The fact that Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras – with 16 titles on the grass of SW19 between them – had been in the royal box that afternoon confirmed it, and when the man who had just broken Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles walked into the room, the press room broke out into applause.

364 days and 21 hours previously, Roger Federer had walked into that same room a broken man. On that occasion, he had been on the wrong end of an epic five-set final, losing “his” Wimbledon crown to his nemesis Rafael Nadal. “Write what you want,” he had said at the time, his eyes red and stinging with despair. He said that it hurt far more than his painful defeat at Nadal’s hands in the 2008 French Open. “Losing in Paris was nothing. This is a disaster,” he said.

A year on and tonight his eyes were again stinging, this time through sheer emotional exhaustion. “Tennis is cruel sometimes. I went through some five setters in Grand Slam finals too and ended up losing. It's hard,” the man back on top of the world rankings said.

“He [Roddick] did great. He's not going to let his head hang down. He's going to come back strong and play great in the States. I think it's one of the best matches we played against each other. I really thought I had to play my very, very best to come through.”

Despite the enormity of Federer’s achievement, the name “Nadal” almost inevitably cropped up during the conference. “That's the way it goes, you know,” he said of the Spaniard’s absence. “Everybody expected Murray to be in the finals and he wasn't there. It's not the (fault) of the one who wins at the end. Of course I would have loved to play him again, but then again I've also played Andy now in three great Wimbledon finals, and he deserves the credit too for playing so well. “

Returning to the subject of the absent Spaniard, Federer said: “You never know how he would have played, but it's sad he couldn't even give it a fair chance. He had the injury, and tennis moves very quickly. I'm happy at least that I became No. 1 in the world by winning the tournament, not just by him not playing at all, or me playing decent or someone else playing decent and getting to No. 1. That's not the way it's supposed to be. You win big matches, big tournaments – that's how you get back to it.”

Federer’s magnum opus was made all the more special by the presence of two people in the Centre Court crowd – his heavily pregnant wife Mirka and, over in the royal box, the man whose Grand Slam record he had just overhauled, Pete Sampras.

Federer said: “I used to get nervous when a friend would come and watch me play as a kid, and then it was my parents, and then it was legends. Today anybody can come and watch me play, I don't get nervous anymore. But with Pete it was a bit special. When he walked in and I saw him for the first time, I did get more nervous actually. I said hello to him too, which is unusual. But I thought, I don't want to be rude!” Federer grinned.

“I know how much the record meant to him and he knows how much the record means to me. In a way, I still feel like we share it, just because he was such a wonderful champion. He still has one up against me here,” said the Swiss of the seven-time Wimbledon winner. “That’s why I played the exhibitions with him, to see how he plays and to get to know him better. Spending time with him maybe inspired me to beat his record. Tennis has to be fun – not just forehands and backhands. Playing with great champions and then going and having something to eat with them afterwards gives me something else to think about.”

The final word, however, was for the woman who has shared his life for the past 10 years, before there was any talk of titles, let alone Grand Slam records – his wife Mirka. “My career has had a lot of ups and downs but Mirka has always been there. I’m unbelievably grateful to her. She had to stop playing because she had such pain in her foot, but she went really quickly from being a player to my girlfriend and my helper, and it was never a problem for her. I’m really lucky.”

A few other questions were thrown out to him, but the champion’s exhausted mind was elsewhere. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening there,” was all he could proffer, and then he was off, “to sleep! I’m exhausted”. The warrior will rest, but not on his laurels.

Roddick too pained to discuss defeat

2009-07-06T02:01:00.000-07:00

Andy Roddick in reflective mood after his loss to Roger Federer in the final.

For once a roomful of journalists were lost for words. There was nothing they wanted to ask Andy Roddick because every question felt too ghoulish. What did we need to know? Andy Roddick had played the greatest game of his life and had still lost. Roger Federer had broken his serve just once and he had still beaten him.

The last place Roddick wanted to be was sitting in front of the world’s media answering questions about a defeat that was so fresh it was only an hour old. The player with the most entertaining press conferences at Wimbledon 2009 had given so much on court there was nothing left to give.

Did you lose to the world’s greatest tennis player ever? “Yeah.” How would you describe what you did today? “I lost.” Does it hurt more though when you're that close and it's that long, 95 minutes the last set? How does this compare to the other ones? “Yeah, I think so. I think it's worse”. Is it crazy or is it a blessing in disguise that you're expected to play an indoor match on clay in four or five days? I don't know. I got nothing for you right now. To be honest, right now I don't really want to think about that.”

There was a lot of awkward silences at this press conference. There was a lot of staring at Roddick’s cap as he sat with his head bowed just wanting it all to end. The sixth seed was just unfortunate that his first Grand Slam final appearance in three years coincided with a man who was one victory away from a record 15 major wins and the title "greatest of all time".

“He just makes it real tough. You know, he was having trouble picking up my serve today for the first time ever. He just stayed the course,” Roddick said of Federer.

“You didn't even get a sense that he was even really frustrated by it. He kind of stayed the course and just toughed it out. He gets a lot of credit for a lot of things, but not a lot of the time is how many matches he kind of digs deep and toughs out. He doesn't get a lot of credit for that because it looks easy to him a lot of the times. But he definitely stuck in there today."

This is the beginning of Andy Roddick, not the end. By his own admission he had given himself a chance to win Wimbledon, just to reach the final he had beaten a former world No.1 and then the world No.3 in front of a parochial home crowd. He lost to a player who has won more Grand Slam titles than any other and who was appearing in his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final.

When Roddick was asked if he struggled to stay positive after losing the second set, he replied: “You know, at that point, like everything else, there's two options: you lay down or you keep going. The second option sounded better to me."

Roddick now has the choice to lay down or keep going. Given what we have seen these last two weeks, he is sure to take the second option.

Federer the three-minute wonder

2009-07-06T01:59:00.002-07:00

Federer kisses trophy

Two weeks of effort, two decades of training and a lifetime of hoping – and all of it is condensed into three minutes on Centre Court. For both Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, they must have been three of the longest minutes of their lives. By the end of them, Roddick’s dream of winning Wimbledon was shattered while Federer was knocking on the door of greatness.

If Federer could win the title, he would end all arguments: he would become the greatest player to lift a racket. He would break Pete Sampras’s record of 14 Grand Slam titles and he would regain his number one world ranking from Rafael Nadal.

When Sampras set the record in 2002, winning the US Open final, no one believed it could be bettered. Sampras certainly knew there was nothing left for him to achieve in the sport and never played competitively again. But Federer has set a new standard and he is nowhere near finished yet. With the weight of expectation lifted from his shoulders, he is free to play and win for as long as he likes. And Federer, released from that stultifying pressure of chasing history, may yet reach even greater heights.

The three minutes in question came in the second set tiebreak. Roddick had blasted and feathered his way to four set points – and while Roddick’s serve is a world famous sledgehammer of a shot, he has made a good job of keeping his touch and finesse hidden under a bushel. So, then, here were four opportunities to take a two-set lead over Federer in the Wimbledon final. And in those four points and three minutes, Federer became great.

Sure enough, there was another three hours or so to play, another 52 games to marvel at, and another 35 aces to fly from Federer’s racket – he served 50 in all – before he would eventually win 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 but Federer had pulled rank as a five-time Wimbledon champion and stated his intent: “This is mine to win and yours to lose – the sixth title is mine.”

As Roddick tried to breathe and keep his head, Federer piled on the pressure. The Swiss grabbed one set point back with a backhand, he took the next two back with an unreturnable serve and an ace. Now he had taken Roddick’s safety net away, now Roddick had one last chance. And Roddick blew it, fluffing a volley as the tension gripped his racket arm. Two backhand winners from Federer later, and the score was one set apiece. Roddick was stunned and Federer knew in that moment that he was invincible.

In many ways, the moment had really come four weeks earlier when, after three consecutive soul-destroying losses in the French Open final to Nadal, Federer finally laid his hands on the trophy. There he equalled history, here he knew he could beat it.

This year at Wimbledon, Federer has played with the old strut and swagger, showing the supreme confidence of his early title-winning years in SW19 and the self-confidence that only Nadal had managed to shake in the epic five-set final 12 months ago. Here this year, he believed that he could walk on water and however hard Roddick served – and 27 aces and 98 unreturned serves suggested he was serving pretty hard – nothing could shake that belief.

This may not have been Federer at his most artistic but it was Federer at his most ferociously determined

As Federer has approached various milestones in his career, the greats of the game have come to watch him. And time after time, the extra pressure of seeing Rod Laver or Bjorn Borg in the Royal Box usually reduced him to tears when the final point had been won. This time there were no tears – and this time there were considerably more VIPs who had come to witness the historic day.

Sampras had flown in that morning to watch the man who has become his friend shatter his legacy in four hours and 16 minutes of mental fortitude. This may not have been Federer at his most brilliant, at his most artistic, but it was Federer at his most ferociously determined.

Roddick may have reinvented himself in the past six months as he worked with Larry Stefanki, his new coach, but Federer was going back to basics, going back to the old Roger who simply could not and would not let anyone pass him.

At the tightest and tensest moments, Federer would encourage himself with a quietly growled “C’mon!” His c’mons are not as loud or as aggressive as Lleyton Hewitt’s, they are not screamed with blood vessels bulging and eyes popping, but they are every bit as terrifying. This was Federer going for the kill.

Poor Roddick tried everything he knew – and lots that he had not known until he hired Stefanki – to chase his Swiss rival but Federer was unshakeable. He soaked up every charge and attack from the American and looked calm and collected as he did so. And with the advantage of serving first in the deciding set, he could leave Roddick to feel the tension while he concentrated on breaking the American’s serve for the first time in the match.

The longer that set went on, the better Federer looked. As Roddick started to tire, the Swiss kept up the pressure. He swatted away two break points in the 17th game and suddenly looked as relaxed and as fresh as if this were the first set. Roddick could not catch him and he knew it. As he started to pick away at Roddick’s serve, Roddick knew it, too.

The scream of delight as Roddick skied his final shot high and over the baseline marked the actual moment Federer achieved greatness but those three minutes all those hours before were when Federer knew that greatness was his due. A lifetime encapsulated in 180 seconds.

Match analysis: Federer v Roddick

2009-07-06T01:59:00.001-07:00

Perfect Serve

The Wimbledon final was a match of drama and high tension marked by the exemplary grass court performances of both Roger Federer and Andy Roddick.

The two key areas in a match where the outcome hinged on the tiniest of margins were the first serve and each player’s ability to take any opportunity offered on his opponent’s second serve.

To win a Wimbledon final you need to be able to serve well for as long as it takes and use this as a platform to put as much pressure on your opponent and wait for them to crack.

And it was Federer who was the first to crack. Roddick was directing most of his serves to the centre line, occasionally firing huge serves directly at Federer, a tactic that was enabling him to hold serve well and giving him the platform to attack the Federer serve. He eventually broke the Swiss in the 11th game to claim the opening set.

In the second set tiebreak he raced to 6-2 up, a lead that he crucially squandered as Federer fought back with some powerful serving of his own.

Over the course of the match Federer was more accurate, hitting 50 aces and spreading his serves equally around the corners of the service boxes to keep Roddick guessing where to go.

Roddick was also solid from the back of the court. He directed most of his shots to Federer’s backhand, bossing many of the longer rallies by matching Federer for power, accuracy and concentration.
Federer hit 107 winners to Roddick’s 74 so was slightly more attacking despite being unable to break serve until right at the end.

Federer was only a fraction ahead of Roddick in the numbers game. In the first four sets Roddick was the only player to break, and did so twice. Federer hit the most aces, 50, and both players were winning three out of every four points on serve.

Federer had to wait 77 games to convert his seventh break chance to take the title after an enthralling four hours and 16 minutes.

Review of the final day

2009-07-06T01:58:00.000-07:00

Roddick and Federer with trophies

Roger Federer made tennis history on the final day of 2009 The Championships. The Wimbledon men's final is always an historical occasion but, if it is possible, this was more historic than others.

As Ron Atkins wrote: "Roger Federer became tennis's greatest champion, watched by a legion of champions, as he beat Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14 in four hours and 16 minutes to claim his sixth Wimbledon crown. It was also a record 15th Grand Slam title for the Swiss master, overhauling the total of Pete Sampras who was in the Royal Box along with fellow legends Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver.

"It was a truly momentous climax to the 2009 Championships as the 27-year-old Swiss became the most successful man in the sport. Sampras, previous holder of that title, had been an unannounced surprise visitor to Wimbledon – where he has not been seen since 2002."

Pity poor Andy Roddick, a man who was playing in his first Grand Slam final since 2006. As Kate Battersby said: "All match Federer had tried and failed to break Roddick. Not until the final stroke of an epic final set would he manage what had previously been impossible. It was the second longest final of all time, by far the longest in games played.

"The two of them were in the 30th game of the set when at last successive loose shots from Roddick gave Federer what no other player has ever achieved, a 15th Grand Slam. The American, beyond exhausted, was too worn out to weep. But the tears will no doubt come and, one fears, the nightmares after that. Elite sport is played out in an arena as wonderful as it is cruel, and only the bravest need apply."

There were other winners and losers on the final day of The Championships. Tom Hyde noted the similarities between the girls’ champion Noppawan Lertcheewakarn and the ladies winner Serena Williams. "Noppawan Lertcheewakarn proved that whatever Serena can do, she can do too after adding the girls; doubles title to the singles title she collected yesterday to complete a memorable Championships," he said.

"The Thai girl and Australian partner Sally Peers raced to a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 victory over Silvia Njiric and Kristina Mladenovic, who tasted a final defeat to Lertcheewakarn for the second time in two days, in just 47 minutes."

The boy's singles trophy is heading east once again after unseeded Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia beat Jordan Cox to win the title a year on from Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov's triumph. Kuznetsov remained composed to overturn a one-set deficit against the American qualifier and run out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 winner.

France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Germany’s Kevin Krawietz became the 2009 Junior Boys' Doubles Champions after winning a close encounter against the all-French pairing of Julien Obry and Adrien Puget 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 12-10.

Martina Navratilova and Helena Sukova beat Ilana Kloss and Rosalyn Nideffer in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, in an enthralling and entertaining final of the Ladies’ Invitation Doubles competition.

In the Men's Invitation Doubles, Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis from the Netherlands beat American pairing Donald Johnson and Jared Palmer 7-6 (7-2), 6-4. In the Senior Men’s Invitation Doubles, Britain’s Jeremy Bates and Anders Jarryd, from Sweden, were also victorious 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) over Mansour Bahrami and Henri Leconte.

In a demandingly long final, top seeds Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz of France were up against number three seeds Robin Ammerlaan of the Netherlands and Shingo Kunieda of Japan in the final of the wheelchair doubles. It was the Frenchmen who held aloft the silver salvers, winning 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
Top seeds Esther Vergeer and Korie Homan of the Netherlands made Wimbledon history by winning the inaugural ladies wheelchair doubles title.

Tournament ends on historic note

2009-07-06T01:57:00.000-07:00

Roger's round of honour

Roger Federer's epic and historic victory in the men's singles final brought the 123rd Championships to a fitting climax in the evening sunshine on Centre Court. After four and a quarter hours he finally overcame the American Andy Roddick in a 30-game fifth set, the longest in Wimbledon history, to claim a record 15th Grand Slam title. How appropriate it was that Pete Sampras, with whom Federer had shared the record following his success last month at the French Open, was a surprise visitor, joining other greats such as Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg in the Royal Box to see history made.

Federer's sixth Wimbledon in seven years of appearances in the final also moves him within one singles victory at The Championships of Sampras, who shares the record of seven with the 19th century English hero, William Renshaw.

Federer had always looked on course for the final once the top seed, Rafael Nadal, pulled out with knee problems. The 27-year-old Swiss dropped only one set en route to the final and his progress became increasingly assured as round succeeded round.

In the other half of the draw it developed into a battle between Roddick and the 22-year-old British hope, Andy Murray, a battle that was resolved in the semi-finals when Roddick, serving brilliantly, prevailed in four sets.The 26-year-old Roddick has made a remarkable comeback since taking on Larry Stefanki as his coach towards the end of last year, and his skills were fully tested, not only by Murray, but by Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion here, in the quarter-finals.

Although Federer would emphatically not agree, it was a pity in one way that Roddick could not claim the title, which would have then meant that the US had won both major singles prizes in the same year for the first time since 2000, when Sampras and Venus Williams were acclaimed as champions.

The hopes of Venus, chasing her sixth Wimbledon victory, were dashed in the women's final when she was beaten in straight sets by her younger sister, Serena. It was a merited win, Serena's third Wimbledon, and the 21st time these two had faced each other in top-level professional play. It proved, beyond doubt, that since the retirement of Justine Henin a year ago and the struggle that Maria Sharapova has experienced in coming back from a shoulder operation, the Williams sisters rule women's tennis.

The manner in which Venus crushed the current world number one, Dinara Safina, in the semi-finals for the loss of one game offered dramatic proof of this, and it is difficult to see a challenger emerging to them at present, though the return to the game of Belgium's Kim Clijsters in the autumn after having a baby may prove something of a challenge.

So dominant are the Williamses that, a couple of hours after their final match, they were back on court to win the women's doubles against the Australian pair, Rennae Stubbs and Samantha Stosur. The men's doubles was retained by Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, the second seeds, who defeated the American twins and top seeds, Bob and Mike Bryan, and the mixed doubles title went to Mark Knowles and Anna-Lena Groenefeld.

For Serbia, such a dominant nation a year ago, it was a bleak Wimbledon in a depressing 2009 season. Novak Djokovic, the 2008 Australian champion, fell to Tommy Haas at the quarter-final stage, while Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic were early casualties.

Ivanovic, who appeared a new, glamorous star in the making by winning Roland Garros last year, has done little since and retired injured in her fourth round encounter with Venus Williams, while Jankovic, who ended 2008 as world number one, once more experienced illness problems as she crashed to defeat against a 17-year-old American qualifier, Melanie Oudin.

For Russia's Elena Dementieva it proved another "nearly" occasion as the woman who has still to win a Grand Slam in her 11th year of trying, held a match point against Serena Williams in their semi-final, only to miss the chance of her first Wimbledon final.
Apart from Andy Murray's charge through the men's draw, the biggest talking point for British supporters was the expensive, gleaming new roof over Centre Court, which has been three years in the construction.

And, in a perverse sort of way the British climate showed that, this year at any rate, a roof was not needed. It was closed only once, on the evening of the second Monday, following a short spell of rain that halted the Amelia Mauresmo-Safina match and remained closed for the duration of |Murray's five-set marathon against Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka.

There is no doubt that the roof will be needed at future Championships but, for this year, at least, the fact that it remained open was a blessing, an indication that fine weather ensured the punctual finish to an excellent tournament.

Matches of the tournament

2009-07-06T01:56:00.002-07:00

Roddick overshadowed

They say lightning doesn't strike twice - but after a fortnight of perfect weather, the phenomenon of a Championships ending with a classic men's singles final was repeated, and this time the rain didn't intervene.

So there's no prizes for guessing which was the match of the tournament. But the Wimbledon website's team have collated what we think are the top 10 matches of the past fortnight and you can relive them by clicking on the links. If you've been watching, how do they compare with your own list?

1. Roger Federer v Andy Roddick

Roger Federer became tennis's greatest champion, watched by a legion of champions, as he beat Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 in four hours and 16 minutes to claim his sixth Wimbledon crown. It was also a record 15th Grand Slam title for the Swiss master, overhauling the total of Pete Sampras who was in the Royal Box along with fellow legends Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver.

It was a truly momentous climax to the 2009 Championships as the 27-year-old Swiss became the most successful man in the sport. Sampras, previous holder of that title, had been an unannounced surprise visitor to Wimbledon – where he has not been seen since 2002.

2. Elena Dementieva v Serena Williams

Saving a match point along the way, Serena Williams battled through to the women's singles final by defeating Russia's Elena Dementieva 6-7, 7-5, 8-6. At two hours 49 minutes it was the longest women's semi-final at Wimbledon in the era of Open tennis. It was also, by some distance, the finest women's match at the 2009 Championships.

3. Andy Roddick v Lleyton Hewitt

The 6th seed American won the quarter-final battle of two men who really don't know the meaning of the word surrender. The fans on No.1 Court noisily enjoyed every minute of the five-set battle which lasted two hours and 55 minutes.

4. Andy Murray v Stanislas Wawrinka

The first match to be played in its entirety under a closed roof at Wimbledon turned out to be a classic as well as a marathon as Andy Murray staged a dramatic recovery to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka in five sets and gain a place in the quarter-finals for the second successive year. Once again on Wimbledon's second Monday, BBC One's schedules were ripped up for an evening as the Scot entertained a nation.

5. Melanie Oudin v Jelena Jankovic

A 17-year-old American qualifier ranked 124 played a blinder to dump former world number one Jelena Jankovic out of Wimbledon. Jankovic, who received prolonged treatment for heat exhaustion and problems with both feet, edged a close first set but then sensationally lost her third round match against the unheralded Melanie Oudin. Afterwards, Jankovic told a press conference that "sometimes it's hard to be a woman" but the young American who lost to Laura Robson during last year's junior tournament showed no such worries as she came of age.

6. Gisela Dulko v Maria Sharapova

Argentinian Gisela Dulko outlasted Maria Sharapova in a three-set thriller 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round. The Russian battled back from a set down and saved four match points in the final game with a stunning array of audacious shots, but Dulko remained calm to knock out the 2004 champion and set up a third-round clash with No.10 seed Nadia Petrova.

7. Sabine Lisicki v Svetlana Kuznetsova

Rising German star Sabine Lisicki caused a shock when she beat French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets on the latter's 24th birthday. Despite riding high on the back of her Grand Slam triumph this month, 5th seed Kuznetsova was slow out of the blocks and failed to recover in time to rescue the match, succumbing to her 19-year-old opponent 6-2, 7-5.

8. Dinara Safina v Amelie Mauresmo

Top seed Dinara Safina made Wimbledon history by winning the first match to be played under the new Centre Court roof, overcoming former champion Amelie Mauresmo in a three-set battle.

9. Lleyton Hewitt v Radek Stepanek

Lleyton Hewitt brought back memories of his 2002 Wimbledon triumph to turn around a two-set deficit and reach the quarter-finals. Having struggled through the first two sets against Radek Stepanek, he came back reinvigorated after a medical timeout. Stepanek had injury problems of his own, and Hewitt emerged victorious after two hours 54 minutes.

10. Andy Roddick v Andy Murray

Three years after his last appearance in a Grand Slam final, Andy Roddick broke the hearts of the Centre Court crowd by defeating the home favourite Andy Murray in a tremendous display of intelligent tennis. Murray, not at his best, could not find a way to break down Roddick’s serve, and the American won through to the third Wimbledon final of his career. British fans, meanwhile, hailed another brave but beaten semi-finalist, albeit one who vowed that he would come back even stronger from the experience.

Quotes of the tournament

2009-07-06T01:56:00.001-07:00

Murray feeling the heat

"Everyone is from Russia. Sometimes I think I'm from Russia, too. I feel like, you know, okay, all these new ‑ovas. I think my name must be Williamsova."
— With the ladies' dominated by Eastern European stars, Compton-born Serena Williams suggests an appropriate pseudonym for this year's Championships.

"Nobody can tell me to stop grunting. If they have to fine me, go ahead, 'cause I'd rather get fined than lose a match because I had to stop grunting. That's all. If people don't like my grunting, they can always leave."
— Michelle Larcher De Brito was clearly saving her voice for the post match press conference after the Portuguese grunter was uncharacteristically quiet throughout her first-round straight sets victory against Klara Zakopalova.

"Oh, don't get there, because otherwise you're gonna see a lot of balls flying around and racquets, and a lot of swearing. I don't think you want that extreme."
Marat Safin explains how the world would work if the players were allowed to express their emotions without fear of censure.

"I don't know. Probably not a lot. I'll just keep it, rainy day. I might not be a tennis player soon, might be stacking shelves. I haven't had to think about it but Tesco's are offering, though."
Great Britain’s Daniel Evans proves that his head is definitely not stuck in the clouds with a good old dash of realism when asked what he would be doing with his prize money after losing to Nikolay Davydenko in the first round.

"We're just a talented nation. I don't know how to explain it."
Jelena Jankovic offers the frankest of explanations as to why both her and her Serbian compatriots are riding on the crest of a purple patch of late.

"I think maybe one winnable match. I think I played one year Kevin Kim. That was definitely a winnable match for me. The other matches were pretty tough."
Alex Bogdanovic responds to a question about whether his eight defeats were winnable.

“Yeah, it's always nice. I always said, I'm not only a tennis player, I'm a woman.”
Gisela Dulko proving that she is not afraid to state the obvious when responding to the suggestion that she could be the next cover girl of Ladies’ tennis.

“It's a mixture between some of my favourite shows, like Desperate Housewives, and Sex and the City, and actually Family Guy. It's kind of those put together in one, if you can imagine.”
Serena Williams reveals what we can expect from the TV script that she is in the process of writing. If the show turns out to be a reflection of her playing style then get set for some of the most powerful television the world has ever seen.

“Well, when I walk behind short people I feel like I'm going to fall over because I start taking these little steps, and I can't take little steps. I take big steps. I've always been large, always been tall. I don't know anything about small.”
Venus Williams on the perils of being tall.

“Darren (Cahill) is very experienced coach. In the past, he worked mostly with the guys. I think guys have different mentality to girls. Girls take everything so emotionally.”
Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic gets to the bottom of the age old mystery of just what it is that puts men on Mars and women on Venus.

“What do you want me to say? I said I wasn't proud, but I'm not going to lie to anybody. I busted my wife on some of her crappy music. She brought up Rick Astley. I can't deny it. It's in my iPod. I bet it's in your iPod, too."
Andy Roddick defends his choice of music.

“When we play for small forfeits I lose the games more, because they don't concentrate as much. It doesn't bother me like when we play for push‑ups and you have to kiss the other guy's toes. Like I'll lose them. But if it's stuff like a cricket bat or you have to get lunch for everyone and stuff, I concentrate a bit harder. “
Andy Murray on his unique and entertaining training regime that has seen the British No.1 forced to wear a cricket helmet this week. If we needed a second reason to hope that Murray hangs around in SW19 until the end of next week it is to find out what he and his coaches have up their sleeve next.

“It looks so easy when he steps on the court. It looks so easy, doesn't it? And I think he's such a great champion. I mean, I was so thrilled for him when he won French Open. I actually had little tears in my eyes when he was doing the speech.”
Ana Ivanovic, just another victim of the Roger Federer effect. Tissues at the ready if the Swiss man triumphs at Wimbledon again to break Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam record.

“If you're not hundred percent fit, then he's gonna make you run like a horse.”
In that case Radek Stepanek will surely be doing all he can and more to make a full recovery for his fourth round match against Lleyton ‘The jockey’ Hewitt after having to apply heavy strapping to his ankle during his victory over David Ferrer.

“Yeah, I'm a control freak. Yeah, I love controlling. You know, I'm used to that. You can't get this good without some kind of a little idiosyncrasy.”
Venus Williams successfully turns what could be deemed a negative personality trait into another weapon in her already lethal tennis armoury.

“I think I will beat him in a marathon ‑ easy. I'm pretty good at marathon. I'm a strong guy. I think I'm stronger than him.”
After suffering a straight sets defeat to Roger Federer, Robin Soderling decides it is time to take on the Swiss star at a different sport in the hope that the playing fields may be a little more even.

“It was my victory dance. It just came because I was happy. It was planned because all of my matches here after I was doing that.”
After overpowering Fernando Verdasco with his prolific service game, Ivo Karlovic then stunned the No.1 Court crowd with his "victory dance". Yes, Ivo the explanation was needed.

“The life here is strange, often rain. This week there was a good sun, so was a good present.”
Francesca Schiavone, just one of many thousands grateful for the Mediterranean conditions that have descended over SW19 in the last week and a half.

“I mean, I use some of my trophies for make-up brushes, so, you know, maybe I'll just take a step back and be like, Hmm. Take all the make-up brushes out and really appreciate every title and every trophy.”
Until that moment of reflection arrives, at least the contents of Serena Williams’ vast trophy cabinet are not going to waste.

"I think the crowd's gonna be electric. I think it's gonna be a great atmosphere, and one that I can certainly appreciate, even if it's not for me. I'm just gonna pretend when they say, C'mon, Andy, that they mean me (smiling). "
Andy Roddick looking forward to his semi-final match with Andy Murray on Friday.

“I hope I can come on the Champions Dinner, because I have a plane at 10:30. I hope I can change the tickets.”
Boys’ champion Andrey Kuznetsov’s victory and the accompanying All England Club celebrations must have come as a bit of a surprise.

"Liberate this man. Well done, Andy."
A sympathetic journalist fights for freedom in the press conference.

Knowles and Groenefeld win mixed

2009-07-06T01:54:00.000-07:00

Knowles and Groenefeld

Mark Knowles and Anne-Lena Groenefeld sprang a surprise in the mixed doubles final, beating top seeds Leander Paes and Cara Black to bring the curtain down on Wimbledon 2009.

Knowles from the Bahamas and Germany’s Groenefeld produced some fine tennis to come back from two breaks down in the first set to take it 7-5, before running away with the second 6-3.

Groenefeld was in particularly inspired form, delivering some fine returns throughout the match. This and her obvious will to win delighted Knowles, who has waited 18 years to win a Wimbledon doubles title. “It's the one title that I haven't won in men's doubles,” said Knowles. “I've always wanted to win Wimbledon. Like everybody, it's the tournament we all look up to.

“It's extremely special. Anna played fantastic for the entire fortnight. She pretty much carried me to my first title. No one else has been able to do it. But Anna did it. So it feels great.”

Knowles revealed that this can be counted as a rare British success, at least in part. “My mother's British,” he explained. “I have a British passport. I came here when I was nine years old to watch the Borg/McEnroe final.”

He and Groenefeld had been up against two very experienced opponents, with plenty of previous Wimbledon silverware. Paes, the 1999 mixed doubles champion with Lisa Raymond and the 2003 champion with Martina Navratilova, was dreaming of a third SW19 crown after he and Black raced into a 5-2 lead – both the Knowles and Groenefeld serves buckling under early pressure.

But Knowles and Groenefeld, the ninth seeds, are made of sterner stuff, emphasised by their wins over fifth seeds Daniel Nestor and Elena Vesnina and second seeds Bob Bryan and Sam Stosur on their way to the final.

They proceeded to win the next eight games of the match, breaking four times in a row. Groenefeld’s fine lob from the baseline at set point on the Black serve sailed over the head of Paes and landed inside the opposite baseline to win the set 7-5.

Knowles held in the first game of the second set before Paes’ serve was broken thanks largely to some fierce returns from Groenefeld.

Knowles and Groenefeld’s purple patch continued as the German held serve under pressure from Paes and Black at 2-0, 0-30.

The remaining games all went with serve with Knowles closing out the match and the Championships with a serve that Black could not return.

“We played very well together at the French Open so we knew we were capable of doing pretty well,” said Groenefeld after winning her first Grand Slam title. “Here we were almost out in the quarters when we lost the first set 6 0, but we kept fighting. After that we believed in ourselves and we always said ‘OK, we have the chance to win’ and we went for it.”

Centre Court - Mixed Doubles - Finals

Leander Paes IND (1)/
Cara Black ZIM (1)

Mark Knowles BAH (9)/
Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER (9)

French pair are men's wheelchair winners

2009-07-06T01:53:00.000-07:00

Houdet and Jeremiasz

In a demandingly long final, top seeds Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz of France were up against number three seeds Robin Ammerlaan of the Netherlands and Shingo Kunieda of Japan in the final of the wheelchair doubles. It was the Frenchmen who held aloft the silver salvers, winning 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

Robin Ammerlaan is the defending champion here, and this year he has linked up with two-time wheelchair world champion 25-year-old Shingo Kunieda from Japan. The match began at a fearsome pace, with some exciting all-court rallies as the players sped around the court and wove around each other in an almost balletic performance.

But the top seeds failed to make the key points and the third seeds took a 5-0 lead in just 15 minutes, wrapping up the first set in 28 minutes.

The match continued apace, with both pairs moving around the court at such a rate as to rarely need the two-bounce option of the wheelchair competition. The French duo were clearly determined not to be beaten so easily, and pounced on the Ammerlaan serve at 5-2 up to work two set points. Attacking net play by 38-year-old Houdet, who’s only been playing wheelchair tennis for four years, with a couple of smashes won the set for the pair, and forced the decider.

The third set was all square after six games. The third seeds created two break points which Kunieda cashed in with a glorious driving forehand. But it was not so easy as the top seeds immediately broke back to level the match.

In this most tightly-fought of finals, it was inevitable the match would go all the way to the third set tiebreak. In the end, it was the number one seeds who built three championship points with some great, angled shots. They needed just one opportunity to clinch the win in a gripping match that lasted two hours and 11 minutes.

Court 4 - Gentlemen's Wheelchair Doubles - Finals

Stephane Houdet FRA /
Michael Jeremiasz FRA

Robin Ammerlaan NED /
Shingo Kunieda JPN

Dutch pair win ladies' wheelchair title

2009-07-06T01:51:00.002-07:00

Glory for Homan and Vergeer
©Getty Images / H. Blair

Top seeds Esther Vergeer and Korie Homan of the Netherlands made Wimbledon history by winning the inaugural ladies wheelchair doubles title.

The Australian Open and Roland Garros champions did not drop a game in their semi-final and maintained their sparkling form into the final as they saw off Briton Lucy Shuker and Australia’s Daniela Di Toro 6-1, 6-3 in 54 minutes.

Shuker and Di Toro may have disposed of the second seeds in the previous round to eke out their final day place, but they were having trouble with the pace and sheer accuracy of the balls delivered by the experienced top seeds.

When the Dutch duo held two set points at 5-0 in the first set, it looked ominously like they would go on anmd repeat their semi-final scoreline. But great defending by Shuker and Di Toro and two errors by Vergeer and Homan enabled the underdogs to claim their first game.

The British/Australian combination consequently lost the next game and the set but Shuker was in great spirits – jokingly calling a challenge on a close ball – much to the amusement of the near capacity Court 4 stand.

Unusually, Homan became a flustered in the second set and errors began creeping into her play. She hit two doubles faults to lose her service game and a few points later missed an easy smash, shaking her head in disbelief.

Very soon the Dutchwomen were 3-1 down – a position Vergeer is not used to being in. The 28-year-old is on one longest winning streaks in world sport, having been unbeaten in 360 singles matches since January 2003. She is also unbeaten in all wheelchair singles and doubles matches she has played at Grand Slams.

But it proved only a momentary scare as Homan managed to regain concentration and move like clockwork around the court with partner Vergeer to level the set at 3-3, and drop no further games on their way to their first Wimbledon title.

Court 4 - Ladies' Wheelchair Doubles - Finals

Korie Homan NED /
Esther Vergeer NED

Daniela Di Toro AUS /
Lucy Shuker GBR

Britain's Bates among veteran winners

2009-07-06T01:51:00.001-07:00

Bates and Jarryd

It was a double Dutch treat in the Men's Invitation Doubles as Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis from the Netherlands beat American pairing Donald Johnson and Jared Palmer 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.

Eltingh and Haarhuis played a near-faultless first set although they could not get close enough for a crucial break. They made just two unforced errors to their opponent’s nine and won 84% of their first serves compared to 65% for the American duo.

In the second set, both teams had their chance to steal the advantage but it was Eltingh and Haarhuis who converted one of two break point opportunities and they held their nerve to hold out the match.

In the Senior Men’s Invitation Doubles, Britain’s Jeremy Bates and Anders Jarryd, from Sweden, were also victorious in straight sets.

Jarryd and Bates beat Mansour Bahrami and Henri Leconte 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). The losing pair did not get a break point opportunity as Jarryd and Bates hit 38 winners.

Navratilova/Sukova take doubles trophy

2009-07-06T01:49:00.000-07:00

Navratilova and Sukova victorious.

Martina Navratilova and Helena Sukova beat Ilana Kloss and Rosalyn Nideffer in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, in an enthralling and entertaining final of the Ladies’ Invitation Doubles competition.

Coming into the final, both pairs were unbeaten in the preceding round robin contest, with three victories each. Between them they had got the better of Annabel Croft, Samantha Smith, Gretchen Magers, Conchita Martinez, Jana Novotna, Andrea Temesvari, Tracy Austin, Kathy Rinalldi-Stunkel, Jo Durie, Hana Mandlikova, Zina Garrison and Liz Smylie, almost all of whom, at one time, have been winners or runners-up in the main doubles draw.

The Czech-born pair took an early lead of 3-0, but were then temporarily held back. The matchplay may not have had all the power of the main ladies' draw, but it had finesse, exquisite angles and skilful placing of shots.

The result rather masked the closely fought nature of the final, although Navratilova’s reputation and doubles experience were undoubtedly an advantage for the pair. All four players played precise ground strokes but the Navratilova/Sukova pair made better use of the lob, which helped drive them into the lead.

Players' reactions were razor-sharp and there were many delightful net rallies. In the end though, Navratilova and Sukova had greater success with the angles, spin and slice.

In the second set, their greater pressure on Kloss and Nideffer gave them the break of serve in the critical seventh game. A quick running poach by Navratilova that split the T, followed by a great serve from Sukova, gave the pair an unassailable lead. The match took a too-short 55 minutes.

Court 3 - Ladies' Invitation Doubles

Ilana Kloss RSA /
Rosalyn Nideffer USA

Martina Navratilova USA /
Helena Sukova CZE

Double celebration for Lertcheewakarn

2009-07-06T01:48:00.000-07:00

Noppawan Lertcheewakarn and Sally Peers hold aloft their Girls' Doubles trophy, having beaten Kristina Mladenovic and Silvia Njiric.

Noppawan Lertcheewakarn proved that whatever Serena can do, she can do too after adding the girls’ doubles title to the singles title she collected yesterday to complete a memorable Championships.

The Thai girl and Australian partner Sally Peers raced to a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 victory over Silvia Njiric and Kristina Mladenovic, who tasted a final defeat to Lertcheewakarn for the second time in two days, in just 47 minutes.

Lertcheewakarn, still riding the crest of her victory wave, started very much as she left off on No.1 Court with a series of early winners and her prolific form proved to be infectious as Peers chipped in with some impressive shots of her own.

Their helpless opponents seemingly had no answer to the relentless onslaught and forfeited break after break despite coming armed with Mladenovic’s fierce serve that has been so vital to her progression in both competitions this year at SW19.

Unsurprisingly, the eventual winners came out on top on all vital match statistics, recording just nine unforced errors between them compared with their opponents’ 18.

The second victory in as many days for Lertcheewakarn marks a reversal of fortune in comparison with last year when the 17-year-old suffered defeat in the final of the singles competition to Great Britain’s Laura Robson.

Court 1 - Girls' Doubles - Finals

Noppawan Lertcheewakarn THA /
Sally Peers AUS

Kristina Mladenovic FRA (2)/
Silvia Njiric CRO (2)

Herbert/Krawietz win boys' doubles trophy

2009-07-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

Boys' doubles line-up

France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Germany’s Kevin Krawietz became the 2009 Junior Boys’ Doubles Champions after winning a close encounter against the all-French pairing of Julien Obry and Adrien Puget 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 12-10.

In their semi-finals, each pair had to play a long deciding final set, so it was no surprise that today’s final followed suit. A break each in the first set forced a tiebreak and the craft and touch of the French pair put them in the driving seat as they edged ahead by convincingly winning the tiebreak 7-3.

Losing the set forced Herbert and Krawietz to raise their game and they were too strong for the French boys. The French and German team levelled the match 34 minutes later with two breaks of serve.

The final set was not decided until 86 minutes later as each server was in full flow and the break points were defended well by sublime volleying. Obry and Puget gave their all on their return points and had chances to win the match but were prevented by some fantastic serving and net play by their opponents.

In the twenty-second game of the set, Herbert and Krawietz achieved the breakthrough and could consider themselves slightly fortunate to have scrapped their way through a tough final to become champions.

Court 3 - Boys' Doubles - Finals

Pierre-Hugues Herbert FRA /
Kevin Krawietz GER

6³

Julien Obry FRA /
Adrien Puget FRA

7⁷

Kuznetsov stays calm to win junior crown

2009-07-06T01:44:00.000-07:00

Andrey Kuznetsov (left) with his winner's trophy after beating Jordan Cox.

The boy’s singles trophy is heading east once again after unseeded Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia beat Jordan Cox to win the title a year on from Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov's triumph.

Kuznetsov remained composed to overturn a one-set deficit against the American qualifier and run out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 winner.

A tentative opening saw the first nine games go with serve. As the set wore on though, it was Cox who looked to have settled into his natural rhythm first, displaying a greater variety of shots.

But his first attempt at a drop shot worked only to the benefit of the 18-year-old Russian whose sharp reaction to charge to the net allowed him to dispatch the waiting ball comfortably past his opponent.

The first challenge of the afternoon using No.1 Court’s Hawk-Eye technology helped break the early tension as the crowd’s vocal anticipation brought a smile to the faces of both players.

At 4-4, the first break point fell to Kuznetsov and forced Cox on to the defensive. As the Russian looked to take advantage of the rare opportunity, the American felt compelled to take drastic action and was rewarded for doing so with his instinctive rush to the net helping him to hold serve and keep the Russian at bay.

The turnaround in the previous game gave Cox momentum going into the decisive 10th game and the qualifier went on to clinch his own first break point of the afternoon and the opening set, only the second that Kuznetsov had conceded all Championships.

But much like that solitary occasion, the opening set of the first round, Kuznetsov responded well to the setback and wasted no time in staging a revival. The Russian’s composure was exemplary as he made back-to-back breaks to put himself firmly in the driving seat.

Kuznetsov never looked like shifting from that position of control and ran out a 6-2 winner to level the set.

With the initiative turned 180 degrees, the Russian made crucial breakthroughs at 2-2 and 4-2, paving the way for the American’s racket to feel the full force of his frustration.

Across the net Kuznetsov remained unfazed by the occasion and showcased an ice-cool nerve to hold serve and complete a memorable victory with Cox hitting long on the first and only Championship point.

Speaking after his triumph Kuznetsov said: "I still can't believe that I made it. So I feel good. I think this is the best win in my life, best victory."

"I was nervous yesterday a lot, but today before the match it was not so much. But when I step on the court, it makes stronger. In the second set I relax a little and I began to play better, then just used my chances and win this match."

Court 1 - Boys' Singles - Finals

Jordan Cox USA

Andrey Kuznetsov RUS

Epic win gives Federer record 15th Slam

2009-07-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

Fired up Fed

Roger Federer became tennis's greatest champion, watched by a legion of champions, as he beat Andy Roddick 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 in four hours and 16 minutes to claim his sixth Wimbledon crown. It was also a record 15th Grand Slam title for the Swiss master, overhauling the total of Pete Sampras who was in the Royal Box along with fellow legends Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver.

The American arrived three games into the contest, but then sat as enraptured as the rest of the crowd as the two gladiators battled through 77 games, the most seen at any Wimbledon final.

In terms of match time, it was not quite as long as last year’s battle between Federer and Rafael Nadal, but it soon took on similarly epic proportions. And for much of the match, it seemed that Roddick would emulate Nadal's feat as he hammered away at his opponent. Federer wavered a few times, but never toppled and in the end won on merit. He returns to number one in the world, too, by way of yet another win bonus.

That this was going to be a contest between two big blasters was evident from the opening game, when Roddick slammed down two aces and in the next Federer replied with a couple of his own. That Federer had won 18 of their previous 20 matches was not a consideration on this day. For a start, Roddick, white cap pulled low over his eyes, was clearly a fitter and slimmer version of the man who had already lost to Federer in two Wimbledon finals, and he matched Federer stride for stride, shot for shot, ace for ace as they hurtled through the opening set, completing 10 games in just 25 minutes.

Then came the first sign of a falter. It was from Roddick, who fell 0-30 behind on serve, and Federer upped his level in pursuit of a break of serve which would have left him to serve for the set. He could not have tried harder, or played better. Four times he stood at break point, and on each occasion Roddick battled back to fend off the threat and was finally off the hook, courtesy of a pair of Federer forehand errors.

Perhaps it was the inspiration of surviving such a crisis, but Roddick bounced back brilliantly and when Federer offered him a glimpse of success with a faulty cross-court backhand to go break point down, the American struck. A brilliant forehand down the line forced Federer to project a forehand wide and it was Roddick who went a set in front after 39 minutes.

This was precisely the start Roddick needed to prove that he was a changed man from the opponent so frequently dominated by Federer in the past. Impressively aggressive and quick to close in on the net whenever the chance arose, he continued to stretch Federer in the second set with scorching serves of speeds beyond 135mph and a steadiness which was producing 80% of first serves on target.

Federer's discomfort at being so brashly challenged on a court he has come to regard as his own was beginning to show as the second set moved into a tiebreak. As the Centre Court audience roared in disbelief, two errors by the Swiss left Roddick with four points for a two-set lead. Now was the time for Federer to unveil the genius that had stood him such good stead in previous Wimbledon finals - and he responded in brilliant fashion, winning the next six points in a row as, for the first time, Roddick's nerves betrayed him.

Two volleying errors on his own serve let Roddick down before, on Federer's first set point, the American drove a forehand over the baseline and it was level pegging again after one hour 23 minutes.
In that second set Federer had conceded only five points on serve, with Roddick not far behind with seven.

The third set followed the course of the second, with both men holding serve comfortably, except when Roddick escaped from break point down in the sixth game. Though the American's first serve began to shed some of its potency, the two men moved into another tiebreak. And this time it was Federer who not only moved into the driver's seat with a mini-break on the third point but cemented that advantage, growling "C'mon" as he went ahead by six points to three, holding three set points.

Would Roddick stage a similar fightback to Federer's in the previous set? He certainly gave it a go, rescuing two set points on his own serve before Federer struck, following a potent serve with a forehand put-away to move in front by two sets to one with the match two hours 11 minutes old.

Roddick's indomitable attitude had its reward in the fourth set. He conjured two break points in the fourth game and though Federer saved one with his 24th ace, the American trapped the Swiss as he closed in on the net on the next point.

Steadily and impressively, Roddick built on the break, with the only scare coming when, at 5-2., he fell heavily. There were fears of a similar ankle injury to the one which had caused his withdrawal from the pre-Wimbledon event at Queen's Club, but this was not the occasion for something like that. He shook himself down, carried on, and held serve in the next game with that trusty weapon, a service winner. All square again after two hours 43 minutes.

So to the deciding set, with Federer threatening to strike early as he reached break point for the sixth time in the match, only to be frustrated again as the American pumped down his 20th ace at 138mph. With no tiebreak in the fifth set, this one had to be played out. And so it was, amid mounting excitement and with Federer beginning to show the first signs of uncertainty.

This reached a climax as Federer faced two break points at 8-8, only to serve his way out of trouble and as the games ascended into double figures for each man the set became the longest fifth set in Wimbledon's history.

Federer's ace count passed the 50 mark and then, finally, it was Roddick who cracked in the 30th game of the set. Three mishits off the frame indicated he was fatigued and when Federer was offered the first Championship point he grabbed it eagerly, leaping into the air with joy as another Roddick mishit sailed long.

Centre Court - Gentlemen's Singles - Finals

Andy Roddick USA (6)

6⁶

6⁵

Roger Federer SUI (2)

7⁸

7⁷

Sampras returns to Centre Court

2009-07-05T11:08:00.001-07:00

Pete Sampras in the Royal Box watching the Men's Final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick.

Woody Allen

2009-07-05T11:07:00.002-07:00

Woody Allen on his way to Centre Court to see the Men's Final.

Centre Court

2009-07-05T11:07:00.001-07:00

The main stage a Wimbledon during the Men's final.

Music to the ears

2009-07-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

The brass band plays prior to Sunday's men's singles final.

Roger victorious

2009-07-05T11:04:00.002-07:00

Roger Federer celebrates his sixth Wimbledon crown, beating Andy Roddick in five sets.

Roddick rolls

2009-07-05T11:03:00.001-07:00

Andy Roddick falls during his marathon five-setter final against Roger Federer.

Federer fist

2009-07-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer pumps himself up during his five set final against Andy Roddick.

Roddick in a tangle

2009-07-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

Andy Roddick plays an almost impossible backhand shot during his match against Roger Federer.

Roger deep in thought

2009-07-05T11:00:00.002-07:00

Roger Federer looks reflective during his final match against Andy Roddick.

Roddick double-hander

2009-07-05T11:00:00.001-07:00

Andy Roddick plays a two-handed backhand shot in his final match against Roger Federer.

Roddick cheer

2009-07-05T10:59:00.002-07:00

Andy Roddick celebrates winning a point in his final against Roger Federer.

Roddick stretch

2009-07-05T10:59:00.001-07:00

Andy Roddick stretches to reach a Roger Federer serve during the men's singles final.

Federer Scrambles

2009-07-05T10:58:00.001-07:00

Roger Federer at full stretch as he battles Andy Roddick for he Wimbledon Championship.

Fighting Roddick

2009-07-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

Andy Roddick pushes Roger Federer all the way during the Men's Final.

Roddick and Federer step onto Centre

2009-07-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Andy Roddick and Roger Federer walking onto Centre Court before the Gentlemen's Final.

Federer, Navratilova top champions' poll

2009-07-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

Federer focused

Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova have risen to the top to be respectively named the greatest men's and women's champions of Wimbledon of all time after tennis fans from around the world voted in the HSBC Champions of Wimbledon poll. Nearly 100,000 votes were cast as the public had its say in the debate of who is the greatest Wimbledon champion of all time.

The final voting results are as follows:

A total of 96,298 combined votes were cast for the greatest men's and women's HSBC Champions of Wimbledon of all time.

Men's:

Roger Federer 28,794
Pete Sampras 12,573
Bjorn Borg 2,140
Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi took fourth and fith spots respectively.

Roger Federer led from the start and had 80% of the vote at one stage,holding on comfortably to finish with 59.8% of the vote, despite a late surge from Pete Sampras.

Women's:

Martina Navratilova 19,546
Steffi Graf 15,934
Venus Williams 3,792
Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis took fourth and fith spots respectively.

Steffi Graf made the early running and led into the second week, before a surge of voting for Navratilova brought her ever closer to Graf.
Navratilova finally overtook Graf on Friday and stretched clear on the final day's voting, amassing 40.6% of the votes to Graf's 33.1%.

Praise for Federer

2009-07-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Federer smash

Roger Federer has advanced to his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final and the nature of his victories this tournament have recalled the imperious Federer of old, and certainly not a player who, before this year's French Open, many commentators had called a spent force.

The players he has beaten en route to the final match where Andy Roddick waits have been unanimous, this is a player still at the peak of his powers.

"There aren't really any weaknesses. I think he moves such smooth ways and has such good defensive play. The slice bites a lot. You know, when you think sometimes you might get a relatively easy volley, he kind of either dinks it in front of you, or he made two spectacular slice lobs over my head at important points," said Tommy Haas, the former world No.2 who lost their semi-final in straight sets.

"He's maybe like best player ever, but on the grass he's, you know, by far best I think. I mean, he don't like when the ball jumps higher, and over here, you know, everything is around his waist because the ball jumps lower. I don't know. It suits his game unbelievable I think. The reason why he was No. 1 and also why he's maybe the best player ever is because in the tight situations he can play his best tennis. It is difficult, sure," said Ivo Karlovic, who had not lost a service game all tournament until he was undone in straight sets at the hands of Federer.

"I think he's the biggest favorite. If he plays well, I think he's gonna win. But, you know, he definitely need to play well every match. I think he played well, like always when we played. He's a great grass court player, and I think he's the faster surface he plays on, I think the more aggressive he plays," said Robin Soderling, having lost to Federer in the French Open final, the Swede was beaten again in the fourth round here.

"It's always nice to play against him. It's a funny boy. It's always nice, so actually it's quite funny. Unfortunate that most of the time you gonna lose. It sounds maybe stupid, but always if I play very aggressive he just had the better answer and put me on the right foot. So, yeah, he was just too good," said Philipp Kohlschreiber, the only player to win a set off Federer at the tournament so far — and that was via a tie-break.

"I think Federer has a good return. I don't think that it's incredible. He doesn't break serve as much as a lot of the guys. But he'll make Andy play. And Andy gives him enough chances, Roger's gonna take them. That's the one thing he needs to serve very well, especially at the start of all of the games to try and get ahead, not give Roger that chance to sort of swing freely at balls. If he can always sort of stay 15 up, 15 Love, 30 Love up in games, it's gonna be tough. But obviously Roger is the favorite. If he plays his best and passes well, then there's no reason why he can't win," said Andy Murray, the player who lost to Roddick in the semi-finals.

"He conducts himself as all champions do. He's just a super champion," Venus Williams, back-to-back champion and ladies finalist.

"I like how he hates to lose," Serena Williams, ladies finalist and current Australian and US Open champion.

"I believe he is the greatest player of all time. He has won Grand Slams on all four surfaces, he has won 14 in total and is on the verge of winning his 15th here," Boris Becker, three-times champion and youngest winner here.

Praise for Roddick

2009-07-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick will walk onto Centre Court for his third final and for the third time the man standing across the net from him will be Roger Federer.

If Roddick was one for omens and portents he could look back last year and Rafael Nadal who, on his third appearance in a Wimbledon final against Federer beat the player many had declared unbeatable.

Roddick is a changed man. He has gone from believing he would never be in a Grand Slam final again to being one victory away from the lifting the trophy of his boyhood dreams.

"You know you're going to get aced out there. You know he's going to come up with big shots. You've got to weather the storm and take those small chances when you get the opportunity. That's what it comes down to playing these big matches at the end of these tournaments," said Lleyton Hewitt, the former champion who took him to five sets in the quarter-final.

"I mean, he makes volleys. He doesn't normally miss a lot. You just have to make the passes, and I didn't make as many as I needed to. But I wasn't surprised by anything that he did. I expected him to play very well. I think if he serves like that he's got a chance against anyone, 'cause it comes down to, like I say, a few points in each set. So regardless of whether it's Roger or, you know, me or anybody else, if he serves high 70s with the pace he's got on his serve, he's got a good chance," said Andy Murray, who was beaten despite his overwhelming favouritism and home court advantage.

"In the beginning of his career, I remember back in 2003, he was sometimes standing way back, you know, on the return. But then I played him one year, not on grass, but let's say in 2004, he chipped and charged a lot, you know, came to the net a lot. I've also played him when he's serve and volleyed first and second serve almost. I've had many different looks against Roddick. I enjoy how he leaves everything out on the court. I can only marvel at how incredible his serve is. I like playing against him, not only just because of the record," said Roddick's final opponent Roger Federer.

"Roddick now has more options than he did before. That is going to help him. Five or six years ago we were saying that Andy Roddick would win Wimbledon. Someone who serves that big, you would think he should ," said three-time winner John McEnroe.

"Andy Roddick played the best match I have seen him play in a long time. He took Murray to his limits and he couldn't come through," said Boris Becker.

Guard of honour

2009-07-04T22:45:00.000-07:00

Guard of honour for the champions.

Centre Court

2009-07-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

Sun shines on the jewel of Centre Court.

We're back in old routine, says Serena

2009-07-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

Serena determined to win

Serena Williams says she and sister Venus are “used to being in this position” as they prepare to face each other in their fourth women's singles Wimbledon final this afternoon.

Serena, 27, is attempting to complete a hat-trick of Wimbledon final victories over her elder sibling after winning the title in 2002 and 2003.

But Venus, 29, last year proved that Serena was not destined to forever be her Centre Court bogeywoman as she emerged victorious 7-5, 6-4.

Venus, seeking her sixth title at the All England Club, has been in rampant form at SW19 in recent years, not losing a set at Wimbledon since the third round two years ago.

It's not often Serena is the underdog in any match. But after the pair took vastly differing routes to Saturday's appointment, Serena knows she's up against it.

Serena played in the best match of the ladies' championship - and Wimbledon’s longest-ever semi-final - when she beat Elena Dementieva 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 8-6, while Venus took only 51 minutes to crush world No.1 Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0 – her sixth quickfire in a row.

Serena said afterwards: "Going into this final I have nothing to lose. I feel like obviously Venus is playing the best tennis at this tournament. Start with that, and then just keep positive and go with it. So I think that if I can do that, then it will be good."

But Serena added that the family are well-equipped to cope with these sisterly battles: "We're used to being in this position now,” she quipped. "We pretty much have it down.

"Our routine will be the same. There really is no effect. We just live our lives. It's not the end of the world.”
While the superstar sisters rarely talk about their personal lives, Serena is more than happy is expand when questioned about her respect for her sister.

She said: "The basis of my whole career was learning off Venus, especially when she started out and I was in the stands watching. I was able to learn a lot and actually gain experience, even though I wasn't playing the actual matches.”

She added: "We really love to play. We just love being out there. We love the competition. It's a great job. It's a privilege to be out there and we're very lucky. We really just love the opportunity."

Serena reveals formula for success

2009-07-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

Serena Williams teases the press during her post match press conference.

The closest Serena Williams came to failing to win the Venus Rosewater Dish was when she faced down a match point in the 10th game of the third set against Elena Dementieva in their semi-final.

“The match is never over until you shake the opponent's hand. It's like you never give up and you always keep fighting,” she said. “It's just a good lesson for life, not even just in sports, but in life as well.

“I usually go kamikaze when I'm down. So if I'm going to go out, I'm going out like a hero or something. Nothing to lose. That's kind of how I felt. I just think almost every Grand Slam I've won I've been down match point in a match before, a lot of them. No more than at least two Australians. Definitely here at Wimbledon."

Serena did not go out in a blaze of glory, instead she beat Dementieva and set up a repeat of last year’s final against her sister. Venus, who had not lost a set here since the third round of 2007 and had dropped just 19 games leading into the final, was the overwhelming favourite.

“This is one of the few times I didn't expect to come out with the win today,” she said. “I felt like I had nothing to lose. I defended every point that I had from last year. I felt like all I had to do is go out there and do my best, just stay even, because she's such a good player.

“When I won that first set, I was like, wow, this is great. No matter what, I'm a set away. So I was just trying to relax. I really wanted to stay calm because I felt like I was getting closer to the goal. Sometimes if I get too pumped or if I grunt too loud, I lose. I just want to stay relaxed, stay calm and stay focused more than anything.”

It had been six years since Serena lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish and the world number two admitted she thought her name should have been on the Wimbledon honours’ board at least another time before today.
Serena’s victory bought her level with Billie Jean King on 11 Grand Slam singles title but, she said, they could talk about her place in the pantheon at the end of her career.

“I'm really just playing for me, whether I'm the greatest or not. I can't even put myself in a sentence with the greatest, because I think of people like Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf and Billie Jean King. They were such great champions. To even be mentioned with those people is a real honour to me. I feel like I'm really young. I feel like I'm only thinking about my career and continuing playing.”

“Billie Jean King wrote once: ‘Pressure is a privilege’. Being able to work with her on Fed Cup, just as a person, she's really been able to help me understand that it's a privilege to feel that pressure.”

No excuses as Venus eclipsed

2009-07-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

Venus Williams became ladies' singles runner-up after her loss to her sister Serena in the final.

To the victor, the spoils. To the vanquished, a sparsely populated interview room. Barely half an hour after netting a forehand and slipping to a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 defeat, Venus was forced to relive the ordeal in a trial by press in a half-empty interview room. At least the opponent she was heaping praise on was her own sister.

“She played so well, really lifted her game, and I had an error here and there,” said the elder sibling. “I also think I played well too, but she just seemed to play a little bit better.

“She played great, especially in the tiebreak. I don't think I did too many things wrong, but I would play a good shot and she'd hit a winner off of it or put me in a position where she could hit another winner. She just played a lot of great shots today.”

The five-time Wimbledon champion refused to blame her ailing left knee, which has been heavily strapped throughout the tournament, saying on six occasions “I have no complaints”. She also stubbornly refused to accept that her service, usually one of the greatest weapons in the women’s game, was below par, particularly her second serve.

“I don't agree on that, because she had a hard time stepping in on my second. It has a lot of side spin on it and bounces [at an angle]. It's more difficult to step into,” she said, describing how her service works when it is firing on all cylinders. On Saturday, however, she won only 56% of points on it compared with 77% in her semi-final rout of Dinara Safina.

“I think towards the end I was too far behind the baseline,” she continued, dissecting her performance. “I did realise that, but at that point it was a little deep into the match. I definitely would have liked to have moved forward. A lot of times when I had the short balls, they were really low, and it's hard to come in on those and actually hit an effective shot.”

The long and the short of it, however, was that Venus was not the one lifting the trophy that bears her name – the Venus Rosewater Dish – and seeing her sister all smiles was no consolation. “There's no easy [way] to losing, especially when it's so close to the crown. Either way, it’s not easy. ”

Champion Serena laughs off No.2 ranking

2009-07-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

Serena takes a moment to inspect her trophy after he straight sets win in the ladies' singles final.

As far as backhands go it was as good as anything Serena Williams delivered on her way to the 2009 ladies singles title at Wimbledon.

After winning the title, Williams, the French Open quarter-finalist and reigning Australian and US Open champion, was asked a series of questions about being ranked number two in the world behind Dinara Safina, a player who has never won a Grand Slam.

Williams began her answers diplomatically, although with a sprinkle of irony. That sprinkle became a torrent and at one stage Williams was belly laughing after saying: “I think Dinara did a great job to get to No. 1. She won Rome and Madrid.”

Serena clearly knew she was in dangerous territory by this stage as she bit her tongue and moved on to the next question. But her answers made it abundantly clear what her feelings are on the world rankings and her place in women’s tennis.

“I think if you hold three Grand Slam titles maybe you should be No.1, but not on the WTA Tour obviously, so... You know, my motivation is maybe just to win another Grand Slam and stay No.2, I guess. I'd rather definitely be No.2 and hold three Grand Slams in the past year than be No. 1 and not have any.

“I think the girl, Dinara, who is No.1, you can clearly see by her physique how hard she works. You can't get anywhere by not doing the best and not working your hardest. So, you know, I'm happy for her. I'm really excited that I won Wimbledon, though, because, like I said, I'd rather win that than not win the Championships.”

It was another entertaining performance from the champion in her final press conference of the tournament. She spoke in glowing terms about her sister Venus, the beaten finalist and defending champion, and Billie Jean King, the player whose Grand Slam record she equalled with her 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory.

After being filmed looking at the honours board in the clubhouse after the trophy presentation, Serena said she believed her name “should have been there at least once more”.

But the very next question she said she was not interested in her legacy. “I'm really just playing for me, whether I'm the greatest or not. I can't even put myself in a sentence with the greatest, because I think of people like Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf and Billie Jean King.

“They were such great champions. To even be mentioned with those people is a real honour to me. I feel like I'm really young. I feel like I'm only thinking about my career and continued playing.”

Sisters sweep to doubles crown

2009-07-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

Four finalists line up: Serena Williams,Venus Williams,Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.

The Williams sisters conquered Wimbledon again after they won a battle of power against guile to retain their doubles crown. Venus and Serena triumphed 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 against the Australian pairing of Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs in a late, enthralling match on Centre Court.

They had to survive a first set scare as Stosur and Stubbs raced into a 4-2 set lead. Stosur, who was beaten 6-2, 6-2 with previous partner Lisa Raymond by Venus and Serena in last year’s final, was in particularly inspired form early on, helping to break the Serena serve at 2-1.

The Williams sister unsurprisingly looked a little tired following Serena’s earlier victory over Venus in the singles final. But they soon came back, their renowned power game helping them to break the Stubbs serve and level at 4-4. Stosur and Stubbs continued to produce some high quality tennis to take the set to the tiebreak. But they were overpowered with Serena and Venus winning it 7-4 on their second set point.

The Australians did well to remain in contention early in the second set as they wowed a near capacity Centre Court crowd with some exciting tennis and battling spirit, which was later acknowledged by their opponents. "They're a really good team, so they definitely pushed us to play our best tennis on the most important points," admitted Venus.

Despite many long rallies the Williams sisters eventually broke Stosur and Stubbs’ resistance in the seventh game of the set. Stubbs once again lost her serve thanks to a fine volley by Serena at break point.

Serena celebrated as if the game was up. And there was, indeed, no way back for the Australians despite Stosur holding serve in the next game. Serena closed out the match at 5-4 to ensure another Williams clean sweep of the ladies’ trophies.

Serena admitted she was just as happy to add the doubles title to her earlier singles win. "It feels great to win the doubles," she said. "You can go home with two titles. There's nothing like winning a title with your sister. It's really a good feeling."

Centre Court - Ladies' Doubles - Finals

Serena Williams USA (4)/
Venus Williams USA (4)

7⁷

Samantha Stosur AUS (3)/
Rennae Stubbs AUS (3)

6⁴

Nestor/Zimonjic retain doubles trophy

2009-07-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic enjoy the celebrations after defeating the Bryan brothers to regain the doubles title.

Defending champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic retained their Wimbledon crown by defeating top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan in a high-quality doubles final.

The 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 contest always promised to be an intense affair between the two top doubles team in the world. But it was the second seeded pair that eventually stole the advantage, winning a total of 142 points compared with the Bryans’ 139 in a duel that displayed immaculate doubles play.

The sheer quality of tennis was perhaps illustrated by the fact it took an hour and 38 minutes before the first break point opportunity of the match even arose. That was on Zimonjic’s serve in the third set. Until that point, the play had been near flawless but the Serb served three double faults in that game.

A Nestor smash gave the second seeds a get out of jail card and it was the Canadian who again came up with the goods in the eventual third set tiebreak. He produced an incredible passing winner to earn the pair four set points, which they converted on their second opportunity.

On paper, the Bryans were the favourite to win the title as top seeds. The 2006 Wimbledon champions and holders of seven Grand Slam titles were also making their 15th appearance in a major final, while this was only Nestor and Zimonjic's third together.

However, Nestor and Zimonjic went into the match with a 5-3 upper hand over the Americans in the head to heads. All their previous meetings had been in finals but it was the Canadian/Serb duo who had won five of the last six contests so their confidence was brimming.

When a breakpoint opportunity emerged early in the fourth set, Nestor and Zimonjic wasted no time in seizing it. The previous three sets had all broken the 40-minute barrier, but the 2-0 lead gave the second seeds the jolt they needed and they whisked away the third set in under half an hour. Zimonjic closed out the match with an ace to earn the pair their second Grand Slam title together.

Speaking after the match, Nestor described retaining the title as a "great accomplishment". "It's great to come back here. One of the first things I noticed was our name on the board, on the big plaque. Now we get it twice. It's obviously going to be special to come back next year and see that.

"We played two solid finals. I thought we played pretty well from start to finish. Those guys are obviously a great team. We both served well, returned well when we had to. Nenad played great. It's great to be back as champions."

Zimonjic agreed: "It's always special to play on the Centre Court, a full stadium. I have to say that this is the only place with such a big tradition, and the doubles is still very popular."

Nestor also spoke of his delight at winning a second title with Zimonjic. "It's amazing. We started playing together to win Grand Slams. That's what we've done. Unfortunately, this year at the French Open I played a bad match in the semis. I thought we could have easily won that slam too.

"The way we play together, we give ourselves a chance to win every tournament and every Grand Slam. We have a good chance of winning on every surface, I think, which is nice."

Centre Court - Gentlemen's Doubles - Finals

Bob Bryan USA (1)/
Mike Bryan USA (1)

6⁷

7⁷

6³

Daniel Nestor CAN (2)/
Nenad Zimonjic SRB (2)

7⁹

6³

7⁷

Thai girl wins juniors' crown

2009-07-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

Noppawan Lertcheewakarn

Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand has been crowned the 2009 Junior Girls’ Champion after defeating top seed Kristina Mladenovic of France in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

The girls have a contrasting style of play and the final was filled with dramatic twists and turns. Mladenovic possesses the big serve game and likes to dominate her matches from the back of the court with her high velocity forehand. Lertcheewakarn, the fourth seed and the runner-up to Britain's Laura Robson at last year's Wimbledon girls' final, has been shaped in the mould of Monica Seles and Marion Bartoli. She uses double-handed ground strokes on both sides and has the ability to return serve effectively and draw her opponents into long energy-sapping rallies.

Mladenovic, with her exciting power game, seized the opening set after 40 minutes. Starting the match with a 122mph serve and then taking a 2-0 lead was a dream start for the French Open champion. Her go-for-broke game plan bulldozed her Thai opponent into submission with five aces, 15 winners and two break points.

Lertcheewakarn’s strategy in the first set had been the right one, but the execution was not good enough. She hit only three winners and was serving first serves at around 85mph (30mph slower than Mladenovic).

But the best returner in the girls’ singles found another gear to her game as she hit her shots harder and closer to the lines. Like the first set, there was a early break for each girl but the Thai girl looked to be steadily improving in a match that had so far been dominated by Mladenovic.

Lertcheewakarn put more power into her serves and, after the second game of the set, was not broken by the French girl again as she put 75% of her first serves into play. Mladenovic could only put 44% of her powerful first serves into play as she tired from the long rallies her opponent was forcing her into.

After levelling the match, Lertcheewakarn maintained her high level of tennis and Mladenovic started to look beaten. Her backhand began to falter even more and her once reliable forehand started to crumble.

Once her power had been drained, Mladenovic was incapable of coming back from a 4-0 deficit in the final set. She took more time in between points, her first serve slowed down dramatically and she had to call the trainer to inspect her knee.

The match was over after an hour and 43 minutes. Lertcheewakarn ran to the net with a huge smile on her face after becoming the first Thai to win the Junior Wimbledon title and received the trophy from the 1969 ladies’ champion Ann Jones.

"I spoke to my parents and they are very happy. I can't wait to get back to Thailand. But first I want to do some shopping here, and go to Wimbledon Village. Mladenovic is a very good player and is qualifying for senior events like me so its great to have won today. Last year I was just excited to be in the final, I never expected to get there. This year I just wanted to win as it is my last year in the juniors."

Court 1 - Girls' Singles - Finals

Kristina Mladenovic FRA (1)

Noppawan Lertcheewakarn THA (4)

Men's Final Preview

2009-07-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer smashes the ball at Tommy Haas on Centre Court.

Not only does Andy Roddick have to perform the equivalent of scaling a vertical cliff face without ropes or crampons when he tackles Roger Federer in the men's singles final; he is also required to fly in the face of history. Neither task, it has to be said, will particularly faze him if he performs again as he played on Friday in torpedoing Andy Murray and the dreams of a nation.

The cliff is constructed of the statistics built up between these two over nine years, and the vertical bit is Roddick looking up at the number of times he has lost to Roger - 18 out of 20. As far as history goes, Federer will walk on court poised to become the History Man.

If Federer clocks up victory number 19 this afternoon over Roddick he will become the first man to have won 15 Grand Slams, passing the 14 of Pete Sampras. He will regain the world number one ranking he held for 237 straight weeks before losing it to Rafael Nadal in August last year.

By simply turning up, Roger will have shattered the record of Ivan Lendl by appearing in his 20th Grand Slam final. He is the first to contest seven Wimbledon finals in a row. This is also his sixth consecutive Grand Slam final. And by winning his sixth Wimbledon, Federer would move to within one title of Sampras and William Renshaw, who wielded his racket in the days when you didn't have to bother turning up to defend your championship until the final round of the following year. Whether that really counts or not, we will leave to the historians and sentimentalists.

The sheer volume of Federer's achievements, winnings and reputation tend to dwarf what Roddick has managed in his career. Which is hardly fair since the man from Omaha, Nebraska, and these days a resident of Austin, a married resident, too, has been most consistently the best American tennis player since Sampras stopped slam-dunking and Andre Agassi found Steffi Graf.

This is his eighth straight year in the top 10, he has already won a Grand Slam (US Open 2003) and following a slight career dip last year - for instance, he lost in the second round here - he did very much the smartest thing by taking aboard Larry Stefanki as coach.

Stefanki has done wondrous things in the past. For example, he guided Chile's Mister Grumpy, Marcelo Rios, to world number one, helped Fernando Gonzalez develop more than a big forehand, resurrected the late career of John McEnroe, and even guided Tim Henman along a more productive path for a while. In the case of Roddick, he advised losing a bit of weight as the first step to a better level of fitness and it has paid rich dividends, for instance in the way he held off Lleyton Hewitt over five sets in the quarter-finals.

'It's nice to talk about the records because it gives me an incentive to do well'

Alhough his total of 27 career titles does not get past Base Camp compared with Federer's 59, he is a threat, and Federer knows it. Having had the wisdom of Jimmy Connors in his corner for a while, Andy has learned the art of scrapping, alley cat fashion, and the arrival of Stefanki has imbued a more tactical awareness.

One aspect of the job where Roddick has never needed any coaching or advice is his ability to talk sensibly and intelligently about himself and the sport. That second round exit here 12 months ago was what stayed with him for a long time and he discussed with his then-fiancee, Brooklyn Decker, whether there was still a future in tennis for him.

"We had a lot of talks about that, and I definitely openly questioned it at that point. So during the off-season we said, at least let's not wonder, let's prepare and give yourself every opportunity. And I did work real hard. I have been committed, from everything to diet and sleep, to everything. I gave myself every opportunity to succeed.

"I'm excited about this one. I didn't know if I was ever going to get to play a Wimbledon final again. I'm thankful to have that opportunity. But you don't go back to a Wimbledon final by accident. It certainly is a process. And Brook has been a very calming influence, someone I can confide in and not have to put up a super brave front in front of." And, 18 defeats or not, the Wimbledon final is a whole new ball game in Roddick's view. "I'm happy where my game's at right now."

So is Federer, of course, having dropped only one set en route to the final, compared with the six conceded by Roddick. But he readily acknowledges, "Today it starts from zero", although he concedes it is "quite amazing" to be back in a Wimbledon final already.

He also finds his large place in the history books amazing. "I never thought I would be that successful as a kid. I would have been happy winning a couple of tournaments and maybe collecting [one] Wimbledon, achieving the dream scenario. But not all those records. It's quite staggering. And having another opportunity on Sunday, it's fantastic being back in a Wimbledon final because everything happened quite quickly.

"But history means more to me today than it used to. It's nice to talk about the records because it gives me an incentive to do well for myself. I love trying to beat the younger generation and playing for the history books, but especially also playing for myself."

Federer looks ahead to final

2009-07-04T22:34:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer looks calm and collected during his semi-finals match against There was an air of inevitability when Roger Federer held his pre-final press conference on Saturday - his seventh in as many years. The talk was all of records – which is his favourite Grand Slam victory of the 14 so far, how will it feel to regain the No.1 ranking if he wins, whether he is feeling the pressure now that he stands on the verge of greatness.

When the name “Andy” finally cropped up, it was from the British press asking him whether he was disappointed not to be playing Murray in the final (“I play whoever makes it through. Whoever wins the semi-final obviously deserved it more,” was Federer’s reply, for the record).

Even the US media, who you might have expected to talk up the chances of Nebraskan native Andy Roddick, seemed more concerned about Federer overhauling Pete Sampras’s record of 14 Grand Slams – and whether that achievement combined with impending fatherhood might prompt him to hang up his racket.

“No, I’m playing great tennis at the moment and still looking forward to playing the Olympics here at Wimbledon in 2012 which will be very special,” said the world No.2. “And in any case, Mirka (his wife) has told you all that she wants our child to be able to watch me play, so I’ve got a while yet!” he grinned.

Conversely, the conversation only got round to Roddick when the conference changed languages (the multilingual and ever-obliging Federer always does press conferences in four languages).

“He’s a real fighter – you can tell that by the way he sweats so much when he’s on court!” said Federer of his opponent on Sunday, prompting guffaws from the German-speaking journalists. “He has lots of energy, jumping for balls and he has real intensity – he never gives up.

“He’s a funny guy as well. We chat a lot and he’s always making jokes in the locker room. I think it was tough for him since the American press had great expectations of him. After Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and all the rest, I think they didn’t want a top 10 player, they wanted a No.1. I used to tell him that he wasn’t as bad as people were making out. It’s great to see him back up there.”

Federer has won 18 of the pair’s 20 meetings, but sees his head-to-head advantage as reason for extra vigilance as opposed to complacency. “If I don’t win on Sunday, that record won’t help me! The dream scenario would be like in the 2005 final or the 2003 semi,” said Federer, displaying his famed encyclopaedic memory for past matches.

“Those days I managed to read his serve incredibly well. It should be a fun match though – he’ll vary it, he won’t just hit it all on my backhand. He has a great serve and perhaps the best second serve in the game, so I’ll need to be totally focused.”

Venus cracks in final act

2009-07-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

Final hug

It is rare for Venus and Serena Williams to need time apart from one another. But in the moments after the younger sibling became the new Wimbledon champion and the two sisters embraced at the net, that was when the moment came.

Just for a minute or maybe two, they needed space from one another. Serena waved and bowed to the crowd, hand on her heart and then her forehead, struggling to take in her first Wimbledon win in six years.

Venus, the vanquished champion who had planned on taking a sixth title today, sat in her chair at courtside staring one of those thousand-mile stares that come to us all now and again when we think on what might have been. Her face was utterly drained at the knowledge that the prize that most defines her had been taken away.

So much of the sisters’ lives are metaphorically entwined. They are endlessly compared, endlessly contrasted, endlessly mentioned in the same breath. And today they lined up for their 11th Grand Slam face-off, with the Williams monopoly of women’s tennis still going strong a decade after it began.

Waiting to go on court the two of them looked tense, carefully not looking at one another, minds focused on the serious business ahead. When battle commenced, the first set was fittingly intense. It seemed appropriate given the potency of their mutual relationship, and the huge degree of public attention always focused on them whenever they play one another.

Sometimes it seems that we who watch demand of these sibling encounters a standard of tennis we rarely require from other matches. We constantly insist that they “prove” to us they are really trying when they face one another across the net, especially when the most glittering prizes are at stake. Neither is permitted a bad day at the office. There must always be some deep dark meaning behind the failure of either to produce their best.

For long periods of the first set there was not much between them. Rallies tended to be short, punctuated by a few powerful exchanges where each had the other running from side to side of the court. But what was really noticeable was the way Serena was serving.

Perhaps mindful of the fact that her 20 aces in her semi-final against Elena Dementieva kept her in that match at the most critical moments, she easily and quite unexpectedly out-aced her older sister, amassing eight to Venus’ one in that first set.

Venus could hardly take a point from Serena’s serve, and it became increasingly clear that if the set went as far as the tiebreak Serena would be in good shape. But when Venus had her chance to prevent the set running its full course – with two break points at 4-3 – she failed to convert. The tiebreak came and Serena bludgeoned her way through it, finishing off with a beautifully judged lob to take it 7-3.

From the guest box the sisters were watched as usual by the calm presence of their mother Oracene Price. As usual, their father Richard Williams was absent, having long held a policy that he never watches his daughters on those occasions when they play each other. (“My work is done,” he likes to say.) But a great battery of former women’s champions here were present in the Royal Box including Billie-Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Ann Jones, Christine Janes, Angela Barrett and Maria Bueno. Incongruously among them, the Hollywood star Ben Stiller was also a Royal Box guest.

They watched a second set where it soon became clear that Venus – so dominant throughout these Championships – was rapidly losing confidence. Her key weapon, her serve, was losing speed, while Serena was continuing to amass aces without double faults. At 2-3 a Venus mis-hit off the frame of her racket brought up Serena’s first chance to break in the entire match.

In the event she did not need to do anything to convert it, because Venus delivered a double fault. Invulnerable to mental pressure in any other match throughout the fortnight, she could not hold it together at the crucial moment against her sister.

Not since the Wimbledon final of 2006 (between Justine Henin and victorious Amelie Mauresmo) has a women’s Grand Slam decider gone to a third set. The chance of such an event here was receding by the moment as the confidence of Venus crumbled visibly. At 2-5 came a succession of four separate Championship points. Three went by, but the last was too much.

Serena sank to her knees and perhaps that was the moment when the two of them were briefly separated – one the victor, one the vanquished, the indivisible divided just for now.

Serena seizes crown from Venus

2009-07-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

Serena shows her trophy to the crowd.

This time the Williams family battle, so often conducted on the lawns of the All England Club, went the way of Serena as she removed the ladies' singles championship from the custody of her older sister Venus. In straight sets, too, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in 87 minutes.

Serena had been saying from the start of these Championships that it was her turn to win Wimbledon. And since the Williamses have turned this event into a private affair, the only one she really needed to defeat was Venus.

The job was accomplished in typical powerful style, with Venus so worn down that her own game collapsed spectacularly from 2-2 in the second set. This was Serena’s third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam and was ample amends for her loss to her big sister 12 months ago. It was well deserved as Venus admitted, saying: "Serena had the answer for everything and played the best tennis today, so congratulations."

Serena expressed disbelief that she was finally holding once more the trophy, the Venus Rosewater Dish, which might have been named for her sister, who has won it five times, and paid full tribute: "Venus is the greatest on this surface." At which they both went off for a rest before playing the doubles final.

Today, the Fourth of July, America's Independence Day, Venus was far from the best. Her progress to the final had been more impressive, contained fewer games and less stress, but there was not enough in the tank today once the match hit its stride.

With four great Wimbledon champions, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Maria Bueno and Virginia Wade, watching from the Royal Box, this contest between the current oligarchs of the women's game was conducted for much of the first set at a comparatively sedate pace and in front of a muted audience as both finalists held serve comfortably, with the occasional explosion coming from a Serena ace.

Not until the eighth game did the excitement build, when Serena went two break points down. Here was the opportunity for Venus to impose her authority. But the first break point escaped her when she got a bad bounce and the second got away, too, when, faced with a gaping court, she overhit her forehand. Having been reprieved, Serena pressed the power switch and came up with successive aces. She was off the hook and was never subsequently in the slightest danger.

A tiebreak to decide the first set was an inevitability, with an indication of the tension coming as both women issued their first challenge on the Hawk-Eye line-calling system. By then Serena was already ahead in the tiebreak by three points to one and tried to make it 4-1 by claiming a Venus shot had been out. No, said the system, it was on the line.

By the time Venus got in her own challenge, which was upheld, she was set point down and although Hawk-Eye delayed the inevitable, it was for only one more point as Serena left sister stranded with a perfect backhand lob after 52 minutes.

The second set proceeded uneventfully to 3-2 in Serena's favour before Venus and her first service action parted company. One of her second serves trundled over the net at 66mph, which is food and drink to Serena. Venus then double faulted on break point to give her a 4-2 lead, and the destination of the title was set as Serena moved to a 5-2 lead with a love game.

The final Venus service game was another catalogue of errors as she faced, and fought off, three match points before capitulating on the fourth with a backhand into the netting.

Centre Court - Ladies' Singles - Finals

Venus Williams USA (3)

6³

Serena Williams USA (2)

7⁷

Sisters shine on day of finals

2009-07-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Serena and Venus Williams are the ladies' singles winner and runner-up for 2009

Serena Williams deprived her sister Venus of a hat-trick of consecutive wins in a comprehensive 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory in the women’s singles final. The younger sister stepped up her game at important moments, pulling away in the tiebreak and then breaking midway through the second set to put the match beyond Venus’s reach.

For nigh on an hour, there was no quarter asked and none given between the 29-year-old number three seed and the 27-year-old second seed. Only two games went to deuce, one on each service, but in the tiebreak Serena was that little bit better.

“I don't think I did too many things wrong,” said Venus ruefully after the match. “But I would play a good shot and she'd hit a winner off of it or put me in a position where she could hit another winner.”

The second set began much like the first, but then Venus’s serve, usually her greatest weapon, particularly on grass, deserted her. In the sixth game, she sliced a second serve at a mere 66mph that Serena devoured. A break point ensued and worse was to come as Venus double-faulted for the third time in the match, virtually handing the title to Serena.

Venus was understandably subdued after the match, refusing either to blame her ailing knee or question her equally faltering serve. Serena, meanwhile, was boisterous, holding court in a press conference where she sported a T-shirt with a risqué slogan and made sideways remarks at Dinara Safina, the world number one who has yet to win a Grand Slam while Serena currently holds three, and the WTA ranking system for allowing such a situation to come about.

The sisters were back a few hours later for the women's doubles final, playing the Australians Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs. The first set was a close battle, with some thrilling exchanges around the net. It went to a tiebreak that the Williams sisters won 7-4. The second set involved Venus and Serena battering their opponents with powerful shots as the Australians tried to mount a brave defence. But the American pair were too strong and they took the set 6-4 to claim their fourth Wimbledon doubles title.

The men’s doubles was a typically epic affair, stretching over four sets. Second seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic eventually prevailed over top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan, retaining the title that they won last year. The first three sets all went to tiebreaks.

In the girls’ singles final, Thailand’s Noppawan Lertcheewakarn put the disappointment of last year’s loss to Laura Robson behind her as she came from a set down to defeat top seed and Roland Garros champion Kristina Mladenovic of France, who struggled with a knee injury as the match wore on.

Serena Williams does a split

2009-07-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

A-Rod makes a flying save.

2009-07-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Federer and Haas at a

2009-07-03T20:20:00.001-07:00

Murray: I'll bounce back with a slam

2009-07-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

Andy Murray defiantly insisted his grand slam prospects are better than ever after Andy Roddick ended his Wimbledon run.

The British number one was a hot favourite to beat his American rival and go on to face Roger Federer in the final, but Roddick produced one of the best performances of his life to triumph 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/5) in the semi-finals.

Murray was playing in his first Wimbledon semi-final and hoping to reach his second grand slam final, after losing to Federer at the US Open last autumn, and he put a brave face on the defeat - making this summer's US Open his next target for glory.

The 22-year-old said: "The way that I played this year it was very, very close to getting to the final.

"If I give myself those sort of opportunities and keep playing well, and my consistency in the grand slams the last year or so has been much, much better - a final, a semi and a quarter - I'm going to give myself opportunities to do it.

"I believe I can win a grand slam, whether it's Wimbledon or US Open or Australia or whatever, I'm going to give myself chances.

"I'll come back next year and try to do better."

Murray, who had beaten Roddick in six of their eight previous meetings, was happy with his performance and praised his opponent for a brilliant display.

The sixth seed's first-serve percentage was 75% - compared to only 52% for Murray - while the Scot could only take advantage of two of his seven break points in the three-hour match.

"I thought I played well," said Murray.

"If you look at the stats, I hit more winners, less unforced errors, more aces.

"I'm sure the points that we won were very, very similar. It just came down to a few points here or there on his serve.

"And he served really, really well. Hitting at that pace, at such a high percentage, sometimes there's not a whole lot you can do with that.

"The last few slams that I've lost, I've come up against some guys that have played great, great tennis.

"Mentally, for me, I've got much better at it, understanding that guys can do that against you. That's happened to me a few times now in slams.

"I need to keep making sure I bring my best game to the court in every match."

Murray has a break of five weeks until his next tournament and he insisted he will have no problem getting over today's loss.

"I'll move on very, very quickly and go and work on my game and improve and come back stronger," he said.

"That's a pathetic attitude to have, if you lose one match and you go away and let it ruin your year.

"I've had a very good year so far. I'm very close to the top of the game. The US Open I've always said is my best surface, my best chance to win a slam, and I'll give it my best shot there."

Venus is from another planet

2009-07-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

On one side the power and the glory. On the other utter humiliation.

Rarely can a Wimbledon semi-final have illustrated those two contrasting emotions so starkly as Venus Williams' 6-1 6-0 demolition of Russia's Dinara Safina.

It lasted 51 minutes, the second shortest women's semi-final in the open era.

And when the horror show was over for the 23-year-old Russian and Venus was through to her eighth Wimbledon singles final, the fourth against sister Serena, there was one obvious, if bewildering, question hanging in the air over SW19.

How can the world number one be so devastatingly eclipsed in a grand slam semi-final by the number three seed?

Two reasons.

First, Venus has taken power and precision to a new level this Wimbledon, aided by the hot weather, the fast courts and a desire to lift the Venus Rosewater dish for the sixth time.

Second, the world rankings matter not a jot. They reward quantity over quality which allows Safina to trawl the world amassing a sackful of ranking points while the Williamses focus on grand slams.

At the last count they have 17 of those to their name with another to come on Sunday, while Safina has none, having lost in three finals.

Not that Venus was about to pile any more humiliation on the Russian.

"I respect Dinara Safina. I think women's tennis is fantastic," was all Venus would say to questions about the ranking system.

"The score showed my level of play. I was dictating on every point and there was a lot of pressure on her. I am really pleased with my form playing against the number one. My experience on grass helped me a lot.

"Dinara tried 100 per cent until the match was over. I didn't take anything for granted. She just tried for too much."

Safina, meanwhile, pointed out that she had been in the final of the other two grand slams this year, the French and Australian Opens, and admitted that she struggled on grass.

Safina said of her opponent: "She's too good on grass. It's not my favourite surface and it is her favourite.

"It was disappointing but I have to accept it. Reaching the semi this year means maybe I can change my mentality on grass and come back with more expectations. She gave me a pretty good lesson but it would be different on clay."

Perhaps, but Williams would never have gone down so abjectly on any surface. This semi-final was over almost as soon as it began, Venus winning the first nine points.

Safina knew her only chance was to trade fire with fire but her groundstrokes carried nowhere near the heat, nor accuracy, of her opponent while her serve was distinctly lukewarm by comparison.

One Williams ace in the third game clocked in at 124mph, the fastest serve so far in the women's tournament and one many of the men would have been delighted with.

The placement and spin were also superior which is why even Serena could struggle to live with her big sister if she takes her form this fortnight into Saturday's final.

Safina, by contrast, simply went into meltdown, not an unusual occurrence for members of the Safin family, and she won just eight points in the second set. Not so much a competitor as a spectator to Williams' superiority.

The final will be closer if only because as Venus pointed out: "We both play a similar game. We have the same teacher."

So how do they separate their relationship as sisters and as rivals?

"Well, it's real easy when you get a serve at about 127mph and it comes back as a winner," said Venus. "You soon realise you're playing against an awesome player and you really better get on your toes.

"I'm happy for her to be in the final and I don't necessarily want her to lose, but I want to win. I need to get my titles too and I'm the big sister."

Their head-to-head record is tied at 10-10 but in terms of Wimbledon, Venus is leading that particular tally by five titles to two.

The only thing for sure once more is that the power and the glory once more will be with the family Williams.

Paes-Black in mixed doubles final

2009-07-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

Top seeds Leander Paes and Cara Black stormed into the final of Wimbledon mixed doubles event with a straight-set victory.

The Indo-Zimbabwe pair beat their 12th seeded opponents Stephen Huss and Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-4 6-4 in a 71-minute semifinal contest.

Paes and Black, who won the US Open mixed doubles last year, were rusty at the start and were broken in the second game by the Australian-Spanish pair who go up 2-0 and then 3-0.

The top seeds, however, fought back with stunning ferocity to break their opponents in the fifth and seventh games to pocket the first game 6-4 in 35 minutes.

The second set went on serves till the fourth game after which Paes and Black tightened their game to break their opponents once and pocket the set 6-4 in 36 minutes and the match.

In the summit clash, Paes and Black will meet the winner of the other semifinal match between ninth seeds Mark Knowles (Bahamas)/Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) and unseeded Jamie Murray (Great Britain)/Liezel Huber (USA).

Quotes of the day - 03 July 2009

2009-07-03T20:13:00.002-07:00

Serena Williams attacks the net during her semi-final match in the Ladies Doubles.

“Are you ready to get out of here (laughter)?”

With just two days ago until the end of Wimbledon 2009, Serena Williams has clearly had enough of press conferences.

“What would my advice be? I won't be giving them any advice because I'll be heading home tonight.”

Andy, if you are looking for tips about how to contend with Roger Federer, beaten semi-finalist Tommy Haas is probably not the best man to go to.

“Trying to achieve the fifth straight Wimbledon, equaling Borg's record. For some reason that meant the world to me. I was like in a bubble for two weeks, just trying to achieve it.”

We are glad Roger Federer was able to burst that bubble in time to come back and try and win a sixth Wimbledon title.

“I think it's been very good. I did better than I ever had before. I had some very good matches. And, you know, I thought I played good tennis.”

Andy Murray gives a summary of his Wimbledon 2009

“I believe I can win a Grand Slam, whether it's Wimbledon or US Open or Australia or whatever, I'm going to give myself chances.”

And a dose of positivity thrown in for good measure too. See you next year Andy Murray.

“She didn't really know much about tennis, so she thought I was playing real great (laughter). She thought I looked cute in the shorts.”

Andy Roddick gives an insight into wife Brooklyn Decker's world of tennis.

“I've developed a little bit of rapport with the fans. Maybe you guys helping me by asking me a bunch of goofy questions and me giving a bunch of goofy answers.”

Why does Rick Astley come to mind?

Road to the final - Andy Roddick

2009-07-03T20:13:00.001-07:00

Roddick Scrambles

1st Round: Roddick serves up strong start
Andy Roddick d. Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-3
Andy Roddick’s reputation as one of the strongest and fastest servers in the game was underlined yet again as he powered down 21 aces during a four set win over France’s Jeremy Chardy.
Roddick lays low and stays focused

2nd Round: Powerful Roddick too strong for Kunitsyn
Andy Roddick d. Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
There were no fancy jackets, no monogrammed shirts or waistcoats and very little by way of fanfare but nevertheless, Andy Roddick stated his intent at The Championships with another four-set win, this time over Igor Kunitsyn, to reach the third round.

3rd Round: Roddick too good for Melzer
Andy Roddick d. Jurgen Melzer (26) (AUT) 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-3
Eight times before today they have met, and eight times the American has triumphed. This match was no exception to the rule, the number six seed securing his place in Monday’s last 16 with a comprehensive win over the Austrian.
Quick-witted Roddick raises a smile

4th Round: Roddick serves his way past Berdych
Andy Roddick d. Tomas Berdych (20) (CZE) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-3
Roddick turned Berdych’s form upside down in his win. Berdych had come into the last 16 without dropping a set, something he had not achieved in a Grand Slam since 2007.
Roddick praises next opponent Hewitt

Quarter-final: Ace Roddick surges past Hewitt
Andy Roddick d. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 6-3, 6-7 (10-12), 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-4
Andy Roddick called himself just an “old married dude” but he gave his younger semi-final opponent Andy Murray plenty to think about with his five-set victory over Lleyton Hewitt.
High-five for Roddick ahead of semi
Semi-Final Preview: Murray v Roddick

Semi-final: Roddick blasts past Murray
Andy Roddick d. Andy Murray (3) (GBR) 6-4, 4-6, 4-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-5)
Three years after his last appearance in a Grand Slam final, Andy Roddick broke the hearts of the Centre Court crowd by defeating home favourite Andy Murray in a tremendous display of intelligent tennis.

Roddick blasts past Murray

2009-07-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Andy Roddick is caught in mid-air during his semi-final as he returns the ball to Andy Murray

Murray, not at his best, could not find a way to break down Roddick’s serve, and the American won through to the third Wimbledon final of his career 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-5) in three hours and seven minutes. He will face the five-times champion Roger Federer, to whom he lost the finals of 2004 and 2005.

Roddick laid down his marker in the first set. He played with great discipline, attacking only at the right moments. Displaying an almost contradictory brand of patient aggression, he permitted Murray very little to work with.

Of course the number six seed’s game was also peppered with the regulation number of aces, and serves in the neighbourhood of 140mph. At 5-4 with the set on serve, he pounced with an attacking rally to bring up 30-all, and then a beautifully judged dropshot. It was not only the first break point of the match, but set point to boot.

No wonder his new coach Larry Stefanki showed his delight with enthusiastic applause. A long rally followed, with Roddick forcing the error from Murray. The set belonged to the American, and never mind that he had produced barely half as many outright winners as Murray. Both men left the Centre Court for that most useful of tennis pauses, the comfort break.

But not for nothing did Murray come into this match leading Roddick 6-2 in their career encounters, including all of the last three, along with their only previous Wimbledon meeting in 2006. He was bidding to become the first British man to make the final here since 1938, and if he was frustrated by the outcome of the opening set, then it showed at once when Roddick served at the start of the second.

With the first point Murray produced a thunderous crosscourt shot. Next came a narrow angled running forehand as he sprinted to reach a Roddick dropshot, to take him to 0-30 for the first time on Roddick’s serve. Then it was a backhand down the line to leave Roddick stranded, and finally a forced error to break the American to love. At 4-3 Murray almost wobbled but would not permit Roddick to convert the threat, and screamed at himself to keep it going. He did.

At the start of the third it seemed Murray would repeat that early break of the second. In no time he was at 0-40 on Roddick’s serve. But crucially Roddick saved all three, the third with a great diving backhand volley that Murray could not reach.

Roddick, sweat dripping from his cap, pushed on hard in the next game, threatening to bring up break point without quite managing. At 2-1 Roddick capitalised on Murray’s weak second serve, and this game soon had the feel of one that was vital for the Scot to hold on to. But he could not, although Roddick required four break points before he could finally breach Murray’s defences for 3-1.

Murray was livid with himself, and became further irritated in the next game when umpire Pascal Maria gave him a warning for an audible obscenity that no one else at courtside heard. Typically of someone already irritated by other matters, Murray debated the point too long with Maria, continuing the argument during the changeover.

It felt very much as if Roddick was suddenly in control, and he upped the pace even more at 5-2, pushing to break so that he could start the fourth on his own serve. Murray managed to stop that – and then out of nowhere, as Roddick was serving for the set he tightened up.

Two errors and a fabulous crosscourt pass gave the Scot three break points; another error did the job and Murray punched the air, shouting: “Yes!” The set went on to a tiebreak, but Murray alternated between outrageous winners and pressured mistakes. The two traded set points before Roddick forced the mistake from Murray that gave him the set.

Murray, occasionally feeling his right knee, was clearly not serving as well as he had in previous rounds. He was hanging on, but there was no getting away from the fact that Roddick was playing exceptionally well.

A break point for Murray at 4-3 went by. Come the tiebreak and Roddick’s brilliant serving allowed no way through. A Murray backhand floated wide to give Roddick two match points. A fabulous passing shot form Murray saved the first but he could not rescue the second. Roddick sank to his knees, as if unable to believe events, and then generously applauded the Centre Court crowd.

Centre Court - Gentlemen's Singles - Semifinals

Andy Roddick USA (6)

7⁹

7⁷

Andy Murray GBR (3)

6⁷

6⁵

Fresh approach works for Roddick

2009-07-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Andy Roddick cannot believe it after defeating Andy Murray in the semi-final.

This time last year Andy Roddick was doubting himself. He was in a low place and questioned whether he belonged at the top of the game after suffering his earliest Wimbledon exit at the hands of Janko Tipsarevic in the second round.

What a difference 12 months makes. The sixth seed is now in the Wimbledon final for the third time in his career. One might assume the American would be in jubilant spirits following his four-set victory over Andy Murray, but he was serene, suggesting that this feat had yet to be absorbed.

“Last year after I played here, I mean, that was a hard, hard couple of weeks,” Roddick revealed. “Brook [his wife] and I had a lot of talks [about] if I still thought I could play and at least be towards the top of the game. I definitely openly questioned it at that point. Then the rest of the year I was kind of hurt.

“So this off-season, we said, you know what, if you’re not going to be up there, let’s at least not wonder. Let’s prepare yourself and give yourself every opportunity.”

So prepare A-Rod did. He committed himself to working hard and focusing on every aspect of his life from diet to sleep in order to create every opportunity to succeed. The effort is certainly paying off but Roddick refuses to get carried away, instead taking the one match at a time approach.

“I’m just trying to stay the course. I’m just going about it. I haven’t really gotten too up or too down at any point this event, or this year for that matter.”

And that was a tactic Roddick employed against Murray. “I knew going in that getting all hyped up and down, especially in an atmosphere that probably wasn’t going to be super favourable to me, wasn’t probably the way to go. And especially he was probably going to have the edge as far as kind of the adrenalin and the emotion.

“I just wanted to stay the course. I was fully aware that there might be ups and downs. I just wanted to keep the same face regardless.”

It helps that he is settled into his family life – he got married in April to Brooklyn. In fact, the 26-year-old says that Brook has a calming influence over him and it helps having her around to confide in. “It’s been real good. And she certainly makes the [guest] box better looking,” he quipped.

For now, Roddick will stay focused on the next match just as he has done throughout the tournament. And he will no doubt be logging today’s victory on his Twitter page – a task he has been undertaking during the Championships.

“120 gone... 8 left.... too much fun,” was posted on June 29 in reference to the amount of competitors left in the draw. “124 home...... 4 left,” read the July 1 entry. Roddick has yet to post his update tonight but we can hazard a guess at what it will say.

calm Murray looks to future

2009-07-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

Andy Murray dries off during his gruelling semi-final with Andy Roddick.

The Andy Murray who fronted the press after his semi-final defeat to Andy Roddick looked and sounded very much like the Andy Murray who had beaten Stanislas Warwinka in five thrilling sets earlier in the tournament.

Throughout the tournament his press conferences have been delivered in the same deep, flat Scottish brogue irrespective of the result. Nobody could ever describe him of losing his cool.

But there were other signs that his 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 defeat to Roddick was different. For a starter Murray was still dressed in his tennis whites. His match finished at 6.44pm and he was at his press conference at 7pm. Like removing a Band-Aid, the world No.3 clearly did not want to drag this out.

He was also more fidgety than usual. His hands played with the microphones and its cords as he answered questions from a packed interview room. “I thought I played well. I mean if you look at the stats, I hit more winners, less unforced errors, more aces. I'm sure the points that we won were very, very similar. It just came down to a few points here or there on his serve,” Murray said.

“And he served really, really well. You know, very close to the lines. Hitting at that pace, at such a high percentage, I think he was high 70s for a lot of the match. Sometimes there's not a whole lot you can do with that. But definitely I didn't play a bad match.

“I'll move on very, very quickly and go and work on my game and improve and come back stronger. That's a pathetic attitude to have, if you lose one match and you go away and, you know, let it ruin your year.

“I've had a very good year so far. I'm very close to, the top of the game. The US Open I've always said is my best surface, my best chance to win a Slam, and I'll give it my best shot there.”

And, despite what some people will suggest, he said it was not the weight of a nation’s expectations weighing heavily on his shoulders that cost him a place in the final and chance at sporting immortality.

“I put obviously pressure on myself to play well. I don't think there was any sort of moments where I felt too tight to go for shots. I maybe made a couple of mistakes that I shouldn't have in the first tiebreak. But if you look at the amount of winners I hit compared to him, I don't think that I could say I wasn't swinging freely. I think I hit twice the number of winners as him.”

Murray says he has learnt a tough lesson: that his opponents at Grand Slams can lift their game. He says he is mentally much tougher but there is still room for improvement. He will take a five week break until the next tournament, prepare for the hard-court season, look ahead to his favourite major - the US Open - and, most importantly, be back here next year with a chance of ending Britain’s long wait for Wimbledon glory.

“I think I have a chance. And I think the way that I played this year, it was very, very close to getting [me] to the final. I believe I can win a Grand Slam. Whether it's Wimbledon or the US Open or Australia or whatever, I'm going to give myself chances.”

Murray defeat leaves fans deflated

2009-07-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

Andy Murray stretches to reach a shot from Andy Roddick during their semi-final.

The result came too late on Friday evening for the London Stock Exchange to be affected or for sterling to slump in value, but Britain is now officially in a state of deflation – after Andy Murray’s Wimbledon’s hopes were ended at the semi-final stage by Andy Roddick.

The American’s 6-4 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-5) win was fully deserved, as he cashed in on his 21 aces and a multitude of other damaging serves which eventually eroded Murray's confidence and undermined his resistance.

As the last of Murray's 20 unforced errors rattled into the netting, Roddick knelt on court, the peak of his white cap touching the turf. He stayed this way for several seconds before getting to his feet and applauding the crowd's sporting acceptance of what he had just inflicted on them – and on a watching TV audience, whether at home, on Henman Hill or on No.2 Court, which had thrown open its doors for fans to watch on giant screens.

All of them were of course hoping that “our Andy” could win the first of two matches which would deliver the first British Wimbledon men’s singles champion since Fred Perry 73 years ago.

As a veteran American tennis writer quipped after Roddick's first tiebreak success put him in front by two sets to one, "It's gonna be 74 years now." So it is, Bud.

It was Roddick's uncanny success in tiebreaks which put the final seal on his upset win. This year he has played 30 of them and, with the two he won here, his count is 26-4.

For this eagerly anticipated contest, even the weather was on its best behaviour. Heavy grey clouds which had hung over Wimbledon all morning and part of the afternoon obligingly lifted and the sun graced us with a belated appearance. In the Royal Box, tea had even been forsaken for this one.

And there was an apparent formality in the support for each man for obvious reasons – “C’mon Andy” would have been redundant on this occasion. Not surprisingly, the “C'mon Murray" calls comfortably outgunned the "C'mon Roddick" ones, but there was support for the American.

One stentorian spectator regularly bellowed his "C'mon Roddick" from behind the media seats but in the first set the American did not need much encouraging, hammering aces in excess of 130mph and charging the net to test Murray's passing skills. In addition, the American's error count was lower and his service break in the 10th game to capture the first set was merited.

To growing acclaim, Murray's early break of serve in the second set confirmed that he was back in it, thanks mainly to his ability to match Roddick in the number of aces, if not quite the speed. The American was also adept at throwing in slower serves, and that was another plus factor in his fine match play and excellent tactical plan, worked out by his coach Larry Stefanki.

Murray lost the ability to keep drumming up aces in the third set and opted to mix pace with patience on his ground strokes in a bid not to offer the American pace off which he could feed. With his slower serves, some in the high 70 miles an hour range, being heavily punished the match began to drift away from him and he was not helped by receiving a warning from the umpire, Pascal Maria, for an alleged obscenity when one of his shots flew wide.

At 5-2 ahead the Roddick camp must have reckoned the third set won but, in his finest spell of the match, Murray staged one of his head-on charges, snipping away at the American lead and sparking a football-type chant of "Mur-ray, Mur-ray, Mur-ray." They carried their man into the tiebreak but not through it, despite the hysteria which greeted the set point he held - but lost. Roddick had prevailed when it really mattered by upping his service speed even higher, to 138 mph on one ace.

As they went deeper into the fourth set most of Centre Court was in shadow. In mourning might have been more appropriate, and when the second shoot-out came along you somehow knew beforehand which gunslinger would win it.

Roddick sets up Federer fin

2009-07-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

andy Roddick is reduced to his knees during his semi-final victory over Andy Murray.

The home crowd was hoping for a dream “Roger versus Andy” final and they got one, but it was Mr Roddick of that ilk who came in, tore up the script and ensured that Britain’s wait for a successor to Fred Perry will stretch into a 74th year.

Roger Federer certainly kept his half of the bargain, seeing off the challenge of his practice partner, the resurgent Tommy Haas, in three sets, 7-6, 7-5, 6-3. The German came into the match on a 10-game winning streak on grass having won the Halle tournament and powered through to the second week here, beating no less an opponent than world No.4 Novak Djokovic in both competitions.

But he was no match for the canny Swiss, who slowly but surely raised his game throughout the tie. He put the pressure on Haas in the first set tiebreak with some strong serving – the hallmark of his game throughout the match – and when break points finally came his way at the end of the second set, he took them to double his lead.

Federer dropped only 11 points on serve and cruised to victory in a shade over two hours. “The important aspect was that my service was consistent and that I managed to vary it a lot,” the No.2 seed said after the match. “I’m serving a little quicker this year and that means that when I have to, I can take a little bit off it when I need more accuracy. It means I’m not getting to many of those '30-situations' – 0-30, 15-30 or 30-30 on my own serve – which puts you under a lot less pressure.”

The man charged with pushing Federer to a “30-situation” in the final is Andy Roddick after the American No.6 seed broke the hearts of 15,000 Centre Court fans, as many on “Henman Hill” and No.2 Court – where a big screen had been erected specially for the occasion – and 56m more around the UK. In truth, the Nebraska native was a step quicker than Murray all match and ran out a worthy winner, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6.

The scoreline reflects how close the second semi-final was. Murray and Roddick matched each other ace for ace, but when it was not an immediate winner, the Scot’s serve was less of a weapon than previously in the tournament and meant that he was not able to dictate the rhythm of play. Murray’s second service is a good 30 mph slower than his first, and it enabled Roddick to come to the net at least twice per game and dominate his opponent.

We will therefore have a remake of the 2004 and 2005 Wimbledon finals, which Federer won in four and three sets respectively. Indeed, the Swiss enjoys an 18-2 head-to-head record against Roddick and will be the red-hot favourite to secure a sixth Wimbledon title and a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam.

In the boys’ singles, Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov put an end to Bernard Tomic’s title tilt in straight sets to book a place in the final against American Jordan Cox, who outlasted his doubles partner Devin Britton 16-14 in an epic final set. No.1 girls’ seed and Roland Garros winner Kristina Mladenovic, meanwhile, will face No.4 seed and 2008 finalist Noppawan Lertcheewakarn after the two cruised through.

Top seeds Leander Paes and Cara Black will face Mark Knowles and Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the mixed doubles final after the two teams came through their semis in straight sets, while Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs will be charged with preventing a repeat of last year when the Williams sisters won both the singles and doubles titles.

The Australian duo outlasted French Open champions Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in three sets, while the sisters made ominously short work of No.1 seeds and doubles legends Cara Black and Liezel Huber, surrendering only three games in the process.

Federer puts respect before records

2009-07-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

roger Federer looks calm and collected during his semi-finals match against Tommy Haas.

Roger Federer is a man in a hurry, as one would expect for someone with so many records to keep up with. He is in his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final, chasing a 15th Grand Slam win in his 20th final – all records.

He took just over two hours to dispatch Tommy Haas in straight sets, and then appeared at his regulation press conference within half an hour of coming off court. He then took 10 minutes for English questions, five for Swiss German and five for French, during which time he ticked all the boxes and kept almost everyone happy.

First came respect for his opponent. “You always play better if your opponent's playing good too. I thought Tommy was on a great run – I couldn't even get close to breaking him for almost two sets,” said the magnanimous number two seed. “I was really happy the way I played today. I came up with some good stuff when I had to, but it was a tough match, because Tommy was playing well.”

As the talk inevitably turned back to the possibility of beating Pete Sampras’s 14 Grand Slam singles titles, the Swiss maestro even found time to give a nod of the head to the ATP, the governing body of men’s tennis. “I think it would be wrong just to look at Grand Slam play – that's unfair to the other tournaments. It's unfair to the Masters Cup, which is an amazing tournament. I've also been able to win that one four times, but for some reason, people don't really talk about it that much, which is a pity. In any case, I prefer to talk about rackets, not records,” Federer summarised succinctly.

Next in line for praise was the Wimbledon Championships. “Starting on Centre Court on the Monday, finishing out there on the Sunday – it’s mythical. It’s a real pleasure and it’s an incredible feeling for the players,” he said. “The public was also great today. They supported both players and applauded good tennis on the good points.”

When it was pointed out that at his next Grand Slam – the US Open in late August – he will be a father, he rounded proceedings off with a charming “hopefully you can ask me how I feel about that on the second Saturday evening in New York”.

And then with a smile and a “ciao!” he was gone, his day’s work done in a shade under three hours, with all the efficiency of a Swiss timepiece.

Federer has no weaknesses - Haas

2009-07-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

Tommy Haas plays a backhand volley in his semi-final match against Roger Federer.

Tommy Haas has bad news for whoever tries to get between Roger Federer and a sixth Wimbledon title this Sunday. He took a good close-up look - for two hours and two minutes on Centre Court - and he just could not spot any weaknesses in the Swiss superstar's game.

Haas, speaking after Federer had handed him a straight sets beating in his first Wimbledon semi-final at the age of 31, said: “I think he moves such smooth ways and has such good defensive play. The slice bites a lot. When you think sometimes you might get a relatively easy volley, he kind of either dinks it in front of you, or he made two spectacular lobs over my head at important points."

Haas was by no means disappointed with his performance today and was particularly happy with his serving. He admitted he was perhaps going for the ball a little too much and not being aggressive enough in following up points but was "overall pretty happy".

The stumbling block was Federer – the five-time champion. “There aren’t really any weaknesses,” the German reiterated of the Swiss’s game. “I think sometimes maybe if he feels a little bit pressure or gets a little bit tight. Maybe sometimes he can make some unforced errors, especially against those types of players that move really well themselves and keep the ball in play mostly than being very aggressive, such like Andy Murray or Nadal. But I’m not that type of player.”

So which of the Andys contesting their semi-final as Haas talked would give Federer a run for his money? “Andy Roddick is playing some of his best tennis that I’ve seen,” the German said. “Playing extremely well, serving well. But I wouldn’t give him really a chance to beat Roger in the final. Maybe take a set. That’s my opinion.

“Andy Murray - if he can play extremely well - I think would give him more trouble because of the style he plays and also knowing that he has beaten him a lot of times in the past.”

However, having just tried and failed to get the better of Federer, Haas was not exactly forthcoming when he was invited to offer some words of wisdom for whoever attempts that mission next.

“What would my advice be? I won’t be giving them any advice because I’ll be heading home tonight. They know their game."

Road to the final - Roger Federer

2009-07-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Federer into the final

1st round: Stylish Federer off to impressive start
Roger Federer d. Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) 7-5, 6-3, 6-2
Roger Federer justified his role as favourite to win the 2009 men's title by swatting aside the challenge of Yen-Hsun Lu from Taipei 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 on Centre Court where, despite overcast conditions, the new roof remained open throughout.
Federer finery finds favour

2nd round: Spanish stroll for Federer
Roger Federer d. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
Federer's display in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win in the Centre Court sunshine was another masterclass of tennis. It was already becoming clear that the Swiss will take some stopping at the 2009 Championships.
Injury-free Federer reveals his secret

3rd round: Federer drops set on way to victory
Roger Federer d. Philipp Kohlschreiber (27) (GER) 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1
There was, it should be stressed, never the slightest danger of Federer going down to a shock defeat but this was not the first time in the opening week that, faced with lesser opposition, he experimented with tactics in the knowledge that he would not suffer unduly.
Swiss so serene after blip

4th round: Federer sweeps past Swede
Roger Federer d. Robin Soderling (13) (SWE) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5)
Even though the result was never really in doubt, it always felt like a close match, with Soderling riding high on the back of a potent serve, which was broken only once. Unfortunately, he never captured Federer's.
Federer admits he feels 'perfect'

Quarter-final: Flawless Federer tames Karlovic serve
Roger Federer d. Ivo Karlovic (22) (CRO) 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3)
This was proof beyond doubt that Federer has the dangerous Karlovic's number. The Swiss had won eight of their previous nine matches and though those nine matches contained 12 tiebreaks, Federer had won 11 of them. By increasing that number to 12 in this quarter-final, Federer set the seal on a satisfying afternoon.
Federer sings praises of older players

Semi-final: Federer flies into seventh straight final
Roger Federer d. Tommy Haas (24) (GER) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-3
Federer's inexorable stride swallowed up another Wimbledon milestone as he hammered his way into a record seventh consecutive men's singles final by sweeping aside Tommy Haas of Germany 7-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and two minutes.
Federer's record collection keeps growing

Ladies' Singles Final Preview

2009-07-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Serena Williams stays focused on Centre Court during her semi-final against Elena Dementieva.

You would imagine that Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, home of the Williams sisters, is celebrating now. Another publicity boost for the old town. That sort of thing. Apparently not. They take the ongoing brilliance of Venus and Serena quite calmly, it seems.

And the two women accept it because, as Venus points out, the United States is a big place where they have lots of stars in a multitude of sports. It seems that Venus and Serena are a bigger item here at Wimbledon than they are in Palm Beach Gardens.

Richard Williams, their father and coach, announced after their respective semi-final victories on Friday that he was heading home "to cut the grass" rather than watch his daughters do battle with each other. He never watches them play each other, he says, never has done and never will. Since this will be their 21st meeting at professional level, Richard's grass must be extremely well tended.

The grass on Centre Court is beginning to look a mite bare and scorched after the weather we have basked in for the past two weeks, but it will no doubt bear up for the bashing it will receive from the best pair in women's tennis as, once again, they go about disputing the destination of the Venus Rosewater Dish in the 123rd Championships, appropriately on the Fourth of July, America's Independence Day.

Speaking of fourths, this will be the fourth time the two have met in the Wimbledon final, and is a repeat of the 2008 occasion, when Venus won in straight sets. Serena won the other two, back to back in 2002 and 2003 and she is muttering that is about time she won Wimbledon again. She has generally had the edge when it comes to Grand Slam finals against her older sister.

Five of Venus' six defeats in the finals of majors have come at the hands of Serena, taking in the whole of the Grand Slam scene, the others being one in New York, one in Paris and one in Melbourne.

So dominant have they been at Wimbledon that only one women's final in this new century has not included at least one Williams. That was in 2006, when Amelie Mauresmo beat Justine Henin. Both will be playing their 14th Grand Slam final, Serena's won-lost record being 10-3 and that of Venus a more modest 7-6.

As usual, they have been sharing a house near the All England Club's grounds and acting in the sisterly fashion they insist is their habit, though they tend not to share the same courtesy car to bring them to their date with destiny.

'Venus is running like a deer right now, and Serena is hitting the ball as hard as a man'

Each woman has won 10 of their 20 matches, what Serena calls "super intense". Asked whether they didn't sometimes tire of facing each other, Serena insisted: "The more we play the better it gets. This one here is for everything. This is what we dreamed of when we were growing up in Compton 20-something years ago. This is what we worked for, and this is what we want."

Serena feels, quite rightly, that Venus is playing the best tennis of this year's Championships. She has not dropped a set, has lost just 19 games in six matches and has spent only six and a half hours on court. Serena, thanks to that marathon semi-final against Elena Dementieva, has a court time almost two hours longer, in which she has lost one set.

The record of Venus, a five-time champion of Wimbledon like Roger Federer, shows how her game and the courts of London SW19 complement each other. She has now won 34 successive completed sets and has not conceded a set since the third round of the 2007 Championships.

Though the two of them are thoroughly schooled in diplomacy when it comes to talking about the other, Venus emphasises the tremendous respect she has for her younger sibling (27 years of age, as opposed to 29): "Even if [Serena] is not playing her best, it is just that fight she has. There's so much to face when you play her. It's definitely a lot to get your mind around. We both play such a similar game. After all, we had the same teacher [their father]. But what is especially the same is the respect that we have for each other on and off the court."

Venus concedes that a Grand Slam final against her sister is different from that against any other opponent. "It is different because I'm happy for her to be in the final, but I have to face her and defeat her. I don't necessarily want her to lose, but for sure I want me to win.

“I don't ever like to see her disappointed in any way but, at the same time, I don't want to see myself disappointed. I need to get my titles, too. But I definitely want to play her in Grand Slam finals like this because the dream has come true for both of us, and for our family, too."

Before taking himself off to attend to that lawn of his, Richard Williams declined to forecast this afternoon's winner, confining himself to these descriptions of his daughters. "Venus is running like a deer right now, and Serena is hitting the ball as hard as a man."

There are some who feel that yet another all-Williams Wimbledon final is becoming rather repetitious, but the best players tend to come out on top, and these two are the best in the women's game, and have been for quite a few years now. Challengers have come and gone, but the Palm Beach Gardens girls motor on. It's a shame that they aren't making a bit more of it back there in Florida.

Murray beaten in mixed doubles semi

2009-07-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

Jamie Murray and Liezel Huber

In the wake of Andy Murray's defeat in the men's singles, his elder brother Jamie exited the mixed doubles tournament at the semi-final stage as he and partner Liezel Huber lost in straight sets to 9th seeds Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-2, 7-5.

Both ladies lost their serves in the opening set, which meant the match was level-pegging. The subsequent loss of both Murray’s and Huber’s service games left Groenefeld serving for the first set 5-2. It was all looking rather easy for the Bahamas/Germany pairing. They bagged the set with an instinctive net response by Knowles which looped to the baseline before Huber could race back to retrieve.

The second set was more of a battle, though Murray continued to make heavy weather of his service. Knowles became increasingly predatory at the net, working another break point after a rat-a-tat volley. The unseeded pair had a chance on the Groenefeld serve, but supreme defending by the ninth seeds kept the pretenders at bay. Murray and Huber drew level at 4-4 with a strong game, and this might have been a turning point in the match for them. But it wasn’t. A searing, splitting service return down the centre line gave the seeds the opportunity to serve out the match. It took a couple of games more, but the result was never really in question.

In the other semi-final, it was formbook all the way as top seeds Leander Paes of India and Cara Black of Zimbabwe saw off the competition from 12th seeds Stephen Huss and Virginia Ruano Pascual in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

The first set went entirely as expected with the dominant Paes and Black needing just 35 minutes to wrap it up. The second set took just one minute longer in a match that was played with friendly humour not detracting from the competitive nature one iota.

Australian Huss and Spaniard Ruano Pascual have been showing exceptional form here, having knocked out the 4th seeds in the last round. But they weren’t able to make further progress. A break in the seventh game of the second set gave their opponents an unassailably strong position. Paes was aggressive and quick, all over the net, poaching anything that moved, whilst Black mopped up the long shots.

Huss served well at 3-5 to keep the 12th seeds in the match, the pair taking their time and making good shots, despite the best lobbing and angular efforts of the favourites. But Paes was not to be so generous on his own service game; not even a neat reflexive pick-up by Huss off his ankles into space was enough. The No.1 seeds earned two match points, and Paes took the first with an ace down the line.

Aussie pair in ladies' doubles final

2009-07-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs plan their next move against Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual.

Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs will line up against the three-time champions Venus and Serena Williams in the ladies’ doubles final after defeating second seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascal in three entertaining sets.

The fired-up Australian partnership came from a set down to defeat the Spanish pairing - the double French Open winners - 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and seven minutes.

It was the Spanish pairing who got off to the better start, beautifully lobbing their opponents at will and firing frequent return winners. Medina Garrigues and Ruano Pascal took a deserved lead when they gained a break of the Stosur serve in the fifth game after Stubbs netted a great passing shot.

However going behind did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the Australian partnership. The crowd seemed to be enjoying Stubbs' gung-ho attitude as she either berated herself after an error or pumped her fists following a winner. She and Stosur hit back to even up proceedings in the eighth game when a spectacular smash by Stubbs down the centre of the court broke the Ruano Pascal serve. The third seeds then had three opportunities to take the set on the Ruano Pascal serve but she held on after great net play by Medina Garrigues to level at 6-6 and force a tiebreak.

Supported at courtside by former Wimbledon ladies’ singles champion Conchita Martinez, the Spaniards then turned the match in their favour. A solid tiebreak, coupled with two double-faults by Stosur, helped them seal the first set in 51 minutes.

Moving into the second set, the Australians reversed tactics successfully, flooding the net after almost every point. Whereas before they had simply sent points back into play, the third seeds now showed their power and started to put away winner after winner at the net. They quickly raced to a 4-1 lead after two successive breaks of the Spaniards' serves. The two-time French Open winners gained one break back, but it wasn't enough as Stubbs solidly served out the set 6-4.

Moving into the third, Stubbs and Stosur were a joy to watch, showcasing a great display of serve and volley doubles. They looked formidable as they gained breaks in the third and fifth games to seal a comeback victory and set up that clash with the all-conquering sisters.

Court 3 - Ladies' Doubles - Semifinals

Samantha Stosur AUS (3)/
Rennae Stubbs AUS (3)

6³

Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP (2)/
Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP (2)

7⁷

Federer into the final

2009-07-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

Roger Federer is through to his 7th Wimbledon final.

Tommy Haas battles to stay in his semi-final match against Roger Federer.

2009-07-03T08:38:00.002-07:00

Roger Federer smashes the ball at Tommy Haas on Centre Court.

2009-07-03T08:38:00.001-07:00

Federer flies into seventh straight final

2009-07-03T08:37:00.001-07:00

Federer focused

Roger Federer's inexorable stride swallowed up another Wimbledon milestone as he hammered his way into a record seventh consecutive men's singles final by sweeping aside Tommy Haas of Germany 7-6 7-5 6-3 in two hours and two minutes.

Federer, the five-time champion, can never have served better than he did today. He never permitted Haas even a peek at a break point, landed 75% of his first serves on target and won 89% of his first serve points. Even his second serve was lethal, gathering him an astonishing 81%. Gallantly though he fought, there was nothing Haas could do to halt the inevitable flow of this match in Federer's direction.

After being turfed out of the quarter-finals by Haas, Novak Djokovic forecast that the 31-year-old was capable of surprising Federer. It did not happen, well though Haas himself served throughout. But he was embarking on mission impossible against a genius who permitted him a mere 10 points in three sets of perfection.

Having arrived at Wimbledon with the Halle grass title under his belt, Haas was clearly in form and he extended Federer without ever worrying him. The opening set reached a tiebreak without even the sniff of a break point for either player, but the German faltered at this stage, gifting Federer two mini-breaks and finding himself a set down after 46 minutes.

It seemed for 11 games that the second set would also needed to be resolved by a tiebreak. Federer had conjured a set point at 5-4 when Haas netted a low backhand volley, but Tommy scrambled clear of danger, only to be pitched back into trouble when he served again at 5-6. One of the Swiss's elegant cross-court forehands took him to his third set point and this time the answer was faulty, with Haas driving a forehand over the baseline.

The immensity of the Haas task was evident as Federer upped the power in the third set, looking absolutely invincible on serve. If a break was to come, there was only one place for it to happen - at the Haas end - though the nature of the break was far from satisfactory.

Trailing 4-3, Haas was foot-faulted on his first serve at 15-all. Clearly disturbed by this, the first such call of the match, his concentration wavered. Four break points were saved but a fifth chance for Federer proved too much as Haas followed a double fault by netting a backhand approach. It was a tame way to drop serve after all that had gone before.

So Federer stepped up to serve out for the match. He did it to love, the 10th time this had happened on a day that was just about perfect for him.

Centre Court - Gentlemen's Singles - Semifinals

Tommy Haas GER (24)

6³

Roger Federer SUI (2)

7⁷

Federer's record collection keeps growing

2009-07-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Federer strike

You have to hope that Roger Federer’s opponents don’t decide that the perfect piece of pre-match preparation is a quick glance at his career statistics. Tommy Haas would have had cause to feel distinctly queasy had he taken a look at them before his semi-final at Wimbledon this afternoon. And chances are he is feeling worse than ever now.

It will be scant consolation to Haas that he will return to the top 20 in the world with his first appearance in the last four at Wimbledon. Today he won the toss, and very little else. Federer triumphed 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-3 and now has the chance on Sunday to regain simultaneously the two professional possessions he holds most dear – his Wimbledon crown and the world number one spot, both surrendered to Rafael Nadal within a six-week period last summer.

How about those statistics then? Future opponents, look away now. This was a record 21st consecutive Grand Slam semi-final for Federer. Think of it this way – that’s more than five years gone by since the last time he failed to make the last four, at Roland Garros in 2004. With victory over Haas, Federer maintained his agreeable habit of never losing a Wimbledon semi-final – and as a result he is not only the first player to reach seven straight finals in SW19 since the Challenge Round was abolished in 1922, but also the first player to make 20 Grand Slam finals.

It also means he has made 16 of the past 17 Slam finals, and on Sunday will bid not only for his sixth Wimbledon crown but for a record 15 Grand Slam titles. Want some more? Today’s victory was his 50th – count ’em – match triumph at Wimbledon. With 18 wins in a row, he is stringing together his longest streak since the summer of 2007. And, remember, all this is at a time when Federer is perceived as professionally vulnerable. All of us should be so vulnerable.

The point should be made that by no means did 31-year-old Haas fold today. But because of his age and the time he had already spent on court throughout the tournament, it was clear from the outset that he needed the first set. In his favour, he had nothing to lose. But although this set was to go all the way to the tiebreak, Federer looked worryingly comfortable from the start.

From the Royal Box such Grand Slam legends as Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg watched under overcast skies, with temperatures a little cooler than recent scorching days. Federer, as ever, looked gracefully fresh, immune to any kind of weather and, as it turned out, immune to any threat posed by his opponent’s game.

But those who were expecting a simple straight sets Federer victory found that Haas was serving well enough to stay with the legend throughout the first set. As ever the German wore his heart on his sleeve, bellowing with frustration when half-chances escaped him, visibly irritated and cursing himself in his native tongue at other times.

Federer finished off the match with a slam-dunk smash reminiscent of Pete Sampras

In the relatives’ box he was well-matched by his fiancée Sarah Foster, who never hesitated to display abject disgust or wild support for her betrothed at any given moment, especially in the first set tiebreak. Not for her the calm of Federer’s pregnant wife Mirka one row in front. Federer himself, of course, betrayed nothing but elegant composure – although when he clinched that opening set with his first set point opportunity, he permitted himself the smallest affirmation of a clenched fist and the imperative of: “Come on.” But it was a gesture made entirely to himself, not an exhibition of outward aggression.

It is seven years since Haas was ranked number two in the world but, nonetheless, thanks to his pre-Wimbledon tournament victory at Halle he came into this encounter on a 10-match winning streak, equalling the longest of his career. But before today he trailed Federer 9-2 in their career jousts, and the German had to look back to the Australian Open of 2002, when he was in his pomp, for the last time he notched up a victory. Two five-setters were the most he had managed against Federer since.

Five sets never looked likely today, although it was late in the second set before Federer got a break point. The bad news for Haas was that it was a set point too. He saved that one, and another, but Federer’s weapons were just too many and too varied for the German to live with. The Swiss produced an acutely angled crosscourt forehand for his third set point, and when Haas put a forehand long he could only smile ironically to himself as he trudged back to his chair.

In fact, it seemed the only misjudgement Federer made throughout the match was on the matter of HawkEye – four times he challenged, and four times he was wrong. But his last service game of the match, like so much of his tennis, was faultless. He finished off the match with a slam-dunk smash reminiscent of Pete Sampras, one of the few players still to hold a record Federer has yet to break. But as that record is seven Wimbledon titles, the best advice is ... give it time.

Williamses power into doubles final

2009-07-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

Serena and Venus team up

The Williams sisters’ domination of the ladies events continues after they destroyed top seeds Liezel Huber and Cara Black 6-1, 6-2, with an exhibition of poise and power to reach the doubles final.

Venus and Serena will defend their crown just hours after facing each other in the singles final for the second year running.

And Aussie pair Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs who beat Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual will not look forward to playing the Americans on this form.

The Williamses did have a rather slow start to the match with Venus fortunate to hold serve in the first game of the match. But after that they never looked back with some terrific returns from Serena allowing the sisters to break the Huber serve at the first time of asking.

Some fine volleying from Serena allowed her to hold serve before powerful play from both sisters led to them breaking Black in the next game.

At 5-0, Huber did finally manage to hold and that prompted the No.1 Court crowd’s largest cheer of the match.
But Serena closed out the first set and the Williams’ big-hitting continued in the second as they raced to a 4-0 lead.

Black and Huber both managed to hold serve as the Zimbabwean/American pair, the highest ranked doubles players in the world, tried desperately to make the match a contest.

But Venus held serve to see out the match in an hour and a minute and later confirmed they have taken the doubles just as seriously as the singles.

“We've been so focused, and that's really been the key word this Championship,” the elder sister said. “Our focus has paid off so far.”

Serena agreed: “We've been playing doubles a lot, even though we don't play every tournament. We actually have that team camaraderie. We've been getting a lot of experience, and we know what to do doubles wise.”

Court 1 - Ladies' Doubles - Semifinals

Cara Black ZIM (1)/
Liezel Huber USA (1)

Serena Williams USA (4)/
Venus Williams USA (4)

Wheelchair legend Vergeer wins on SW19 debut

2009-07-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

top seeds Esther Vergeer and Korie Homan wasted no time in disposing of Katharina Kruger and Sharon Walraven in the inaugural ladies' wheelchair doubles held at The Championships.

The Dutch duo have already captured the Australian Open and Roland Garros titles this year and produced a near flawless game to see off their opponents 6-0, 6-0 in 40 minutes and pave their way into the final.

The game was a whitewash as the pair dominated rallies. Balls were hit with aplomb and the women notched up 23 winners compared to their opponents' five.

For those unfamiliar with wheelchair tennis, Esther Vergeer is a living legend. The 28-year-old has one of the longest currently winning streaks in world sport, unbeaten in 360 singles matches since the end of January 2003.
Her victory in the women’s singles final at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics earned the 28-year-old her fifth gold medal and she is also unbeaten in all wheelchair singles and doubles matches she has played at Grand Slams.

The queen of wheelchair tennis was also crowned the ITF Women’s Wheelchair World Champion for a staggering ninth straight year in 2008.

Before the match, Vergeer said: “It’s always been one of my ambitions to play at Wimbledon once in my life, so now that it’s here I am very excited and I am also a little nervous, because I have never played on grass until this week.”

However, nerves were not in evidence today as the women won an impressive 52 points compared to 21 earned by their German and Dutch opponents.

Court 14 - Ladies' Wheelchair Doubles - Semifinals

Korie Homan NED /
Esther Vergeer NED

Katharina Kruger GER /
Sharon Walraven NED

Justin Timberlake

2009-07-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Justin Timberlake at Andy Roddick's match.

Wimbledon seats

2009-07-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

Empty courtside seats await the spectators on day six at Wimbledon.

Looking up at the sky

2009-07-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

An umpire looks on as an interesting cloud pattern develops on day 9 of Wimbledon.

Ball boys and girls

2009-07-02T20:27:00.001-07:00

The Wimbledon ball boys and girls receive their morning briefing ahead of day six.

From the Centre Court heavens

2009-07-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

A distant view of Centre Court on Ladies semi-final day.

Americans on top in doubles

2009-07-02T20:26:00.001-07:00

Williamses the conquerors

The Williams sisters once again stole the headlines in the doubles with a faultless display on Court 18 against China's Zi Yan and Jie Zheng.

Venus and Serena, both of whom had sealed victories of their own earlier in the day, completed a perfect "double bagel" 6-0, 6-0 to ensure their place in the fourth round.

But it was fellow Americans Bob and Mike Bryan who were the first duo to make it through to the fourth round on Day Seven with a convincing straight sets victory over Leos Friedl and David Skoch.

The former Wimbledon doubles champions breezed through 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 in just under an hour and a half to once again underline their status as genuine contenders for the men’s title.

James Blake and Mardy Fish made it a hat-trick of wins for the Americans. overcoming 15th seeds Martin Damm and Robert Lindstedt 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4.

Defending champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic maintained their impressive record at SW19 after triumphing over the British team of Jamie Delgado and Jonathan Marray 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

The Bryan brothers returned later in the day to record second victories in the mixed doubles. Mike and Bob, playing alongside Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Samantha Stosur respectively both cruised to straight set victories.

Top ladies' seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber survived a scare against Czech duo Barbora Benesova Strycova and Iveta Benesova to advance to the next round. Black and Huber recovered from a one-set deficit to secure a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.

There was no such trouble for number two seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual who lived up to their billing by reaching the fourth round in relative ease with a straight sets 7-5, 6-3 win over Alla Kudryavtseva and Monica Niculescu.

Elsewhere, there were four-set wins for Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach and Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles who beat Christopher Kas and Viktor Troicki and Prakash Amritraj and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi respectively.