Day 8

Russians Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva enter the Wimbledon semi-finals where they will meet Americans Venus and Serena Williams respectively.

Defending champion Venus Williams closed in Tuesday on a sixth Wimbledon title with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska whose quarter-final challenge melted in the searing heat. It will be the 29-year-old American’s eighth semi-final appearance in 10 years here and she next tackles Dinara Safina, the world number one and top seed, who will be playing in her first.

Venus, bidding to become the first woman to win a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles since Steffi Graf’s three-in-arow from 1991 to 1993, has now won 32 consecutive sets at the All England Club, a run stretching back to the third round in 2007. She shrugged off the 33-degree heat to breeze through the first set in 27 minutes, serving up two love games on her way to a 5-0 lead before the 11th seeded Radwanska got on the board. The Pole broke to love to lead 2-0 in the second set but that was as good as it got for the 20-year-old who had no answer to the American’s brutal hitting power. Venus ran away with the next six games to claim victory in 68 minutes.

Safina, still searching for a first Grand Slam title, had to come back from a set down for the second day in succession as the Russian saw off unseeded German teenager Sabine
Lisicki 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1. Safina was hit with a code violation for racquet abuse when she double-faulted on setpoint in the first set tie-break, but she recovered her composure to make the last four. “I think I was Santa Claus today serving so many double faults,” said Safina, who served up 15 in all. “It’s not going to be easy playing against Venus. She likes playing on grass and I have nothing to lose.”

Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva, like Safina still without a Grand Slam title, reached her second successive Wimbledon semi-final with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win over London-based Italian Francesca Schiavone. Dementieva, who has not dropped a set so far, will tackle two-time champion Serena Williams, the second seed.

On Monday, the first match played entirely under Wimbledon’s new retractable roof produced a five-set marathon that finished later than any previous Centre Court encounter in history. They might as well have called it Wimbledon’s first "night session."

What’s more, it ended with a British winner celebrating in front of a raucous home crowd. Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka battled for nearly four hours on Monday under the translucent roof and stadium floodlights before the third-seeded Scot closed out a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory with a forehand winner at 10:39 p.m. Murray sank to his knees and bowed his head on the grass. He then stood up and smacked a ball that hit the roof above.

Murray, who will face Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarters, could now enjoy an advantage over other players who haven’t experienced the indoor conditions yet.

The men’s quarterfinals are set for Wednesday.
The other matchups are five-time champion Roger Federer against 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Croat Ivo Karlovic;
2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt vs. two-time finalist Andy Roddick; and No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. Tommy Haas.

Djokovic and Murray are relative youngsters at 22 compared to the other quarterfinalists:
Roddick (26), Federer (27), Hewitt (28), Ferrero (29), Karlovic (30) and Haas (31).
Roddick and Hewitt have met 11 times, including at the French Open, U.S. Open and Australian Open, but never at Wimbledon. Hewitt holds the overall edge of 6-5, but Roddick has won the last four, including a 7-6, 7-6 win in the third round at the Queen’s Club grass-court Wimbledon warmup.

Its looks over ranking that decide which women play on Wimbledon’s Centre Court!

Wimbledon tennis organizers have been accused of using looks rather than ranking to decide which women play on Centre Court.

According to Sky News, in the first week of the Championships, fans missed out on watching several top seeded players on the exclusive Centre Court.

Yesterday, the number two seed Serena Williams played her second round game on Court One, while fourth seed Elena Dementieva appeared on Court Two.

Centre Court was allocated to the 24th seed Maria Sharapova and the unseeded Gisela Dulko in what was widely regarded as a ‘battle of the babes’.

The Times said some eyebrows were raised last Thursday, when the ninth seed played on Centre Court, leaving the top seed Dinara Safina on Court Two.

“There was a little bit of surprise in putting the Wozniacki-Kirilenko match on Centre Court — two beautiful blonde girls. You could argue there it was more box office, than whether they were deserving of a place on Centre Court,” the paper said.

On Friday, Serena Williams played on Court Two, while Centre Court saw action from the attractive, but lower ranked eighth seed Victoria Azarenka and 28th seeded Sorana Cirstea.

Olympic Gold Medallist Tessa Sanderson, described the situation as “laughable”.

“I can’t believe they’re doing this. You can’t judge people by the way they look. Women have been getting a lot better at raising their profile in sport. This is the most pathetic thing I’ve heard,” she was quoted, as saying. All England Club spokesman Johnny Perkins said: “We don’t look at a player and say she is attractive or he is attractive, therefore they play on the big court. But if a player is deemed to be popular, for whatever reason, they are more likely to be on one of the bigger courts.” Popularity and looks are closely related. What say?

Wimbledon 2009 Women's Quarterfinals results:

Dinara Safina (1) def. Sabine Lisicki 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-1
Serena Williams (2) def. Victoria Azarenka (8) 6-2, 6-3
Venus Williams (3) def. Agnieszka Radwanska (11) 6-1, 6-2
Elena Dementieva (4) def. Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-2

Pic of the day

Day 7

FEDERER CRUISES THROUGH

Federer made short work of Swede Robin Soderling to enter the last eight stage. The Swiss thrived in 35-degree temperatures to clinch an 11th win in 11 meetings against bigserving Swede Robin Soderling on Monday and reach the Wimbldon men’s singles quarterfinals.

In a repeat of the French Open final, where the great Swiss clinched a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam title, Federer won 6-4, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) over the man who dramatically ended Rafael Nadal’s Roland Garros reign.

Federer, chasing a sixth Wimbledon title, will be appearing in his 25th Grand Slam quarterfinal where he’ll face Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic, who has fired 102 aces in three rounds, or Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco.

“Today was really a serving contest, there weren’t many rallies so it’s hard to judge these kind of matches,” said Federer.

Soderling, who also lost in straight sets in the second round here in 2008 to Federer, paid heavily for a sloppy service game when he cracked to trail 4-5 courtesy of a netted forehand.

Federer clinched the opener when the Swede went long with a second service return.

The Swede dropped just three points on serve in the second set, but Federer was the more composed in the tie-breaker, refusing to give Soderling the pace on which he thrives.

Soderling finally carved out his first break points of the match in the ninth game of the third set, but Federer stood firm to lead 5-4.

The Swede 13th seed glanced a chance at 5-4 in the tie-breaker, but Federer went to 5-5 and then match point when his opponent served a third double fault.

The match was Federer’s when the Swede went wide with a dispirited drive. Germany’s rejuvenated Tommy Haas, the oldest man left in the draw at 31, reached his first Wimbledon quarterfinal with a 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-4 win over Russian 29th seed Igor Andreev.

DJOKOVIC THROUGH

Serbian fourth seed Novak Djokovic beat Israel’s Dudi Sela 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals. Djokovic faces Haas for a place in the semis. Djokovic was a semi-finalist in 2007 while Sela is the first Israeli in the last 16 here in 20 years.

A win for the world number 46 would make him the first Israeli man or woman to make a Grand Slam quarterfinal in the Open era.

WILLIAMS SISTERS WIN

Venus and Serena Williams hardly broke a sweat as they cruised into the quarterfinals. Defending champion Venus easily won the first set against former world number one Ana Ivanovic, who retired hurt in floods of tears.

Serena strolled through against Daniela Hantuchova, while Elena Dementieva also had a comfortable ride into the last eight against Elena Vesnina. Five-time champion Venus is bidding to become the first woman to win a hat-trick of Wimbledon singles’ titles since Steffi Graf claimed three in a row from 1991 to 1993.

The third seed cruised through the first set 6-1 in half an hour, after which Serbia’s Ivanovic had her left thigh strapped up.
The 2008 French Open champion won the first game of the second set, but the pain was too much and she had no choice but to pull out, leaving Court One in a stream of tears.

Younger sister Serena, the second seed, beat Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1 in 56 minutes on Court 2.

The two-time champion easily brushed aside the unseeded Slovak, who has been suffering with a cold and now tackles Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. Fourth-seeded Dementieva, a semifinalist last year, beat fellow Russian blonde Vesnina 6-1, 6-3 in 70 minutes.

Vesnina fended off a set point and took the sixth game but the Russian number two wrapped up the first set inside 29 minutes.

Vesnina, the world No 37, put up a better fight of it in the second set, holding Dementieva at 2-2 before losing serve. Dementieva, making her 11th Wimbledon appearance, now takes on either France’s Virginie Razzano or Italy’s Francesca Schiavone for a place in the semifinals.

Azarenka, the eighth seed, had a tougher time of it to beat 10th-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova. Azarenka won the first set 7-6 (5) on a tie-breaker, after which Petrova called a medical time-out and was treated with ice on her legs. The Russian won the second set 6-2 but lost the final set 6-3.

Meanwhile, Polish 11th seed Radwanska, a quarterfinalist last year, also went through in straight sets, against American teenager Melanie Oudin. World number 124 Oudin, who had to qualify for the main draw, showed plenty of fight but the Wimbledon debutante was eventually overcome 6-4, 7-5.

The new retractable roof over Centre Court was closed on Monday after rain halted play during a fourth-round match with Amelie Mauresmo leading top-ranked Dinara Safina 6-4, 1-4.

BEING SUPERSTITIOUS

Andy Murray’s coaching team is leaving nothing to chance in his quest to become the first British player since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon. The Scot on Sunday revealed the superstitions of his coach that dictate the court on which he practices at the All-England Club. The world No 3 exuded such confidence during the first week that it is hard to imagine his coach, Miles Maclagan, seeing the need for lucky charms or favoured routines.

But Murray said the man he hired in 2007 to replace Brad Gilbert was “a bit weird”.

“My coach is very superstitious so I just go along with his stuff,” Murray said. “He always wants me to practice on a specific court, Court Three, before my first match. If I am playing at 2 pm, then he will make me practice in the same place I practiced the day before. He’s a bit weird like that.”

“There is quite a lot of psychology in tennis but you will rarely see it. John McEnroe has said that he used psychology as a sort of tactic. I wish there was more of it going on, as it makes it more interesting to watch,” said Murray.

WINNING WIMBLEDON

Murray could win this year’s Wimbledon because he has a woman’s touch, according to 1977 women’s champion Virginia Wade.

Wade says Murray has variety in his game as his mum Judy coached him as a kid.

The Sun quoted Wade as saying: “She was such a good coach, she added a few more touch shots to his game rather than just all big boomers.”

Wade, Britain’s last singles champion at the All-England Club, declared: “Andy has got better and better. The guy has got so many options to his game. His best asset is that he retrieves so well and his defensive game is so good. But he also has an aggressive game. He is a lot smarter than a lot of tennis players I see.”

American legend McEnroe said: “Andy’s learnt from his defeats really well over the last couple of years and just continued his good work against Viktor Troicki on Saturday to make the final 16. If you look back at his form in the last year or so, he beat Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at the US Open last September. And he’s taken the world No 3 spot from Novak Djokovic and made it his own. He’s not doing too bad,” he added.

Men's Fourth Round Wimbledon 2009 results:

Roger Federer (2) def. Robin Soderling (13) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5)
Andy Murray (3) def. Stanislas Wawrinka (19) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
Novak Djokovic (4) def. Dudi Sela 6-2, 6-4, 6-1
Andy Roddick (6) def. Tomas Berdych (20) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-3
Fernando Verdasco (7) vs. Ivo Karlovic (22) 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-7 (9-11)
Gilles Simon (8) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-7 (4-7), 3-6, 2-6
Radek Stepanek (23) vs. Lleyton Hewitt 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 2-6, 2-6
Tommy Haas (24) def. Igor Andreev (29) 7-6 (10-8), 6-4, 6-4


Women's Fourth Round Wimbledon 2009 results:

Dinara Safina (1) def. Amelie Mauresmo (17) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Serena Williams (2) def. Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1
Venus Williams (3) def. Ana Ivanovic (13) 6-1, 0-1 retired
Elena Dementieva (4) def. Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-3
Victoria Azarenka (8) def. Nadia Petrova (10) 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-3
Caroline Wozniacki (9) vs. Sabine Lisicki 4-6, 4-6
Agnieszka Radwanska (11) def. Melanie Oudin 6-4, 7-5
Virginie Razzano (26) vs. Francesca Schiavone 2-6, 6-7 (1-7)

Day 6

Waiting for second week !!

There was a grizzled look to the men’s field, at least by tennis standards, after one week at Wimbledon.

On the women’s side, youth was being served—and whacking return winners.

Those reaching the gentlemen’s round of 16 included six players age 27 or older, among them Tommy Haas, 31, and Radek Stepanek and Ivo Karlovic, both 30. The message: When it comes to the brief lawn tennis season, experience pays.

“Grass definitely takes some getting used to,” said Andy Roddick, 26, who reached Week 2 for the fifth time in nine Wimbledons. “If you’ve played on it for years and years and years and years, I think the adjustment period will be probably a little bit quicker.”

While returning the 130 mph serves common in the men’s game requires a big adjustment on grass, novices sometimes thrive on the women’s side. Among those reaching the ladies’ fourth round were 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin in her Wimbledon debut, and 19-year-old Sabine Lisicki of Germany, who won a match on grass for the first time Tuesday.

“I just can’t believe I’m in the fourth round,” Lisicki said.

Two other teenagers made it—19-year-old Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and 18-year-old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

The youngest remaining player was also the most surprising. Oudin arrived in London with a ranking of 124 and an 0-2 record in Grand Slam matches, but she beat No. 29-seeded Sybille Bammer in the first round and No. 6 Jelena Jankovic in the third.

Oudin declined to grade her level of excitement.

“I’m going to answer that after the tournament’s over,” she said, “because it could get higher as the tournament goes on.”

Oudin’s so young her earliest Wimbledon memory is watching Venus and Serena Williams on TV. The sisters are still very much active—an all-Williams final Saturday is a distinct possibility.

Oudin’s win over former No. 1 Jankovic was the most surprising result of the first week. Another upset: The new retractable roof on Centre Court was unused during the first half of the fortnight, causing snickers in the locker room.

“The common joke has been that they haven’t had to use it yet,” Roddick said. “All this money, and the weather has been nice.”

There’s still a long way to go, with a parade of talent Monday, when all 16 fourth-round matches were scheduled.

“It’s a good ticket, I guess, if you’re a tennis fan,” Roddick said. “Even if you don’t get on Centre, your grounds pass will do just fine.”

The showcase matchup was five-time champion Roger Federer against Robin Soderling. Federer completed a career Grand Slam by beating Soderling in the French Open final three weeks ago.

On the women’s side, Russians made up a quarter of the final 16. On the men’s side, 13 countries remained represented, reflecting the global reach of the sport.

One unlikely survivor of the first week was Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, who needed a wild-card invitation to get into the tournament. At 29, the former No. 1 has slipped to 70th in the rankings after a series of injuries.

Another surprise was No. 46-ranked Dudi Sela, the first Israeli man to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since his idol, Amos Mansdorf, did it 20 years ago.

On the women’s side, Oudin’s opponent was No. 11 Agnieszka Radwanska. Serena Williams was to face Daniela Hantuchova.

Day 5

ROGER ROCKS

Roger Federer set up a Wimbledon last 16 clash with Robin Soderling on Friday, the man he beat to win the French Open and who was once famously described by Rafael Nadal as the most disliked man in tennis. Federer, bidding for a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title and a sixth Wimbledon crown, overcame a third set slump before seeing off Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1 in the third round. Soderling, the 13th seed, reached the last 16 for the first time with a 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-4 win over Spain’s Nicolas Almagro.

HANTUCHOVA WINS

Japan’s Ai Sugiyama was knocked out by her doubles partner Daniela Hantuchova in a 6-4, 6-3 defeat in the third round. The Slovak world number 32 wrapped up victory over the veteran, a fellow former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, in one hour, 36 minutes on Court 18. Hantuchova faces Serena Williams, the American second seed and two-time Wimbledon champion, in the fourth round.

Serena Williams put her shock over the death of Michael Jackson and a snub from Wimbledon organisers to one side to power into the last 16 of the women’s singles.

The American, who admitted she had been left speechless by the news of Jackson’s death, continued her flawless procession towards a potential final meeting with sister Venus by setting up a last-16 clash with Daniela Hantuchova. Hantuchova, a former world number five who has shown signs of returning to her best form here, will certainly put up greater resistance than Italy’s Roberta Vinci.

A 6-3, 6-4 win ensured Williams has yet to drop a set this year and the evidence presented by her 200th Grand Slam match backed up her claim that she is in the mood to add to the two singles titles she won here in 2002 and 2003. Elena Dementieva made light work of qualifier and compatriot Regina Kulikova, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 win.

The fourth seed now plays either French Open semi-finalist Dominika Cibulkova or another Russian, Elena Vesnina, for a place in the quarterfinals. Vera Zvonareva saw her tournament ended by an ankle injury.

The Russian seventh seed withdrew shortly before the start of her scheduled third round meeting with Virginie Razzano of France, who now faces either compatriot Marion Bartoli, seeded 12th, or Italy’s Francesca Schiavone. Zvonareva, 24, reached the semifinals of this year’s Australian Open but she has struggled since suffering an injury to her right ankle in April which sidelined her for eight weeks and meant she missed the French Open.

MURRAY WINS

Andy Murray made light work of a tricky tea-time assignment on Thursday. He devoured Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 to clear another hurdle towards becoming Britain’s first men’s singles champion in 73 years.

Wimbledon 2009 Day 5 results:

Men's Third Round
Andy Murray (3) def. Viktor Troicki (30) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Andy Roddick (6) def. Jurgen Melzer (26) 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-3
Gilles Simon (8) def. Victor Hanescu (31) 6-2, 7-5, 6-2
Fernando Gonzalez (10) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6
Marin Cilic (11) vs. Tommy Haas (24) 5-7, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 8-10
Nikolay Davydenko (12) vs. Tomas Berdych (20) 2-6, 3-6, 2-6
David Ferrer (16) vs. Radek Stepanek (23) 5-7, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6
Stanislas Wawrinka (19) def. Jesse Levine 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
Igor Andreev (29) def. Andreas Seppi 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (8-6)
Lleyton Hewitt def. Philipp Petzschner 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3

Women's Third Round
Dinara Safina (1) def. Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-1
Venus Williams (3) def. Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-4
Svetlana Kuznetsova (5) vs. Sabine Lisicki 2-6, 5-7
Jelena Jankovic (6) vs. Melanie Oudin 7-6 (10-8), 5-7, 2-6
Caroline Wozniacki (9) def. Anabel Medina Garrigues (20) 6-2, 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska (11) def. Na Li (19) 6-4, 7-5
Ana Ivanovic (13) def. Samantha Stosur (18) 7-5, 6-2
Flavia Pennetta (15) vs. Amelie Mauresmo (17) 5-7, 3-6

Day 4

WIZARD OF OZ

Hewitt showed glimpses of his best form, ousting Potro to mark the biggest upset of the tournament.

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt stunned Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 on Thursday to reach the Wimbledon third round.

Hewitt, the 2004 champion, will face either Philipp Petzschner or Mischa Zverev, both of Germany, for a place in the last 16. The Australian 28-yearold, whose ranking has slipped to 56 following hip surgery, confidently ended the hopes of the 20-year-old Argentine who had been tipped as a strong outsider in the half of the draw missing defending champion Rafael Nadal.

His Centre Court win meant so much to him that he collapsed to his knees in celebration at the end. “I haven’t beaten a top five player for a long time,” said Hewitt.

“I was really up for it today. When you have played a final on Centre Court you should be able to handle the pressure but I knew that Juan Martin is a helluva player.” Hewitt carved out a crucial break to lead 4-2 against the big-hitting del Potro who had reached the semifinal at Roland Garros and the last eight at the Australian Open this year.

The giant del Potro, seven inches taller than the battling Australian, needed his right knee strapped at the changeover. He held serve until 5-5 in the second set before Hewitt grabbed the decisive break in the 11th game and a double fault in a messy service game at the start of the third set handed the Australian another break.

Hewitt squandered a chance to serve for the match in the 10th game when del Potro finally managed to convert a first break point after seven earlier ones had passed him by.

But the tenacious Aussie broke back immediately to lead 6-5 and claimed the match when del Potro went long with a service return.

Levine joins Roddick, Fish in 3rd round

This might just be a record: Boca Prep International School put three players in the third round at Wimbledon.

They’re the only three American men left in the Grand Slam tournament.

Qualifier Jesse Levine and No. 6-seeded Andy Roddick won Thursday, joining No. 28 Mardy Fish in the round of 32. All three attended the same small school in Boca Raton, Fla., where Levine still lives.

Levine’s run at the All England Club is by far the biggest surprise. Ranked 133rd, he had to win three qualifying matches just to get into the main draw. He upset former No. 1 Marat Safin in the first round, then beat lucky loser Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 on Thursday.

It’s Levine’s first trip to the third round at a major championship, and he’s the last male qualifier still around.

SAFINA ADVANCES
Top seed Dinara Safina made the Wimbledon third round with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Paraguay’s Rossana De Los Rios.

The Russian will face either Elena Baltacha or Kirsten Flipkens for a place in the last 16.

Ana Ivanovic restored the reputation of Wimbledon’s glamour girls with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Italy’s Sara Errani in the second round.

VENUS WINS

Five-time champion Venus Williams and French Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova eased into the Wimbledon last 32 Thursday, just hours after tour boss Larry Scott had praised the depth of the women’s game.

Third-seeded Williams took only an hour to see off Ukraine’s Kateryna Bondarenko 6-3, 6-2 while Russian fifth seed Kuznetsova spent just four minutes longer in disposing of France’s Pauline Parmentier 6-1, 6-3. Williams goes on to face Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro while Kuznetsova, a three-time quarterfinalist here, meets promising German Sabine Lisicki.
“Everything was working for me. I’m on a great run here and I just want to keep it going,” said Williams, who played despite wearing a heavy strapping on her left knee.

Australian 18th seed Samantha Stosur, a semifinalist at the French Open this year, struggled past German qualifier Tatjana Malek 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 and will face either former world number one Ana Ivanovic or Sara Errani of Italy for a place in the last 16. WTA Tour chief Scott had earlier insisted that the women’s game is on the verge of hailing a new generation of players, hitting back at claims that there was a lack of genuine competition at the top level of the sport.

In the men’s event, Czech 20th seed Tomas Berdych, Jurgen Melzer, the 26th seed from Austria, and Romanian 31st seed Victor Hanescu all made the last 32.

PENG LOSES
China’s Peng Shuai was narrowly beaten by Polish number 11 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in a thrilling second round match. The Chinese number three lost 6-2, 6-7 (7/6), 9-7 in a threehour clash on Court 14 but showed plenty of guts and determination throughout.

Radwanska, a quarterfinalist last year at the All England Club, faces either Chinese 19th seed Li Na or Belarussian world number 82 Olga Govortsova in the third round.

Second Serve

NAVRATILOVA SUED BY FORMER ‘PARTNER’
The former lesbian lover of Martina Navratilova has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the tennis great.

Toni Layton, who claims Navratilova wed her and then cruelly dumped her eight years later, wants a share of the four luxury homes the Wimbledon champ bought during their time together.

The two tied the knot in an unofficial ceremony in New Hampshire, but then moved to Sarasota (Florida), where gay unions aren’t recognised, reports the New York Post.
Layton left her computer salesman hubby, Jeffrey Lambert, for the nine-time Wimbledon champ.

SERENA BUSY

After already having won the Wimbledon title twice, tennis icon Serena Williams is keeping herself busy this time doing something else - she is writing a script for television show.

“I have written three parts of it already and I just love writing. I call it ‘my treatment’ so hopefully it will be good,” The Daily Express quoted her as saying.

The script is expected to incorporate “the best bits of Desperate Housewives, Sex in the City and Family Guy all in one”.

And on being asked how she would begin writing a movie script about herself, if she ever did, she said: “I would open with me holding a championship, then I would rewind time.”

THE RETURN OF AGASSI
Andre Agassi is making a return to competition starting with the American-based World Team Tennis next month.

The 39-year-old Agassi will play two league matches for the Philadelphia Freedoms in July before moving on to additional tournaments this year. ``It’s been a few years since I’ve sort of been connected with the game in any direct kind of way, and that’s been a little unsettling for me,’’ he said. ``I took time away when I retired to try to figure out how I can best engage with the game and do it in a way that made the most sense, or where I could possibly have some more impact.”

“That has not been so easy, with all of my responsibilities, to sort of figure out.’’

Agassi won eight major singles championships and was one of only five men to complete a career Grand Slam when he retired after the 2006 U.S. Open, though Roger Federer has since become the sixth. Agassi has devoted himself to humanitarian causes for the past three years, opening a tuition-free charter school for children and a Boys & Girls Club that promotes athletics and education.

Day 3

DULKO WINS BATTLE OF THE BEAUTIES

Former champion Maria Sharapova had her lack of match practice exposed by unseeded Argentine Gisela Dulko who claimed a nailbiting 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday. Sharapova, ranked 60 after suffering with a shoulder injury but given a special seeding of 24 here, had battered Dulko for the loss of three games in two previous meetings.



But the Russian struggled to find an answer to the world number 45’s scurrying array of groundstrokes and changes of pace in the sunshine on Centre Court. Dulko, one of the few women on tour to have a Wimbledon singles victory over Martina Navratilova to her name, sealed the opening set in 35 minutes with a crunching forehand winner.

Sharapova’s frustration grew in the second as Dulko raced to a 3-0 lead but the Argentine suffered a temporary meltdown and her opponent raced back into contention with a run of seven straight games. The two exchanged breaks in the decider before Dulko stayed calm to seal victory on a nerve-wracking fifth match point and set up a third-round contest against Russian 10th seed Nadia Petrova.

Serena Williams powered into the third round with a quickfire demolition of Australia’s Jarmila Groth. The American won 6-2, 6-1.

DJOKOVIC ADVANCES
In the men’s singles, Novak Djokovic eased into the third round on Wednesday with a straight sets win over German qualifier Simon Gruel. The Serbian fourth seed won 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 to set up a meeting with American Mardy Fish for a place in the last 16.

ZHENG FALLS
China’s Zheng Jie was denied another memorable run at Wimbledon as the 2008 semifinalist was beaten 6-3, 7-5 by Slovakian glamour girl Daniela Hantuchova in the second round. Zheng, seeded 16th, came of age at the All-England Club last year when victories over top seed Ana Ivanovic and the highly-ranked Nicole Vaidisova and Agnes Szavay made her the first Chinese to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal.

But early exits from the French Open and grasscourt tournaments at Birmingham and Eastbourne suggested Zheng was enduring her first dip for over a year.

Japan’s Ai Sugiyama made it to the third round at Wimbledon with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over Spanish qualifier Arantxa Parra Santonja.

Veteran Sugiyama, who made the quarterfinals here in 2004, was pushed hard in the first set but was able to break her opponent’s serve in the second. The 33-year-old faces either Chinese number 16 seed Zheng Jie or Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova in the third round.

SAFIN OUT
Marat Safin’s final match at Wimbledon took place on cozy Court 18 closer to the exit than to the court where trophies are handed out. Playing his final year on the tour, the mercurial Russian lost in the first round late on Tuesday to American Jesse Levine, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

In other late matches on Tuesday, No. 13 Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion, saved two match points to beat Lucie Hradecka 5-7, 6-2, 8-6. Also advancing was this year’s winner at Roland Garros, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and top-ranked Dinara Safina. No. 3 Andy Murray began his bid to become the first British man to win Wimbledon since 1936 by beating American Robert Kendrick 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4.

Russian top seed Safina, who has never got beyond the third round, reached the last 64 with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino. In the men’s doubles, fourth seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles survived a scare from spirited qualifiers Somdev Devvarman and Kevin Anderson in a gruelling four-setter to enter the second round. The Indo-Bahamian pair came through 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 in a ervewracking battle in which the Indo-South African duo pushed the fourth seeds to limits before going down in three hours and 15 minutes.

Indian number one Sania Mirza tumbled out of Wimbledon in the second round, losing 6-4, 6-4 to Romanian number 28 seed Sorana Cirstea.

Mirza was able to break her rival’s serve but hit far more unforced errors than the French Open quarterfinalist. Cirstea faces either Belarussian number eight seed Victoria Azarenka or Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru in the third round.


Wimbledon Second Round Day 3 men's results

Roger Federer (2) def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
Novak Djokovic (4) def. Simon Greul 7-5, 6-1, 6-4
Fernando Verdasco (7) def. Kristof Vliegen 7-6(7-3),6-7(3-7),7-6 (7-4),6-4
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (9) def. Simone Bolelli walkover
Marin Cilic (11) def. Sam Querrey 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4
Robin Soderling (13) def. Marcel Granollers 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, 7-5
Tommy Robredo (15) def. Stefan Koubek 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
Rainer Schuettler (18) vs. Dudi Sela 6-7 (3-7), 3-6, 2-6
Ivo Karlovic (22) def. Steve Darcis 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
Tommy Haas (24) def. Michael Llodra 4-3 retired
Philipp Kohlschreiber (27) def. Ivo Minar 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 8-6
Mardy Fish (28) def. Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Igor Andreev (29) def. Vincent Spadea 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
Albert Montanes (32) def. Guillermo Canas 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Nicolas Almagro def. Karol Beck 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 3-6, 7-5
Andreas Seppi vs. Marc Gicquel 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 5-5 suspended
First Round
Daniel Gimeno-Traver def. Taylor Dent 7-5, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4



Wimbledon Second Round Day 3 women results


Serena Williams (2) def. Jarmila Groth 6-2, 6-1
Elena Dementieva (4) def. Aravane Rezai 6-1, 6-3
Vera Zvonareva (7) def. Mathilde Johansson 6-1, 6-3
Victoria Azarenka (8) def. Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-0, 6-0
Nadia Petrova (10) def. Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-2
Marion Bartoli (12) def. Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-1
Dominika Cibulkova (14) def. Urszula Radwanska 6-2, 6-4
Jie Zheng (16) vs. Daniela Hantuchova 3-6, 5-7
Maria Sharapova (24) vs. Gisela Dulko 2-6, 6-3, 4-6
Virginie Razzano (26) def. Jill Craybas 6-3, 6-0
Alisa Kleybanova (27) vs. Regina Kulikova 6-0, 4-6, 1-6
Sorana Cirstea (28) def. Sania Mirza 6-4, 6-4
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (31) vs. Roberta Vinci 4-6, 6-7 (6-8)
Francesca Schiavone def. Michelle Larcher De Brito 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4)
Arantxa Parra Santonja vs. Ai Sugiyama 6-7 (5-7), 3-6
Elena Vesnina def. Vera Dushevina 6-3, 6-4



Pictures of the day

Princess Michael of Kent watch Maria Sharapova of Russia plays Gisela Dulko of Argentina in their second round singles match at Wimbledon, Wednesday, June 24, 2009.

France's Michael Llodra collides with a ball girl during play against Germany's Tommy Haas during their second round match in the 2009 Wimbledon tennis championships at the All England Club on June 24, 2009.

Day 2

Venus sinks new Swiss miss, Safina Moves On, but time catches Up With Date, Dokic...

Defending champion Venus Williams and world No.1 Dinara Safina moved into the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday as time caught up with All England Club veterans Kimiko Date Krumm and Jelena Dokic. Williams, the five-time, 29-year-old champion, beat Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-2 in a sunkissed Centre Court workout.

"It is the best place to be when you are a pro tennis player and I savour every blade of it," said Williams who now faces Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko.

"I've had that crown for several years and I want to make it mine again."

The American had her serve broken twice and had to spend an hour and 18 minutes on court against the 19-year-old, world 97. Russian top seed Safina, who has never got beyond the third round, reached the last 64 with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino and next plays Paraguay's Rossana de los Rios.

Safina, the beaten finalist in Australia and at Roland Garros this year, shrugged off a knee injury on Court One.

"It's a problem I've had for two months. I was struggling in the second set, but hopefully treatment will help."

Date Krumm and Dokic's hopes of a fairytale melted in the Wimbledon heat.

Date Krumm, the 38-year-old Japanese who last played here in 1996, took the first set off Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki but slipped to a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 defeat.

The Japanese player reached the semifinals in 1996; when she made her debut in 1989, Wozniacki was still a year away from being born.

Date Krumm, 20 years older than the blonde Dane, needed extensive medical treatment on her injured thigh as the marathon tie took its toll.

Wozniacki, who came into Wimbledon having captured the Eastbourne grasscourt tournament, admitted that Date Krumm's flat-hitting style had caught her by surprise.

Dokic, who made her career breakthrough here in 1999 when she defeated defending champion Martina Hingis, before her professional and private life went into a downward spiral, also needed medical attention.

The 26-year-old Australian took the first set off German qualifier Tatjana Malek before losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Dokic complained of feeling dizzy at the end of the second set and had her blood pressure taken at courtside.

"There's been a lot of stuff happen," said Dokic who last played here in 2004, spending most of the intervening years escaping the iron hand of controversial father Damir.

Also progressing in the women's draw was Serbian sixth seed Jelena Jankovic who defeated Germany's Julia Göerges 6-4, 7-6 (7/0) and she will face the Czech Republic's Iveta Benesova.

In the men's first round, Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros, brushed aside France's Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

There wins also for 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, who defeated Robby Ginepri 6-4, 6-1, 6-1, while two-time runner-up Andy Roddick saw off France's Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-3.

I like to tell a good story

It’s not just Roger Federer’s magical skills with the racquet that marks him out as a great champion. Rather, it is the way in which the handsome Swede conducts himself on and off the court that marks him out as a great human being.

Born to a Swiss-German father — Robert Federer and mother Lynette Federer of South African nationality — the 28-year old has been blessed to speak no less than six languages. Though he considers German as his main language, Roger is equally fluent in Swiss, French and English. And just as he likes to be in cruise control on the court, he is equally at home handling the media.
When Federer last won Wimbledon in 2007, he set the unofficial record for the most amount of time for the media. On most days, by the time he was through it was late into the night. Similarly, after he won the French Open early this month, he was more than patient with the media. And things look no different at the All England Club.

“I was well educated in this regard. I think it’s important to take that time. It’s part of tennis today and I guess, with the different languages, that’s something different too,” says Federer about his off-field assignments.

“I have always enjoyed it. It’s not the most fun part of the job, but I also have a good time. I like to tell a good story. Whether it’s for spectators who were in the stadium or those who couldn’t be there, at least they get something good to read about or hear about.”

Indeed, for someone who’s well versed with so many languages, the likes of Federer are always welcome for the media. “I speak a few different languages. Then you have the papers, the radio, the magazines and whatever. It ends up being a lot. But, honestly, after I’ve won a tournament, or a big match, there is something that needs information. I don’t mind giving time. Half an hour more, one hour more sometimes, it’s not the end of the world for me.”

And what happens when he loses? “Well, you lose, you leave. It’s pretty simple. You don’t want to hang around,” says Federer with a smile. Well, if only our cricketers were to take a leaf out of Federer’s book!




SECOND SERVE

My name is Williamsova!

At a post match conference, trust Serena Williams to talk at length about fashion and her school in Africa and she is always more than willing to speak her mind. However, for a change, she paid a lefthanded compliment to the several Russians in the draw. In fact, the American wondered whether even she came from Russia and whether her name ought to have been Williamsova. “I just know the standard — everyone is from Russia. Sometimes, I think, I’m from Russia, too. I feel like, you know, okay, all these new ‘ovas.’ I don’t know anyone. I don’t really recognize anyone. That’s just how it is. So, does Serena get the feeling that she too might have left Russia for America when she was seven years old? I think so, and I think my name must have been Williamsova! But you can’t really blame Serena for saying what she said because this years first-round draw had no less than 24 ‘ovas’ besides seven ‘evas’ including Elena Dementieva.

Federer’s secret




So much is being talked and written about Roger Federer winning the French Open and having a date with history at Wimbledon and, of course, fatherhood. Everyone knows that his charming wife is expecting the couple’s first baby. However, nobody knows when the baby is due to arrive. And Federer, for all his willingness to share information with the international media, remains tightlipped. The query was thrown up to the Swiss, who looked embarrassed. “Oh! Lets talk about something else,” he pleaded. ‘Roger, the world wants to know it,’ insisted the scribe. “I’m not telling you,” smiled Federer. ‘Is it happening during this fortnight?’ “I don’t know,” the Swiss said as everyone had a good laugh.

men's First round Day 2 Results

Andy Murray (3) def. Robert Kendrick 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-4

Juan Martin Del Potro (5) def. Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-1, 6-2

Andy Roddick (6) def. Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-3

Gilles Simon (8) def. Bobby Reynolds 6-4, 6-3, 6-3

Fernando Gonzalez (10) def. Teimuraz Gabashvili 7-5, 7-5, 6-3

Nikolay Davydenko (12) def. Daniel Evans 6-2, 6-3, 6-3

Marat Safin (14) vs. Jesse Levine 2-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 4-6

David Ferrer (16) def. Kevin Kim 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

Stanislas Wawrinka (19) def. Eduardo Schwank 7-5, 6-4, 6-1

Tomas Berdych (20) def. Alex Bogdanovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Radek Stepanek (23) def. Alejandro Falla 6-4, 6-4, 6-1

Tommy Haas (24) def. Alexander Peya 6-7 (5-7), 7-6, 6-3, 6-4

Dmitry Tursunov (25) vs. Mischa Zverev 4-6, 2-6, 0-3 retired

Jurgen Melzer (26) def. Wayne Odesnik 6-1, 6-4, 6-2

Viktor Troicki (30) def. Brian Dabul 6-4, 6-4, 6-3

Victor Hanescu (31) def. Ivan Navarro 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 12-10

Nicolas Kiefer (33) vs. Fabrice Santoro 4-6, 2-6, 2-6

Oscar Hernandez vs. Leonardo Mayer 0-6, 0-6, 3-6

Michael Llodra def. Joshua Goodall 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3

Fabio Fognini def. Denis Istomin 1-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 3-1 retired

Frederico Gil vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu 1-6, 6-2, 4-6, 2-6

Benjamin Becker def. Roko Karanusic 6-4, 6-4, 6-1

Christophe Rochus vs. Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 1-6, 9-11

Taylor Dent vs. Daniel Gimeno-Traver 5-7, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4

Potito Starace def. Jose Acasuso 7-6, 6-3 retired

Victor Crivoi def. Bjorn Phau 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-3

Nicolas Devilder def. Nicolas Lapentti 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5

Pablo Andujar vs. Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 2-6

Rajeev Ram vs. Philipp Petzschner 6-2, 1-6, 6-7 (3-7), 1-6

Thiago Alves def. Andrei Pavel 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1

Grigor Dimitrov vs. Igor Kunitsyn 6-3, 0-6, 0-4 retired

Riccardo Ghedin vs. Ernests Gulbis 2-6, 4-6, 4-6

Lleyton Hewitt def. Robby Ginepri 6-4, 6-1, 6-1

Women's First round Day 2 Results


Dinara Safina (1) def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino 7-5, 6-3


Venus Williams (3) def. Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-2


Svetlana Kuznetsova (5) def. Akiko Morigami 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)


Jelena Jankovic (6) def. Julia Goerges 6-4, 7-6


Vera Zvonareva (7) def. Georgie Stoop 7-6, 4-6, 6-4


Caroline Wozniacki (9) def. Kimiko Date Krumm 5-7, 6-3, 6-1


Agnieszka Radwanska (11) def. Maria JoseSanchez Martinez 7-5, 6-1


Ana Ivanovic (13) def. Lucie Hradecka 5-7, 6-2, 8-6


Flavia Pennetta (15) def. Nuria Llagostera Vives 3-6, 6-1, 6-0


Amelie Mauresmo (17) def. Melinda Czink 6-1, 4-6, 6-2


Samantha Stosur (18) def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2


Na Li (19) def. Galina Voskoboeva 7-6 (7-5), 6-0


Anabel Medina Garrigues (20) def. Marta Domachowska 3-6, 6-3, 6-4


Vera Dushevina def. Alize Cornet (22) 3-6, 6-0, 6-4


Kaia Kanepi (25) vs. Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4, 3-6, 3-6


Sybille Bammer (29) vs. Melanie Oudin 6-4, 4-6, 2-6


Agnes Szavay (30) vs. Kirsten Flipkens 5-7, 4-6


Anna Chakvetadze (32) vs. Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 2-6


Olga Govortsova def. Tatiana Perebiynis 4-6, 6-3, 6-4


Patricia Mayr def. Anne Keothavong 7-5, 6-2


Anastasija Sevastova vs. Kateryna Bondarenko 3-6, 6-7 (5-7)


Alexa Glatch vs. Shuai Peng 4-6, 6-2, 4-6


Alberta Brianti vs. Tathiana Garbin 4-6, 3-6


Nicole Vaidisova vs. Rossana de los Rios 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6


Elena Baltacha def. Alona Bondarenko 3-6, 6-3, 6-4


Pauline Parmentier def. Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 1-6, 6-3


Petra Kvitova vs. Maria Kirilenko 4-6, 4-6


Vania King def. Mariya Koryttseva 6-4, 6-2


Katie O'Brien vs. Iveta Benesova 2-6, 7-5, 4-6


Sara Errani def. Stephanie Dubois 7-5, 6-2


Tatjana Malek def. Jelena Dokic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2


Kristina Kucova def. Aiko Nakamura 2-6, 6-3, 6-3


Ekaterina Makarova def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3


Monica Niculescu vs. Yaroslava Shvedova 1-6, 0-6

Day 1

FEDERER OFF TO A FLIER. SHARAPOVA, SERENA ALSO THROUGH

Roger Federer’s bid for a record 15th Grand Slam title got underway in familiar fashion as the five-times champion settled into Wimbledon’s new-look centre court with a straight sets demolition of Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun.


Federer, a favourite in the absence of injured champion Rafael Nadal, recovered from going a break down early in the first set to win 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 and set up a second round meeting with Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who had a similarly straightforward win over Argentina’s Agustin Calleri. Fine, dry conditions ensured there was no need of the new retractable roof that has been installed above Wimbledon’s most famous court as part of an 80-million-pound upgrade.

Federer also went largely untested once he had recovered from netting a straightforward backhand to gift his opponent a break in the fifth game of the match. The Swiss broke back immediately and, after clinching the first set with a 12th-game break, improved steadily as the match wore on.

World No. 1 Nadal, who beat Federer in a classic final last year, has opted not to defend his after failing to fully recover from knee tendinitis in time. James Blake, who had arrived here with high hopes after finishing as runner-up to Andy Murray at Queen’s, became the first major casualty in the men’s draw when he suffered a surprise straight sets defeat at the hands of Andreas Seppi.

The Italian beat the 17th seed 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) to advance to the second round and leave the American scratching his head over his failure to make an impact here. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the French ninth seed who could present Federer’s first real threat if both men advance to the last eight, had to battle hard to overcome Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).

Maria Sharapova was the first of the leading women to take to the All England club’s lawns and the 2004 champion quickly found herself in trouble, trailing 1-4 and 3-5 in the first set to Ukrainian qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova. The Russian recovered however to win 7-5, 6-4 and set up a second round meeting with Argentina’s Gisela Dulko, one of the few women who can compete with her in the glamour stakes.

Serena Williams, who could face Sharapova at the quarterfinal stage, swept Portugal Neuza Silva aside 6-1, 7-5 and had an ominous warning for her rivals. “I thought I could have played a ton better, especially on key points,” said the American.

There was disappointment in store for the home supporters when 15-year-old Laura Robson, last year’s junior champion, lost in three sets to former world No.5 Daniela Hantuchova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

ANDY MURRAY’S GRANNY A JINX
WHILE ANDY Murray is hoping to bring home the Wimbledon trophy, her mother has said that she won’t be taking his granny along to watch him play because she’s a jinx. Murray’s mum Judy thinks that Andy, 22, may lose his chances of winning if her mother, Shirley Erskine, 73, cheers from the sidelines.

This is because Murray lost the last three times his grandmother was watching him play. The last occasion was when Judy took Shirley to see Andy play Juan Martin Del Potro at the Madrid masters in May.“It was Andy’s 22nd birthday and he was due to play Del Potro at 10pm,” the Daily Express quoted Judy as saying.

“I made a booking and took granny with me.This was the third successive year I’ve taken my mum for Andy’s birthday and he has lost each time,” she said.

She added:“She is clearly a jinx and I’m not taking her again.” But Shirley is adamant to go there in person rather than watching at home in Scotland.

“I’m trying to convince the family I’m not a jinx because I want to be down there cheering Andy on,” she declared.

BETTING SHOPS GO INTO OVERDRIVE
THE PROSPECT of a British man winning Wimbledon for the first time since Fred Perry in 1936 is making betting shops busy. Andy Murray of Scotland, second choice for the men’s title after Roger Federer, is driving unprecedented wagering this year. Not even Englishman Tim Henman, a four-time semifinalist, stirred such heavy betting. William Hill, a prominent British bookmaker, has Murray at 15-8 odds to win the title, with Federer at 8-11.

“We expect ‘Murraymania’ to put ‘Henmania’ in the shade, and for the first time we expect turnover to top 100 million pounds (about $165 million),” said Graham Sharpe, a spokesman for William Hill. Other men’s odds at are: Novak Djokovic 10-1,Andy Roddick 14-1, Juan Martin del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 18-1.

Noise pollution at Wimbledon

Martina Navratilova thinks it is cheating, Serena Williams does not even know she is doing it and now there is a Portuguese teenager who appears to cry out in agony when she hits the ball.

Grunting is back on the tennis agenda at the world’s most famous tournament, which began on Monday, and the big noise at Wimbledon could be 16-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito.

At the French Open, her opponent Aravane Rezai complained about the racket across the net, telling the umpire it was distracting her.
But the loudest offender insisted that she is not a cheat. “I am not a cheat. They are part of my strokes,” insists Portuguese Michelle Larcher de Brito, 16, whose 109-decibel blast is same as an F1 car. “I’ve always been loud but I’m not trying to distract opponents.When I don’t grunt it feels weird because it’s not me,” The Sun quoted her, as saying.The Williams sisters — Venus and Serena — have had their grunts recorded at 90 decibels.

Unrepentant as she heads into Wimbledon’s first round as a wild card, Larcher de Brito has said grunting is “just something I have done always since I started playing tennis. I am going to keep on doing it. It is really part of my game.”

Nine-time Wimbledon champion Navratilova, who found the grunting of Monica Seles off-putting, feels tennis officials should take a stand.

“The grunting has reached an unacceptable level. It is cheating pure and simple and it is time for something to be done,” she said. Jimmy Connors grunted his way to eight Grand Slam victories in the 1970s and 80s. Ivan Lendl complained that Andre Agassi’s grunting put him off. Today female players are under the spotlight as “decibel demons”.

A lion’s roar is reckoned to reach 110 decibels. Maria Sharapova, who says she grunted since the age of four and cannot help it, has been measured at 101. At a news conference on Saturday, the first question to Sharapova was about grunting.

She was asked to comment on former champion Michael Stich saying that women players should not grunt because it was not sexy and sex appeal was the main attraction of women’s tennis. “No, I don’t have an opinion on that,” she replied crisply.

Men First RoundResults
Roger Federer (2) def. Yen-Hsun Lu 7-5, 6-3, 6-2
Novak Djokovic (4) def. Julien Benneteau 6-7(8-10),7-6(7-1),6-2,6-4
Fernando Verdasco (7) def. James Ward 6-1, 6-3, 6-4
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (9) def. Andrey Golubev 6-3,5-7,7-6(7-4),7-6(7-5)
Marin Cilic (11) def. Alberto Martin 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Robin Soderling (13) def. Gilles Muller 6-7(4-7),7-5,6-1,6-2
Tommy Robredo (15) def. Luka Gregorc 7-6(7-4),6-4,5-7,7-6(7-3)
James Blake (17) vs. Andreas Seppi 5-7,4-6,6-7(5-7)
Rainer Schuettler (18) def. Xavier Malisse 6-7(9-11),6-4,7-6(7-3),6-1
Feliciano Lopez (21) vs. Karol Beck 6-1,5-7,3-6,6-4,8-10
Ivo Karlovic (22) def. Lukas Lacko 6-3,7-6(7-4),6-3
Tommy Haas (24) vs. Alexander Peya 6-7(5-7),7-6,6-3,4-4 suspended
Philipp Kohlschreiber (27) def. Florent Serra 7-6(7-3),6-1,6-4
Mardy Fish (28) def. Sergio Roitman 6-3,6-2,4-1 retired
Igor Andreev (29) def. Evgeny Korolev 4-6,7-6(7-2),6-4,7-6(7-4)
Albert Montanes (32) def. Grega Zemlja 6-4,6-4,6-4
Paul Capdeville vs. Vincent Spadea 0-6,4-6,5-7
Adrian Mannarino vs. Marc Gicquel 2-6,2-6,4-6
Simone Bolelli def. Daniel Koellerer 6-7(3-7),2-6,7-5,6-4,6-4
Simon Greul def. Michael Yani 6-4,6-2,7-5
Nicolas Almagro def. Juan Monaco 6-7 (3-7),6-7(7-9),7-6(7-5),6-4,8-6
Steve Darcis def. Frank Dancevic 6-4,7-6(7-4),6-3
Jan Hernych vs. Janko Tipsarevic 4-6,4-6,6-7(4-7)
Dudi Sela def. Santiago Gonzalez 6-4,4-6,7-6(7-2),6-3
Nicolas Mahut vs. Kristof Vliegen 3-6,6-7(6-8),7-5,7-5,4-6
Michael Llodra vs. Joshua Goodall 4-6,7-6(7-5) suspended
Ivo Minar def. Maximo Gonzalez 6-4,3-6,7-5,6-0
Sam Querrey def. Danai Udomchoke 6-3,6-4,6-4
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Agustin Calleri 6-2,6-3,6-2
Diego Junqueira vs. Guillermo Canas 1-6,2-6,2-6
Edouard Roger-Vasselin vs. Stefan Koubek 5-7,3-6,6-4,6-3,3-6
Marcel Granollers def. Andreas Beck 6-2,6-4,6-7(4-7),6-2

Women First Round Results
Serena Williams (2) def. Neuza Silva 6-1, 7-5
Elena Dementieva (4) def. Alla Kudryavtseva 6-4, 6-1

Vera Zvonareva (7) vs. Georgie Stoop 7-6, 4-6 suspended
Victoria Azarenka (8) def. Severine Beltrame 6-2 retired
Nadia Petrova (10) def. Anastasiya Yakimova 6-1, 6-1
Marion Bartoli (12) def. Chan Yung-Jan 6-0, 6-0
Dominika Cibulkova (14) def. Julie Coin 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Jie Zheng (16) def. Kristina Barrois 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4)
Ai Sugiyama def. Patty Schnyder (21) 6-4, 6-4
Alize Cornet (22) vs. Vera Dushevina 6-3, 0-6, 2-4 suspended
Aleksandra Wozniak (23) vs. Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 4-6, 4-6
Maria Sharapova (24) def. Viktoria Kutuzova 7-5, 6-4
Virginie Razzano (26) def. Tamira Paszek 6-0, 3-1 retired
Alisa Kleybanova (27) def. Sesil Karatantcheva 6-2, 7-5
Sorana Cirstea (28) def. Edina Gallovits 7-5, 6-1
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (31) def. Petra Cetkovska 6-2, 6-2
Yanina Wickmayer vs. Elena Vesnina 1-6, 1-6
Roberta Vinci def. Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3, 6-2
Gisela Dulko def. Stephanie Foretz 6-3, 7-5
Lucie Safarova vs. Jarmila Groth 3-6, 6-3, 3-6
Timea Bacsinszky def. Vesna Manasieva 6-1, 4-6, 8-6
Aravane Rezai def. Ayumi Morita 6-2, 6-2
Melanie South vs. Mathilde Johansson 5-7, 6-7 (5-7)
Nathalie Dechy vs. Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-1, 6-7, 2-6
Jill Craybas def. Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 7-5
Masa Zec Peskiric vs. Urszula Radwanska 3-6, 3-6
Maria Camerin vs. Shahar Peer 2-6, 6-7 (3-7)
Michelle Larcher De Brito def. Klara Zakopalova 6-2, 7-5
Anna-Lena Groenefeld vs. Sania Mirza 2-6, 6-2, 2-6
Daniela Hantuchova def. Laura Robson 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
Karolina Sprem vs. Regina Kulikova 6-4, 5-7, 3-6
Tamarine Tanasugarn vs. Arantxa Parra Santonja 4-6, 4-6

King looking for another crown

Roger Federer begins his campaign for a sixth Wimbledon title, and a record 15th major, rejuvenated by finally lifting his French Open jinx and seeing injured rival Rafael Nadal limp out of contention.

Twelve months ago, Federer’s five-year All-England Club domination was brought to an end by Nadal in a five-set classic now widely regarded as the greatest Grand Slam final of all time. But with deposed Roland Garros champion Nadal forced to pull out to rest his injured knees, Federer has a golden opportunity to move within one title of Pete Sampras’s record of seven Wimbledon triumphs. “I don’t feel like I have extra pressure,” said world number two Federer. “There’s a lot of weight off my shoulders since Paris. So I’m entering tournaments a little bit more relaxed these days.”

Federer will open proceedings on Centre Court against Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu on Monday in what will be his first tennis since beating Robin Soderling in the Roland Garros final. He missed the grasscourt tournament at Halle last week, but is now refreshed and ready to go.

Federer is a player reborn. Five months ago, his tearful exit after losing to Nadal in the Australian Open final was interpreted as an emotional confession that his era was over.

But marriage and impending fatherhood have given the 27-year-old a new perspective on his personal life while his Paris breakthrough, which took him level with Sampras on 14 majors, have combined to make him the overwhelming favourite. With Nadal sidelined, Federer’s likely title rivals will Andy Murray, who’s bidding to become the first British men’s champion since Fred Perry in 1936, former two-time runnerup Andy Roddick and world number four Novak Djokovic.

Murray, buoyed by being the first British winner at Queen’s since Bunny Austin in 1938, boasts a 6-2 winning record over Federer.

A quarterfinal place last year is his best showing at Wimbledon where he was outclassed by Nadal in straight sets. He has vowed not to get distracted by the home crowds. World No 4 Djokovic was the runner-up on grass at Halle, but wrote off his chances at Wimbledon where last year he was knocked out in the second round by Marat Safin.

Recently-married Roddick, the runner-up to Federer in 2004 and 2005, has plenty to prove.

VENUS EYES HAT-TRICK

Venus Williams has history in her sights as the American aims to cement her place among the grasscourt greats by completing a hat-trick of Wimbledon triumphs this year.

Williams will become only the fourth woman since the 1960s to claim three successive titles at the All-England Club if she retains the aptly Venus Rosewater Dish, joining Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King in the elite list of treble champions. It is six years since Serena last won Wimbledon but on her day the world number two still has the beating of any of her peers - including Venus. The same can’t be said of world number one Dinara Safina, who will travel to London rocked after compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova thrashed her in the French Open final.

Safina has risen to the top of the womens’ rankings without landing a Grand Slam victory.

The 23-year-old Russian may not fancy her chances of ending that frustrating run at Wimbledon as she has yet to make it past the third round. If Safina can’t dethrone Venus, the biggest threat could come from elsewhere in eastern Europe. Maria Sharapova, the 2004 champion, is working her way back up the rankings after returning to the Tour in May following 10 months on the sidelines with a persistent shoulder injury. The Russian insists her desire to succeed burns as brightly as ever. Another challenger should be Kuznetsova, whose morale is sky-high after her Roland Garros triumph, while world number four Elena Dementieva, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, reached the semifinals last year.

There is no shortage of motivation for Serbian duo Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, who both failed to make it past the fourth round last year despite being seeded one and two respectively, and have struggled since. Attention will also be focued on 16-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito, whose highpitch on-court screeching has led the International Tennis Federation to consider making “noise hindrance” part of its code of conduct.

NADAL OPTS OUT OF WIMBLEDON

Rafael Nadal believed he couldn’t win Wimbledon this year because of his achy knees, so he decided it didn’t make sense to try. Nadal withdrew from the grass-court Grand Slam tournament on Friday, three days before it begins, becoming only the second men’s champion in 35 years to decline to defend his Wimbledon title.

“When I start a tournament like Wimbledon, it is to try to win,” the No. 1-ranked Nadal said. “My feeling right now is I’m not ready to play to win.”

A subdued Nadal, wearing a purple T-shirt and white pants, spoke at a news conference on Friday at the All England Club, in the same room where he took questions after beating Roger Federer in the epic 2008 final that ended after 9 pm with light fading. He announced his withdrawal about two hours after losing to 18th-ranked Stanislas Wawrinka in an exhibition match on grass at Hurlingham Club in South London.

“Today was the last test. I didn’t feel terrible but not close to my best,” said Nadal. “I’m just not 100 percent. I just don’t feel ready.”

I think the evaluation was for both knees, but the problem is only one knee, the right one, according to his website. He said he wanted to see how the knee is doing (not the knees).

This is the same knee problem that made him out of the Paris Masters event last year when he was forced out from his match against Nikolay Davydenko. The same pain that caused him missed the Davis Cup final in Argentina, also made him could not play for Masters Cup year end. And he came back stronger and win Australia Open and several masters.

Players have different ability to maintain their body and mind. Agassi had a bad hip injury but see how he could maintain and retired at over 30 yrs of age. Whoever has the strong mental and mind will capable more to maintain their body. No one better than Nadal mentally and physically. He will keep come back and win more grandslams.... Only time can prove it... VAMOS RAFA!!!!

Rafa gets pride of place

Defending champion Rafael Nadal was named Wimbledon top seed ahead of five-time winner Roger Federer.



But isn't if unfare? As Wimbledon officials employ a unique seeding system where they take into account previous results at the grasscourt championships and i believe there was a strong case for Federer to be named top seed because he has contested the last six finals. But the committee opted to stick to the world rankings.

The following are the seeded players at the 2009 Wimbledon Championship in Wimbledon, England:

MEN
1. Rafael Nadal, Spain
2. Roger Federer, Switzerland
3. Andy Murray, Britain
4. Novak Djokovic, Serbia
5. Juan Martin Del Potro, Argentina
6. Andy Roddick, United States
7. Fernando Verdasco, Spain
8. Gilles Simon, France
9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France
10. Fernando Gonzalez, Chile
11. Marin Cilic, Croatia
12. Nikolay Davydenko, Russia
13. Robin Soderling, Sweden
14. Gael Monfils, France
15. Marat Safin, Russia
16. Tommy Robredo, Spain
17. David Ferrer, Spain
18. James Blake, United States
19. Rainer Schuettler, Germany
20. Stanislas Wawrinka, Switzerland
21. Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic
22. Feliciano Lopez, Spain
23. Ivo Karlovic, Croatia
24. Radek Stepanek, Czech Republic
25. Dmitry Tursunov, Russia
26. Jurgen Melzer, Austria
27. Philipp Kohlschreiber, Germany
28. Mardy Fish, United States
29. Igor Andreev, Russia
30. Viktor Troicki, Serbia
31. Victor Hanescu, Romania
32. Albert Montanes, Spain

WOMEN
1. Dinara Safina, Russia
2. Serena Williams, United States
3. Venus Williams, United States
4. Elena Dementieva, Russia
5. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia
6. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia
7. Vera Zvonareva, Russia
8. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus
9. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark
10. Nadia Petrova, Russia
11. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland
12. Marion Bartoli, France
13. Ana Ivanovic, Serbia
14. Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia
15. Flavia Pennetta, Italy
16. Jie Zheng, China
17. Amelie Mauresmo, France
18. Samantha Stosur, Austria
19. Na Li, China
20. Anabel Medina Garrigues, Spain
21. Patty Schnyder, Switzerland
22. Alize Cornet, France
23. Aleksandra Wozniak, Canada
24. Maria Sharapova, Russia
25. Kaia Kanepi, Estonia
26. Virginie Razzano, France
27. Alisa Kleybanova, Russia
28. Sorana Cirstea, Romania
29. Sybille Bammer, Austria
30. Agnes Szavay, Hungary
31. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia
32. Anna Chakvetadze, Russia

Russia’s Marat Safin was the main beneficiary after being bumped up from his world ranking of 23rd to 15th seed following his unexpected run to the semifinals 12 months ago. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament which does not stick strictly to the ATP ranking list in deciding seedings. In allocating the slots the seedings committee takes into account performances on grass over a two-year period.

Former women’s champion Maria Sharapova has also been boosted up to 24th seed despite being ranked 59th. The Russian returned to the Tour last month after a layoff with a shoulder injury and she has been rewarded for impressive record at the All England Club.

The women’s top 16 seedings have stuck rigidly to the world rankings with Dinara Safina, Serena Williams and Venus Williams heading the field. Wimbledon begins on Monday and the draw takes place on Friday.

How the term 'Grand Slam' originated?

The other day my 6 year old nephew asked me the origin of the term 'Grand Slam'. I googled it and found more information on it and thought to put this collection in my tennis blog.
The term ‘Grand Slam’ was first coined by ardent bridge player, John Kiernan, when describing the antics of Australian Jack Crawford in the 1930s.

He had clinched the men’s singles at the Australian and French Opens and at the All England Club, and speculation was obviously rife as to his chances of lifting the US Open singles crown. Columnist, Kiernan wrote: “If Crawford wins, it would be something like scoring a Grand Slam on the courts, doubled and vulnerable.”

The term was quickly embraced, not only by tennis players and spectators, but the golfing fraternity as well.

The four major tournaments on the tennis circuit are known as Grand Slam tournaments. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. By their very nature, the Grand Slam venues all sport a very different court surface, so as to test the ability of the top players to adapt to very different conditions.

The Australian Open will be played on a totally new surface called ‘Plexicushion’. The venue will however remain the same – Melbourne Park.

The French Open is contested on the traditional red clay – all court surfaces in Europe are made up of red clay, whereas in the US, the courts are surfaced with green clay, or ‘Rubicon’.

Wimbledon Championships Grand Slam is contested on rye grass, and is the last remaining Grand Slam which takes place on a natural surface.

The US Open is played out on ‘DecoTurf’ or a hard court surface.

The term Grand Slam is also used when a player or doubles team wins all four Grand Slam events, and is further divided into:

Calendar Year Grand Slam or the Grand Slam – winning all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year. Since Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969, no other man has achieved the highest honour in singles tennis, whereas Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court and the great Steffi Graf are the women to walk away with a Calendar Year Grand Slam for the singles event. In the doubles event in recent times Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver have walked away with this achievement.

Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam – winning all four Grand Slams but not in a calendar year. Some recent tennis players are Steffi Graf and Serena Williams.

Career Grand Slam – Winning all four events at some point in their career, not necessarily in succession. Recent players with a Career Grand Slam include Andre Agassi, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf, and in the doubles event Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, and Bob and Mike Bryan and Serena & Venus Williams.

Calendar Year Golden Slam – Holding all four titles and Olympic gold in the same year. Only Steffi Graf has claimed the Calendar Year Golden Slam.

Career Golden Slam – Holding all four titles and Olympic gold at some point in their career. Recent players include Andre Agassi in singles and the “Woodies” and Williams sisters in doubles.

Small Slam – Winning three of the four tournaments in a year. Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors and Mats Wilander in the men’s singles events, and Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Monica Seles are some recent women who have achieved a Small Slam.

The Career ‘Boxed Set’ – Winning the singles, doubles and mixed doubles at all four events. In recent years Margaret Court and Martina Navratilova are the only tennis players to have clinched the ‘Boxed Set’. Serena Williams only has to win the mixed doubles at the Australian and French Opens to achieve her career ‘Boxed Set’.

For tickets to wimbledon check the link in the side bar. Hotels in wimbledon offering very good package this year. Wimbledon hotels are known for their hospitality. I've a feeling that FedEx will emerge victorious at the Wimbledon Championships Grand Slam event. So are you ready with your wimbledon tennis tickets for the years greatest tennis fest?

Provisional schedule of matches

During the first week, the early rounds of the Men’s and Ladies’ Singles, Men’s, Ladies’ and Mixed Doubles will be played on all courts, with top seeds’ matches played on the show courts. On the middle Saturday the Veterans’ and Juniors’ events commence and will be played on the outside courts as well as on some of the Show Courts.

Start Dates: Competition:
Mon 22 June: Men's and Ladies' Singles Start
Tue 23 June : Men's and Ladies' Doubles Start
Thu 25 June : Mixed Doubles Start
Sat 27 June : Boys' and Girls' Singles Start
:Veterans' Invitational Doubles Start
Mon 29 June : Boys' and Girls' Doubles Start
Sat 4 July :Gentlemen's Wheelchair Doubles Start

On the last three days on No.1 Court, there will be a full programme of play, it will comprise juniors' and veterans' matches, with the possibility of Championship Doubles Semi-Finals.

The Wimbledon will make a kick start on 22nd June and ends on 5th July. If you are thinking where to get the online tickets for Wimbledon championship, its easy now. Get the links for tickets in the side bar. Here is the detailed daywise schedule for Wimbledon championship 2009.
Monday 22 June
- 1st round of men's singles and women's singles competition.

Tuesday 23 June
- 1st round of men's singles and women's singles competition.

Wednesday 24 June
- 2nd round of men's and women's singles
- 1st round of men's and women's doubles

Thursday 25 June
- 2nd round of men's and women's singles
- first round of mixed doubles

Friday 26 June
- 3rd round of men's and women's singles
- 2nd round of men's and women's doubles
- 1st round of mixed doubles

Saturday 27 June
- 3rd round of men's and women's singles
- 2nd round of men's and women's doubles
- 1st round of mixed doubles

Sunday 28 June
- rest day

Monday 29 June
- 4th round of men's and women's singles
- 3rd round of men's and women's doubles
- 2nd round of mixed doubles

Tuesday 30 June
- women's singles quarter finals
- 4th round of men's singles
- 3rd round of men's and women's doubles
- 3rd round of mixed doubles

Wednesday 1 July
- men's singles quarter finals
- men's and women's doubles quarter finals
- 3rd round of mixed doubles

Thursday 2 July
- women's singles semi finals
- men's and women's doubles semi finals
- mixed doubles quarter finals

Friday 3 July
- men's singles semi finals
- men's and women's doubles semi finals
- mixed doubles quarter finals

Saturday 4 July
- women's singles final
- men's doubles final
- mixed doubles final

Sunday 5 July
- men's singles final
- women's doubles final

Tennis Courts

The new retractable roof over centre court is expected to be ready in time for the Wimbledon 2009 championships, which will come as relief to players and spectators after enduring the rain and delayed matches at previous events. In the past, fans have been placated by the likes of British pop sensation, Cliff Richard, who one year entertained the rain-soaked crowds with an impromptu sing-a-long.

Wimbledon is the last remaining Grand Slam competition to take place on a grass surface. Once the original surface of all tennis courts, the grass surfaces have slowly been phased out and replaced at the other Grand Slam events. Now, each of the three remaining Grand Slam venues boast a unique surface which test the skills and ability of the pros who compete each year at the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open tennis tournament.

Wimbledon Tradition

Steeped in tradition, the Wimbledon Championships has showcased the biggest names in tennis over the 130 years of its existence. Wimbledon winners like Rod Laver, Fred Perry, Pete Sampras, and Billie Jean King, Steffi Graf and England’s women's champion darling, Virginia Wade, all made their way to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and enthralled the crowds with their own exciting brand of tennis.

Who will ever forget the charming and graceful figure of Britain’s Princess Diana watching over some of the greatest clashes of all time between the “Ice Maiden” of US tennis, Chrissie Evert and her long-time nemesis, Martina Navratilova - the most famous Wimbledon women's champion.

Remember the long awaited debut of “bad boy” Andre Agassi on centre court. He chose to stay away from the Wimbledon tennis championships in 1990 refusing to adhere to the strict “all white” dress code of the tournament, only to acquiesce a year later and eventually go on to win the event.

Wimbledon 2009

Each year in high summer throngs of tennis enthusiasts travel from all corners of the globe to one of the most stunning cities in the world, London. Their mission is to watch the best in ladies and gentlemen’s tennis fight it out on the grass courts of Wimbledon for the most prestigious Grand Slam in the world. Wimbledon 2009 will be just as anticipated - if not more - as Rafael Nadal and Venus Williams defend their titles against the world's top players.

Royalty, captains of industry and the ordinary man all rub shoulders at this prestigious event, where strawberries and Devonshire clotted cream are the victuals of the day.

Fans are known to gather at the gates of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club overnight in an effort to get hold of 2009 Wimbledon tickets to this spectacular, ancient grass court contest.

Wimbledon 2008

Wimbledon 2008 saw history being made as Rafael Nadal snapped up his first title in the longest men's final (4hrs 48 mins), ending Roger Federer's 5-year winning streak at the championship 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7.

Nadal also became the first Wimbledon men's tennis player since Bjorn Borg to win the French Open and Wimbledon in one season.

Venus Williams claimed a spectacular 5th Wimbleon title at the event, defeating younger sister Serena Williams 7-5 -6-4 and adding a 16th Grand Slam title to her name.

The Williams sisters partnered up for the ladies doubles championships and claimed the title in straight sets against Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur.