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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Sam Stosur advances to the semifinals : she could have won easily 6-2 6-3 but she missed the occasion and Serena came back. The Australian saved a match point at 5-4 (30-40) in the third and defeated the world number one 6-2 6-7 8-6.

Two little videos of Sam Stosur, 2007 French Open:

This afternoon, Sam Stosur will meet Jelena Jankovic, and Elena Dementieva will face Francesca Schiavone.

Other surprise today: Jurgen Melzer beat world number 3 Novak Djokovic. The Serb lead 2 sets to love and a break but Melzer worked it hard and won in 5: 3-6 2-6 6-2 7-6 6-4.
Big desillusion for the Serb who should focus on his game instead of playing the drama queen.

Stat of the day: 1
Of all the 8 semifinalists, Rafael Nadal is the only one to have already won a major.

Some big names crashed out today at Roland Garros:

- Number 6 seed Andy Roddick was ousted in straight sets by qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili. I ‘ve seen Gabashvili play twice: once in a Futures tournament in Lille a couple years ago and last Saturday in Roland Garros, when he was playing an exhibition set against Gianni Mina during Benny Berthet Day. I must say he is a solid player but I wasn’t really impressed by his game.

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Thanks to Warwick, former coach of Marcos Baghdatis and Amélie Mauresmo, who answered our questions. Please note this interview happened three weeks ago (before Kim Clijsters’ withdrawal). If you want to know more about Warwick, please visit our About page.

Q: Let’s talk first about world number one Serena Williams: although she won the French once, her game is not really suited for clay.
Warwick: You never can under estimate Serena. Winning the Australian Open against an in form Henin showed she still has what it takes to fight for a Grand Slam title. However, after coming off a knee injury she acquired in January, the next few matches will determine her survival at the French.

Q: How good are her chances to win in Paris?
A: If she gets a lot of matches in Rome and is physically feeling good, she should at least make the final.

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