Wimbledon giantkiller happy to come out as gay

Wimbledon giantkiller Alison van Uytvanck said Thursday she was comfortable coming out as gay, saying “it is not a disease”.

The 24-year-old Belgian stunned defending champion and third seed Garbine Muguruza 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 to make the third round at the All England Club for the first time.

She then told reporters that she was happy to have come out as gay and talked about her relationship with fellow player Greet Minnen.



“We just decided to not make it personal and not keep it for ourselves. I’m happy,” said Van Uytvanck, the world number 47.

“I just feel like we don’t have to be ashamed of this, and that’s why I also want to be free.

“I’m not sick. I don’t have a disease. But I just feel like it’s good that I could come out as a gay person.”

Van Uytvanck is just one of three openly gay players on the women’s tour.

The others are Sweden’s Johanna Larsson and Richel van Hogenkamp of the Netherlands.

source: sports.inquirer.net

7-time champ Serena Williams gets smooth draw at Wimbledon

LONDON — Serena Williams avoided any early matchups against opponents with success to speak of at Wimbledon in a draw on Friday that could put her against No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina in the third round.

Williams is returning to the grass-court tournament for the first time since 2016 after missing it last year while pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter in September.

She is ranked outside the top 150, but the All England Club decided to seed her 25th based on past success, which includes collecting seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles trophies at Wimbledon. Williams’ first-round opponent when play begins on Monday will be 107th-ranked Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands, who has one career tour title.


Williams is competing for the first time since she pulled out of the French Open ahead of a fourth-round showdown against five-time major champion Maria Sharapova in early June, citing an injured chest muscle. That was Williams’ return to Grand Slam action after a 16-month absence.

Rus has only once been as far as Wimbledon’s third round, back in 2012. That was the last time she won a match at the All England Club. She was beaten in the first round of qualifying a year ago, as were both of the women Williams could meet in the second round, 136th-ranked qualifier Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria and 167th-ranked wild-card recipient Tereza Smitkova of the Czech Republic.

Svitolina has only once been as far as the fourth round.

Williams’ possible fourth-round opponent, 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys, made one quarterfinal appearance, while the 36-year-old American’s potential quarterfinal foe, reigning Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, has never been beyond the fourth round.

Williams could face her older sister, five-time champion and 2017 runner-up Venus, in the semifinals. The ninth-seeded Venus Williams opens against 62nd-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden, who is 0-7 at Wimbledon.

The Williams sisters are not in the doubles draw. They have won 14 Grand Slam titles as a pair, including six at Wimbledon.

In the top half of the women’s singles bracket, the quarterfinals could be French Open champion Simona Halep vs. two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, and defending champ Garbine Muguruza vs. No. 6 Caroline Garcia. In the bottom half, No. 2 Wozniacki was drawn to face Svitolina, while 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens could play No. 7 Karolina Pliskova.

The potential men’s quarterfinals in the top half are eight-time champion Roger Federer vs. 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Kevin Anderson, and 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic vs. No. 6 seed Grigor Dimitrov. In the bottom half of the bracket, it could be two-time Wimbledon winner Rafael Nadal vs. 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, and No. 4 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 7 Dominic Thiem.



Two-time champion Andy Murray will face 48th-ranked Benoit Paire in the first round. It’s a rematch of Murray’s fourth-round victory over the Frenchman at the All England Club in 2017.

That was Murray’s last win before he sat out nearly a year because of an injured hip that was surgically repaired in January.

He returned to action last week and so is ranked only 156th and unseeded at Wimbledon, which he won in 2013 and 2016.

Murray could face 26th-seeded Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the second round.

The top-seeded Federer’s opening opponent on Monday will be 57th-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia. Their only previous meeting anywhere came in Wimbledon’s second round last year, when Federer won in straight sets en route to the title.

No. 2 seed Nadal, whose 17 Grand Slam titles trail only Federer’s 20 among men, faces 129th-ranked Dudi Sela of Israel on Tuesday. Nadal has won both of their previous matchups.

Men’s first-rounders to keep an eye on include Dimitrov against three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, who is still working his way back into form after knee surgery; 12-time major champ Novak Djokovic against Australian Open quarterfinalist Tennys Sandgren of the U.S.; and No. 23 Richard Gasquet against Gael Monfils in a matchup of Frenchmen.

Two women who lost a Wimbledon final against Serena Williams will meet in the first round when former No. 1 and two-time major champion Angelique Kerber plays qualifier Vera Zvonareva. Kerber was the runner-up in 2016, Zvonereva in 2010.

Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion who is seeded 24th, could face 2017 French Open champion and 12th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko in the third round, and Kvitova in the fourth.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Williams edges Kvitova for 1st US Open semifinal since 2010

NEW YORK — When her work was done, her first trip to the U.S. Open semifinals since 2010 secured, if just barely, Venus Williams sat in her sideline chair and beamed .

Williams reached her third major semifinal of the season — something she last did 15 years ago — by edging two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (2) on Tuesday night to a soundtrack of thunderous partisan support under a closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Definitely felt like a special match. No easy moments, not easy to hold serve or break serve,” Williams said. “This match meant a lot to me, obviously, playing at home and, of course, it being a major.”

The 37-year-old Williams, who won titles at Flushing Meadows way back in 2000 and 2001, trailed 3-1 in the third set before digging out of the hole with a little help: Kvitova’s eighth double-fault handed over the break that made it 3-all.

And Kvitova’s ninth double-fault got Williams to match point in the tiebreaker.

“Sometimes you have opportunities, and sometimes you take them and you don’t, but it’s not like you get opportunity after opportunity after opportunity in these sorts of matches,” Williams said. “You have to take the ones you have.”

She will face unseeded Sloane Stephens on Thursday in the first all-American women’s semifinal in New York since 2002. Stephens advanced earlier Tuesday with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (4) victory over 16th-seeded Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia. It is Stephens’ deepest run at any major since 2013 and the apex of a recovery from foot surgery in January.

There could be another U.S. vs. U.S. semifinal on the other side of the draw: 15th-seeded Madison Keys and 20th-seeded CoCo Vandeweghe play their quarterfinals Wednesday.

“It’s been a great two weeks for American tennis. Seeing all the American players in the draw and all of them advancing so deep and competing so well,” Williams said. “It’s great to see this resurgence, and I hope it can continue.”

Kvitova, seeded 13th, was hoping to prolong her comeback from a knife attack less than nine months ago by reaching the first U.S. Open semifinal of her career. She needed surgery on her racket-holding hand after she was cut by an intruder at her home in the Czech Republic in December. She returned to the tour at the French Open in May, losing in the second round there and at Wimbledon.

Kvitova has said she still does not have full strength in her left hand. But she was often at her powerful best against No. 9 Williams, especially in the last two sets, repeatedly delivering big, flat forehands.

Neither woman played with a ton of subtlety, mainly trading stinging groundstrokes from the baseline on exchanges that grew in intensity as the 2-hour, 34-minute encounter went along.

“I had my chances,” Kvitova said. “Kind of.”

Williams, who revealed in 2011 she had been diagnosed with an energy-sapping autoimmune disease, is the oldest women’s semifinalist in New York in the Open era, which dates to 1968.

But this sort of throwback run is becoming almost routine again for Williams, who made it to the Australian Open final in January of this year, then the Wimbledon final in July. In 2002, she participated in three Grand Slam finals, losing each to her younger sister Serena.

Stephens, ranked 83rd, has won 13 of her past 15 matches, all on hard courts, reaching the semifinals at three consecutive tournaments for the only time in her career.

She had an operation in January, and while forced to stay away from her sport, she found a new appreciation for it. The time off also allowed her to enjoy other aspects of life.

“I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t do all the things that I wanted to do. But I did get to hang out with my family and see my little cousin’s soccer games and go to weddings and baby showers and stuff. All the things that I thought before I was missing out on, (now) I really wasn’t,” said Stephens, whose late father, John Stephens, was the 1988 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for the New England Patriots, and whose mother, Sybil Smith, was Boston University’s first All-American in women’s swimming.

“It was just kind of, like, eye-opening,” Stephens added. “When I wasn’t playing, like, of course I loved my time off, but when I got back to playing tennis, it was, like, this is where I want to be. This is what I love doing.”

In the men’s quarterfinals, No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain and No. 28 Kevin Anderson of South Africa each advanced to the final four at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

Anderson got past 17th-seeded Sam Querrey of the United States 7-6 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-3, 7-6 (7) in a match that ended shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday. Much, much earlier, Carreno Busta of Spain had no trouble beating No. 29 Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. It was Carreno Busta’s first match of the tournament against an opponent who was not a qualifier.

“I know that I didn’t win matches against top players — top-10 or top-20 players,” Carreno Busta said, “but I am very happy with my tournament.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Federer shines bright in twilight zone

LONDON, United Kingdom — Roger Federer insists he is only slightly surprised to find himself tantalizingly within touching distance of a record eighth Wimbledon title despite his 36th birthday fast approaching.

The Swiss star reached the Wimbledon semi-finals for the 12th time on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Milos Raonic.

It was his 100th match at the All England Club and the 50th Grand Slam quarter-final of his career.

At 35, Federer is the second oldest man to reach the semi-finals after Ken Rosewall who finished runner-up in 1974 at the age of 39.

With ‘Big Four’ rivals Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic suffering injury-hit exits on Wednesday and Rafael Nadal having lost in the fourth round, Federer is favourite to reclaim the Wimbledon title on Sunday and break the tie for seven he has shared with Pete Sampras since 2012.

It would also take him to 19 career majors and make him the oldest champion at Wimbledon in the Open era.

“The plan was always to hopefully be strong later on in my career,” said Federer who will face Tomas Berdych in Friday’s semi-finals.

“I don’t see myself playing better than a few years ago. I always hope to improve every year.

“I’m just very happy that I’m still doing so well. Am I surprised? Maybe a little bit.”

The contrast between Federer and Murray and Djokovic on Wednesday was impossible to ignore.

Defending champion and world number one Murray lost in five sets to Sam Querrey of the United States, hobbled by a long-standing right hip injury.

Djokovic, the three-time winner, quit after two games of the second set of his quarter-final against Berdych with a right elbow injury.

Like Murray’s hip, the elbow problem plaguing Djokovic has been a constant menace for many seasons.

It has got so bad that Djokovic admitted he is contemplating either surgery or even an extended break from the sport.

Federer has already trimmed back his schedule, skipping the 2016 and 2017 French Opens which were won by Djokovic and Nadal.

After losing to Raonic in the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, Federer shut down his season to rest a knee injury which had already required surgery earlier in 2016.

He came back in January this year, won the Australian Open for his 18th Slam, added the Indian Wells-Miami Masters double before hibernating again through the claycourt season.

“Once you hit 30, you’ve got to look back and think of how much tennis have I played, how much rest did I give my body over the years, how much training have I done, did I do enough, did I overdo it or not enough,” he explained.

“It’s always calibrating the whole thing. For me it worked out. Sometimes the body and the mind do need a rest.” CBB

source: sports.inquirer.net

Madison Keys wins opening match at Wimbledon

LONDON — Madison Keys won her opening match on Monday at Wimbledon, beating Nao Hibino of Japan 6-4, 6-2.

The 17th-seeded American reached the quarterfinals at the All England Club in 2015 and the fourth round last year.

Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios has retired from his first-round match at Wimbledon after losing the first two sets.

The 20th-seeded Australian was trailing Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France 6-3, 6-4 when he called for a trainer to work on his left hip. He then decided to stop the match.

Kyrgios also retired with an injury from his first-round match at Queen’s, a Wimbledon warm-up tournament.

Despite warm temperatures with sun peeking through the clouds, Kyrgios was wearing white tights under his shorts.

Defending champion Andy Murray will be up first on Centre Court at about 1 p.m. (8 p.m. PHT) against Alexander Bublik.

First up on No. 1 Court will be Venus Williams, a five-time champion who faces Elise Mertens.

This is Williams’ first match since she was involved in a car accident in Florida on June. The American is being sued by the estate of a man who died about two weeks after the crash that police say Williams caused.

Other major title winners on the Day 1 schedule include Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Petra Kvitova.

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cambridge has offered praise to Wimbledon‘s ball boys and ball girls, saying their professionalism made a huge difference to the players.

The former Kate Middleton made her first visit to the tournament in her capacity as patron of the All England Club. The duchess told two ball girls and a boy that their work “makes the game happen.”

After praising their dedication, she also added, “You look so smart.”

Kate will take her place in the royal box to watch Andy Murray on Centre Court on Monday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

A lot going on for Murray as Wimbledon defense begins

LONDON — Based on Andy Murray’s body language alone, reporters’ questions can produce an inordinate amount of consternation.

He’ll puff his cheeks, then let out a sigh. He’ll rub his forehead, then clutch his chin. When answers do arrive, some are preceded by a hesitant “Ummm.” Others begin with “No” or “I wouldn’t have thought so” — or both. “I don’t know” is a popular refrain.

Truth is, given all that is going on at the moment, the No. 1-seeded Murray could be forgiven for having a lot on his mind as he prepares to start his title defense at the All England Club on Monday.

There’s a second child on the way for Murray and his wife — happy news, of course, and on Sunday, he assured a reporter who asked about its potential effect on his tennis this fortnight, “It’s certainly not a distraction in the slightest.”

There’s his inconsistent season and the chance he could relinquish his spot atop the rankings to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Stan Wawrinka two weeks from now.

There’s the matter of figuring out how to deal with his unorthodox opponent in the grass-court Grand Slam tournament’s opening Centre Court match. They’ve never played each other, but Murray is somewhat familiar with Alexander Bublik, who is from Russia but represents Kazakhstan, just turned 20 and says he finds watching tennis boring: They had an off-court encounter for an ATP promotional video this year.

And there’s also the sore left hip that led one British tabloid to ask readers — at psychic Uri Geller’s prompting — to rub that part of Murray’s body in a front-page photo to heal him.

“I’ve felt fairly calm the last few days, considering how I’ve been feeling,” Murray said.

The hip forced Murray to skip exhibition matches on grass and a few days of training. But he said it’s feeling much better.

“Obviously, this is an extremely important tournament, so you worry a little bit,” he said. “It’s a little bit stressful if you can’t practice for a few days. You really want to be preparing, training, as much as you can to get ready and make you feel better, especially when you hadn’t had any matches.”

He is 21-9 so far in 2017, and his lone title came with the benefit of facing only one player ranked in the top 25.

Still, here was Roger Federer’s assessment of Murray’s chances at a place where in 2013 he became the first British man in 77 years to grab the trophy: “If he’s anything close to 100 percent physically, I consider him one of the big favorites to win the tournament. It’s that simple.”

Murray did manage to reach the semifinals at the French Open, but since then he has played only one match — and lost.

“I can take some anti-inflammatories if my hip flares up,” he said. “Hopefully that’s not the case.”

Could be a lot of running required Monday, given the 134th-ranked Bublik’s penchant for sliced returns, drop shots, lobs and run-around forehands from midcourt.

“My game is unpredictable. I don’t even know what I’m going to do,” Bublik said. “When the ball is coming to me, I decide right before I hit. So I don’t have a plan.”

Murray is aware of all of that.

“Some more sort of shots that guys may play in exhibitions, he tries when he’s out there,” Murray said. “That’s what I’ve heard.”

Bublik acknowledges he’ll win more matches when he can “find a balance between making jokes and (being) a showoff.”

He lost in the final round of qualifying last week, but made it into the main draw thanks to another player’s withdrawal.

Bublik is known on tour for possessing, as Murray put it, “a big personality,” and that came through vividly during a session with a group of reporters at the All England Club.

Among other topics, Bublik discussed the “famous” Russian rappers he expects in his guest box on Monday; the tattoos on his right forearm (a map showing his hometown of St. Petersburg and a couple of quotations attributed to Eminem); and his disdain for following his own sport.

“Even Rafa and Fed, you watch, the guys are putting everything in the court. It’s not interesting,” Bublik said with a mischievous grin. “I mean, it’s interesting to see the highlights … but when they’re rallying for 45 shots, you’re sitting and you’re feeling, ‘OK, can I quit tennis, please?’”

Very little of Murray’s sort of hemming and hawing there.

source: sports.inquirer.net

No. 2 Murray narrows gap to No. 1 Djokovic in ATP rankings

LONDON — Andy Murray’s Wimbledon title has allowed him to make a dent in the still-substantial gap in the ATP rankings between him and No. 1 Novak Djokovic, last year’s champion at the All England Club.

Entering Wimbledon, Djokovic had nearly twice as many points as No. 2 Murray, 16,950 to 8,915. But after Djokovic’s loss in the third round, and Murray’s third Grand Slam trophy, the margin is 15,040 to 10,195 on Monday.

Serena Williams’ seventh title at Wimbledon and 22nd at a Grand Slam tournament keeps her at No. 1 in the WTA rankings, while runner-up Angelique Kerber jumps two spots to No. 2.

Williams’ sister Venus moves up one spot to No. 7 after reaching her first major semifinal since 2010.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Murray wins Wimbledon, beats Raonic in 3 sets

LONDON – After Britain famously endured a 77-year wait between Wimbledon men’s champions, Andy Murray has given the host country a pair of titles in quick succession.

Murray dulled booming serves with quick-reflex returns, played impressively mistake-free tennis while coming up with daring passing shots and beat Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) on Sunday for his second trophy at the All England Club since 2013 and third Grand Slam championship overall.

When he sat in his sideline chair after it was over, Murray wiped away tears with a tournament towel.

The second-seeded Murray was playing in his 11th major final, but the first against someone other than Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer.

But he didn’t need to face either of those rivals this fortnight: The sixth-seeded Raonic eliminated Federer in five sets in the semifinals Friday, and also defeated the player who stunned Djokovic in the third round, Sam Querrey.

Those wins helped the 25-year-old Raonic make his debut in a Grand Slam title match — the first man representing Canada to make it that far at one of the sport’s four most important tournaments.

He did it, primarily, on the strength of his speedy and intimidating serves, averaging 25½ aces while being broken a total of only five times through six matches. But on a breezy afternoon, at a Centre Court filled with nearly 15,000 partisan fans, Murray basically shut down that integral part of Raonic’s game.

It’s been a rough few weeks for Britain, what with its vote to leave the European Union, the resulting drop of the pound’s value, and the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, who was seated in the front row of the Royal Box on Sunday, several seats over from Prince William and his wife, Kate.

Murray was even asked by a reporter during Wimbledon how it felt being Britain’s “last hope,” a question he jokingly dismissed by replying, “It’s not that bad, is it? Is it that bad?”

Murray, a 29-year-old from Scotland, long dealt with the expectations and pressures that accompanied being the locals’ best chance to find a new champion to succeed Fred Perry, who won the tournament in 1936. But Murray has thrived, with a counter-punching, defensive game and sublime returns of serve.

In a testament to Murray’s ability as a returner — a combination of timing and dexterity — it took Raonic 36 minutes and five service games to record his first ace. Over and over, Murray managed to get the ball back, even one that came in at 147 mph.

Raonic was limited to eight aces in all, only one more than Murray.

And while Murray only managed to break Raonic once, to lead 4-3 in the opening set, that was all it took, because the tiebreakers were both one-way traffic. Just as significant: Murray took 50 of 65 points he served across the first two sets, not only never facing so much as a break point in that span but only once being taken to deuce.

Finally, at 2-all in the third, Raonic got to 15-40 for his first — and, it turned out, only — break points, thanks to a forehand return winner off an 82 mph second serve. But Murray stood tall, taking the next four points to hold, then wheeling toward his box, pumping his right fist and yelling.

He was well on his way, thanks to such clean play that he finished with a mere 12 unforced errors, while Raonic had 29.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Serena wins 7th Wimbledon, record-equaling 22nd major title

Serena Williams powered to her seventh Wimbledon crown as the world number one finally claimed a record-equalling 22nd major title with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Angelique Kerber in Saturday’s final.

Williams had been stuck on 21 Grand Slams since winning last year’s Wimbledon, but the American star ended that frustrating barren spell to retain the title and draw level with Steffi Graf’s Open era record.

Serena was pushed hard by Kerber in a high-quality clash lasting 81 minutes on Centre Court, but the German fourth seed eventually crumbled under a barrage of 39 winners and 13 aces from the defending champion.

“It’s a great feeling to be here. Angelique brings out great tennis in me,” said Serena.

“Number 22 is awesome. Centre Court feels like home.”

Kerber said the American was a great champion.

“Serena you deserve it, you are a great champion and great person. We played a great match,” said Kerber.

“It’s an honor to play on Centre Court and a great feeling.”

Having avenged her shock loss against Kerber in the Australian Open final in January, Williams was wreathed in smiles as she paraded the Venus Rosewater Dish around Centre Court after collecting a cheque for £2 million ($2.5 million, 2.3 million euros).

But the far more significant reward is the knowledge she has reestablished her supremacy at a time when doubters were beginning to question the 34-year-old’s hunger for more silverware after consecutive Slam final defeats this year.

In a testament to her remarkable longevity as the sport’s preeminent force, Serena is once again Wimbledon’s queen 14 years after her first success at the All England Club.

Equalling Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles will be Serena’s next goal.

The 71st singles title of Williams’ astonishing career also moved her within two of Martina Navratilova’s all-time record of nine Wimbledon triumphs.

Showing signs of cracking under the pressure of her bid for tennis immortality, Williams had cut a grumpy figure for much of the tournament, earning a fine for racquet smashing and threatening to sue Wimbledon officials if she was injured on a wet court.

But a serene focus came over Williams with the trophy in sight and she delivered a 48-minute masterclass against Elena Vesnina in the quickest semi-final in Wimbledon history.

Defiant

With pop royalty Beyonce and Jay-Z among Serena’s entourage in the players’ box, Williams finally hit the right notes after so many recent disappointments.

In her ninth Wimbledon final and 28th at the majors, Williams had a golden opportunity to seize the initiative in Kerber’s first service game, but the German showed her mettle as she nervelessly saved three break points.

Given Williams’ pursuit of Graf’s historic landmark, it was a delicious twist that the 47-year-old had played a role in Kerber’s recent rise after advising her compatriot.

Showing she has heeded Graf’s words of wisdom, Kerber had sprinted to the final without dropping a set in her six matches and she matched Serena blow for blow in a tense first set.

Kerber, in her first Wimbledon final and second major title match, was moving Williams into awkward positions with her left-handed ground-strokes.

But Serena kept slugging away and the barrage eventually proved too much for the 28-year-old to resist.

A sequence of blistering ground-strokes rocked the German deep behind the baseline on set point, forcing a fatal error that Serena celebrated with a defiant shriek and a prolonged double-fist pump.

Kerber was still competing gamely in the second set, but when she finally earned a first break point in the seventh game, Williams got out of trouble with a pair of imperious aces.

The German’s look of resignation suggested the end was in sight and so it proved as Serena broke in the next game.

Serena’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou says she enjoys her major triumphs for little more than five minutes before switching her attention to the next target.

But judging by the joyous way Williams slumped flat on her back on Centre Court when Kerber miscued on match point, the sweet taste of this historic success might linger a little longer.

source: sports.inquirer.net

3 years after winning Wimbledon, Bartoli says she is ill

LONDON — Three years after winning the title at Wimbledon, Marion Bartoli said she has contracted an unknown virus and her life is an “absolute nightmare.”

The 31-year-old Frenchwoman is now extremely thin and said it’s because she is ill.

“My life right now, it’s an absolute nightmare,” Bartoli said in an interview on British channel ITV’s “This Morning” show. “What I’m going through, I wish it to absolutely nobody.”

Bartoli won the women’s title at Wimbledon in 2013, and retired from the sport the next month. She now works in fashion and also does TV commentating at tennis events.

She is working at Wimbledon, and had planned to play in the women’s invitational tournament for former players but said her doctors told her she couldn’t.

Serena Williams, a longtime rival on the court, praised Bartoli for going public with her problem.

“I was really proud to hear she did say something,” Williams said Thursday after reaching her ninth Wimbledon final. “She took it upon herself to acknowledge what she’s been fighting through. I really admire anyone that is courageous like that.”

Bartoli said she believes she contracted the disease while on a long flight in February.

She said she can only eat organic leaves and cucumbers without skin because her body rejects other food. She also can’t be in contact with tap water, she said, adding she has been seeking treatment.

“As a Wimbledon champion, I’m trying to fight my hardest to go through it and to survive,” Bartoli said. “I think my Wimbledon title is actually the strength I have inside me. I just really want people to understand I don’t do that to myself on purpose.” TVJ

source: sports.inquirer.net

Huey, Mirnyi advance to Wimbledon doubles semis

TREAT Huey and partner Max Mirnyi crushed their quarterfinal foes to advance in the Wimbledon men’s doubles Final Four Wednesday night.

The 30-year-old Filipino and his Belarusian partner defeated Jonathan Marray of Great Britain and Adil Shamasdin of Canada, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3, in Court 2 of the famed All England courts.

It was the best ever achievement for a Filipino in a Grand Slam event although Huey made semis this year in Australian Open mixed doubles with Andreja Klepac of Slovenia.

Huey previously reached men’s doubles quarterfinals twice in Melbourne (2004 and 2016) and US Open (2013).

source: sports.inquirer.net

Djokovic facing Wimbledon humiliation as Sunday play confirmed

World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic was facing Wimbledon humiliation on Friday before rain saved him from his worst defeat at the tournament since 2008.

Three-time winner Djokovic, who is halfway to the first calendar Grand Slam in 47 years, dropped the first two sets of his third round clash against American 28th seed Sam Querrey 7-6 (8/6), 6-1.

But after just 73 minutes of action, rain sent the pair running for cover off Court One, giving 12-time major winner Djokovic welcome sanctuary before play was called off for the day.

By the end of Friday, which had seen just three hours of action on outside courts, only 15 of the scheduled 32 ties had been completed.

That led organizers to decide that for the first time since 2004, and only the third time in history, play will take place on the middle Sunday

Djokovic, who has an 8-1 record over Querrey, has made at least the quarter-finals on his last seven visits to Wimbledon since losing to Marat Safin in the second round eight years ago.

In contrast, seven-time champion Roger Federer had the advantage of playing under the Centre Court roof and became the first man in the fourth round thanks to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over Britain’s Daniel Evans

Federer, beaten in the last two finals by Djokovic, has been aided by a generous draw that pitted him against two lowly Brits in world number 772 Marcus Willis and then world number 91 Evans.

“I didn’t make the draw but it’s been fun playing against Marcus and now Dan,” said Federer who now has 305 Grand Slam singles match victories, which moves him within touching distance of Martina Navratilova’s record of 306.

The All England Club, which has suffered three severely-hit rain days in the first week, said that playing on Sunday was needed to catch-up.

Williams sisters survive

In a further effort to cut the backlog, all men’s second round doubles matches were reduced to best of three sets rather than five.

There were still four second round singles to finish including two-time champion Petra Kvitova against Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova.

“The move has been made in order to reduce the backlog of matches and to allow The Championships to finish as scheduled,” said a club spokesman.

World number one and defending champion Serena Williams defeated US compatriot Christina McHale 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court, only just avoiding what would have been her earliest-ever Wimbledon defeat.

The six-time Wimbledon champion will face Germany’s Annika Beck for a place in the last 16.

“It was a really good match. She played great and she always plays great against me,” Williams said after seeing off the world number 65.

“I know mentally no-one can break me.”

Five-time champion Venus Williams reached the last-16, seeing off Russian teenager Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 in a tie featuring a rain stoppage when she held match point.

Williams, 36, was 7-6, 40-30 up on Kasatkina’s serve in the final set on Court One when play was halted.

Seventy-five minutes later, the players returned with Kasatkina saving the match point, the second of the day.

But Williams eventually triumphed at the third time of asking when the 19-year-old dumped a forehand into the net.

Williams, the eighth seed, goes on to face Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever played a 10-8 set. That was pretty intense. All you can think is ‘hold serve’. Easier said than done,” said the American.

Juan Martin del Potro admitted he felt “alive again” after the injury-plagued former US Open champion sent Swiss fourth seed Stan Wawrinka crashing out.

Playing in his first Grand Slam tournament since the 2014 Australian Open, his 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 second round victory over Wawrinka brought back memories of his stunning 2009 US Open win before a series of wrist injuries pushed him to the brink of retirement.

The world number 165 from Argentina, who was a semi-finalist in 2013 in what was his last appearance at Wimbledon, next faces French 32nd seed Lucas Pouille.

“It feels amazing, I feel alive again,” said the 27-year-old who has undergone three wrist surgeries in the last two years.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Del Potro sends Wawrinka out of Wimbledon

Juan Martin del Potro sent Swiss fourth seed Stan Wawrinka crashing out of Wimbledon on Friday with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 victory in the second round.

The world number 165 from Argentina, who was a semi-finalist in 2013 in what was his last appearance at the tournament, next faces either French 32nd seed Lucas Pouille or Donald Young of the United States.

Del Potro is playing in his first major since the Australian Open in 2014 after undergoing three wrist surgeries.

“It feels amazing, it’s a great sensation,” said 27-year-old Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion.

“I enjoyed the crowd. It’s an incredible feeling, that’s why my hands are still shaking.

“I feel alive again. After sitting at home for two years, this feels like a second or third career,” added the former world number four.

source: sports.inquirer.net

WIMBLEDON 2016: Djokovic seeks next step toward Golden Slam

Novak Djokovic has accomplished so much in his career — and, indeed, already this year.

He owns 12 Grand Slam singles titles, a total eclipsed by only three men in the long history of tennis. He has won four consecutive major tournaments, something only two other men ever did. He leads the tour in wins (44-3 record) and titles (six) in 2016.

Now, with Wimbledon starting Monday, there is something more for Djokovic to pursue, something never achieved by a man and only once by a woman: a Golden Slam, consisting of winning all four major singles titles, plus an Olympic singles gold medal, in one season. As it is, Djokovic is halfway to a true Grand Slam, collecting championships on the hard courts of the Australian Open in January, then the red clay of the French Open earlier this month.

Among men, only Don Budge in 1938, and Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969, managed to win all four Grand Slam tournaments within a calendar year (none of those were Summer Games years and, anyway, tennis was not part of the Olympics in those days).

“There’s going to be a lot of pressure on him,” Laver said about Djokovic, adding: “For me, I think it’s very possible he can pull it off.”

When he won his first French Open title this month to become the first man since Jim Courier in 1992 to even get halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam, Djokovic certainly did not try to play down the possibility of equaling Laver’s achievement.

“Well, I don’t want to sound arrogant,” Djokovic said after extending his Grand Slam winning streak to 28 matches, “but I really think everything is achievable in life.”

Why shouldn’t he feel that way?

At 29, he is probably at his peak, as close to unbeatable as there is these days, possessing the best return of serve in the game, an unparalleled ability to contort his body and track down opponents’ apparent winners while going from defense to offense in a blink, and an improving serve.

And from match to match, surface to surface, Djokovic rarely wavers.

“People are starting to respect him more and more,” said seven-time major champion John McEnroe, part of ESPN’s broadcast team at the All England Club, “(and) to see the astronomical level of consistency he’s had, incredible success week in and week out.”

Djokovic has participated in the past six Grand Slam finals, a run surpassed only by Roger Federer in the Open era.

Djokovic also is gaining on another, more revered, mark: Federer’s 17 Grand Slam titles. Next on the all-time list are Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras, with 14 apiece.

“He’s there, for sure — one of the best now,” said Marian Vajda, who co-coaches Djokovic alongside Boris Becker. “Hard to say who’s the greatest. But according to the Grand Slams, he is getting close to Federer and Nadal.”

At Wimbledon, Djokovic won’t see Nadal, out with an injured left wrist. Federer is finally, at 34, showing signs of age, including missing the French Open to end a record streak of 65 consecutive majors. This is also the first time since 2000 that Federer heads to the All England Club without having won any ATP title all season.

At this point, the top-ranked Djokovic’s most serious challenger has to be No. 2 Andy Murray, the man he beat in the finals at both the Australian Open and French Open this year. Murray has reached 10 Grand Slam finals, winning only two, but both victories did come against Djokovic.

Murray also has reunited with Ivan Lendl, his coach when he won an Olympic gold medal (at the All England Club) and the U.S. Open in 2012, and Wimbledon a year later.

Still, Djokovic has the momentum and ability to take aim at a truly historic season, including the chance to win his first Olympic gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Games in August.

Steffi Graf collected the only Golden Slam in 1988, and the world saw in 2015 just how much pressure and attention Serena Williams dealt with as she came within two match wins of the first calendar-year Grand Slam since then.

Williams hasn’t won a major since getting her fourth in a row at Wimbledon last year to raise her career count to 21, one short of Graf’s Open-era record.

“Something is holding her back,” said 18-time major champion Chris Evert, now an ESPN analyst, “and it could be nerves.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Djokovic and Serena Williams named ITF players of the year

LONDON - Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were named men's and women's world champions for 2015 by the International Tennis Federation on Tuesday.

The Serb ended the year as men's world number one for the fourth time after taking three majors - the Australian, Wimbledon and US Open, as well as finishing runner-up to Stan Wawrinka in the French.

Williams also narrowly missed a calendar-year grand slam, winning the Australian, French and Wimbledon and reaching the her home US Open semi-final.

Martina Hingis, of Switzerland, and India's Sania Mirza were named women's doubles world champions, with Jean-Julien Rojer, of the Netherlands, and Romania's Horia Tecau taking the men's award.

Hingis thus became an ITF world champion again 15 years after being crowned singles champion.

Dalma Galfi, of Hungary, and USA's Taylor Fritz were named ITF junior champions. — Reuters

Djokovic, Serena reign despite sudden impact shocks

PARIS - Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams celebrated seasons of epic proportions, claiming six of eight Grand Slam titles in a march to greatness dented only by two players producing once-in-a-lifetime performances.

Djokovic ended 2015 with 11 titles, 82 wins and just six defeats in a haul which included three of the four majors—the Australian and US Opens and Wimbledon.

His on-court earnings of $21 million swelled his career total to a mind-boggling $94 million while the 28-year-old Serb now has 10 Grand Slam titles among his 59 career trophies.

Djokovic won six of the nine Masters and topped it off with a fourth successive end-of-season World Tour Finals triumph in London.

"I'm very proud to have these achievements with my team," said Djokovic. "It's been a long season, but the best of my life."

Djokovic reached the final of every tournament he played with the exception of his 2015 bow in Doha where Ivo Karlovic stunned him in the quarter-finals.

From then on it was one-way traffic—indoors, outdoors, hardcourt, clay and grass— the Australian Open, Masters in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome and then Wimbledon, US Open, Beijing, the Shanghai and Paris Masters and London

But Djokovic was still left with a case of 'what might have been' thanks to a single-handed backhand blitz delivered by Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros where a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 defeat left him still seeking a first French Open and a career Grand Slam.

Wawrinka fired 59 winners past Djokovic who finished runner-up for the third time in four years. The defeat left him in tears.

Roger Federer, who hasn't added to his 17 majors since 2012 Wimbledon, continued to defy the critics.

Despite passing 34 in August, the Swiss reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals and handed Djokovic a rare defeat in the round-robin section of the World Tour Finals before the Serb swept to a comfortable revenge in the title match.

The Swiss ended the year at three in the world and then ended his two-year partnership with coach Stefan Edberg.

Andy Murray finished at two after a season which saw him win his first titles on clay, announce that he will become a father in February and lead Britain to a first Davis Cup in 79 years.

Vinci stunner

Meanwhile, 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal may have lost his iron-grip on the French Open and suffer his worst rankings slump in a decade, but there were encouraging signs of life as the year ticked away.

He made the finals in Basel and Beijing and the semi-finals in London before ending 2015 back at five in the world.

The men's tour also endured a seedy controversy when controversial Nick Kyrgios was fined for an ugly sex slur aimed at Wawrinka in Montreal.

What Wawrinka did to Djokovic in Paris in June, unheralded Italian Roberta Vinci did to Serena Williams in New York in September.

Williams was looking to complete the calendar Grand Slam and win a 22nd major.

She looked on course for a routine semi-final win when she took the first set 6-2 against the 32-year-old, wafer-thin Italian who was playing in her first last-four clash at the highest level.

But from nowhere, the world number 43 raced through the next two sets for a famous win and a place in the final against fellow Italian and childhood friend Flavia Pennetta.

Pennetta triumphed for a first Grand Slam crown and promptly announced her retirement.

Williams was so stunned that she called time on her season, sitting out the last three months, an absence which helped Agnieszka Radwanska lift the WTA Championship title.

Williams was still the standout player of 2015, winning five titles in all, including the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon.

Her record read 53 wins against just three losses and she finished as the year-end world number one for a fifth time and third consecutive season.

She also inflicted a 17th successive win over long-time rival Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon semi-finals with the Russian star then forced to sit out the US Open with a leg injury.

Sharapova recovered her fitness to make a rare Fed Cup appearance in November's final against the Czech Republic but even her two singles wins weren't enough to prevent a 3-2 win for the Czechs. —Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Djokovic, Williams head elite fields for US Open

Wimbledon champions and world number ones Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams head the field for the men's and women's events at this year's U.S. Open, the United States Tennis Association announced on Wednesday.

Djokovic, who has reached the U.S. Open final five times and won the title in 2011, tops an elite list that includes other former champions in Roger Federer (2004-08), Rafa Nadal (2010, 2013), Andy Murray (2012) and last year's winner Marin Cilic.

Serbian Djokovic will be aiming to land his third grand slam crown this year, having triumphed at the Australian Open in February before beating Federer in four sets in the Wimbledon final earlier this month.

The U.S. Open will be played from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.

Serena Williams will command much of the spotlight over that fortnight as she bids to become only the third woman to win the "calendar year" grand slam in the professional era.

Aged 33, she outclassed Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 6-4 6-4 in the Wimbledon final earlier this month.

It was a sixth Wimbledon title and a 21st grand slam crown for Williams and, unless she suffers a dip in form, it seems unlikely anyone can stop her march into the history books at Flushing Meadows where she is unbeaten since 2011.

She won her sixth U.S. Open last year, and has since landed the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles this season.

Joining Williams will be Russian world number two Maria Sharapova, the 2006 U.S. Open champion; third-ranked Simona Halep of Romania and fourth-ranked Czech Petra Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion.  — Reuters

Nadal leads Spanish players' criticism of federation

Rafa Nadal and David Ferrer along with other high-profile figures in Spanish tennis have signed an open letter criticizing their federation over the poor running of the sport in the latest development of an ongoing feud.

A total of 44 people put their name on Sunday to a seven-point statement that hit out at general poor organization along with a lack of transparency by the Spanish federation (RFET).

It emphasized the "chaotic" and "belligerent" way that the federation is led by president Jose Luis Escanuela and asks that the "necessary authorities" take swift action to remedy the situation.

The letter comes on the back of claims in local media that the nation's first female Davis Cup captain Gala Leon offered her resignation following continued disapproval of her appointment last September, but it was not accepted by the federation.

Nadal was among those who reacted with disbelief at the RFET's naming of Leon, who had a career-high ranking of 27 as a player, to replace Carlos Moya.

It has led to accusations of sexism and Nadal himself admitted over the weekend that the controversy is tarnishing the image of Spanish tennis.

"The situation is terrible," Nadal told a news conference ahead of the Wimbledon.

"All these things that are happening cause damage to tennis, to the desire sponsors might have to invest in our sport, to the excitement that kids might have in continuing to play," added the 14-times grand slam champion.

There has also been a standoff between the government sports council (CSD), which has questioned Leon's appointment, and Escanuela.

Spain's disciplinary committee for sports (TAD) last week suspended Escanuela for one month for failing to collaborate in a probe into the federation's finances.

The CSD says it is attempting to track down what happened to at least 700,000 euros ($775,140) the RFET paid out in transactions linked to the Spanish Tennis Foundation and the Spanish Tennis Observatory. - Reuters