I was helpless, admits Kerber

LONDON -- Defeated Wimbledon finalist Angelique Kerber admitted she was helpless to prevent the Serena Williams onslaught which powered the American to a seventh Wimbledon and record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title.

The fourth seed, bidding to become the first German to win the Wimbledon crown since Steffi Graf in 1996, slipped to a battling 7-5, 6-3 loss in one of the better All England Club finals in recent years.

Kerber carved out just one break point in the 81-minute final in the seventh game of the second set.

But in a flash, it was gone as the 34-year-old American fired a 117 mph ace and then another at 124 mph to restore order.

"This is how Serena is playing. I had one break point, and I couldn't do nothing," said Kerber, who had defeated Williams for her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

"I was trying to be tough, to stay in the match, trying to fight until the last point.

"But Serena was the one who won the match. I played my best, did what I could. At the end, she deserved it."

Williams finished on 39 winners and 13 aces which absorbed the 21 unforced errors she had committed.

She ended the tournament with 74 aces, more than twice as many as second-placed Elena Vesnina who managed a comparatively meagre 31.

Kerber hit just 12 winners on Saturday and was unable to fire one ace past her opponent.

"I think I played what I could today. Serena was serving unbelievable. I tried everything," said the 28-year-old, who had not lost a set at the tournament before Saturday.

She had also knocked out five-time champion Venus Williams in the semi-finals.

"She really played an unbelievable match. I think we both played on a really high level.

"I think I was not the one who lost the match, I think she won the match."

Kerber will move to number two in the world in the rankings next week behind Williams.

The American has been top of the pile since February 2013.

But Kerber acknowledges that she still feels a long way behind the great American in terms of achievement.

After all, Williams now has 71 career titles; Kerber has nine and has the best part of $70 million less in the bank.

"It's tough to follow in her footsteps. Let's see one day. But I think it's still a long way," she said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Serena, Venus brace for Wimbledon final push

LONDON -- Serena and Venus Williams can book places in the Wimbledon final on Thursday, seven years after they last slugged it out for a Grand Slam title.

For the first time since 2009, both sisters have made it to the Wimbledon semi-finals.

To make the dream final become a reality, defending champion Serena must beat Russian world No. 50 Elena Vesnina, while world No. 8 Venus plays Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber.

Between 2000 and 2010, Serena and Venus won a combined nine Wimbledon titles and made a total of 14 appearances in the final, with four of those being all-Williams affairs in 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2009.

But, just when it seemed the Williams' duopoly in south-west London would never end, in 2011 Venus was struck down by illness and Serena's win over her sister at Wimbledon in 2009 remains their last title clash.

Now, at an age when most of her contemporaries had long since called it quits, 36-year-old Venus has willed herself back into contention for an eighth Grand Slam crown.

It is a renaissance that makes Serena proud, but even the 34-year-old didn't expect to still be in which a chance of contesting the sport's top prizes with her sister at this advanced stage of their careers.

"I'm surprised of the longevity of it. That kind of definitely took me by surprise," Serena said.

"When you're younger and you have a dream and you say it and you believe it, that's one thing. But for it to really happen and to come true, it's just a completely different emotion.

"It means Venus has a lot of perseverance. She's a real fighter. Like I always say, it's super inspiring for me. It's really great.

"With everything she's been through, I think it's built a ton of character in her, and in me just by being around her."

Inspired

World No. 1 Serena, bidding for a record-equaling 22nd major title and seventh Wimbledon crown, appears to have the easier draw against first-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Vesnina, having won all four of their previous encounters.

But five-time champion Venus, who last won a major at Wimbledon in 2008, has a much tougher task against Kerber.

Kerber defeated Serena to win her maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne in January and holds a 3-2 edge in her meetings with Venus.

Venus, the oldest women's Wimbledon semi-finalist since Martina Navratilova in 1994, expects an equally inspired display as the German fourth seed targets a first Wimbledon final.

"Well, clearly it was one of her best days on the court," Venus said of Kerber's win over Serena. "I imagine that she will try to recreate that. Who wouldn't?"

Kerber, 28, lost her only previous Wimbledon semi-final in 2012, but she enjoyed a victory over Venus at the same venue in the Olympics just weeks later.

"I played against her a lot of tough matches. She's always dangerous on grass, especially here in Wimbledon. She has a lot of confidence right now," Kerber said.

"But I'm playing like in Australia,really high-class tennis. I will just try to play aggressive."

If Vesnina beats Serena, it would count as one of the all-time great upsets, but the 29-year-old sounds more like an adoring fan than a player who believes she can spring a surprise.

"Nothing can be better than playing against Serena in a semi-final at Wimbledon," she said. "Serena, I'm admiring her. She's best player in the world. It will be big challenge for me."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Djokovic, Serena hit fever pitch in Wimbledon celebration

LONDON -- Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams revived an old tradition as the Wimbledon winners celebrated their titles by dancing together to the Bee Gees' hit 'Night Fever' at the annual champions dinner.


Fresh from their respective triumphs on Centre Court over the weekend, Djokovic and Williams were back in the spotlight late on Sunday evening as the pair became the first champions to dance together at the gala event at the London Guildhall since Bjorn Borg and Chris Evert in 1976.

But while three-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic wanted a "sophisticated waltz", it was Serena, a six-time champion at the All England Club, who called the tune.

The 33-year-old American, who beat Spain's Garbine Muguruza in Saturday's final, selected 1970s disco classic 'Night Fever' and Djokovic, a four-set winner over Roger Federer on Sunday, gamely joined his fellow world number one in showing off his best dance moves.

"There was no practice, I suggested the idea to (All England Club chairman) Philip Brook and Serena, and fortunately they accepted," Djokovic said on Monday.

"I was very pleased because Serena is a great dancer.

"I was thinking of more of a waltz - something more sophisticated, something that blends into the environment and the beautiful hall we were in.

"But Serena wanted to move a bit more and we considered other options.

"So it was Night Fever. Night Fever came to life and you can imagine how that looked."

Once the partying had come to an end in the early hours of Monday, Djokovic returned to Wimbledon to discuss his ninth major title.

After passing greats like Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl on the list of major winners, the 28-year-old Serb finds himself ranked among the legends of the sport.

It's no longer inconceivable that he could match the record 17 Grand Slam titles won by Federer and the 14 of Rafael Nadal.

"In terms of reaching them I don't want to say it's too early, it's probably the right time to talk about it, but it's still far away," Djokovic said.

"I know what it takes to win one grand slam. It takes a lot of effort, a lot of things have to come together.

"To reach those two guys would be incredible but honestly, I'm not thinking about it right now."

Djokovic's next shot at a Grand Slam comes in August at the US Open, where he has won the title once and suffered four final defeats.

With his confidence sky-high after reaching all three major finals this year, Djokovic expects to mount a serious challenge for his second title in New York.

"I am approaching the US Open this year with two grand slams won and one final," Djokovic said.

"The confidence level is very high and I'm going to use that to have a shot at the title.

"I'm not the only player who is going to New York to win the trophy, but if you look at the consistency of my results at the US Open I think it's been my best grand slam."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Steel-plated Djokovic a step too far for Federer

LONDON - Novak Djokovic again revealed the true depth of his steely core to grind Wimbledon idol Roger Federer's hopes of a record eighth title into Centre Court's baseline dust on Sunday.

With a sell-out crowd urging Federer to scale the same dizzy heights he reached in eclipsing Britain's Andy Murray in Friday's semi-final, Djokovic shrugged off losing a stomach-churning second-set tiebreak to prevail 7-6(1) 6-7(10) 6-4 6-3.

After swiping away a forehand winner to end a two hour 56 minute contest that crackled into life midway through but then fizzled out, top seed Djokovic roared to the grey London sky before kneeling down and nibbling some of the cherished turf.

"In the end when I finished the last point, I took out everything that was in me," Djokovic, who has rebounded magnificently from losing the French Open final to Stanislas Wawrinka and missing out on a full set of majors, said.

"It's a great achievement. Even though it's the third title here, it feels like the first.

"Obviously, I was disappointed and heartbroken (to lose the French), but if there is one thing that I learned in the sport it's to recover fast and to leave things behind and move on."

For the second year running in the All England Club's showpiece final Federer played majestically but could not break down the defences of the game's ultimate warrior.

Twelve months ago he pushed the Serb to five sets. This time the Swiss maestro's challenge fizzled out in anti-climactic fashion and Djokovic dominated the third and fourth sets of his 17th grand slam final with clinical precision.

THREE TITLES

World number one Djokovic now has three Wimbledon titles, the same as his coach Boris Becker, and moves above the likes of Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Ken Rosewall in the all-time list of grand slam collectors.

At 28, he already has nine majors to his name and, despite the life-changing journey into married life and fatherhood, his hunger for battle remains as voracious as ever.

Nearly six years older, Federer had hoped to become the oldest man to win the Wimbledon title in the professional era.

But, after saving seven set points and coming through a pulsating second-set tiebreak that will go down as one of the tournament's classics, his well of inspiration ran dry.

He will come again, that much is guaranteed, but his chances of winning a record-extending 18th grand slam title are receding.

"You know, I still think I had a great tournament," Federer told reporters. "You can have good tournaments without winning, as well. I still won six matches, lost one. The ratio still remains very good.

"But of course you sort of walk away empty handed. For me a finalist trophy is not the same. Everybody knows that."

FIRST MOVE

Second seed Federer made the first move on Sunday, breaking for a 4-2 lead, only for Djokovic to hit back immediately.

Djokovic escaped at 5-6 when Federer held two set points and then ran away with the tiebreak, winning it 7-1 as Federer's timing, so sweet against third seed Murray, went off a fraction.

Sympathetic "aahhs" greeted Federer's mistakes and he looked in trouble at 4-5 in the second set when Djokovic earned a set point only to waft a loose forehand over the baseline.

The real drama was to come.

The final's second tiebreak was in Djokovic's pocket at 6-3 but Federer summoned some magic, winning a hypnotic 26-stroke rally on the way back to 6-6.

With the crowd on the edge of their seats Federer saved three more set points, one when Djokovic slipped over, and then failed to take one of his own before reeling off three points in a row to win it 12-10.

"It was frustrating obviously not to be able to close it out," said Djokovic, who took his anger out by smashing his racket into his shoes.

"I knew that I could not let this happen against Roger in the finals of Wimbledon because it might be my last chance."

Instead of fretting over missed opportunities, Djokovic simply got back to business and earned a break point at 1-1 by dsplaying his freakish court-covering ability before delivering the coup de grace with a deft drop shot.

Federer then blazed a forehand long and the momentum switched back to Djokovic.

A weather interruption dampened Federer's fire still further and once they returned to the court Djokovic eased through the third set before breaking twice in the fourth. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Djokovic brings curtain up on Wimbledon semi-finals day

Novak Djokovic finds himself in the role of warm-up man Friday when he takes on Richard Gasquet for a place in the Wimbledon final before ceding the spotlight to Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

Defending champion Djokovic will take an 11-1 record over Gasquet into his semi-final, his seventh at Wimbledon and the 27th Grand Slam last-four of his career.

Gasquet, the 21st seed, knocked out fourth seeded French Open champion Stan Wawrinka in five sets to reach his second Wimbledon semi-final -- eight years after his first.

"Obviously an experience of being in these final stages of Wimbledon many times is going to help me to approach it in a proper way," said Djokovic, the Australian Open champion and also Wimbledon winner in 2011.

Djokovic's bid for a career Grand Slam was shattered in the French Open final by Wawrinka but he now finds himself in touching distance of a fourth Wimbledon final as he looks to win a ninth Grand Slam title.

Gasquet's only win over Djokovic came at the 2007 Masters Cup while he was crushed by the world number one in the fourth round of the French Open last month, winning just six games.

Sentimental favourite Federer faces Murray for the 24th time hoping his near perfect Grand Slam grip on the Scot will steer him into a 10th Wimbledon final.

Second seed Federer, the seven-time champion, boasts a narrow 12-11 lead in his decade-long rivalry with Murray.

But he is 4-1 to the good at the Grand Slams, including a four-set win in the 2012 Wimbledon final which delivered his 17th and most recent major title.

Federer, at 33 and hoping to become the oldest champion of the Open Era at the All England Club, also came out on top in the 2008 US Open final, the 2010 Australian Open final and last year back in Melbourne in the quarter-finals.

Murray, five years the Swiss star's junior, won their only other clash at the Grand Slams -- a five-set semi-final thriller in Australia in 2013.

Federer, runner-up to Djokovic 12 months ago, will be playing in his 10th Wimbledon semi-final and 37th at all the majors.

Murray, the 2013 champion, is in his sixth All England Club semi-final and 17th at the majors.

Three years on from 2012, when Federer won a seventh Wimbledon and Murray proved he could win big titles by defeating the Swiss in the Olympic final, both men agree that that summer was a crucial point.

"There was a lot on the line with Andy. I think he was going for his first Wimbledon in '12. So obviously it was always going to be tough. He had lost some majors before that (three finals in total)," said Federer.

"Then the Olympics was just a different vibe altogether. I was a bit weathered but Andy played as good a final as you can play."

The gold medal for Murray was followed by his first Grand Slam title just two months later in New York.

Federer has won their last three meetings, including a 6-1, 6-0 rout at the World Tour Finals in their most recent clash at the end of 2014.

"It was embarrassing," said Murray.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Nadal unsure if best Wimbledon days are over

LONDON - It was a clearly deflated Rafa Nadal who admitted he has no idea whether he can ever reproduce the form that helped him win two Wimbledon titles after maverick Dustin Brown inflicted a fourth successive embarrassment on Thursday.

Nadal's Wimbledon triumphs in 2008 and 2010 now seem an age ago and his record since 2011 has been blotted by four losses to players ranked 100th or lower.

Brown was the latest low-ranked opponent to come out hitting against Nadal at the All England Club, seizing the moment by attempting to knock the Spaniard out of his comfort zone.

The German with a Jamaican father was far from one-dimensional and mixed up ferocious hitting with clever drop shots and surprise charges to the net.

But Brown, like Nadal's three previous conquerors Lukas Rosol, Steve Darcis and Nick Kyrgios, would probably have received short shrift had they played the Spaniard when he was at his Wimbledon-winning peak.

"I don't know if I will be back to the level of 2008 or 2010 or 2007 or 2006 or '11," Nadal told reporters after his 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-4 defeat.

"My motivation is try to be back to that level. But I am going to keep working on that. But if I don't make that happen," he added tailing off before reminding people that he is a five-times Wimbledon finalist.

It was always going to be a hard task for Nadal, 14-times grand champion, to buck the recent trend and clinch a third Wimbledon title this year.

His indifferent form dropped him to 10th in the world, his lowest ranking in over a decade, and he was likely to have to beat the world's top three in Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to win the tournament.

Wimbledon's slick grasscourts have also provided the perfect medium in recent seasons for players to upset Nadal's baseline rhythm and Brown made the most of his chance.

Harking back to a previous era, Brown relentlessly served and volleyed, following his delivery into the net 99 times in the match and winning the point on 71 occasions.

"This court gives the possibility to these kind of players to play like this, with chances of success," Nadal said.

"I didn't serve good enough.

"After losing the first set, you are under pressure for the rest of the match. That's it."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Djokovic, Serena turn up heat as Wimbledon sizzles

LONDON - With everyone "feeling hot, hot, hot" at the All England Club on Wednesday it was little wonder that Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were eager to escape the Wimbledon furnace as quickly as possible.

Spectators sitting under the searing sun on Wimbledon's Henman Hill were heard breaking out into the Buster Poindexter anthem that aptly summed up the hottest day of the year in Britain -- with the mercury hitting 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

Champion Djokovic was spared the worst of the heat on the partly covered Centre Court as he kept things simple in a 90-minute 6-4 6-2 6-3 second-round demolition job that ended the Wimbledon career of seasoned Finn Jarkko Nieminen.

His opponent in the next round, Australian Bernard Tomic, will be hoping the weather eases for their Friday showdown after complaining it was "too hot".

"I was starting to get dizzy out there with the heat hitting me... I was very dizzy out there," Tomic said after beating Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6(3) 6-4 7-6(5).

The blazing sun was the least of Sharapova's concerns, however.

"It's much much warmer in my hometown in Longboat Key, Florida," the Russian fourth seed said after subduing Dutchwoman Richel Hogenkamp 6-3 6-1.

What would have concerned her though is her misfiring serves.

The 2004 champion was left red-faced as she fired down three successive double faults to surrender her serve at 4-2 up in the first set but survived that blip to win eight of the next nine games.

Court Two also hosted the other half of tennis's golden couple with Sharapova's boyfriend Grigor Dimitrov, the 11th seed, outlasting American Steve Johnson 7-6(8) 6-2 7-6(2).

"Everyone was talking about it's hot, it's hot. To me it was just such good weather today," said the 2014 semi-finalist who will next take on Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Williams might want to drop Marin Cilic and Ricardas Berankis a thank you note after the duo's five-set thriller meant she did not have to step on to Centre Court till almost 7pm.

However, the slightly cooler conditions did not mean the American world number one wanted to hang around longer than necessary as she took another step closer to winning her fourth successive major. She whooped in delight after completing a 6-4 6-1 pummelling of Hungarian Timea Babos.

NISHIKORI OUT

While U.S. Open champion Cilic was relieved to be still standing following a 6-3 4-6 7-6(6) 4-6 7-5 win over Lithuania's Berankis, the same could not be said of his Flushing Meadows final victim.

Fifth seed Kei Nishikori spared his battered body further punishment after he pulled out of his second-round match against Santiago Giraldo with a calf strain.

"I was hurting too much," said the man whose exit will be a huge blow back in his Japanese homeland.

Nishikori was not the only one needing medical attention on day three of the championships as a ballboy had to be wheeled off Court 17 after collapsing during American John Isner's 6-2 7-6(8) 6-4 win over Australian Matthew Ebden.

"I saw him on the ground. It was a very scary situation," said Isner. "I'm not a doctor, but it looked like an epileptic seizure. It was very scary. I have heard that he's doing much better, which is great."

French Open champion Stan Wawrinka was in cruise control during a 6-3 6-4 7-5 win over Victor Estrella but Milos Raonic was kept on Court One longer than he would have liked by the oldest man in the singles draw.

The Canadian seventh seed hurled down 29 aces, including one clocked at 145 mph, to secure a 6-0 6-2 6-7(5) 7-6(4) victory over 37-year-old Tommy Haas.

Women's seventh seed Ana Ivanovic became the second top-eight woman to fall as the Serb followed third seed Simona Halep out of the tournament, beaten 6-3 6-4 by 158th ranked American qualifier Bethanie Mattek Sands.

Heather Watson made sure Britain did not suffer a wipeout in the women's draw as she made it into round three with a 6-4 6-2 win over Slovakia's former world number five Daniela Hantuchova.

Next up for her? A certain Serena Williams. (Editing by Ken Ferris)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Sharapova stunned as Kerber downs former champ

LONDON - Maria Sharapova suffered more Wimbledon heartache as the French Open champion crashed to a shock 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4 defeat against Germany's Angelique Kerber in the fourth round on Tuesday.

Sharapova famously won Wimbledon aged 17 in 2004, but she has struggled to emulate that feat for much of the last decade and this was another dispiriting experience for the Russian as the ninth seed sealed a stunning Centre Court triumph on her seventh match point.

The world number five arrived at the All England Club fresh from her second Roland Garros title last month, but she has now failed to make it past the last 16 in seven of her last eight appearances at Wimbledon.

Kerber, who reached the last four in 2012, will face Canada's star Eugenie Bouchard, a winner against the German in the French Open fourth round recently, on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Andy Murray’s Wimbledon run inspired by LeBron James

LONDON – Andy Murray will focus firmly on Wimbledon semi-final rival Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday, having cast a longing gaze across the Atlantic for title-winning inspiration from NBA basketball hero LeBron James.

Murray, looking to become the first British man to reach the Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin in 1938, is an avid follower of basketball and believes he can learn from James’ recent breakthrough NBA triumph with the Miami Heat.

Like Murray, James also spent years battling the critics who doubted his winning mentality.

“He came very close to winning quite a lot of times and winning this year for him was massive,” said Murray, who has now reached four successive Wimbledon semi-finals without being able to push on.

“I would say for me it’s a similar situation. I’ve been close a lot of times and not quite made it.

“There’s a lot of people out there that didn’t want him to win. There’s a lot of people that said he would never win. There’s a lot of people who said he never played his best in finals. In the fourth quarter of games he never steps up.

“Then you see how he played the whole of the Finals, the whole of the Playoffs. Sometimes it takes guys a bit longer than others.”

Murray, 25, knows what it’s like to reach Grand Slam finals — he was runner-up at the 2008 US Open and 2010 and 2011 Australian Opens.

But he has not been able to end Britain’s long wait for a men’s Grand Slam singles champion, a stretch which has now reached an agonising 76 years.

He is aware that there are plenty of opinions out there, from the media to former players, but he is confident he can block out any unsolicited advice.

“If you think too much about it, and you read the newspapers and you watch the stuff on TV that’s said about you, I think it would become far too much,” he said.

“But if you kind of shield yourself from it all and just get into your own little bubble, only listen to the people that are around you, then it’s something you can deal with.”

Murray is playing in his seventh Wimbledon and is a far more imposing figure than he was when as a scrawny teenager on his 2005 debut he took the first two sets off former runner-up David Nalbandian before losing in five.

Ever since that third round loss, Wimbledon has experienced regular bouts of ‘Murray mania’ amongst a desperate British public which has slowly taken the straight-talking Scot to its heart.

However, Murray admitted that it wasn’t love at first sight when he first experienced the All England Club with all of its fussy traditions.

“When I first played here I didn’t understand what it was like, and it still took a few years for me to understood how important this tournament was to me, how important it is to tennis, and also this country,” he admitted.

“I didn’t necessarily appreciate that the first time I played because you’re just a kid. It’s something new for you. You’re excited to play on Centre Court.

“But it’s not until I played a lot of matches there that I started to understand how special a court it was. I spent some time here during the year sitting on the court when there was no one else there just thinking what it was like.

“So it’s become more and more special to me the more years I’ve played.”

source: interaksyon.com