Grand Slam Tennis 2 will include a host of gameplay features including:

• All-New Total Racquet Control: Control every shot with the right analog stick, smashing forehands, backhands, overheads and volleys with precision, accuracy and power. Utilize this innovative control system to take your game to the top! But if you prefer the old school button controls, those are still available!

• Become a Champion: Become a true Grand Slam tournament champion by capturing all four major championships in succession. The prestige of some of the most historic events in tennis come alive like never before, including the Australian Open, French Open, U.S. Open and exclusive to EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis franchise – Wimbledon.
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One year after his defeat against Marat Safin, Pete Sampras was once again in final of the US Open, against an other young gun: Lleyton Hewitt.

Pete Sampras ran out of steam against the 20 year Australian. In a match that recalled the 2000 final, he was thoroughly outclassed by Hewitt 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1.

From Sampras‘ autobiography ” A champion’s mind”:

“It had been a draining second week for me. After beating Rafter and winning that epic four-setter over Andre, I handled Marat Safin with relative ease.
I had to play Hewitt in the final barely twenty- four hours after finishing my semi, and by that point my brain was already slightly fried and my legs were feeling a little heavy. For a veteran, that twenty-four-hour turnaround at the Open is one of the toughest assignments in tennis, mentally as well as physically.”

“Hewitt was just twenty, and he still had peach fuzz on his face. With his long hair and clear blue eyes, he looked like a teenage surfing or skateboarding champ, and he played with a healthy disdain for etiquette, forever punctuating his better shots with gut-wrenching screams of “Come awwwwwwwn”. A year earlier, I had barely managed to containHewitt in the US Open semis, winning two of my three sets in tie-breakers.”

He was now a year older, a year wiser, a year hungrier – and a year stronger.

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Kim Clijsters and Rafael Nadal didn’t waste any time on court today: Kim destroyed Dinara Safina 6-0 6-0 and Nadal cruised to second round after his opponent, Marcos Daniel, retired in the second set.
All the other favorites (Vera Zvonareva, Sam Stosur, Andy Murray, Robin Soderling) qualified easily for the second round.
Good news also for 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro who played and won his first Grand Slam match since his defeat against Marin Cilic in Melbourne last year.
So, all the big players seem to be ready to stop Rafael Nadal en route for his ‘Rafa Slam’.

Day 2 complete results

Seeds upsets: Ana Ivanovic(19), Alexandra Dulgheru(27), Ernests Gulbis (24)

Aussie player of the day: Alicia Molik
All eyes are on Sam Stosur this year, but veteran Aussie Alicia Molik staged a remarkable comeback to defeat world No.37 Roberta Vinci, 1-6, 6-3, 8-6, and become the third and final Australian woman to reach the second round at Australian Open 2011 (the others are Jelena Dokic and Sam Stosur).

Stat of the day: 0
3-time Slam finalist Dinara Safina became the first former number one player in history to suffer a double bagel at a Grand Slam. So Safina, time to work or time to retire?

Match of the day: David Nalbandian defeats Lleyton Hewitt
Those two old enemies didn’t disappoint: Nalbandian beat Hewitt in a five set thriller 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (1), 9-7. Lleyton Hewitt may harbour some regrets as he wasted two match points and converted only 7 of his 30 break points.
Both players won the same number of points: 193.

Matches to follow on day 3:
Gilles Simon(FRA) vs. Roger Federer(SUI)[2]
Janko Tipsarevic(SRB) vs. Fernando Verdasco(ESP)[9]
Stanislas Wawrinka(SUI)[19] vs. Grigor Dimitrov(BUL)

Alejandro Fallo nearly caused the biggest upset in tennis history yesterday. Here is a quick look back at Wimbledon’s recent upsets:

2002: George Bastl defeats Pete Sampras
Swiss player Bastl was ranked 145 in the world when he tooked on the seven time champion of Wimbledon, Pete Sampras. Bastl, who only got into the tournament as a lucky loser after failing to qualify, beat the American in five sets.
2 months later, Pistol Pete played his last match at the US Open, defeating long time rival Andre Agassi in final, to win a 14th Grand Slam title.

2003: Ivo Karlovic defeats Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt joined 1966 champion Manuel Santana in becoming only the second defending men’s title holder in Wimbledon’s history to be knocked out in the first round. Unknown qualifier Ivo Karlovic went in to the 2003 tournament ranked 203 in the world, coming back from one set down, to beat Hewitt in 4 sets.

1987: Peter Doohan defeats Boris Becker
Becker, an unseeded champion at 17 in 1985, went on to successfully defend his title the following year. But in 1987, the Australian Doohan denied him a hat-trick of titles, beating Boom Boom in the second round.

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Centre court:

The grass, the queue and the Henman Hill are parts of what makes Wimbledon such a unique sports events, the greatest tennis tournament.

Grass:

Henman Hill:

Crowd:

Andy Murray:

‘Murray Mania’ has spread across UK, following Andy Murray’s historic win at The Queen’s Club, but Brits will have to wait at least another year to end its 73 years drought at Wimbledon as a rejuvenated Roddick ended Murray’s run.

Roger Federer:

Roger Federer became the greatest player in Grand Slam history as he beat Andy Roddick in five dramatic sets for a sixth Wimbledon and 15th major title.
The Swiss won 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 to surpass Pete Sampras’s 14 Grand Slam wins and regain the title he lost to Rafael Nadal in 2008.
Note for Nike and Federer: the jacket is RIDICULOUS, the 15 jacket is just too much.

Andy Roddick:

Roddick was on the verge of retirement after being dumped out of Wimbledon by Tipsarevic in 2008, but his wife Brooklyn convinced him to keep trying. And 12 months after, with the help of new coach Larry Stefanki, he reached his third Wimbledon final after wins over Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Murray. Fitter, faster and with a new variety to his game, Roddick gave it all during a dramtic 5 sets final, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Federer broking Sampras record. Andy lost the final but won many fans along the way.

Lleyton Hewitt:

Lleyton Hewitt caused the tournament’s first upset, the 2002 Wimbledon champion crushed 5th seed Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3 7-5 7-5. Before overcoming the young Argentinian, his losing streak against top 10 players streched back 15 matches. Having returned to full fitness after a career threatening hip injury, Hewitt has displayed a far more relaxed attitude and increased maturity. Supported by the vocal fanatics, he reached the second week for the sixth consecutive year, and his first Grand Slam quarter final in 3 years. Andy Roddick ended his run after a 5 set thriller which was one of the best matches of the tournament.

Fanatics:

The always vocal and colorful Fanatics boosted Hewitt’s and Stosur/Stubbs Wimbledon campaigns.

Serena Williams:

It was an all-Williams affair in finals again, but this time the younger sister prevailed. She won her third Wimbledon title (and first in 6 years) by beating sister Venus in straight sets 7-6 6-2.

Venus Williams:

Thanks to Warwick, former coach of Marcos Baghdatis and Amélie Mauresmo, who answered our questions.

What do you think about Rafa’s victory in Roland Garros, and do you think he can regain the title in Wimbledon?
Unbelievable!! My hat goes out to Rafa!! It is a privilege to watch him play. Rafa is an excellent role model for all those fortunate enough to witness his genius, inspiring thousands by what he has achieved on European red clay over the past five years.
You can just tell that Rafa is a man in total control of his emotions. Something we can all learn from! Not only is he energized and focused, he is able to stay calm at the same time and play the big points when it matters most.
This takes practice, hours of hard work and he deserves it more than anyone else!! As far as Rafa’s chances on Winning at the All England Club again, it is definitely possible. It all depends on his recovery after a gruelling clay court season!! Another factor will be the weather. If it is dry, this will favour Rafa, as the ball will bounce higher like on clay. However, if it is damp & wet this will make it harder for him to get any rhythm.

After a disappointing clay-court season, Federer reached the final in Halle. Could we have a 2008 final rematch against Nadal?
I hope so!!! Their 2008 Wimbledon final was a classic and I’m sure anyone would agree that watching these two different styles battle it out in the final of any Grand Slam is a dream match to watch. It will depend who’s more focused, or should we say, less focused on the World Cup Soccer in South Africa:)

Ousted by Sela in Queen’s, Roddick only won 3 matches since his title in Miami. Does he still have a chance to win Wimbledon?
Personally, I was surprised with Roddick’s loss to Sela at Queens?? Maybe he was sick or something? Not to take anything away from Sela who is a great fighter. However, when Andy’s serve is on and we all know how much he wants the Wimbledon title, anything is possible!! Again this will depend on the grass and whether there is much sun or more rain and dampness??
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